Chapter 27 Someone Made TroubleThe people who came out from the courtyard were full of smiles and discussed, “There is no second place in the Imperial city except for the Blossoming Peach.” This remark spread into the ears of people outside and aroused their curiosity even more.
All the people who came out of the courtyard praised it.
That was what Yang Zijin wanted. It seemed that her reform would make more people like it. And a smile appeared on her face.
On the first day of opening, everything went pretty well.
It was almost lunchtime, and Mu Yunong didn"t return yet, which made her maid Xiaocui feel anxious and paced back and forth. It would be bad luck for her if the Duke of Mu and Mrs. Li found out.
When she was worried, she only saw her lady come back in a huff and smash the room.
Xiaocui didn"t know what happened, and she didn"t dare to move forward rashly. She knew the temper of her lady. If she didn"t wait for her anger to subside, they wouldn"t have a good result.
“Why are you standing there like a fool? Come over and help me change clothes.” Mu Yunong shouted at Xiaocui viciously.
Xiaocui hurriedly ran to get the clothes. What happened to the young lady? When she left, she was still happy to tell her that she was going to watch the scene of bustle, and how come she came back so angry?
Mu Yunong changed into women"s clothes, smoothed her hair, and walked towards the hall angrily, ”Yang Zijin, wait and see how I"m going to let my father fix you.
Duke of Mu and Li Mingzi had already taken their seats.
Seeing Mu Yunong walking with the sob, Li Mingzi got up, taking Mu Yunong"s hands, and asked sympathetically, “My good girl, what happened?”
“Mom, Dad, you have to back up for Yunong. It"s the elder sister, and she…”
Mu Yunong deliberately paused and peeked at her father"s reaction.
Duke of Mu naturally knew that Mu Yunong was referring to Yang Zijin, and he looked at Mu Yunong with a sullen expression, “Continue.”
“Dad, I know that today is the opening day of the elder sister"s store, so I want to visit it. But I did not expect that the people of the Blossoming Peach were the previous staff of Spring Breeze. Sister lied to us, so I went forward and let her return the money. And she not only did not give it back but also humiliated me in front of so many people,” Speaking of which, Mu Yunong cried loudly.
“She said she didn"t know me, and let me speak carefully. She warned me not to pretend the relative of the royal family, telling the crowd that I was here to make trouble and letting people drag me out,” Mu Yunong cried out in anguish.
Hearing this, Li Mingzi held Mu Yunong in her arms. She hated Yang Zijin to the extreme. How could a woman who grew up in the brothel insult her precious daughter like this?
She purposely raised her voice and said, “After all, your sister did not grow up in the mansion, so it is normal for her not to know the rules. Don"t mind what she did, Yunong.”
“Mom, the sister took so much money from the mansion and just let it go?” Mu Yunong didn"t forget to remind.
Li Mingzi looked towards Duke of Mu and spoke softly, “My Lord.”
“This b.a.s.t.a.r.d, I will not spare her!” Duke of Mu was furious.
Li Mingzi and Mu Yunong smiled at each other when they heard Duke of Mu"s words.
“Sit down for dinner.” Duke of Mu said.
Mu Yunong also stopped crying, because she had the result that she wanted.
Li Mingzi wiped away the tears on Mu Yunong"s face with her handkerchief and pulled her to sit down.
In the study, Duke of Mu leaned back quietly in the chair and closed his eyes for rest.
Duke of Mu felt that Zijin was worthy of being his daughter. She took care of the overall situation. Although she was reluctant to return to the mansion of Duke Mu now, from what she had done today, she was still defending the mansion"s reputation. If Yang Zijin didn"t care, she could follow Mu Yunong"s words to make a fuss. And it would be rumored in the streets tomorrow that Lord Protector had a daughter who grew up in the brothel, which would cause a big scandal in the city.
Anyway, it didn"t hurt her to say or not to say, but she didn"t choose this way. It seemed that she still cared about her father"s face.
Compared with Yang Zijin, Mu Yunong was simply too petty. But thanks to the trouble that Mu Yunong made, and Duke of Mu knew that it was only a matter of time before Yang Zijin came back to the mansion.
However, the Blossoming Peach really shouldn"t appear here. If Yang Zijin had a place to stay, she wouldn"t recognize him in a short time. What should he do? According to Mu Yunong, there was still the staff of Spring Breeze, so was Yang Zijin not back to her old business again? If so, he would have to think of another plan.
Lord Protector sent someone to find out what the main business of Blossoming Peach was and immediately reported it to him.
He hadn"t known Yang Zijin was her daughter before, so he let her grow up in the brothel. But now he knew it, and he would never allow her to go astray.
The man who had gone to pry the news came back soon.
“What did you find out?” Lord Protector opened his eyes and sat up straight.
“My Lord, I heard that Master Yang had reformed this store, selling only the skill but not the body. Now, the outside world is full of praise for this store opened by Master Yang. Everyone, no matter men or women, the young or the aged, can visit. They can enjoy poetry, songs, calligraphy, and painting here. There are exotic flowers and gra.s.s with excellent scenery. It is said that there is also a house made of colored glaze!” The man who went to inquire said.
Lord Protector was gratified. And this was her daughter, who had strategies and courage.
Only he did not know when he would hear her call him daddy.
Yang Zijin stipulated that the Blossoming Peach was limited to accept 100 people per day.
Because of the fair price, a long queue was seen early in the morning every day. Xian handed out the admission card, which amounted to one hundred in total. Only those having the card were allowed to enter.
Most of the visitors were literati, but there were also a few older people and children.
They could play chess with the women inside, talk about poetry and painting, imitate words together, taste tea together, game parrots, and enjoy the scenery. They could go to the snack room when they were hungry, and also could rest on the benches when they were tired.
Of course, there was an extra price for food and tea.
Soon, the unprecedented business mode of the Blossoming Peach was popular in the imperial city. There were even people outside the imperial city who heard about the Blossoming Peach and came here with admiration. And of course, some didn"t believe that the woman in the brothel before would be transformed and came with doubts, but they were completely convinced when they visited the Blossoming Peach.
The girls who had left Spring Breeze voluntarily heard that the Blossoming Peach opened by Master Yang became popular, and several of them begged Yang Zijin to let them return.
“Master Yang, we were shortsighted before. Now we have nowhere else to go. We beg Master Yang to take us in.” These girls knelt in front of Yang Zijin.
Yang Zijin had asked them to sign an agreement before, just to prevent today. Of course, she wouldn"t take these selfish people in. If she didn"t have the Blossoming Peach now, these people would be another att.i.tude.
Yang Zijin sneered, “I have already made it clear to you. It is your choice, so you can"t blame others. From the moment we signed the agreement, we"ve been on the different paths, and instead of begging me here, you might as well go out and find your own way.”
After that, Yang Zijin walked into the Blossoming Peach without looking back.
These girls froze here. They could do nothing, where could they go to earn a living? Now they regretted it, but who could they blame?
Yang Zijin was checking with the accountant. Because of her quota limit, the profit from entering the courtyard remained unchanged every day, but the food, tea, and wine in the courtyard were very profitable.
At this moment, Xian ran in a hurry and said anxiously, “Master Yang, go to the front and have a look. People are fighting for the admission card.”
Hearing this, Yang Zijin got up and walked towards the entrance of the Blossoming Peach.
Only to see two people hugging together, and they were arguing at the same time.
“It"s obvious that I got the card first. Why do you rob it?”
“Who can prove it? It doesn"t write your name on it. Of course, it belongs to whoever gets it.”
“It"s mine. Let go of your hand.”
There was a big fight between those two people. n.o.body wanted to compromise.
Yang Zijin shouted to the two men dressed as literati, “Who dares to make trouble at the entrance of the Blossoming Peach?”
Hearing the sound, the two stopped and turned to look at Yang Zijin. The anger in their eyes had not dissipated.
“I dare to ask you both fight for what?” Yang continued to ask.
One of the men, dressed in brown clothes, said, “Master Yang, you just came at the right time. This card is mine, but he insisted on robbing my card.”
“Did anyone see me cut in line? And how do you prove that this card is yours?” The man in blue clothes looked at Yang Zijin with disdain.
Hearing this, the man in brown clothes looked at him angrily, “There are so many people here. Someone must have seen who cut in line. Master Yang will know when he asks.”
Yang Zijin looked at the people in the line behind him and asked with a nonchalant smile, “Folks, have you seen who cut in line?”
All people were whispering. Some bold men pointed to the man in blue clothes, and some timid men also pointed at the men in blue clothes when they saw someone standing out.
The man in blue clothes blushed. The place was already full of people. What was the difference between being caught cutting in line in public and being caught stealing in the street?
d.a.m.n it, just a Blossoming Peach, wasn"t it just a brothel with a new name?
The more the man in blue clothes thought, the more annoyed he became, “Master Yang, don"t you just give Spring Breeze a new skin? Only 100 people a day? Do you still need a card? Don"t be so c.o.c.ky! Do you really think everyone doesn"t know what kind of filthy women here are?”
There was no lack of busybody among the crowd. Many people also had deep doubts about the Blossoming Peach. After hearing this man say so, it really made some sense.
Maybe, was it really the brothel that changed a new name?
Yang Zijin smiled and said, “I, Yang Zijin, and these sisters have been making a living in Jing City for many years, neither stealing nor robbing. I issue the cards just for maintaining order. Do I charge extra money? I am fortunate that you are willing to come and do me a favor. However, there are nearly a hundred people in the Blossoming Peach. Does anyone hold the sword on your neck and force you to visit?”
The crowd was silent, and what Yang said was also true!
And Yang Zijin added, “While you are all here, I have made it clear today. Everyone who comes here is a guest, and I will treat you well and won"t let you be wronged in the Blossoming Peach! But I am also a man who is extremely protective of my staff. I am never afraid of anything. If anyone dares to make trouble here, don"t blame me for being unkind!”