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"Ten taels of gold! The detailed prices are all listed on our order. Master Hu is a distinguished person, and when he makes a move, it's such a significant one. While it may not be much at our main store in Divine Capital Luoyang, here at the Yun family gathering, you are indeed unique. Therefore, according to the rules of our Rouge shop, we have prepared a copy of this order for you, Master Hu. After you return home, you can have someone verify it carefully. Of course, regarding the prices listed here, if it’s not too much trouble for you, Master Hu, you can also send someone to inquire at Divine Capital. I assure you, the price we’ve given you is definitely a promotional price for our new store." Li Mao quickly rattled off a long string of words and then extended his hand: "Our shopkeeper has a quirk; we only accept cash or silver, no promissory notes. It’s troublesome to exchange them, and it doesn’t feel quite right spending that way. So I must trouble Master Hu to provide the ten taels of gold in cash."
Hu Da secretly gritted his teeth and said to Hu Fu, "Give it!"
Hu Fu looked at Hu Da with difficulty: "But sir, this ten taels of gold..."
"What? Is my Hu Family so poor that we can't even afford this amount for Rouge and Face Powder?"
"That's not it, sir. How could our Hu Family possibly lack such money? It's just that I wasn't prepared today; I didn’t bring that much gold with me—only some silver."
"That’s fine; you can take these Rouge and Face Powder back to Master Hu's residence and pick up the gold on your way. By the way, our shopkeeper has another habit; he doesn’t like others owing him money. If you and Mr. Hu Fu have been to Divine Capital Luoyang, you would know how much our shopkeeper loves money. For other matters, everything can be measured properly, but when it comes to money—whether it's you two or even our shopkeeper's own parents—they will still insist on clear accounts. So please ensure that after Master Hu returns home, he prepares quickly; this Rouge and Face Powder will be sent to you shortly and will not delay your good plans for tonight."
"Send it now! Just send it! It’s only ten taels of gold; there’s plenty in my house." Hu Da felt that since the Hu Family expanded their business, this was the first time he had lost face like this. He was quite annoyed—not at Li Mao but at Hu Fu. In his heart, he thought that apart from his mouth, there was nothing reliable about him. Thinking about how hard he had worked to earn those ten taels of gold only to see them turn into this pile of Rouge and Face Powder made him feel not only pained in his flesh but also hurt in his heart; he couldn’t bear to give away these things bought with gold to those superficial people.
Covering his chest as he exited the Rouge shop, Hu Da's jaw twitched angrily.
Seeing this, Hu Fu thought that Hu Da might blame him for the ten taels of gold. After pondering for a moment, he hurriedly approached Hu Da with a smile: "When I went to Divine Capital Luoyang earlier to inquire about things, I actually learned about the business of Ruyi Rouge shop. To be honest with you, sir, the money earned by this Rouge shop in a single day is equivalent to what we make in a month—even during the off-season."
"What did you say?" Hu Da turned around in surprise, letting his hand drop from where he had been covering his chest.
"The clerk in the store wasn’t wrong; indeed, the items at Ruyi Rouge are more expensive than those at other shops, but their effectiveness is truly remarkable. So even though they are pricey, they are still favored by those official ladies. They earn money hand over fist without exaggeration. Our ten taels of gold may seem like a lot to us but wouldn’t even catch Miss Xing's eye."
"Are you suggesting that I should give all our Hu Family's possessions as gifts to Miss Xing?"
"I wouldn’t dare suggest that! Besides, even if we offered all our possessions, Miss Xing might not accept them all. What I mean is that if you don’t spend wisely, you won’t catch anything worthwhile. Just think of our ten taels of gold as an introductory gift for Xing Gu Niang; once Miss Xing becomes our Hu Family's esteemed nursemaid in the future, wouldn’t the Rouge shop in Divine Capital Luoyang then belong to us? The silver and gold earned would all be yours."
"With what you just said, I feel much more at ease," Hu Da said, patting his chest and calming his breath. "Hurry home and have the accountant bring out ten taels of gold. If that fellow with the surname Li comes by later, be polite and try to gather some information about Miss Xing."
Initially, Hu Da was only interested in her connection to Lady Bai, thinking it might help his second son and also allow him to embrace this beauty. He had forgotten that she had some abilities of her own and even had quite a reputation in Luoyang. With a good reputation, wealth would surely follow. Hu Da believed that if they ignored that corpse puppet in the future, just selling Rouge and Face Powder would be enough for the Hu Family to enjoy a lifetime of luxury.
Hu Fu nodded in response but couldn't help but mock Hu Da inwardly. Anyone with eyes could see that Miss Xing was a person of great status; just the clothes she wore were worth several large houses belonging to the Hu Family. He had also heard that Miss Xing's fiancé was extremely wealthy and mysterious, rumored to possibly be of royal descent. Regardless of whether this rumor was true or not, one thing was clear to Hu Fu: Miss Xing was not someone to be trifled with.
Earlier in the shop, while Hu Da was too focused on the girl's beauty to notice anything else, Hu Fu had been observant. That fellow with the surname Li walked silently, and his movements when fetching medicine were quick and precise—clearly someone trained in martial arts. Then there was that child; even a glance revealed a strikingly beautiful child who seemed almost otherworldly, with an expression that sent a shiver down one's spine. This relative of Lady Bai likely shared her enigmatic qualities—uncertain whether they were human or ghost, demon or deity.
As Hu Fu walked along, he pondered whether he should inform the second master about what had just happened at Ruyi Rouge. Although Hu Da was somewhat dim-witted, Hu Fu couldn't just stand by and watch the Hu Family fall into ruin under his leadership. Though others saw him merely as a dog by Hu Da's side, there were few who did not envy him in Yun Family Village.
In the Hu Family, while it appeared that Hu Da and Hu Er were in charge, Hu Er rarely left the inner courtyard and showed little interest in managing household affairs. Hu Da was a self-important brute who only cared about having fine wine and beautiful women prepared for him; beyond that, he had little time for other matters. In truth, it was Hu Fu who truly managed things within the family; sometimes he was even more effective than these two masters.
Hu Fu wasn't foolish; he understood that these masters were merely enjoying superficial glory. It was better to live comfortably beneath them while being above dozens of others.
Having settled this thought in his mind, he and Hu Da stood outside the main gate of the Hu Family.
In the Rouge shop, Xing Ruyi looked at Yin Yuan, who had just returned from a stroll around, and asked, "How did it go?"
"The Hu Family is more troublesome than you imagined. They not only keep a corpse puppet but also many other things. However, those things have nothing to do with Bai Jiao; they are all caused by that second son of the Hu Family."
"Hu Er?"
"Yes! That's him! This Hu Er was originally a scholar who once passed the Scholar exam but didn't continue his studies due to the family's financial situation and his own health issues. Later on, when the Hu Family encountered Bai Jiao, they got entangled in Yun Family matters. I suspect that Hu Er accidentally saw Bai Jiao using her magic and became obsessed with it, starting his own research."
"Researching on his own? Is this Hu Er trying to get himself killed?"
Xing Ruyi was an ordinary mortal herself. Although she possessed ghostly powers and could perform some spells, she understood in her heart that if it weren't for the fox watching over her, she might have been consumed by these ghostly powers long ago. Powerful spells required unwavering determination to control; otherwise, those who achieved enlightenment throughout history would not have all been Taoists or ascetics free of desires.
Common people had too many distractions. Once they had scattered thoughts, no matter how high their scores, they would become distracted. When distracted, it was inevitable to fall into madness. Practicing martial arts could lead to death if one went mad; how much more dangerous was it for those practicing spells, especially when they were self-taught and misguided?
"Mother, I think that Hu Er is just seeking his own demise," Yin Yuan said, having snuck into the kitchen at some point and casually grabbed a chicken leg to munch on. "In my opinion, we don’t need to worry about the Hu Family. In at least eighteen days or at most half a month, they will be finished on their own."
"If Hu Da doesn’t provoke me, I wouldn’t bother with the Hu Family's affairs. I only asked you to investigate because I wanted to see if the Hu Family is being manipulated by someone."
"From the current situation, it seems not. At least we can ascertain a few things. First, those people are related to Qingqiu. Second, they are not foolish and likely look down on Hu Da and Hu Er, those two fools. Third, while we know there is a powerful force behind Mo Xu You that can influence the realms of humans, demons, and ghosts, and that this force has infiltrated the court, it seems that only Mo Xu You and his temporarily recruited subordinates are actually acting outside. Therefore, can we conclude that those people or the person behind Mo Xu You do not want too many people to know what they are currently doing?"
"You little ghost head, your thoughts run quite deep," Xing Ruyi said as she poked Yin Yuan's head with her finger.
"Of course! Now that Father Fox has returned to Qingqiu for business and left me here to look after you, I naturally have more worries and thoughts. By the way, where is Li Mao? I didn’t see him when I came in; did he sneak out to play again?"
Just then, Li Mao suddenly walked in with a panicked expression, followed closely by Hu Fu, who had just left the Rouge shop.
"The shopkeeper! The master of the Hu Family has been possessed by an evil spirit!"
Li Mao looked up at Xing Ruyi and said this in a rush.
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