Chapter 720

In our family garden, flowers bloom for at least ten months out of the year. This month has even more countless blooms; this kind of zero‑cost good business—how could it lack this young master? ~

Wei Shen was speechless for a moment, then struggled to say: "We barely escaped; what do we do if we run into Xiao Jin back there?"

"We don't need to go to the garden; the former court also has them!"

Wei Shen knew his mind was made up, so he reluctantly followed him back. The Great King was quite pleased with this: "Good thing we left early today!"

The two again left through the South Splendid Gate, returned to the palace and headed straight to the former court. The Great King observed along the way which big flowers would be suitable for hairpins, and soon he let him discover something good.

Outside the Broad Fortune Gate there was an empty space landscaped with artificial hills and pavilions; outside the small pavilion grew a kind of plant not found in the Great Jin. According to the usage instructions left by Zhao Zhu Ge, this flower should be called—Eternal Crown.

Eternal Crown flowers bloom in two colors, like layered petals stacked to complete a perfect transition from white to yellow. A single flower possesses both pale white and golden yellow, yet it looks most beautiful at night, when even under moonlight it emits a clear radiance, appearing ever more noble and cool.

Of course, in sunlight it also looks golden and sparkling, worth money; the Great King took a liking to it at first sight.

The prodigal son waved his hand handsomely: "Bring the shears!"

Wei Shen thought selling these flowers for two wen each was a waste; he felt the Great King had the air of someone selling his son's field for a pittance. The Great King cut a flower and held it up to his temple for comparison: "Look, it makes even Wei Shen look clear‑eyed and handsome."

That was nonsense—though the Wei family were generals, they had no ugly people. Wei Shen was in the prime of life, his stature already grown. Today, taking off his armor and putting on a plain white robe, he concealed his lean but solid muscles; standing beneath the flower tree, he looked even more like a graceful, wind‑tossed handsome young man. The Great King scrutinized his cousin closely, only then realizing Wei Shen actually presented quite well.

"'Wearing this, my cousin could silence‑talk and still fool a young lady… No.' He then turned to look at the row of burly personal guards behind him: 'How could this combo be good for selling flowers? Even a little less courage would send you lot running!'"

He disliked it, and Wei Shen didn't want to get involved.

"'I'm not selling; today I'm just a passerby.'"

"'Like this, we'll split into two groups. I'll stay here to cut the flowers; Xiao Jin won't notice you. Cousin, you go to the rear palace and steal out Lao Qi—remember to dress him a bit…… Unfortunately Aheng has to go to school.' Otherwise Wei Heng would be the first choice—obedient and capable, but Lao Qi can't even count, and the Great King dislikes him."

The personal guards went to the imperial kitchen and found a large basket; the Great King snip‑snip, ruthlessly plucking the flowers, and the fine blooming Eternal Crown outside the Broad Fortune Gate was quickly ruined.

When Wei Shen carried Baili Zhang over, the group didn't waste a moment and slipped out of the palace again.

At today's minor council in the side hall of the Mingguang Hall, someone presented a memorial urging that the two new commanderies of Desert South and Cloud Capital, following local conditions, make use of their pastures to raise cattle, sheep, and horses for the Great Jin. The model could temporarily imitate the large farms the Great King built in the Northern Border. Xie Yuan reviewed the rough plan, deemed it feasible, and asked them to refine it further before submitting it to His Majesty for review.

After the minor council, Xie Yuan returned to his office; as head of the Three Dukes he naturally had his own private quarters, which were not small. Opening the window of his room, he could see the greenery outside the Broad Fortune Gate; today he glanced out casually and froze!

His beloved Eternal Crown had been cut to pieces by someone knows who!

Yesterday the tree that had been full of blossoms now had only a few lonely, unopened buds left.

One day he was busy until the moon was high; when he passed by the Broad Fortune Gate on his way back, this flower stunned him terribly. Only in the moonlight could he see what made it special, and he even specially asked the little eunuch who tended the flowers for its name.

Xie Yuan immediately sent an attendant to ask what was happening; when the little eunuch in charge of the garden heard Minister Xie's question, he came and went with trepidation: "Sir, it… it… it was Your Majesty who cut them off…" No one else dared.

Xie Yuan: ……

Minister Xie pressed his forehead, head aching.

Indeed, he usually saw how carefully the little eunuch who tended the flowers looked after them—who would dare touch this flower, need we even guess?

He too was angry and couldn't think of it right away.

"'……Do you know what His Majesty cut them for?'"

"'No, I don't know.'"

"'Alright, you may go back.'"

The Great King had already brought 'Basket‑carrier Little Brother' Wei Shen straight to Vermilion Bird Avenue; he wasn't looking for an empty spot, nor for a bustling area today, but headed straight to the front of the Chief Steward's milk‑tea shop.

"'……Just looking at you, I can tell you have no business sense—today's stall definitely ought to be set up where young ladies frequent!'"

Wei Shen set down the basket and was about to leave when the Great King called out: "Where are you going? If you leave, you won't get a share of the profits!"

Wei Shen glanced at the basket of flowers—about thirty or forty stems. "Is it short of a hundred wen? Not even enough for a cup of milk‑tea." He snorted and went into the shop behind him.

The Chief Steward's milk‑tea shop is called—Wulong Shengsheng.

The name is beautiful, and the price is beautiful. Beef is rare in the Great Jin, the shop is decorated gorgeously and the price is likewise high. To broaden its clientele, the shop also sells cheap goat‑milk tea, but no matter what tea, Wei Shen thought this basket of flowers wasn't enough for them all to share a cup.

The Great King objected: "Who does a hundred wen look down on? We'll sell for a hundred taels—right, Lao Qi?"

Lao Qi, raised in the palace plaque cage, had already drawn all the attention of the constant flow of passersby…

The Great King grabbed Lao Qi and gave him pointers face‑to‑face: "Do you still remember what I taught you? When you go out, what should you call me?"

"'Third Brother?'"

"'Not bad, you've finally made some progress. Well, today Third Brother will teach you a few survival tips—help you stand on your own, become a business tycoon, earn your keep early, so you won't need Third Brother's handouts—got it?'"

Baili Zhang short‑circuited again: "Got it?"

"'When selling goods, you must adapt to the place and to the person. For example, take your Fourth Brother—just one look and you see he's got money, so charge him a bit more; or… like that old lady selling pancakes over there, dressed in worn‑out clothes, you'd ask a lower price, a smaller amount—got it?'"

"'Got it?'"

"'Alright, Third Brother will now teach you how to hawk…'"

Wei Shen sat in the private booth on the second floor of the milk tea shop, watching these two guys squatting left and right by the basket like defective stone lions; he almost laughed out loud. What on earth is wrong with the Baili family's feng shui?

Unfortunately, he had only laughed for a moment when he looked up and saw Baili Hu and that strategist who had just been released sitting not far across from him……

Tsk! He was still wondering what kind of fate bound these three brothers when, in the next instant, he saw someone at the table behind Baili Hu giving him a meaningful look?

What does that mean? Does that person know him?

Unfortunately, before he could figure it out, in the next instant he saw the burly guy at the neighboring table somehow pull out a knife and slash at the table that had been giving him meaningful looks.

"Oh dear!"

The second floor quickly erupted into a brawl, and immediately someone stepped in front of Baili Hu; the whole second floor descended into a melee among the four fat men, and only then did Wei Shen suddenly realize and finally understand.

At last, someone from Jingzhou has arrived!

Poor Young Master Wei only now realized something was off—a whole second floor of a milk tea shop full of burly men?! If he had known, he would have been downstairs selling flowers!