“What do you mean?” Head Butler Liu asked, playing along.

“The Ye family is currently well-off, and with their martial brothers living together, they’ve been wanting to move to a larger estate. Last spring, the Ye family bought a plot of land next to the Yongming Canal and built Zhan Garden. But then the Yicheng Governor-General, Peng De-tian, said he wanted to have his elderly mother come to Yicheng to retire and persuaded the Ye family to sell him Zhan Garden. Although Zhan Garden isn't very large, its houses are exquisite and its courtyards are beautiful. Then there’s Xunfeng Pavilion. It cost ten thousand taels of gold, but my master still repeatedly praised the young master for getting such a good deal. Last autumn, the Ye family’s youngest son drew up the plans, and the Ye family's eldest martial brother supervised the construction of Jixiao Mountain Villa in Jiangbei. Originally, they planned to move in during the winter, but Jiangbei Naval Commander Min Yue said he liked the name of the villa. He also said that the Ye family would be inconvenienced by traveling back and forth across the river for business every day. In the end, he even said, ‘If Governor Peng can go back on his word, and the Du family can go back on their word, why can't I?’ Commander Min sent troops to stuff gold into the Ye family’s hands and moved in himself first. The Ye family’s youngest son wanted to reason with Commander Min, but Commander Min just kept smiling and refused to move out. Later, they had no choice but to accept the deal.”

At this point, both the young lady and Head Butler Liu couldn't help but laugh. It must have been quite amusing to imagine the aggrieved yet helpless expression on the face of the fourteen-year-old genius. And that Min Yue, a high-ranking second-rank military officer and a powerful figure in the Min family, actually behaved in such a rogueish manner. If these events were to spread in the capital, countless people would be shocked.

The shopkeeper continued, “Starting last autumn, the Ye family’s youngest son and the entire Ye Clan Workshop have been helping Old Master Qi build a house. The house is located on Feiyan Cape in the south of the city, and its scale is magnificent, with money flowing like water. In particular, it is connected to the sea below the cape and has a very small pier, which suits Old Master Qi’s fifty years of life on the sea. It is said that there are no fewer than a thousand stone and wood carvings. When Old Master Qi looked at the designs, tears streamed down his face, and he praised the Ye family’s youngest son for understanding the sea and understanding him. This house is called Guantao Pavilion and should be completed next month. … The Ye family’s youngest son recently bought Yanjing Mountain in the south of the city and built nine large and small gardens on the mountain, intending to share them with his martial brothers. This string of courtyards is connected by a jade-like bluestone path, and the entire Yanjing Mountain has been transformed into a large garden by the Ye family’s youngest son, named Qingquan Village. In particular, the mansion on the top of the mountain, which should be in the wind, is instead caressed by a gentle breeze. What's even more wonderful is the location, which offers the best views of the sea, the tides, the clouds, the birds, the sunset, and the mist. Stepping out of the front yard, there is a mountain spring, and behind the mountain are various fruit trees. The monkeys in the mountain even like to use monkey wine to exchange for various foods from the residents and are very gentle, enjoying playing with children. The Ye family's martial brothers have all moved into their assigned residences and are living very comfortably. Only the best residence is currently occupied by Old Master Qi, who says he will return it to the Ye family's youngest son when his house is completed. In reality, Old Master Qi is just venting his anger. He offered 100,000 taels of gold to buy the residence, but the Ye family’s youngest son refused. Even Old Master Qi had to resort to being a rogue.”

The shopkeeper's storytelling was very vivid and interesting, amusing the young lady and Head Butler Liu. Even the maids who were serving on the side covered their mouths and laughed.

“What kind of residence is it that he wouldn’t sell it even for 100,000 taels of gold?” It would be more accurate to say that Head Butler Liu was intentionally asking the question so that the young lady’s doubts could be explained.

The shopkeeper bowed and said, “This humble one doesn’t know either. However, esteemed guests, if you only know that the Ye Clan Workshop’s furniture is magnificent and luxurious, then you probably don’t know enough about the Ye family’s virtues. The Ye family's furniture designs are all from the hand of the Ye family’s youngest son. This humble one once heard a few words from the young master about the Ye family’s youngest son, which might be able to answer your question. The Ye family’s youngest son once said that apart from the living room, everywhere else is his own. He doesn’t need to put on a show, doesn’t need to care whether others find it pleasing to the eye, he only needs to live comfortably. Those chairs, tables, and beds from the Ye Clan Workshop that seem unfit for high society are actually the most comfortable. Many wealthy families in Yicheng openly display a set of furniture that looks grand, but secretly use the Ye family's most useful and comfortable furniture. The Ye family’s youngest son put a lot of thought into building his own residence, and it's clearly not intended to receive guests, so just how comfortable it is, this humble one cannot presume to guess.”

These words made a lot of sense. There are many high-ranking officials in the capital, and family life inevitably emphasizes pomp and circumstance, but few consider whether it is suitable for their own use and whether they live comfortably. Most people just feel that the halls are furnished luxuriously, and they get used to it as they live there, setting aside the question of comfort.

The shopkeeper chattered on about interesting things, and time passed quickly. Before long, Du Fengchi, the young master of Linjiang Restaurant, arrived. Du Fengchi looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, wearing a blue-gray silk shirt, which made him look very capable. Du Fengchi heard the shopkeeper's brief introduction at the staircase and was slightly stunned when he heard that this group of people had not yet revealed their identities. The Du family originated as marine merchants and settled in Yicheng, but in recent years they have been doing business in restaurants and inns. Du Fengchi had traveled far and wide and had a wealth of experience. How could he not see that those guards were all very skilled? Seeing that the guards downstairs had finished their meals, they were waiting since their masters were upstairs. They had ordered a few pots of tea and set up a game of “military chess.” Although it attracted many onlookers in the restaurant, the guards themselves were very quiet. This discipline, as well as their fondness for military chess, was probably only seen in a few imperial guards in the capital. It wasn’t taboo for the imperial guards to leave the capital, but who were they guarding? Who exactly was that seemingly delicate young lady who looked like she could be blown away by the wind?

Du Fengchi did not dare to be presumptuous and cupped his fist at the two guards from afar, saying, “Please inform them, Du Fengchi requests an audience.” The shopkeeper could approach them because he was there to serve them, but Du Fengchi was coming to pay his respects formally. Du Fengchi didn’t dare to ignore the difference between the two. If he rashly approached them based on the fact that the shopkeeper had been chatting with them so happily, he would only leave a bad impression on them.

Head Butler Liu came forward from behind the screen and said, “Young Master Du, please come this way.” He led Du Fengchi behind the screen and had Du Fengchi sit in his previous seat, while he himself stood behind the young lady. Du Fengchi was not even qualified to sit in the seat opposite the young lady. Du Fengchi only felt that the other party was unfathomable and did not dare to take issue with the other party's assessment of his status. He respectfully asked, “May I ask what I should call you, young lady?”

Head Butler Liu looked at the young lady and, seeing her nod slightly, he said in a deep voice, “My young lady’s surname is Zhuo.”

Zhuo? This was not a common surname in Dongping. The powerful family that could afford this kind of entourage was probably only the family of General Zhuo Mang, the commander-in-chief of Dongping’s armed forces. Zhuo Mang’s sister, Zhuo Xiu, was the Empress of Dongping, and Zhuo Mang had guarded the northern borders with the current Lord of Dongping, Tan Wenpei, for more than ten years. They had grown up together in the thick of battle.

Du Fengchi immediately felt that the fact that they had allowed him to sit down was very polite and showed that they thought highly of him. He did not dare to ask any more questions and said, “It is an honor for my family that Miss Zhuo is willing to stay at Xunfeng Pavilion. Xunfeng Pavilion has been cleaned continuously since last month and is ready to be occupied at any time. However, the lotus pond is not yet in full bloom, and the lotus pods are still green, which may be a little unsightly. Please forgive me, miss.”

Miss Zhuo nodded slightly and said, “That’s just the way nature is, how can we force it? I appreciate the Du family’s hospitality, and I would also like to see the scenery of Xunfeng Pavilion. Please forgive my intrusion.”

Du Fengchi exchanged a few polite words with Miss Zhuo and introduced Xunfeng Pavilion. Just as he was about to offer to escort Miss Zhuo and her party to Xunfeng Pavilion, a waiter ran up the stairs in a hurry. Seeing that Du Fengchi was talking to Miss Zhuo, he looked anxious.

“Young Master Du, don’t let us bother you. Just find a waiter to take us.” Miss Zhuo pointed to the waiter at the staircase.

Du Fengchi bowed slightly to apologize, walked over to the waiter, and said a few words to him. His expression changed. He returned to Miss Zhuo's side and bowed deeply, saying, “I should have escorted Miss Zhuo to Xunfeng Pavilion, but a friend has something to attend to. Please forgive me, miss.”

Miss Zhuo smiled and said, “Young Master Du, please do as you see fit.”