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Lighter and Music Box have sparked a buying frenzy in the capital, with every wealthy family taking pride in owning a Music Box and a Lighter. The quantity of Music Box is limited and sold out quickly, but fortunately, there are plenty of Lighter, although there are even more wealthy people in the capital. The Lighter is beautifully designed, portable, and can produce a flame. Young gentlemen have found a new item to show off, each carrying a Lighter and occasionally spinning it in their hands to ignite a flame, impressing those around them. Unfortunately, without cigarettes, it would be even cooler to puff out smoke.
An Ping wiped his sweat, thinking that these noble young masters were too difficult to deal with. Thankfully, there are still plenty of Lighter, so he wouldn't face the same wrath from the nobles as he did when they were angry about the lack of mirrors. During that time, he had to endure being treated like a fool while running the shop. Suddenly feeling a chill on his back, An Ping turned his head to look around but found nothing unusual. He thought he was being overly sensitive, scratched his scalp, and walked back into the shop.
A hundred meters away from Qiqiao Pavilion stood a two-story teahouse. Inside one of the private rooms, Fourth Prince withdrew his gaze.
"Master, the owner of Qiqiao Pavilion is surnamed Bai and named Tang. We don't know where he comes from; we only found out that he suddenly appeared in Yangzhou, saved Lin Ruhai's wife, and took on both Xue Pan and Jia Zhu as disciples. Jia Zhu has transitioned from literature to martial arts, mastering an incredible knife technique taught by this person!" A plump middle-aged man standing at the lower position reported back; he was the teahouse manager, and no one knew he was actually a scout for Fourth Prince.
"You can't even find out his background?" Fourth Prince's face showed no signs of emotion.
"Please forgive me, Master. We have done our best, but Bai Tang is too mysterious. Our people couldn't find any clues; we can only infer that he is likely from some hidden noble family." The teahouse manager broke out in cold sweat and hurriedly bowed.
"A hidden noble family? That is indeed a possibility." Fourth Prince said calmly, "You may rise."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" The Fat Boss stood up.
"What about Xue Pan's martial arts?" Fourth Prince asked again.
"Replying to Your Highness, Xue Pan's martial arts are even better than Jia Zhu. He can jump onto rooftops with ease; even the palace guards might not be his match!"
"It would be a pity for such talent to only serve as an imperial merchant!" Fourth Prince rubbed his finger rings thoughtfully. This Xue Pan is a valuable asset that could be used to win over Lin Ruhai. However, too many people are watching Jia Zhu! Thinking about how Jia Yuanchun, who was originally supposed to be assigned to him, was snatched away by the eldest brother made Fourth Prince smile coldly. The eldest brother makes too many moves; does he think Father Emperor doesn't know? Father Emperor will not tolerate a son who constantly covets his position. As for this Bai Tang, I wonder if he can be brought to my side.
"Ninth Prince has set his sights on Qiqiao Pavilion!” said the plump manager. With such profitability and no backing, many have their eyes on it. Last year was a wait-and-see period; now with both the Lighter and the precious Music Box, those wanting to seize control of Qiqiao Pavilion can no longer hold back. However, once they learned that the Ninth Prince also wanted it, others hesitated.
"Only he would engage in such underhanded tactics to compete with commoners for profit!" Fourth Prince looked down on the fact that the royal prince would engage in business affairs. Moreover, most of the money earned by the Ninth Prince goes towards buying off court officials for the Eighth Prince, which infuriates Fourth Prince.
"Master, do you want to help Qiqiao Pavilion?" the shopkeeper asked. The master could use this opportunity to show favor to Qiqiao Pavilion, allowing Bai Tang to owe him a favor.
"Let's hold off for now and see how Qiqiao Pavilion responds. It will also be a good chance to observe Bai Tang's abilities!" The Fourth Prince fixed his gaze on the plaque of Qiqiao Pavilion, his expression deep.
"Understood!" The plump shopkeeper exited the room.
Bai Tang was unaware that someone was plotting against Qiqiao Pavilion. She was grinning as she packed the screens and ornaments made by the carpenter and embroiderer into her backpack. During the year she had been away, the carpenter and embroiderer had not stopped working, producing enough embroidery to fulfill Sheng Qingxi's orders and more.
Screens were essential tools in ancient life and held an important place in the history of ancient furniture. They first appeared over three thousand years ago during the Zhou Dynasty as specialized items for nobility, symbolizing status and power. Over time, screens evolved to serve purposes such as blocking wind, creating partitions, and providing privacy, while also enhancing the environment and beautifying spaces. This is why they have remained popular throughout history and have developed various forms of expression.
"Beautiful!" Bai Tang exclaimed, admiring a carved screen embroidered with the lines "The monkeys on both banks cry incessantly; the light boat has passed through countless mountains." The dark green mountains and silver-threaded river water depicted a small boat floating in Jiangzhong, filled with poetic imagery that was more elegant than mere flowers or butterflies.
"Young Master!" An Dongming called from outside, his voice filled with urgency.
"What happened?" Bai Tang stepped out of the room to find An Dongming looking frantic and worried.
"Young Master, someone is causing trouble in the shop!" Seeing Bai Tang, An Dongming seemed to find his anchor and rushed over.
Bai Tang narrowed her eyes; she had anticipated that her shop would attract envy but did not expect the other party to be so impatient. They had just launched new products, and trouble had already come knocking.
"To the shop!" Bai Tang said as she stepped out into the courtyard, with An Dongming running closely behind. She hoped her father was safe inside.
Upon reaching the shop, Bai Tang realized she was too late; the troublemakers had already left. The shop had been vandalized, and dozens of lighters stored inside had been stolen. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
"Young Master, it is the old servant's fault for not being able to protect the shop!" An Ping said heavily to Bai Tang, feeling that he had let down the Young Master's trust by failing to safeguard the store.
"Don't blame yourself!" Bai Tang helped An Ping up from the ground. "The other party has been scheming against us; you couldn't have fought them off."
"But they took our goods..." The loss amounted to several tens of thousands!
"It's alright, as long as you're safe!" Whoever took her things would definitely pay her back tenfold.
An Ping and An Dongming were moved to tears. Which master would treat their servant so kindly, valuing their life more than silver? They prayed for good fortune, grateful to have such a wonderful master.
"Ma Shi, close the shop door. We won't open for now; wait until I deal with those behind this!" Bai Tang's gaze swept over the chaos on the ground, and a hint of anger rose between her brows. Whether they were noble sons or Dukes, Lords, and Earls, anyone who dared to scheme against her would not get away easily. With the game system in hand and Combat Power off the charts capable of confronting the ultimate BSS of this world, imperial power was nothing but a joke in her eyes. At most, she could leave this world; after all, she had already earned enough money. Even if she continued her business dealings, there were still two other time-space gates available. Although they were currently closed, they would eventually open.
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