But the Prince of Huaiyang discovered that even in his half-asleep state, the sweet fragrance lingered… It was truly vexing…
So for the remaining days in Qingzhou, Master Cui Jiu went out to visit friends and didn’t return at night.
On the day of the poetry and painting tea party, the streets of Qingzhou were suddenly filled with many luxurious carriages, and mud screens were set up along the roads.
Mian Tang left late and stood on the second floor of the inn, leaning on the railing to watch the carriages pass by.
Truthfully, although she came from a prestigious family, it was a fallen noble house. They had only their ancestors’ empty reputations and had never experienced the leisurely, wealthy life of attending tea parties.
Now that she had married into a merchant family, even that hollow prestige of officialdom couldn’t be maintained.
Her father, having experienced the Lius’ prosperity in his youth, clung to it desperately, always hoping to restore the family’s glory. When educating his children, he constantly spoke of “how the Liu family used to be.”
But what good did all his scheming do? In the end, he was imprisoned and died under torture.
Her half-brother, born to her father’s first wife, came from a more respectable background. He always looked down on his stepmother and often mocked Mian Tang for her coarse manners.
This made Liu Mian Tang naturally averse to the life of high society. Watching the intricately carved, gold-inlaid carriages pass by, with young ladies adorned in jewels peering out, she felt no envy.
Although their carriage was simple and they lived an ordinary life, she felt more at ease than she had in her maiden home. While the ladies could leisurely attend poetry and painting parties, she was off to manage their business in the market.
Since she was setting up a stall, Mian Tang didn’t want to dress too beautifully to avoid unnecessary attention.
So she wore a simple blue cloth dress and wrapped her forehead and hair in blue cloth, presenting a capable and businesslike appearance.
The servant Mo Ru was indeed capable, choosing a bustling location for their stall at a crossroads where almost all passersby would pass.
Mian Tang directed two old women to arrange their shop’s porcelain on the table and had Guisheng, the shop assistant who came from Zhenzhou, raise the “Yushao Porcelain Workshop” banner.
Now that she had learned the ropes, she knew not to solely pursue a high-brow approach. This time, she had also brought in a batch of zodiac figurines and white porcelain piggy banks.
Mr. Chen, feeling guilty about eating Li Mama’s pork dishes without the shop opening, had taken the initiative to paint and decorate these porcelain piggy banks. His designs were unique and different from other shops, both exquisite and adorable.
These cute and distinctive styles soon attracted many onlookers.
Mian Tang decided to boost sales by having the assistants shout about a buy-one-get-one-free promotion: buy a piggy bank and get a small zodiac figurine, or buy a full set of plates and get a complete set of small zodiac animals.
Soon, many adults with children came to buy piggy banks. Firstly, the banks were large and seemed able to hold a lot, perfect for children to save copper coins. Secondly, the small zodiac animals appealed to the children.
Even some collectors bought plate sets just to get the complete set of small zodiac animals.
Mian Tang and the two old women were busy wrapping sold items in yellow paper and tying them with straw rope for easy carrying. They were so busy they could hardly catch their breath.
By noon, when most shoppers had gone to find places to eat, the street became a bit quieter.
Mian Tang wiped the sweat from her forehead, too busy to eat the braised meat pancakes Li Mama had bought. She eagerly counted the money in the cash box, tying coins into strings.
The feeling of watching the money box gradually fill was wonderful. The taste of counting money was even more delicious than eating…
But just then, another customer suddenly appeared at the stall.
Mian Tang caught a glimpse of the customer in her peripheral vision and quickly put away the money box to greet them.
However, her smile froze when she saw who it was.
The visitor was none other than the “lover” Li Mama had mentioned, Young Master Zi Yu. He still looked handsome with a hint of melancholy in his eyes, followed by five or six attendants who seemed quite extraordinary.
Mian Tang was deeply shocked by this young master’s audacity. Even if she had something with him before, as a “lover,” he should have some self-awareness. How dare he come looking for her in broad daylight?
Just then, the young master stared at her intently, with a pained expression, and said, “Mian Tang, did you leave me just to live like this?”
From his tone, he seemed to look down on merchants. Could it be that he thought his background was better than a merchant family and was mocking her?
Hearing this, Mian Tang immediately lost her patience. With a sideways glance from her charming eyes, she retorted, “What’s wrong with this life? I have a house to live in, and meat to eat, and every coin I earn is clean and honest. What business is it of yours?”
Stung by her sarcasm, the young master’s face twisted in pain. He slowly said, “Indeed, this is the life you’ve always longed for… But, how could you so casually live with that man?”
Mian Tang didn’t know why she had been involved with this man before, but today she was determined to make things clear and cut off his ill intentions.
“Young Master, who I marry is none of your business. You seem to be a respectable person, so why are you so intent on meddling with a married woman? Did your parents die early, leaving no one to teach you proper manners?”
At this point, a long-bearded attendant beside the young master couldn’t contain himself and exclaimed in a low voice, “Liu Mian Tang, how dare you speak to the Master like this!”
Mian Tang unceremoniously splashed the leftover tea in her hand towards them, causing them to jump back. She then turned to the attendant and said, “From now on, this is how I’ll speak. He may be your master, but he’s nothing to me. If you dare to come and harass me again, next time I’ll throw a chamber pot of filth at you! Guisheng! Sweep the front of the stall clean. How can we welcome customers with all this dirt?”
The capable Guisheng, seeing that the mistress didn’t welcome these people, brandished his broom fiercely, shouting impolitely, “Move away! Move away! Don’t dirty our master’s stall!”
The guards behind Young Master Zi Yu were arrogant. Seeing Mian Tang’s rudeness, they glared, ready to confront her.
But Zi Yu, pale-faced, stopped them immediately. He then said to Mian Tang, “Since you don’t want to see me, I naturally won’t bother you in the future. But you should know, my heart has always belonged only to you. You misunderstood about me and Yun Niang…”
Mian Tang had no interest in listening to what he was saying. She was anxiously watching Li Mama’s face to see if it had turned dark with suspicion.
Today, this damned young master had come to seduce her again. If Li Mama reported these shameless words to her husband, what would happen?
Looking over, she saw that Li Mama’s expression was indeed strange, her eyes constantly darting between her and Zi Yu. Who knows what kind of illicit affair her rigid mind was conjuring up?
Mian Tang felt devastated and impatiently said, “Whoever you want to be with is none of my business! Leave quickly, I never want to see you again in this lifetime!”
Her words were even more resolute than when she had left the mountain a year ago. The refined young man’s lips trembled slightly.
He paled, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately turned and left.
Mian Tang felt an inexplicable pang in her heart as she watched Zi Yu’s retreating figure. A bittersweet feeling she couldn’t quite describe crept up…
But when she came to her senses, she immediately repented: “Amitabha, what a sin, what a sin, to have watched that man’s back for so long! Husband, your indifference towards me is indeed what I deserve…”
However, she had no time for further rumination.
Shortly after the group left, people on the street suddenly began to shout and run, as if there was a fight ahead. Continuous shouting could be heard, and civilians scattered in all directions. The street was in chaos, with stalls being knocked over by fleeing people from time to time.
Mian Tang’s stall was full of fragile porcelain. Seeing the situation, she didn’t have time to investigate. She quickly called the old women and assistants to put the important porcelain pieces into boxes padded with dry grass, ready to load onto the donkey cart.
By the time they hurriedly packed up the stall, a large group of soldiers had rushed onto the street, heading towards the area of disturbance.
When Mian Tang finally returned to the inn, people were still gathered on the first floor discussing the incident. She heard that several people had died on the street, with blood splattered everywhere.
While listening, she deftly checked if any of their porcelain had been damaged.
After finishing the inventory and securely holding the money box in her arms, she finally let out a long sigh: “My goodness, the streets of Qingzhou are chaotic… By the way, Li Mama, where did my husband go to meet his friends? Would he have encountered the street disturbance?”
Li Mama was also exhausted. Earlier, when Mian Tang had urged them to load the goods, one of the boxes had fallen on her foot, which was now in severe pain. She could only rub it while saying, “The master went out of the city to visit friends, he should be fine…”
Mian Tang breathed a sigh of relief. While calling for the assistant Guisheng to fetch a doctor for Li Mama’s foot, she thought to herself: With such chaos in the city, they would surely close the city gates early for curfew. She wondered where her husband would spend the night.
Her guess was not wrong. That night, Cui Jiu indeed did not return.
However, contrary to Mian Tang’s imagination of him roughing it in a rural cottage, the Prince of Huaiyang was actually on a luxurious pleasure boat outside the city, accompanying his mother and several invited royal ladies on a lake cruise.
The Empress Dowager, along with her future daughter-in-law Lian Silan, had arrived in Qingzhou after the tea party had already begun. The filial Prince of Huaiyang didn’t attend the tea party at all, instead going directly out of the city to welcome his mother. He casually took his mother and a few of her close friends to tour Qingzhou’s famous Yingri Cai Lake.
They were enjoying themselves so much that they only prepared to return as the sun was setting. But when they reached the shore, they heard that there had been a disturbance in the city and it was under curfew.