Proofread by Ruriko
Fancy singing and dancing performances were arranged by Mu Qianhua for entertaining the guests. In Dark Night Empire, there had never been such a tavern, and Qian Jin Restaurant shot to fame as people were curious about its owner. Then, there came flocks of royalty, n.o.bles, dignitaries and officials who spent money like water.
Among them, some compared Bai Xiao with Princess Wude. Bai Xiao was a charming and mysterious beauty which gained lavish praises from the public, while Princess Wude was a just poor doormat.
A beauty or a doormat, Mu Qianhua didn"t care about at all as the comment didn"t matter to her. Now, she only cared about how to earn enough money since Dongfang Lingfeng would be back to the capital in three months. In other words, she had to wait at least for three months. During this period, she had to ruin the marriage, or she would be trapped like a little jailbird, and couldn"t enjoy the life as she wished forever.
Bai Xiao and her tavern were legendary to everyone in the city, and the mysterious and charming owner would be a great attraction for people. Considering this, Mu Qianhua didn"t disguise herself as a man.
Qian Jin Restaurant was located in the most bustling area of the capital as if it was built by G.o.d overnight.
Mu Qianhua showed up in the most spectacular way, which attracted streams of customers. However, the capital was different from other cities, and her thriving business which hadn"t laid a solid foundation also attracted some to make trouble.
One day, no sooner had the first show started than there came loud noises outside.
"Childe Zhuang, please!..."
"Get out of my way! How dare you stop me! Where is Bai Xiao?"
…
The noises grew louder, but without Mu Qianhua"s permission, n.o.body would be allowed to go to the second floor. However, this Childe Zhuang was the grandson of the prime minister. If he was so determined, no one could stop him.
"Who is making trouble in my place?" asked Mu Qianhua. She came out of her room, and stood on the second floor to see what happened. She seldom showed up in public as she thought the restaurant would be more attractive with a beauty barely appearing. The more mysterious one was, the more charming one would be. Whenever she came out, there was always a veil on her face, which was her tactic to attract more consumers.
Once, Qingying advised her that she shouldn"t expose herself in public, but Mu Qianhua just laughed away.
On that day, Mu Qianhua came out in a light pink gauzy dress with a white silk veil on her face and a delicate lotus painted between the eyebrows, and she was so charming that all the attention was cast to her. The young man who shouted fiercely and arrogantly shut his mouth and put on a smile, looking up at her. Then, she walked downstairs gracefully.
Mu Qianhua glanced at him and said, "Do you want to see me?"
Childe Zhuang got charmed by her enchanting smile, and came up to Mu Qianhua with a fan in his hand, saying "I am Zhuang Che. Today, I come here specially to visit you."
Mu Qianhua felt sick of his hypocrisy, but she said with a smile, "This is a tavern. If you come here for food and wine, you are welcome. If you are here for others, you"d better go to other places. I don"t mean to offend you."
"I"m here to see you chick!" responded Zhuang Che. He had been pampered with whatever he wanted since his childhood. This was the first time for him to meet with rejection. Driven by carnal curiosity, he reached for the veil on Mu Qianhua"s face.
Yet before he could even get near to her skirt, he felt an overwhelming twist of his wrist. Badly he b.u.mped onto the desk, and it hurt like h.e.l.l. His face turned ghastly white, and shouted, "Ouch! Who dare…!"
Clang! A sharp bronze sword was struck at him, and he looked up to see a pair of sharp and cold eyes. Looking down, he found the chilling sword was struck deep on the ground between his index finger and middle finger. He was so close to the loss of his hand.
Instantly, a foot stepped forcefully onto his back. It was Qingying, and she shouted "Hey, behave yourself!"
Everyone held their breath and dare not make any sound. No one had expected Miss Bai had such a martial master.
Lightly and gracefully, Mu Qianhua walked up to Zhuang Che, looking down at him with starry eyes, smilingly, "Childe Zhuang, do you still want to see my face? I am just here, waiting."
Zhuang Che had already been scared stiff and broke out into a cold sweat. He was shivering and begging in horror, "No, no, no. I won"t do that again. Forgive me, please."
"Really? Childe Zhuang. Don"t give up so quickly. We don"t mean to bully you. Do you need some snacks? We have a whole day for your big show," Mu Qianhua would never let him go easily.
"No, no, no. Please, it is all my fault. I won"t show up here again. I swear..."
"Childe Zhuang. Just now, you said you came to see me. Now I"m in front of you. Am I beautiful?" In no hurry, Mu Qianhua waved her hand, and signaled the scared dancing girls to continue their performance on stage. Then, she took a chair and sat in front of Zhuang Che, while Qingying still set her foot on him. Witnessed by all, Zhuang Che was so humiliated and frightened that he would burst into tears in no time.
"Yes. You look gor… gorgeous…" Zhuang Che stuttered.
"It is said that General Pingyan is the most attractive in the whole Dark Night Empire. Is he more beautiful than me?" This sudden and weird question made Zhuang Che more embarra.s.sed.
"Um... You are a lady, but General Pingyan is a man. How can I compare you with him?"
"Why not? It is obvious that I look better than you, isn"t it, Childe Zhuang?"
"Yes, yes, obviously...You"re absolutely right..." Zhuang Che couldn"t be more upset as Mu Qianhua was so different from others.
"Ummm..." Even Qingying did not know how to respond to her princess.
"Then who looks better, me or Dongfang Lingyun?" Mu Qianhua loved to crash her enemy with a repeated question. It was such a pleasure for her to see him getting so desperate.
"Oh, Miss Bai, forgive me, please!"
Right before Zhuang Che was about to wail, there came a voice.
"Since you are so curious about how I look, why don"t you just take a good look at me."
Everyone"s attention was drawn to the man who was entering the tavern. The man wore a golden crown mounted with purple jade and his violet rode was embroidered with a lifelike Kylin in silver thread. He was like a well-chiseled sculpture, with dashing eyebrows, keen and sharp eyes and the delicate thin lips. He stood by the door like the G.o.d of Sun leading thousands of soldiers. There was no great painter able to depict a hint of his great charm, and no great literature master able to verbalize his momentum. He showed up like a flash of lightning from the heaven, making everyone breathless.
At the sight of him, Zhuang Che was so thrilled that he nearly hit Qingying"s sword. He cared no more about his image or how pathetic he looked, but to shout, "General, general, help me get out of here, please!"
So that was what Dongfang Lingyun looked like.
Mu Qianhua looked at him, and after a few seconds, she raised her lips gently. No one told her who the man was, but she knew their story just began on that day. It was a twist of fate.
Dongfang Lingyun also noticed that even with a gauzy veil on her face, the lady was still indescribably beautiful and striking.
He asked, "Are you the owner"s wife of this tavern?"
Hearing this, Mu Qianhua smiled, "General was wrong. I am not the owner"s wife but the owner. There is a big difference between the two. You should draw a clear line."
Dongfang Lingyun looked her up and down carefully, and said, "You"re right. It is my fault. But it seems that it is not proper to carry out illegal punishment in the capital."
Looking at him with a faint smile, Mu Qianhua waved her hand, and then Qingying released Zhuang Che.
"You, you… I"ll be back!" Zhuang Che ran away instantly.
"Zhuang Che is the grandson of Prime Minister. You seem to be in big trouble," said Dongfang Lingyun carelessly.
Mu Qianhua replied calmly, "There is justice in the capital. He picked up aggression first. Do you allow those born in powerful families to oppress the unarmed civilians?"
"Unarmed? The sword in her hand is sharp," Dongfang Lingyun glanced at the Qingying.
"Don"t be serious. It is only used for defence," Mu Qianhua said. "I know that General Pingyan is outstanding and righteous. I believe you won"t sit by when two weak ladies are bullied by others."
Dongfang Lingyun frowned, "Do you mean you want me to be your patron?"
"Yes, you are right."
"Princ…" Qingying looked at Mu Qianhua in great shock," It is not good to..."
Now the princess would marry another prince as the emperor of Dark Night Empire commanded. However, she asked General Pingyan to be her backer. It was really risky.
Mu Qianhua waved her hand, signalling her not to interrupt.
Dongfang Lingyun looked at her seriously, and said, "How bold you are!"
"I have been so since childhood. Thanks for your compliment," Mu Qianhua responded quickly.
Dongfang Lingyun bent over and murmured in her ear, "Do you know it will cost a lot to ask me to be your backer?"
"Oh?" Mu Qianhua laughed," You mean that you are worth a lot of money?"
"...You have got a glib tongue," Dongfang Lingyun was a bit shocked, then straightened up, and said loudly, "It"s not impossible for you to gain my favour. But I am in bad mood today. As long as you play a song for me, I would grant you a great favour."
These words shocked all on the spot, and they looked at Mu Qianhua.
Dongfang Lingyun set Mu Qianhua in trap as he said she wanted to gain his favour.
Mu Qianhua pondered over his words for a while, and then replied, "Are you annoyed with me? Do you need me to cheer you up?"
"Puff-" A man nearly spilled all the water in his mouth.
Dongfang Lingyun never expected such an answer. He was livid and glared at the man, who hid himself under the table at this point.
He looked at Mu Qianhua, saying coldly," It depends on how you cheer me up, Miss Bai."
Waving at Qingying, Mu Qianhua said, "Bring my guqin (a seven-stringed plucked instrument in some ways similar to the zither) to the VIP Room. General, wait a moment, please. I will play a song for you after getting prepared."