Chapter 074: A Unique Skill

“Although I don’t know where you got your information, I’ve already sent someone to investigate. There is indeed a person named Ren Weizhi. His family has an old salt field in Ziliujing, but it hardly produces any salt now, and they can barely find any long-term workers.” As the Shuxiang Inn came into view, You Yue instructed You Fangyin, “My status is different from yours. Who knows what kind of filthy place this Shuxiang Inn is. I’ll wait for you at the teahouse across the street while you go into the inn and get the details. If anyone asks about your identity, just say you’re here to gather information for a major client. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not!”

She was treating You Fangyin like a maid.

And using her was more convenient than using a maid.

This little wretch had somehow come into some money, which might be self-earned. Whether true or not, sending her would avoid You Yue having to show up herself, test You Fangyin’s capabilities, and if anything went wrong, she could easily blame it on You Fangyin.

Using her own maids wouldn’t have the same effect.

You Yue was very pleased with her plan.

You Fangyin listened without a word, accepting her fate.

The carriage stopped across from the Shuxiang Inn.

You Fangyin got off the carriage.

You Yue reminded her, “Remember not to mention you’re from the Qingyuan Earl’s residence. Ask detailed questions, especially about the salt field and the money he needs. Keep it all in mind.”

You Fangyin nodded and walked towards the Shuxiang Inn.

The name “Shuxiang Inn” indicated it was established by merchants from Sichuan.

The western part of the capital was not a place for nobles but had many entertainment venues. The streets were filled with people from all walks of life, and even some beggars sat by the roadside.

Fortunately, You Fangyin had seen such scenes before.

Given her previous experience with the raw silk business, frequenting the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Guild Hall, and dealing with numerous trade associations, You Fangyin felt a bit nervous but not overwhelmed by the small Shuxiang Inn.

At this moment, she realized clearly—

She was no longer the same as before.

Standing at the inn’s entrance, she clenched her fingers tightly, took a deep breath, and walked in.

The inn had two floors and occupied a considerable area, but the interior was quite plain, even somewhat old and shabby. The few tables in the hall bore knife marks, hinting at past events.

It was past noon, and there were few guests.

Only a few small traders and travelers were resting, having ordered a pot of wine and some dishes, eating in the corners.

The innkeeper stood listlessly behind the counter.

When You Fangyin walked in, he glanced at her, yawned, and acted as if he hadn’t seen her. It wasn’t until his eyelids drooped almost shut that he suddenly realized there was a guest.

He opened his eyes and looked her up and down, puzzled.

In these tense times in the capital, it was rare to see a young woman out alone.

He smiled curiously, “Miss, are you here for a meal or a room?”

You Fangyin glanced at the stairs and said, “I’m looking for someone.”

The innkeeper’s smile faded, and his expression turned strange. “Really? Looking for someone? Miss, don’t tell me you’re also here to see that Master Ren upstairs?”

You Fangyin was pleasantly surprised, “Is Master Ren here?”

The innkeeper had already opened the account book and taken out the abacus to serve a customer. Now, he rolled his eyes, closed the account book, and without looking up, pointed to the left staircase, “Upstairs, turn left, the last room. But someone came to see him half an hour ago and hasn’t left yet.”

If he had known so many people were looking for him, he would have charged a fee per visitor.

Charging a few coins per person would help cover the rent this poor guy owed!

You Fangyin didn’t know Ren Weizhi’s current situation. Grateful for the directions, she bowed slightly to the innkeeper, “Thank you, I’ll wait downstairs for now.”

Not knowing if it was a business meeting, she didn’t want to interrupt.

She had no money to order anything, so she stood aside and waited.

By coincidence, she hadn’t been standing long when someone came down from upstairs.

The old wooden stairs creaked under the footsteps.

You Fangyin looked up and saw a young man in a long robe coming down the stairs. He had an ordinary face and a slender build, but he carried himself with ease, hands behind his back, playing with a Hetian jade fan pendant.

He stopped at the counter, pulled out a silver note from his sleeve, and placed it in front of the innkeeper. “This is for Master Ren’s room upstairs. The extra is for future payments. If it takes longer, just keep a tab and settle it at the Youhuang Pavilion in the east of the city on the first and fifteenth of each month.”

The innkeeper was startled, “Wow, generous!”

He grabbed the silver note and, seeing the bright “Tonghe Bank, 100 taels” written on it, beamed with joy, “Congratulations to you, sir, and to Master Ren. This must be a good business deal!”

The young man was none other than Lu Xian, the current idle owner of the Youhuang Pavilion. He had seen many such mercenary faces and waved his hand dismissively, “Just helping out, no business deal yet.”

The innkeeper quickly replied, “Understood, understood.”

Lü Xian inwardly cursed, “You understand nothing,” and turned to leave, not bothering to engage further.

The innkeeper, now in a better mood, turned to You Fangyin, “Miss, Master Ren’s guest has left. You can go up now.”

You Fangyin realized that the young scholar was Master Ren’s guest.

She couldn’t help but take another look.

Lu Xian, seeing a young woman in such a mixed place, found it odd but didn’t think much initially and walked past her.

But hearing the innkeeper’s words, he suddenly stopped.

This girl was also looking for Ren Weizhi?

Lu Xian couldn’t resist turning back, and their eyes met.

She was plainly dressed, almost shabby. Her features were delicate, but she looked frail and thin, making her eyes appear especially large and bright, striking at first glance.

He was momentarily stunned.

The girl, not expecting him to turn back, was startled and quickly averted her gaze, bowing slightly in apology before heading upstairs.

Lu Xian frowned: Could she be a relative of Ren Weizhi? But he hadn’t heard of any siblings or family.

Suspicion arose in his mind.

Lu Xian turned and walked out of the shabby inn. As soon as he looked up, he saw a carriage parked across the street. Noticing the emblem on it, his eyes widened in realization: the You residence had a carriage, and the master must be in the teahouse across the street. The girl he had just met was frail and haggard, dressed in a maid’s clothes, yet her demeanor was not that of a maid. Could she be…

“The concubine-born daughter of the Qingyuan Earl’s residence?” Lu Xian looked back at the Shuxiang Inn with a surprised expression, deep in thought. Finally, he laughed, “Interesting! Very interesting…”

He clapped his hands lightly, having made a decision.

Originally planning to return directly to the Youhuang Pavilion, he changed his mind and got into the sedan chair waiting by the roadside, saying, “To the Xie residence.”

*

You Fangyin went upstairs.

Left turn to the innermost room.

She stopped outside the door, reached out, and gently knocked, “Is Master Ren here?”

Ren Weizhi, 24 years old, had repeatedly failed the imperial exams. By the age of 20, he hadn’t even passed the preliminary exams and gave up on that path. After his father’s death, he took over the family salt field. However, the salt field, passed down for three generations and exploited for over a hundred years, was nearly exhausted. Being scholarly and not good at business, the family’s situation deteriorated rapidly under his management.

By now, the original long-term workers had left.

He had tried borrowing money everywhere but failed, and had to sell many family heirlooms to afford the trip to the capital. He had been struggling in the capital for almost a month. Many people came to the inn to inquire about his invention of the Zhuotong Well, but most were not genuinely interested in investing. They just wanted to see his blueprints.

After several failed attempts to deceive him, they gradually dispersed.

Fewer and fewer people came to see him at the inn, and many even called him a fraud, claiming he squandered his inheritance and couldn’t manage the salt field, using his so-called invention as a pretext to swindle in the capital.

As they said—

For hundreds of years, no one had figured out how to drill deeper wells. How could a bookish fool, who had barely visited the salt field and never extracted brine himself, claim to have a solution? It was just empty talk!

Having just seen off Lu Xian, Ren Weizhi felt disheartened.

He had met many people and, having been in the imperial examination field, he could tell that Lu Xian was no ordinary person. However, unlike others, Lu Xian was not eager. He inquired about the salt field and the Zhuotong Well, even offered some money for temporary relief, but never mentioned investing, only saying he would return in a few days.

Ren Weizhi didn’t know how much longer he could hold on.

He wore a deep blue silk robe, the cuffs slightly wrinkled. His fair face had a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes, and his lips were neither thin nor thick, showing he hadn’t suffered much in life. His brows carried a hint of unresolved pride.

He was pacing in the room, worried.

Hearing the knock and the inquiry, he was startled, then quickly went to the door, saying, “Yes, I’m here.”

With a creak, the door opened.

Ren Weizhi saw a plainly dressed girl standing outside.

He looked behind her and, seeing no one else, was puzzled, “Yes, Miss, are you looking for me?”

You Fangyin didn’t expect him to open the door so quickly, leaving her knocking hand awkwardly suspended in the air. She lowered it and said, “If you are Master Ren, then you are the one I’m looking for.”

Ren Weizhi, not recognizing her, asked, “What can I do for you, Miss?”

Recalling the advice during her raw silk business dealings to be concise, she said briefly, “Ziliujing, salt field, Zhuotong Well, investment.”

Ren Weizhi’s mouth opened slightly in surprise. This girl didn’t look wealthy at all!

But in the capital, you never knew who you might meet.

He had nothing to lose, and it wasn’t like someone would use a beauty trap to steal his blueprints.

He laughed at himself, stepped aside, and invited her in, “So you’re here about the salt business. Please come in. May I ask your name?”

You Fangyin, though she had discussed business with Xu Wenyi before, always saw him as an elder. Ren Weizhi, however, was her age.

Entering his modest room, she felt a bit uneasy and said, “My surname is You.”

Ren Weizhi nodded, “Then I’ll call you Miss You. Please, have a seat.”

The room had a bare table with a plate of cold corn cakes, a few teacups, and a pot of tea.

He invited her to sit opposite him, poured her a cup of tea, and smiled apologetically, “I used to be embarrassed to serve such plain tea to guests, but now, with my dire situation, I can’t even maintain appearances. I hope you don’t mind.”

You Fangyin, feeling somewhat flattered, took the tea with both hands. Remembering that she couldn’t even get coarse tea at the Earl’s residence, she felt a bit desolate and said softly, “I don’t mind.”

Ren Weizhi watched her.

She took a sip of tea, glanced at the cold corn cakes, and looked up at him, “May I eat this?”

Ren Weizhi was taken aback, looking at the plate of cakes, his face flushing, and stammered, “It’s from lunch. You can eat it, but it’s cold…”

You Fangyin smiled, “It’s fine.”

She was just a bit hungry.

With the host’s permission, You Fangyin put down the teacup and picked up a piece of cold corn cake, taking small bites.

The cold food warmed in her stomach, and though she didn’t feel particularly wronged, tears began to fall uncontrollably after just a few bites, nearly choking her.

Ren Weizhi, thinking she was an unusual guest, was flustered when she started crying before finishing half the cake. He fumbled around, trying to find a handkerchief but couldn’t.

He awkwardly said, “Don’t cry, people might think I did something to you!”

You Fangyin lowered her head, staring at the bite marks on the corn cake, and murmured, “Life is so hard, what does face matter…”

Ren Weizhi was suddenly taken aback.

*

Jiang Xuening had been waiting in the carriage for a long time.

Looking to the left, You Yue didn’t come out of the teahouse; looking to the right, You Fangyin didn’t come out of the inn.

She felt bored.

What to do when bored?

You Yue always bullied and mistreated You Fangyin in their residence, so it wouldn’t be right not to go down and give You Yue some trouble.

Thinking this, Jiang Xuening decisively said, “Get out of the carriage.”

Tang’er and Lian’er helped her down, and she headed straight to the teahouse.

The teahouse was shaped like a square, with a stage in the center for performances or storytelling, but it was empty and quiet at the moment.

You Yue was on the second floor.

Jiang Xuening glanced upstairs, spotting You Yue’s location, and pointed it out to the approaching waiter with an air of arrogance she had been holding back, “I want that spot upstairs.”

The waiter, seeing her demeanor and attire, knew she was a wealthy customer and smiled, ready to lead her in. But her next words stunned him.

His smile froze.

He glanced upstairs, swallowed, and said, “But, but that spot is already taken…”

Jiang Xuening lifted her eyelids, giving him a sidelong glance, “Tell her to leave.”

Waiter: “…”

It was clear that this girl had a grudge against the one upstairs and was here to cause trouble!

The waiter broke into a cold sweat, unsure how to handle the situation.

The teahouse wasn’t very large.

From the second floor to the first was only about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), so conversations downstairs could be heard clearly upstairs.

You Yue was upstairs, wondering why You Fangyin hadn’t come out yet, when she heard someone downstairs talking about “telling her to leave.” Given the few guests upstairs, the voice sounded very familiar.

She frowned and looked down.

One glance nearly made her grind her teeth in anger. She stood up abruptly, “Well, well, what a small world! I didn’t come to trouble you, but you, Jiang Xuening, came to trouble me! And you dare tell me to leave?!”

Jiang Xuening looked up, as if just noticing her, and covered her mouth in surprise, “I thought it was some clueless person occupying my preferred spot. I didn’t expect it to be Second Miss You!”

You Yue, furious, started to speak harshly but then paused, her eyes flashing as she restrained herself. She stepped gracefully down the stairs, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “I was going to argue with you, but then I thought, you’re now like a phoenix with plucked feathers, not even as good as a chicken. I actually pity you.”

In her past life, Jiang Xuening had heard such taunts countless times, and they no longer angered her. She just smiled as You Yue approached.

Jiang Xuening’s expression remained unchanged, but You Yue’s did not. Seeing her words had no effect, old and new grudges surged, making her even more venomous, “Look at you, from a small family, a wild girl raised in the countryside, trying to climb up and be a phoenix without any manners. I won’t speak of the palace, but outside, I must advise you: a girl who doesn’t know how to behave, flirting with men and ruining her reputation, and still blind enough to choose someone doomed. Who used to rely on the Yongyi Marquis’s power to bully others? Now that family is facing execution. First, it was Heir Yan Lin, who knows what will happen next!”

Jiang Xuening’s eyes darkened slightly.

She slowly curled her lips into a smile, her gaze sweeping around the teahouse.

Finally, she muttered to herself, “Strange, why isn’t there a single fish tank in this teahouse…”

Fish tank!

Hearing those words, You Yue’s hair stood on end, instantly recalling the scene where this madwoman had pressed her head into a fish tank with a cold, vicious expression!

A sense of danger immediately crept over her!

She saw Jiang Xuening’s gaze return to her, lightly resting on her, and even reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. Terrified, she screamed and brushed her hand away!

Jiang Xuening, who had been a little terror in the countryside, was not afraid of a small fry like You Yue, especially with the pent-up aggression from her rebirth.

Jiang Xuening was contemplating how to leave a more “lasting impression” on You Yue.

But before she could act, she heard Tang’er whisper behind her, “Miss Fangyin is here!”

Jiang Xuening’s heart skipped a beat, remembering the lies she had told You Fangyin before. She was supposed to be the one who was bullied by You Yue and didn’t dare to speak up!

She couldn’t blow her cover! Reacting quickly, she didn’t give You Yue a chance to respond. She bent her knees and let out a soft cry, falling to the ground weakly, one hand lightly pressing her chest, the other half-covering her face as she sobbed, “Miss You, how could you…”

“……”

You Yue found the scene familiar, and the back of her head started to tingle reflexively.

She glanced around, confirming that neither the Princess nor Yan Lin was present, and then breathed a sigh of relief. Turning back to see Jiang Xuening still acting, she became furious and shouted, “You lunatic! Who are you pretending for? Did I push you? Did I push you? Even if I did, what can you do about it? Do you think anyone can see us now?”

Just as You Yue finished speaking, she noticed You Fangyin standing at the teahouse entrance.

The usually meek and easily bullied girl was staring at her with red-rimmed eyes, asking slowly and deliberately, “Did you push Second Miss?”

You Yue suddenly remembered that Jiang Xuening was You Fangyin’s savior.

But she didn’t feel the need to fear You Fangyin, who was just a concubine-born daughter.

She sneered, ready to mock her.

Unexpectedly, You Fangyin didn’t say another word. She grabbed a bench from the teahouse hall and started walking towards You Yue!

“What are you doing?!”

“Are you crazy?!”

“Help! Someone, help!!!”

You Fangyin had just come from the inn across the street. Seeing Jiang Xuening filled her with immense joy, but then she saw her second sister push Jiang Xuening to the ground, and her heart turned cold.

But that coldness quickly transformed into boundless rage!

She didn’t know if she was crazy, but at that moment, she no longer wanted to retreat or compromise. She just wanted to be stronger, strong enough to protect those she cared about.

Holding the bench in her hand, she ignored the chaos in the teahouse, focusing solely on You Yue as she approached step by step.

You Yue had never seen anyone so reckless.

Even though she spoke harshly, she was still a sheltered young lady and had never seen You Fangyin look so fierce and possessed. Terrified, she kept retreating, tears streaming down her face, “Get away from me! Someone help!”

She screamed at the top of her lungs.

But even the maids were scared, screaming and backing away.

In her panic, You Yue fell to the ground and looked around for help, only to see Jiang Xuening—who had been sitting on the ground—now looking completely relaxed. She was leisurely tidying her hair and even sighed with a hint of pity as she looked at You Yue.

Jiang Xuening lightly waved her hand and instructed her maid, “Calm her down; we don’t want any fatalities.”

You Yue was furious!

The same trick had been used on her twice, and even after falling for it once, she fell for it again!

Ahhhhhh!

This hateful witch!