Hearing He Quansheng speak this way, the old men couldn’t stand it anymore. Red-faced and necks bulging, they shouted accusations of slander and surrounded He Quansheng.
It seemed they were about to collectively beat this outspoken young man.
These words from He Quansheng had been coached by Mian Tang beforehand. Otherwise, the straightforward young man wouldn’t have been able to speak so incisively.
Mian Tang had anticipated Old Cao coming to find her, but she hadn’t expected him to be so shameless as to flip tables and threaten violence.
She completely dropped her polite facade and said to Old Cao: “You’ve no shame! Do I need to point out that you’re the secret owner behind the Cao family shipping business? You took advantage of my grandfather’s illness when he wasn’t managing affairs and privately divided up the Lu family’s shipping business! You hold onto the business in one hand while still collecting monthly payments from our Lu family in the other. You’re truly a shameless scoundrel who only sees money! My grandfather may tolerate you, but I won’t! Since you’re so greedy, having swallowed so many of the Lu family’s benefits, I’ll make you spit out everything you’ve eaten bit by bit! Just try to touch my people!”
A nineteen-year-old girl, who usually appeared gentle before her elders – to be honest, these old-timers hadn’t taken Mian Tang seriously.
But now, the young lady’s stern face and harsh words carried an inexplicable aura, causing those old fellows to hesitate.
Old Cao, his face tightening from her words, recovered and flew into a rage, raising his hand to continue smashing things.
Although Mian Tang had provoked Old Cao verbally, she showed no intention of physical action. When she saw her staff about to rush forward to restrain him, she stopped them.
At this moment, someone shouted in full voice: “Stop right there!”
Everyone turned to see Lu Wu entering the escort agency, his face full of anger.
Seeing him, Old Cao seemed to have found a savior. He knelt before Lu Wu, crying and complaining about how aggravating Liu Mian Tang was.
But before he could finish, Lu Wu raised his cane and struck him hard across the face.
Lu Wu’s martial skills were still intact, though he hadn’t practiced much in recent years due to illness. But today, in his anger, he put full force behind the blow.
Old Cao, who acted like a lord before others, was nothing before Lu Wu. He stumbled backward and fell sitting on the ground.
The remaining troublemakers, seeing Lu Wu appear, fell silent like cicadas in winter.
Lu Wu valued loyalty and righteousness, but he was also fiercely protective! His granddaughter was his weak spot, untouchable by anyone!
Originally, when he heard Mian Tang had taken over the escort agency, he thought she was just having fun and wanted to contribute money to the family.
Although he had scolded his two sons, he couldn’t bring himself to say a word against Mian Tang, only thinking of selling some property to give her more money when a suitable buyer was found.
He hadn’t expected that today, a staff member from the escort agency would come to him saying someone was causing a big disturbance and Miss Liu couldn’t handle the situation.
So Lu Wu hurriedly came with his old servant and household guards, only to witness the scene of a group of old-timers bullying Mian Tang by throwing their weight around.
He had heard everything He Quansheng and Mian Tang said. Regarding Cao Wu’s takeover of the escort agency’s shipping business and setting up his transport operation, someone had informed him long ago. But Cao Wu had vehemently denied it, insisting the shipping business belonged to his nephew.
At that time, Lu Wu was in poor health. Seeing his old comrade crying and pleading innocence before him, he naturally believed his words.
If his eldest son had told him what he heard today, he would have been a hundred percent displeased, thinking his son was just finding excuses to avoid managing things because he found these old fellows burdensome.
But hearing those words from the orphan of the He family made them seem particularly genuine.
Moreover, this Old Cao Five acted loyal and righteous in front of him, but was so domineering and arrogant when out of his sight!
Lu Wu’s eyes, long deceived, finally began to open a little!
Thinking of Cao Five’s various actions, Old Master Lu also became angry. He said with full voice: “Cao Five if you have the ability, go act like a big shot elsewhere. But in this hall, not a single table belongs to you! If my granddaughter can snatch food from your mouth and you’re not convinced, show your true skills. Stop shouting and blustering here! Looking at your fine clothes, Mister Cao, and considering your capable nephew, you shouldn’t need any charity from the Lu family. From today, let’s consider our debt of gratitude settled. Please don’t use my, Lu Wu’s, name to impress people in the future!”
Lu Wu had built up an impressive network over his decades in business. Old Cao’s shipping business had been so successful because he had used the reputation of being a loyal old comrade of the Lu family, riding on the coattails of the old escort master.
But today, Lu Wu’s words here meant he was severing ties with Old Cao Five. With so many old comrades around, this news wouldn’t be contained and would spread quickly.
Cao Five’s face alternated between pale and flushed. He never dreamed that Old Master Lu, who had been ill and hadn’t left his residence for so long, would appear here. Now that his business wasn’t doing well, he still needed to use the Lu family name to maintain connections. It wasn’t good to fall out immediately, so he started crying and pleading again, saying he was just angry and confused for a moment.
Mian Tang added fuel to the fire from the side: “Mister Cao, you’re not confused at all. You’re quite skilled at setting traps for others! Those dockworkers you bribed earlier to swap out several boxes of goods from our shipping line have already been caught red-handed and sent to the authorities. They said it was your nephew who bribed them. I reckon the authorities will be coming to arrest people in a few days… Why don’t you go home and prepare for that, Mister Cao?”
Old Cao Five’s face changed color upon hearing this. Losing face, he no longer cared about reminiscing with Lu Wu or trying to maintain their relationship. He hurriedly left.
The remaining old-timers were quick to change their tune, saying they had been instigated by Cao Five and didn’t know the intricate details. Then they all slunk away.
In the vast hall, amidst the mess of smashed objects, Lu Wu stood dejectedly, his usually straight back seeming to have a slight curve. He took a few steps out of the hall and looked up at the four large characters “Conscience Escort Agency,” seemingly understanding his granddaughter’s deeper meaning in choosing this name.
He turned back to look at his granddaughter, who had also come out and was supporting him. He sighed and said, “Do you think your grandfather is useless and senile?”
Mian Tang smiled and said, “The garrison commander of the neighboring prefecture seems to be a year older than you, grandfather. He recently took a new concubine, and she’s already with a child after a few months. You’re much healthier than him. If you’re willing, you could still be a father and give me a little uncle. How could you be old?”
Seeing her speak so frivolously, Lu Wu glared at her: “Talking nonsense, see if I don’t punish you by making you kneel in the ancestral hall!”
But because of Mian Tang’s playfulness, the momentary bitterness and sorrow were diluted. After looking at the signboard for a while longer, he said, “I heard you once borrowed the register to copy the list of names for monthly payments, saying you wanted to buy things for the uncles and elders. But in the end, you didn’t send out a single fruit… I’m old, and some things I don’t see as far ahead as young people. Over these decades, I’ve been as kind and righteous as I could be to my old comrades. Those who should appreciate it have done so; those who don’t are just ungrateful white-eyed wolves. Tomorrow, I’ll give you the key to the accounting room. You calculate things. From now on, you decide what should and shouldn’t be paid out.”
How could Lu Wu not know the current predicament of the Lu family? It’s just that he previously couldn’t get past the hurdle of “loyalty.” Moreover, his two sons couldn’t suppress those old-timers.
But now that Mian Tang was handling these matters, he was completely at ease.
This girl was clever and capable, and she had a conscience. She knew how to treat those old-timers and orphans differently. If the Lu family could unburden themselves this way, the whole family’s life could improve.
However, Mian Tang felt she shouldn’t be overconfident and still needed to be polite and defer. She humbly said she was inexperienced and still needed her eldest uncle to take charge.
Lu Wu glared at her and said, “When that worker came to the house to call me, those troublemakers had probably just stepped through the doorway, right? You had arranged everything so thoroughly in advance, provoking Cao Five with words to smash things, letting your grandfather watch a good show. Where’s the inexperience in that? Your eldest uncle is a straightforward person. I think it’s better not to let him learn bad habits from you!”
Mian Tang hadn’t expected her little tricks to be seen through so clearly by her grandfather. She immediately hugged her grandfather, acting coy out of embarrassment.
Lu Wu glared at her and said, “You’ve gone to all this trouble just waiting for this stubborn old man to give in, right? Now that your wish has been fulfilled, stop running around wildly every day and come home to eat properly.”
Mian Tang naturally agreed with a smile. She called for a carriage, helped her grandfather board, and returned home with him for dinner.
When the carriage stopped at the front door, they happened to see the second aunt warmly holding the hand of an old lady as they were leaving.
Mian Tang looked up and realized it was Madam Su, the honored guest of her second uncle’s family.
From her second aunt’s words, it seemed she was planning to take Madam Su and Young Master Su to offer incense at the famous Chanyin Temple in Western Province.
Following the two ladies, besides her cousin Lu Qingying, there was also a refined-looking young man.
Mian Tang hadn’t dined with her family for several days, always leaving early and returning late, so she naturally hadn’t properly greeted the Su family.
However, she guessed that this must be the Young Master Su who was being considered for her cousin.
Su Mian was also staring directly at this beautiful young lady who had just alighted from the carriage.
He had been with the Lu family for some time but had never seen this strikingly beautiful woman.
Was she… also a daughter of the Lu family?
However, Madam Su, after greeting Old Master Lu and hearing Lady Quan’s introduction, reacted first. She smiled as she looked Mian Tang up and down, saying, “I heard early on that Old Master Lu had a capable granddaughter… What was the name of that escort agency she opened?”
Lady Quan smiled and said, “Conscience Escort Agency. The name is…”
Madam Su interrupted with a smile, “It’s a very good name. The cloth shop I brought as my dowry also operates on the Western Province route. I heard from the staff that since changing to the Conscience Escort Agency, it’s been both cheaper and faster.”
Hearing this, Lady Quan beamed with joy. She had long heard from her father that Madam Su’s natal family was extremely wealthy, and she had brought many shops as her dowry when she married into the Su family.
She only had one son, Su Mian, so wouldn’t all those future assets belong to her daughter-in-law?
At this moment, Madam Su continued, “What a coincidence. My son’s given name is Mian, and Miss Liu’s given name also has the character ‘Mian.’ It seems when naming them, we parents had the same thoughts, hoping our children would live without worries, sleeping peacefully for a long time…”
Lady Quan didn’t like hearing this. Young Master Su had come to consider her daughter Qingying, yet Madam Su was pointing out that her son’s name matched Mian Tang’s. Although she tactfully shifted to the topic of parents’ wishes, it still seemed somewhat inappropriate.
Moreover… Young Master Su was staring directly at Mian Tang, seemingly stunned by her beauty.
Lady Quan knew her own daughter’s appearance couldn’t compare to Mian Tang’s stunning beauty. If Young Master Su was captivated by Mian Tang’s looks, it would be problematic…
But then Lady Quan thought again, feeling that Mian Tang’s background was too complicated, and she was parentless. In this aspect, she couldn’t compare to Qingying.
Thinking this way, Lady Quan felt somewhat reassured again.
Since they were going to the temple to pray for blessings, Liu Miantang only smiled and bowed to the guests before following her grandfather into the manor.
When she first returned to the Lu family, she found herself with too much idle time and couldn’t sleep at night. Moreover, the Lu family’s cook didn’t prepare food to her liking, so she didn’t eat much and lost a considerable amount of weight.
Later, for some reason, the cook’s dishes gradually became more flavorful, and Liu Miantang began to eat more. However, she still felt cold at night and occasionally suffered from insomnia until dawn.
These cold days reminded Liu Miantang of the ginger pork trotters that Li Mama used to stew for her to ward off the cold. She asked Fangxie to prepare a small clay pot in the kitchen following Li Mama’s secret recipe. The pot was filled with pork trotters, eggs, and old ginger, which had been soaking for several days and was now perfectly seasoned. Fangxie placed the small pot on the room’s warming stove to heat it before serving.
Liu Miantang took a bite, tasting the collagen from the pork trotters in the ginger and aged vinegar sauce. She ate an egg with the hot broth, feeling the warmth spread throughout her body.
Her shipping business was now taking shape. Although it wasn’t very profitable at first, once she had squeezed out the Cao family’s business, the profits would rise accordingly. When business fully improved, she planned to transfer it to her eldest uncle, and the decades-old brand of Shengwei Escort Agency would be revived.
As for her second uncle, if he had his means of making money, he could pursue that. However, letting the second branch manage the family affairs was inappropriate…
Lost in thought, Liu Miantang suddenly asked, “Fangxie, where did you buy the sweet vinegar for these ginger pork trotters?”
Fangxie quickly replied, “I bought some from a peddler outside who was shouting about authentic Lingnan sweet vinegar… Is something wrong? Does it taste off?”
Liu Miantang looked at the bowl of ginger pork trotters in her hand and smiled, “It’s fine. I was just asking because it tastes exactly like Li Mama’s…”
Previously, she didn’t know why Li Mama’s cabbage always tasted different from others, with a unique flavor.
Later, she learned that many of Li Mama’s cooking ingredients were of special origin. For instance, the sweet vinegar used for the ginger pork trotters came from an old Lingnan vinegar workshop, made with specially smoked cakes. They only produced twenty vats a year, and after tribute to the imperial court, the rest went to the homes of nobles and high officials.
Even the soy sauce used for everyday cooking was made from the finest fish and shrimp. How could the food not be fragrant and sweet? Such exquisite flavors were exclusive to the royal household and not something a street peddler could sell.
So the next day, Liu Miantang casually instructed the kitchen that she wanted to eat rouge goose liver and asked them to buy a northern snow goose to extract the liver.
The kitchen staff grimaced, saying they had searched the entire market but couldn’t find any northern snow geese. They asked if they could substitute with another type of goose.
However, a few days later, when the purchasing matron went out, she heard a hunter carrying a shoulder full of goods, claiming to have northern snow geese for sale.
This time, the matron didn’t buy immediately. Instead, as per Liu Miantang’s instructions, she first reported that northern snow geese were available.
Soon after, Liu Miantang appeared at the front door, wrapped in a thick fox fur coat.
The goose seller hurriedly turned to leave, but Liu Miantang said expressionlessly, “You’re leaving without selling the geese? How will you report back?”
Although the man disguised as a hunter had a full beard and wore a felt hat low on his face, Liu Miantang recognized him at a glance as one of the assistants who had worked in her pharmacy and one of Fan Hu’s capable subordinates.
Seeing that Liu Miantang had recognized him, the undercover agent decided to be straightforward. He turned around, put down his load, and unloaded snow geese, wild boar legs, and various other games.
Liu Miantang, with a tight expression, said, “How did you know I wanted to eat this? How many spies have you planted in the Lu manor? And… I have no relationship with him anymore, why haven’t you left?”
The agent couldn’t answer these questions and only bit his lip while looking towards the alley behind him. Soon, Fan Hu was seen walking over, rubbing his hands.
“Madam… no, Miss Liu, our lord instructed us to take care of your daily needs. You seemed to have trouble with the food in the manor recently, so we sent a pigeon message to inform the Prince. He then had Li Mama write a list, and We’ve brought some of your favorites from the Prince’s special supplies according to that list.”
Liu Miantang remained unmoved and asked, “Which servant did you bribe to inform you?”
Fan Hu bowed slightly and said, “Miss, you know we’re just following orders. We truly mean well, and we’re not trying to poison or trouble you… If you were a bit more confused, this snow goose would have been in the pot long ago… Please be kind, and don’t ask anymore… Once the Prince returns victorious, we can report our duty as complete…”
If it had been earlier, Liu Miantang might have been somewhat touched, but now she had hardened her heart and said coldly, “Indeed, someone about to become a consort knows how to be gentle and considerate. However, I have no relationship with him, so isn’t he causing misunderstandings by doing this… It doesn’t matter if you don’t tell me, I’ll clean up the mess in the manor myself, but please don’t harm others, Fan. Stop using money to bribe the Lu manor’s servants…”
Fan Hu was at a loss for words. If he could, he would have gladly silenced Miss He San’s big mouth long ago.
The imperial edict hadn’t even reached the Northwest yet, and who knows where this merchant’s daughter had heard the news, eagerly passing it on to Liu Miantang.
As a result, his next words would seem so inappropriate…
But he couldn’t disobey the Prince’s orders, so he could only set aside his pride and say woodenly, “These are all the Prince’s orders, we have no choice but to follow them… And the Prince also said to tell you to wait for him.”
Liu Miantang asked, confused, “Wait for him? For what?”
Fan Hu didn’t know either, so he could only repeat the instructions, “The Prince means for Miss Liu to take it slow, not to rush into marriage.”
Liu Miantang had thought that hearing Lord Cao’s slanderous words earlier was absurd enough. But compared to the Prince of Huaiyang in the Northwest, it was nothing!
Wait for him? Don’t rush into marriage. What was all this about?
Liu Miantang even suspected that Fan Hu had made up these words. She couldn’t imagine someone as proud as Cui Xingzhou saying such unreasonable things.
However, Fan Hu solemnly handed Liu Miantang a letter written by the Prince himself.
Liu Miantang looked at the familiar, strong handwriting on the envelope but didn’t take it. Instead, she turned and went back to her courtyard.
Bicao poured her a cup of tea and then cautiously asked, “Miss, should I investigate the servants in the manor?”
Liu Miantang took a deep breath and said, “No need. With the Prince of Huaiyang’s abilities, if he wanted to, even the small Lu manor would be under his control… Go ask the matrons in the manor which matchmaker in Xizhou is reliable, and invite one over tomorrow.”
Bicao and Fangxie exchanged glances, wondering if it was wise to make rash decisions about marriage matters.
But Liu Miantang said, “Since he said that, wouldn’t it look like our door is cold and cheerless if no matchmaker comes to inquire about me at the Lu manor?”
She wanted Cui Xingzhou to understand that whether she married or not was for the Lu family elders to arrange, and it would be according to her wishes. He, as someone about to become a consort, had no say in the matter!
Despite deciding this, Liu Miantang was so angered by Cui Xingzhou’s overbearing attitude that she couldn’t sleep all night. The next day, she was still rolling around in bed when the sun was high in the sky.
She knew she shouldn’t be lazy in bed. There were too many people in the Lu manor drawing salaries, and she needed to carefully sort things out and reorganize. However, she had been too tired in recent days and was now completely lazy.
After a while, she felt thirsty and wanted to drink the water on the small table beside the bed. Through the half-raised bed curtains, she saw the letter placed on the small table.
Fan Hu must have given the letter to her two maids when she refused to accept it yesterday.
Liu Miantang had no intention of reading it, thinking she would ask Bicao to burn it later. But after tossing and turning in bed for a while, she stretched out her slender arm, picked up the envelope, and slowly pulled out the letter.
As the letter was pulled out, a dried wind-whisper flower fell from the envelope.
Liu Miantang picked up the dried flower, vaguely remembering an incident – she had seen these uniquely shaped, light blue flowers in the warm valley where Cui Xingzhou had ordered a hot spring pool to be built. The flowers had a peculiar fragrance that Liu Miantang loved, but there weren’t many, just a small cluster.
At that time, Cui Xingzhou had said he would plant a whole field of wind-whisper flowers for her in the future, so she could enjoy their scent to her heart’s content.
Liu Miantang placed the flower beside her pillow and slowly unfolded the letter to read.
The paper was thick, with seven or eight pages. However, even after reading it three times, Liu Miantang couldn’t find much substantial meaning.
It mostly described his daily life after she left.
For instance, the cat she had left in the courtyard had given birth to a litter of kittens. He had chosen a white kitten with a black-tipped tail to keep in his command tent. Because it was as fond of sleeping in as she was, he named it Sleeping Immortal, with the courtesy name Mian’er (Sleepy).
The clothes she had sewn for him had been ruined by the rough-handed Mo Ru during washing. But when he wore other clothes, he always felt they weren’t as comfortable as the old ones.
The valley was now full of wind-whisper flowers, but these flowers attracted bees, so one had to wear a gauze hat when appreciating them. Moreover, the buzzing in the mountain valley made it difficult to bathe peacefully.
If it weren’t for the breakup before parting, just looking at the contents of this letter, it would seem like a long-separated husband chatting with his beloved wife about the little details of their time apart.
Liu Miantang wondered what kind of couple they were supposed to be. Could it be that the Prince of Huaiyang had suffered a setback on the battlefield, couldn’t sleep, and was so bored that he wrote to her for relief?