It was a four-story building, and the gilded characters "Bu Ye Zhou" looked particularly grand.
Ying Yi smiled and said, "The Princess Consort guessed it perfectly. Yun Ying has reserved the best private room for you. Shall we go take a look?"
As the words fell, Lu Qingwan suddenly looked up, her gaze following, and she met a pair of unfamiliar eyes through the window.
It was a young man, about twenty years old. Their eyes met, and he nodded politely but did not look away.
Lu Qingwan ignored him and walked directly into Bu Ye Zhou, instructing Ying Yi as she went, "Investigate that person's background. If he is connected to the Turks, report him directly to the Jingzhao Prefecture and have him arrested."
Undoubtedly, no matter what the Grand Elder of Han Xiao Palace ultimately intended, the Turks were the first blade in his hand.
And Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu had absolutely no possibility of reconciliation with that Grand Elder, so they naturally wouldn't get along well with the Turks either.
Since reconciliation was impossible, Lu Qingwan didn't want to waste time arguing.
There was no good outcome from beating around the bush, so it was better to strike directly and avoid further humiliation.
Ying Yi was an暗卫 (an secret guard) and was only responsible for acting, not thinking.
As soon as Lu Qingwan spoke, he immediately agreed.
Li Su, however, was terribly frightened. "Princess Consort, why don't you reconsider?
The new dynasty hasn't even been established yet, and you're already making an enemy of a behemoth like the Turks. If the court officials find out, will they accuse you of being a troublemaker again?"
Li Su had been listening to the court officials gossiping about Lu Qingwan for as long as she had been by her side.
Even though most of the court officials were now promoted by Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan, they still found fault with the future Empress who often interfered with their manly ambitions.
It was as if they would never be satisfied unless Lu Qingwan, unlike other empresses, married consorts and concubines for Si Fengwu and quietly stayed within the confines of the inner palace, never leaving.
Of course, those people didn't dare to say such things to Lu Qingwan, so she could pretend not to know.
But Li Su and the others could hear them. These officials, promoted by Si Fengwu and influenced by Lu Qingwan, felt conflicted.
On one hand, they felt it was acceptable for Lu Qingwan to dabble in politics, as she was capable of handling every matter she took on perfectly.
On the other hand, they would occasionally tug at Lu Qingwan's sleeve, reminding her not to provoke those old fogeys too much, lest they backlash.
In short, being by Lu Qingwan's side meant constant worry.
Lu Qingwan was not someone who lacked discernment. She knew Li Su was acting for her own good and did not directly reject her good intentions.
After careful consideration, she patiently and subtly explained, "When the Three Eastern Kingdoms and a part of the Northern Kingdoms were involved, from the Emperor and officials down to the peddlers and hawkers, mentioning the Northern Kingdoms would make them turn pale with fear, and they firmly believed that the Northern Kingdoms were powers that the Three Eastern Kingdoms and a part of them could not afford to offend.
Now that you have also been to Da Qin and have a preliminary understanding of Southern Qi and the Turks, as well as the many countries interspersed between the three, objectively speaking, do you still feel that the current new dynasty is still so weak that it has no power to resist the Northern Kingdoms?"
As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the private room that Bu Ye Zhou had reserved for Lu Qingwan.
When the waiter opened the door, he interrupted what Li Su was about to say.
As soon as they entered, Yun Ying, who had received the wind beforehand, stood at the door and performed a curtsy to Lu Qingwan. "Your servant greets the Princess Consort."
All the people in Bu Ye Zhou greeted Lu Qingwan with a cupped-fist salute, just as the Xuan Jia Army soldiers greeted Si Fengwu. Only Yun Ying always performed a curtsy.
It was like a maidservant from a wealthy family greeting her master, respectful and solemn.
Lu Qingwan squatted in place, sighing helplessly.
"How many times have I told you? You are now Yun Ying, the lady in charge of Bu Ye Zhou, no longer the little maidservant Yue'er who followed me. Why are you still greeting me like this?"
That's right, Yun Ying, the second highest manager of Bu Ye Zhou after Wu Ying, was originally the little maidservant Yue'er by Lu Qingwan's side.
Lu Qingwan married Si Fengwu not long after staying at the Zhaolie Marquis Manor.
At that time, Lu Qingwan had Li Su and Twelve Months to handle official matters, and Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter to manage her daily life. Yue'er, as a nominal head maid, had no role to play.
However, Yue'er did not give up. By chance, Bu Ye Zhou was opening, and there was a need for staff everywhere. Yue'er volunteered.
During the day, she helped with business in Bu Ye Zhou and its subordinate clothing shops and cosmetic shops. At night, she trained with the new recruits Lu Qingwan had recruited, studying, practicing martial arts, and learning business management.
Four years later, Yue'er had been completely reborn and was no longer the same as before.
Internally, she was Yun Ying, who managed more than half of Bu Ye Zhou's business. Externally, she was the shrewd and capable lady in charge of Bu Ye Zhou.
However, when she faced Lu Qingwan, Yue'er would voluntarily shed all her disguises and become the soft and sweet little maidservant Yue'er.
Hearing Lu Qingwan's words, she was still displeased. "No matter how many times the Princess Consort says it, this servant will say it.
No matter how the Princess Consort's status changes, and no matter how glorious this servant is in public, as long as the Princess Consort is still here, this servant will always be your maidservant Yue'er.
Unless one day, the Princess Consort completely casts this servant away..."
Although she called herself "servant" with her lips, in reality, apart from her unwavering respect and loyalty to Lu Qingwan, Yue'er had lost that ingrained sense of humility in her bones.
Lu Qingwan shook her head. "I knew from the start that you were so stubborn, I wouldn't bother arguing with you anymore.
How is it?
Bu Ye Zhou has been open for a few months. How is business?"
After the new dynasty established its capital in Jin City, to stimulate the economy of the new capital, Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu led by example, ordering Bu Ye Zhou and Ban Yue Ge to open stores and do business in the new capital.
On the surface, Bu Ye Zhou was prosperous enough, but only Yun Ying, who was in charge of managing Bu Ye Zhou, knew the actual business situation.
Even though Yun Ying was already a capable manager, she became extremely nervous when Lu Qingwan asked, like a child being tested by a teacher.
Twisting her handkerchief, she nervously said, "The new capital was not significantly affected by the war. Moreover, Bu Ye Zhou had already established its reputation in Shangjing, so business has been quite good.
It has been profitable since it opened, and sometimes the income is even better than in Shangjing.
After saying that, she felt she might be bragging and quickly added, "The main reason is that the new dynasty has only been established for a short time, and there are not many high-class restaurants in the new capital.
In addition, the local restaurants' dishes are mostly spicy, and the officials and nobles from Shangjing find them difficult to adapt to. Therefore, many people come to Bu Ye Zhou.
This is only temporary. In time, once the merchants in the new capital figure out the trends, business at Bu Ye Zhou might decline.
But please rest assured, Princess Consort, this servant will definitely find ways to ensure Bu Ye Zhou's profitability without making you incur losses."