Li Jingyun had spoken lightly during the Double Ninth Festival feast, but in fact, there was still a great deal of work to be done.
For example, she hadn't yet decided on a location for her sweater shop. There were only two options, the Eastern Market or the Western Market. These two places were the liveliest and most prosperous in Chang'an City.
On the tenth day of September, the day after the Double Ninth Festival, Li Jingyun got up early from her bed. She pulled Li Mingda out of the palace for a stroll. Their main task for the day was to find a good shop.
The Eastern Market was bustling with people. There were all kinds of snack stalls. Even though Li Jingyun had already had breakfast, she still ended up with a bunch of things in her hands after walking down the street.
While munching on candied fruits, she heard a commotion just a few steps ahead.
In front of a shop on the street, a young and beautiful girl was arguing with three men. It seemed to be about the ownership of this shop.
A crowd had gathered to watch the show.
Li Jingyun and Li Mingda joined the onlookers. Li Jingyun sized up the shop. It was clean and tidy. The furnishings were simple but practical. It was located on such a busy street in the Eastern Market, yet for some reason, there weren't many customers.
"Since Mother married into our Wu family, these dowries should naturally be ours! And you, how dare you be so disobedient to your elder brothers in public? Have you no shame at all?"
"Exactly! A shrew like you will never be able to get married. Who would want to take you in? You keep saying this is Mother's dowry left for you. What do you need a dowry for when you can't even get married?"
"You'd better go back quickly and stop embarrassing yourself in public. This shop must be sold today!"
The three elder brothers took turns scolding, their faces turning red with anger.
The girl on the other side seemed completely unfazed. She was calm and composed as she said, "The deed to this shop is in my hands. No matter how much you argue, it's useless. Don't even think about getting it from me. Even if the business is bad and the income is low, only I have the right to decide whether to sell it or not."
Li Mingda, who was watching the show, asked curiously, "Why do they call her 'Mother' instead of 'Aniang'?"
The difference between these two terms was quite significant in the Tang Dynasty. 'Mother' was too formal and bookish. Ordinary people didn't use it.
"Maybe she's their stepmother?" Li Jingyun guessed. "But Sister, your focus is quite unique."
"Why are you so stubborn? Princess Chengyang is planning to open a sweater shop. Maybe she'll take a fancy to our shop. If we can get in touch with the princess, our Wu family will surely rise to glory!" Wu Yuanqing was so anxious that he could barely contain himself.
"Who is Princess Chengyang? Even if she does buy this shop, she won't help you guys. If I give you the money, you'll just spend it on food and women. What about the family?"
Wu Meiniang glared at them and shouted.
These words trampled on the fragile self - esteem of her elder brothers. Wu Yuanqing, the hot - tempered eldest brother, raised his hand and almost hit Wu Meiniang in the face.
It was Wu Weiliang who stopped him. "We're all family. Why make such a scene? There are so many people watching!"
Li Jingyun, who was happily munching on candied fruits, was suddenly called by name. She was completely confused. What did this have to do with her?
Her sweater shop was the talk of the town!
Li Mingda pulled Li Jingyun and whispered, "This seems to be the family of Duke Ying, Wu Shiyue."
"I also think they look a bit familiar. I must have seen them somewhere."
Li Jingyun nodded. She didn't recognize them, but they seemed to know her very well.
"Stop right there!"
Suddenly, some constables appeared in the crowd. The leader was a tall and handsome young man with sword - shaped eyebrows and starry eyes.
The onlookers quickly dispersed. Some went back to their business, some continued eating, and some were still bargaining. But their eyes still glanced at the group from time to time.
"Constable Xie, this is just a family matter. We had a little argument. Why did you even get involved?" Wu Yuanqing immediately changed his tone. "Come to think of it, we didn't have a chance to invite you for a drink during the Double Ninth Festival yesterday. Since we've met today, why don't we do it now?"
After saying this, he wanted to slap himself. As the son of a duke, even though his family was in decline, he shouldn't be groveling to a low - ranking constable like Xie Wu.
If it were the children of Cheng Yaojin arguing today, would he dare to scold them like this?
"Don't try to get on my good side. The deed to this shop is in Wu Meiniang's hands. You can't just sell it without her permission." Constable Xie glared at them.
"That's not true, Constable. If this shop is really going to be sold, what does a girl like Wu Meiniang know? This is a major matter for our whole family." Wu Yuanshuang quickly added.
Looking at how eager they were, it seemed as if they were certain that Li Jingyun would buy their shop and think highly of them.
It was as if their future glory and prosperity depended entirely on this shop.
"Right, Constable Xie. The little princess has seen this shop and praised it highly. Why do you have to get involved in this mess?" Wu Weiliang mentioned Li Jingyun again, hoping to use her name to intimidate Constable Xie and Wu Meiniang.
Wu Meiniang was so angry that she laughed at her brothers' ability to twist the truth. How could they just make things up?
"Although the princess is young, she is intelligent and resourceful. How could she buy a shop from a bunch of hooligans like you?" Wu Meiniang said.
"What did you say! Do you know how to respect your elders!"
"We're your elder brothers after all!"
The brothers were furious, but with Constable Xie around, they could only shout and didn't dare to lay a hand on her.
Li Jingyun was completely bewildered. This was not even close to happening. How could they say that she had already taken a fancy to this shop?
Li Jingyun finished her candied fruits and walked over. "When did I say I took a fancy to this shop and praised it highly?"
"Your Highness?"
Wu Yuanqing and the others turned pale instantly. Their legs went weak and they knelt on the ground. "Your Highness, please understand. It was Wu Meiniang who was being unreasonable. We had no choice but to say so."
The person they had been talking about just now had suddenly appeared in front of them! This was too terrifying!
Moreover, it seemed that the little princess had heard what they had said!
"Greetings to Your Highness." Wu Meiniang and Constable Xie were much more composed. They knew who had a guilty conscience.
Li Jingyun waved her hand. "Get up. Your name is Meiniang? Show me your shop."
After watching such an interesting show, she hadn't forgotten the purpose of her outing today.
"Yes."
Wu Meiniang replied. Looking at her brothers with hatred, she found it more and more amusing. She led Li Jingyun around the shop and said as she walked, "Your Highness, this shop was originally my mother's dowry. Those brothers are my step - brothers. They're so greedy for money that they're trying to take it over in your name."
"My mother and I disagreed, so they even hired hooligans to cause trouble in front of the shop. As a result, the business has been completely ruined."
Li Jingyun was so angry that she wanted to scold the Wu brothers. But when the words came to her lips, she found that her upbringing prevented her from doing so.
How could there be such elder brothers in the world!
Not only did they not take care of their old mother and young sister, but these grown men were also leeching off them and expecting them to survive!
Comparing them to her own brothers, Li Jingyun felt a headache coming on.
Li Mingda smiled. "Hongxuan, I think this place is quite good. Why don't we just settle for it?"
"Sure. Let's talk about the price."
After coming down from the third floor, Li Jingyun was quite satisfied with the shop. More importantly, she was impressed by Wu Meiniang and wanted to make friends with her.