Chapter 149

While the people in the capital were still unaware, a small, remote tavern had become quite popular in just a few days. Yueqian was very busy at first because she was the one who came up with all the ideas. However, after everything was in place, the tavern was left with only a few employees who were earning wages from her.

Although she could have bought those people as servants, Yueqian wasn’t interested in looking after them for their entire lives. Her association was created as a model to show those in real power that there was a way to make money, as well as to benefit from building a reputation. Therefore, she paid wages to people who were literate to be receptionists, accountants, and other roles.

Of course, it took two or three days to train them properly. Luckily, Yueqian and her family were still living normally. The Qin family hadn’t yet decided to cause any trouble. After losing the shops managed by their mother, those people were likely busy trying to figure out how to get those shops back.

Oh, actually, she should say that they were more preoccupied with spreading rumors to attack the shops she had taken over. Even though it was unclear why the Li family members who bought the shops, as well as Tang Mujin, had not made any moves, Yueqian didn’t pay it much mind.

After all, she had already received a large sum of money; it was better to let them manage the rest themselves.

"Don’t you have to go to the association today?" Mu Heng asked his wife, who was leisurely sipping tea in the garden pavilion.

The beautiful woman glanced at her husband, who was dressed in fine clothes. His figure appeared even more handsome in the attire of the nobility, making it hard for her not to feel possessive.

His face was already attractive, and after taking care of himself with nourishing baths and various creams, his complexion had improved significantly. Although not as fair as the nobles, his darker skin was striking and handsome in its own unique way.

Yueqian smiled at Mu Heng naturally, her beauty captivating her husband.

"I’m taking a break today. Are you going to see “him” again?" She responded, returning his question. While Yueqian was busy teaching the staff how to behave and speak to enhance Mu Heng’s reputation, Mu Heng had been spending time with the former great general of the Du Kingdom.

It seemed that the two men, bound by fate, had grown fond of each other. Even though he returned with injuries every day, Yueqian noticed that her husband seemed more confident.

"Hmm, but if..." Mu Heng hesitated slightly. He had been visiting the former great general because his wife was busy at the association. During the first few days, he felt useless, unable to assist the other party in any way.

Therefore, after understanding his own position, Mu Heng decided to train himself instead.  At least he wouldn’t be wasting his time. However, since his beautiful wife was resting at home today, he was torn about whether to stay with her.

"It’s alright. Today, I plan to check on the younger ones’ studies. I wonder how far they’ve progressed with their training. You should hurry back," Yueqian had her own activities planned and didn’t intend to disturb her husband’s training.

Mu Heng hesitated a bit, but eventually, he nodded and left, taking along his lunch to share with his newly acknowledged teacher.

After her husband departed, Yueqian continued sipping her tea leisurely. She had plenty of time today, allowing her to enjoy her cake at her own pace. After an shi chen, her small frame stretched to relieve some stiffness. The beautiful woman grimaced slightly, resembling a lazy cat yet exuding a strong sense of authority.

Yueqian first went to check on Huan’er’s training. The little girl was with Qu Yi. Naturally, Huan’er and Qu Yi were not learning the same things. Qu Yi didn’t need to learn much; she mainly practiced her embroidery. Thus, being near Huan’er, who was practicing the guzheng, wasn’t difficult.

The young girl, gentle by nature and fond of music, learned well. Her teacher was a former court lady who had left with a senior court lady after the previous emperor passed away. Now that the other party had passed away and had no chance of returning, she made a living by teaching children various musical instruments that she had learned in secret.

This teacher, even young misses of the noble families, from mid-tier to lesser ones, hired her. Larger families, however, had more capable groups of instructors, often still court ladies, requested directly by concubines or nobles to teach. Occasionally, princes would reward others by having court ladies teach them.

Yueqian once studied under a teacher who taught princesses. However, she disliked it and often behaved shamelessly, frustrating her teacher many times. Reflecting on that time,  there were numerous teachers. Fortunately, her behavior became widely known, and teachers found better ways to handle her.

The best method was to teach her without caring to hear her voice or notice where little Yueqian ran off to. The other party pretended not to see her. When the lesson ended, the teacher would leave. That was all. At that time, young Yueqian was someone who knew the least about music.

This time, seeing a child with a completely opposite disposition to her own, Huan’er was very diligent and doing well in her studies. Yueqian felt that if she hadn’t brought Huan’er to the capital, it would have been her own fault. She would have regretted not unlocking her sister-in-law’s potential.

Since Huan’er had no issues troubling her, Yueqian gave Qu Yi a look to continue overseeing her before she went to check on her little Xiao Long’s training.

In the morning, Xiao Long studied various military texts and strategies, including formation setup, battle planning, battlefield observation, troop organization, and more. The afternoons were for physical training, sword fighting, and hand-to-hand combat.As it was still morning, Yueqian went to check on Xiao Long’s calligraphy room. Of course, the voice of the teacher teaching his disciples was also heard.

The beautiful woman’s delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she pursed her lips, her small feet hesitating to step forward. She stopped to listen as the military strategy teacher scolded her brother-in-law harshly.

“Hmph! Pay attention to your reading. Even if it’s hard to believe a country bumpkin like you can read these texts, intelligence isn’t everything. Look at your brother, who’s the same age as Young General. Your brother seems smart too, but intelligence alone isn’t enough. Even if you can read, it’s useless without the chance to apply it. Learning will be in vain.

“Luck plays a part in this. You’re unlucky to be born poor and in a remote area. Everyone in the capital knows that soon the Eldest Young Miss Qin will marry into Young General’s household. You and your brother will be cast aside, back to being poor and struggling as before.

“Hmph! Remember how happy you are now because soon it will be like falling from heaven. Eldest Young Miss Qin is like this; last time, she was Young General’s fiancée and clung to him, professing her love all day, annoying everyone around. Now, you may see her chasing after your brother to tell him she loves him, but that’s because she’s his wife. Once she divorces him, she’ll run off to find her next husband.”

"Miss Qin is quite foolish, but she’s also easily manipulated. If I were Young General, I’d marry her as my principal wife too. A beautiful but mindless woman like that is ideal. Haha."

"Alright! How far have you read? If you don’t understand, then don’t bother. Just memorize a few words to tell your brother. This topic is about troop formations. You don’t need to know much. Just tell him how many methods there are and what they are. The steps or details don’t matter. Teaching you is pointless; you’ll never be able to use it anyway. It’s a waste of money."

The voice of a middle-aged man teaching Xiao Long echoed throughout the room, as if he were confident no one else would hear him. This might be because Yueqian was never home, and everyone else was away at their studies. There was only one servant here who had to stay and watch over Mu Huan. Therefore, this teacher did as he pleased, neglecting proper instruction, and while he was talking, he also criticized the child to make him lose hope in studying.

Fortunately, Xiao Long knew the plans of his brother and sister-in-law. He didn’t lose hope or give up. The boy was determined, and despite what the teacher said, he never let it bother him. Xiao Long focused on studying, determined to absorb all the knowledge from the texts. He jotted down notes on anything he didn’t understand, planning to ask later.

He treated the teacher’s words like the cawing of a crow, which only pleased the teacher more. As a low-ranked teacher, he felt pressure of being a low-level teacher. The higher-ranked teachers viewed him as a fool pretending to be an educator. Few hired him for lessons.

Thus, he released his stress daily by oppressing a child, making himself feel more useful in the process.

His personality was like this, taking on the job of teaching Xiao Long was an excellent decision for him. Not only did he earn money from teaching, but he also had a poor child to vent his frustrations on—a child who had the chance to learn only because of a woman! Just thinking about it made him want to look down on the boy.

The teacher was enjoying himself, but Yueqian was not amused. Her eyes flashed dangerously. She hadn’t realized that Xiao Long had been dealing with such trouble. The boy must have been afraid of causing her problems, and since he could still learn from reading the texts himself, his education wasn’t entirely wasted.

Yueqian felt a deep pity for Xiao Long, but she didn’t immediately storm in to slap him in the face to her heart’s content. The beauty’s eyes narrowed slightly before her slender, graceful figure disappeared from the calligraphy room.

The teachers’ half-day lessons concluded, and it was Yueqian who emerged from the kitchen to greet them. The music teacher was slightly surprised, not expecting Yueqian to still be at the manor. The military strategy teacher, on the other hand, was more shocked. However, upon seeing Yueqian’s smile directed at the two children, he relaxed considerably.

“How was your lesson, children?”

“It was very enjoyable. Today, I learned to play ‘Moonlight Melody,’” Huan’er said cheerfully, clearly proud of herself.

“It was fun,” Xiao Long replied hesitantly. Of course, it was enjoyable because he had studied on his own, not because of the teacher’s instruction. Still, he wasn’t lying to his sister-in-law.

“Is that so? That’s wonderful. I’ve prepared many dishes for your teachers. Please invite them to join us at the table,” Yueqian said. The two children then turned to invite their respective teachers.

The teachers, of course, did not refuse, knowing Eldest Young Miss Qin’s temperament well. They understood that refusing the young woman would only invite trouble. Additionally, not having to pay for a meal was not a bad deal.Thus, both teachers agreed, failing to notice the expression on Yueqian’s face.