"Four thousand taels... of gold?" Wu Linxuan finally caught his breath and stopped coughing.
But with a flushed face, he stared at Chen Yuan and asked, "Did she buy half a street?"
"Aren't there many shops in the city that dare to sell for a thousand taels of gold?"
Chen Yuan was still holding the sugar figurine that Lu Meng had bought for Wu Linxuan with three wen after spending four thousand taels of gold.
With a complicated look on his face, he said, "Madam Meng didn't buy any shop. She just took a fancy to a heavy iron knife in the Treasure Pavilion in the city."
"A single knife dares to cost four thousand taels of gold? The people in the Treasure Pavilion have amazing eyesight. Even if they couldn't tell that she's from Prince Jian'an's Mansion, they should know that a woman who spends so generously must be of high status. How dare they rip her off like this?"
"Besides, she's a weak woman. What does she need a heavy iron knife for?"
"The Treasure Pavilion didn't rip her off,"
Chen Yuan said, "The heavy iron knife that Madam Meng took a fancy to was forged by the shopkeeper of the Treasure Pavilion over the years. He searched all the extremely cold places to collect the heavy iron. The blade is dark and doesn't reflect light. It's so sharp that it can easily cut through steel and iron, and even blow hair off. There's a ruby as big as a child's fist inlaid on the hilt, and the scabbard is made of pure gold and exquisitely carved."
"What's most important,"
Chen Yuan actually looked a bit sympathetic to his own prince and said, "The key is that this sword was wanted by the Second Prince in the palace. Its actual value is only a little over a thousand taels of gold. Then Madam Meng got into a confrontation with the Second Prince's people and finally bought it at three times the price, four thousand taels."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. The shopkeeper of the Treasure Pavilion doesn't dare to talk nonsense. Since this involves Your Highness and the Second Prince, no one dares to leak a single word."
After Chen Yuan finished speaking, Wu Linxuan's expression froze. After a long while, he roared angrily, "Good!"
"Ha! She's really something! I was wondering why she suddenly wanted to go out of the mansion when she usually lies in the mansion like a paralyzed person with no legs. So she went out to cause trouble for me!"
"I didn't know that besides my Fourth Brother, she also has a connection with my Second Brother?"
The Second Prince, Wu Linzhou, is the only one among the princes that Wu Linxuan currently doesn't want to deal with and can't easily shake.
Although his mother is just a concubine in the palace and was originally a low - status maid, Wu Linzhou has loved researching crossbows since childhood and is now the head of the Military Equipment Manufacturing Department. The giant crossbows and double - person bows he makes are coveted by every military general at the border.
But he's not just a fool who only knows how to make crossbows. He's insidious and cunning. He's been fishing in troubled waters among the princes several times. The Second Prince and his mother are the biggest masterminds behind the death of the Crown Prince.
It would be very troublesome to get entangled with such a snake. Fortunately, Wu Linxuan has never had an open confrontation with him. He plans to wait until he's more powerful before making Wu Linzhou lose his competitiveness.
But his Madam Meng is really something. Since they got married, she's gone out three times. The first time she went out, she made him lose a good job. The third time she went out, she offended a snake!
"Put her under house arrest!"
Wu Linxuan was so angry that he wanted to throw things. But he realized that his current state was wrong. According to Lu Meng's words, he had lost his proud self - control.
He suppressed his emotions and sneered on his handsome face. He said to Chen Yuan, who was about to go and convey his order, "Come back here!"
"Don't put her under house arrest. Let her go out! I want to see how many times she goes out before she ruins me and who else she can offend for me!"
Chen Yuan: "... Your Highness, calm down."
"I'm very calm!" Wu Linxuan said with a creepy smile. "Bring me that sugar figurine. I bought it with four thousand taels of gold. I'll eat it!"
Chen Yuan: "..."
He handed the sugar figurine to Wu Linxuan. Wu Linxuan took it, opened his mouth wide, and bit off the "head" of the sugar figurine.
Then he chewed it creakily, as if he were carefully chewing on someone's bones, wishing he could suck out the taste of flesh and blood from this sugar figurine.
Wu Linxuan wasn't actually afraid of confronting Wu Linzhou. It was just that his well - planned things were disrupted, which made him completely determined to get rid of this concubine.
Lu Meng didn't know that she had made a huge mistake and her life was in danger.
She was extremely happy today.
She had never spent money so happily in her life!
She could now understand the happiness of those girls who married rich men. This kind of happiness was something Lu Meng couldn't even imagine before.
Just thinking about the four thousand taels of gold she spent today made her feel that the world was so magical.
When she first started buying things, she was afraid that she bought them too expensively and Xin Ya wouldn't pay for her, which would make her lose face.
Later, she found that for expensive things, she didn't need to pay with money at all. Xin Ya just stamped a small seal and it was settled!
Wasn't this just like how people in high society signed bills and swiped cards when buying things!
Lu Meng suddenly felt that she was an ancient socialite. Although she was wearing a maid's clothes, her heels were like those of a ghost in a Hong Kong movie and never touched the ground all the way.
Especially when she bought the heavy iron knife later, the kind of scene she saw in TV dramas where "No matter how much he offers, I'll offer three times as much!" happened to her. It was just amazing...
When Lu Meng was arguing, she also saw that the other party was of high status. But so what? Wu the Big Dog is the son of the world! She's the woman of the son of the world!
Lu Meng admitted that she really got carried away at that time.
Lu Meng was lying in bed, using the ruby as big as a big egg on the hilt of the knife to massage her face. She exuded the aura of a noble lady all over.
And because she spent all of Wu the Big Dog's money, no matter what delicious food she bought, it all tasted cheap.
Cheap!
Lu Meng was drunk on money again.
She was living in a daze. After being served to wash up, she hugged a lot of nice things and fell asleep.
Then when she got up the next day, she was full of happiness from the inside out, with red lips, white teeth, and a rosy face.
But after a full meal, Lu Meng belatedly started to care about Xin Ya's actions.
Xin Ya is Wu the Big Dog's person. In a sense, she represents Wu the Big Dog's attitude.
Four thousand taels of gold, such a huge sum of money that Lu Meng couldn't even dream of before, she just spent it like that. Although Wu the Big Dog promised her that she could use the gold and silver in the mansion at will, was it a bit too much?
Lu Meng didn't have a concept of gold and silver in this world.
She only knew that when she was alive, gold was four hundred and twenty per gram.
"You just realized you spent too much?" The system suddenly spoke again. Lu Meng sneered, and it disappeared again.
But after observing for a whole morning, Lu Meng didn't notice any reaction from Xin Ya. That meant... it was okay?
Wu the Big Dog is really worthy of being the male lead!
Generous!
Domineering!
Lu Meng felt that she loved him so much!
Today she'll go out and bring him two sugar figurines!
Then Lu Meng went out with Xin Ya again.
Upon getting the news, Wu Linxuan's eyebrows were frosty. He ordered Chen Yuan, "Go and have someone monitor the movements of every prince. I want to see whose person she is!"
Chen Yuan felt that his own prince was acting a bit strangely. But he didn't dare to disobey, after all, Prince Jian'an has never been the kind of person who negotiates things nicely.
If Madam Meng is really found to be someone's person among the princes, Prince Jian'an will definitely get back every bit of the gold she spent from her.
Today, almost all the dead soldiers of Prince Jian'an's Mansion were dispatched. After observing for a whole day, they found that all the princes had taken no action. When they returned at night, Chen Yuan reported to Prince Jian'an with a solemn face, "My lord, Lady Meng..."
"Whose people did she contact? Whose side is she on?" Wu Linxuan put down his pen and rubbed his temples.
He wanted to go out and practice with the heavy iron knife!
"No," Chen Yuan said. "Lady Meng just wandered around all day and didn't contact anyone. She just went shopping."
"Humph," Wu Linxuan sneered. "What did she buy again? How much did she spend?"
"...Lady Meng didn't spend much today."
Chen Yuan didn't realize that he had also been influenced by Lady Meng. Compared with yesterday, he actually thought she had spent little.
Wu Linxuan picked up the teacup beside him. After thinking for a while, afraid of losing his composure like yesterday and spraying tea everywhere, he just held it without drinking.
He asked, "How much?"
"One thousand nine hundred and ninety taels of gold," Chen Yuan said. "Lady Meng still showed some restraint today." Jinhua Bookstore
Wu Linxuan didn't answer immediately.
He did a calculation. It would take him seven months, or even a whole year, to complete the task of supervising the construction of the palace.
And his concubine had spent all the profits he could get from this task and more just by going out twice.
His hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.
No matter that he was a prince and a lord, he didn't dare to be too blatant under the emperor's nose. He could only secretly make a little and save bit by bit...
He put down the hand holding the cup and pretended to be calm as he asked Chen Yuan, "Whom did she offend for me today?"
"She didn't offend anyone... It's just that," Chen Yuan had a very strange expression.
"Speak!" Wu Linxuan said. "Who else can I be afraid of?"
"Lady Meng didn't offend anyone. It's just that she bought a shop today and signed the deed on the spot, with her own name on it."
"Where did she buy? A jewelry shop?" Wu Linxuan asked.
"No, it's Wenhua Building," Chen Yuan said.
Wu Linxuan slapped the table with a "bang" and stood up, glaring at Chen Yuan without saying a word for a long time.
Chen Yuan took a step back. Sure enough, Wu Linxuan kicked the table but couldn't move it, and then smashed the teacup he hadn't drunk from.
"Wenhua Building... Ha!" Wu Linxuan said. "So you sold my Wenhua Building to my concubine for only one thousand nine hundred taels of gold?"
"There was no other way..." Chen Yuan said. "At that time, Lady Meng insisted on seeing the boss, so we had to find someone to pretend to be the boss."
The real boss didn't dare to set a price.
Wenhua Building originally belonged to Prince Jian'an. It was built beside a mountain and a river. Not only was its location excellent, but it also covered a wide range of businesses, including inns, restaurants, teahouses, bookstores, and even brothels.
Now it was the only place for the city's dignitaries, scholars, and... to gather and discuss matters. It also held various events every year, such as poetry gatherings for scholars, flower - viewing banquets, flower - queen contests, wine - tasting parties. Even the nobles in the palace would choose this place to hold banquets.
Wenhua Building was a place where Wu Linxuan had collected intelligence for many years and also a place to raise his dead soldiers.
But no one in the court knew about it. They only thought that Wenhua Building was opened by some mysterious and powerful merchant.
Lu Meng had a good eye. Mainly, Wenhua Building was like a large - scale entertainment complex!
She insisted on buying it. The "boss" who came out looked like a scholarly merchant.
She wanted to acquire some properties for herself. If she couldn't buy such a good one, she would buy others.
Originally, it was thought that with such good business, the deal was a no - go. But unexpectedly, the "boss" was very easy - going.
Even the price was set by Lu Meng. The name on the deed was changed on the spot.
Lu Meng told him that she wouldn't participate in the management. Everything inside the building would remain the same, and she would just be a hands - off boss.
She could also pay the original boss a salary, which made the original boss very happy. He respectfully sent Lu Meng out.
Lu Meng happily acquired a large - scale entertainment complex. From then on, she not only had a place to go but also a place to have fun!
This place had good business. Lu Meng thought that even without "Big Dog Wu" (a nickname for Wu Linxuan), she could live comfortably for the rest of her life.
She didn't know that the last time she went out, she had offended the most difficult Second Prince.
This time, going out in Wu Linxuan's name, she almost exposed the property that Wu Linxuan had hidden throughout the plot.
Fortunately, Chen Yuan said, "My lord, don't worry. No one will know about the transfer of Wenhua Building. Everyone present at that time was our own people."
The person in charge of Wenhua Building thought very simply. Maybe this was just a little fun between husband and wife, like moving something from the left hand to the right hand. If the lord hadn't indulged her, how would she have dared?
So they just went with the flow and sold Wenhua Building to Lu Meng, leaving the couple to sort it out at home.
After hearing this, Wu Linxuan almost exploded with anger.
Even though Chen Yuan said that the matter hadn't been exposed, it obviously touched Wu Linxuan's bottom line.
His Lady Meng was really extraordinary, as if she was sent by heaven to defeat him.
She specifically targeted his weak points and danced on his life - line.
She had bought the property he had painstakingly managed for several years, and he had to sell it to her at a discounted price out of his own pocket.
Lu Meng also realized that she had spent a bit too much in the past two days.
But she was too tired that night. She was too lazy to think about all the messy things and went to bed early after getting back.
At noon the next day, Lu Meng finally remembered that she was a model employee. So she took two sugar figurines that had been left outside all night and were almost melted, and a bowl of well - cooked red bean porridge to appease her "big boss".
Wu Linxuan hadn't slept well all night. After finishing his official business at noon, he was thinking about how to punish someone when he heard Chen Yuan say, "Lady Meng requests an audience."
"She still dares to request an audience?"
Wu Linxuan threw down his writing brush, and the ink splashed on Chen Yuan's face.
Chen Yuan silently wiped it off, with his face all black.
Hearing Wu Linxuan roar angrily, "Bring the person in. Let me see how I'll deal with her!"
