Chapter 46: Then I Won't Be Polite

After dinner, Liu Ji hurried to the Xu residence and conspired with Xu Mu for quite some time. Xu Mu mainly came up with the plans, while Liu Ji listened in. After hearing everything, Liu Ji looked at Xu Mu with admiration.

“How did I never realize before that you’re even more of a prodigal than I am?” Liu Ji exclaimed in surprise.

“Me? Prodigal?” Xu Mu was momentarily taken aback.

“You not only trick your own father but also persuaded me to scheme against my own father,” Liu Ji said with a troubled expression.

“What, scared now?” Xu Mu smiled calmly.

“Scared? Not at all! If you’re not scheming against your own father, how could you be called a prodigal?”

“Hahaha, the young master certainly knows himself well.”

“Of course!” Liu Ji said proudly.

Liu Ji’s reputation in Liangzhou Province was no less than that of his father. From childhood until now, he was either scheming against his father or on his way to do so. Xu Mu’s similar penchant for scheming against his father suited Liu Ji’s taste perfectly. Moreover, this time they weren’t just scheming against their fathers but also planning to take down that despicable Zhao Zhipeng. Just thinking about it was exhilarating!

After leaving Xu Mu’s small courtyard, Liu Ji didn’t leave the Xu residence but wandered around until he found the small courtyard where Xu Shuangyi lived. Finding no one there, Liu Ji quietly entered the room and slipped into Xu Shuangyi’s chamber.

No one knew how long had passed when screams suddenly echoed from the Xu residence.

“Ahhh! I am the heir of the Prince of Liang’s mansion! How dare you hit me?”

“Ah! I am a martial prodigy!”

“Damn it! It’s your good fortune that I even noticed you!”

“Ahhh, I was wrong, wrong! I won’t dare again!”

Nobody knew what had happened inside Xu Shuangyi’s courtyard, but when Liu Ji finally staggered out of the Xu residence, his face bruised and swollen, limping heavily, it was clear he had been seriously injured.

The next morning.

At the Drunken Cloud Pavilion.

This tavern had four floors and was quite luxurious. The first and second floors were the main halls, while the third and fourth floors housed private rooms. The Drunken Cloud Pavilion employed over fifty staff members, including cooks. Its scale was twice that of the second-largest tavern in Liangzhou City, the Immortal Retreat Pavilion.

What set the Drunken Cloud Pavilion apart wasn’t its opulence but that it served the Huangteng Wine directly supplied by the Xu family’s distillery. The secret brewing method of Huangteng Wine was a closely guarded secret of the Xu clan. It was one of the finest wines in the Great Xia and served at the imperial court. Huangteng Wine was also the only imperial wine that common folk could afford to taste.

Earning over a thousand taels of silver a year wasn’t insignificant for a tavern. Yet, considering it had imperial wine, the Drunken Cloud Pavilion’s annual profit of just over a thousand taels was pitifully low.

Xu Mu gathered all the tavern’s staff and directed them in their tasks. Several tables were pushed together to build a raised platform in the center. The remaining tables and chairs were neatly arranged facing the platform. At first glance, it looked like a teahouse prepared for a storyteller, with the platform reserved for the performer and the audience seated before it.

“What’s this about?” Xu Shuangyi asked, puzzled.

“Making money, what else?” Xu Mu replied.

“Stop being so cryptic,” Xu Shuangyi said, her curiosity piqued by whatever scheme Xu Mu had in mind.

“Are you just bored to death?” Xu Mu asked.

Xu Shuangyi said nothing. She tolerated Xu Mu’s private servitude in secret but had no intention of being treated like a servant in public, as it would tarnish her status.

“Go to the Xu family distillery and bring the land deeds, property deeds, and the brewing methods,” Xu Mu instructed.

“What?” Xu Shuangyi blinked in surprise.

Xu Mu rolled his eyes. “You’re like a walking ‘why’—every time I say something, you ask ‘what?’ Is my speech some kind of ancient text? So hard to understand?”

“Alright, alright, I get it. I’m going right away. But why do you need the deeds and brewing methods?” Xu Shuangyi asked, wondering what use those could possibly have.

“Hurry up. We start in two hours. Time’s tight; I don’t have time to explain everything now. You’ll see soon enough.”

“Okay.” Xu Shuangyi nodded and left.

After more than half an hour, Xu Shuangyi returned to the Drunken Cloud Pavilion, which had been transformed completely. It no longer looked like a tavern but rather like a teahouse, though still different from ordinary teahouses in some subtle way she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Her curiosity about Xu Mu’s plan grew.

“Did you bring everything?” Xu Mu asked.

“Yes.”

“Also prepare the property and land deeds for the Drunken Cloud Pavilion.”

“All right.”

Xu Shuangyi still wanted to ask what Xu Mu was up to but didn’t want to spoil his mysterious demeanor, so she simply followed his instructions.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was nearly noon.

The Drunken Cloud Pavilion was fully set up. Since a ‘Closed’ sign hung at the entrance, the tavern was quiet inside. Then guests began arriving one after another—dignitaries dressed in splendid attire, many of whom frequented the tavern. Upon stepping inside, they barely recognized the place.

“Since when did the Drunken Cloud Pavilion become like this?”

“I almost thought I walked into the wrong place.”

“Did you all come because of the invitation?”

“Yes. I have no idea what the Drunken Cloud Pavilion is up to.”

Everyone had come only after receiving an invitation.

As the crowd grew, the main hall buzzed with life. A refined young gentleman entered with several servants. Many immediately rose to greet him.

“Master Zhao, I didn’t expect you here.”

“So it’s Master Zhao! It’s been a few days; you look even more handsome and elegant.”

“Uncle and elders, I pay my respects.”

“Nonsense, we shouldn’t be the ones receiving your salute, Master Zhao. It is we who should be greeting you.”

“Indeed, it is our honor to sit with Master Zhao.”

“Master Zhao, we’ve reserved the best seat for you. Please, this way.”

“Well, I won’t refuse.”

The group led Zhao Zhipeng to the central seat of honor. Zhao Zhipeng glanced around and then surveyed the entire main hall.

“What’s going on here?” he asked someone nearby.

“We don’t know either.”

“If Master Zhao doesn’t know, how would we?”

“Exactly. We were just about to ask what the Drunken Cloud Pavilion is up to today.”