Mo Xuetong and Luo Mingzhu parted ways at the entrance of Fu General Manor. They used to go the same way for a while before they parted. Today, Luo Mingzhu claimed that she had something to do—to visit an elder of the Li family. It happened that the two of them weren’t on the same path, so they parted ways at the gate. Mo Xuetong sat in the carriage and watched Luo Mingzhu’s carriage go away before asking her coachman to drive.
Luo Mingzhu acted quite oddly. She had hurried into King Xuan’s Manor in the morning because of what happened to Fu General Manor. Then, that matter happened in Fu General Manor. How could she be in the mood to visit an elder? She had been standing behind the study earlier and Mo Xuetong’s second uncle and aunt had been arguing. It was said that the two had gotten into a big fight. Could it be because of this?
“My Lady, are we going back to the manor now?” Mo Ye asked after getting on the carriage. As she noticed that Mo Xuetong was still pondering, she added, “My Lady, don’t worry. Mo Feng was above the study just now, so he should have heard what Second Master and Madam Qu had said.”
Having been by Mo Xuetong’s side for a long time, she no longer looked down on the little Consort Xuan. Mo Ye was truly in awe of Mo Xuetong and felt that she was a perfect woman. She had a beautiful and weak appearance, but in fact, she had a strong heart. Anyone who looked down on her would be swallowed up in the end.
Therefore, no matter from the outside or inside, her two masters were absolutely a perfect match. They could fool people, and, at the same time, make them happily help them.
“Don’t go back to the mansion now. Let’s go to Xiuning Workshop first.”
She had prepared gifts for King Chu’s birthday long ago. However, she thought of what happened at the embroidery shop that day. Mo Yarui had intentionally chosen that place probably because she had intended to pick out some embroideries in that shop. Unfortunately, after the incident with the girl from the Southern Barbarian Lands, they parted unhappily. Since she had not gone to Xiuning Workshop for a long while, and it was on her way home, Mo Xuetong decided to bring some to Mo Yarui.
Ever since Shopkeeper Xing’s secret guards had met her, Mo Xuetong had truly put the matter of Xiuning Workshop aside. The account book was in the charge of Shopkeeper Xing himself. If he met something inconvenient, he could come to King Xuan’s Manor to look for her. Now that Xiuning Workshop existed to train secret guards, Mo Xuetong did not have to keep an eye on them.
Besides, she had never believed in those secret guards!
Mo Xuetong thought that they did not just want to gain approval by boldly kidnapping their master together with others. The secret guards did nothing when she and her mother were in their hard time. When she became Consort Xuan, they appeared in front of her with a way of bolstering their presence. Furthermore, they told her about their existence in that manner. Anyway, Mo Xuetong could not accept them from the bottom of her heart.
The carriage stopped. Mo Ye was about to jump off it when she suddenly turned around, lifted a small slit of the window, and said to Mo Xuetong, “My Lady, it’s the same guy we saw last time.”
Mo Xuetong leaned over and also took a look. She saw Shopkeeper Xing walk a man out. The man looked familiar and when she took a closer look, she realized that he was the man who spoke with Shopkeeper Xing and got rid of them when they tried to follow him. Mo Xuetong shrank inside slightly and only used a finger to pick up a corner of the curtain.
This man must be one of the secret guards, and at first glance, one could tell that he was very astute.
From her angle, Mo Xuetong saw Shopkeeper Xing say something with a gloomy face. The man’s expression was also dark, and he did not even say anything. He swung his sleeves and left. It seemed that they had parted unhappily.
“My Lady, do you want me to follow him and take a look?” Mo Ye also saw the scene through a corner just now. She was good at martial art master and had better eyesight than Mo Xuetong. From her angle, she could even see the blue veins popping on the man’s face. Obviously, the two were having a big argument.
“How is his martial skill level?” Mo Xuetong waved her hand and frowned slightly.
“His martial skill level is higher than mine, and he seems much stronger than me. I’m not as good as him. Shopkeeper Xing and this man seem to be the best among the secret guards,” Mo Ye answered after thinking for a while.
She used to be a secret guard as well. The royal family’s secret guards had their own system. Outsiders might not be able to sense it, but Mo Ye could.
“Then don’t follow him. Otherwise, he will definitely notice it.” Mo Xuetong held Mo Ye’s hand, her pretty brows knitted slightly. Such a person had always been vigilant. Followed by a person like Mo Ye who was a martial art master, would be more likely to arouse his alarm. It was more natural for a normal person, pretending to be on the same way with him, to tail after him.
He had a dispute with Shopkeeper Xing. Why? For money? Mo Xuetong had checked Xiuning Workshop’s accounts before. It should not be a problem to raise those people with monthly income. Furthermore, most of them had legitimate occupations and each had their own way to make money. Furthermore, if it was really about money, she had told Shopkeeper Xing that he could come to her directly when they were in need.
Therefore, this should not be about money, but if it was not about money, what was the reason? Why did the two get red in the face in the heat of the argument?
“My Lady, Shopkeeper Xing is coming.” Mo Xuetong was still frowning and pondering when Mo Ye’s sharp eyes saw that Shopkeeper Xing had discovered the carriage of King Xuan’s Manor, so she gave her a push.
When they had gone to Fu General Manor today, Mo Xuetong’s carriage had the mark of King Xuan’s Manor on it. With a careful look, one could tell that they were from King Xuan’s Manor.
Mo Xuetong nodded and gestured for Mo Ye to get off the carriage first.
“Miss Mo Ye, is it Her Lady inside?” Shopkeeper Xing had stridden over. His face was no longer gloomy, but full of smiles. He had seen Mo Ye several times, so he could recognize the pretty maidservant who just got off the carriage was the right-hand maidservant for Mo Xuetong.
“Shopkeeper Xing, it is Her Lady.” Mo Ye slightly curtsied to him. Then, she helped Mo Xuetong off the carriage. Shopkeeper Xing immediately cupped his hands and curtsied.
Then they entered Xiuning Workshop together.
Xiuning Workshop’s business was going well. The shop assistants were enthusiastically greeting the guests who came in. There were chairs for guests to rest in the four corners of the shop, and tea was also served. Some guests who bought embroideries could also choose one or two sachets from an embroidery basket in one corner of the counter as gifts from the shop.
Although there were not many kinds of sachets, they were delicate. And because it was a gift from the shop, it made people feel very thoughtful.
It was Mo Xuetong who brought up this idea, but she did not expect Shopkeeper Xing to implement it so quickly. Furthermore, the effect of it seemed to be very good. Shopkeeper Xing was indeed a businessman.
Shopkeeper Xing led Mo Xuetong upstairs to a private room. They usually took young ladies and madams here and even the servants upstairs were women. Not only do young ladies and madams not have to suffer from crowding, but they could also use it as a place of recreation.
“My Lady, are you here to pick some embroideries. There’s a new batch of embroideries here, which are very delicate. I’ve asked someone to bring them to you just now. You can pick some from them,” Shopkeeper Xing said with a smile, just echoing with the saying: amiability attracts riches. One could not tell that he was angry just now.
He was indeed a man who had gone through life and death. There was no trace of anger in his face. He was a completely slippery businessman.
“Shopkeeper Xing, you don’t have to be so polite. I am going to pick some embroideries and send them to someone. It is a coincidence that there are some new embroideries. Then take them here and let me take a look at them. How is the business recently?” Mo Xuetong smiled slightly. Now that they were in the shop, she talked about business. Shopkeeper Xing had been immersed in business for so many years. If he did not want her to see through something, he would definitely be able to do it.
It seemed that he did not intend to tell her about his dispute with that man. Then it should not be about money, but if it wasn’t about money, it was worth pondering!
“The business is going very well. I’ve taken a few of your ideas and improved them. The profit on the account has increased,” Shopkeeper Xing replied happily. He thought that since the master ordered it, he could do it. Unexpectedly, it was really useful. The business was much better than before. It seemed that although the master was young, she was not ignorant. He hesitated for a moment and thought if he should tell the master about that matter.
But then he gave up this idea. Now it was not the right time, and Yan Yue did not say anything out of line. He would try to persuade him again. The matter had not been settled yet, and it was just an idea. Shopkeeper Xing still felt that the master in front of him was young but had to be reckoned with.
The two of them chatted for a while before a shop assistant brought in the new embroideries. Mo Xuetong picked a few pieces and suddenly looked up with a smile. She asked Shopkeeper Xing, who was standing by the side, “Do you have anyone who is good at martial arts and can keep an eye on other people without anyone noticing?”
“My Lady, are you referring that side?” Shopkeeper Xing asked carefully in a low voice.
“Yes, I just want to borrow someone to use. Is it convenient?” Mo Xuetong smiled and asked with her watery eyes looking at the shopkeeper. She picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. It was good. The tea-leaves were new and had a light fragrance. Although it was not a high-quality tea, it was new. It seemed that Shopkeeper Xing listened to her in business, but she didn’t know if he was on her side in other aspects.
She did not have the jade token they had mentioned, which meant that she could not order them to do anything. But it was not a big move to lend one secret guard to her.
“My Lady, this…” Shopkeeper Xing was in a dilemma. It was not because he was unwilling to do it, but because Yan Yue was involved.
“If it doesn’t work, forget it. I’ll think of other ways,” Mo Xuetong stated with a smile. It was just an answer. She just wanted to see his attitude today. It was an idle move.
Shopkeeper Xing gritted his teeth and said, “My Lady, it’s okay to lend one to you. I’ll arrange it right away, but who do you have him follow?”
Mo Xuetong beamed slightly as he agreed. She put down the teacup in her hand and gestured at Mo Ye.
Mo Ye hurriedly took out Mo Xuetong’s painting from her arms and laid it flat on the table. She then introduced the painting to Shopkeeper Xing in a low voice, “Shopkeeper Xing, take a look at this woman. Can you find her and watch her closely to see if she has any unusual movements?”
Shopkeeper Xing took a close look at the woman in the painting carefully, frowned, and said, “It’s… My Lady, please tell me a place that she might go to.” It was not easy to find a person in such a big capital, more troublesome than looking for a needle in a haystack. Moreover, the target was a woman who might not go out, so he didn’t know where to start.
Mo Xuetong understood the difficulty. She thought about it and replied, “You can send someone to Censor Qin’s manor. It is very likely that she will go there.” Since she had seen Yu Sirong in the Qin Manor, then it was very likely that Yu Sirong and Mdm Yu were in contact with each other. That was to say Mdm Yu should know that Yu Sirong had returned, so it was most likely to get Yu Sirong if they kept an eye on the Qin Manor.
As for the Yu Manor, Yu Sirong had been disfigured and was sent away directly. Given Yu Sirong’s selfish nature, she might not come back to her home right away.
“Got it, I’ll do it now! Then the painting…”
Knowing his difficulty, Mo Xuetong stood up with a smile and said, “I’ll leave this painting with you, Shopkeeper Xing.”
Shopkeeper Xing sent them to the door and watched them leave before he went to arrange it. Since this was the first time the secret guards carried out their master’s order, he had to ask a powerful man to do it, and the man must not be Yan Yue. Otherwise, Yan Yue would take a matter-of-fact attitude. The two of them had been having a lot of disputes recently and it was better not to cause any conflict.
