Volume 2: Eagle vs. Dragon Chapter 5: Night Fragrance
With Ye Dalin's permission, Ye Zhong sent people to find a human trafficker to prepare to select a maid, and asked someone to call the Lu Dazuo family from Shiqipu to come and measure the third girl. He also opened the warehouse and asked Ye Youyu to select clothing materials, jewelry and precious toys.
After all, the Ye family is one of the top six families among the Thirteen Hongs - even if they are the last of the top six families - even if the things in the warehouse are not as good as those in the imperial palace, they are still beyond the reach of ordinary officials and wealthy people.
Ye Youyu studied with her mother since she was young, and was well-informed in books. She also often accompanied Ye Dalin to meet guests - this was because Ye Dalin treated her as something to show off. If she were from a real family, there would be no reason for a girl to meet guests casually. But this also allowed Ye Youyu to experience the ways of the world and see many rare treasures.
When the storehouse was opened, she did not pay much attention to the various treasures in the storehouse. She walked all the way and picked out twelve kinds of materials according to her appearance and temperament in the Satin Storehouse, then went to the Shan Storehouse to pick out some high-quality porcelain for daily use, and went to the Dong Storehouse to pick out three or four antique jades. Then she took out some drawings and asked someone to pay twenty taels of pure gold and one hundred taels of fine silver to make various accessories.
After I picked out the things, the human trafficker had already sent someone over.
Ye Youyu said to Ye Zhong, "There is no need to find a first-class maid outside, so Dongxue will be promoted to a first-class maid. In addition, three second-class maids and six third-class maids will be added. I will not choose the maids myself, so let Dongxue help me choose. As for the servants and maids, please help me choose them, Uncle Zhong. The maid who is currently guarding the gate at Yingyang Garden is stupid and lazy, so please help me replace her, Uncle Zhong."
Ye Zhong understood what she meant and agreed.
At this time Ye Dalin needed this concubine's daughter, so he responded to his every request. Even Ma in the house kept silent, and things went very smoothly.
However, with so many people selected, Yingyang Garden was no longer able to accommodate them, so Ye Zhong relocated a row of side rooms close to Yingyang Garden and specifically gave them to the servants to live in.
So those who were moving things moved things, those who were putting away antiques put away antiques. Ye Youyu asked the Zuo family of Lu Da from Shiqipu to measure his body and prepare clothes for him, while he also lectured the new maids and old women, and told Dongxue how to instruct the new servant outside.
After the body was measured, Ye Youyu stated his requirements, and Lu Dazuo's family went out to explain them to Lu Dazuo. Lu Dazuo felt that it was too rushed to make such clothes within three days, so Ye Zhong gave him more money and temporarily transferred six embroiderers to start the work immediately.
Only Xu stood aside, at a loss as to what to do.
Seeing the unusual bustle in Yingyang Garden, Ye Haocai cried in Ma's room, "When my eldest sister got married, there wasn't such a big commotion! Mother, mother, you don't care!"
"What do you care about?" Ma just sneered: "Just watch, just watch! Let her be proud for the last time! If she fails to do what she boasted in front of your father, then it won't be something that can be solved by a beating or scolding."
Ye Haocai said, "What if...what if she succeeds?"
Ma almost bit her gold teeth to pieces: "What kind of person is that Hao Guan! He is a man who can survive in desperate situations, a man who can make a dead chess move alive, a man who can even kill a second-rank general. How could he be swayed by a little girl? If she wants to accomplish this... the sky must fall and the earth must rise!"
Ye Haocai said: "What if... What if this bitch is shameless and actually uses her appearance to seduce Hao Guan..."
Ma laughed when she heard this: "If it was someone else, it would be fine, but who is that Hao Guan? He is the head of the Shenxian Continent and a frequent visitor to the cosmetics industry. What kind of love has he not experienced? What kind of tricks has he not seen? Even if this little bitch has a pretty face, she is still a married woman. How many tricks can she use to defeat a playboy who has been rolling around in the flowers for years? In the end, she will definitely bring shame upon herself!"
After about three days, Ye Youyu had almost finished making arrangements. Ye Zhong came and asked Ye Youyu, "Third Miss, what are you going to do?"
Ye Youyu said, "I need a smart and tight-lipped servant who can do what I tell him to do."
Ye Zhong thought about it and understood the word "smart" easily. The word "tight-mouthed" meant that he was afraid that the servant was Ma's man. If he went back to report to Ma, it would ruin everything. However, the servants in the house who had some positions and abilities were either subdued by Ma or driven away by her. Ye Zhong thought about it and only thought of one. He said, "There is a servant named Changzi. He is smart, but he offended the madam. In the past six months, he was ordered to sell night fragrance. He also has a stutter and speaks incoherently, so people call him "Loud-mouthed Chang."
Ye Youyu said: "Stuttering is not a big deal, as long as you can speak clearly slowly."
Ye Zhong said: "I asked him to do two things last year, and he was very successful."
Ye Youyu said: "That's fine."
Ye Zhong sent someone to call Changzi over. Changzi was a boy from Shunde. His family had too many children to support him, so he was sent to Xiguan to make a living when he was seven or eight years old. At this moment, he was pouring night incense. When he heard that the third girl wanted him to do something, he quickly washed his hands and hurried over. He was only thirteen years old, which would still be a half-grown child in later generations, but he had already supported himself for five or six years. After entering the yard, he did not dare to enter the hall again, for fear that the smell on his body would disturb the third girl.
Ye Youyu said, "Come closer, I need to explain something to you."
Changzi then came closer, and Ye Youyu began to tell him one sentence at a time, telling him who to find and what to say, and then asking him to repeat it. The speech was very long, and Changzi stuttered, but he repeated it sentence by sentence without making any mistakes. Ye Youyu was relieved, "You really have a good memory. Go ahead. Let Uncle Zhong change your clothes first. Then tell Uncle Zhong that you should stop working at night for the time being and come to my yard to run errands for me."
Changzi ran out with his short legs. Ye Zhong asked someone to give him two sets of clean old clothes and shoes. Although the clothes and shoes were newly made, they were 70% new. Changzi held them in his hands very cherishingly, put away one set, took a bath, scrubbed it inside and out, and then put on the second set. When he looked into the water, he felt that he was brand new! He had never worn such good clothes in his life!
The servants were divided into different levels. He went from being a night incense burner to suddenly becoming the third lady's waiter - although the servants who had been serving in the Ye family for many years felt that the third lady's stove would not burn for long and were unwilling to get close to it, it was a rare opportunity for Changzi.
He was a night owl who seldom went out, but he was smart and found his way to Wu's house.
Naturally, someone told Ma that. When Ye Haocai heard that Ye Youyu had hired a night incense seller to do the job, he burst out laughing and said, "What a stinky fish! He actually sent a night incense seller to do such an important thing. Isn't this going to embarrass our Ye family? I'll tell my father right now!"
Ma shouted, "Come back! Why are you in such a hurry? Wait until they mess things up."
Changzai arrived at the Wu family's gate, but saw that the house was crowded with people. It was similar to the days before Wu Guoying's birthday. The only difference was that before, those who gathered at the gate were people who came to collect debts, but now, those who gathered at the gate were people who were waiting for a chance to meet Hao Guan.
The Wu family is no longer the same as it used to be!
Wu Chengjian was very popular in the entire Nanyue business circle, and even the doorman Wu Dacheng's nose was up to the sky. He would not even look at ordinary people. It was not easy to get in without some background, and it was even more difficult to see Wu Chengjian. Even Ye Zhong came to ask for an audience twice, and he got in, but when he arrived at the hall, he was blocked by the smiling face of Chuan Longci. When he asked to see Wu Guoying again, Wu Guoying also said she was sick and did not see him - just like when Lao Gu went to see Pan Youjie, Pan Youjie could not see him, but he had to give them, Lao Ba, a face to leave.
At this time, Changzi came forward with a smile and said, "Uncle..., I... want to talk to Brother Qi." He looked like he was very familiar with Wu Qi.
Wu Dacheng glanced at him and said, "Looking for Wu Qi? Whose servant are you from?" The servant in front of him was obviously wearing the clothes of a second or third-rate servant, but the material of his clothes was second-rate Songjiang cotton. This kind of fabric was only used by well-off families to make clothes for themselves during the Chinese New Year. If he could use this kind of fabric to make clothes for servants, it was obvious that he was not from an ordinary family, so Wu Dacheng responded to him.
Changzi smiled and said, "No...I can't tell." Then he took out a piece of paper and handed it to Wu Dacheng.
Wu Dacheng could recognize a few hundred simple characters, but the characters on this note were too difficult for him to understand. "What is this?"
Changzi said: "Third Master... no, Hao Guan... please give his name... to Seventh Brother, he knows it."
Wu Dacheng was not yet able to distinguish handwriting, but when he heard it was Wu Chengjian's handwriting, he took it seriously and asked a servant to take the note to find Wu Qi.
After a while, Wu Qi sent someone to summon him.
In the past month, the Wu family has taken over half of the Xie family, and their power has grown. Their affairs have also become busier. The family and the business have to expand their business manpower. Wu Qi has become more powerful, and he has seven or eight more errand boys. It seems that the Wu residence is not enough.
As Changzai walked along, he saw people coming and going in Wu's house. Everyone was in a hurry, and it was obvious that they were all busy with important matters. Compared with the lifeless Ye's house, it was like heaven and hell.
Changzi entered the side room of the left courtyard. Wu Qi saw him and sent away the servants beside him. He looked at him and said, "Who are you? I have never seen you before!" He took out the paper and said, "The handwriting is that of Hao Guan."
The piece of paper was written by Liu Yuxi's "Bamboo Branch Poems", which involved love affairs between men and women. It was also written by Wu Chengjian, so could it be one of Wu Chengjian's lovers? So Wu Qi didn't dare to be careless after seeing it.
Changzi smiled and said, "It's not... Haoguan's... handwriting, it's my... third daughter, newly...written."
Wu Qi was stunned: "Fake? How could I not know it?" He had read some books and learned some characters from Wu Chengjian since he was a child, and he could distinguish handwriting, but of course he could not reach the level of Zhou Yijin and Cai Qinghua, so he was deceived.
But Wu Qi immediately thought of another question: "Who is your third girl? How can you write in our Haoguan's handwriting?" A woman who can imitate Wu Chengjian's handwriting is more problematic than getting a piece of paper written by Wu Chengjian. Wu Qi therefore became more cautious.
Changzi then took out the sun ring and handed it to Wu Qi.
Wu Qi recognized this thing and was a little surprised: "Why is the Sun Ring here with you!"
Changzi said, "Mr. Wu...promised...it to our...third...aunt."
Wu Qi didn't know what happened that night, but the other party could produce the Sun Ring, so it was not a fabrication. And this stuttering boy even said that the Sun Ring was given by Mr. Wu Guoying to the "third girl". If it was a lie, it would be exposed with a single poke, so Wu Qi didn't doubt it.
Changzi added: "I... want to see... Official Hao..."
Wu Qi said: "You haven't told me who your daughter is."
Changzi said: "Official Hao...knows."
Wu Qi glared at Changzi again. In the servant circle of Xiguan, Wu Qi was one of the ones at the top of the pyramid, while Changzi, the night-scented man, was at the bottom of the pyramid. This look from Wu Qi was very stressful for him, but he thought of the Third Lady's instructions, gritted his teeth and endured it, not saying a word.
Wu Qi, on the contrary, thought highly of him: "Okay, you wait." He asked someone to serve him tea and cakes, and then went out.
