The voice was muffled and aggrieved, stuck in the chest, like a large drum being struck by a cotton mallet.
The room was completely silent.
Murong Xue slowly turned her head and looked at Gu Moran.
Gu Moran was holding a teacup to her lips when she felt that gaze and her hand froze in mid-air.
"... It's none of my business."
Murong Xue stood up and walked up to him.
"You told her to go down and meet people, and you made us wear men's clothing."
"I didn't let her get pursued by anyone!"
Murong Xue stared at him.
Gu Moran put down his teacup.
"... I'll increase her monthly allowance."
Murong Xue continued to keep an eye on it.
Double it.
"... OK."
Two days later.
The queue outside Mixue Ice City stretched from early morning until the afternoon.
The fruit tea in the west of the city costs three coins a bowl. It's sweet and sour, and one sip can make you feel sweet from the tip of your tongue to the soles of your feet.
The signature Snow Milk Tea is sold in 50 bowls daily, starting at 7 AM, and sells out in less than an hour.
Tiedan led the children running all over the streets, and the song "I love tigers" that he hummed had become a cacophony of noise in the Yi Prefecture City.
Even the cloth shop owner's wife would unconsciously hum a tune while taking measurements.
Su Yao sat on the second floor, flipping through the account books for the third time.
Xie Wanqing sat opposite her, holding a charcoal pencil in her hand.
"I've marked the locations of the east and north sides of the city. Brocade Clothing Workshop..."
"No rush." Su Yao closed the ledger.
Xie Wanqing looked up.
Su Yao turned her gaze to the window.
Across the street, at the entrance of the alley, an inconspicuous blue cloth carriage had been parked for half an hour.
She recognized the style of the car's wheels; it was a state government vehicle.
In another alley at the end of the street.
Si Renyou sat in the carriage, the curtain slightly ajar.
Fang Bi stood beside the carriage shaft and reported in a low voice.
"Sir, that man who's always guarding the shop entrance is Prince An's most astute intelligence chief."
Si Renyou's hand stopped on his beard.
Fang Bi continued.
"He... now arrives at the shop every day at dawn to help the Shopkeeper Ba chop wood, fan the fire, and hand him handkerchiefs. Yesterday, he even went to the south of the city to buy the Shopkeeper Ba a new pair of boots."
Si Renyou's eyelid twitched.
" Prince An's top spy, running errands for Prince Yi's men to buy boots?"
Fang Bi nodded.
I saw it with my own eyes.
Si Renyou slowly lowered the curtain.
Two days.
It only took two days.
The confidant whom Prince An had spent countless years and money to cultivate suddenly changed completely upon arriving in Yi Prefecture and meeting a manager from Prince Yi's Residence.
Si Renyou held the teacup, thinking for a long time.
" Prince Yi... does he possess sorcery?"
Fang Bi didn't dare to reply.
Si Renyou himself found it absurd.
But he couldn't think of any other explanation.
The carriage slowly started moving, turned out of the alley, and arrived at the crossroads.
"Stop." Si Renyou suddenly spoke.
Because another car was coming from the opposite direction.
The car was older; the dark green cloth on the curtains had faded.
But Si Renyou recognized the chipped brass ring on the carriage shaft—it was an old military vehicle.
The curtain was lifted.
Zhen Daijin's chiseled face was revealed from within.
The two cars were facing each other at the alley entrance.
Si Renyou looked at Zhen Daijin.
Zhen Daijin looked at Si Renyou.
There was a three-second pause.
With no outsiders around, Si Renyou spoke first.
"You're here too?"
Zhen Daijin grinned.
"Mind your own business! What are you doing here?"
"Let me see what kind of curse Prince Yi has cast on that person."
Si Renyou sighed.
"That's amazing?"
"I don't know yet. I only saw the scout sewing the shopkeeper's trouser hems at the door."
Zhen Daijin crossed his arms and leaned back against the car wall.
The two fell silent again.
The wind blew through the alleyway between two opposing carriages.
Zhen Daijin couldn't hold back any longer, chuckled, and climbed into Si Renyou's carriage.
" Old Si, do you think this Third Prince... isn't he even more sinister than we thought?"
Si Renyou didn't laugh.
But the corners of her mouth did loosen up a bit.
"That's really surprising."
"Let's go back."
"I haven't finished speaking yet," Zhen Daijin poked his head out, "I need to discuss something with you."
"Explain."
"Grain warehouse accounting, salt permit registration, bandit suppression, city defense, state school funding..." Zhen Daijin counted on his fingers, "From now on, let's push everything we can onto Prince Yi's Residence."
Si Renyou glanced at him.
Zhen Daijin chuckled.
"It wasn't laziness. It was a test."
Si Renyou stroked his beard.
"It's possible."
The two carriages turned around, one to the east and one to the west, and disappeared into the twilight.
Mixue Ice City.
Gu Moran was watching Su Yao and Xie Wanqing discuss the shop's location when he suddenly heard Chen Qing's voice coming from downstairs.
" Brother Ba! I'll chop the wood today! You can rest!"
This was followed by a sullen remark from Batuer.
I'm not tired.
" Brother Ba, how can you do it yourself!" Chen Qing's voice trembled with eagerness. "This firewood has splinters; what if you hurt your hand!"
Gu Moran placed the bamboo tube in her hand on the table and looked out the window.
Su Yao didn't even look up.
"You're going to burst out laughing if you keep looking."
"I wasn't laughing."
Su Yao glanced at him.
Gu Moran didn't laugh. Her lips were trembling, but she didn't laugh out loud.
Xie Wanqing lowered her head, her ears red, and wrote a line on the paper, "Storybook material: A lovelorn spy and a misunderstanding."
On the seventh day of Mixue Ice City's opening, the six women went less often.
The shop was supported by Batuer.
The Yun Shuyue, is the most diligent at running errands.
Tuoba Mang stood at the doorway, and no one within a three-zhang radius dared to cause trouble.
Chen Qing arrived promptly at dawn every day to help Batuer chop firewood, wipe tables, and serve ice bowls, working even harder than the paid laborers.
Su Yao turned her head and began to plan her new shop in the east of the city.
Xie Wanqing drafted the joint sales contract for the vernacular novel.
Liu Ruyan obtained detailed information about the Shu brocade merchants.
Shen Ling'er revised the recipes for medicinal desserts.
The backyard of the old prince's mansion became the true center of power.
It's late at night.
On the coarse linen paper, the charcoal pencil drew a clean arc.
Gu Moran slightly turned his wrist, tucking the end of the hidden water channel diagram into the corner of the courtyard wall.
The wind blew through the old locust tree, scattering a few leaves.
Two different scents of perfume wafted over on the breeze.
On the left is a blend of osmanthus-scented hair oil and the scent of ink.
Su Yao leaned against the armrest of the rattan chair, her knees resting on the account book, the abacus beads occasionally tapping together.
The medicine on the right has a mild bitter taste.
Shen Ling'er stood two steps away, her medicine box unopened, yet she was very close.
His arm almost touched Gu Moran's shoulder as he stared intently at the blueprints.
Gu Moran stood ramrod straight.
"This hidden channel turns too sharply." Su Yao pointed to the lower left corner of the drawing.
He leaned forward, his shoulder brushing against the back of Gu Moran's neck.
Gu Moran remained still.
Shen Ling'er leaned over from the right, her chin almost touching his shoulder.
"The slope is too gentle; heavy rain will inevitably cause backflow."
Breathing swept across the base of the ears and the sides of the neck.
Gu Moran held the charcoal pencil very steadily.
My heart skipped a beat.
Su Yao's sleeve drooped down, brushing against the back of his hand.
Shen Ling'er's hair was lifted by the wind, brushing against his ear.
" Madam Su." Gu Moran didn't turn around.
"Um?"
"Just half an inch closer, and the ledger will fall to the ground."
Su Yao lowered her head.
The ledger on my lap had already slipped halfway down.
She steadied herself with one hand and sat up straight.
As I pulled my shoulder away, I bumped his back with a light but firm touch.
Shen Ling'er's hand naturally rested on his right wrist.
"Let me take your pulse."
"Drawing."
"It won't delay you." Shen Ling'er precisely gripped the inside of his wrist with two fingers.
Three breaths later.
"Soon." Shen Ling'er pouted.
Su Yao fiddled with the abacus, her eyelids remaining closed.
"What's fast?"
My heartbeat is eight breaths faster than during the day.
Gu Moran put down his charcoal pencil.
"I drew for half an hour; my hand is sore, and my blood circulation is too fast."
Shen Ling'er released her grip and took a half-step back.
"Okay, switch to your left hand to draw."
Su Yao turned a page of the account book.
"If Your Highness's hands are tired, I will grind the ink for you."
Shen Ling'er looked up.
Su Yao tilted her head.
Two pairs of eyes met above Gu Moran's head.
Gu Moran to smooth things over.
"Crack."
A tile snapped and cracked from the top of the wall.
All three looked up at the same time.