Chapter 124
Han Ming Xi signaled Ye Li to continue by a glance . Then he added tea for Ye Li and himself, clearly more interested in this topic .
Ye Li didn't mind that and continued: “The scent formula of Grace Fume Pavilion is a guarded secret . No powder and rouge store can make anything near what it has . To be honest, I don't like the powder, rouge, and scent we have now in Great Chu . I believe you have the same opinion, don’t you, Mr . Han?”
Han Ming Xi frowned . He didn’t feel the same in the past . However, after Grace Fume Pavilion came, he found his old scent monotonous and not as good . Though he made scent of the best quality himself, it took him far more time and money than what it was worth . From time to time, he would send his confidantes gifts he bought from Grace Fume Pavilion which they showed clear preference . However, he didn’t want to admit he had drawn customers to Grace Fume Pavilion indirectly .
Happily, Ye Li looked at Han Ming Xi who was deep in thought and continued: “There’s only one Grace Fume Pavilion in Guangling right now . However, from your point of view, do you think it possible to open such a store in every large and middle-sized city of Great Chu, or . . . Xi Ling, Bei Rong, and Nan Zhao, even some place further away? After all . . . I don’t have to worry about sales as long as there are women . What do you say?”
Han Ming Xi found himself a little intimidated by this boy who clearly had not reached 15 yet . He believed that if his big brother was here, he would have a lot more to talk about with this kid . A Grace Fume Pavilion in every town . . . That was a grand vision . Han Ming Xi started to imagine himself opening a Cool Breeze Bright Moon House in each town, then . . .
“Huh, I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mr . Han . Or . . . Master Ming Yue will get angry . ” Ye Li guessed what he had on his mind when she saw him looking out of the pavilion with glowing eyes so she hurriedly stopped him . Cool Breeze Bright Moon House earned the reputation as the No . 1 House on earth for its uniqueness . It wouldn’t be as popular as it was today if it could be found everywhere . She didn’t think Han Ming Yue didn’t have brothels in other towns . Those were simply not as famous . Besides, brothel wasn't a skilled trade . It might be easy for a brothel to become outstanding but not so easy to achieve domination .
“Powder and rouge will run out, but Cool Breeze Bright Moon House isn’t the same . . . Well, it is for pleasure, a completely different idea from mine . However . . . I think we can still have a deal despite our difference . ”
Han Ming Xi was just being impetuous . He would be the first to bail if he were to open a Cool Breeze Bright Moon House in every town of Great Chu . After hearing what Ye Li had said, he didn’t reply . With raised brows, he showed he was all ears .
Ye Li smiled: “For example . . . Cool Breeze Bright Moon House can purchase powder and rouge for girls from Grace Fume Pavilion . What do you think, Mr . Han? Besides, to show my good faith for our first cooperation, I want to give you a specially made scent with endless supply . Well?”
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Han Ming Xi contemplated for a while before his lips curved in a smile and answered: “Mr . Chu, thank you for your sincerity . I will be pushing a good deal out of my door if I refuse . Well, tell me what information you need as soon as possible . I will give you something more valuable than the price I am paid . ”
Ye Li nodded happily . “Good . Mr . Han, how about you get ready . I need some time to prepare as well . Let’s meet in a few days and sign a deal?”
“Deal . ”
Having left Cool Breeze Bright Moon House, Secret Guard No . 3 only let out a sigh of relief when he was back at the little yard where the five of them lived for the time being . Taking out a pile of silver draft in front his brothers who looked at him with strange expressions, he threw them on the table numbly .
Secret Guard No . 2, who was in charge of money raised his brows in shock . “Where do you get all that from?” How did the 20,000 Liang that they brought with them when they left the capital multiply ten times after the princess and No . 3 came back from a walk?
Secret Guard No . 3 looked at Ye Li who was drinking tea while waving her folding fan and answered, stupefied: “Won them at a gambling house . ” After that, he looked at Ye Li with a lingering fear and said: “My Lord, I didn't think we could walk out of that place safely . ”
Ye Li glanced at him and smiled: “Don't worry . Cool Breeze Bright Moon House would only hurt its reputation if it found fault with us for a mere 20,000 Liang . ”
A mere 20,000 Liang? Though Cool Breeze Bright Moon House made fast money, 20,000 Liang wasn’t a small sum .
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Wait, Cool Breeze Bright Moon House? Secret Guard No . 1, No . 2, and No . 4’s lips twitched and decided to forget what they had just heard simultaneously . Being the princess’ secret guards, they would not tell His Highness that the princess had taken Secret Guard No . 3 on a tour of brothels .
Ye Li didn't hurry the deal with Han Ming Xi . She didn’t intend to seek Tianyi Pavilion’s help at first since she wanted to conceal her whereabouts however she did need information about Nan Zhao . Though both Han Ming Xi and Han Ming Yue looked nice, Ye Li, who had simply seen them once before, knew clearly Han Ming Yue, a gentleman on the outside was more than difficult to deal with than his lecherous younger brother . If it wasn’t for the fact that she happened to know Han Ming Yue wasn’t in Great Chu recently, she wouldn’t get in touch with Han Ming Xi either .
Though Han Ming Xi didn’t seem as reliable, the intelligence network of Tianyi Pavilion was rather efficient . By the time Ye Li had visited every corner of Guangling, Han Ming Xi came to her .
Seeing Han Ming Xi constantly give off his naughty aura in a crimson silk robe and flirt with the maid who served him tea, Ye Li sent her away with a wave and said smilingly: “It has been a while, Mr . Han . However, you look as good as ever . ”
Han Ming Xi smiled: “You flatter me, Mr . Chu . What about you? Do you enjoy Guangling in spring?”
Ye Li didn’t expect that Han Ming Xi would leave her alone without keeping watch on her . She wasn’t angry and smiled calmly: “It used to be the capital of three dynasties with picturesque sceneries . How can I not love it?”
Han Ming Xi said with a smile: “Come to think of it, you’ve left something behind the other day . Since I’m here, I bring it to you today . To show my sincerity, of course . ”
Ye Li raised her brows, puzzled as she looked at Han Ming Xi who had a playful smirk on .
Lifting his hands, he clapped softly . Shortly afterwards, a beautiful woman in purple appeared at the doorstep .
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“Greetings, My Lord, Mr . Chu . I’m Ru Mei . ” It was the girl dealer at the gambling house .
Ye Li suddenly had a bad feeling about this . “Mr . Han, what is this?”
Opening his folding fan in a snap, Han Ming Xi hid half of his pretty face behind it and said with a smile: “It’s the rule of Cool Breeze Bright Moon House . Whoever beats the dealer owns her . Mr . Chu, Ru Mei is completely won over by your remarkable gambling skills . From now on, she isn’t going to work for Cool Breeze Bright Moon House anymore . She belongs to you now . If you like her, you may as well take her as a concubine . If you don't, she can be your maid and serve you tea, wash your clothes and make you meals . ”
Han Ming Xi smiled and blinked at Ye Li playfully which gave her a headache . “Mr . Han, you are so kind . It was mere luck, besides . . . I didn't win in a private session which means I didn't beat her . Therefore, you can take her back . ”
Han Ming Xi folded his fan and knocked it against his palm casually while saying: “Mr . Chu, are you saying you don’t think Ru Mei is good enough for you?”
Hearing that, Ru Mei turned ghastly pale . She glanced at Ye Li bitterly with tears dropping down her cheek .
Ye Li glared at Han Ming Xi angrily and said: “Mr . Han, you don’t have to make fun of me if you are indeed sincere . My family is strict with me . I can only thank you for your kindness . ”
Han Ming Xi sighed heavily and grumbled at Ye Li: “You do have a heart of steel . Well, Ru Mei, it seems Mr . Chu doesn’t like you at all . You can go now . ”
Ru Mei snorted slightly . Stamping her feet, she threw Ye Li a bitter glare before she left .
Ye Li had no choice but to smile bitterly inward . If she did bring home a girl from a brothel, Mo Xiu Yao would flare up, let alone her grandpa and uncles . Mo Xiu Yao . . . When she thought of him, she tried to hide her frustration but failed with an inward sigh .
“Mr . Chu, are you thinking of someone?” With his chin held up, Han Ming Xi gazed at her curiously . He was sure he saw something between longing and anxiety on that face .
“Mr . Han, are you here to talk with me about my private life?” Ye Li cast him a sidelong glance and said indifferently .
Han Ming Xi shrugged and winked at her as if he cared for nothing . “It won’t hurt since we have got nothing else to talk about . ”
“Well, how about you tell me your . . . past relationships, Mr . Han? I’m quite interested in those stories recently . How about I write one . . . and call it The Tale of Young Master Feng Yue?” Ye Li said with a laughter .
“You are so boring . ” Han Ming Xi mumbled . It wasn’t strange for this Chu Jun Wei to know that the young brother of Master Ming Yue, himself who had a notorious reputation as Young Master Feng Yue since he already knew the relationship between Cool Breeze Bright Moon House and Tianyi Pavilion . However, Han Ming Xi was intrigued by him since he didn’t hold him in contempt like normal folks did knowing his infamy . “We’ve been known each other for a while . The address mister bores me . How about we call each other by name? I’ll call you Jun Wei, you can call me Ming Xi . ”
Ye Li blinked slightly .
Jun Wei? Ming Xi? Why did she find this a little weird?