Chapter 36

Hearing her young lady tell her to clean the latrines as well, Luyao’s face immediately turned bitter. That hateful plump maid—she was punished, yet she had to drag Luyao down with her.

Then Luyao’s thoughts shifted. Her eyes narrowed, and she jogged a few steps to hook her arm around Guanzi’s. She smiled sweetly. “Sister Guanzi, you have more experience cleaning latrines than I do, so you must be faster than me. You have to help me a little later.”

The plump maid was a donkey who responded to being stroked the right way. Sweet words were the whip used to drive the donkey. Luyao knew how to use that.

Guanzi immediately raised her head and said with a tough face, “Don’t think that just because you say nice things, I’ll help you. At most, I’ll only help a little later. Just a little.”

“Sister Guanzi is the best. Even if you casually move your hands a little, you’ll be helping me a lot. This younger sister thanks you first.” Luyao’s voice became even sweeter, and she gently shook Guanzi’s arm.

The moment those words came out, the corners of Guanzi’s mouth lifted. “At least you have good eyes. My hands and feet are much faster than yours.”

“Yes, yes, yes. Sister Guanzi is the most amazing.”

Qin Chu watched and only wanted to cover her face. This foolish maid only cared about growing flesh and not about growing a brain.

Comparing goods made one want to throw them away. Comparing maids made one furious enough to die.

“Luyao is very clever. She has learned at least a fraction of your intelligence.”

She looked at Qiu Jinning, her tone carrying a smile.

Qiu Jinning nodded openly. “She is acceptable. Guanzi is also very capable. She has learned three parts of your ability.”

Capable? Did she mean experienced at cleaning latrines? Qin Chu immediately could not smile anymore. Those words definitely were not praising her. She was nothing like that foolish maid.

Qiu Jinning seemed to know Qin Chu disagreed in her heart. The corner of her mouth quickly curved, then she hurriedly suppressed it and lowered her head to look at the ground.

After denying it several times inwardly, Qin Chu walked over and held the wheelchair. “I’ll push you around the residence. The flowers are blooming nicely this season. Guanzi tidied up the little garden yesterday. Let’s go take a look.”

“All right.”

In the little garden at the end of May, orchids and roses were blooming in competition.

Qin Chu pushed Qiu Jinning around the little garden and sighed. “That girl Guanzi’s taste is far too monotonous. She only bought two kinds of flowers. Next time, I’ll personally choose them and make the garden look nicer.”

A garden only looked beautiful when there were many colors, arranged with heights rising and falling in harmony. With only two colors, this garden looked too plain.

As soon as Qin Chu finished speaking, she saw a dense cluster of garlic cloves planted along the edge of the flower bed. The corner of her eye could not help twitching.

Was this planting garlic? Could it even sprout in such hot weather?

Recently, she had been busy brewing new wine and had not had much spare time to manage the courtyard. It was truly a waste of these pavilions and waterside terraces, not to mention the little garden Guanzi had ruined.

“It is very beautiful.” Qiu Jinning’s gaze unconsciously softened. She had not left her room for many days. Although she was now sitting in a chair, breathing the outside air and smelling the faint fragrance of flowers still made her mood much more open.

Of course, she also saw that pile of garlic cloves with pointed tips exposed. Unexpectedly, she did not find them ugly. Instead, set against the flowers and branches, they gave off a somewhat simple and silly charm, very much like that adorable plump maid.

Qin Chu looked at the top of her head, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. She truly wanted time to pass a little slower, so she could stay by Qiu Jinning’s side for a little longer. But they still had to find aged strong liquor…

Using the love gu to tie someone down was too despicable.

The person sitting in the chair turned slightly at this moment. After fumbling around, she turned back and extended her right hand. “Luyao peeled these for me. Would you like to try some?”

Her slender fair hand was slightly outstretched. In her palm was a small, delicate glass jar filled with peeled pine nuts, each one whole and intact.

Qin Chu looked in surprise at the person turning back to offer her pine nuts. She reached out, pinched a few, and put them in her mouth, her gaze never leaving Qiu Jinning.

Ink-black hair, fair cheeks, bright eyes that looked around beautifully, and red lips like rouge touched with honey—lustrous and tempting, tempting one to taste them.

Seeing that Qin Chu did not speak, Qiu Jinning softly asked, “How is it? Is it good?” She liked eating pine nuts, so Luyao would prepare some for her from time to time.

“Beautiful—not, delicious. It’s delicious.” Qin Chu blurted out, then quickly corrected herself after reacting.

Too embarrassing. How had she ended up staring blankly?

Qiu Jinning looked at her without blinking. “What is beautiful?”

What was this person daydreaming about?

The roots of Qin Chu’s ears heated. She looked toward that pile of unsprouted garlic cloves. “The flowers are beautiful. Very beautiful.”

A beauty turning back was even more beautiful than a garden full of flowers.

Qiu Jinning turned her head away and said calmly, “The First Prince sent someone today. Princess Consort Wei invites you to visit Commandery Princess Anguo’s residence with her tomorrow.”

“I’ve been very busy lately, but Commandery Princess Anguo’s residence is indeed worth visiting more.” When Qin Chu heard the words Commandery Princess Anguo, she could not help thinking of that strange commandery princess’s wife, Wei Ziwan.

Aunt Wei, who was strangely good to her.

Qiu Jinning nodded. “Commandery Princess Anguo is different from those people. There is no harm in interacting with her more.”

Those people naturally referred to the Second Prince and the others.

Although she had only met Commandery Princess Anguo once, her impression of her was good. She was not someone with an empty reputation. She truly loved the people like her own children and was approachable.

She did not seem like a member of the imperial family.

Qin Chu’s gaze flickered slightly. She thought that commandery princess’s wife was even more different. She always gave Qin Chu a very loving feeling, as if Qin Chu were a favored junior in her own family.

The next day, after Qin Chu returned from visiting the commandery princess’s residence with Princess Consort Wei, seeing that it was still early, she went to check on the wine tavern.

She stood before the window of a private room on the second floor. Her gaze fell on two figures across the street.

The rouge shop opposite the wine tavern was said to have changed owners, and it had been under renovation these past few days. The plaque was covered with red silk, so no one knew what kind of shop it would become.

At this moment, she seemed able to guess, because among those two familiar figures across the street, one person glared fiercely at her and forcefully shut the window.

It was the Gu siblings: Eldest Young Master Gu, sitting upright and drinking tea, and Gu San, angrily closing the window.

Sure enough, the next day, the shop across the street began beating gongs and drums. The red silk was removed, revealing the words: Gu Family Wine Tavern.

Qin Chu stood in front of her own wine tavern, looking at the promotional board deliberately hung across the street, her expression stiffening.

The wooden board carefully listed wine prices. The general contents were: Gu family beer, original flavor, refreshing taste, no foam taking up space, and the price was only half of the Qin family wine tavern’s.

Gu San stood upstairs across the street. Seeing Qin Chu’s stiff expression by the window, the smile on her face grew even deeper.

The raw materials and process for beer were not complicated, and the profit was large. In order to compete with the Qin family for the capital’s market, the Gu family did not hesitate [stolen content]to injure themselves by eight hundred, planning to follow the route of small profits but quick turnover.

Especially since they had the commandery prince’s residence supporting them from behind.

That was right. After the Second Prince was demoted to Commandery Prince Ping, he sank into despair for a few days, then pulled himself together again.

He could not leave his residence, but the retainers in his residence could go out, and Gu San could go out.

In Jiuqu County, the Gu family had been competitors with the Qin family. After learning that the Second Prince’s demotion had something to do with Qin Chu, Eldest Young Master Gu seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Adding flowers to brocade would never compare to sending charcoal in the snow. Proposing cooperation when the Second Prince had been suppressed was the first step of his plan.

Although the Second Prince was no longer a prince, he was still a commandery prince. His rank was merely a little lower. A starving camel was still bigger than a horse. After lying low for a year and leaving his residence, it was not necessarily impossible for him to rise again.

Moreover, to ordinary commoners, a commandery prince was still a powerful figure far beyond reach.

As for the Gu family, their relationship with the Second Prince had originally not been secure. Now, by sending charcoal in the snow and willingly serving him with all their strength, they had instead picked up a bargain, making the Second Prince value them especially.

Opening the Gu family wine tavern opposite the Qin family wine tavern was the Second Prince’s idea. In truth, Eldest Young Master Gu did not have much confidence in this price war, but he could not withstand the Second Prince’s eagerness for revenge and single-minded desire to oppose Qin Chu.

Since he had pledged loyalty, the Second Prince was the Gu family’s master. How could they not listen to their master’s words?

For now, however, this move seemed rather effective. Aside from having no foam, the beer brewed by the Gu family tasted exactly the same as the Qin family’s beer. The price was also fifty percent lower. In just a few [Read on BaiLianTales]days, they had taken away many of the Qin family wine tavern’s regular customers.

The tavern’s business became bleak, and even the wine shop’s orders decreased significantly. Guanzi held the account book and worried. “Miss, the Gu family has gone too far. Not only did they secretly learn our brewing skills, they even set the price so low. If they don’t want to earn money, fine, but they won’t let us earn money either.”

Qin Chu flipped through the account book. “Tomorrow, cut our price in half as well. After that, no matter how the other side changes, we will not move again.”

Rare things were valued more highly. The original price of beer had been somewhat high. Now that the Qin family wine tavern’s beer was no longer the only one of its kind, it naturally could not sell at the previous price. Lowering the price by half meant they would only earn some labor fees.

Guanzi answered gloomily, her tone low. “Miss, in the past few days, in order to thank Imperial Physician Han and Commandery Princess Anguo, we’ve nearly used up all the silver notes Master gave us. Should we write a letter and ask Master for more?”

“No need. Go prepare the pitch-pot and long arrows. We’ll need them tomorrow.”

Qin Chu closed the account book. The new wine was ready to come out of the cellar. Competition in the marketplace was never about lowering prices. It was about constantly discarding the old, bringing forth the new, preserving quality and quantity, and keeping things fresh.

Guanzi’s eyes immediately lit up. “Coming right up, Miss. Has our new wine been brewed?”

Miss was amazing. She had known there was nothing Miss could not accomplish.

Qin Chu smiled and nodded. Before returning to the residence, she glanced at the Qin family wine tavern’s signboard, then turned her head toward the depths of Zhuque Street. Farther east was the imperial avenue leading to the palace. The shops near the imperial avenue were more expensive, but also safer.

At the Qin residence.

After dinner, Qiu Jinning seemed to mention casually, asking faintly, “Is tomorrow the opening day of ​bailiantales.com​the Qin Family Wine Pavilion?”

Qin Family Wine Pavilion was a name Qin Chu had come up with. It was simple and clear.

As for why she used the character “pavilion,” it was because this new wine was a sweet fruit wine, and the main target customers were women.

She did not doubt the purchasing power of the women in the capital in the slightest. As for this fruit wine, she believed the Gu family would not be able to learn it for a while.

Because the fruit wine in the Qin Family Wine Pavilion not only had a low alcohol content and a slightly sweet taste, it was also a sparkling wine.

For the second fermentation step that created bubbles in the fruit wine, Qin Chu still personally handled it and had not let anyone else do it.

Thinking of her plan, Qin Chu’s eyes flew with confidence. “Yes, I plan to open tomorrow. Miss Qiu, just wait at ease for my good news. This time, it will only be more successful than last time.”

She had confidence.

Qiu Jinning glanced at her and smiled faintly. “Naturally, I am at ease. I only regret that I cannot be present personally to offer congratulations.”

Because of the love gu, she could not even take a sip of this new fruit wine personally brewed by Qin Chu.

Qin Chu could not help looking at Qiu Jinning’s right leg and reminded her, “Before your leg has fully recovered, it is best not to go out.”

If someone connected it to that prophecy, that would be bad.

But plans could not keep up with changes. Unexpectedly, early the next morning, the thing they had been worried about was fulfilled. The First Prince’s residence and the Third Prince’s residence each sent gifts, and both specifically stated that they were for Qiu Jinning. The pretext was to express concern over her injury.

Qin Chu and Qiu Jinning exchanged a glance and tacitly thought of one person.

The Second Prince had very likely already revealed the true phoenix maiden’s information. Since he could not obtain her, he did not want Qiu Jinning to have peace either, intending to push Qiu Jinning into the struggle between the First Prince and Third Prince.