Grand Opening (3): That's Three Thousand!

Seeing the crowd outside stir with excitement, Zhou Yao quickly stepped aside to clear the way, and before long, the front hall of the Golden Curtain Pavilion was packed.

"Miss, do you still have any blue-green glass bracelets?" a finely dressed girl called out to Zhou Yao. She was adorned in finery, clearly no maidservant. Before Zhou Yao could wonder why such a noble guest would ask in person, a guard beside her spoke up.

"Shopkeeper, my master has taken a fancy to that Hundred-Flowers Glass Cup at the front and is willing to pay a thousand gold for it. But it seems someone else has already claimed it."

"Wait, I asked first! How dare you cut in line?" The wealthy girl was displeased. "No, today I must be served first!"

"I don't lack for money either!" She started arguing with the guard. Zhou Yao quickly intervened to keep both parties from disrupting her business.

"Please, everyone, calm down." She steered them apart, soothing both. "Perhaps, miss, you might consider these glass bead bracelets? They're made from richly colored glass beads, available in every color except those reserved for the royal family. You can choose according to your preference and have a custom one made. How does that sound?"

The girl considered, then nodded. Zhou Yao smiled. "You have excellent taste. These glass bead bracelets are priced by color and size, clearly marked. If you're amenable, I'll have an attendant show you to the counter?" She laid out the terms upfront to save both parties time and effort.

"Hmph, since I'm here, I won't quibble over a pittance." She fished out a gold ingot and tossed it to Zhou Yao. "That's for you. Lead the way."

Zhou Yao beamed. "Yes, yes, I'll arrange it right away." She quickly called Qing'er over to guide the guest to the glass bead counter.

After handling that guest, Zhou Yao turned to the guard who wanted the glass cup. She frowned in confirmation. "Your master wants the Hundred-Flowers Glass Cup, is that right?"

"Yes, my master took a fancy to it and must have it today." He pressed, "If it's a problem, could we purchase it first?"

She shook her head. "Not at all."

The Hundred-Flowers Glass Cup requires considerable effort; it's first-come, first-served, so—' But the guard suddenly produced a box of gold ingots, startling her.

"This is my master's sincerity, Shopkeeper. Please don't refuse."

Zhou Yao didn't hesitate. "Cuiwei, go fetch that Hundred-Flowers Glass Cup from the front hall and wrap it up for this gentleman."

The guard said, "Thank you, Shopkeeper. The remaining three thousand gold will be delivered to the Golden Curtain Pavilion courtyard this afternoon."

Zhou Yao stood alone as the guard went with Cuiwei, calculating in her head. Three thousand gold! Three thousand gold! That was three thousand gold! A life of ease and wealth beckoned to her.

She couldn't stop grinning, but aware of onlookers, she forced herself to suppress the smile tugging at her lips and returned to attending customers.

The glass bead bracelets she had stocked in large quantities sold out quickly; even the display pieces went for high prices. She was astonished. The first batch of glassware was snapped up in no time, and soon the first congratulatory gong rang out.

She was dumbfounded, her eyes widening. She didn't even notice the gold ingot slipping from her hand. She hadn't expected first-day sales to reach fifty thousand taels of gold. That was no small sum.

After the staff sang congratulations to Lady Gu for securing a 'top opportunity,' the women from the Qingyun Terrace began to play music. Strings and pipes wove together. As a gesture of appreciation, Zhou Yao had added a set of chime bells behind the screen and assigned someone to play them. The spectacle was so splendid it seemed destined to linger for days.

Following Lady Gu's lead, other deep-pocketed customers went all out, and soon Zhou Yao witnessed the same scene again.

That day, not a single piece of glass or porcelain remained. The Golden Curtain Pavilion's storeroom looked as if it had been ransacked.

Though tired, Zhou Yao felt that the hardships of recent days—tending the blazing kiln, monitoring the fire and temperature—had not been in vain. Making glass was arduous, but it had all been worth it.

After the first day's high revenue, Zhou Yao worried about a subsequent slump. So starting the second day, she introduced reservations and reduced the daily supply of glass cups and bracelets. The shop would close every third day.

After closing, Zhou Yao counted all the earnings. Cartload after cartload of gold ingots arrived, delivered by servants, and before long, she had to set aside two empty rooms solely to store the gold until she could deposit it at the bank.

The nobles' frantic scramble for glass that day dispelled the earlier rumors about glass being auspicious, putting an end to the gossip that had swept through Chang'an for days.

After tallying the day's income, Zhou Yao set aside half the gold ingots, loaded them onto a cart, and had Cuiwei supervise the delivery to the Qi Mansion. That amount was enough to buy three Golden Curtain Pavilions and to repay what she had borrowed from him earlier. Their fragile betrothal could now be dissolved with a single petition to the emperor and a divorce agreement.

As for her promise to Qi Yanhan to help bring down Old Qi, she would keep it, just as she had unhesitatingly fled the wedding. It was something she was bound to do.

Zhou Yao sat cross-legged, watching the darkening sky outside the window, counting down the time. She waited for the incense stick on the table to burn out; by then, Cuiwei should have arrived at the Qi Mansion.

As Zhou Yao anticipated, the moment Cuiwei had the boxes of gold ingots carried into Qi Yanhan's courtyard, Duyun rushed over at the sound. He frowned in confusion, pointing at the boxes. "Miss Cuiwei, what does the Ninth Princess mean by this?"

Cuiwei waved a hand dismissively. "The lady said these are gifts in gratitude for Chancellor Qi's timely help. There are five more boxes outside; those are for purchasing the land deed of the Golden Curtain Pavilion and repaying the debt to Lord Qi."

"But—" Duyun was stunned. "But—"

"But what? Enough nonsense. My task today was to deliver these valuables to the Qi Mansion. It's done, so I'll take my leave." She hurried off, adding over her shoulder, "All earned by our lady herself. Don't forget to report to your master."

Duyun turned and saw Qi Yanhan standing behind him. He had appeared without a sound and had been listless for days. Duyun sighed, thinking: Ever since the Ninth Princess quarreled with the master, he had been like a ghost—speaking not a word, breaking any paired objects he saw, even avoiding poetic couplets. Yesterday he crushed the new flower buds in the courtyard one by one. The other night, two birds perched outside his window, and he knocked one unconscious with a chess piece. Utterly tragic...

Now, this situation would only make things worse.

Duyun carefully turned and bowed to Qi Yanhan, expecting an outburst. Instead, Qi Yanhan silently turned and walked away.

This...

The Qi family's corridor was exceptionally long, and walking from one end to the other provided ample time for contemplation—of the court's layout and power struggles, or of that princess who thought only of money and copper.

Qi Yanhan truly didn't understand how anyone could be so heartless. Every time he met her, he would fumigate his clothes with the most calming sandalwood incense, which cost a thousand gold an ounce. It had been worth it. In the Western Regions, he had saved her with an arrow—not because she had any real value, but simply because she was her. Yet she had called them 'strangers.'

Yes, they were strangers. If not for this arranged marriage, they would have been strangers all along.

"Na cai, wen ming, na ji, na zheng, qing qi, qin ying..." Qi Yanhan muttered under his breath as he walked, clearly distracted. Anyone could see his mind was elsewhere. Without the actual marriage ceremony, how were they 'husband and wife'? But they had been betrothed by the emperor's decree; whatever else, he was her nominal husband.

Distracted, he didn't notice the steps at the end of the corridor.

Ah—!

He slipped and fell, his arms and clothes covered in dust, his palms scraping against the ground, leaving bloody and dark red scratches. A layer of skin was gone. He inhaled sharply in pain, then slammed his fist on the ground, only to aggravate the injury.

His pent-up frustration erupted into a single command: "Duyun, why are you standing there? Change my clothes!"

The clothes he had just changed into were discarded. After bathing, fumigating, and dressing anew, his gloom seemed to wash away.

As the tea leaves steeped in boiling water, a clearer thought formed in Qi Yanhan's mind. Since Zhou Yao was close to that porcelain maker at the Jiuyao Kilns, why not visit him and 'seek his advice' as well?

With that, his furrowed brow relaxed, and for the first time in days, a genuine smile appeared—if one could overlook his eerie expression.

Author's note: None.