Chapter 280 Within Sanjue Hall
“Oh yes, please be the first to inform me when there is any information about any rare and precious herbs.”
It was necessary to purge the poison in Qinghu’s body. Lin Mengya had even spoken to her teacher about it. Even if she was unable to find the antidote for the time being, at least she could find something in place of the antidote that could prolong his life.
She tried to look indifferent on her face despite her concern for Qinghu. As she casually browsed through the information written by the gentleman, she realized that although it was brief, it contained all the necessary details.
Great, it seemed that these workers were really quite capable.
“At the front is Master Sanjue’s Sanjue Hall. According to your wishes, there will be a martial arts compet.i.tion every three months here. We would richly reward the winner of the compet.i.tion. Right now, the atmosphere of the compet.i.tion has been stirred up in Sanjue Hall. The three candidates are Shangguan Hao, the master of intellect, Qin Yi, the master of pleasure, and Nan Junhua, the master of martial arts, respectively. All three emerged victorious after intense compet.i.tion. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about regarding their capabilities.”
Yunzhu was indeed skillful in making good use of resources. Lin Mengya would not be as meticulous as her if she was given the task.
The horse legs and other members would stop in their tracks to greet Yunzhu politely as they pa.s.s by and saw her.
Not only was there a look of surprise in the men’s eyes whenever they gazed at Yunzhu, all the more, but also they looked up to her with admiration. Lin Mengya was glad that she was fortunate enough to have entrusted the right person to carry out this task.
The front courtyard was extremely s.p.a.cious. It was even more s.p.a.cious than the two courtyards at the back.
The horse legs were working quietly and orderly while the informers went back and forth delivering the information. The people who wished to strike up a business deal would be stationed at the pavilion outside the courtyard.
They were expected to adhere to the rule of first come, first served regardless of their status and ident.i.ties.
Yunzhu got someone to specially make small tokens out of bamboo to distribute to all the workers.
It was also made clear that they would only receive 10 clients per day. They would have to try again early the next morning if they wished to stand a chance to enter.
Nevertheless, Sanjue Hall made sure to show courtesy to every prospective client. Regardless of ident.i.ty, as long as they came knocking on the door, everyone would be treated as an honored guest. There would also be good-looking guards stationed at the pavilion to serve all kinds of fruits and snacks.
“You’ve done a good job, thanks for your hard work.”
Lin Mengya had a look around and felt that everything was working perfectly and there was nothing she could criticize. It seemed that Sanjue Hall would be run more effectively by Yunzhu than if she were to manage it herself.
After all, Lin Mengya was much less experienced in society than Yunzhu. If there were to be any mismanagement on her part, Sanjue Hall might turn into a laughing stock.
Lin Mengya did not think that Yunzhu would even think of usurping her power. Trust was fundamental to any partnership. As long as she could achieve the end she wanted, the process was not as important to her. She had founded Sunjue Hall with the purpose of making things easier and more convenient for her.
If Lin Mengya could even forsake her status as Princess Yu, what was this comparatively little bit of authority in society to her?
Moreover, the fact that she could create one Sanjue Hall also meant that it was not impossible to create a second Sanjue Hall.
She felt her cheeks becoming hot. She had only made a suggestion.
The three of them wandered around and ended up in the back yard once again.
Because Lin Mengya had dressed up as a man and was wearing a veil, the brothers in the hall were merely suspicious but were unable to recognize her as the secret big boss of Sanjue Hall.
Yunzhu time and again emphasized the fact that she was merely the deputy hall master. From her words, one could tell she was very respectful toward the Hall Master. For this reason, all the people working in Sanjue Hall feared the Hall Master even if they did not respect the deputy hall master.
No one among them had seen the Hall Master in person. However, this man who commanded the deputy hall master had to be someone of special standing.
Lin Mengya would become hysterical if she knew that in the hearts of these people, she had become a hairy, burly man.
After returning to the innermost courtyard, Lin Mengya began looking around carefully.
The two rows of s.p.a.cious rooms were most likely Yunzhu’s and Qinhu’s bedrooms.
Across from her, there was a large house that was brightly lit and elegantly furnished. The building style was like that of the Han and Tang dynasties, with a modern j.a.panese flavor. After pushing open the back door, she saw that there were only a simple bed and a squarish low table in the sparkling-clean, tidy room.
All the walls around the house were lined with countless books, arranged by their respective categories.
Not only could Lin Mengya obtain the information that Lin Mengya needed, but Qinghu and Yunzhu had also made the special effort to source all kinds of books to keep her entertained.
On the table, there was a smooth and translucent jade teapot and a matching teacup.
Lin Mengya removed her shoes and walked toward the delicate tea set. She had casually mentioned something like it and made a rough sketch of it.
To her surprise, her wish had come true so easily.
“Thank you very much.”
Lin Mengya touched the books on the bookshelf with delight, beaming like a little child.
The usual doting smile appeared on Qinghu’s face, and even Yunzhu shook her head with a smile. They seemed to wonder how such an intelligent lady could be beaming with joy like a young la.s.s.
Lin Mengya hid her feelings of grat.i.tude in her heart. She was fully aware that Qinghu and Yunzhu did not owe her any favors. Therefore, she would always be all the more grateful to them from the heart.
Just when the three of them were about to exchange more polite words, the bell hanging in the house started to ring, making a clear and beautiful sound.
Yunzhu glanced at the bell and said, “Someone had just pa.s.sed the Sunjue Master’s test. That someone is going to strike a business deal with us. Please wait here for a while, Hall Master. I’ll go take a look first, but I’ll be right back.”
Lin Mengya nodded. The Sunjue Master’s test was really a test of sincerity.
If they impressed the Sanjue Master through their sincerity, they would be halfway to sealing the deal.
Therefore, the Sanjue Master had to observe and understand the hearts of men in order to discern if someone was sincere in making a business deal with Sanjue Hall or if he was just trying to stir up trouble.
Sitting behind the table on the floor made Lin Mengya feel that she had been freed from all constraints.
Although the soft mattress in Liuxin Courtyard was a hundred times more comfortable than this, Lin Mengya clearly felt that there were too many restrictions in Prince Yu’s Mansion.
Lin Mengya’s posture, while she lay down on the floor with her one leg over the other, made her look capricious yet relaxed.
Qinghu smiled at the sight of her. She was rarely seen being so carefree.
Qinghu followed suit after drawing the door curtain and lay down on the floor. He put both of his palms under his chin and kept his eyes fixed on the la.s.s.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Sigh, after so many years of growing up, I’m finally able to be myself today!”
Lin Mengya lamented while she lay on the floor with widespread arms and parted legs, staring at the ceiling.
When she was back in the modern world, she was like an unfeeling, hard-hearted senior. She still recalled that her juniors who were taught by her teacher treated her with fear and respect.
They would usually flee from her right after they greeted her, not to mention joke around with her.
However, after she arrived in this ancient world, she had been on her toes, making sure that no one would see through her.
A carefree life like this was what her heart quietly but desperately desired.
“In fact, you can live a life like this anytime. The question is: are you able to leave Long Tianyu?”
Her heartstring had been tugged for some reason.
Instinctively, Lin Mengya put her palm to her chest where her heart was.
She furrowed her brows. Why did she feel a stab of pain at every mention of this name?
“I… I don’t care. He is the high and mighty prince. What am I? I’m just an artful and headstrong commoner. Moreover, his heart already belongs to someone else. Qinghu, I’m all right sharing everything with other people. But for marriage and love, it has to be exclusive.”
Lin Mengya was very serious when she spoke. She did not appear to be joking at all.
Qinghu’s chest tightened.
“How dare Long Tianyu be unfaithful to her!” This knowledge provoked his anger. He would have been kept in the dark if Lin Mengya did not reveal it to him today.
Qinghu thought that Long Tianyu would be the little la.s.s’s one and only reliance.
He quickly swallowed what he had wanted to say.
“Oh yes, Qinghu, it seemed to be such an easy thing for you to send Jiang Ruqin into a man’s bed. Is that because you’re experienced?”
It was said that Peach Blossom Dock after Qinghu left had become obsolete.
His successor, though vicious and ruthless, was in no way comparable to Qinghu in his skills in terms of martial arts and strategizing.
Peach Blossom Dock used to be the number one sect of killers. However, it slowly deteriorated to a second-rate then a third-rate power.
It was said that another sect named the Sect of Life and Death was quietly taking over Peach Blossom Dock.
Qinghu smiled faintly when he saw the puzzlement in Lin Mengya’s eyes. He stood up, took out a fruit platter full of fresh fruits from the shelf behind, and laid it in front of Lin Mengya.
“That hired hand was my disciple. I was the one who nurtured him. Apart from him, there were many well-known hired hands in the capital city who were personally nurtured by me over the past 20 years. There were at least 80 to 100 young men who died in my hands.”
He spoke with such indifference that it sounded like he was narrating another person’s story.
A soft, lean hand, still smelling of the fragrant ink stick, covered Qinghu’s mouth.
When Qinghu looked up, he saw an apologetic-looking Lin Mengya.
“Let the past be past. I didn’t mean to talk about your past.”
Lin Mengya stuck out her tongue in embarra.s.sment. She tended to forget that certain things were taboo and she should never talk about them. Regardless of how Qinghu doted on her, she should not have toyed with his scars from the past.
A slightly cold, big hand closed over her small hand. He quickly let go of her hand upon contact.
At this moment, Qinghu’s eyes were filled with loneliness.
“My own brother died in my hands. I had personally killed him. He was sent into a big mansion, and by the time he returned, he was breathing his last breath. Up until the last moment, he was not aware that his own brother was the one who personally nurtured him and personally destroyed him.”