Blackening starts from the golden years

A night passed, and the next morning, when Zhao Pan'er came to Ouyang Xu's house again, she only saw Uncle De and a servant of the Ouyang family. As for Ouyang Xu, he left Tokyo early in the morning and rushed to Xijing to take up his post.

Looking at Uncle De, Zhao Paner couldn't help but frown slightly and said in a calm voice:

"I agreed with Ouyang Xu yesterday that I would come to pick up the document of breaking off the engagement and the picture of the night banquet today. Where is he?"

"What kind of letter of withdrawal of engagement, or picture of a night banquet? My master has already left for Xijing to take up his post this morning."

As he spoke, Uncle De took a broom and swept the door randomly:
"Get out of the way, don't block the door of our Ouyang family, go, go, go."

"I was really blind before. Tell Ouyang Xu that I am not done with him in this matter."

After leaving behind a harsh remark, Zhao Pan'er left with two guards. Looking at her back, Uncle De spat with disdain on his face and cursed in a low voice:

"Bitch, bitch."

After cursing, he handed the broom in his hand to the servant next to him and said:

"Here, sweep the floor clean. I'm going to go around Gao's place."

"Okay, Uncle De."

The servant took the broom and said respectfully. Looking at him, Uncle De glared and said angrily:

"Can you call me Uncle De? I am the butler of the Ouyang family. From now on, you have to call me butler. Remember?"

"Remember that, butler."

"Well, sweep the floor. I'll check it when I come back."

"Yes, butler."

The servant said very respectfully. Uncle De nodded with satisfaction, left with a smug smile on his face, and walked towards the Gao family. Looking at his back, the servant spitted fiercely on the ground while sweeping the floor, and cursed with disdain:
"Old man, you're a shitty butler."

……

Three days later, Ji and Zhang Haohao entered the palace in a carriage, bringing with them a dozen maids and many boxes and cages. The scene was a bit grand, which made Zhao Pan'er and other girls feel a little unhappy. However, they did not say anything in front of Yuan Xudong.

After the girls met, Zhang Haohao moved into Changchun Garden. When night fell, Yuan Xudong stayed overnight in Changchun Garden.

"Please have some mercy on me, my Lord, hmm~~"

"Your Majesty~~Your Majesty~~"

In the brightly lit Changchun Garden, the courtesan cried happily all night long. In other gardens, Zhao Pan'er and the other girls tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, as if they could hear the cries of the phoenix in Changchun Garden.

……

The next morning, at daybreak, in Zhang Haohao's bedroom, on the huge bed, Yuan Xudong was breathing heavily and sweating profusely. His body fell heavily on Zhang Haohao's snow-white and tender back, and he let out a breath of foul air in comfort.

Her body fell to the side. Yuan Xudong embraced the naked Zhang Haohao and caressed her charming body lovingly, praising her very gently:
"My lady, you are a natural beauty. Did you feel good just now?"

"Hmm~"

Zhang Haohao's pretty face flushed, and she hummed shyly. Seeing her like this, Yuan Xudong smiled very proudly. With a beautiful woman in his arms, he could do whatever he wanted. Isn't it a pleasure?

Looking up at Yuan Xudong, Zhang Haohao gently hugged his strong and powerful chest, blushing and shyly whispering:
"Your Majesty~~"

Looking at the charming courtesan, Yuan Xudong smiled, turned over and pressed her under him again.

"Your Majesty~~Hmm~~"

……

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. In the backyard of the palace, Zhang Haohao won over Song Yinzhang. One of them was a musician, known as the best pipa player in Jiangnan, and the other was a singing girl, a famous courtesan in Tokyo. They naturally sympathized with each other and called each other sisters. During the day, one practiced pipa and the other sang songs. They discussed skills with each other and got along very happily.

Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang and Yinping were also busy. They rented a shop on Maxing Street. After half a month of decoration, a simple teahouse similar to the Qiantang Zhao's Teahouse had taken shape.

This simple teahouse was opened with the money Zhao Pan'er and Song Yinzhang brought from Qiantang, and no money from Yuan Xudong was used. In the words of the girls, they wanted to build their own careers in Tokyo. If the prince Yuan Xudong interfered, what would be the point?

Zhang Haohao sponsored some of her collection of famous paintings and calligraphy, which was considered as a stake in the teahouse. Although the teahouse looked simple, it was by no means plain and was decorated very elegantly. Those famous paintings and calligraphy were rarely seen by ordinary people and were very valuable.

Yuan Xudong just watched without saying anything, watching the women start their own businesses. If they were happy, he would be happy too. In the past half month, he slowly unlocked many new ways of doing things, and he was very happy.

Soon, the teahouse was about to open. Sun Sanniang directed the unloaders to move various tables and chairs into the teahouse. Song Yinzhang and Yinping Yatou were responsible for directing the gardeners to move the flower pots. Yuan Xudong and Zhao Pan'er gave candies to a group of children playing nearby and asked them to help spread the news that the teahouse was about to open. After getting the candies, the children ate them while singing the jingle made up by Zhao Pan'er in the streets to promote the Zhao's Teahouse.

By the time the sun sets, the teahouse has been basically decorated and will be open tomorrow. Zhao Pan'er, Song Yinzhang, Sun Sanniang, Yinping Yatou and Yuan Xudong sit together. It is the first time for Song Yinzhang to do so much physical work. She taps her willow waist lightly and smiles happily on her pretty face:

"I'm so tired, my waist is so sore."

"Your waist is sore?"

Looking at the delicate Song Yinzhang beside him, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:

"Come, let your husband rub it for you."

"Ah, it's not sour now."

Song Yinzhang blushed shyly. Seeing her like this, Yuan Xudong reached out and grabbed her wrist, gently pulled her into his arms and smiled:

"If it's not sore anymore, your husband should rub it too."

"No, Sister Pan'er, save me."

Song Yinzhang shouted shyly, and when Yuan Xudong put his hand into the collar of her coat and rubbed it gently, she immediately whimpered with shame, lowered her head, and buried her head in Yuan Xudong's arms, not daring to make a sound or look at Zhao Paner and the others who were sitting next to her.

At this time, Sun Sanniang looked at Yuan Xudong and Song Yinzhang in his arms and said teasingly:

"Your Highness, Sister Yinzhang is talking about how her waist is sore. Where are you rubbing now?"

"Yes, my waist is sore."

Yuan Xudong smiled, and with his other hand he gently stroked Song Yinzhang's waist and asked:

"Yin Zhang, do you feel better? Are you still sore?"

"Well, I'm not sour anymore."

Song Yinzhang blushed and said shyly. Hearing this, Yuan Xudong couldn't help but smile, and then looked at Zhao Pan'er and the others and said:
"Shall I rub it for you too?"

"Need not."

"no."

"Just rub the seal and it will be fine."

After rolling his eyes at Yuan Xudong, Zhao Paner glanced at Song Yinzhang, who was blushing as he sat in his arms, and said with a smile:
"She was indeed tired today. She even said that she would come to the store to help serve tea and water after the teahouse officially opened. I didn't say anything. The two plates and four bowls alone weighed nearly two kilograms."

After listening to Zhao Pan'er's words, Song Yinzhang blushed as he sat in Yuan Xudong's arms, pouting and saying shyly:
"If I can hold a pipa, I can definitely hold a tea tray."

"How do you talk to your sister?"

Seeing Song Yinzhang refute Zhao Paner, Yuan Xudong deliberately patted her on the buttocks and said with a smile:
"You are the younger sister, you have to listen to your sister. Whatever your sister says is what counts. Do you understand?"

"Oh, I know."

Song Yinzhang blushed and said coquettishly:

"You know how to bully me."

"I just like to bully you. Why don't you want to?"

Yuan Xudong laughed jokingly. He hugged Song Yinzhang and touched her all over, while whispering in her ear:

"Tell me, are you willing to let your husband bully you?"

Seeing that Song Yinzhang didn't say anything, Yuan Xudong couldn't help but smile, and couldn't let go of her soft and delicate body. At this time, Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but roll her eyes at him and said coquettishly:
"Okay, stop bullying Yin Zhang. She's thin-skinned."

As she spoke, she picked up the account book on the table and sighed softly, "Money really flows like water. I haven't even opened the store yet, but I've already spent dozens of kan. Tokyo is really prosperous, and it's not easy to live in a big city."

"I heard that there are more than 10,000 stores in Tokyo, but I don't know if it's true or not."

Sun Sanniang interrupted and asked:
"Pan'er, we need to hang a plaque in our teahouse. What should be written on it?"

Hearing this, Zhao Pan'er looked at Sun Sanniang and said with a smile:

"Sanniang, you write this plaque."

"I wrote?"

Sun Sanniang pointed at her nose and said embarrassedly:

"No, no, I know less than a hundred characters, how can I write a plaque? I'd rather you write it, Pan'er."

"It's okay, just give it a try."

Looking at the embarrassed Sun Sanniang, Zhao Paner smiled and said:
"Our teahouse follows the path of rural wildness. The more it looks like a plaque written by a child, the more it will appeal to the tastes of those literati. Please write it quickly and give it a try."

"Sister Sanniang, just give it a try."

"Yes, Sanniang, you try it."

"Ok."

Looking at everyone, Sun Sanniang blushed and said shyly:

"Then I really wrote it. If it's not good, you can't laugh at me, okay?"

"it is good."

"Write it quickly."

"it is good."

Sun Sanniang ran to write happily. Yuan Xudong, Zhao Paner and others were watching beside her. Sun Sanniang rolled up her sleeves, picked up the brush and dipped it in ink, and carefully wrote the four big characters "Zhao's Teahouse". The characters were round and blunt. Although they were not the works of a famous calligrapher, they also had a wild charm. After Sun Sanniang finished writing, she held the words she had written and looked at everyone and smiled:
"I've written it. Is this ok?"

"Zhao's Teahouse?"

Looking at the words written by Sun Sanniang, Zhao Pan'er smiled and said:

"Natural beauty is not polished, great skill is not artificial, good words, our teahouse is now open."

"Haha."

……

The next morning, the words written by Sun Sanniang were carved on a natural wooden board and hung on the door lintel. Several women stood in front of the teahouse to greet the guests and shouted:
"A new store has just opened. Come in and take a look. We're selling for 50% off."

"We have just opened a new store. Come in and have a seat. We are selling for 50% off."

"Zhao's Teahouse is open. If the food is not good, you can't pay for it. Today, the price is 50% off."

……

With the shouting of several women, the teahouse was soon filled with customers and business was exceptionally good.

Zhao Pan'er held the silver kettle in her hand and performed her special skills for the guests. She turned her back gracefully, held the silver kettle with both hands and tilted it slightly. The boiling water in the kettle poured into the guest's teacup like a silver dragon entering the sea, and the tea powder in the cup immediately surged up and down.

Seeing that Zhao Pan'er was not only extremely beautiful with a graceful figure, but also had superb tea-making skills, the guests could not help but applaud and praise her. After the tea and fruit snacks made by Sun Sanniang were served, the guests praised these Jiangnan-style fruits one after another. In the end, Zhao Pan'er and the others were very busy, and they earned more and more money.

"Madam, please give me a pot of Dragon and Phoenix tea and a plate of pear slices and peach rings."

"Madam Shopkeeper, a pot of Xie Yuan tea and a plate of Lu Ming cakes."

"Here I come, please wait a moment."

"This Jiangnan tea is different from the tea in Tokyo. It has a unique flavor."

"Not bad."

"The ladies who run the teahouses are all stunningly beautiful, but why did they open a teahouse on Ma Xing Street?"

"Yeah, it's a bit strange indeed."

"Come on, have some tea."

……

As night fell, the teahouse stopped operating and the tea drinkers left one after another. At this time, Zhao Paner handed a few tea trays and a small bag of silver money at the back door of the teahouse and said with a smile:

"Thank you for your hard work today. Next time you bring someone to drink tea, I will only charge you 90% of the price. The remaining 10% is your reward."

"Really?"

He Si's eyes sparkled, he cupped his hands, and said with a playful smile:

"Don't worry, Madam Zhao. We will definitely help Zhao's Teahouse attract more customers and bring all the customers from other teahouses here."

"Okay, be careful and don't get discovered."

Zhao Paner smiled and said, if it weren't for He Si and his gang of tea promoters helping to attract customers, Zhao's Teahouse would not have such good business.

"Don't worry, Madam Zhao. We will be careful. Let's go."

"Well, walk slowly."

After watching He Si and the others leave, Yuan Xudong looked at Zhao Pan'er beside him and said with a smile:

"Is this how you do business? How did you get to know that fat guy?"

"You mean He Si?"

Zhao Paner smiled and said:
"He is Chi Yanei's subordinate. I met him when I was buying tea sets on the street and we got to know each other. I asked him to come over and help today."

Looking at Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:
"If you do business like this, be careful that other tea houses will unite to boycott you. Unlike Qiantang, all industries in Tokyo have their own rules. Tea has its own tea houses, and ships have their own shipping companies."

"Tea shop?"

Zhao Pan'er was a little puzzled, and Yuan Xudong simply explained:

"It's an industry monopoly. One industry is one line. If you open a teahouse privately without the permission of the tea company, it's fine if the business is not good. But if the business is good, or if you break the rules, they will unite to boycott you. If you can survive, you can join the tea company, but if you can't, you can only close the business or sell the store."

"So domineering?"

"The business world is like a battlefield, you know?"

……

On the other hand, in Qiantang, the two servants of the Gao family spent several days in Qiantang but did not find any useful information about Ouyang Xu. After all, Ouyang Xu was not a native of Qiantang, and he was devoted to studying and seldom wandered around outside. Therefore, not many people knew him in Qiantang, and it was not easy to find out any news about him.

Just when the two servants didn't know what to do, a scruffy little beggar came to them. If Sun Sanniang was there, she would find that this dirty little beggar was her filial son Fu Zifang.

Looking at the two servants of the Gao family, Fu Zifang's eyes lit up and said:

"I know who Ouyang Xu is. If you can take me to Tokyo to find my mother, I will tell you everything I know. How about that?"

Looking at the little beggar in front of him, a servant of the Gao family frowned slightly and asked:

"How do we know if you're lying to us?"

"Ouyang Xu passed the imperial examination and won the third place. He is going to marry the daughter of Observer Gao. You two are from the Gao family, right?"

...(End of chapter)