She extended a slender, jade-like finger, pointing first at the pipa player and then sweeping across the group of trembling dancers behind her.
"You—from now on, you are to practice ten new songs every day. Throw away those wailing, mournful tunes that sound like someone crying at a grave. I want to hear something upbeat. I want battle songs, the kind where the beat makes the blood boil and makes people want to jump up and slam the table!"
"And the rest of you, put away those coy, flirtatious moves designed solely to serve men. What this County Princess wants to see is something grand and bold—sword dances, the Hu-Xuan whirl, the magnificent spirit of the Great Tang at its peak! Whatever feels most exhilarating, that’s what I want!"
"As long as you are pleasing to the eye and your skills are top-notch, I don’t care if you are a man or a woman—this County Princess will reward you handsomely! Let’s see who dares to wag their tongue about it!"
Xu Youde felt his vision go dark. His hands, clutching the gold bars, trembled as he attempted a final, desperate struggle. "Daughter… this… this won't sound good if word gets out… What decent family of status keeps… keeps so many entertainers and performers as pets…"
"Reputation?"
Xu Qinghuan let out a scoff. She took a few steps forward, bent down to pick up the folding fan Xu Wuyou had dropped, patted off the dust, and shoved it back into his hand.
"Father, you’ve spent half your life scrambling and scheming, risking your head for a few pieces of silver. Even when you ruled the roost in Taoyuan County, was there ever a single day where you truly lived for your own comfort?"
Xu Youde froze. His hands, still gripping the gold, hung mid-air. It felt as if a thorn was stuck in his throat; he couldn't squeeze out a single word for a long time.
"Sigh, isn't it just because your father was scared of being poor?"
Xu Qinghuan lifted her gaze. Her eyes drifted past the misty rain of the Qinhuai River, appearing to pierce through time and space to see a lonely soul from a past life—one who had drained her life’s blood amidst mountains of paperwork and bureaucracy, never even getting a chance to drink a cup of hot tea.
In her previous life, she had lived too tired, too tight, and too strictly by the rules. Even when she occasionally watched those bright and beautiful livestreaming girls on her screen after work, it had felt like scratching an itch through a boot—unsatisfying.
Now, she had wealth and power. Was she really going to live another life as a hardworking drudge who did nothing but calculate?
"I'm weary."
Xu Qinghuan popped a segment of orange into her mouth. The sweet and sour juice exploded on the tip of her tongue. She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, her voice lazy yet carrying an undeniable resolve.
"In this world, men seek power and women seek survival; everyone is simmering in a sea of bitterness. But I refuse."
With that, she tucked away her smile and turned toward the girls who were still frozen in place. Her expression suddenly turned solemn, and the oppressive aura of a high-ranking noble poured out of her.
"Listen well, all of you."
"Since you have entered the gates of the Xu household, your past sordid affairs are wiped clean. However, the Xu family does not support idle people, nor do we raise crybabies who just take abuse."
"Your monthly stipends will be doubled from their previous rates. But I have only one requirement."
Xu Qinghuan held up a single finger. Her gaze was burning bright, like a torch intended to incinerate all the rotten rules of the world.
"From this day forward, you only need to please this County Princess, or please yourselves. As for the opinions of others… let whoever wants to care about them do so. In this house, we don't cater to them!"
The courtyard became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Even the wind seemed to have stopped.
It wasn't until the pipa player was the first to snap back to her senses. Her knees buckled as she knelt heavily on the ground, her forehead striking the bluestone pavement with a dull thud.
This time, it wasn't out of fear, but with a kind of ecstatic joy at having escaped death, and a near-blind adoration for the young woman in red before her.
"This servant… thanks the County Princess for the gift of a new life!"
Immediately after, a large crowd collapsed into kowtows.
"We thank the County Princess!"
Xu Wuyou watched this scene from the side. Looking at his sister standing in the center of the crowd—appearing as if her entire body was radiating light—he suddenly felt that the heavy, custom-made fan in his hand wasn't so impressive anymore.
Now this was true dominance! Compared to his sister, his own methods of causing a scene at the Drunken Red Pavilion were like children playing house.
He leaned toward Xu Youde and nudged his father with his elbow, whispering, "Dad, I think Sis is right. This is what you call presence! Look at this posture—it’s way stronger than Old Man Zhao. This is what the flair of a matriarch looks like."
Xu Youde rolled his eyes at him, frustrated that his son was so useless. He clutched his gold bars, his heart aching at the expense. But seeing his daughter’s "a thousand gold pieces can't buy my happiness" attitude, he finally let out a long sigh.
"Fine, fine… if she wants to be a spendthrift, so be it. Anyway… anyway, this money was picked up for free. We’ll just consider it… spending money to ward off disaster."
Xu Qinghuan looked at the crowd kneeling on the ground and smiled meaningfully.
A spendthrift?
No, these were money trees.
She turned around, her gaze passing over the crowd to land precisely on the butler in the corner.
"Li Sheng!"
Li Sheng, who had been hiding in the shadows watching the drama, immediately scurried out like a clever monkey. He bowed and said, "Miss, your orders?"
Xu Qinghuan pulled a land deed from her sleeve—it was the map for the storefronts next to the hundred acres of land she had seized from Steward Wang that day.
"With a courtyard full of such talent, wouldn't it be a waste of God's gifts to keep them locked away in the inner chambers?"
Her eyes curved into crescents, shimmering with the light of calculation. There wasn't a trace left of the "frivolous" girl who had just been "buying smiles with gold."
"Go and secure the best building in Jiangning City for me. Since we’ve emptied out the Drunken Red Pavilion, we have to take responsibility to the end."
When Xu Youde heard she wanted to buy a building, he nearly lost his breath. "Buying a building too?! Daughter, our family only has this much wealth…"
"Father, take the long view." Xu Qinghuan interrupted him, her voice carrying a seductive lure. "Keeping these girls at home is all expense and no income. But what if we put them out there? What if a single piece of calligraphy or a painting sells for a fortune?"
She pointed at the women, each possessing her own unique skills.
"I want to open an unprecedented 'Cave of Vanishing Gold' in Jiangning. We won't sell bodies, only art. We are going to earn back all the silver in the entire Jiangnan region!"
Xu Qinghuan slapped the map onto Li Sheng’s chest, her tone decisive.
"I’ve already thought of the name—The Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers!"
"I want the Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers to become the most lucrative spot in Jiangning, and even the entire Great Qian Empire! I want to run every restaurant and tavern owned by the great families right out of business!"
The moment he heard the words "lucrative" and "making money," Xu Youde's pale face instantly flushed with color. His small, beady eyes erupted with an unprecedented gleam.
"Making money? It can make money?!"
Xu Youde stood up straight with excitement. His back didn't hurt anymore, and his legs weren't sore. He waved his hand, acting even more bossy than Xu Qinghuan had moments ago.
"Buy it! We must buy it! Li Sheng, don't be stingy. If you're going to buy, buy the biggest one! The renovations must be the most luxurious! We’re going to be the only one of our kind in Jiangning!"
Li Sheng was dumbfounded by the speed at which this father and daughter changed their faces. He quickly reacted, responding excitedly at the top of his lungs, "Understood! This servant will see to it immediately! I'll make sure those great families see what a truly grand gesture looks like!"
Xu Wuyou listened from the side, his blood boiling with excitement. He couldn't help but give a thumbs up, praising her from the bottom of his heart.
"Ruthless. You're still the ruthless one."
Xu Qinghuan glanced at him and picked up the other half of the orange to continue peeling it, her expression calm and composed.
She took a bite of the orange, and the sweet and sour juice exploded in her mouth.
So sweet.
