The maidservant waiting outside the hall felt a chill run down her spine when she saw him. "S - S - Second Young Master, why are you here?"
Her voice was not soft, loud enough for those inside the hall to hear.
Lu Huaizhou, who had originally planned to leave directly, paused for two seconds and then simply stepped into the front hall.
Since he was already here!
The moment they heard his name, the Second Lady and the Third Lady's faces paled in unison.
Now, watching him approach in person, they felt as if the world was spinning before their eyes.
If Lady Lu was gentle and easy to manipulate, Lu Huaizhou was the complete opposite.
He had a stubborn and unyielding personality, was extremely difficult to talk to, and would always retort when he saw them.
For others, they might be able to put on the airs of an elder, but when it came to this dissolute young master, he would only say one thing to them.
"I'm the heir of the Duke of Zhennan. If you two aunts are dissatisfied, either keep your mouths shut or pack your bags and leave!"
Jiang Fuying took in their reactions and raised her delicate eyebrows slightly.
She didn't expect that this dissolute young master would be the bane of the Second and Third Branches.
But his arrival was just in time!
She quickly stepped forward and affectionately wrapped her arm around his. "Husband, you're here."
Lu Huaizhou stiffened slightly but showed no sign of it on his face. "Yes. I saw that Mother and you hadn't returned for a long time, so I came to check."
"Husband didn't lie to me before. These two aunts are the kindest and most considerate to the younger generation." Jiang Fuying waved the deed in her hand. "These two aunts specifically gave me this shop to practice my skills."
Lu Huaizhou's mouth twitched violently.
When did he ever describe the Second and Third Branches like this to her?
"Not only the shop." Jiang Fuying pursed her lips and pointed to the large pile of items in the hall. "These are all the welcome gifts from the two aunts!"
She emphasized the words "welcome gifts" so much that Lu Huaizhou immediately sensed something was off.
After he took a closer look at the "welcome gifts", he immediately understood what she meant: she didn't want to owe the Second and Third Branches this favor!
In that case, he'd be the bad guy.
Lu Huaizhou casually ripped open a bolt of silk, revealing the mildew spots on it. "I didn't know that the rules of etiquette require elders to give a new bride a pile of junk as a welcome gift?"
The Second Lady forced a smile. "Huaizhou, you've misunderstood. Every one of these welcome gifts was carefully selected by your Third Aunt and me. It's just this one..."
"Carefully selected?" Lu Huaizhou sneered coldly and tore off the fig leaf. "After your 'careful selection', the storerooms of the Second and Third Branches must be much cleaner, right?"
"If you two aunts can't afford to give welcome gifts or aren't sincere about it, stop pretending!"
After saying that, he didn't give them any chance to defend themselves. He put his arm around Jiang Fuying and said to Lady Lu, "Mother, let's go!"
By the time the Second and Third Ladies reacted, they could only see their backs in the distance.
The Second and Third Ladies looked ashen.
They knew Lu Huaizhou's temper well: if he found out there was something wrong with the welcome gifts today, he could go around the capital and spread the news tomorrow, making it known to everyone.
For the Second and Third Branches to get along in the capital, their reputation was of utmost importance.
So the Second Lady gritted her teeth. "Hurry up and send the other set of welcome gifts to the Eldest Branch!"
Seeing this, the Third Lady immediately said, "Send the gifts from our Third Branch too!"
...
Actually, Lu Huaizhou let go of his arm around her as soon as they left the West Garden.
Since Lady Lu was still there, he could only put his arm around her loosely to pretend to be loving.
But it turned out he was overthinking.
Because Lady Lu's attention wasn't on him but on Jiang Fuying, looking radiant.
"Fuying, how did I do just now?"
Jiang Fuying gave her a thumbs - up affirmatively. "Mother, you cooperated perfectly."
Lady Lu's lips couldn't stop curving up, and she didn't forget to praise her. "It's also because you had a well - thought - out plan, Fuying."
Lu Huaizhou closed his eyes helplessly.
What should he do? Should he join their mutual flattery?
...
Back in the room, Jiang Fuying handed the deed to Caipu and instructed her, "Remember to keep it well. It will be very useful."
Caipu stood there holding the deed, stunned.
Seeing her hesitation, Jiang Fuying simply said, "If you have any questions, just ask."
"Miss, today was such a good opportunity. Why did you choose a shop?" Caipu poured out her doubts.
Jiang Fuying didn't answer directly but instead asked her, "What do you think of the Eldest Branch of the Duke of Zhennan's Mansion?"
Caipu thought carefully for a moment. "This servant thinks they're very nice. At least they're more sincere to you than Master and Lady An were before you got married."
"Yes, they're nice in every way." Jiang Fuying said straightforwardly. "My mother - in - law has a gentle and easy - going personality. The Second Young Master has helped me many times. And Third Sister is gentle and respects me."
All of this was a thousand times better than the people in the Marquis of Pinging's Mansion in her previous life!
"If there's anything not good, it's that they're all too soft - tempered. So soft that the Second and Third Branches are so unscrupulous."
Before taking revenge, she needed to gain a firm foothold in the Duke of Zhennan's Mansion, and she also craved the warmth of a "family" that she rarely felt before.
"So what I need to do now is to prop up the Eldest Branch."
"The three branches of the Duke of Zhennan's Mansion haven't separated yet. Although the Eldest Branch lives in luxury and doesn't lack money, there are too many parasites."
"The Second and Third Branches have deep roots. To compete with them, we need to start by making money, make the Eldest Branch's economy independent, and not rely on those parasites."
Caipu understood but not completely. "Miss, since you want to open a shop to make money, why didn't you choose one that can rake in a fortune every day? Why did you choose such a..."
"Such an ordinary, even a rather bad shop, right?" Jiang Fuying smiled and finished her sentence.
"... Right."
"They might not be willing to give me a shop that can make a fortune." Jiang Fuying raised her head and motioned for her to look at the deed. "Take a closer look. What kind of shops are next to this one?"
Caipu checked the deed carefully. "Silk shops, jewelry shops, rouge shops... They're all related to women's clothing and dressing. This servant has heard of some of them. They're old shops that have been open for more than ten years."
The smile on Jiang Fuying's lips widened a bit. "Then tell me, with these shops around, will there be few customers?"
In her previous life, she had been the mistress of the household for ten years and was well - versed in the ways of business.
Old shops never lacked regular customers. And a shop located among these old shops would have an advantage in terms of the number of customers.
As for why this shop was previously empty?
A blank piece of paper was the best for writing and drawing.
"The empty shopfront will save us a lot of time for renovation!"
Caipu suddenly understood.
"Miss, then what are you going to..."
Jiang Fuying hooked her finger at her. "I'm going to spread the news that I'm going to open a shop, especially to let my dear younger sister know."
It was not easy to open a shop. Of course, she had to make the most of it!