《I Gave Birth to a Cub without Telling the Head Assistant》 CH 1.1 In the sixth year of Yongshun in the Qi Dynasty, on the fifth day of March. Only three days were left for Ruan¡¯s shop to settle the payment. The Ruan family¡¯s business this time was done on the black market. According to the rules of the Yangzhou black market, if the payment could not be settled on time, all the property of the Ruan family¡¯s business would be handed over to others. Ruan Longling, the owner of the Ruan family business, tried every method to borrow money to settle the payment, but a thousand tales were still missing. She was so worried that she went through account books for several sleepless nights in a row to check whether she had missed something. Suddenly, she caught a point from an account book. [TL Notes: Tael is a Chinese measure of weight that has been used as money in ancient China.] The Liu family, on Huaihua Street in the north of the city, owed the Ruan family more than 800 taels of silver over these years. As long as she could get that money, the payment issues could be solved without any difficulties. However, the person who went to collect money came back without success giving Ruan Longling a headache. ¡°The second room of the Liu family refused to admit it, saying that the second room had never borrowed money from Ruan¡¯s house, and even falsely accused us that we had no rules and that we were chasing the wrong person for the debt.¡± ¡°Boss, you have been engaged to the eldest son of the Liu family, Liu Chengji, since you were young. You have subsidised the eldest son of the Liu family for many years. Maybe you mistakenly made the wrong account and mistakenly credited the money given to the eldest son to the second wife,¡± another servant said. Ah Xing, a loyal maid of the Runa family, said with a frown when she heard this, ¡°Are you actually a dead person? How can they deny the IOU written in black and white!¡± ¡°They recognised it, but she also said that the Ruan family will marry into the Liu family in the future, and she is the future husband¡¯s aunt, and Boss Ruan should respect elders.¡± The little servant raised his eyes and looked at Ruan Longling anxiously. He quickly lowered his head and shrugged his shoulders, murmuring, ¡°And that money¡­ just treat it¡­ just treat it as the boss¡­ honour the elders in advance.¡± The servants, who were standing all over the ground, dared not show their anger at hearing such words. The rain had just stopped, and the rainwater was falling drop by drop from the wooden roof to the stone steps of the building. There was a woman, with a little tired face, sitting in the official hat chair above the stone steps. Although she had faint dark circles under her eyes, they couldn¡¯t hide her beauty. That woman was Ruan Longling, who was in charge of Ruan¡¯s business. Hearing the servant¡¯s words, Ruan Longling¡¯s face became more and more gloomy, and suddenly she clenched the armrest of the chair and stood up with a sneer. ¡°Ah Xing, go find fifty strong servants, tell them to take some sticks and follow me to Huaihua Street.¡± Although the Ruan family was doing serious business, it was quite awkward when facing malicious rogues who owed credit. It was common to use evil to control evil, and it was not uncommon to see blood. Ah Xing knew that there would be a serious conflict if they went to the Liu family, so she tried to pursue Ruan Longling with a low voice. ¡°Think twice, my boss. You are going to marry into the Liu family. How can you go to your fianc¨¦¡¯s house to collect debts? Besides, Liu Sheshi is the head of the Liu family now, and she was notorious for taking vengeance. If you offend her before marriage, it is inevitable that she will not retaliate against you after you marry into the Liu family.¡± Speaking of Liu Chengji, Ruan Longling suddenly remembered the day he went to Beijing to rush for the exam. The two had been engaged since they were young, and they had known each other since childhood. Although they were not married yet, they had a strong affection for each other. The two families, the Ruan, and the Liu made an agreement with each other before Liu Chengji went to Beijing. Whether Liu Chengji passed the exam or not, they would get married when he returned. She and Liu Chengji were in love with each other. However, unexpectedly, such a thing happened before they got through the door. If this problem could not be handled this time, she would face more serious problems after getting married. Did the Liu family help the Ruan family when they had difficulties, or did the Liu family provide money for the Ruan family¡¯s business? No. So why should Ruan Longling let the Liu family bully her? ¡®Today¡¯s debt of the Liu family must be collected!¡¯ Ruan Longling thought with frustration. ¡°What are you still doing here? Why don¡¯t you go order people now? Waiting for people from the black market to bully us to close the shop?¡± Ruan Longling scolded Ah Xing. As the only female proprietor among many merchants in Yangzhou, Ruan Longling had always acted vigorously and resolutely. After being reprimanded like this, the servants dared not say a word, and they all shrugged their shoulders and got ready to go to the Liu family house. Everyone hurried to the Liu family on Huaihua Street in the north of the city. At that time in the Liu family, Liu Sheshi was leisurely laying on a couch, eating melon seeds happily. She couldn¡¯t help but flash a proud smile from time to time. After all, she not only got rid of a huge debt but also gave the bride who was about to enter the big room a disarm. What kind of character was Ruan Longling? She was the ¡°Lady Linglong,¡± as everyone called her in Yangzhou City. [TL Notes: The meaning of ¡°Lady Linglong¡± can be taken as ¡°Elegant Lady.¡±] The Ruan family¡¯s business was not very promising in the past. They went through multiple ups and downs as a result of the intense competition among merchants in Yangzhou City. However, since Ruan Longling took charge of the Ruan family business at the age of twelve, the Ruan family soon established itself in Yangzhou City. Only five years had passed since then, and the Ruan family was now among the top five businesses in Yangzhou City. Not only did she open various shops, but she also even set up a pulpit. CH 1.2 Zhou Ge, the former chief assistant of the cabinet who had retired from the imperial court, came to Yangzhou every year to give lectures in the Tianxia Building for one month. The Tianxia Building was managed by the Ruan family. Because of this, scholars from all over the country know that there was a building called Tianxia Building in Yangzhou, and there was a ¡°Lady Linglong¡± who looked like a fairy there. ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Liu Sheshi sneered and spat out the melon seed shell from her mouth. ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m not a man with handles.¡± If Ruan Longling were a man, she might have made a lot of achievements. But since she was a woman, she would marry sooner or later, and no matter how majestic she was now, after marriage, she was destined to be restrained by her husband¡¯s family, restrain her temper, and be a housewife who did not leave her home. ¡®Hahahaa¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter how much money you earn. Those mountains of gold and silver will belong to the Liu family sooner or later. As long as the Liu family does not separate for a day, the second room can enjoy the money and live a peaceful life.¡¯ Liu Sheshi thought smugly. Liu Sheshi, Liu Chengji¡¯s aunt, was willing to teach Ruan Longling a lesson if she didn¡¯t obey them by giving her nephew a few more concubines. Liu Sheshe did a lot of wishful thinking and even began to think of the good days when Ruan Longling married into the Liu family.¡± ¡°Madam! It¡¯s bad! The debt collectors from the Ruan family have come to visit again!¡± Liu Sheshi looked at the panicked servant girl¡¯s expression with a frown and threw a melon seed into her mouth disapprovingly. ¡°Why are you panicking? Just tell them what I said earlier. Could it be that she really dares to come to the door asking for money?¡± ¡°Madam, they have really come. She has come with many vicious-looking servants, and they are going to smash the yard with sticks! Madam, go and have a look!¡± Liu Sheshi: ¡°What¡­cough..cough¡­¡± The melon seed got stuck in Liu Sheshi¡¯s windpipe, and she coughed violently. After a few seconds, she recovered a bit and ran to the courtyard like a mad woman. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes when she saw the situation there. A few of the Liu family¡¯s servants had been forced to kneel down on the ground, and the flowers and plants planted there were all trampled and crushed, and the courtyard was covered with mud stains. The most frightening thing was that the instigator of all this was sitting on a chair in the centre of the courtyard, enjoying tea. It appeared that Ruan Longling was not there to collect debts but rather to enjoy flowers and music at leisure, as her majestic and alluring face was hidden by the hot air of tea aroma. Her red lips were slightly parted, and she breathed in the hot air. Liu Sheshi was vaguely aware of Ruan Longling¡¯s tricks, but when the ¡°Lady Linglong¡± entered and left Liu¡¯s home, every time she came to Liu¡¯s house, she always had a smile on her face, which made people feel like a spring breeze, even to the point that every festival, maidservants would be sent to present gifts to the elders in each house¡­ These many details made Liu Shesji feel that Ruan Longling attached great importance to this marriage. Normally, when she came to the Liu¡¯s, she was a well-behaved lady with a delicate appearance. Who would have expected that she would actually bring her servants to her fianc¨¦¡¯s house for a mere 800 taels of silver? ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve heard that Lady Linglong loves money like her life, but I didn¡¯t believe it. Now that I have seen it in person, I know that it is true. I never thought that you loved money to such an extent. As the eldest daughter-in-law who is about to join the family, how could you bring so many people to our door? What do you want to do with such a big battle? Want to encircle and suppress? Want to ransack the house?¡± A sharp and ear-piercing shout of anger resounded in the messy courtyard, making people frown. Usually, if she encountered such a troublesome woman, Ruan Longling definitely didn¡¯t want to give her a face, but Liu Sheshi was Liu Chengji¡¯s aunt after all, and she had to deal with Liu Sheshi when she married Liu. So Ruan Longling didn¡¯t want to have much trouble with Liu Sheshi. However, as Liu Sheshi didn¡¯t want to give her some face, Ruan Longling didn¡¯t intend to ignore this matter lightly. Otherwise, she would be a joke among people. ¡°Lady Linglong came to the door today, not as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Liu family, but as the owner of the Ruan family business.¡± Ruan Longling¡¯s graceful voice echoed around them. She gently fiddled with the floating tea leaves with the tea bowl lid, then snapped the lid on, and the porcelain collided with a crisp sound. ¡°It¡¯s natural to pay off debts. Auntie doesn¡¯t understand this truth, right?¡± she asked Liu Sheshi without giving any face. Actually, those 800 taels were already in Liu Shishi¡¯s pocket. But how could she just return them? ¡°What debt are you talking about? The elder brother passed away early, and the eldest wife has been bedridden after giving birth to Chengji. It was I who brought him up to this day. Since he can¡¯t pay it back, shouldn¡¯t you pay for him as his unmarried wife? It¡¯s only natural for a wife to pay her husband¡¯s debts! Okak, okay, don¡¯t you just want money today? Then just deduct it from Chengji¡¯s dowry for marrying you! Finally, Chengji has repaid his aunt for raising him for many years!¡± Ruan Longling also felt that it was ridiculous, and she hadn¡¯t slept for two whole days because of the debt, and she really didn¡¯t have more energy to argue with Liu Sheshi here. The warm and fresh tea flowed down her throat, which restored Ruan Longling¡¯s energy. She then stood up and said, ¡°Auntie, if you don¡¯t hand over the 800 taels today, your son may not be able to go in and out of the Tianxia building from now on, let alone sit next to Mr. Zhou Ge and listen to his teachings like in previous years.¡± These few words were Liu She¡¯s weakness. The only son of Liu Sheshi¡¯s family had access to Tianxia Building for many years freely to hear Mr. Zhou Ge¡¯s lectures because of the Ruan family¡¯s connections. ¡°You, how dare you! Are you threatening me? What a good lady! I¡¯m afraid you will end up as your father in the future! Sure enough! She is indeed Wu Yunbi¡¯s good daughter, you are just like your femme fatale mother, your conscience has been fed into the dog¡¯s stomach!¡± When she heard Liu Sheshi scolding her mother, Ruan Longling¡¯s blood began to boil. Her expression had changed, and she looked at Liu Sheshi with furious eyes. She changed her address from ¡°Aunty¡± to ¡± Mrs. Liu Sheshi¡±. ¡°Since Mrs. Liu said that I value every penny, why should I just ignore that? Eight hundred taels are just the money. After so many years of debt, interest should be added. If Mrs. Liu should pay the money with interest. A total of nine hundred and sixty-eight taels. Not even a penny less!¡± CH 2.1 Nine hundred and sixty-eight taels! It seemed that members of the Liu family were consuming the Ruan family¡¯s cash. The moment Liu Sheshi heard the words ¡°Nine hundred and sixty-eight taels,¡± her mind became dizzy. If the maid beside her didn¡¯t help her in time, she might faint on the ground. ¡°What interest? Do you think because I¡¯m not your future mother-in-law, you can be so presumptuous?¡± Then she waved the maids behind her and shouted, ¡°Come here! Hurry up and get the eldest lady out of the sick bed, and let her open her eyes and see clearly how her future daughter-in-law is disobeying the elders and being so rude! Let¡¯s see how dare she let Chengji marry you after seeing your money-eating appearance!¡± Ah Xing, who was standing beside Ruan Longing, said with a sneer, ¡°Madam is ill, so she needs rest. How can she be bothered by such trivial matters?¡± Liu Sheshi thought if she mentioned the first wife, Ruan Longling would be scared. But who would have thought that not even Ruan Longling, but people besides her, weren¡¯t even scared? After that method didn¡¯t work, Liu Sheshi thought to sell misery to gain sympathy. ¡°Girl, why do you want to push each other so hard? Yes! Over the years, the few unsatisfactory descendants of our Liu family have used the name of the Ruan family. But when you suddenly ask for the money, how can we repay you? Isn¡¯t this embarrassing?¡± Hearing such disconcerting words, Ruan Longling let out an angry laugh. ¡°Do you think no one knows about what you have done? Didn¡¯t you sell a few acres recently? Where is that money?¡± ¡®How could she know about that?¡¯ Liu Sheshi began to panic. Ruan Longlin: ¡°Mrs. Liu, do you think I¡¯m a fool?¡± Liu Sheshi: ¡°No¡­no. Really¡­really¡­I can¡¯t afford it!¡± The domineering appearance of Liu Sheshi collapsed instantly. Her complexion turned pale. She held her chest and cried, talking about the difficulty of running a family and the hardships of family life. The more she talked, the more sad she became. She managed to squeeze out some crocodile tears from her eyes because she wanted to gain sympathy. Anyone who saw this dramatic scene would be moved. In the noisy courtyard, a gust of wind blew by, messing up the broken hair hanging from Ruan Longling¡¯s temples and the hem of her skirt, like a lotus flower that came out of the mud and moved with the wind. ¡°Mrs. Liu, why bother with me here? Didn¡¯t the property of the Liu family fall into the private accounts of you, the head of the house? As far as I know, you only sold dozens of acres of fertile land ten days ago for seven hundred and eighty taels of silver¡­So it will not be a problem to pay back nine hundred and sixty-eight taels, right?¡± Ruan Longling was not just an ordinary boudoir girl who knew nothing about the world. Since she was a child, she had been doing business in the streets and alleys and had dealt with various types of people. Therefore, Mrs. Liu Sheshi¡¯s little tricks could not fool her. ¡°Ah Xing, light the incense,¡± Ruan Longling ordered her maid, as her patience had worn out. ¡°If Mrs. Liu can¡¯t hand over the money within three sticks of incense, I will send someone to take the IOUs, beat the drums, and plead with the government. The magistrate will decide what to do with her. Maybe it will go to jail or exile. Anything doesn¡¯t matter.¡± [TL Notes: ¡°Beating the drums¡± is a complaint method used in ancient China.] Liu Sheshi was completely taken aback by Ruan Longling¡¯s words, and she didn¡¯t even have time to think about how Ruan Longling found out about her embezzlement of family wealth. ¡°You, you are crazy! Do you want to sue your future husband¡¯s family to the government for a few taels of silver? You want to ruin my son¡¯s future? And what about Chengji? Even if he is still in Beijing, he will also be affected by this lawsuit! Could it be that you even disregarded your old relationship with Chengji for the sake of money?¡± Liu Sheshi was angry to the death. Two incense sticks were burned off, and Ruan Longling remained calm. Actually, she didn¡¯t want to inform the government of this matter and destroy the official career of her fianc¨¦, but she said these words just to deceive Liu Sheshi. ¡°Since Mrs. Liu knows the seriousness of this matter, Mrs. Liu might as well hurry up and hand over the money, so it will cause less trouble and not affect the future of Liu¡¯s descendants.¡± Liu Sheshi was so angry and didn¡¯t want to give the money back, but she couldn¡¯t think of another way. And she was afraid to make Ruan Longling angry because it would cost her son¡¯s future. Liu Sheshi gave up pretending, wiped away her tears, and stood up from the ground. She gave Ruan Longling a savage glance while her eyes were bloodshot, then she turned around, entered the inner room, took a tiny box from under the bed, opened it, and took all the money. After looking at the empty box in a daze, she felt like her heart was pierced by a knife. The more she thought about it, the more angry she became, and she felt the anger rushing from her chest. Driven by her anger, Liu Sheshi strode back to the courtyard and stopped in front of Ruan Longling. ¡°Your Ruan family women don¡¯t have a single good thing!¡± Liu Sheshi pointed at Ruan Longling¡¯s nose and cursed. ¡°Ten years ago, your mother drove your father out of Yangzhou for money! Five years ago, in order to inherit the family property, you planned to make your brother die in floods! Today, under the name of collecting debt, you turned my Liu family upside down! You are such an ungrateful, vicious woman. How can you do your duty to look after your husband and children in the backyard of the inner house in the future? Since you like money so much, then don¡¯t come into my Liu family¡¯s house, and spend the rest of your life with money!¡± After Liu Sheshi finished cursing, she raised her hand and threw the stack of silver notes into the air, and then ran into the inner courtyard like a mad woman. CH 2.2 The banknotes danced in the air with the wind, lingering around the body of the woman, and then slowly and leisurely scattered on the ground, falling into the messy courtyard, stained with dirt. At that moment, Ruan Longling¡¯s heart seemed to fall along with the money. Before she came to the Liu Mansion today to collect debts, she knew that she would be in a lot of trouble. Whatever happened in the future, the most important thing was to settle the matter with the black market. As long as she could collect the money, Ruan Longling would bear a few scoldings. Ruan Longling stretched out her arm subconsciously and caught a banknote that was floating down in front. Then she bent down and reached out to the banknotes in the mud. ¡°Miss, these banknotes¡­ are dirty.¡± Ah Xing then looked for other people from the Ruan family and said with a choking voice, ¡°Hurry up, pick them up.¡± Seeing Ruan Longling Ah Xing became very sad. Miss Ruan handled such a big business alone on behalf of the Ruan family, and everyone in Yangzhou respected her. She wasn¡¯t supposed to be humiliated in such a way. If someone offended Ruan Longling, that person would never be spared. But today, because Liu Sheshi was Liu Chengji¡¯s aunt, Ruan Longling had to bear such humiliation. Ruan Longling lowered her slender eyelashes like black feathers and said softly, ¡°Silly girl, is there anything dirty about money? To earn money, we had to go through so many hard things with our sweat and blood. This is nothing compared to those things.¡± Ruan Longling was not a rich and noble lady but a businesswoman. So she didn¡¯t care about such things as long as she could keep her family¡¯s fortune up. ¡°Hurry up and pick them up, it¡¯s okay if they are only covered with mud. But if the banknotes are soaked in water, it won¡¯t work.¡± As soon as Ruan Longling finished speaking, a gust of evil wind blew from the porch. The wind was unable to move most of the banknotes because they were covered in mud, but a few of them were lifted off the ground and floated in the direction of the water tank in the courtyard¡¯s corner. When Ruan Longling noticed this, she became frightened and raised her skirt to follow the cash. She tripped over a stone next to the water tank, but instead of falling into the water as she expected, someone caught her without warning. It was a man¡¯s hand. The palm was clean and thin, the joints were slender and distinct, white as cold jade, the white crescent on the fingernails was clearly visible, and the slightly protruding blue veins on the back of the hand seemed to be showing a sharp edge. Ruan Longling paused and raised her eyes to look at the owner of the hand. The man was dressed in a silver-white brocade robe, with a thin and tall figure and a very good appearance, standing under the peach blossom tree amidst the rain of flowers. This person, this scene, and this atmosphere stunned Ruan Longling for a moment. Ruan Longling hurriedly stabilised her body, took a few steps back to make a certain distance from this unknown man, and studied him for a while. Ruan Longling understood that this man was either rich or noble after seeing the shining jade brocade on his body. ¡®Oh, that brocade seems very expensive. Maybe a hundred taels. So he is not from the Liu clan! I have been here for so long, and I didn¡¯t realise there was a foreigner waiting in the side room in the courtyard. So this man has seen everything that has happened now. How embarrassing¡­¡¯ A few people in the world wanted to be caught in a state of embarrassment, and Ruan Longling¡¯s complexion suddenly darkened. The man picked up the banknotes near him and handed them over to the servant behind him without directly giving them to Ruan Longling. Then the servant handed over them to Ruan Longling. At this moment, the distance between the two was only six or seven steps, and the man could easily give the money to her. So it seemed that he was afraid of having anything to do with her. The man¡¯s every move was filled with the dignity and nobility of a superior. Ruan Longling thought not to offend this unfamiliar man, who just appeared here. Anyway, without him, the one hundred taels of banknotes would have been in the water. Thinking of this, the knot in Ruan Longling¡¯s heart suddenly disappeared a lot. She knew what was good and bad, so after carefully folding the banknotes, she knelt down and thanked the man. ¡°Thank you very much, young master, for helping me just now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little effort.¡± The tone was gentle, and the voice was clear, but it was still difficult to hide the ice-like indifference in the voice. Ruan Longling¡¯s vision was quite vicious. ¡®The man is dressed luxuriously, speaks, and behaves decently, surely he is a potential high-quality customer.¡¯ She pulled a delicate and small wooden token from her sleeve and offered it to the man with the intention of partially showing her appreciation and partially pursuing business. When you present this token, you will receive a 20% discount on clothing as well as food and drinks in my stores. This discount is valid for lodging as well. Her hand paused in the air for a long time, but still no one came to pick it up. ¡®I¡¯ve heard that the children of aristocratic families are all guarded against men and women, and they will never give and receive anything privately with women at will, but the man in front of him is too rigid, right? And he should have heard that I¡¯m engaged to Liu Chengji, and what I handed over was not a sachet or a love letter¡­ I just want to do some business. What is wrong with him? Anyway, it is not like we are short of business!¡¯ Ruan Longling felt a little annoyed and was about to take back the wooden token, but the young servant who accompanied the nobleman, under his master¡¯s signal, took the wooden order first. ¡°The girl has a heart.¡± The man¡¯s voice was cold and distant. Ruan Longling felt that this man was not easy to get along with. She raised her legs and was about to turn her head to leave, but she remembered something. Then she turned around, bowed slightly to the man, and said in a low voice, ¡°My lord, what you saw and heard was just a little conflict among the women in the inner house. It¡¯s just filthy, polluting the young master¡¯s ears. For the sake of reputation, please don¡¯t spread it.¡± The man was surprised to hear such words because no one had ever taken him as a gossiper before. He raised his eyebrows slightly, a trace of astonishment flashed in his eyes, and then he quickly calmed down. ¡°Reputation? The girl is worried about her own reputation or the reputation of the Liu family?¡± Naturally, Ruan Longling was thinking about the Liu family¡¯s reputation. To be precise, Liu Chengji¡¯s future. She had never been afraid of gossip, but she had to think about Liu Chengji. With Liu Chengji¡¯s talent, he could pass the exam easily. It would only be a matter of time before he became an official. Liu Sheshi would definitely not publicise such scandals to the outside world, so as long as this man kept his mouth shut, no one else would know about it. But he had seen how Liu Sheshi threw the banknotes in Ruan Longling¡¯s face. So Ruan Longling thought that the man would think she was such a weak woman. After pondering for a while, Ruan Longling was about to answer, but the man cut her off, saying, ¡°The girl is so infatuated, she is really admired by others. But I¡¯m afraid she has to make a wedding dress for someone else.¡± CH 3.1 ¡°I am afraid that he is not a good person, and the girl has made a wedding dress for others.¡± Ruan Longling: ¡°?¡± If Ruan Longling¡¯s close elders said that she could ask for the reason behind such words, but the man in front of her was not related to her, this was their first meeting, and with what identity did he have the right to point fingers at her marriage? Ruan Longling¡¯s engagement with Liu Chengji was a well-known matter in Yangzhou City. If someone asked a woman who was going to marry in the near future if she was making a wedding dress for someone else, wouldn¡¯t it be extremely rude? ¡®This man is really crazy!¡¯ ¡°This girl can rest assured that this matter is really not enough to talk to others about.¡± I will never talk about it when I leave this courtyard.¡± Li Zhulin agreed to Ruan Longling¡¯s request. The one positive impression Ruan Longling had of the man vanished after hearing such offensive statements. She adjusted her expressions to appear normal because, as a merchant, she had learned to hide her true feelings from other people. The polite smile that had been on her lips had nonetheless vanished. Ruan Longling and Liu Chengji were childhood sweethearts, and she was certain that Liu Chengji would not treat her as the man said. He was not a heartless person. But, Ruan Longling didn¡¯t intend to say those words to the foreigner anymore. So now the only thing she did was hide her anger and thanked him, saying, ¡°That¡¯s it, thank you again, young master.¡± After that, Ruan Longling turned her head and walked away since she didn¡¯t want to continue to interact with this disdainful man. With his head held high and his hands clasped behind his back, the man under the peach blossom tree watched her thin, emerald-green back fade away. The green-clad figure moved smoothly through the shower of flowers while the pink petals waved in the wind. From time to time, she knelt down, leaned forward, and reached out to pick up the silver coins that were lying on the ground. With every movement, the graceful curves of the young woman were revealed through the clothes. But such a good-looking woman stretching out her hands to pat the mud on the silver coins gave the feeling that a fairy had fallen from the sky, causing trouble in the mortal world. The flowers fell into the mud, and the petals were stained. Seeing the fragile appearance of the woman, Li Zhulin had the desire to protect her from the bottom of his heart. It was a feeling that he had never had for a woman. Li Zhulin couldn¡¯t help concentrating, and his eyes followed the graceful figure until she disappeared out of his sight after collecting all the silver coins and notes. A sigh came from behind. It was Li Zhulin¡¯s servant, Yunfeng, who sighed. ¡°My lord, I don¡¯t know if that girl understood your words. Isn¡¯t she just making wedding dresses for others? Liu Chengji has been appointed by my lord to be an official at this time, and now he is very popular in the capital. And he is going to be the son-in-law of the Shangshu Mansion¡­¡± Li Zhulin¡¯s eyes fell on the chair in the courtyard, which was no longer beautiful. ¡°It¡¯s about love. This girl is really miserable. Liu Chengji concealed his marriage contract and wanted to climb into the high branches of the Shangshu Mansion, while his aunt was tricky and mean, trying to deny the debt¡­ Poor girl. She has no brother or father, and no one to stand up for her, and she has to face everything alone.¡± The servant¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t stop working. ¡°My lord, our trip was in vain,¡± he said again. The Young Emperor was too young to be in charge of the court, and all matters related to this year¡¯s imperial examinations were handled by Li Zhulin, the chief assistant of the court. Among the top three, he was quite impressed by Liu Chengji¡¯s articles. Not only were his viewpoints vicious and novel, but they were written penetratingly and thoroughly. It was rare for him to have the heart to support him, so Li Zhulin went to Liu¡¯s residence to investigate. Who knew, he would run into the scene where Ruan Longling came to collect debts just now? Li Zhulin: ¡°People go to high places, but water flows to low places. If Liu Chengji wants to make achievements in officialdom, marrying a merchant girl will not help him.¡± After the late Emperor passed away, everything turned upside down. The new Emperor was very young, so others were eyeing the throne. Li Zhulin, as the uncle of the young emperor, used thunderous tricks to support the young emperor born to his sister. CH 3.2 In just half a year, the imperial court lacked hundreds of high-ranking officials. So it was natural to use a large number of young talents who could support the young emperor to maintain the stability of the country. After appointing those talents as officials, the corrupt officials in the court could be dismissed. Therefore, Li Zhulin had been inspecting suitable candidates for half a year. From his point of view, Liu Chengji was only engaged, and the two hadn¡¯t yet married. The business girl just now wasn¡¯t even a bad wife, but she was so considerate before they got married. Li Zhulin turned around, and his servant, Yun Jin, went along with him while saying, ¡°The teacher will arrive in Yangzhou to give lectures in a few days. His pupils are all over the world, and he will definitely recommend some more talents to my lord.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to Tianxialou.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Ruan Longling was on the carriage, on the way to her home with the banknotes she had just collected, but she still couldn¡¯t be happy. The scene of being rejected by her future husband¡¯s family had created havoc in her mind. She remembered how the eldest lady, who was Liu Chengji¡¯s mother¡¯s personal nurse, stepped out of the room, squinting her eyes and frowning, and said with grievance, ¡°No matter how poor the girl is, she can¡¯t be so domineering. How can she surround her husband¡¯s yard completely? And with so many people screaming and killing? The lady¡¯s illness is getting better, but just now when Mrs. Sheshi came over, she yelled at the lady Hu Qin in a strange way, and the lady was so angry that she spit out blood and passed out. We have to send someone to hire a doctor. Liu¡¯s family is an official household, before the girl marries, it is better to get rid of the smell of copper from those merchants. If this spreads out, people will laugh at us.¡± The eldest lady, Hu Qin, was not a mean person, and she had taken good care of Ruan Longlin. But hearing those words, Ruan Longling¡¯s heart was suffocated. ¡®Yes, the Liu family was still a noble one even though they were in decline. Their reputation was more important to them. But why didn¡¯t they consider the stature and might of the gentry when Liu Sheshi refused to pay their debts? Could it be that I damaged the Liu family¡¯s reputation and moral standing?¡¯ Ruan Linglong showed some grievances on her face and gathered strength with her fingertips to hold the drooping skirt in a ball. Ah Xing, who was at the side, saw it in her eyes and immediately comforted her softly, ¡°Boss, don¡¯t think too much. Over the years, Madam Hu Qin has considered you her own daughter. Perhaps because the results of the examination are coming out soon, the madam is worried about whether Mr. Liu will be rewarded for his ambition, so she speaks more seriously.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­Maybe¡­¡± Ruan Longling muttered. Ah Xing didn¡¯t want her to worry, so she could only find some fresh and interesting topics to divert her attention. ¡°Boss, who is that man who just picked up our banknote in the courtyard? He is so handsome!¡± ¡± Ah Xing thought Mr. Liu was good-looking before, but that man was even better than Mr. Liu! And it was the first time she had seen such a handsome man. Ruan Longling suddenly remembered that the man was wearing a silver-white slanted-front robe, standing under the peach blossom tree, with a tall and jade-like body. His appearance was handsome and beautiful, but it was a pity that he had a poisonous mouth. When Ruan Longling thought of the nonsense of ¡°making wedding dresses for others¡±, she felt angry. She raised her eyebrows and gave a soft bark, asking, ¡°Is it good-looking? It¡¯s clearly hideous and ugly.¡± CH 4.1 The location of the Ruan family¡¯s inner house was extremely superior. It was located at the foot of Tingshan Mountain. Compared with Liu¡¯s small three-entry courtyard, Ruan¡¯s mansion was dozens of times more spacious. The overall decorating style was simple and elegant. Even the ¡°Ruan¡± character on the lantern hanging high at the door was inscribed by a famous artist. It was quite elegant and agile when the wind blew. In the main room of Lancui Courtyard in Ruan Mansion, a woman¡¯s voice was heard through the window, mixed with soft sobs. ¡°You are about to marry into the Liu family. Why bother to offend your husband¡¯s parents? Even if you want to collect debts, you send someone to do that. Wouldn¡¯t it be okay for me or the elder sister, to go forward? And do you think that I can¡¯t take care of you? You have been big-minded since you were young. Today you just went to Liu¡¯s house without telling me. What about tomorrow? I¡¯m afraid you will have a baby with someone else tomorrow, and I am still kept in the dark!¡± Ruan Longling¡¯s second sister scolded her. Although her tone was heavy, she didn¡¯t seem to be harsh but instead seemed to be burying her grievances. She still had tears in her eyes. Ruan Liyun felt very distressed. The third sister was a character who reported good news but not bad news. She must have suffered a lot to recover the debt, but she was so stubborn that she wouldn¡¯t say a word of bitterness! The Ruan family had five children: two boys and three girls. The eldest one was a boy who had died in floods; Ruan Liyun was the second child; the third one was Ruan Longling; the fourth one was Ruan Yumei; and the youngest one was a boy who was still studying. Sitting beside Ruan Liyun was an immature but extremely pretty girl, Ruan Yumei, Ruan Longling¡¯s third sister and the fourth child of the Ruan family. ¡°Third sister, I was so scared when I heard that. My second sister and I will go to the Liu house if you don¡¯t come back now,¡± Ruan Yumei said while wiping her tears. Ruan Liyun, the second sister, was a kind and upright person. After getting married into the Feng family, she spent most of her time with other family members of officials. Not to mention the fourth sister, Ruan Yumei, who was shy and sensitive by nature; she cried when it thundered and almost never spoke aloud, much less requested money. The fifth younger brother, Ruan Chengfeng, was not afraid of things and took responsibility, but he was still young, and he was studying at Yunshan Academy a hundred miles away, so he couldn¡¯t help to solve family affairs often. ¡°It¡¯s just a trivial matter, why should you worry about it so much? Second sister and third sister, don¡¯t worry. Mrs. Liu Sheshi doesn¡¯t dare to offend me easily. After all, in a few days, Mr. Zhou Ge will go to Tianxialou to give lectures. She expects me to let her only son go to Tianxialou to study!¡± Ruan Longling softly comforted her sisters as if the ridicule and humiliation she suffered in the Liu family had never happened. Ruan Liyun could still see the faint blackness under Ruan Longling¡¯s eyes and also feel the exhaustion in her tone. ¡®Everyone was aware of the title ¡°Linglong Lady¡±. The third sister¡¯s appearance was the most outstanding among the three sisters. At any time, she was always bright and beautiful, just like the colourful peony in the mountains, but no matter how I look at her now, I feel that this peony seemed to have just been devastated by a sudden storm.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve said the word ¡°rest assured¡± the most these years, but how can you make me feel at ease?¡± Ruan Liyun pinched the handkerchief, wiped away the hot tears that welled up in her eyes, and said angrily, ¡°If¡­ if I had known that big brother would have an accident, I would never have married so early! Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be as involuntary as I am now, unable to take care of you at such times. From the three of us, you have suffered so much over the years.¡± The father left. Mother was sick. Brother died. The second sister married out. The entire Ruan family was supported by Ruan Longling, who was only twelve years old at the time. Ans five years had passed since Ruan Longling took the burden to her shoulders. She was shrewd, capable, slick, and resolute. She was forced to carry out the heavy responsibility over the past five years. If she had made even a slight mistake and made the wrong move, the Ruan family¡¯s wealth would have been swallowed up by others. The family situation had improved a lot, but Ruan Longling¡¯s reputation became bad. After all, which boudoir woman would show her face outside casually and handle business? Ruan Liyun saw all these things and was anxious in her heart, so she was extra worried about Ruan Longling¡¯s marriage. ¡°Thanks to Chengji being by your side all these years, I can feel a little more at ease. Seeing that the wedding date is just around the corner, why do you bother to go to the Liu family to make such a fuss again? If your marriage with Chengji has twists and turns, what will happen? Okay? I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll regret it when the time comes!¡± Ruan Yumei, who was sitting beside her, was also worried. ¡°Yes, what if Liu Sheshi complains to brother Chengji?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really worrying too much. Could it be that Chengji would not marry me because of Liu Sheshi¡¯s few words?¡± Ruan Longling only smiled to reassure the two sisters. Then she pulled up her sleeves, revealing the light-green jade bracelet on her snow-white wrist. ¡°This is the ancestral jade bracelet that Chengji personally brought to me before he went to Beijing to face the exam. He told me to wait in Yangzhou with peace of mind until he came to an official position. Then he will use eight large sedan chairs to carry me in, and be the lady of the official family.¡± Seeing the rare shyness on Ruan Longling¡¯s face when she mentioned her sweetheart, Ruan Liyun felt relief. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m really relieved to hear you say that. Scholars, farmers, businessmen, and merchants are not in the same social class. That¡¯s why my father married me into the Feng family. Feng Decai is just a handyman in the government office; if Chengji becomes an official, it would be great. I have even prepared the gift money for your marriage, and now I am waiting in Feng¡¯s residence with peace of mind, waiting for the good news of Chengji and your marriage! ¡± Ruan Yumei also laughed, saying, ¡°My sister¡¯s wedding quilt, I also sewed it almost, and now I¡¯m closing the stitches. I wish the third sister and brother-in-law harmony and love in advance. ¡± ¡°No matter how much you can stand alone outside, you are still a daughter¡¯s family,¡± the two sisters said. CH 4.2 The two sisters¡¯ advanced wedding blessing made Ruan Longling blush instantly. She leaned on Ruan Liyun¡¯s shoulder and imagined her future life with her sweetheart. Under the screen carved with bamboo bones and jade, the three sisters cuddled close to each other, like entwined knots in the forest. ¡°Third Sister, Fourth Sister¡­with you and with money, our days will get better and better.¡± Ruan Liyun muttered faintly. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. The two sisters stood in front of their mansion, waving their hands, until the Feng family¡¯s carriage disappeared. The two sisters turned around and walked home one after another. Ruan Longling tilted her head and whispered to the younger sister next to her, ¡°The Feng family is a big family, The family education is strict. The second sister has to take care of her bedridden mother-in-law, and she has to deal with a bunch of sisters-in-law and relatives. She is already too busy to take care of herself. In the future, if it is not necessary, don¡¯t go to Feng¡¯s residence to bother her about such trivial matters. ¡± Since the business of the Ruan family business had become more and more prosperous, Ruan Longling had been so busy every day, and her personality had also changed, especially in her speech. This was nothing in the eyes of outsiders, but in the eyes of Ruan Yumei, the younger sister, this elder sister had become more cold and ruthless than before. These words were clearly exhortations, but for some reason, Ruan Yumei heard a hint of accusation in them. Ruan Yumei lowered her head, pursed her lips, and replied in a muffled voice, ¡°I know, Third Sister, I won¡¯t do this again.¡± ¡°Sister, it¡¯s ok for today, you never told Mother, right?¡± Ruan Yumei shook her head lightly, and said more timidly, ¡°No, I dare not let my mother worry.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Half of Ruan Liyun¡¯s room was full of children¡¯s toys. There were tiger-headed rattles, pottery ring balls, paper kites, and rabbits¡ªthey were all cute and brightly coloured gadgets. Ruan Liyun¡¯s face was a little moved, and she raised her fingertips to stroke them one by one. Her maid, Cuihu, smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s no wonder Miss San is so busy, she still remembers Sister Shu¡¯s birthday and prepared so many presents early.¡± Ruan Liyun smiled slightly, ¡°She is a girl who especially likes children. Yes, every time she sees Sister Shu, she hugs her and never lets her go. I just hope that after she and Chengji get married, she will have more cute babies¡­¡± But suddenly she remembered the matter of her going to the Liu family to collect debts today, and said with a sad voice, ¡°But marrying into someone else¡¯s family is different from being in your own family. Many things can¡¯t be controlled. She is too resolute and stubborn. Today, she offended her husband¡¯s aunt. I¡¯m afraid she will suffer a lot of grievances in the future¡­ ¡± ¡°It would be better for the third miss to have a bigger temper so that she wouldn¡¯t be bullied in her husband¡¯s house. But you, second miss, blindly submit to grievances. If this continues, we¡¯ll lose our place in the Feng family soon.¡± Cuihu persuaded, ¡°Second miss, why don¡¯t we tell everything to the third miss? She has a lot of ideas, if she finds out, she will definitely¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Ruan Liyun flatly refused. ¡°The huge Ruan family business is enough for her to be busy, and on the occasion of the opening of the forum in Tianxialou, there are so many guests who come to stay in Loulu, and she will get busier. At this critical moment as the eldest sister, it¡¯s fine if I can¡¯t help, how can I let her worry about my affairs?¡± Cuihu still wanted to open her mouth to persuade, but was blocked by Ruan Liyun, who said, ¡°In this case, there is no need to say it in the future.¡± Ruan Liyun turned her face to look at the street view outside the carriage window, her eyes seemed to extend to the distance again, and with a hint of determination, she said faintly, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. If it really pushes me into hell, I will die with him.¡± CH 4.3 Ruan Longling, who was able to collect money to settle the payment with the black market, fell peacefully asleep until the afternoon. When she opened her eyes, she suddenly felt something under the pillow. She stretched out her fingertips and found a two hundred tael banknote under the pillow. This bank note was stuffed by the second sister, Ruan Liyun. A few years ago, when the Ruan family was not rich, Ruan Liyun was worried that her younger sisters and younger brother would suffer at home and would quietly leave banknotes every time she went back to her natal home. Thinking of this, Ruan Longling felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She got up and walked to the desk, where she found a special ledger to add the two hundred taels to. She wrote a few very beautiful small characters in the account book and asked Ah Xing, who was grinding ink, ¡°Is there any trouble today? ¡°A few people were caught who wanted to eat and drink for free, and the clothes in the clothing store were infested with worms due to improper storage¡­ Boss, it seems we have to take action immediately.¡± Ruan Longling¡¯s writing didn¡¯t stop, she frowned and said sharply, ¡°If I remember correctly, this is the fourth time that something has gone wrong with the fur shop¡¯s account book this month, so you go and order Manager He to check it out. If there are any mistakes, we need to replace the manager. Nothing else?¡± ¡°There is another problem¡­¡± Ah Xing started to inform Ruan Longling. On the other side of the Tianxia Building, a guest who booked Qizhen Courtyard encountered difficulties when checking in. Six days later, Literary Taishan, the former Chief Assistant Zhou Ge, went to Yangzhou to conduct a lecture for a period of one month. Half a month ago, many students had gathered from all directions. In order to listen closely to Mr. Zhou Ge¡¯s teachings, they preferred to stay in Tianxialou, where Mr. Zhou Ge lived. Therefore, every April, the accommodation fee in Tianxialou increased, and it was more than ten times more expensive than usual. Tianxia¡¯s accommodation price was divided into three patterns: board, room, and courtyard. Among them, the price of the courtyard was the most expensive, and the prices of the Qizhen Courtyard, Wenfeng Courtyard, and Wusheng Courtyard, which were next to Mr. Zhou Ge, were the most expensive. One hundred taels for a night: Even so, it had to be booked half a year ago. ¡°The guests who can make a reservation for Qizhen Courtyard are not ordinary people. ¡± Ruan Longling had finished writing the account book and placed the Langhao brush lightly on the inkstone. ¡°But who is he? If he is currently short of funds, that is not our issue. Tianxialou doesn¡¯t owe anything on credit, just refuse it directly. Everyone in Yangzhou knows this rule, so why did you report it to me? ¡± Ah Xing felt her forehead covered in a cold sweat, hearing the slightly harsh tone of Ruan Longling, and she hurriedly explained, ¡°Fenniang also told the guest that there is no credit policy, but the guest refused to leave and handed it over. A wooden token, insisting on asking to see the boss. After all, he is a guest who has reserved the Qizhen Courtyard. Fenniang said that the gentleman seemed to be rich, and the wooden token was given to him by you. So that¡¯s why Fenniang wanted to inform us of this matter.¡± Ah Xing took out the wooden token from her sleeves and placed it lightly on the rosewood desk. Under the big ¡°Ruan¡± character in the middle of the token, it showed the serial number of the wooden token, ¡°Sixteen.¡± ¡®Isn¡¯t this the one I handed to that strange man this morning? That man is full of noble air, everything in his body is high-quality goods, and the jade rings on his knuckles are priceless. How can he be short of money? Didn¡¯t he not want to accept the token first? Isn¡¯t he very tall? Is it particularly condescending? And also cursed me, saying that my marriage would not go well. Okay, since it¡¯s delivered to my door today, I¡¯ll let him taste what it¡¯s like to be teased.¡¯ Ruan Longling thought smugly and said to Ah Xing, ¡°Let¡¯s go and meet this honoured guest.¡± Ruan¡¯s mansion was very close to the Tianxia Building, so she could deal with this matter quickly. She had a cup of tea first and went to the flower hall to meet the guest. The windows of the flower hall were all painted with red vermilion lacquer, and the windows were decorated with colourful glasses. Ruan Longling walked slowly down the corridor, looking in through the window. The sun shone on the coloured glass, casting colourful light into the flower hall. And that man was sitting in an official hat chair in the centre of the colourful halo. He was just about to lift the lid of the cup to drink tea when he felt some movements. Hearing the movement, the man closed the raised tea lid again, looked straight towards the door, and met her eyes. His eyes were unhurried and extraordinarily calm. At first, he seemed warm, but after a few more glances, she could feel a bit of sharpness in the man¡¯s eyes. He was the one who wanted to talk with Ruan Longling, but when he met her gaze, there was no warm greeting on his face, and he didn¡¯t even stand up to greet her. He only nodded slightly at her, and his tone was still as cold as earlier. ¡°Ruan¡¯s family, we meet again.¡± CH 5.1 Normally, Ruan Longling would get information about all VIPs who had made reservations in each yard of the Tianxia Building in advance, which included the identity, age, preferences, and taboos of each guest, to make better decisions during their stay. Some extremely picky customers filled in the information very comprehensively, but after all, it involved privacy, and there were also many customers who filled in the details incompletely. The man in front of her belonged to the latter, and the information was very limited. So she could only get some basic information. His name was Wang Chulin; he was twenty-three; the family was a wealthy one in the capital, and they engaged in the silk business. ¡°My lord, greetings.¡± After Ruan Longling greeted him, she walked around the long table and sat opposite the man. The two really didn¡¯t have much friendship, so Ruan Longling went straight to the topic. ¡°I heard from the maid that the young master ran out of cash and wanted to go to the Fuyuan Bank to get the silver but found that the Fuyuan Bank had moved. And now there is nowhere to get money, right?¡± In fact, Ruan Longling was very familiar with these kinds of incidents. And most of them were merchants from the north. After all, in the north, Fuyuan Bank was blooming everywhere, but in the south, especially in Yangzhou, Longchang Bank was more recognized. Fuyuan Bank didn¡¯t function here anymore. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the man said indifferently. Ruan Longling was not a very generous person, and she clearly remembered what this arrogant man said in the morning. So originally, she wanted to directly reject the man¡¯s request to see his embarrassment. However, her eyes were unconsciously attracted by the bright green jade ring on his finger. She was very fond of jewelry and jade, and she recognized that ring as a rare beauty in the world. If she could get that, it would be very joyful. Thinking that her eyes were bright, and the corners of her lips curled up, she pretended to give him advice and said in a persuasive tone, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not only from the bank that you can get money, and a pawn shop is also a good place for emergencies. I see my lord¡¯s jade ring on the finger is not bad. Why don¡¯t you pawn it at the Ruan family¡¯s pawn shop first? The pawn period is ten days, and I will only charge you five cents of compound interest, okay?¡± The jade ring was the imperial treasure of the Great Inner Palace. It was given by the first emperor to Li Zhulin before his death, and the kingdom was entrusted to Li Zhulin before his death. Li Zhulin never thought that such a sacred object would one day be considered unbearably vulgar. ¡°The relics of the elders cannot be pawned.¡± Li Zhulin coldly rejected this ridiculous request, lowered his upper body slightly, stretched out his slender knuckles, tapped twice on the table, sneered, and said in a deep voice, ¡°The price offered by surname Ruan is not appropriate, right? Ordinary pawn shops only charge three cents of simple interest, but the surname Ruan¡¯s charges five cents of compound interest. Could it be that you think I don¡¯t understand the market and you people are deceiving customers?¡± There was a coldness in the corners of his eyes and brows, as if there was a cold light shooting out, and the invisible pressure was overwhelming, making Ruan Longling, who was sitting opposite, become breathless for an instant. If this attitude were exerted on the court, all the civil and military officials of the court would probably be on their knees and kowtowing to the ground. But this action aroused Ruan Longling¡¯s rebellious heart. ¡®What is he to be angry about? Is this the attitude of asking for help? Tianxia can¡¯t afford to entertain such difficult guests!¡¯ ¡°Is this called bullying customers? It¡¯s about goodwill, so please be careful, Mr. Wang.¡± Ruan Longling¡¯s face changed. ¡°Tianxia doesn¡¯t have credit rules, so it¡¯s not easy to open the back door for you for no reason. It¡¯s reasonable to give you a higher interest rate, right? And I propose such a compromise out of good intentions, but since the young master is not willing to pawn, then that¡¯s fine. The door is there, and please go back, young master.¡± It was the first time in Li Zhulin¡¯s life that he was ordered to do such a thing. But he really had no other choice. Within a radius of ten miles centred on the Tianxia Building, all the places had been reserved by well-known literati who wanted to see the demeanour of great Confucians, and there was no other place. Moreover, Li Zhulin came to Yangzhou this time using a fake identity. In addition to secretly inspecting officials and recruiting a few talents, more importantly, there were several decrees to be promulgated that needed guidance from his mentor, so naturally he had to live with Mr. Zhou Ge. Who knew that this merchant woman would chase him away if she disagreed with him? Not even given a chance to discuss it. ¡®Forget it, businessmen value profits, and this Linglong lady is just greedy for money. Money is something outside the body, since she wants it, give it to her.¡¯ ¡± It¡¯s true that I can¡¯t pawn this ring, but I would like to ask Surnamed Ruan¡¯s family to give me a few more days. I will let the boy go to Guangzhou as soon as possible. Within five days, I will be able to get the money back. Of course, I have no intention of ruining the world. According to the rules of the building, it is only natural to pay some additional price. So, let¡¯s make a price.¡± Both of them looked at each other without saying anything for a while. Ruan Longling cared about money, but what made her even more upset at this moment was the man¡¯s attitude! ¡®Is he so arrogant because he has money? It seems that he can afford any price I ask.¡¯ Ruan Linglong was so angry that she quoted a sky-high price without even thinking about it. ¡°Okay! That¡¯s a thousand taels a night! How about it? If you can afford the price, I¡¯ll sweep the dust away and invite you to move in. If you can¡¯t afford it, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless!¡± The accommodation price at Qizhen Courtyard was one hundred taels for one night. For ordinary people, that was already a sky-high price. If it increased to a thousand taels a night, who could afford it? Thinking that Ruan Longling gave a mockery glance at the man opposite her. She stared at the man firmly because she didn¡¯t want to miss any wonderful expressions of surprise, disbelief, or anger that would appear on his face! Who would have thought that after a few moments of silence, there would be an inaudible sneer from the opposite side? Hearing the price, the man never frowned, never blinked his eyes, and even breathed a sigh of relief, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, as if there was a kind of¡­ He looked like a victor and hooked his thin lips, saying, ¡°Okay! According to Surnamed Ruan¡¯s family, a thousand taels for a night, let¡¯s make a written statement.¡± CH 5.2 Ruan Longling was stunned on the spot. ¡°Wh- What?¡± She looked at the man in front of her and asked suspiciously, ¡°You don¡¯t think of playing any tricks, ok? If you can¡¯t pay such an amount of money when the time comes, what should you do? What should I do?¡± Li Zhulin raised his head high and said calmly, ¡°If I break the contract, not only will I still be able to pay the rental fee of one hundred taels a night, but this jade ring will also belong to Surnamed Ruan¡¯s family. How is that?¡± Ruan Longling couldn¡¯t believe it until she held the black and white paper in her hand. She even pinched herself secretly. ¡®Ow, it really hurts! This is actually true!¡¯ She saw countless silver notes floating everywhere as she thought about the amount of money she would get. Ruan Longling was sure that this man signed such a document because of his temper! He was only identified as a spendthrift, brainless dude! Now that the written evidence had been established, it was no longer possible to stop the man from staying in Tianxia. After everything was settled, Ruan Longling kept the written documents and smiled slightly. She was ready to show the way, but suddenly, Ah Xing rushed to Ruan Longling¡¯s side. ¡°Congratulations, Miss!¡± she said with a look of excitement on her face. Ruan Longling frowned. ¡°How decent is it to be reckless? What if you offend a distinguished guest?¡± Now that the man had checked in, he was a distinguished guest of Tianxia. Even if she despised him, she didn¡¯t want to disrespect him. So she bowed her body, lowered her head, and apologised. ¡°My lord, please don¡¯t blame my maid for disturbing you.¡± Li Zhulin didn¡¯t care and said softly, ¡°It may be urgent, so it¡¯s okay.¡± With the permission of the guest, Ah Xing smiled and said, ¡°Congratulations, Miss! Mr. Liu has won! He has won! He has won first place!¡± Ruan Longling couldn¡¯t believe her ears, and her face became a blooming flower in an instant. She was on cloud nine. Li Zhulin saw the change in her demeanour. The arrogant female boss in front of him suddenly turned into a shy girl waiting to be married who was excited about her sweetheart¡¯s success and fame. ¡®It¡¯s a pity that Liu Chengji will never marry her, and she will end up with nothing.¡¯ Li Zhulin had no position to puncture her sweet dreams. With her ignorant smirk, she must have had no intention of leading him any longer. ¡°Tianxia is famous all over the world. I just happened to wander around in it first, as for the check-in, I will talk about it later.¡± Li Zhulin said coldly, lifted his feet, and left. Until Li Zhulin¡¯s figure disappeared in the moon gate with the round arch of hanging flowers, Ruan Longling still couldn¡¯t get away from the good news she suddenly learned. ¡®Studying hard for more than ten years, he has finally won¡­¡¯ ¡°This maidservant also heard that this year, the young emperor is still young, and the chief minister is the one who is in charge of the court. The chief minister has thought about the hard work of all the students and has specially granted them a month of leave! So it is estimated that in a few days, Mr. Liu will arrive in Yangzhou to visit his relatives! All the things for marriage have been prepared early, and after Mr. Liu comes back, he will choose a good and auspicious day to get married! Congratulations, miss!¡± Ah Xing said happily. Ruan Longling just felt her heart beating nonstop. Yes, she and Chengji were finally going to get married! He would ride a tall horse wearing a red brocade dress and carry her into Liu¡¯s house. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go and tell Mother the good news! Then order someone to go to Feng¡¯s house to inform the second sister!¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. The air was filled with a strong smell of traditional Chinese medicine. After reconciling with Ruan¡¯s father, Ruan¡¯s mother raised her five children alone, so she became sick from overwork. After hearing the good news that Liu Chengji had won first place, Ruan¡¯s mother felt so refreshed that she half sat up on a soft pillow. Although Ruan¡¯s mother¡¯s sallow complexion was full of sickness, the beauty and demeanour of her youth could still be seen. She held Ruan Longling¡¯s hand tightly, smiling lovingly and gratifiedly, saying, ¡°Chengji child is steady and appropriate, and I can rest assured that he will take care of you from now on. It¡¯s just that you are too stubborn and want to be strong. After entering someone else¡¯s house, what should be changed still needs to be changed.¡± Ruan Longling nodded shyly, her eyes and brows full of joy, and said obediently, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry, I know.¡± After she passed the door, she must be filial to her mother-in-law, and she had worked hard to mend the relationship with Liu Sheshi. The daughter¡¯s shy gesture made Ruan¡¯s mother¡¯s thoughts race. She couldn¡¯t help but think of her youth. When she married Ruan Shunheng with such joy, and later¡­, it became unbearable to say. ¡°I was a lady from an aristocratic family, and I married your father, who was not an upper-class member. After more than 20 years of stumbling, in the end, he tore his face when he left, and we became a laughingstock in Yangzhou. Later, when our family was in trouble, Li Yungao married into Feng¡¯s mansion, but even if she didn¡¯t mention it, I can also see that she and your second brother-in-law are not so harmonious¡­¡± Mother Ruan patted her daughter¡¯s hand with emotion. ¡°But you are different from your second sister. The two of you grew up together. Childhood sweetheart, he also cares about you very much. I watched him grow up, and there will be no trouble. Although the Liu family is a poor family, their scholar family is better than our Ruan family merchants. But in terms of financial resources, connections, and abilities, our Ruan family is enough to make Liu¡¯s family look far behind, and you can be regarded as an equal marriage¡­ So you and that child, Chengji, will definitely not follow in the footsteps of me and your father. You will be a happy, loving couple.¡± Ruan Longling was deeply moved, got up and jumped into Ruan¡¯s mother¡¯s arms, and responded softly, ¡°Well, mother, I will live a good life with Chengji from now on.¡± CH 5.3 It was a good thing that Liu Chengji won first place in the exam, and Ruan¡¯s mother didn¡¯t want to talk about those sad old things. The conversation changed, and she talked about how to arrange marriage, send invitations, and have banquets. It was late at night, and the full moon was high in the sky. The lights in Ruan¡¯s mansion had turned off, but the Feiyu Pavilion, which was Ryan Longling¡¯s courtyard, was still brightly lit. Ruan Yumei was also very happy when she heard the news of Liu Chengji¡¯s achievements today and went to Ruan Longling¡¯s Feiyu Pavilion to congratulate her. At that time, Ruan Longling was embroidering her wedding dress. The candle flames danced and shook so painfully that it hurt people¡¯s eyes. She held the silver needle up and down and finally finished the last stitch. Even though it was so late, Ruan Yumei was still excited. On the way from Ruan Longling¡¯s place, Ruan Yumei said to her maid Xiaohong, ¡°Xiaohong, Brother Chengji actually won a prize! That¡¯s a disciple of the Son of Heaven! My sister is going to marry the emperor¡¯s prot¨¦g¨¦! From now on, she will be Mrs. Liu. How beautiful it would be on the day of getting married and holding a banquet! How proud!¡± The maid, Xiaohong, smiled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? The third miss will be Mrs. Liu, the wife of the emperor¡¯s prot¨¦g¨¦ from now on, and the fourth miss, you will be the sister-in-law of the emperor¡¯s prot¨¦g¨¦ from now on! You are about to reach the age of Ji, and it is a suitable age to discuss marriage. You have a brother-in-law who is an official at the court. So, there will be a queue of noble young masters who want to marry you.¡± Ruan Yumei was thin-skinned and muttered with a blushing face, ¡°You¡­ what nonsense are you talking about!¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. On the seventh day of March, Liu Chengji arrived in Yangzhou. But Ruan Longling received a letter from Liu Chengji on the ninth day of March, inviting her to meet him. The weather on the ninth day of March was not good. The dark clouds covered the blue sky, indicating there would be rainfall. Although the environment was gloomy, Ruan Longling¡¯s heart was filled with joy and happiness. She deliberately got up early in the morning, bathed and dressed carefully, and even took care of every strand of hair. She walked lightly and cheerfully, with the joy of seeing her sweetheart soon, and went to Taowu alone. With the sound of a ¡°squeak¡±, Taowu¡¯s wooden door opened, and the figure of a familiar man came into view. Liu Chengji had a thin figure and stood in the wooden house in a long robe. The moment Ruan Longling saw him, her eyes curled up with a smile, and she pouted slightly with a young girl¡¯s charm, pretending to be angry. ¡°Normally you would have come to meet me earlier!¡± ¡® Why didn¡¯t he come to meet me earlier? He came two days ago, and other times he would meet me as soon as he came. Why this time? Was he surrounded by congratulatory relatives at home? Why didn¡¯t he come to see me until today? Could it be that now that he¡¯s an official, he¡¯s very proud?¡¯ ¡°Do you want me to visit Liu¡¯s mansion?¡± Ruan Longling asked with a soft voice. Ruan Longling originally wanted Liu Chengji to coax her like before and say a few soft words, but Liu Chengji¡¯s tense back didn¡¯t move at all. She didn¡¯t realise that something was wrong and even took a few steps forward. ¡°Actually, you almost succeeded. If you don¡¯t ask me out today, I will definitely not be able to hold back, and I will go to Liu¡¯s mansion to find you tomorrow. Aji, you have been in the capital for half a year, how are you doing?¡± After saying that Ruan Longling wanted to tug at the corner of Liu Chengji¡¯s sleeve as usual, who would have thought that the moment her fingertips were about to touch the fabric, Liu Chengji moved aside? Then he turned around and faced Ruan Longling with a frowning face. There was not a single trace of joy, happiness, or warmth, as usual, but a coldness. ¡°Four days ago, you went to Liu¡¯s mansion to force my aunt to pay the debt, right?¡± CH 6.1 Chapter 6.1 The moment Liu Chengji turned around and opened his mouth, Ruan Longling felt like she was splashed by a bucket of cold water. She couldn¡¯t think of what had just happened, and after a few seconds, she came to her senses. Ruan Longling pressed her lips tightly, but she still explained softly, ¡°I have no other choice but to do that. An unexpected situation came suddenly, and I had to collect money. Otherwise, our business would have gone bankrupt. That¡¯s why¡­¡± ¡°So you have made such a fuss because of that, and you didn¡¯t even care about our face for petty gains?¡± Liu Chengji asked aggressively after interrupting Ruan Longling¡¯s explanation with a cold expression. Ruan Longling was very upset because she felt that her companion, who had walked side by side for many years, suddenly took out a knife and stabbed her in the heart when she was not prepared. The appearance of Liu Chengji in front of her was still the same, but it seemed that he had completely changed. ¡®Aji was not like this before, he was a meek character, he never spoke loudly in front of me, and he cared about me.¡¯ It¡¯s only been half a year, and Ruan Longling didn¡¯t know what he experienced in the capital that caused such a drastic change in temperament. Since he just became cold to her, she also thought to put her good side back on and speak for herself because she knew that she was not wrong in collecting money for Liu Sheshi. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m so fussy about every penny, and every penny counts. But it¡¯s because I¡¯m running around for petty profits that you have the famous master¡¯s books and things to practise calligraphy! Because of my hard work, you could meet Mr. Zhou Ge and other great Confucian scholars who can give you advice!¡± ¡®Others can say that I smell like money, but Liu Chengji, how can you?¡¯ I gave him all my heart, so why should he abuse me like this?¡¯ Ruan Longling had never felt so wrong as in this moment, the more she talked, the angrier she became, and the fingertips under her sleeves had unconsciously clenched into fists, complaining loudly that she had sacrificed for so many years. ¡°When I used to pay you for your studies when I spent a huge amount of money to please officials, you said that I worked hard to make money, but now that you are a high scholar, you say I have no regard for decency! So in your eyes, what is gentleness? What is decent?¡± Ruan Rogling¡¯s frustrated voice echoed around Taowu. [TL Notes: ¡°Taowa¡± seems to be an abandoned wooden building.] ¡°Why are you mentioning these things now? Are you trying to settle an old score with me now?¡± Liu Chenji also became very angry after listening to Ruan Longling¡¯s words. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, you have spent a lot on me over the years, but I have also endured your domineering temper for more than ten years! Summer and winter, I have worked very hard every day, but how did you treat me? Whenever I had a headache and fever, if I didn¡¯t read a book for a day, you were nagging me! If I couldn¡¯t finish reading a book as scheduled, you scolded me. A man has a virtuous wife, but you¡¯re so solitary, refusing to give in at all. With these attitudes, how can you be the mistress of a mansion?¡± ¡®Oh! So it was my fault for urging Liu Chengji to make progress, right? Without my supervision day and night, how would he have the glory of being a top student today?¡¯ Ruan Longling was so angry that she trembled all over, she almost gritted her teeth and asked, ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t bear the position of the mistress of a mansion? Liu Chengji, what do you mean? You made it clear to me!¡± Faced with Ruan Linglong¡¯s questioning, Liu Chengji couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty. However, when he was thinking about the days he spent in the capital, his guilt vanished quickly. There, no one talked about the hardships of life and money. The capital was full of rich, noble people who enjoyed life. He had made connections with those people. But if he married a merchant girl, what would happen to him? No noble would keep connections with him. Without connections, he couldn¡¯t gain a foothold in the capital. Did he want to be a good scholar at the Imperial Academy for the rest of his life? What¡¯s the use of true love? Could it make him rise from a humble family to an honourable family? Because of those thoughts, Liu Cheggji had already made up his mind before coming to Yangzhou. Ruan Longling was the childhood sweetheart that he still had feelings for. But he had to face reality, so he slowly closed his eyes for a while, opened them again, and broke out the cruel words. ¡°You merchants are not good enough for me. This marriage is worthless!¡± CH 6.2 Outside the window, there was rumbling thunder, pouring rain, howling wind, and the rattling of the window rafters. But despite the din, Ruan Longling was able to hear every word he uttered. Her mind went blank, she felt as though a basin of cold water had been dumped on her head, and she immediately froze in place, unsure of how to respond for a moment. ¡®Liu Chengji doesn¡¯t want to marry her? But before going to the capital, he was not like this. He said he would win, come back, and marry me. Then¡­ everything back was fake? His love and caring were fake?¡¯ As Liu Chegji saw that Ruan Longling was standing without uttering a single word, he became worried. After all, she was his childhood sweetheart who had supported him. Ruan Longling¡¯s face became pale as a ghost, her lips trembled slightly, and the expression on her beautiful face changed¡­ Liu Chengji knew that she had a strong temper and was worried that she would not be able to bear such a blow for a while, so he hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her. ¡°Ling¡¯er, for the past ten years, you know how I treat you! You know, I have you in my heart! But now that I¡¯ve been selected, it¡¯s really not appropriate to marry you as my first wife. But it doesn¡¯t matter. We can still be together again, my previous promise still counts, and I can still take you to the capital to live a good life. You can be a concubine and still be a responsible person in the concubine¡­¡± ¨C Crack! ¨C Before the word ¡°concubine¡¯s room¡± could be uttered, there was a crisp sound in Taowu, interrupting Liu Chengji¡¯s words. Liu Chengji¡¯s left cheek had a burning sensation as the sudden slap came. In a daze, he covered his left cheek, which was painted in a red five-fingerprint pattern. Liu Chengji had been in the capital and won a great achievement, so he thought that after returning to Yangzhou, he would be flattered and boasted by the officials of the state government. But now he¡¯s been beaten by a businesswoman? The trace of apology left in his heart completely disappeared with that slap. ¡°You, how dare you hit me? Oh, yes, you are majestic in front of me because you have money. But you are not even suitable for a concubine. You cruel woman. Yes! I can marry someone else for my official career! What about you? In order to recover the debt and the Ruan family¡¯s business name, you actually announced that you would sue my Liu family to the government. This move will undoubtedly ruin my future. Is there any difference between you and me?!¡± The rain was getting heavier and heavier, as if the sky had fallen, smashing the tiles on Taowu. ¡°Yes, money is the number one priority in your heart, so what does my official career matter? For a few taels of silver, you have to deal with all kinds of people every day and show your face outside every day¡­ When people come and go, I don¡¯t know how much dirt is hidden in the dark, maybe you have already lost your dignity to others, and let me take advantage of you!¡± ¨C Crack! ¨C There was another crisp sound in Taowu. Liu Chengji covered his right face in disbelief, feeling the anger in his heart rush to his forehead. ¡°You damn woman! Do you really think I dare not fight with you?!¡± After finishing speaking, he raised his right palm high, ready to swing vigorously at Ruan Longling. At this time, there was a sound from inside Taowu. From behind the six screens inlaid with shells and flowers of peach wood in the inner room, a man dressed in snow-white clothes came out slowly. A brilliant flash of lightning struck at the right time, tearing the pitch-black sky in half. The man came by lightning, his figure was tall and straight, his aura was imposing, and his handsome face revealed a bit of treachery and fierceness, like a god who would punish evil and promote good. ¡°Is this the scholar who won first place in the exam in the capital?¡± CH 7.1 ¡°Is this the handsome winner?¡± A man¡¯s voice suddenly appeared, like a thunderbolt that exploded in Taowu. Liu Chengji¡¯s hand, which he had raised to slap Ruan Longling, withdrew subconsciously under the man¡¯s arrow-like gaze. Taowu was originally a place for people to rest their feet in the thousand-acre peach forest at the back of the mountain. There were places for making tea, and water had been placed inside and outside. When Liu Chengji entered Taowu, he was thinking about how to open his mouth to talk to Ruan Longling about retiring from the engagement. His thoughts were so chaotic that he didn¡¯t even bother to check if there was anyone in the room. Although Liu Chengji had won the prize now, the imperial court would more or less test the character when appointing officials, so the matter of retiring the engagement should be handled in a low-key manner. The fewer waves it caused, the better. So originally, he thought to coax Ruan Longling with some sweet words and finish the business silently, but who could have thought she would give him a slap? The most embarrassing thing was that someone witnessed the scene. He was the winner, and his reputation was more important. If others knew about this incident, how could he raise his head? So he thought to solve this first. Liu Chengji cleared his throat in embarrassment, with a hint of submissiveness, and said to Ruan Longling, ¡°Ling¡¯er, I just said some unintentionally rude words in a hurry, don¡¯t take it to heart. Now that outsiders are present, I will come to your door to talk with you about the divorce on some other day¡­¡± After all, Liu Chengji didn¡¯t want to stay any longer, turned around and picked up the emergency peachwood oil-paper umbrella in Taowu, and was about to leave in a hurry. ¡°Why wait for another day? Let¡¯s do it today!¡± Finally, Ruan Longling, who had been standing in the same place in panic just now, completely calmed down from her anger and grief. The tears in her eyes piled up more and more, but she just stuck her neck out stubbornly and coldly, not letting the tears fall. With strong willpower, she stopped Liu Chengji from leaving. She was not a girl in the boudoir who would come and go when he called and only knew how to complain and suffer in the boudoir. ¡®What about the ten-year friendship? So, what if I loved the young man in my memory? The person in front of me is not the person at that time! Why should I sit and wait to be punished? Didn¡¯t Liu Chengji just want to see me cry in pain? Don¡¯t you just want to see me bow my head and obediently commit myself to being a concubine? Don¡¯t you just think I will cry and beg him not to leave? I¡¯m Ruan Longling. Not just a girl that you can trample around.¡¯ ¡°Since you have made up your mind, my class of merchants can¡¯t stand in the way of officials¡­ But there are some things that I can¡¯t vomit quickly.¡± Divorce and other private matters should not be allowed to be heard by outsiders, but at this moment, hatred was filling her chest. Ruan Longling could only feel blood rolling, every part of her body was hot and trembling. How could she care about the fact that there was another man in Taowu? ¡°Zhou Ge talked to me a long time ago, saying that there are so many ancient books and rare books and a collection of books to feed on, plus his continuous letters in the past few years¡­ I will say Zhou Ge about this. But what about you? Huh? It¡¯s just a flower? It¡¯s just a flower? Is it worth thinking you are so great?¡± The howling wind poured into Taowu and messed up Ruan Longlin¡¯s hair. Her eyes were red, and in the dim light of the bead rings, her bright and unparalleled face was resolute. ¡°If you want to quit the engagement, I will quit! You are so stupid that I can¡¯t marry you!¡± Those words were like a poisoned, cold sword coming out of its sheath, sneering and sneering at Liu Chengji¡¯s proud title, which was not worth mentioning at all. She didn¡¯t cry or make a fuss, and even within a short period of time, she thought that there was no room for change in the matter of retiring the engagement, and she was so desperate that she counterattacked Liu Chengji precisely and even wanted to find her predecessor¡­ Li Zhulin looked at Ruan Longling with some surprise. Liu Chengji couldn¡¯t believe that Ruan Longling, who was always protective of him, would be so sarcastic towards him in front of others. ¡®I¡¯m the first prize winner, but she called me stupid?¡¯ Liu Chengji¡¯s eyes shook, and he felt that he had suffered a great insult! ¡°Ruan Longling! Are you crazy?¡± he yelled. Although Liu Chengji yelled, Ruan Longling didn¡¯t show any fear. She just stood there and chuckled twice, and the contempt on her face became more and more intense. Ruan Longling raised her snow-white wrist, pulled back the half-green jade bracelet, and said with a sneer, ¡°Do you know that such a defective bracelet has many cracks and impurities, so it is not worthy to wear. What¡¯s ridiculous is that you actually used it to be engaged to me. This marriage has to be retired! You are so poor. Why should I marry you? Let you continue to stay by my side and eat soft food? Let your Liu family suck our Ruan family blood?¡± After that, she casually threw the bracelet at Liu Chengji with a sense of condescension. Liu Chengji hurriedly reached out to pick it up, his posture was very awkward. ¡®Poor? Eat soft rice?¡¯ After being humiliated like this, he immediately frowned in anger, blushed, and the veins on his forehead kept pulsating. However, she was telling the truth, the Ruan family had really helped him a lot over the years. If he continued to refute, she would have thousands of ugly words waiting for him, wouldn¡¯t it be a joke for others? Liu Chengji was so angry, but he couldn¡¯t do anything. He just yelled, ¡°You are so rude and reckless¡­ I will see if there is any man in the world who would dare to want you after you divorced me! You just wait. Let¡¯s close the book!¡± After finishing speaking, Liu Chengji angrily turned around and slammed the door away, holding an umbrella and disappearing into the strong wind and rain.