~ RETURN OF FIFTY PEOPLE ~
Mu Yunyao stayed home to recover in peace, but Jingling City was anything but peaceful.
The Ding family’s shops were all sealed shut. The moment commoners asked around, they learned the fire at Ni Yun Fang was very likely set by the Ding family. Instantly, the city turned on them. People cursed in the streets, demanding that the Ding family be punished severely and that Miss Mu be given justice.
The Ding family was thrown into prison. Under only light interrogation, they confessed they’d been ordered by Jingling’s Assistant Prefect and the Pacification Commissioner. With evil swelling in their guts, they’d decided to burn Ni Yun Fang to the ground.
The entire city erupted.
The Assistant Prefect and the Pacification Commissioner had always enjoyed decent reputations outside. Quite a few citizens even supported them. Hearing they’d ordered someone to burn Ni Yun Fang, many began to doubt whether the investigation had gone wrong.
Then, Governor Zhang held a public interrogation. Crowds flocked to the yamen gates to listen.
Both men denied setting the fire, but as the investigation dug deeper, other unbelievable secrets were dragged into the light.
The Assistant Prefect had abused his power for personal gain and embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from Riverworks funds. Worse, he had used his own wife, Ding Yuexin, to curry favor with superiors. She helped him conceal evidence, colluded with him, and covered his tracks.
When the Pacification Commissioner heard that, he exploded on the spot and started fighting the Assistant Prefect right in court. The scene turned into chaos. Governor Zhang nearly broke his gavel trying to restore order.
And what surfaced afterward was even more jaw-dropping.
Ding Yuexin had been intimately involved with five different men at the same time. The Ding family’s meteoric rise had been bought with her body—one gown shed after another.
In an instant, the Ding family became a target of universal hatred. Even Ding Yuelan and the other Ding daughters were dragged down, their reputations shattered.
Whether or not they had truly set the fire no longer mattered.
The Assistant Prefect and the Pacification Commissioner had no path left to turn things around.
Su Qingwu wrote a memorial detailing Jingling’s events and submitted it to the court. Fearing unrest and the spread of rumors, he sent the report to the capital overnight by courier horse.
The moment the news reached the capital, censors repeatedly petitioned, demanding harsh punishment.
Naturally, Mu Yunyao heard everything as well. She even sent Jin Lan to ask around about Ding Yuelan, but after a long time of probing, she still couldn’t get any reliable information.
After seven or eight days of rest, the smaller injuries on her body had healed completely. Only the wound in her palm still ached faintly. Counting the days, she estimated that Liu Liang and the others would return soon, so she decided to go to Jinxiu Garden.
Even though it was practically next door, Su Qing refused to let her step outside. Mu Yunyao used every trick she had, making promise after promise, until Su Qing finally allowed her to go, with Jin Lan and Jin Qiao accompanying her.
The moment Steward Qin heard she’d arrived, he hurried out to greet her.
“Greetings, Miss Mu. How are your injuries?”
“Thank you for your concern, Steward Qin. I’m mostly fine now.”
“You still look pale,” Steward Qin said, frowning. “You must rest more. This old servant prepared bird’s nest and ginseng, but I didn’t dare send them over rashly, fearing Madam might misunderstand. When you leave later, you must take them.”
“Then I’ll thank Steward Qin in advance.”
Mu Yunyao sat by the pavilion, waiting.
They’d agreed on the same time, fifteen days later. Whoever else might be late, Liu Liang would not. He would return on the dot.
As she was thinking, a servant came to report.
“Miss, Steward Qin, Wei Yi, Yun Chun, and the others have returned.”
Mu Yunyao’s eyes brightened. “Invite them in.”
Steward Qin was equally curious. After half a month on the Qinhuai riverbanks, had they changed?
Liu Liang entered first. He bowed to Mu Yunyao, then silently took his place at her side. His gaze stayed on her, steady and quiet, carrying a faint emotion that was hard to name.
Wei Yi and Yun Chun followed slightly behind. Their expressions were still restrained, almost unchanged at first glance—but if you looked closely, something about their presence was different.
Mu Yunyao swept her gaze over them, satisfaction flickering in her eyes.
“Go prepare. Change your clothes, then come back here and brew a pot of tea.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Soon, all fifty returned in clean clothes. They took their seats behind their own tables, then bowed in unison to Mu Yunyao and Steward Qin.
Steward Qin’s eyes widened.
They were the same people… yet completely different.
Before, they had smiled too, but no matter how bright the smile was, it carried a cold edge. Now, their expressions felt natural, comfortable, warm in a way that didn’t force itself. Mu Yunyao nodded slightly. “Begin.”
(Sand Teapot)
All fifty moved together, hands rising and falling as one. White sleeves flowed. Water poured into clay kettles with a clear, tinkling sound—tea fragrance spread. Cup lids tapped lightly—crisp, clean.
Then all fifty bowed again, hands gathered, kneeling neatly behind their tables.
Steward Qin’s face lit up with shock and delight. They already carried five or six parts of Mu Yunyao’s “spirit” when she brewed tea. And with so many moving in perfect rhythm, the effect was downright breathtaking.
“What does Miss Mu think?” he asked eagerly.
Below, the fifty all lifted their eyes toward Mu Yunyao, waiting for approval.
Mu Yunyao… shook her head.
“Too much.”
Steward Qin blinked. “Too much? Please enlighten us.”
Mu Yunyao’s voice stayed calm. “A tea house opens its doors to guests. Among all those guests, how many truly love tea? I suspect not even one or two out of ten. Most come to socialize, to do business, to put on a show of elegance.”
“If we can’t stand out, then with so many tea houses and tea shops… why would anyone choose ours?”
As she spoke, Mu Yunyao rose and sat behind a table herself, beginning to brew tea.
Her complexion was still pale, her clothes plain. Yet the moment she moved, everyone’s eyes locked onto her hands.
It was the same technique.
But when she did it, it became art.
Her movements flowed like clouds and water, carrying an indescribable beauty that made the heart go quiet.
“You all know this tea house isn’t only about earning silver,” she continued, voice clear as a bell. “If we can’t attract as many people as possible, then opening it is meaningless.”
“You’ve returned more vivid than before, yes. But remember—this is a tea house. What we want is to wash away dust and keep our hearts refined.”
“You are not displaying yourselves.”
“You are displaying the tea.”
“So your breath, your presence, must merge with it.”
Her voice, mingled with the fragrance of tea, seemed to drift straight into their hearts. Their minds calmed. Only her words echoed, lingering.
Mu Yunyao finished, then gently placed a teacup before Steward Qin.
Her smile wasn’t especially soft. If anything, it was faint, almost distant.
And yet everyone felt… this was exactly how she should be.
So clean. So untouchable.
So worth admiring.
Mu Yunyao lifted her eyes to the fifty.
“You must please the guests, but you cannot be humble or fawning. Instead, you must make them lower their guard on their own and treat you as a confidant. Only then will you get what you want.”
“The balance in that… you have to grasp yourselves.”
This kind of thing couldn’t be fully taught with words.
Some of them already had one foot in the door. With more practice, they would reach completion.
Steward Qin couldn’t help admiring her again. If it came to shaping people, Miss Mu truly had methods. Even he couldn’t help but respect her. Back then, these fifty hadn’t seemed outstanding—only loyal and steady, able to follow His Royal Highness’s orders without wavering.
But now…
Steward Qin had a sudden feeling.
These fifty might one day become far more capable than anyone expected—perhaps even far beyond what His Royal Highness had imagined.
Then all fifty bowed again, hands gathered, kneeling neatly behind their tables.
Steward Qin’s face lit up with shock and delight. They already carried five or six parts of Mu Yunyao’s “spirit” when she brewed tea. And with so many moving in perfect rhythm, the effect was downright breathtaking.
“What does Miss Mu think?” he asked eagerly.
Below, the fifty all lifted their eyes toward Mu Yunyao, waiting for approval.
Mu Yunyao… shook her head.
“Too much.”
Steward Qin blinked. “Too much? Please enlighten us.”
Mu Yunyao’s voice stayed calm. “A tea house opens its doors to guests. Among all those guests, how many truly love tea? I suspect not even one or two out of ten. Most come to socialize, to do business, to put on a show of elegance.”
“If we can’t stand out, then with so many tea houses and tea shops… why would anyone choose ours?”
As she spoke, Mu Yunyao rose and sat behind a table herself, beginning to brew tea.
Her complexion was still pale, her clothes plain. Yet the moment she moved, everyone’s eyes locked onto her hands.
It was the same technique.
But when she did it, it became art.
Her movements flowed like clouds and water, carrying an indescribable beauty that made the heart go quiet.
“You all know this tea house isn’t only about earning silver,” she continued, voice clear as a bell. “If we can’t attract as many people as possible, then opening it is meaningless.”
“You’ve returned more vivid than before, yes. But remember—this is a tea house. What we want is to wash away dust and keep our hearts refined.”
“You are not displaying yourselves.”
“You are displaying the tea.”
“So your breath, your presence, must merge with it.”
Her voice, mingled with the fragrance of tea, seemed to drift straight into their hearts. Their minds calmed. Only her words echoed, lingering.
Mu Yunyao finished, then gently placed a teacup before Steward Qin.
Her smile wasn’t especially soft. If anything, it was faint, almost distant.
And yet everyone felt… this was exactly how she should be.
So clean. So untouchable.
So worth admiring.
Mu Yunyao lifted her eyes to the fifty.
“You must please the guests, but you cannot be humble or fawning. Instead, you must make them lower their guard on their own and treat you as a confidant. Only then will you get what you want.”
“The balance in that… you have to grasp yourselves.”
This kind of thing couldn’t be fully taught with words.
Some of them already had one foot in the door. With more practice, they would reach completion.
Steward Qin couldn’t help admiring her again. If it came to shaping people, Miss Mu truly had methods. Even he couldn’t help but respect her. Back then, these fifty hadn’t seemed outstanding—only loyal and steady, able to follow His Royal Highness’s orders without wavering.
But now…
Steward Qin had a sudden feeling.
These fifty might one day become far more capable than anyone expected—perhaps even far beyond what His Royal Highness had imagined.
