The Land So Rich in Beauty, Chapter 4

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This trip was quite long. We traveled for nearly half an hour in a windowless carriage, and when we got off, we were already inside a mansion.

"I'm sorry, young master," the woman said, her bright eyes full of apology. "This is my father's secluded residence, and it's not convenient for outsiders to know about it. Please forgive me."

I couldn't help but suppress my displeasure. The mansion was square and unlike the typical gardens of wealthy families in Jiangnan, with their pavilions and towers. It resembled the deep, walled courtyards of a northern mansion, exuding a subtle, somber atmosphere.

A thought struck me, and I chuckled, "Could it be that Bao Da Xiang has moved its headquarters from Yingtian Prefecture to Hangzhou?"

The girl hesitated for a moment before replying, "Young master, your insight is keen; that's exactly right. My father said Yingtian is a place of constant warfare, so we moved our headquarters here four years ago. The one in Yingtian Prefecture is just a front now. This matter concerns our company's secrets, so please keep it confidential, young master."

I said "Oh," recalling the rebellion of Chen Hao five years ago. Although it only lasted forty-three days, it was still a time of great conflict, and my master had led us to flee to Fujian. Large merchant houses like Bao Da Xiang could feel the cruelty of war even more acutely.

Turning back to Xiao Xiao and the other two, I said, "Since the young master has given instructions, then she didn't say anything just now, and we didn't hear anything either."

Yu Long pouted, "Why are you so fierce? We won't say anything."

We followed her through several winding paths before finally arriving at an inconspicuous house. She took out her key and opened the door. The hinges creaked laboriously. Upon closer inspection, she realized the door was made of iron, but well-concealed, appearing like an ordinary wooden door. The thick walls also seemed to be made of iron. There were no windows, and the inside was pitch black. She fiddled with the key somewhere, and with a series of creaking sounds, a skylight covered with iron bars appeared in the roof, instantly illuminating the room.

After closing the iron door, she fiddled with the key in front of a Buddhist shrine, and a sandalwood platform slowly rose from the ground.

"Young master, this is our shop's most treasured area. In fact, you are our first guest here.

" My vanity swelled for a moment before I calmed down. "Since the young master thinks so highly of me, I should at least leave behind a few hundred thousand taels of silver."

Her smile was bright. "Doing business with you is so worry-free and effortless."

Xiao Xiao, Linglong, and I sat on one side, while she sat opposite us, taking out a brocade box from under the table and gently lifting the lid.

"Wow..." Xiao Xiao and the Linglong sisters couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. It was a diamond ring, the band flowing and exquisitely crafted, but that wasn't unusual. What was truly astonishing was the enormous diamond on it, emitting a dazzling light.

So extravagant! I remained unmoved. "To be honest, young master, I have never seen such a large diamond before. Calling it a 'rare treasure' is no exaggeration. However, it's only suitable for collection; wearing it on my hand wouldn't be appropriate. What I want is the kind that I can wear on ordinary days."

As I spoke, I added, almost jokingly, "I think it would be more suitable to set it in a crown."

She glanced at me. "I see." She looked down and pulled out two brocade boxes.

In the left box lay a string of pearl necklaces. I've seen many pearl necklaces; Xiao Xiao has several. But this string of pearls was exceptionally large and pure in color, and even more remarkably, they were all the same size, making it instantly precious.

"This is a top-grade sandalwood bead from the South Sea. Young master, can you smell the sandalwood fragrance?"

I took it and smelled it; indeed, there was a faint sandalwood scent, and my heart felt instantly refreshed. "Does this bead perhaps have the effect of refreshing the mind and calming the spirit?"

She smiled and nodded, her eyes showing approval.

Seeing that Yu Long was already eager to try it, and Yu Ling also looked tempted, I beckoned to Yu Long, "Sister, come here."

This is the advantage of being a lecher; if you're a gentleman, would you dare call someone "sister" so casually? However, even a lecher needs to consider the timing and location. If I called "sister" in another place, Yu Long might get angry with me. But now, she just moved to my side somewhat awkwardly. I stood up and put the necklace around her neck. The ivory-white pearls and Yu Long's pink skin complemented each other, making Yu Long even more beautiful.

"Sister, you're so beautiful." Although the Linglong sisters weren't as beautiful to the bone as Xiao Xiao, the difference was only slight. At this moment, with the pearls and jade adorning her, Yulong looked truly radiant and captivating. Yuling, standing beside her, also noticed her sister's transformation, her eyes filled with envy.

Seeing this, I asked, "Are there any more?"

"Unfortunately, our shop only has this one string. I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, young master. Sandalwood beads are extremely rare, and they must be of uniform size. Finding another string like this is probably harder than climbing to heaven."

Yulong glanced at her sister, a conflicted expression on her face. After hesitating for a long time, she seemed to finally make up her mind, gritting her teeth as she took off the necklace. I held her hand and said, "Young Master, name your price, Grandma." Then I turned to Yulong and said, "Silly girl, Grandma is kind-hearted, but a little slow. Later, Grandma will pick out another one, so you can wear it interchangeably."

Yulong was overjoyed, but just as a smile appeared on her face, she heard the girl say, "Thirty-six thousand taels." Her smile immediately turned into surprise. "Other people's pearl necklaces only cost twenty or thirty taels of silver. Even if Grandma's is the best, two or three hundred taels should be enough, right? Why over thirty thousand taels?"

"My dear grandma, if you don't understand, don't speak. Nobody thinks you're mute," I thought to myself. The

girl smiled but didn't say anything. I had to explain for her. Thinking about it, I felt a bit wronged buying this, and it was fortunate I brought them along; otherwise, I might not have cared about it after buying it.

“Girl, pearls, like people, have their own beauty and ugliness. You probably couldn’t find a girl as beautiful as you out of ten thousand people, and similarly, you could only find one pure and large pearl out of a thousand. This necklace should have thirty-six identical pearls. Do the math, thirty-six thousand pearls can only make this one necklace. Is thirty-six thousand taels expensive, young master? Alright, don’t take it off. Take it off when you go out. This necklace is only suitable for wearing at home. I’ll just buy you another chain for everyday use.”

“Little sister, your brother is wise and discreet; what he said just now was truly insightful. This sandalwood bead necklace is indeed only suitable for home wear. As for the necklaces that you two sisters usually wear, I will offer them to you as a small gift from me.” As she spoke, the girl picked up a pair of emerald green jade bracelets from the brocade box on the right and handed them to me, saying, “Young master, please take a look at these bracelets.”

The style of these bracelets was not what I wanted, and without examining them closely, I said, “Young master, the Ministry of Rites has decreed that ‘commoners’ wives are not allowed to wear bracelets or anklets.’ I do not have any official rank, so my sister cannot wear bracelets on her wrist.”

Xiao Xiao took them from the side, examined them carefully, and pondered for a moment before saying, “Master, don’t these bracelets match that pearl necklace very well?” For

women, especially beautiful women, the value of jewelry lies in its quality, not its quantity. How to match jewelry is an art in itself, a conclusion I have drawn from personally experimenting with many beautiful women. Xiao Xiao's reminder immediately brought to mind Yu Long's naked body adorned with a pearl necklace and jade bracelet. The smoothness of the pearls and jade complemented Yu Long's delicate charm perfectly.

"Was this originally a set?" I asked casually.

"No, this young lady just felt that this combination was very harmonious."

Oh? I suddenly imagined her alone in this room, having taken off all her clothes, surrounded by gold and jade ornaments. Her snow-white body was the perfect testing ground, and she tried on each piece of jewelry, finding the best combination. I couldn't help but give her a meaningful look.

Huh? Why are her eyes so misty? I can't see her eyes clearly. Could it be... the magic of this mask?

"Okay, I'll buy it." "Two thousand three hundred taels."

Next, I picked out a diamond necklace for Yu Ling for twenty-five thousand taels of silver. Xiao Xiao took a fancy to a longevity silver lock, which was exquisitely crafted, with dragons and phoenixes carved on it, making it look very auspicious. I knew she remembered what I said and wanted to prepare some small ornaments for our child.

The girl said, "These things are not worth much, but this longevity lock has a history, so it was more expensive when we bought it. If you like it, young master, our shop will sell it at cost, one thousand taels of silver."

After looking at about one hundred and thirty or forty ornaments, the girl spread her hands, "That's all."

I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. I had been wanting to get Xiao Xiao an anklet, but I could never find a suitable one. "Really, there's nothing else?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, "There are a few more, but they don't look like ornaments." I said let's take a look, and the girl took out three brocade boxes.

Upon opening the left-hand box, the Linglong sisters gasped in unison, their faces instantly turning crimson.

Inside lay two gemstone rings, gleaming dazzlingly in the sunlight. Though their style differed slightly, they clearly shared the same name as the ornaments Xiao Xiao wore on her nipples—nipple rings.

“These earrings are remarkably similar to the ones you commissioned from our shop two years ago, young master, but…” a hint of confusion flickered in the girl’s eyes, “they’re rather heavy, and I’ve never seen Madam wear them.”

“Would the young master like to see how they look on?” Such an opportunity was rare indeed. Heavens, you truly favor me! I’m a lecherous scoundrel! Perhaps you, sir, are also one of us?

"Yes."

"Really want to see?"

"Really."

Xiao Xiao's hands began to unbutton the front of her garment. The girl looked even more confused, but soon seemed to understand something. A deep shyness flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly raised her hand, about to say "no," when Xiao Xiao's hands suddenly quickened their pace. By the time the word "no" left her lips, Xiao Xiao's upper body was only covered by a bodice.

Just as I gently pulled, letting Xiao Xiao's ample breasts stand erect in the air, a diamond veil suddenly appeared in front of the girl's mask. It was shrouded in mist, making it impossible for me to see the expression in her eyes behind the veil. However, the veil couldn't cover her body either; I saw her chest heaving faster.

A surge of pleasure welled up inside me. When the diamond veil fell, I already knew that her cultivation was still a little lacking.

"These masks have quite a few designs," I thought to myself, but my mouth didn't stop: "Young Master, these aren't earrings, they're called nipple rings."

Even I felt my voice was dripping with the lewd fluids flowing from Xiao Xiao's private parts, lewd and wet. The Linglong sisters were already blushing with embarrassment. They certainly couldn't understand why, after killing ten or eight lecherous thieves, they'd made another lecherous thief their senior brother. Although this thief was somewhat different from the ones they'd killed before, he was indeed a lecherous thief.

"Thank you for your guidance, Young Master." The girl's voice remained calm, but I could already hear a slight fluctuation within it. Xiao Xiao's body was indeed attractive even to women.

I knew I should continue to torment her, making the crack in her heart grow wider and wider, until she could only fill it with her deep longing for me. I took out a nipple ring and slowly put it on Xiao Xiao. The cat's eye embedded in the ring looked like a human eye peering at Xiao Xiao's pink nipple, appearing exceptionally alluring.

The girl's breathing softened, a result of her deliberate control. I thought that was enough; she wouldn't forget that lewd scene. A balance of tension and relaxation was key to success, so I changed the subject: "This isn't from Central China."

"Sir, you have a good eye," the girl said, relieved. "Our shop acquired this from a Western Region merchant a few days ago. Because of the language barrier, I remembered you had ordered similar items before, so I decided to buy it. This pair cost our shop 29,000 taels of silver, and I'm adding 30%. You don't object, do you?"

Based on my understanding of this industry, jewelry shops sometimes mark up prices tenfold for those unfamiliar with the trade. But for rare items worth tens of thousands, honesty is paramount. Cheating once would lose a large number of major customers—a loss that doesn't outweigh the gain. This time, the young master of Bao Da Xiang's price was very fair; I thought the profit margin would be at most 15%, or even less. The fact that he wanted to add 30% clearly showed his dissatisfaction with my earlier actions.

"Hate is merely a catalyst for love, little sister. I still have much to learn.

" "Alright, consider this my apology to the young master." With that, I opened the brocade box in the middle, inside were two pearl chains, one large and one small.

Each chain had nine identical beads, but these beads were different from regular pearls, gleaming with a crystalline luster. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were all luminous pearls. The larger chain had beads slightly smaller than a pigeon's egg, while the smaller chain was only half the size of the larger beads. One end of the chain had a white jade bead smaller than the luminous pearls, and the other end had a white jade finger ring.

"It's a waste to string luminous pearls together like this, but..." The girl seemed to remember something, stopping mid-sentence.

"Yes, it doesn't look like a necklace, nor a bracelet. Brother, what exactly is this?" Yu Long couldn't help but ask curiously. Because she didn't want to reveal her identity, she could only call me brother, but it sounded vague.

"Little sister, I'll keep you in suspense this time." I played along, making sure to emphasize "brother" clearly. I thought to myself, very few people in the world know about these back garden beads. It would be strange if you knew. I'll tell you what they are when I deflower you.

"This pair of beads is more expensive, 128,000 taels."

Thankfully, it wasn't unexpected. I only had less than 500,000 taels of silver notes on me. If she quoted an exorbitant price, I'd be embarrassed. A fine luminous pearl can cost tens of thousands of taels of silver.

"Xiao Xiao, put them away." Xiao Xiao had already dressed again and smiled sweetly at me. I knew she was looking forward to my back garden training that night.

"Young master, what a generous offer!" Although the diamond veil obscured her expression, I could tell from her voice that she was genuinely surprised.

The contents of the first two brocade boxes made me anticipate the last one. The platinum dragonfly inside certainly didn't disappoint. This dragonfly, about the size of Xiao Xiao's small hand, was covered in mechanisms. With a gentle shake, its wings vibrated, its tiny claws grasped and released, and even its tail tapped incessantly as if laying eggs.

Because it wasn't adorned with any gemstones, this ingeniously crafted dragonfly only sold for six thousand six hundred taels of silver. I couldn't help but feel sorry for it. "Once I get Milk into bed, I'll let her taste the power of my little dragonfly!" I thought to myself.

"The total is 236,600 taels of silver. Rounding down, you can pay 236,000 taels, young master."

I counted the silver notes and handed them to her. She lowered her head and began to write the contract. I casually remarked, "Young master, forgive my bluntness, but Bao Da Xiang has been in trouble lately, hasn't it?"

Her hand immediately stopped. "What do you mean by that, young master?"

I began to use my trump card. I had started to suspect Bao Da Xiang when I heard that they couldn't accept the bracelet I commissioned. After arriving at their treasure room, I was even more certain. Bao Da Xiang, you are far worse than I imagined.

"I have seen your collection; the sheer quantity and beauty of your pieces are truly breathtaking."

This was the truth, and even Xiao Xiao and the other two nodded in agreement.

"However, none of these pieces are made with your craftsmanship. If I were to acquire them, I estimate it would cost at least two million taels of silver. These ornaments are indeed exquisite; surely your company could make them, so why would you need to buy them? Even buying a dozen or twenty pieces for observation would be normal, but buying over a hundred pieces would probably..."

"Wait!" The girl abruptly interrupted me. "If it's convenient for you, sir, I would like to speak with you privately."

I waved my hand. "Xiao Xiao, Linglong, wait for me outside. Don't wander off."

After Xiao Xiao and the others left, the girl gently touched her mask, and the diamond veil rolled into a hair tie. She calmly said, "My father's surname is Yin. I am the second daughter, and everyone in my family calls me Second Miss."

Ironically, after spending over a million taels of silver at Bao Da Xiang, I only just learned that the owner's surname is Yin. Seeing the faint weariness in her dark eyes, I knew that behind her calm voice, her heart was already overwhelmed and beginning to break down. However, if I gave her a strong arm now, although she would gratefully lean on it, it was hard to say whether that gratitude would turn into love and obedience once she recovered.

So I could only offer her one hand, a hand that she could only hold with all her might. I extended my hand: "My name is Wang Dong, courtesy name Bieqing. If you think highly of me, I will take the liberty of calling you 'sister,' and you can call me 'elder brother.'"

Perhaps my expression and voice were too sincere, or perhaps for some other reason she couldn't refuse, her lips moved twice, and she softly called out, "Elder brother." I

had been a little worried that she might call me "young master" next, but now I was completely confident. Good girl, now that she's called me "elder brother," how could she possibly escape my grasp?!

“Sister, is there a problem with Bao Da Xiang’s manpower?”

Second Miss Yin nodded. “Brother is truly insightful; he even noticed the problem in our procurement.” She paused and asked me, “Brother, do you know ‘Ji Yue Zhai’?”

Ji Yue Zhai? I shook my head; I’d never heard of it.

Miss Yin smiled, "Brother, how long has it been since you returned to your residence in Yangzhou?"

I calculated, "It's been almost half a year since I went to Yingtian."

"That's right. Jiyuezhai was only established four months ago, but it opened three branches at once: Yingtian, Hangzhou, and Yangzhou. When it opened, it sent out invitations in all three places. All the powerful officials and wealthy merchants of the time received invitations. I guess your residence should have received one too, but you weren't home, so you didn't see it."

"Did Jiyuezhai take away a large number of people from Baodaxiang?" Jiyuezhai is such a large-scale business, it must need experienced people. It's inevitable that some people from Baodaxiang will be poached. However, the departure of one or two people won't affect Baodaxiang. Only a large number of people leaving will affect Baodaxiang's business.

“Brother, you guessed right. Apart from Master Liang, who has an eye ailment, the other six of my family’s seven top guards have all gone to Jiyuezhai.”

I was taken aback. “Does Jiyuezhai pay well?”

“I’m not sure, but my family definitely treats them well. They get 360 taels of silver a year plus a bonus, which is at least 600 taels a year.”

That’s quite a lot. I frowned. “Sister, it’s not about the money. If it were about the money, at most two or three people would leave. They wouldn’t all switch jobs.”

“I think so too, and the prices at Jiyuezhai Jewelry are exceptionally cheap, almost the price my family pays for our goods.”

As she spoke, there was a hint of apology in her eyes. “Brother, please don’t be angry, but this is the most money my family has made in the past three months. We’ve been selling at a loss these past few days, and even so, we’ve had far fewer customers because we can’t find good craftsmen right now, so we can’t take on custom orders like yours, which are actually the most profitable.”

I laughed and said, “If I can’t make money for you, brother, why should someone else?”

I thought to myself, Jiyuezhai is clearly targeting Baodaxiang, and Baodaxiang is deeply rooted in the industry; it’s no easy task to bring it down. Jiyuezhai must have strong backing. So I asked, “Sister, who owns Jiyuezhai?”

“I don’t know either, I only know that the owner’s surname is Song, and everyone calls him Mr. Song.”

I saw a pleading look in her eyes, as if she wanted to speak but hesitated. She's already relying on me, something she probably never even dreamed of an hour ago, I thought to myself. But what does she want from me? Money? Possibly, but Bao Da Xiang has been in the jewelry business for so many years, even with its competitors waging this price war, Bao Da Xiang won't be easily dragged down. Right now, Bao Da Xiang is probably more concerned about why its competitor, Ji Yue Zhai, can drive down jewelry prices so low. Is it a temporary measure to win customers, or are they simply getting cheap goods from the start?

Having figured this out, I tentatively asked, "Little sister, do you perhaps want me to probe Ji Yue Zhai's true intentions?"

She immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but then lowered her diamond veil. "Big brother, that's exactly what I was thinking, but I didn't know how to bring it up. Luckily, you saw through me." She

chuckled softly and added, "Big brother's mind is too sharp. I had to lower my veil so you wouldn't see right through me."

I couldn't help but secretly doubt my judgment. No wonder Grandma called me "big brother"; she had already planned this all along. This little girl doesn't seem so easy to deal with. He then deliberately changed the subject: "Little sister, if I'm not mistaken, Grandma is probably not even eighteen yet."

She hesitated for a moment before replying, "Big brother, your eyes are sharp."

"Little sister, managing Bao Da Xiang's business at such a young age, your uncle is truly at ease."

"My father is disabled, my mother and several aunts are not good at this, my sister has been sickly since childhood, my brother-in-law is a scholar, and my younger brother and sister are still small. If I don't manage it, who will?"

A scholar? I am a scholar too! But hearing the helplessness in her words, I felt a pang of pity, and a small displeasure was hidden in my heart.

“Alright, then brother, please help Grandma investigate Jiyuezhai. But this can't be rushed. If they're interested, they might know everything about my comings and goings at Baodaxiang. So we have to put Jiyuezhai aside for now. I have some other things to take care of these days. How about this, I'll go investigate Jiyuezhai in three months.” She hesitated

, and I was taken aback. Sister, could it be that Baodaxiang has financial problems and can't last three months?

“Brother, you don't know, we spent over three million taels on our new home in Hangzhou, and we also had to buy over two million taels worth of goods. The shop's working capital is almost gone. If this continues, we'll have to sell our assets to make ends meet in less than two months.” There was a bitterness in her voice.

Of course, I knew what the consequences of selling assets would be. Once the news got out, Baodaxiang's reputation would collapse. Although I didn't think Baodaxiang was as powerful as I had imagined, I didn't expect it to be so weak inside. This Miss Yin must have exhausted all her efforts to support this huge business.

I had to change my plans. "Sister, I don't have that much money on me. Take this 200,000 taels for now, and I'll come back with more money in a month."

The remaining 40,000 taels of silver I had should be enough if I was careful with my spending, and with this 200,000 taels of silver, I could last for at least a month.

"Also, don't tell anyone that I spent over 200,000 taels on jewelry here. If anyone asks, just say I bought two bracelets and a few necklaces, totaling less than 10,000 taels of silver. Remember that."

She was a sensible woman and naturally understood the reasoning behind it. After hesitating for a moment, she took the silver note and said in a very low voice, "Brother, I don't know how to repay your kindness."

I didn't say anything, just smiled slightly. I'm not running a charity; kindness should be repaid, of course. As for how to repay it, Grandma, you should think about it carefully, I thought to myself.

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The Land So Rich in Beauty, Chapter 4

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