The Possession of My Beloved - CH 29

After the Second Master was stunned by the beauty of Miantang, he couldn’t help frowning and raising his voice, “Lady Cui, I don’t know why Manager Cui didn’t come in person. Is it because he didn’t like the invitation that was submitted too late by the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce, and he was not happy?”

Miantang was having flashbacks to her mother’s house before she got married when she was young. She once saw with her own eyes that her grandfather and uncle went to the dock for a fight. The two sides both look at each other angrily and have a fierce attitude, have a verbal battle, with daggers hidden in their words and even hidden in their waists. Such a battle didn’t make her afraid, but she thought it was very interesting!

She thought she was out of luck in the infernal mission of the world in the rivers and lakes, but she didn’t expect a few thin chickens that make porcelain who are gathered together, would make her experience the manner of flattering and clinging to the people of higher class and bullying and suppressing to the people of the lower class.

Listen to what the President means, is looking down on her, a woman, to enter the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce on behalf of her husband!

Looking at President He’s contemptuous eyes, Liu Miantang reduced some deliberate formality, raised her chin, and glanced around at the rules of the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce hanging on the wall of the room.

Later, maybe she didn’t look carefully, so she slowly paced over and looked at them one by one.

The Second Master of the He family spoke, but Lady Cui didn’t answer. The woman was able to remain calm, just strolling around the hall as if there were no one else…

He was immediately unhappy, his face sank, and immediately there was a flattering shopkeeper beside him who opened his mouth for him, “Lady Cui, why don’t you answer the President He’s question? Is it because you’re deaf?”

Liu Miantang turned her body slowly and said, “After listening to President He, I realized that me attending the invitation was actually the meaning of the Cui family’s neglect of the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce. Thus, I hurried to look at the regulations of the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce to see if there were any provisions on women’s exclusion, so as not to violate the taboo of the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce.”

Although Liu Miantang was in the middle of a group of men in silk long gowns, she spoke clearly, was tall, and she spoke decently, which was by no means the timid look of an ordinary woman with no green and inexperienced of the world.

When she slightly raised her eyebrows and spoke, although her voice was calm, she was full of ridicule, which made the angry shopkeeper who questioned her speechless for a moment.

Although the Second Master He didn’t think much of the amateur’s shop opened by the outsider of the Cui family before, he couldn’t help looking at Lady Cui again at this time.

But all the merchants here are used to being flattered by their wives and concubines at home. How can they stand such words from a foreign woman?

At present, there is also a vanguard who helps the Second Master He. He sarcastically said, “Although the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce has no terms that forbid women to enter, we’re all Masters of all families here. I’m afraid it’s inconvenient for you to be the only woman?”

Miantang walked around, and her ankle is starting to hurt a little. So, she chose an armchair and sat down, and said, “Our Jade Porcelain Shop is not operating business on the first day on Lingquan street. Who doesn’t knows that my husband is studying outside, and all the chores at home are undertaken by me, a woman? I thought it was polite for me to come here in person. If I had known that you guys had trouble talking to women, I would have asked the worker in my shop who emptied the swill and swept the floor to visit you guys!”

When saying this, Miantang had slightly raised the corners of her mouth and looked at the fat merchant that raise a hue and cry, like a donkey dung egg beside the road [being duplicative].

These tricks of giving a head-on blow at the first encounter are all leftover by her several uncles at home. Even if Liu Miantang had injured her hands and feet now, her tongue is still working. If there are any more unscrupulous people, she will scold them until they are unable to return home!

The fat merchant was run by Lady Cui, and his face turned red. As soon as he was hitting the table to continue his trouble, a loud voice rang out in the side door, “Look at what Lady Cui said. Our regions south of the Yangtze River territory stores have always been capable of women and men. How can it mean to look down on Lady Cui?”

Miantang looked up and saw that it was a woman wearing a pearl jade hairpin leading two servant girls. She walked in with a bright laugh.

Miantang looked at her up and down and sat firmly on the chair without saying anything. Servant Li is putting off the manner of a big momma of The Prince Residence, holding a black face, and treating all living beings in the hall as if they were garbage.

This master and servant are all superior, which makes all the old men here feel the urge to verbally fight back with their mouths.

However, the lady who had just come in smiled and took the initiative to greet Lady Cui.

Adhering to the principle of “after one’s admitted that they are in the wrong, one can’t bear to continue with a black face”, Miantang also picked up the courtesy and answered with her a few words. Only then did she know that it was the third daughter of the Second Master of the He family, named He Zhen.

He Zhen is eighteen years old and similar to Liu Miantang. Somehow, she has been unable to get married. But she was smart and capable, better than her siblings, and is a good helper of the Second Master He. Most of the accounts of the He family’s established brands have passed her hand.

The lady was efficient and able and looked very kind. After looking up and down at Miantang, she took her hand and chatted without concern about the location. In a few words, the atmosphere of the hall warmed up.

As for the question of whether to neglect or not earlier on, and whether it is convenient or inconvenient, no one mentioned it again.

Anyway, anyone who has inquired about the Cui family knows that the man in that family is a Master of fancy pillows for playing chess and amusing birds. He relies on women to support his family!

Because today, all the shop managers gathered together to discuss the event of undertaking the Royal tribute and the porcelain needed by all the rich and powerful families this year, the shop managers have a lot of business to do.

Liu Miantang adhered to the principle of talking less and listening more and only listened quietly aside, which made her understand the reason why the shop managers of various shops were fawning on the Second Master He.

It turned out that although the He family had been making orders to the Royal tribute alone, many porcelain orders from the Capital’s noble families could not be made. The He family had the benefits of large orders, and each family also got some profits of the remaining, so the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce in Linquan Town was very harmonious.

However, the long-established merchants in Lingquan Town have small profits to earn, but the outsiders like the Jade Porcelain Workshop can only listen and look from one side. No one paid any attention to her at all.

She doesn’t know why the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce sent out that invitation to invite her. It couldn’t be inviting her here to see them dividing the profits right? Isn’t it forcing people into becoming envious of others’ success?

However, Miantang didn’t come here to beg for benefits. Naturally, she was not jealous.

She sat quietly in the corner, watching a group of Masters around the He family struggling to flatter and get more orders. She just felt that this scene seemed to be a bit better than the monkey show in the State of Qing.

Happy to see, she picked some pleasing fruits from the plates, ate them with tea, and then asked Servant Li to bring the paper and brush to her.

While eating the fruit, she took a brush in one hand and randomly drew on the paper.

He Zhen had been glancing around with the movement of Lady Cui. Seeing her writing, she paced to her desk under the excuse of relaxing her hands and feet.

Miantang didn’t avoid it and let the Third Lady He look at it. Anyway, she drew like a spirit tail, so the Third Lady He looked at it for a long time and didn’t manage to see what she was drawing.

After the “benefits” in the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce were almost split, the shop managers were very satisfied. But only the Jade Porcelain Workshop was deliberately forgotten by the He family, and there was not even a small order of coloring tea cups.

Some shop managers felt that the woman is bad at socializing, she offended the Second Master He right after she came up. At this time, the retribution came, and they only squinted and twirled their whiskers at Lady Cui and smiled meaningfully.

Lady Cui dusted off the cake residue on her body and said goodbye to the shop managers. She didn’t turn her head back to look and went straight home for dinner.

After Miantang left, He Zhen went out of the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce with her father.

When they got on the carriage, the Second Master He thought of the ridicule of Lady Cui just now, and he was still angry from the bottom of his heart. He said to his daughter discontentedly, “Why were you so kind to that foreign woman just now? You should give her some lessons to let her know that Lingquan Town doesn’t have a place for a foreigner who was here for the first time… It’s just because she found a painter and made their shop famous, and she doesn’t take our He family seriously…”

He Zhen asked solemnly, “Did father ever notice what rouge powder Lady Cui was applying?”

The Second Master He was stunned and said, “I don’t understand women’s rouge powder, how will I ever notice it?”

He Zhen solemnly said: “That flavor, especially the rouge powder was specially provided by the Hanxiang Pavilion in the regions south of the Yangtze River, is beautiful in color and meaningful in fragrant. It is very popular. Because of the scarce production, it is often snapped up by the wives of The Princes of the Royal families in the first year. Ordinary merchants can’t get this rare thing. This is what the Cui family uses. I’m afraid her social connection is not usual, and I don’t know who’s supporting her behind her background. If you don’t know the details, there’s no need to offend her because of her words.”

Seeing that her father still disapproved, He Zhen, continues by saying, “In addition, does father know that the Lady Cui is also related to a strange case in Lingquan Town?”

This aroused the curiosity of the Second Master He and asked, “What case is she related to?”

He Zhen lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked outside. There were no other people and she said: “Father, do you know that the dissolute nephew of the Town’s Garrison has disappeared for more than a month. His wife was crying so hard that she was almost out of breath, so her husband went to the Garrison for help. Guess what? After the Garrison inquire about a round, he scolded his younger brother and drove him out of the Garrison Mansion. Later, he learned that the Town’s Garrison Nephew was sent 3000 miles away and escorted directly by the Military Camp. Someone had seen the Garrison Nephew and Lady Cui on the street having some unpleasant happenings not long ago. Dad, think carefully. These two things are combined. How do you even dare to offend Lady Cui if you haven’t found out the details of her yet? ”

The Second Master He didn’t think that there were many hidden things in the streets and alleys. For a moment, he couldn’t help but be a little silent, and secretly shouted ashamed in his heart.

His daughter has always been able to understand worldly affairs, and her observation is meticulous. Since she felt that Lady Cui is not simple, then Lady Cui must have something extraordinary. He immediately told his daughter to carefully check whether Lady Cui had any background.

Now, the Jade Porcelain Workshop has better coloring and hand-painted craftsmanship than their long-established He family. If the background of the Jade Porcelain Workshop is good, as her daughter guessed, wouldn’t they gradually make their business bigger and exceed their authority to replace the Royal tribute business of the He family?

Thus, by being careful in everything, so that they can keep the Royal business of the He family and retain the wealth and glory of several generations…

On the other hand, Liu Miantang didn’t know that the box of rouge given by her husband made the Third Lady of the He family suspicious that she was a merchant supported by noble people.

After coming out of the Porcelain Chamber of Commerce, Miantang wandered all the way and walked by the Stone Bridge Waterfront in Lingquan Town. The more she thought about it, the more confident she was. She was in a very bright mood. Unconsciously, she even hummed a small tune.

Servant Li is an old servant working in The Prince Residence. Which of the family members of The Residence don’t pay attention to etiquette? Naturally, she couldn’t bear to see Lady Liu’s casualness, so she couldn’t help but open her mouth and correct, “Madam, it’s not good to do as you wish like this on the street…”