Chapter Nineteenth: Bustling Journey to the Ends of the Earth

  The rain washes away the autumn, the sky is high and the air is refreshing. The blue of the autumn day seems somewhat unreal, as if it always carries a deep and piercing melancholy.

  Wearing white clothes and riding a white horse, strolling down the long street. You are in the midst of the bustling streets of Yicheng, with shops and houses standing tall, people coming and going, but you seem oblivious to the commotion around you, aimlessly weaving through the crowds.

  The crowd surged forward like floating clouds and passing smoke, yet I stood out clearly among them, as if watching a play, utterly absurd.

  Feeling down to the extreme, facing the calm and collected Night Sky, listening, smiling, answering and refusing, putting him outside, drawing a clear boundary. It seems that at that moment, there was a fleeting sense of pleasure, as if it was revenge against Li Tang, with a face that looked exactly the same.

  She couldn't tell whether she really had such thoughts, and sometimes she would treat Ye Tianyun as Li Tang, loving and hating him as if he were Li Tang.

  That kind of heart-wrenching pain, she had suffered before but cruelly inflicted it on him again. The look in his eyes when he said those words, what deep emotions were hidden beneath.

  "If I am willing to give you what you want with all my might, will you promise me?"

  He wasn't someone who could be so easily swayed by words, yet the sentence carried a hint of resignation and concession, which was stripped away and discarded.

  In the moment he was rejected, he used his innate noble bearing to conceal something, calmly turning around in front of her, with rain falling behind him onto the lake.

  The entanglement of their relationship is complicated; it's unclear whether he owes her or she owes him.

  Is it him who wronged her in their past life that led to his heartlessness today, or is it her who hurt him in this life that resulted in his betrayal in the next?

  It all crumbled into ridiculous dust the moment he turned around, and then she clearly knew that he was Ye Tian Zhan, and in this life, she owed him.

  Suddenly Yun Xiang rubbed against her side, reminding her to give way to a horse carriage.

  You suddenly came back to your senses from your thoughts, remembering when you asked if you could take Yun Chen away, Ye Tian Zhan said with some emotion: It seems that in this mansion, it's actually Yun Chen and you who have the most fate.

  Like frost and snow, the sighs of silk threads infiltrated her heart, and she almost hastily escaped, fearing that if she turned back, she would overturn all her decisions in his gaze.

  Yun Yi's pure eyes looked over, Qing Chen stroked his long temples, put aside his worries and took a look around, stopped in front of a Yin's money house for a moment, but turned his head and walked into a pawnshop across the street.

  A relatively quiet sun-facing street house, the sunlight stopped at the halfway of the entrance hall and seemed to have some old-fashioned coolness in the house.

  She looked around with a hint of curiosity, and the old man at the front counter raised his head and said, "Does this young lady have something to pawn?"

  You dust saw the question, smiling and taking out that jade hairpin handed it to the counter: "Please sir, look at this, how much silver is it worth?" Clever smile, beautiful eyes, the old man had never seen anything being pawned with such a charming smile, couldn't help but carefully examine the person and thing in front of him.

  You dusted off your hand on the counter for half a day, and the old man looked at her hand without saying a word. After a long time, he raised his head from her palm, and his eyes turned around her face again. He stretched out his hand to take the jade hairpin: "Miss, how much do you want?"

  "How much can you give, sir?"

  The old man paused and said: "Please wait a moment, miss. I'll ask the shopkeeper before quoting a price."

  You find it strange, the old gentleman at the counter of the pawnshop is a pair of piercing eyes, how can a small piece of jade be inquired by the shopkeeper? However, after a while, the old gentleman came back from the back room, holding a small package and handed it to her: "The price given by our shopkeeper for the young lady." His words were slightly respectful.

  She flipped through it casually, saw a few silver tickets, raised an eyebrow, and this old gentleman seemed to have decided that she would not haggle over the price again. He took the silver ticket package directly, and she did not intend to say much either. She threw the silver ticket into her arms, stood up and thanked her for walking out of the door. Yunfeng saw her coming out and whispered a soft voice to come forward.

  You dusted off the upper nine workshops, entered a clothing workshop, and came out with a narrow-sleeved long shirt and a kerchief tied around your hair. With ease, you mounted your horse, held the reins, and walked slowly. Your appearance was elegant and refined, like a dragon in the clouds, and on the streets, people couldn't help but glance at you repeatedly, unaware that you were a young master from which family.

  It seemed to be a day for worship, and many young women were laughing and playing under the two tall trees in front of the Temple of Heaven, throwing the divination slips they had obtained onto the branches. The green leaves and colored slips mingled together, with their skirts fluttering about, making a delightful scene.

  Qing Chen slowed down his horse, and several women couldn't help but steal glances at him. The bolder ones smiled and tossed something onto the horse. Qing Chen calmly caught it in his hand, which turned out to be an exquisitely embroidered pouch. He intentionally raised an eyebrow and smiled, then bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, miss!" After that, he put the pouch into his bosom.

  The woman smiled and said with a gentle smile: "The gods are indeed efficacious, I wish you a bright future!"

  Across the street, a soft and crisp voice, the women called out to each other as they headed towards the Heavenly Palace. The wind in Yige City was lively and prosperous, with open customs, and such an unpretentious expression made Qingchen feel quite amused, but at the same time also felt some regret for being born as a woman. In this world, men could enter the halls of power and manage the four seas, there were many things they could do, yet women still had some differences after all.

  She didn't want to stay in Shangjiu Alley for long, so she urged her horse to head towards the central city. Along the way, they passed by Tianwu Zui Fang and continued on to Zhong Er Shi Si Fang, with the Chu Yan River already in sight.

  Not far away, the boats on the river came and went with a loud noise, busy merchants and travelers, bustling people, and a lively atmosphere everywhere. She seemed to have suddenly faced a new world, looking around at the vast sky and wide earth, her heart was refreshed and her spirit was clear.

  She was walking towards the riverbank when she suddenly heard a loud "whooshing" sound, and before she could react, water splashed onto her from the side. She quickly pulled the reins to avoid it, but despite that, the water still managed to soak one side of her clothes, making them half-transparent. Frowning in annoyance, she looked over to see where the water came from, only to find a middle-aged man with a scholarly look on his face rushing out of a nearby pavilion with intricately carved beams, bowing repeatedly and apologizing profusely: "One of our servants was careless for a moment, please forgive us, sir. We apologize sincerely."

  Don't hit a smiling face, you can't say anything when seeing him accompanying the crime all the time. All he could do was smile and say: "It's okay, just a set of clothes, but next time don't splash water on the road."

  The man said, "Young master is right, I should discipline them properly. I don't know how far your mansion is from here, but with clothes as wet as this, it's really inconvenient. If you don't mind, please come in and take a short rest, have a cup of tea and change into something dry, and let me accompany you for a while."

  You'd better not walk on the street with wet clothes, nodded and said: "In that case... I'll have to trouble you."

  The man smiled and said: "My surname is Xie, my name is Jing, I am the owner of this song house, please come in, sir!"

  "In the lower Ning, Wen Qing." The dust replied with courtesy and reported her name, but it was a changed name. She took a step forward, raised her head to look around, and saw that on top of the high building, there was a golden signboard with the words "Four-sided Building". This building was not as tall as the other buildings in Tian Du, but it was surrounded by a rectangular shape, facing south towards the river, north adjacent to shops, front connected to Shangjiu Fang, and back to Zhong Ershisi Fang. It was indeed a good place for guests from all sides. But when she walked to the door, she saw a red notice board, which was an announcement by the owner selling the song building.

  Xie Jing saw her stop and look back, asking: "Young master, are you interested in this?"

  "Thanks, brother," said Xun Dustao, "this four-sided building opens its doors to welcome guests from all directions. No matter what business you do, it's uniquely advantageous. How can you bear to sell it?"

  Xie Jing shook his head and said, "Young master, you don't know that recently the business of Tian Du Ge Wu Fang has plummeted, many places can no longer hold on and have closed down one after another."

  "Oh?" Qing's eyebrows slightly raised, "But because of Tian Wu Zui Fang, it led to this?"

  It seems that the young master knows something, Tian Wu Zui Fang was banned by a single letter from the Imperial Censorate, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate jointly with the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court continuously investigated and banned it, making every door cold and deserted. Even the Minister of Official Personnel Affairs, Guo Qi, was dismissed and exiled. Now, no one dares to open the door for business, nor does anyone dare to come in to spend money, this line of business is probably not possible to do again.

  "Thank you for your words, brother, but I think they are quite off the mark. This is precisely the time to buy in, not sell out. The Song and Dance Troupe's business won't go bad."

  "What makes you say that?" Xie Jing asked, looking at her inquisitively.

  "You suddenly had a movement in your heart, and smiled to ask: 'Brother Xie, are you willing to do some business with me?'"

  Xie Jing didn't rush to ask what was going on, but instead said: "It's rare for us to meet like this again, let's discuss the details inside."

  After entering the four-sided building, Xie Jing brought a change of clean clothes and invited him to go upstairs for tea. Only then did he say: "What you just said, I'd like to hear more about it."

  She sipped her tea calmly. No one knew the Tian Wu Zui case better than she did, and although Ye Tian Zhan couldn't tell her some things directly, she understood them clearly. This time, the case was said to be handled with imperial orders, but in the end, it only brought a few layers of silent moisture after the storm had passed. Perhaps it was because they really couldn't think of anything else, the various forces behind the Song and Dance House, including the inner ministers, outer relatives, official families, and powerful clans, had already intertwined and taken root deeply. Ye Tian Zhan himself was known for his virtuous name in the capital, and over the years, he had been a figure that these noble families looked up to. His tree was lush with branches and leaves, and cutting off some of them wouldn't hurt, but if they went deeper and touched the main trunk, it would be like cutting into bone and flesh - how could he not be forced to put down his sword?

  Since that day, after the refreshing breeze in the misty waves, you rarely heard Yè Tiān Zhàn mention anything related again. On the contrary, sometimes when he looked at the memorial to the throne, it seemed that a high wave had already fallen in the court, and was slowly recovering as usual under his turning wrist.

  She smiled slightly and looked up at Xie Jing: "The song and dance business will never disappear in Yige City, it's just a low tide now, once past, it will soar to a new height. Everyone is giving up on selling, which is the best time for you to buy at a low price, Brother Xie, if you have the courage, take advantage of this opportunity, it's a profitable deal."

  Xie Jingdao said: "How dare you say that the Song and Dance Troupe will flourish again?"

  "You raised your phoenix-like eyes and said a word: 'Gambling'."

  "Gambling?" Xie Jing frowned.

  "You're right, running a business is 80 or 90% gambling. As long as you've got a good sense of the market trends, winning isn't that hard."

  "What does the young master have to bet with?"

  Your eyes are clear and bright, slightly sharp: "Based on what I know and think. If Brother Xie has no intention of operating this matter, it's better for you and me to find another way of cooperation. I will pay 500 taels of silver as rent every month, and you will hand over the four-sided building completely to me for management. After that, you will take 30% of the monthly profit from the four-sided building. In other words, Brother Xie is still the boss, and I am just a manager. However, if I want to buy the four-sided building six months later, Brother Xie must sell it to me at the current price."

  Xie Jing put down the teacup in his hand and looked at her: "Can you see the price on the sign outside clearly, young master?"

  "Five hundred thousand taels of silver." Qīng Chén said with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

  "Since you have intended to buy the four-sided building, why don't you buy it now? Do you want to wait until half a year later?" Xie Jing asked again.

  "Thank you, brother, for being a straightforward person. I will also answer frankly. Currently, I don't have much silver on hand and need to use the Four-sided Building for three months to earn money to buy the building." A jade hairpin was unexpectedly worth 500 taels of silver, which was already an unexpected gain. But since gold has value and jade is priceless, she couldn't help but suspect that she had misjudged it, and that the jade hairpin might not be a high-quality item after all.

  As soon as these words came out, Xie Jing didn't frown and said after a long time: "Your meaning is that in half a year, the four-sided building earned 50,000 taels of silver?"

  "You're wrong," said Qīn Chén, shaking his head. "It's not 50,000, but 80,000, and we still need to add on the three percent profit for Brother Xiè and my own share."

  Xie Jing gazed at Qing Chen slowly, Qing Chen smiled with a clear and elegant intention, her phoenix eyes shone brightly, and she looked into his eyes lightly.

  "For a moment, Xie Jing lightly plucked his shirt and said: 'Xie has been in business for half his life, rarely seeing a young master with such an unusual way of thinking.'"

  "You smiled and said: 'In this vast world of countless living beings, each has their own unique characteristics, just like the various expressions of human emotions. If everyone were the same, wouldn't that be boring?'"

  Xie Jing heard this and also smiled: "Just based on your temperament, I am already very impressed. But may I ask how you plan to manage?"

  Your eyes sparkled like a clear jade as you turned to say, "If Brother Xie is willing to buy out the Tian Wu Zui Fang, the profits might be even greater."

  "Please go on, I'm all ears." Xie Jing said.

  "Today, the court has retreated from the outside and is at peace with the Turks, the people are at peace, and the four borders are coming to pay homage. Under the great governance, the prosperity of the world can be guaranteed in a few years. The capital city is the center of the empire, where many high-ranking officials and noble families live, and they are now indulging in luxury and seeking elegance. The song and dance halls in the city were already luxurious enough, but lacked the word 'elegance'. At this time, we should shift from movement to stillness, and seek benefits through stillness, so as not to be noticed by the imperial court for being too ostentatious. However, of course, the song and dance halls are meant to be lively, if you're willing to buy out Tianwu Zui Fang and create another unique excitement, it would be even better to collect wealth."

  Xie Jing listened intently and asked at this time: "What is meant by 'another kind of bustle', what does it refer to?"

  You dust off, walk to the window and look far away. The scenery is vast and empty, with a clear sky that seems to have no end in sight. Below, merchants and travelers are passing by, among them a Hu woman with a tall and slender figure, her charm and elegance captivating everyone's attention.

  She looked at him for a moment and said, "Although the Central Plains have had many wars with the northern deserts and Western Regions, the people of each country have gradually merged through trade and commerce. Brother Xie hasn't noticed that there are many Hu merchants and women in Yiguo City recently?"

  Xie Jing also stood in front of the window and looked out, saying: "Indeed it is so."

  "The dance of the Central Plains is elegant and beautiful, the dance of the Western Regions is passionate and enchanting, the dance of the Northern Steppes is bold and majestic, and the dance of the Southern Barbarians is bright and charming. The scenery of the four borders is different, and now these Hu women who have come to Yige City are a new landscape. Most of them left the desolate wilderness and came to this prosperous city, but they didn't have many ways to make a living. However, they themselves are also a way out, an opportunity. If they run the song houses, not only will it be eye-catching, but it will also eliminate many chaotic factors in Yige City. The imperial court should not interfere too much."

  Xie Jing secretly sized her up, thinking to himself: "Not only is the young master well-versed in the current situation of the Tian Du court, but his knowledge and experiences seem quite extensive as well. To hide such talents and not reveal them, it's actually making Xie rather curious."

  "You raise an eyebrow and smile, turning your head to say: 'Brother Xie, how can you not make me curious? This four-sided building is good, but the price of 50,000 silver pieces is indeed a bit outrageous. Brother Xie, I'm afraid you don't really intend to sell this building, do you?'"

  Xie Jing was taken aback, then smiled and said: "Interacting with you is like drinking sweet nectar. Xie has taken a liking to this gamble and hopes for a pleasant cooperation in the future!"

  You smiled and returned a courtesy with a closed fist, and that's how you made this friend.