Chapter 35
Yuli returned to Mingyue Residence and immediately discussed with Zhile what kind of velvet flower to design.
Jingyu said that during the Lantern Festival, the capital would hold a grand lantern fair. People from both the capital and other places would come to have fun, some even staying out all night. Pingkang Fang was the most lively place. The various brothels would show off their best skills and parade through the streets to attract customers.
At that time, both men and women would go to join in the overwhelming excitement.
Such a grand event must be used to promote products!
In the modern era, whenever there was a major event, whether good or bad, the distinctive attire of the protagonists would be sought out. Meddlers would rush to buy the same style. Even if there was no same style on the market at the time, a certain platform would work overnight to produce it and take the opportunity to make a fortune.
Yuli planned to design a velvet flower for Yingniang to wear, as a sponsorship for that night, and also to ask her to promote and sell the product.
She could see that Yingniang had very high taste. Although it was a sponsorship, if it couldn’t impress her, she probably wouldn’t be interested, and wouldn’t be happy even if she were paid. She had to first make a flower that would satisfy Yingniang, so that she could wear it with style. Then she would give her some endorsement fees. If it was suitable, she would hire her as the exclusive spokesperson for Huayan Fang.
Yuli had researched the silk flowers on the market. Although they were also realistic in shape and brightly colored, because the craftsmen were conservative, they had fallen into a development bottleneck. Most of the ones made for wearing were peonies, peonies, and the like.
If Yuli wanted to stand out, she had to innovate on the basis of satisfying the aesthetic of the time. She had to be unexpected, but she couldn’t take too big a step.
For this reason, Yuli and Zhile spent several days in the study, designing and overthrowing one version after another. Their eyes were almost blurry.
But she didn’t feel tired, just that she had neglected Xie Yao, which often made her a little apprehensive.
Xie Yao didn’t mean for her to prioritize him either. He would just wait for her to go to bed at night, then come over and hold her tightly in his arms, entangling her, his fingers teasing her everywhere, not stopping even if she was tired and sleepy.
Fortunately, as the end of the year approached, Xie Yao also began to get busy, and sometimes he would not come back at night.
On this day, when Yuli went out, she heard rumors in the city that the Rouran in the northern border were going to invade the Central Plains under the cover of the ice and snow.
Only then did Yuli realize that Xie Yao had not come back for three consecutive days.
Yuli remembered that there was such a plot in the original novel. The Rouran harassed the border, and Xie Yao repeatedly sent troops to suppress them, but the first few times seemed to have failed. In the end, he led the expedition himself.
He naturally returned with a great victory, but during this period, the original heroine, Song Yi, had run away again.
Yuli couldn’t help but sigh. The heroine was really amazing. She could escape whenever she had the chance.
Xie Yao was also quite amazing. He could always find her.
This round after round of her fleeing and him pursuing was like a karmic law.
But that time, after she was found after escaping, was when the heroine jumped from the city wall in front of Xie Yao. Xie Yao vomited blood, his hair turned white overnight, and he ended up guarding the heroine’s grave.
Yuli was very satisfied with her current life, and Xie Yao’s emotions were also very stable. She couldn’t even imagine such a tragic scene, let alone Xie Yao vomiting blood.
However, it was almost New Year’s Eve. Yuli still wanted to spend the festival with him, but she was afraid that he wouldn’t have the time, so she only mentioned it to Jingyu implicitly.
“When I was unmarried, I always spent the New Year with my family. What about the Young Master? Is he spending it in the capital or rushing to the south?”
Jingyu smiled. “The Young Master will spend it in the capital.”
Jingyu did not rashly say that Xie Yao would come to Mingyue Residence. Now, the court affairs were complicated, and at the end of the year, they were even more so. But during festivals, sacrifices and celebrations were indispensable, and he had to attend them in person.
Yuli didn’t say anything more. In the modern era, big companies were indeed the busiest at the end of the year. All the major and minor matters of each department had to be accounted for in stages, and they also had to hold their own summary meetings. A diligent big boss would even attend.
Xie Yao was very diligent. After being with him for so long, she had never seen him sleep in once. He always left before dawn.
Yuli also let go of her expectations and planned to have a lively New Year with Xiyun, Zhile, and the others.
Unexpectedly, that night, Xie Yao returned in the heavy snow.
He returned suddenly, without sending anyone back to say a word in advance. It was already the hour of Xu, when she was about to go to sleep. Yuli was in the room, eating roasted sweet potatoes with Xiyun and the others around the stove.
He was wearing a dark blue fur coat, his shoulders and hat covered in snow. He appeared at the door. The room fell silent for a moment. Xuemi was at Yuli’s feet, its back arched, one round paw raised, motionless.
Even Jingyu had not expected him to suddenly return. When she had had the shadow guard send a message today, the shadow guard had said that there was a palace banquet. And it wasn’t even New Year’s Eve yet.
Jingyu smiled and curtsied to him, then led Xiyun and Zhile away. Xuemi’s round paw was mixed in with their footsteps. The moment it passed Xie Yao’s black boots, it darted away with a whoosh.
Xie Yao took off his fur coat. Yuli wanted to help him take it, but he threw it on the ground and held her in his arms.
Xie Yao’s body was warm, and he had a faint smell of alcohol on him. Yuli let him hold her for a while.
Suddenly, she heard him say, “Did you miss me?”
Yuli: “Huh?”
Xie Yao chuckled, let her go, and looked at her. “I’ve been too busy these past few days and haven’t been able to come back to be with you.”
Yuli: “It’s alright. I’ve been busy too.”
The smile in Xie Yao’s eyes faded. He suddenly picked her up and went to the bedchamber.
By the time Yuli came to her senses and wanted to say she missed him, it was too late. Layers of clothes fell to the ground, the bed curtains were lowered, and the top of the snow-colored hill was covered in warmth. The hill was bathed in the setting sun, and gradually dyed a light pink.
Yuli gasped for breath. Xie Yao’s hands did not stop, and soon Yuli was moaning softly. He held her wrists.
Yuli habitually opened her eyes to look at him. Her eyes were moist, and the man in her pupils was strong and muscular, with well-defined muscles. His face, illuminated by the candlelight, was half as bright as warm jade, and the other half was in shadow, its color unclear.
His eyes looked into hers. Yuli’s chest heaved, and her rosy lips parted slightly, panting heavily.
It was unclear if it was because of the alcohol, but Xie Yao was a little fierce, making it a little difficult for Yuli to handle. But his skills were rich, and he would not make her uncomfortable.
At the end, Yuli’s face was streaked with tears, and she felt as if her body had been hollowed out.
Their limbs were intertwined, holding each other very tightly.
Xie Yao kissed away her tears and asked again, “Did you miss me?”
How could Yuli have any other answer? She could only say, “I did.”
Only then was Xie Yao a little satisfied. He caressed her cheek and said, “Good girl.”
Yuli wanted to move his hand away, but she had no strength and fell into a deep sleep in his arms.
*
The velvet flower to be worn by Yingniang was finally ready. It was a purple-red flower with petals that gradually changed color from the inside out.
The center of the flower was red. The further out, the deeper the red became. After deepening, it transitioned to purple, and the outermost was the lightest blue-purple.
The whole flower was based on the most popular peony of the time, but the color was unique. Coupled with Zhile’s skills, the shape of the whole flower was lifelike, but it had a color that the peony did not have. The gradual change of purple-red made it even more graceful and luxurious, with a hint of mysterious charm.
The moment Yingniang saw it, her eyes lit up. When she heard that Yuli was going to give it to her, she almost broke into a wide grin.
After her near-death experience last time, Yingniang had come to Mingyue Residence twice more. Seeing that Yuli was completely unaware of what had happened that day and still treated her as usual, the awkwardness in her heart slowly dissipated. She could blame anyone for that life-threatening disaster, but she couldn’t blame Yuli.
Yuli said again, “After this flower becomes famous because of you, I will sell it at a very high price. There probably won’t be too many buyers. If someone buys it, I will give you a share of the profit.”
Hearing that there was such a good thing, Yingniang promised Yuli, “On that day, I will definitely dress up with this flower as the centerpiece. I will not disappoint you.”
Yuli could see that Yingniang loved money even more than she did. With enough money, there would be no mistakes.
The rest was the problem of how to deliver the goods on time after the orders flooded in after the Lantern Festival.
Yuli went to the slave market again and bought two girls to be Zhile’s apprentices. The progress was also smooth.
Yuli went to Wanse Fang several times and reached a long-term cooperation agreement with Shopkeeper Liu.
Wanse Fang’s business was very good, but most of the orders were from embroidery workshops. It was the first time they had encountered a demand like Yuli’s, but Yuli’s demand was greater than any other. Shopkeeper Liu was a thin middle-aged man who looked as if he had experienced many storms in the business world. He was neither servile nor overbearing in the face of Yuli’s deliberately exaggerated demand.
Yuli failed to press the price down and only signed a preliminary two-month order at the market price, with a deposit of one hundred taels, monthly delivery on time and on demand, and settlement of the total price at the end of the month.
Seeing that Yuli’s purchasing methods were so meticulous, the other party no longer looked down on her and seriously prepared the goods for Huayan Fang.
After the seventh day of the first lunar month, Huayan Fang opened. It was not a big event. Yuli made it to the opening ribbon-cutting this time and experienced the thrill of being a boss. She had Zhile as a technician, and Jingyu as a purchasing agent and assistant. The only thing she was missing was a shopkeeper who could oversee the whole situation when she was not there.
Although Xie Yao had agreed to let her start a business, he did not allow her to be the shopkeeper who greeted and saw off guests. He had already made a concession, so Yuli had to compromise a little.
Yuli had originally wanted Xiyun to be the shopkeeper, but she firmly refused.
“I am in charge of the Mistress’s daily life. I can’t do those things. If I were in Huayan Fang all day, wouldn’t the Mistress miss me?”
Seeing that she really didn’t look like she could be a shopkeeper, Yuli had to look for other candidates.
Fortunately, after the shop opened, the business was not much. Yuli stayed in a private room in the backyard to handle the accounts, and Jingyu and Xiyun occasionally helped her with the customers.
Yuli was in and out of the shop for three consecutive days. Naturally, there were times when she greeted customers in the lobby. The men and women who came and went all noticed her. She was at ease, but a certain someone, after learning about it, held it in for three days. Finally, on the fourth day, after Yuli had had a deep conversation with a male shopkeeper applicant for a quarter of an hour, he couldn’t take it anymore.
At night, he held Yuli’s wrist bones, held her from behind, and held her in his arms, holding her so tightly that it hurt.
“Don’t go out from tomorrow.”
Yuli’s heart sank. She wanted to break free from his embrace, but he wouldn’t let her go, as if giving her no room for negotiation.
Yuli recalled what had happened that day. The shopkeeper applicant was a man in his thirties, with a proper face, and looked gentle and refined, different from the other men she had met before, who were either old or not good-looking.
She seemed gentle, but she had asked some sharp questions. The other party had answered patiently, and she was quite satisfied. When he left, she had even walked him a few steps.
Only Xiyun and Jingyu were present. Although Jingyu was his person, she was not one to add fuel to the fire.
So it was his own problem.
He was even jealous of a stranger.
If he were an ordinary person, she could have retorted, “Do I have to not go out just because you tell me not to? I am a person, not your private property.”
But he was not an ordinary person. Not only was his status transcendent, and he could strictly restrict her freedom, but his personality was also unusual. He might really treat her as his private property.
Yuli was not so cowardly anymore. She kept her back to him but pressed a little closer to him and said to him, “I broke my promise. A good shopkeeper is hard to find. I haven’t found a suitable one yet, so I occasionally go to greet the customers. The person who came today was not very good either. I plan to find a female shopkeeper. Is that okay?”
Xie Yao was silent for a moment. Yuli was very apprehensive. She sensed that his force had lightened a little. She slowly turned back to hold him. “Is it okay, Mingyan?”
Xie Yao’s breath hitched. He let out a long breath and finally hummed in agreement.
The lights in the room were extinguished, and there was no moon. Yuli couldn’t see his expression, but she could sense that he might also know that it was not good to control her like this and was also struggling with himself.
It seemed that he could control his desire for control.
Unexpectedly, the next morning, when Yuli woke up, Xiyun came in, her face a little heavy.
“The Young Master went out this morning and came back. He is in the hall now.”
Yuli’s spirits sharpened. She went out without even being fully dressed.
Xie Yao was sitting in the hall. Beside him was a tray with a set of light turquoise clothes on it.
Yuli walked over. Xie Yao picked up the clothes. Xiyun wanted to go over to help but was frightened by his gaze and quickly lowered her head and withdrew.
Xie Yao shook out the clothes. Yuli saw that it was a set of men’s round-collared scholar’s robes. On the tray were also men’s accessories, a diexie belt, a small curved knife, and the like.
Xie Yao: “Wear this when you go out from now on.”
Yuli pursed her lips, noncommittal. She didn’t look like a man. If she were to disguise herself, it would be deceiving people. If she didn’t, it would be even stranger. There was no trend of women wearing men’s clothes in this time and place.
Xie Yao did not wait for her response and put it on her himself. Yuli’s body was stiff. He had the strength to pull her arms apart, forcing her to cooperate.
“Husband,” Yuli wanted to appeal to his conscience.
Xie Yao’s movements did not stop. Yuli called out again, “Mingyan.”
His fingers paused for a moment, but he still fastened the jade bead button by her neck.
He suddenly held her and said in her ear, “Indulge me this once, Yuli.”
Yuli heard his voice was slightly hoarse, and his breathing was heavy. It was different from the gentle but cold tone he used when he forced her to submit before. It was as if he were restraining something, not taking it for granted.
Yuli was one to be persuaded by reason, not force. In the end, she agreed.
“But I don’t want to dress up as a man,” Yuli said.
“Alright,” Xie Yao also agreed. He fastened her belt, hung the accessories, and then took out a jade pendant from his bosom.
Yuli looked at it. It was very similar to the jade cong he had given her in Xihe County three years ago. The jade was a light white, translucent without any impurities, tied with a cyan silk tassel, with the character “Yao” carved on the inner wall.
“Don’t lose it this time,” Xie Yao said.
“Is this the original one?” Yuli asked.
Xie Yao nodded.
Yuli wanted to ask how he had found it, but Xie Yao had no intention of saying more. He held her for a moment and then left.
Xiyun came in. Seeing Yuli in this outfit, she paused, then smiled. “The Mistress is tall and slender. You look good in anything.”
Yuli sighed. “This is also good. It’s more convenient for movement.”
When Yuli went out, Zhile, Jingyu, and the others were able to hide their surprise. The two apprentices who lived in the shop found it strange and secretly stared at her from the moment they saw her.
Yuli cleared her throat and said with a smile, “The business we are doing is ahead of its time. It will surely lead the trend in the capital in the future. My action is a bit unconventional, but when our Huayan Fang becomes bigger and stronger, it will surely attract people to imitate.”
Yuli was originally worried that they would overthink it. Hearing this, they actually nodded repeatedly.
Usually, Yuli wore a skirt, a short jacket, and sometimes a cloak. With a little makeup, she was already so beautiful that they couldn’t take their eyes off her.
Today, this set of men’s clothing fit her very well. The light turquoise fabric had a sheen, and the dark patterns were exquisite. Her neck was slender, and her figure was tall and straight. Her lips were red, her teeth were white, and her eyebrows were slender. But her waist and chest showed that she was a woman. But it didn’t look artificial. It actually had an androgynous, yet clear and elegant, air.
It was very much in the sense that a beauty looks good in anything.
Seeing the two of them nod, Zhile also said, “If the Mistress wears this, it might really make our Huayan Fang stand out even more.”
Yuli really believed it this time. Just now, when she came out, she didn’t know if she should act like a man or be ladylike like when she wore women’s clothes. Now she let go, became more at ease, and didn’t care so much, just doing whatever was comfortable.
Zhile looked at her for a while, found a purple peony-shaped velvet flower, and Xiyun understood, took it, and pinned it by Yuli’s chignon.
Yuli looked in the mirror. She really had a beauty that didn’t need to be distinguished by gender, which was very in line with her identity as the owner of Huayan Fang.
Only then did Yuli slowly let out a sigh of relief.
“Where is Shopkeeper Song of your esteemed shop?” The few of them were gathered together, telling jokes, when someone entered the door and greeted them loudly.
Yuli turned her head and saw Shopkeeper Liu of Wanse Fang leading a man in a blue-purple robe in.
Shopkeeper Liu cupped his hands to Jingyu and said, “This is my young master. Please have Madam Song come out to meet him.”
Yuli stepped forward. “I am she.”