Chapter 47

Mo Qi was helping Shen Wei walk forward, and upon hearing these words, she was startled. She didn’t know why the lady would bring up such a topic out of the blue. Moreover, the Jinjiang Tower was well-known in Bianliang City as a top-tier establishment, even the servants like them knew this.

Now, Madam was saying that this place wasn’t the best—was there another place in Bianliang City that could rival Jinjiang Tower? But before Mo Qi could say anything, a voice suddenly came from behind, saying, “Madam, please stay for a moment.”

Upon hearing the voice, Shen Wei stopped in her tracks.

Mo Qi, though still unsure of what was happening, stopped as well. She continued to hold onto Shen Wei’s arm but turned to look behind. There, the middle-aged man who had been standing by the railing, dressed in blue, was walking toward them.

The man appeared to be around forty years old, with clear features and an elegant demeanor. When he reached them, he first cupped his hands in a polite gesture and then spoke softly, “My name is Shi. I’m in charge here at Jinjiang Tower.”

When Shen Wei heard him introduce himself, her expression, hidden under her veil, didn’t change much.

Earlier, before seeing the man, she had already made some guesses about his identity. The book had mentioned that the manager of the Jinjiang Lou, Shi Qingyu, liked to wear green clothing and jade, so when she saw the man earlier, she had carefully observed him.

The man wore a jade pendant on his waist, and a jade ring on his right thumb—these two items were no ordinary things.

At this moment—

The sky wasn’t dark yet, and guests hadn’t arrived. It was impossible for this man to be a guest at the building.

Given this, he could only be someone from the building.

That was why she had made the conversation with Mo Qi and said these words in front of him.

Thinking of this, Shen Wei lowered her gaze. Still supported by Mo Qi, she remained standing, and only spoke lightly, “I wonder if Manager Shi has any advice?”

Shi Qingyu smiled and stood straight. His face still carried a gentle smile as he said, “I would like to invite Madam to have a cup of tea. I wonder if you have time?”

Before Shen Wei could speak, Mo Qi replied first, “My lady is in a hurry to return. How could she have time to drink your tea?” If it weren’t for the Jinjiang Lou’s reputation in the city, and considering that this middle-aged man didn’t seem like a lecher, she would have already scolded him.

But no matter what kind of person he was, how could a lady of a prominent family stay with someone like him?

Shi Qingyu heard this and didn’t lose his smile. His gentle yet sharp gaze remained on the woman under the veil, waiting for her response. He believed she would certainly agree to his invitation.

Just like he knew—

The words she had spoken earlier weren’t meant for the maid to hear, but for him. Although he had long known that the wife of the Duke of Rong was extraordinary, he was curious to see… what exactly she wanted to do.

Shen Wei, of course, noticed Shi Qingyu’s gaze, but she didn’t say anything. She simply patted Mo Qi’s hand lightly and spoke softly, “It’s just a cup of tea; it won’t be a problem. Besides, I’ve had a few cups of wine earlier. If I return home and my family sees me, I’m not sure what I’ll say.”

“Madam…” Mo Qi wanted to say more, but seeing her expression under the veil, she couldn’t bring herself to continue. Whether Shen Wei acknowledged it or not, her demeanor had grown more authoritative.

Sometimes, even a glance like this made people feel uneasy. Mo Qi lowered her head and quietly agreed with her.

Shi Qingyu saw this, and his smile deepened. He didn’t speak, just politely gestured for her to follow him. When they reached a private room, he glanced at Shen Wei and her maid before saying, “Madam, please.”

After he spoke, he entered the room first.

Shen Wei looked at him but didn’t immediately follow. She turned to Mo Qi and said, “Wait here. If there’s anything, call me.”

Mo Qi was stunned. She couldn’t understand why Madam, who had never met this man from Jinjiang Lou before, would agree to drink tea with him. But seeing Shen Wei already moving toward the door, she opened her mouth but said nothing. She could only watch as the curtain fell, and Shen Wei’s figure disappeared from her sight.

Mo Qi, though full of doubts, remained loyal and waited outside. In order not to expose her identity, she lowered her head.

—-

Inside the private room.

Shi Qingyu had already poured two cups of tea. When he saw Shen Wei enter and close the curtain, he smiled, placed the teapot down, and said, “Madam, please sit.”

Shen Wei didn’t speak; she simply sat down opposite him, took the tea cup, lifted the lid, and noticed the tea leaves floating inside. She said lightly, “Old year’s Junshan Yinzhen, Manager Shi is truly courteous.”

Shi Qingyu’s smile paused when he heard her.

He knew that as a lady from a prominent family, it was normal for her to be used to high-quality items. However, he hadn’t expected her to be able to identify the tea just by looking at it without even tasting it… This woman was indeed not someone to be underestimated. He quickly suppressed his earlier dismissal and apologized, “I’m not sure who made the mistake of placing such tea leaves in the room. Please wait a moment.”

He then rang a bell.

Before long, a servant entered with a new teapot. Once the servant left, Shi Qingyu poured a fresh cup of tea for her and said with a polite smile, “Madam, please try this tea.”

Shen Wei was well aware that Shi Qingyu’s previous actions were all just for show. It seemed he had heard her earlier remark and was trying to make her face the situation by offering old tea to her. But since she hadn’t come here to discuss the merits of old tea versus new tea, she merely said, “Thank you, Manager Shi.”

She lifted the lid of the new tea and noticed the Biluochun inside. After a quick glance, she took a sip. The tea, a top-quality Biluochun from the new spring, was fragrant and smooth.

As she drank the tea, Shi Qingyu, who sat opposite her, subtly observed her. Since he had learned that the mathematical method she had used was created by this woman, he had become very curious about her. If anyone else had said that, he would have just scoffed.

But the wife of the Duke of Rong…

He really wanted to hear what she had to say.

Thinking of this, Shi Qingyu poured himself a cup of tea and smiled as he asked, “Earlier, I heard Madam mention that you had visited a place better than our Jinjiang Lou…”

He paused for a moment before continuing with a smile, “Although I am not very talented, I can tell you this—there is no place in Bianliang that can compare to our Jinjiang Lou.”

“Therefore, I called for Madam to stop, as I wanted to ask about the meaning of what you said earlier?”

Shen Wei only smiled in response. She placed the tea cup on the table, and with her slender and delicate hands, she clasped them together in her lap before speaking, “The world is vast, and there is no end to the surprises. How could Manager Shi be certain that there aren’t others outside of this world, or skies beyond the heavens?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed the man’s expression freeze for a moment. She then continued, “Today, I wish to do business with Manager Shi.”

Shi Qingyu was momentarily stunned when he heard “others outside of this world, skies beyond the heavens,” but when he heard the latter part, a slight smile appeared on his face. Although he thought this Madam of the Rongguo Duke’s family was indeed a bit unusual, after all, she was just a woman…

Business?

A woman from the inner courtyard, who probably only had some dowry shops, thought she could do business? Truly… interesting.

However, Shi Qingyu was not an ordinary person. He had been in the business world for many years and had met countless people. When he recalled Shen Wei’s earlier demeanor, he found it amusing but no longer as dismissive as before. Therefore, when he heard her words, he simply held his tea cup and smiled faintly, “Since Jinjiang Lou has established itself in Bianliang, many people have said similar things to me. However, those people only talk on paper, and after all, Jinjiang Lou has been involved in countless businesses over the years.”

He paused for a moment, likely to see what she had to say next, then smiled again, “But I wonder, Madam, what kind of business do you wish to discuss with me?”

Shen Wei knew that her earlier words must have seemed absurd to Shi Qingyu, but her expression showed no change. She had faced cold treatment when she first entered the workplace, and Shi Qingyu’s current reaction was already much better than the initial disdain she had received. She sat still in her chair, refilled her tea, and then spoke, “Jinjiang Lou has been in Bianliang for seven years now, and indeed, there is no other place in Bianliang that can compare to it.”

“But after a long time, people inevitably grow weary…”

“For all these years, nothing in the building has changed. To be blunt, the reason why the nobility of Bianliang still praises this place is simply because it showcases their status… But what if one day, another place appears in Bianliang, with things that are even newer, more interesting, and more novel than here? How long do you think Manager Shi could keep them here?”

As Shen Wei spoke, Shi Qingyu’s expression, which had originally been amused, began to grow serious. Even his posture became more upright as he carefully listened to her. After she finished, he held his tea cup, his voice unchanged, but his eyes showed a thoughtful expression. “Madam’s words make sense, but in the end, they are just Madam’s personal opinion.”

“Not to mention that there is no such place in Bianliang now, even if there were, what exactly is this ‘more interesting and novel’ thing Madam speaks of?”

He placed his tea cup on the table and looked at Shen Wei again, his gaze becoming more confident. “Although I am not talented, I have many capable subordinates…” Shi Qingyu said proudly, “I can say this: whatever others can think of, my subordinates can think of it, and even what others can’t think of, my subordinates can think of. Over the years, many have tried to bring us down, but they all failed.”

Shen Wei did not speak; she quietly listened and carefully observed him while he spoke. She could tell that at first, he had been serious, but as he continued, he became more confident, his expression growing more spirited. She couldn’t help but admire the master of Jinjiang Lou. It was said that his identity was mysterious, and he had many capable subordinates.

Shi Qingyu’s ability to quickly recover was not to be underestimated.

As he had said earlier—

Many had tried to take down Jinjiang Lou over the years, but they all failed in the end.

It was just a pity, this time… they had met her.

Shen Wei thought about this and lowered her eyes. Then, she took a manuscript from her sleeve and placed it on the table. Noticing that Shi Qingyu was looking at it, she said, “Manager Shi’s words are indeed reasonable, but as I said earlier, there are always people and things beyond what we know… just because something hasn’t existed before doesn’t mean it won’t exist in the future.”

While speaking, she pushed the manuscript toward Shi Qingyu. “Why not take a look at this first?”

Shi Qingyu glanced at the manuscript before looking at Shen Wei. The face beneath the green veil was somewhat youthful. After all, the Madam of the Rongguo Duke’s family was only about 23 years old, but her actions and words were quite experienced. Thinking this, he didn’t say anything further, and after placing his tea cup on the table, he took the manuscript.

He had initially only accepted it out of politeness, but as he read further, his expression became increasingly serious. By the time he reached the final word, he tightly gripped the manuscript and looked at Shen Wei, as if in disbelief, asking, “Is… is this something Madam wrote?”

Although Shen Wei did not directly confirm, she did not deny it either.

She simply took the tea cup again, drank a few sips, and then looked at him, her tone as usual, “Manager Shi, do you think that if someone else had this method from the manuscript, would Jinjiang Lou still hold the same position in Bianliang?”

When Shi Qingyu heard her words, his face turned pale.

He could have sworn without hesitation before, but now… he couldn’t be so sure. If this knowledge fell into the hands of someone else, Jinjiang Lou’s position might very well no longer be as it once was.