Lin Mengya shook her head in disbelief. Whoever Master Bamboo and Master Plum were, she had been frantically busy with her own businesses that she had no time to be bothered about them.
Qiu Yu could not help but laugh when he saw the look in her eyes.
He thought Princess Yu would have heard about them. What a surprise！
“Master Bamboo is the owner of this North Tower. This painting of yours would definitely catch his eye.”
Lin Mengya had a feeling that there was a hidden meaning in Qiu Yu’s words.
When she was about to probe further, someone approached from behind the screen.
“I heard that a lady with exceptional talent had just arrived. I’m curious to find out which family this lady is from.”
Lin Mengya raised one of her eyebrows at the mention of Master Bamboo. Should he not be a man given his title as a master?
However, the person who appeared before Lin Mengya’s eyes was obviously a girl. She was even wearing a white silk scarf that veiled her face.
Cladded in a bright red fur cloak, she looked like a moving torch.
Her eyes, which peeked out from the veil, had been painstakingly touched up. They seemed to be able to see through to people’s hearts, yet were not sharp or aggressive.
The moment Lin Mengya locked eyes with her, she immediately knew that this lady was an extremely intelligent person.
She smiled faintly but did not introduce herself nor go forward to show her welcome.
“This is my cousin. She had come to have her eyes opened since she had heard that the northern tower was full of talents and that the plum flowers are in full bloom at the backyard. How have you been, Master Bamboo?”
Qiu Yu behaved as if he were a regular customer as he took a bow and smiled.
The expression in Master Bamboo’s eyes softened when Qin Yu introduced Lin Mengya as his cousin.
“My bad. Since this is Master Qiu’s cousin, please lead her here. Please excuse my negligence for not showing courtesy.”
Lin Mengya remained silent. Since Master Bamboo was a businesswoman, she ought to be smooth and sleek in establishing social relations. It was not surprising that she was good at using pleasantries that did not mean much.
Lin Mengya nodded to her, indicating that she understood what was going on.
“I heard Uncle Li saying that this lady is exceptionally artistic, so I’ve come quickly to take pleasure in seeing her drawing. I wonder where the masterpiece is.”
Master Bamboo did not sound like she was mocking the artist. She seemed sincere about her coming to appreciate the art work.
Qiu Yu puckered in a smile and pointed towards Lin Mengya’s “masterpiece.”
Master Bamboo turned her body towards the comics and the look of surprise appeared in her eyes. Thereafter, she gazed at it for a few minutes.
“This is indeed a legendary piece of art. This painting— I must be ignorant and inexperienced. However, I think you might have a misunderstanding about some matters, miss. All the rich people in the Capital City loved the plum flowers in the backyard. My intention was to enjoy the flowers with the people. I have no other intentions, but I made you misunderstand me.”
Master Bamboo’s explanation seemed to be an attempt to cover up some things.
Although she claimed that her intention was to enjoy the flowers with the commoners, this was just an excuse for them to show off.
“I see. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, Master Bamboo.”
As both parties found a way to ease their respective awkward situations, Qiu Yu finally understood the reason behind this. Uncle Li was the only person who was still clueless.
What did this piece of art really mean?
“Master Qiu, how should I address this lady?”
Lin Mengya was about to answer her question by telling her last name was Lin, but she changed what she wanted to say when she opened her mouth to speak.
“My last name is Zuo, and my first name is a single character, Hui. Nice to meet you, Master Bamboo.”
Light flashed across Qiu Yu’s eyes as he smiled but refrained from giving Lin Mengya’s identity away.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Zuo. This way in, please.”
Master Bamboo confidently led the two of them into the inner hall.
Lin Mengya glanced at her artwork, then entered the hall.
Uncle Li, still looking perplexed, looked at the painting on the screen. All he could make out were a lady in yellow and a young man in red.
“Please hold on, Master Qiu. Something’s puzzling me. What’s the meaning of this painting?”
Qin Yu gazed at Uncle Li, smiled, and shook his head. Princess Yu was cheekier than he imagined.
“It’s trying to say that the fox was trying to lure the chicken out, someone’s harboring malicious intentions.”
After he finished speaking, Qiu Yu left Uncle Li behind as he followed Lin Mengya into the hall. Uncle Li was lost as to who the chicken or the fox was.
As Lin Mengya trailed behind Master Bamboo, she just realized how the literary world was different from the regular restaurants and bars.
Lin Mengya’s Restaurant Ruyi was definitely more meticulously and thoughtfully designed and decorated. However, North Tower had an air of natural and casual feel about it.
There was no bustling of the crowd behind the screen. On the contrary, all the people were quietly taking leisurely strolls.
There was no center stage in the courtyard. Rather, there was a tall plum tree standing in the middle of the courtyard, and there were a few other trees with tree trunks as thick as water buckets.
Apart from the blooming flowers on the plum tree, the other trees looked like they were withering.
Lin Mengya supposed those trees would bloom during other times of the years. However, she was curious as to why those trees were intertwined together like they were one tree.
It appeared that Master Bamboo was a person with a pure heart and spirit.
“Master Qiu and Miss Zuo had come at the right time today. The plum flowers in the backyard are in full bloom. All our honored guests are in the courtyard enjoying the beauty of the plum flowers. Would you two like to go over to have a look?”
Master Bamboo was indeed thoughtful, but Lin Mengya pondered for a moment and decided to turn her down politely.
Although she did not like social situations, she was nonetheless rather well-known among the nobles in Capital City. The surname ‘Zuo’ was her mother’s maiden name. She had used this surname in hope that no one would recognize her.
“That’s not necessary, I don’t really like crowded places. Maybe Master Bamboo could help me find a place where I can see and enjoy the beautiful plum flowers quietly. As for my elder brother—”
Lin Mengya looked towards Qiu Yu, expecting his comment.
“Me? I will follow where cousin goes. Otherwise, my aunt would skin me alive.”
At the sight of that harmless and innocent face with a serious expression, Lin Mengya’s smile widened.
Master Bamboo reacted immediately and led the two of them up to the second floor.
As they pushed open the door leading to a spacious room, to Lin Mengya’s surprise, the interior design of the room was simple yet elegant. Every piece of furniture from the tables to the stools were made of wood.
As Lin Mengya walked in, she could tell fine workmanship in its furniture. However, these tables and stools did not seem to be fabricated from raw materials. Rather, they appeared to be originally in this state.
“Are you satisfied with this place? It may be secluded and quiet, but you can still enjoy the plum flowers from here. Qin He, Bai Hui, serve the guests well. Please make yourselves at home, please send them to look for me if you need anything else.”
Master Bamboo bowed to them and excused herself from their presence.
Thereafter, the two other women, whose faces were veiled, bowed to them, exited the room, and closed the door behind them. They were like standing guard outside the room.
“This is strange. Why are all the women in this place wearing veils?” asked Lin Mengya as she helped herself to the stool and sat down by the table.
Qiu Yu forced a smile, took the teacup on the table, poured some tea for himself and started drinking.
“The literary world is not a place of entertainment. Therefore, these servants would be wearing veils most of the time because they don’t want to obtain favor using their good looks.”
After pondering for a moment, Lin Mengya felt that it made sense. Regardless of whether the visiting men were scholars or literary people, they were men after all. All men had the same weakness.
Even Long Tianyu could be taken in by a woman’s beauty, what more other men.
The thought of Long Tianyu made Lin Mengya queasy. Master Bamboo may be wearing a veil, but she ought to be someone of impressive skill given she was the running Northern Tower.
Could she be the one having sex in the study that night?
“Elder Brother Qiu, do you know of any place in the city that uses the plum flower as its symbol?”
Lin Mengya addressing Qiu Yu as Elder Brother Qiu instantly generated much of his goodwill towards her. The lady before his eyes was elegant with exceptional status, yet unassuming.
He paused and pondered, then replied saying, “This is about the only place that uses the plum as its symbol. Apart from Master Bamboo in North Tower, there’s Master Plum. However, being very mysterious about her whereabouts, Master Plum is always absent and Master Bamboo is the one who is managing this place the majority of the time. Why? Are the plum flowers here not impressive enough? I believe there are no other places in the city as beautiful as here.”
Lin Mengya did not hear the latter part of what Qiu Yu said.
Apparently, North Tower was the one using the plum as its symbol.
She stood up and walked to the window. As she looked out, she marveled at the breathtaking beauty of the red plum flowers. It was no wonder that even Long Tianyu could not resist the temptation of the plum flower.
Naturally, the founder of Northern Tower would not be a mediocre person. She gently let out a breath. Why was she not feeling at ease despite finding out the truth?
What could be done now that she knew the identity of one of the founders of Northern Tower? Was she going to lose her composure and magnanimity and make a scene? She had not reached that state.
The bloodred plum flowers appeared glaring. Lin Mengya turned around, pushed the door of the room open, and walked briskly out of it.
“Where are you going?” asked Qiu Yu.
However, he did not follow after her.
He supposed Princess Yu had something urgent to attend to, so he merely furrowed his brows as he saw, through the door, Lin Mengya disappear around the corner of the stairs.
The court of imperial physicians was saying that a number of subjects had collectively made a petition to engage a physician outside the palace to attend to the Emperor.
Among the recommended physicians, Princess Yu, who had rendered much meritorious service, was the most voted candidate.
From his perspective, Princess Yu was indeed a very intelligent lady. However, the palace was not commonplace, nor was it like the army camp. He supposed Princess Yu was clueless with regard to the situation in the palace.
Since she had addressed him as her elder brother, he felt he had the duty to give her some good advice.
After making up his mind, he exited from the courtyard of North Tower and headed towards Prince Yu’s Mansion.
All the way home, Lin Mengya’s footsteps were unsteady as she was beside herself. Her mind was in a state of total disarray.
