Blackening starts from the golden years

The next morning, in the backyard of the palace, in Yuan Xudong's bedroom.

"Husband~~Husband~~"

Song Yinzhang and Zhang Haohao couldn't stop moaning softly. They lay side by side on the bed, wearing only a bellyband and underpants. Yuan Xudong leaned over and started moving rhythmically.

"Hmm~~Hmm~~"

……

At the same time, Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang and Yinping Yatou left the palace together and went to the teahouse on Ma Xing Street to open for business.

Arriving at the teahouse and opening the door for business, compared to yesterday's bustling business, today's business was really deserted. They waited until noon, but there was not even a single customer. Sun Sanniang made a lot of tea cakes, but in the end, she didn't sell a single one. Zhao Pan'er looked at the weather outside. The sun was shining brightly, and there were people coming and going at the door of the teahouse, but there was not a single customer drinking tea. She and Sun Sanniang looked at each other and said in confusion:

"It's such a nice day today, why isn't there a single customer coming to drink tea?"

"Is it possible that the tea cakes I made are not to the taste of the customers in Tokyo?"

Sun Sanniang said with a headache. Hearing this, Zhao Paner shook her head slightly, frowned slightly and said:

"No, so many guests came yesterday, and I saw that they were all enjoying their meals."

Yesterday's business was so good that Sun Sanniang made a lot of tea cakes in advance today, but she hasn't sold a single one yet. She couldn't help but say with distress:

"So many tea cakes will be inedible by tonight. We have to throw them all away. This will cost us a lot of money."

"We haven't raised the price, so why aren't there any customers coming?"

The girl Yinping said doubtfully.

Zhao Paner frowned slightly and murmured to herself:

"There must be some other reason, not just the price."

At this moment, two guests dressed as merchants hurried into the teahouse. They sat down at random and shouted:

"Madam, please bring two bowls of Zhenru tea."

"coming."

Seeing that there was finally business coming, Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but cheer up. She hurried to prepare the tea and said with a smile:
"I'll grind the tea, please wait a moment."

"Tea?"

One of the middle-aged men dressed as merchants said impatiently:

"I don't have the time to wait for you to grind the tea slowly. Just have a bowl of loose tea."

"Loose tea?"

Zhao Pan'er was obviously stunned for a moment. The so-called loose tea is the kind of tea sold at roadside tea stalls that is made by simply boiling tea leaves in water. Her teahouse is mid-to-high-end. If she sells loose tea, she is afraid that she won't even be able to make back the rent of the store.

Looking at the stunned Zhao Pan'er, another guest dressed as a merchant smiled and said:

"You don't even know how to make loose tea? Isn't it enough to just put the tea leaves in a bowl and pour hot water over it? Don't you have loose tea here?"

"We have loose tea. Please wait a moment, my two guests."

Zhao Paner came back to her senses and smiled.

"Okay, please hurry up, Madam Shopkeeper. We two brothers are in a hurry."

"it is good."

Zhao Paner smiled and agreed, then went to prepare loose tea. She put a handful of tea leaves into two bowls, and then poured hot water over them. Then two bowls of loose tea were ready. Zhao Paner served the two bowls of loose tea to the two traveling merchants on a tea tray.

The two traveling merchants blew on the hot tea in their bowls, drank it in a few gulps, took out two copper coins from their pockets, put them on the table, and stood up and left.
"Thank you, Madam Shopkeeper. Your tea is good."

After saying that, they left the teahouse in a hurry.

Asking Yinping to collect the tea money, Zhao Paner said:

"Sanniang, Yinping, I'm going to go out for a while and will be back soon."

"Okay, go ahead. Yinping and I will watch over the store."

"Ah."

……

"Look at it, look at it! It's floral cloth, the finest floral cloth."

"The best medicinal wine, come and have a look. If it doesn't work, I won't charge you."

"Make way, please make way, and be careful not to be hit by the carriage."

……

Zhao Pan'er came out of the teahouse and walked on the bustling Ma Xing Street. There were endless pedestrians coming and going around her, most of whom were peddlers pulling horse-drawn carriages or donkey carts. The shops on both sides of the street were all trauma shops, cloth shops, grain stores, blacksmith shops, herbal medicine shops, fur shops, etc. There was not even a restaurant or inn, and naturally no teahouse. At this time, Zhao Pan'er had almost understood what was going on. This street didn't seem to be suitable for opening a teahouse.

Ma Xing Street is full of peddlers trying to make a living. They have no money, nor the leisure to go to a teahouse to drink tea. But what happened yesterday?

Zhao Pan'er was a little confused. She had clearly seen many scholars and writers on this street before, but where were they now? Where did they go?

After strolling around Ma Xing Street, Zhao Pan'er put one hand on her waist and scratched her hair with the other, thinking about what to do next. She returned to the teahouse and looked at the empty tables and chairs, as well as the idle Sun Sanniang and Yinping girl. She couldn't help feeling distressed. It seemed that the business was over. What should she do now? Should she close the store to stop the losses?
There were still few customers until night fell, so Zhao Pan'er had to close the shop and go home.

Returning to the backyard of the palace, Zhao Paner went straight to Yuan Xudong and asked:
"I want to ask you two questions. First, do people in Tokyo not like to drink tea? Second, why are there no restaurants or food stores on Ma Xing Street? Third, was there an important festival yesterday?"

“These are three things, not two.”

Yuan Xudong smiled.

Zhao Pan'er glared at him and said coquettishly:
"Hurry up and tell me, you are not allowed to joke around."

"Okay, no kidding, but isn't it a little late for you to ask about these things now?"

Looking at Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:
"All the streets in Tokyo are divided by trade. The reason why Ma Xing Street is called Ma Xing Street is because horse dealers and horse markets gather on that street. Tokyo people have known since childhood that they can buy herbal medicine in Yaoxiangju and buy clothes at Panloudongtou. If they want to drink tea, they have to go to Chatang Lane."

"No wonder. I thought that street was so busy and there were no rivals, so it would be the perfect place to open a teahouse. I didn't expect that people in Tokyo are not used to drinking tea here."

As she spoke, Zhao Pan'er looked at Yuan Xudong again and said doubtfully:

"So what happened yesterday?"

Hearing this, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:

"There is a Guanyin Temple nearby. Yesterday was Buddha's birthday, so there were many pilgrims. But on weekdays, all the people coming and going here are horse traders. Making tea requires grinding, brewing, mixing and rubbing, which is too laborious. They don't have that much time to wait for you to slowly make tea. Apart from literati and scholars, there are actually very few ordinary people who are willing to drink tea. In comparison, loose tea is cheap and quick to make, and that is what they like best."

After listening to Yuan Xudong's words, Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but glared at him and said:
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I thought you knew everything. Didn't you do any research before opening the teahouse?"

Looking at Zhao Pan'er, Yuan Xudong smiled and said:
"Besides, didn't you say before that you wouldn't let me interfere?"

Rolling her eyes at Yuan Xudong, Zhao Pan'er said coquettishly:

"You just want to laugh at my joke, right?"

"No, absolutely not. Please don't accuse me."

Yuan Xudong said with a suppressed smile. Rolling his eyes at him, Zhao Paner said proudly:

"It's okay. I, Zhao Pan'er, am also a famous tea seller in Qiantang. Just wait and see. Within a month, you have to come here and line up obediently."

"is it?"

Looking at Zhao Pan'er with a proud face, Yuan Xudong suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms, hugged her and said with a smile:

"My lady, a night of spring is worth a thousand gold. Let's go and rest."

"No, I haven't settled my account yet, please put me down."

Zhao Pan'er blushed and said shyly. Hearing this, Yuan Xudong smiled, carried her directly into the room, put her on the bed and laid her flat, then he leaned over.

"No~~Yeah~~"

A pair of white and delicate arms climbed up Yuan Xudong's shoulders. He raised his hands slightly, and a pair of snow-white, straight and slender legs naturally wrapped around his waist.

"Husband~~Husband~~"

...For several days in a row, the teahouse's business was very bleak. Although He Si and his team attracted some customers, they could only barely ensure that they did not lose money.

That night, in the pavilion in the backyard of the palace, looking at the worried Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang, Song Yinzhang asked:

"Sister Pan'er, Sister Sanniang, how is the business in the teahouse today?"

"Business is not very good."

Sun Sanniang said.

"Wasn't it fine on the opening day? Why is it not working now?"

"It's okay. I already know why the business is not doing well."

Zhao Paner smiled and said:
"Tokyo's streets are divided by industry, Ma Xing Street..."

Zhao Paner told her about the tea drinking habits of Tokyo people that she had heard from Yuan Xudong. After listening to it, Sun Sanniang thought of the time when she lived in Sanyuan Inn. Every time Song Yinzhang played the pipa, many guests would stop and watch. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but look at Song Yinzhang and smiled:
"Yin Zhang, bring your pipa to the teahouse tomorrow and play it five or six times a day. It will surely attract a lot of business."

"Play the pipa for those tea drinkers?"

"Ah."

Sun Sanniang nodded and looked at Song Yinzhang expectantly. Song Yinzhang felt a little resistant. She had been in contact with Zhang Haohao for a long time and was influenced by her. She began to look down on ordinary tea drinkers.

Not only was she known as the best pipa player in Jiangnan, but she was also the prince's future concubine. What qualifications did those tea drinkers have to listen to her play the pipa?

Besides, she was not short of money. With the small business in the teahouse, she would not do anything to lower her status.

Zhang Haohao can earn hundreds of strings of cash by singing a song, and she is not bad at all. But can a teahouse earn a hundred strings of cash in a day?

These thoughts flashed through his mind, and Song Yinzhang looked at Sun Sanniang and Zhao Paner, shook his head and said:

"I won't go. My music is played for those who understand music, not for the common people."

"What happened to the peddlers?"

Hearing the disdain for peddlers in Song Yinzhang's words, Sun Sanniang frowned slightly and said:
"You played the pipa at the Sanyuan Inn before, didn't you say you wanted to play the pipa for the guests when the teahouse first opened?"

"But I..."

Song Yinzhang was speechless for a moment. She did say that.

"Okay, okay, stop talking."

Zhao Pan'er was afraid that Song Yinzhang and Sun Sanniang would have a dispute, so she tried to smooth things over:

"Yin Zhang's status is different now. It would be beneath his dignity to play it again. Let's think of other ways."

Song Yinzhang said nothing, but Sun Sanniang said:

"What is her identity? Pan'er, you are the future princess. We must never forget our roots."

"you……"

Song Yinzhang said angrily:
"Who are you saying has forgotten his roots?"

Looking at Song Yinzhang, Sun Sanniang blurted out:
“Anyone who looks down on peddlers and hawkers has forgotten his roots.”

"I do not have."

"That's enough, calm down, why are you still arguing?"

Zhao Paner advised:
"We are all family, so don't hurt the harmony."

After hearing what Zhao Pan'er said, Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang stopped talking. At this time, Sun Sanniang looked at Zhao Pan'er and suggested:
"Pan'er, since people in Ma Xing Street don't like our tea, we might as well sell loose tea instead. It will save us a lot of trouble."

"I disagree."

Before Zhao Pan'er could speak, Song Yinzhang said:
"Selling loose tea is just catering to the peddlers. Our teahouse is so elegant, how can we do something so unethical?"

"Yin Zhang, what's wrong with you?"

Sun Sanniang's face didn't look good.
"What's wrong with pandering to the peddlers? Why is it a lack of character?"

"Okay, how about this, we can sell loose tea and light tea in half."

Zhao Pan'er hurriedly tried to smooth things over.

After hearing what Zhao Pan'er said, Song Yinzhang frowned slightly and said:

"But even if we add loose tea, won't business still not improve if customers don't come into the store? In my opinion, we should just move the store to the Tea Soup Lane that my husband mentioned. This way, we can solve the problem once and for all."

"Moving store?"

Sun Sanniang disagreed:
"It's only been a few days since we opened the business, and the money we spent on renting the house has been wasted? You don't know how expensive food and oil are if you don't run a household, do you know how to run a business?"

"I have never done business before, but I know what it means to cut losses in time. If business is not going well, don't hold on."

Song Yinzhang couldn't help but retort.

"What's wrong with you today? You just refute me when I say something?"

Sun Sanniang said angrily.

"You told me first."

"What did I say about you?"

Seeing Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang quarreling again, Zhao Paner couldn't help but get angry and said:
"Okay, both of you stop arguing. We've only been open for a few days, and you've made such a fuss over a small matter. Do you still want to continue? Or should we just disband now while the loss is minimal?"

As she spoke, Zhao Pan'er looked at Sun Sanniang and criticized:

"You, you say you don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are when you don't run a household. If it were me, I would have to choke you too."

After criticizing Sun Sanniang, Zhao Pan'er looked at Song Yinzhang who was crying beside her and said:
"And you quoted Zhang, and you started crying after just a few words. You even made something that didn't make sense make sense."

At this time, Sun Sanniang said:

"Pan'er, you know that I have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. I don't have any bad intentions."

"A person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart is just a bad mouth. Don't the words you said hurt people's hearts?"

After saying this, Zhao Pan'er looked at the crying Song Yinzhang and said:

"Yin Zhang, you too, have you forgotten how much Sanniang has taken care of us over the years?"

At this time, Song Yinzhang suddenly stood up, bowed slightly to Sun Sanniang, and apologized sincerely:
"Sister Sanniang, I was wrong. I was being petty and having a bad temper again. I'm sorry."

"This is all my fault. I'm not careful with my words."

Sun Sanniang also apologized to Song Yinzhang. The three women smiled at each other, and their feelings became even deeper than before.

"Ha ha……"

……

Half a month later, the business of Zhao's Teahouse gradually became better. There were many reasons for this. The tea cakes made by Sun Sanniang were delicious, Zhao Pan'er's tea art was superb, and she also used hunger marketing, asking He Si and others to go to Chatang Lane to attract customers and promote their own Zhao's Teahouse. However, the most important reason was Song Yinzhang and Zhang Haohao. When they heard that the number one courtesan in Jiangnan and the number one courtesan in Tokyo were both in this Zhao's Teahouse, those literati and poets immediately flocked to it, wanting to see the peerless beauty of the two courtesans in Jiangnan and Tokyo.

However, Zhao Pan'er arranged Song Yinzhang and Zhang Haohao to play a song every day in the private room upstairs. Song Yinzhang's pipa and Zhang Haohao's singing blended together, so that those literati and poets could only hear their voices but not see their peerless faces. If anyone wanted to listen to the music up close, there were ten spots available in the private room upstairs, separated by a screen, every day, and the highest bidder would get it.

In this way, the Zhao's Teahouse opened by Zhao Pan'er became completely famous in Tokyo City. The cheapest cup of tea cost one string of coins, and even then people had to queue up. For a time, Zhao's Teahouse became very popular, making a net profit of hundreds of strings of coins every day.

Yuan Xudong was not surprised. After all, Zhang Haohao was traffic, and money could be made with traffic. However, traffic was time-limited. When those literati and poets had new targets to pursue, the business of Zhao's Teahouse would naturally cool down.

……

On the other hand, two servants of the Gao family took Fu Zifang back to Tokyo and gave him some money. According to the agreement, Fu Zifang also told the two servants everything he knew about Ouyang Xu.

After getting relevant information about Ouyang Xu, the two servants felt that there was no problem, so they took Fu Zifang back to Gao Mansion and prepared to report to the young lady's wet nurse, Jiang.

After returning to the Gao Mansion, after Fu Zifang told everything he knew, Jiang sent him away and gave him a small ingot of silver. In this way, Fu Zifang began to wander and beg in Tokyo City, while asking people everywhere for news about his mother, Sun Sanniang.

He wanted to ask the Gao family to help him find out about his mother and Zhao Pan'er, but Jiang had someone send him away. He had no choice but to find out on his own.

...(End of chapter)