South of the Imperial City.
This was a place Lu Qingwan had almost never set foot in.
As the Regent's Consort, though Feng Xiwu never interfered with her freedom, she was simply too busy.
Busy making money, busy detoxifying Feng Xiwu, busy with all sorts of trivial matters. Bu Ye Zhou, which she once regarded as her foundation and had invested heavily in building, was now being visited for the first time.
After being delayed in the palace for half a day and dawdling at the princely estate for a while longer, she arrived at Bu Ye Zhou after nightfall.
From a distance, the sounds of music and singing could be heard. The streets were brightly lit on both sides, and the cold wind from the northern frontier could not penetrate the thick walls of the Imperial City.
The people here seemed entirely unaffected by the war in the north. With the New Year approaching, everyone was indulging in pleasure. Bu Ye Zhou was even more lively than usual.
Lu Qingwan looked at the place before her. The wide streets were no less grand than the imperial avenues.
On both sides stood three-story buildings, with teahouses, taverns, and pleasure quarters catering to every need.
Li Jin stopped his horse nearby. "Those who come to Bu Ye Zhou are here for pleasure. Riding in on horseback is too conspicuous. Consort, shall we walk in?"
Lu Qingwan dismounted gracefully. "No rush to find Wu Ying. Accompany me for a walk. This is my territory, and I've finally come. I should get familiar with it."
Li Jin then diligently led her around. "These two streets are laid out according to the night-view concept you described. Some of the shops on both sides are under my management, and some belong to Miss Wu Ying. As per your instructions, Miss Wu Ying has trained a group of orphans with excellent potential to be the guards of Bu Ye Zhou. If anyone causes trouble, they can resolve it as quickly as possible. The environment is good with no disturbances, and there are many new things. Bu Ye Zhou has now become the preferred destination for most people in the Imperial City to spend their leisure time."
To achieve such results in just a few months naturally pleased Lu Qingwan. "Let's go meet Wu Ying."
She turned, leaving the shimmering lights behind her, and walked towards a small building at the very end of Bu Ye Zhou.
Li Jin stepped forward in surprise. "Consort, have you been here before?" He had explicitly said it was her first time, and he was worried she might get lost, so he had abandoned all his affairs and asked Li Qing to accompany her. Yet, the Consort's demeanor suggested she had been here before!
"No," Lu Qingwan denied verbally, but her steps towards the small building were extremely firm. She proactively explained to Li Jin, "The blueprints for that small building came from me."
In fact, it was just a very simple three-story building. At first glance, it looked no different from all the other small buildings in Bu Ye Zhou. But upon closer inspection, the edges of the windows were shaped like the character '户' (hù - house), the walls were built in brick red, the roof was yellow, and a flag stood tall behind it. It looked like something a powerful monkey from a myth in the Great Celestial Empire might transform into.
Li Jin suddenly understood and followed Lu Qingwan into the small building.
Upon entering, Li Jin took the lead. They navigated familiarly to the innermost room on the third-floor corridor. Li Jin knocked three times, a pause, then two more taps. Wu Ying's voice came from within, "Enter."
Li Jin pushed the door open and let Lu Qingwan go in first. Wu Ying blinked slightly upon seeing her, then recognized her. "Master, why have you come?"
"I have something to discuss with you. Since I haven't been here before, I thought I'd take a look." Lu Qingwan walked over. "What are you doing alone?" As the manager of Bu Ye Zhou, Wu Ying had no servants attending her, which made Lu Qingwan curious.
The latter, however, excitedly beckoned Lu Qingwan. "Master, quickly come and see. Tie Shou just delivered some new gadgets today. They are as good as having千里眼 (qiān lǐ yǎn - thousand-mile eyes) and顺风耳 (shùn fēng ěr - wind-following ears)."
"What is so miraculous?" Lu Qingwan leaned in curiously but was struck with awe.
On Wu Ying's vanity table sat a bronze mirror, and within the mirror, a group of people were reveling. The mirror was blurry, and though their mouths moved, no sound could be heard, as if watching a silent film. But wasn't this the primitive form of surveillance?
Lu Qingwan was almost ecstatic. "Where is this room, and how far is it from here?"
"When you came, there was a building called Yan Yu Lou. Did you notice it? This is the 'Heavenly' private room of Yan Yu Lou." Wu Ying's pride was almost palpable. "This is just the first experiment. Tie Shou said that if it is not discovered for several consecutive days, he can install these bronze mirrors throughout Bu Ye Zhou. Then, the entire Bu Ye Zhou will be under our watchful eyes."
"Tell Tie Shou, if you're going to do it, do it well," Lu Qingwan said excitedly. "The bronze mirrors are too blurry. Use glass mirrors. I'll pay for it."
Wu Ying was overjoyed. "That's wonderful! I was worried the Consort would not be willing to spend on such unorthodox methods. This saves me a lot of effort."
"What do you mean unorthodox? We didn't set up Bu Ye Zhou from the start to make money from food, drink, and entertainment!" Lu Qingwan said righteously. "If they have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear from our observation. However, one thing: no bronze mirrors are to be installed in any guest rooms in Bu Ye Zhou. We need to make money, but we also need to uphold our principles. Our brothers and sisters are all innocent young women and men. It wouldn't be good if they saw something they shouldn't and their eyes got sore."
Wu Ying's face turned red as she hurriedly explained, "I understand, Master. I never intended to install them in the guest rooms from the beginning!"
Li Jin, whose face had also turned red, felt less awkward watching Wu Ying's reaction. "Consort, Miss Wu Ying has set up a martial arts field here. Would you like to see it?"
"Of course," Lu Qingwan nodded decisively. "Where is the martial arts field? Take me there now."
"Alright!" Wu Ying was like a child eager to show her adult accomplishments, incredibly excited. "Oh, Master, I've found a few people. I plan to teach those children martial arts while also exposing them to our express delivery business. They are practicing in the martial arts field right now. Would you like to meet them?"
Lu Qingwan nodded with pleasure. "Coincidentally, the matter I came to find you about is also related to express delivery. Are our transportation channels and teams mature yet?"
"Of course," Wu Ying was confident in her work. "As per your orders, the express delivery business was established before other businesses. Before Bu Ye Zhou was officially operational, I had already made several deliveries myself. From the court's official silver to merchants' tea, I've even delivered live goods. How could our transportation channels and teams not be mature?"
From the beginning, the purpose of operating Bu Ye Zhou was not to make money, but to escape. Therefore, Lu Qingwan valued Bu Ye Zhou not for how much money it could earn her, but for whether it could help her sneak away in case of an emergency. As a result, among Lu Qingwan's various businesses, the express delivery business was the best developed. The fact that Wu Ying now spoke of delivering packages instead of escorting them was sufficient proof of this.