Chapter 117 -

Chapter 117: Chapter

Yimei walked back to her courtyard, her mind already moving two steps ahead. As soon as she stepped onto the wooden porch, she turned to her maid.

"Qinqin, prepare my heavy cloak and tell Liu Feng to get the carriage ready," Yimei instructed calmly. "We are paying Young Master Xiao a visit."

Qinqin bowed her head softly, her expression heavy and miserable. "Yes, Young Madame."

Not a single servant on the estate smiled today. The entire Bai Manor was trapped in a cloud of gloom. Maids and guards walked silently, mourning the loss of their comfortable lives and dreading the harsh uncertainty that waited for them in the southeast.

While Qinqin went to fetch the cloak, Yimei stood near the railing, her clear eyes drifting across the snow-covered courtyard toward Zhengyu’s room.

What is he doing right now? Yimei wondered silently.

She remembered the icy, amused smirk that had crossed his face in the hall when Old Madame Bai stripped everyone of their wealth. Was he happy about this insane outcome?

After all these is the revenge he has always wanted. The family who had abandoned him and caused him his misery... now they would suffer for a whole year. He should be happy.

Yimei and Qinqin made their way through the busy streets to the Wenlong Pavilion. As soon as she stepped inside, business was booming as usual. Tea cups clinked, tea workers hurried back and forth, and rich customers chatted at every table.

However, as soon as people in the pavilion noticed her, hushed whispers spread quickly. The news about the Bai family had already swept through the entire East Market. Everyone knew that Old Madame Bai was stripping all three branches of their wealth and sending them away to the southeast.

The head shopkeeper quickly hurried over, bowing low to greet her. "First Young Madame Bai, welcome."

"Is Young Master Xiao in?" Yimei asked, her voice smooth and unbothered by the stares around her.

"Yes, Young Madame. Young Master Xiao is in his upper office right now," the shopkeeper replied politely.

Yimei nodded. " Qinqin, wait for me downstairs."

"Yes, Young Madame," Qinqin bowed softly, stepping over to sit near the tea counters.

Yimei smoothed her heavy cloak, walked up the wooden staircase, and made her way toward Xiao Jun’s office door

Xiao Jun leaned back in his rosewood chair, casually fanning himself with a painted paper fan despite the chilly air outside. When he saw Yimei walk through the door, his eyes lit up with his usual playful glint, and a broad smirk spread across his face.

"Ah, the famous First Young Madame Bai honors my humble office with her presence!" Xiao Jun drawled, resting his chin in his hand as he looked her up and down. "I must say, Yimei, the rumors travel faster than a imperial courier. The whole market is buzzing with stories about the grand Bai family trial! Yet here you are, strolling into my teahouse looking as calm and immaculate as ever. Not even a single hair out of place."

Yimei didn’t bother returning his playful grin. She walked straight to his desk, her clear eyes completely unbothered by his dramatic greeting.

"I am glad to see you are in high spirits, Young Master Xiao," Yimei said coolly, pulling a neatly folded piece of paper from her sleeve and setting it down in front of him. "I need your help. While I am away in the southeast, I want you to oversee the final renovations for my pavilion here in the East Market and ensure business opens smoothly."

Xiao Jun picked up the paper, casually unfolding it with a raise of his eyebrow. "And what is this?"

"Those are new tea and beverage recipes I have been developing," Yimei replied, leaning slightly against the edge of the table. "You are free to use them for your own Wenlong Pavilion as well."

Xiao Jun’s smirk widened as he glanced over the fine characters on the page. "You really never stop working, do you? Well, since you brought me such a generous gift, it would be terribly rude of me not to give you something in return."

He tapped his desktop twice with his fan. "Guards! Bring it in."

The heavy wooden door pushed open, and two tall guards carried a massive, iron-bound wooden crate into the office. They set it down on the floorboards with a loud, heavy THUD that made the teacups on Xiao Jun’s desk rattle.

Yimei frowned slightly, her dark eyes dropping to the crate. "What is that?"

"Open it and see for yourself," Xiao Jun teased, waving his fan lazily.

Yimei stepped forward and lifted the heavy iron latch. As the lid swung back, a blinding glint of pure silver met her eyes. Row after row of heavy, pure silver bars were stacked neatly inside. She quickly calculated the weight in her head, it was easily 100,000 taels of silver.

Yimei’s shock lasted for only a split second before her face completely hardened. She slammed the heavy lid shut with a loud BANG and turned a cold, sharp glare toward him.

"If you are giving me this money out of pity because of what is happening in the Bai manor, you are wasting your time, Xiao Jun," Yimei said, her voice dropping into a dangerous warning. "Grandmother made it absolute, we are strictly forbidden from borrowing money or accepting outside charity to win this competition. If I take this, our branch is disqualified."

Xiao Jun stared at her dark, defensive face for a brief second before he suddenly threw his head back and burst into loud, uncontrollable laughter.

"Pfft—hahahaha! Oh, stop, Yimei, you are killing me!" Xiao Jun laughed so hard he had to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye, his fan trembling in his grip.

Yimei folded her arms tightly across her chest, her annoyance rising with every second. "Stop laughing! Are you mad?!"

"I can’t help it!" Xiao Jun gasped out, finally catching his breath and raising his hands in defeat. "Look at your angry face! Do you really think I am that crazy? Do I look like a mindless fool to you?"

"You certainly act like one," Yimei retorted smoothly, her gaze cool as ice.

"I may be filthy rich, Yimei, but I am definitely not stupid enough to just hand out 100,000 taels of silver for free!" Xiao Jun chuckled, leaning forward on his desk and resting his chin in his hands.

Yimei stayed silent, knowing he was right. A sum like 100,000 taels was an astronomical fortune, roughly $14,000 in her modern world’s eyes, but in this ancient era, it was a massive, life-changing mountain of wealth. Nobody gave that away for nothing.

"Then explain why there is a chest of silver sitting on your floor," Yimei demanded.

"Because that money isn’t mine. It’s yours," Xiao Jun explained, his teasing tone softening into a genuine, proud smile. "That is your official profit share from the ginger tea recipe you gave me weeks ago. It exploded across the northern and southern trade routes! Shops in three provinces couldn’t buy enough of it. I had my accountants tally your cut last night, and that crate is the exact result."

Yimei stood frozen, taken aback. The ginger tea generated that much silver?

Xiao Jun leaned back, crossing his arms with a knowing, wicked grin.

"Think about it, Yimei," Xiao Jun said softly, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "To put it simply, you don’t even need to move to the southeast. You have more than enough money sitting right here in this room to walk back into the ancestral hall, hand over 100,000 taels today, and win the whole competition instantly. And since this is your own hard-earned money from your own personal recipe, Old Madame Bai couldn’t say a single word against it. The First Branch wins."

He paused, his grin deepening into a playful smirk.

"But knowing who you are... I am absolute certain you won’t give even a single copper coin of your hard-earned fortune to save the Bai family legacy," Xiao Jun laughed quietly, shaking his head with genuine admiration. "And honestly? That cold, selfish mind of yours is exactly why I like you so much, Yimei."