《Becoming the richest woman in another era!》


 1 1: she isnst dead!

    Liu Yang felt her head throbbing like crazy. She could faintly hear someone sobbing next to her.


    Wait a second¡­ didn''t she die? She clearly remembers the car hitting her a few moments ago. And it was going way too fast for her to have survived the accident.


    Slowly, she opened her eyes and tried to adapt them to the light.


    When her visionbecame clear, she could finally see her surrounding but she couldn''t believe what she was seeing. ''I must be in a dream'' she thought.


    In front of her, furniture from another era was standing proudly. The only time she''d ever seen some furniture like that, was when she visited the Forbidden City with her best friend.


    Liu Yang suddenly realized she could hear someone sobbing since she woke up. She looked up and saw that she wasn''t alone in the room.


    A young girl who seemed to be around fifteen years old was crying a river. She was extremely beautiful and seeing her cry would make anyone sad and want to protect the girl.


    Liu Yang opened her mouth to ask the young girl what was wrong, but when she tried speaking, only a soft cough came out from her mouth. Her throat was too dry for her to even talk!


    When the little girl sobbing heard her cough, she suddenly stopped crying to look at her.


    "Young miss, you''re awake, how are you feeling?" she asked with a worried expression.


    "Wa...ter." she managed to respond. Her voice was raspy and she couldn''t even recognize it.


    Without missing a beat, the young girl poured a bit of water on her mouth.


    When she could finally talk, Liu Yang asked the question that she had been dying to ask since she woke up. "Where am I?"


    The young girl suddenly started crying again repeating over and over again "The young miss became silly after she hurt her head, it''s all my fault!"


    "What do you mean? Did I hurt my head in the car accident?"


    "Car? What is that? Do you really not remember, miss? You tried to climb a tree to get the ball you had stuck in it, but you fell down and hurt your head! You''ve slept for two days in a row, it''s all my fault I shouldn''t have let you climb that tree!"


    ''what the fudge is going on here? Why do I feel like I''m in a chinese transmigration novel?''


    Her forehead suddenly felt a bit ichy but when she tried to scratch herself, her hand froze in mid air. The hand in front of her eyes was small and jade-like. It was nothing like her tanned hand.


    "Fetch me a mirror, please." she asked, trying not to freak out.


    When the young girl came back with a mirror, Liu Yang hurriedly grabbed it and and set it in front of herself. She stared at her reflection for a moment. The problem was that the person staring back at her, wasn''t her.


    In the mirror was the most beautiful woman Liu Yang had ever seen. She ws even prettier than any actress and model she knows. She looked like a fairy with her translucent skin, soft and silky black hair that anyone can''t help but want to touch, and her perfectly even face.


    But her most beautiful feature were her eyes. They were mesmerizing. Her left eye was as green as an emerald while her right one was ink-like. Her eyes both shined like two bright stars and were deep like oceans.


    Liu Yang slowly put the mirror down. She calmly sat up and took her pillow in her hands. She brought the pillow to her face with an unnatural composure. When her face was finally stuffed in the pillow, she let out all the pent up stress she was feeling.


    "WHAAAAAT THE HEEEL IS HAPENNIIIIIING!!! I FREAKING TRANSMIGRATED!!!"


    Well, since the pillow was doing an amazing job at blocking the noise, all the young servant could hear was an unclear mumble.


    When Liu Yang was don screaming like a crazy person, she calmly andput the pillow down with a blank expression as if nothing had just happened.


    ''The young miss lost it! She''s really crazy! It''s all my fault! I''ll never let my miss do anything dangerous ever again.'' thought the young girl.


    Little did she know she would have to break this promise not long after she made it, because her miss is like a new person and she''ll want to do lots of weird things in the future, such as cross-dressing and trying to become the richest woman alive¡­

 2 2: You need to chose a wife!

    At the same time in the imperial palace¡­


    Two young men seemingly in their twenties were arguing. They were both extremely handsome.


    The first one had a devilish beauty, he had the aura of a player and was wearing red robes with embroidered dragons. Clothes only the emperor was allowed to wear.


    He was sitting on a throne and was wearing a resolute expression on his face.


    The second man was more of an otherworldly beauty. He looked like an angel who just descended from heaven. But deep in his eyes, was hidden some cunningness only people good at reading people could see. He was wearing a white immaculate robe that matched his jade-like skin perfectly and fitted his lean but muscular body.


    "Song Wei, you need to get married and have kids before you die! You''re already twenty-one years old and you don''t even have a concubine, even less a wife! As your friend, I''m worried, so I''ll make a decree as the emperor: Song Wei, you have to get married before my birthday, three!" Said the first man, the emperor of the Ming kingdom, Wang Jun.


    "I don''t want to." Replied Song Wei simply.


    "This is the emperor''s decree, you must obey, I didn''t want to come to this but you forced my hand, I want to play with your children in the future, but you don''t even have a woman, I''m afraid I''ll die before I get to play with mini Song Weis!"Said the Wang Jun with an annoyed expression.


    "Women are annoying, they are useless and just cost money because the only thing they can do is fight each other and buy expensive jewelry and clothes. Why would I take one in my household?" Explained Song Wei to his friend.


    "The way you think is a big problem you know? If you didn''t think of women that way, there wouldn''t be stupid rumors going around that you like men. Even I suffer from them, some people say we''re close not because we''re friends but because we''re lovers! This is all your fault since you won''t take a wife." Said the Wang Jun with a wronged expression.


    "Well I''m sorry to tell you that I don''t care what people think about my love life. If you want me to take a wife I need a good reason." Said Song Wei with a sly look in his eyes.


    Wang Jun and Song Wei stared at each other for a long while, studying each other.


    "Ok, what do you want?" Finally sighted Wang Jun with a defeated expression.


    "Let me divorce my future wife if I still don''t like her after one year of marriage. And if I get married but divorcebecause I don''t like my future wife, you''re not allowed to force me or even nag me to marry again, you have to leave me alone." Announced Song Wei


    Wang Jun thought about this song Wei''s proposition very deeply. "Fine." He finally growled with a displeased expression.


    When he said that, a big grin spread on Song Wei''s face. It was captivating, but Wang Jun, as Song Wei''s close friend since childhood, knew that his friend would only smile so widely if he had an evil plan in his head.


    Acold sweat ran down Wang Jun''s back. Song Wei was really the only person who could scare the emperor so much with just a smile.


    "Well then, I''ll take my leave, after all, I have a wife to choose" said Song Wei with a small laugh. Before the Wang Jun could even reply, Song Wei was already out of the room as if he had teleported out.


    Wang Jun shook his head with a disapproving look.''he could''ve at least bowed to his emperor.'' He thought, even though deep down he knew his friend would never bow to anyone. He had worked so hard to be the most powerful businessman of the Ming kingdom just so that he wouldn''t have to bow down to anyone and people would have to bow down to him.

 3 3: Meeting grandpa

    In Liu Yang''s courtyard:


    ''Ok so now that I know I''ve transmigrated, what do I do? Wait a second shouldn''t I have gotten the original owner''s memories who died unfairly, so that I''d pity on her and avenge her because I''m thankful because she gave me her body? But how do I do that if I don''t even have her memories!?'' Thought Liu Yang.


    "I must''ve lost my memories, could you please tell me who I am and how I died" asked Liu Yang to the girl, thanking all the novels she read for the idea of pulling the amnesia card.


    "On no, it''s all my fault, I let you climb a tree but you fell down on your head and hurt yourself badly!" Replied the girl half-crying.


    ''What a stupid death. I really feel bad for the original owner of the body for having such a ridiculous way to die.''


    "And who am I ?" She demanded.


    "You are the left prime minister''sonly grandchild! Your parents were killed in an ambush when you were only four years old. Your only uncle''s wife can''t bear his child but he doesn''t marry a concubine since he loves her. That''s why you are the Liu family''s only heir. Your grandfather was so sad when he heard you hurt yourself that he fell ill. He is now in bed, you should go visit him now that you are better!" Explained the girl.


    "And who are you?" Asked Liu Yang inquisitively.


    The girl started tearing up again. "Young miss do you really not even remember me, your servant since childhood? It''s alright, I understand I will teach you all the things you should know, don''t worry young miss! I am Xiao Peng, you named me when you were just a child and I''ve served you ever since!" Enthusiastically replied Xiao Peng.


    When her face brightened up, Liu Yang couldn''t help but want to pinch her cheek but she restrained herself since she didn''t want Xiao Peng to think even more she was crazy.


    Very slowly, a plan started blooming in Liu Yang''s mind.


    "Alright, Xiao Peng, take me to my grandfather, I need to ask him something."She asked.


    The young servant helped her get dressed and led her out of the room. Outside was a beautiful courtyard where a bed of red flowers were bathing in the sunlight.


    ''The original owner of the body must love flowers¡­ I guess we have at least one similarity.''


    Xiao Peng then led her trough dozen of paths who all seemed to be the same to Liu Yang''s eyes. She wondered how Xiao Peng managed to not get lost in this maze.


    Finally, they arrived in front of a big courtyard that was richly decorated.


    "We''ve arrived, miss" Said Xiao Peng respectfully.


    Just before they got inside, they heard a man''s loud voice. "What! My granddaughter woke up and you''re just telling me this now! I need to go see her, help me get up!"


    After hearing that, Luo Yang stepped in the room where her grandfather and his attendant were.


    Her grandfather was wearing a white robe that fitted him well. He was tall with ink-black eyes similar to one of her''s. His hair had already turned grey of old age but he still had an impressive aura


    "No need, grandpa, I''m already here." She said.


    "Yang''er you''re alright! I''m so relieved! Come here give me a hug, my granddaughter!" He said getting close to her and trying to embrace her.


    But to his surprise, she avoided his contact and kept her distance.


    "Is something the matter?" Asked Liu Qian, her grandfather.


    "I''m sorry but I''ve lost my memory so I don''t remember you. I only know you are my grandfather because Xiao Peng told me." Said Liu Yang apologetic. "I''ll try to remember everything but I''m not sure if my memory will ever come back."


    Liu looked horrified when she told him this. His face froze for a few seconds but he quickly regained his composure. "It''s alright Yang''er, I''m sure you''ll remember eventually. If there''s anyway I can help you regain your memory, be sure to ask me." He said.


    ''I don''t think it''ll ever come back since it isn''t even my memory to begin with'' She wanted to say. But she didn''t since it would blow her cover. That''s right, she had a cover. She felt like an undercover spy and any wrong move could lead to her death.


    "I do have one request grandpa" she said with a sly glint in her eyes.


    "What do you want?" Asked Liu Qian, eager to help his only granddaughter anyway that he could.


    "I want to go outside and buy a store." She said.


    A moment of silence passed by. It was broken by her grandfather. "I guess you really forgot everything. You already own two restaurants, a brothel, a tea shop and a jewelry shop your parents left you when you when they passed away. You were always too lazy to handle them so I personally managed them for you. If you want I can hand them back to you. As for the matter of going outside¡­ I''m sorry but you can''t." He said.


    "Why not?" She asked.


    "Your¡­ eyes. Personally I think they''re beautiful. Your green eye comes from your mother and your black eye from your father. But outside, the people think people with two different coloured eyes are cursed. That''s why you had to hide your whole life and couldn''t go out. Nobody can know, except the people you trust wholeheartedly, that your eyes are of different colours." He said with teary eyes.


    This didn''t really surprise her. She used to have two different eye colours as well in the past, and even though she was never said to be cursed, she would always get weird looks from everyone around her. So in this ancient society, where people can''t understand why her eyes are like that, the only way they could explain it was by saying she is cursed.


    "You mean I never went to parties or even outside on a walk?" She questioned.


    "Right. But don''t worry, people aren''t suspicious of you, everyone just thinks you''re very ugly and don''t dare to show your face to anyone" Liu Qian Said with a satisfied smile.


    ''How can you be glad your granddaughter is rumored to be ugly!'' Liu Yang didn''t know if she should laugh or cry. Or even maybe do both.


    "What if I wear an eye patch and hide one of my eyes, can I go out?" She said inquisitively.


    "But then people will start to wonder why the first miss of the Liu family had stayed hidden all this time and is wearing an eye patch. It''s too risky!" He stated.


    "Don''t worry I''ll just hide my identity and say I arrived in town not long ago! Please grandpa let me go explore the world I live in, pretty please!" She begged in a cute voice.


    Unable to resist his cute granddaughter for very long, Liu Qian finally agreed to let her go. He then gave her the paper that proved she was the owner of the shops.


    "Thanks grandpa! I love you! I''ll take my leave now." She said before running of.


    Liu Qian watched his granddaughter''s leaving back with a weird expression. It was the first time his granddaughter ever told him she loved him. She used to stay in her courtyard and be depressed all day because she hated her eyes. Today, after losing her memory, she seemed like a totally different person. She was cheerful and happy. He hoped he''d be able to see her like that all the time.

 4 Women are powerful too!

    When she got back to her courtyard, the first thing Liu Yang asked about to Xiao Peng was "Where are we located in the world?" to try to see if she could recognize anything from her history classes.


    "We are in the capital of the Ming kingdom. To the north, there is the Bai kingdom and we are very friendly with them. To the south is the Su kingdom. Their king recently passed away and the princes are fighting for the throne. To the east is the Green Forest. Nobody ever went there and got out alive. Finally to the West is the Rou kingdom. They are very secretive so nobody really knows what is happening there. There is also the Endless Sea at the  southeast. It is called like that because nobody has ever seen its end." Patiently explained Xiao Peng.


    Liu Yang''s didn''t recognize any of these kingdoms. She deducted that this world was similar to ancient China but not exactly the same.


    "And are women allowed to do buisness?" Asked Liu Yang knowing that women were always seen as inferior in the past and that this world was oddly similar to ancient China.


    "Why would any women want to do business except maybe running a shop? The buisness world is a man''s world, women must be virtuous and know the four arts well to help their husband at home! But why do you ask miss?" Inquisited Xiao Peng.


    Hearing a girl think of women that way, Liu Yang was horrified. How could this society repress women so much, that even they believe they are weak and not fit for the "man''s world"? The fact they believe there''s a "man''s world" in the first place was ridiculous!


    Finally, Liu Yang had a plan. She will become the richest person alive and prove to every man and women of this world that women could be even more capable than men!


    After all, back on Earth she was the most successful businesswoman ever seen! She just had to regain her title in this world!


    "Xiao Peng, I''ll prove to you how women can be as successful as any man!"


    "What do you mean, miss? Are you sure your head is fine after the accident?" Worried Xiao Peng.


    "Of course I''m fine! Xiao Peng, bring me a black traveller''s cloak, a black eyepatch and a makeup box!" Said Liu Yang excitedly.


    Xiao Peng had a bad premonition and wanted to stop her miss, but as a servant, she had to obey.


    When she came back with the material and she assisted helplessly as her miss started wearing everything but when she started applying her makeup, Xiao Peng finally understood what she wanted to do.


    She wasn''t just putting on makeup like a normal lady, she was trying to transform her flawless face and look like a man!


    Her miss wasn''t sane anymore! Or else why would she dress like a man!


    "Miss you can''t do that you''re a virtuous lady from a respected familly, you can''t dress up like a man! What would people think if they find out the first miss of the prime minister''s household crossdresses! Please reconsider if it''s a good idea!" Pleaded Xiao Please.


    Liu Yang looked at her with her beautiful face that now looked like a flower boy''s.


    "Don''t worry, nobody will find out, well, at least not until I''m the richest man alive!" She said unphased.


    ''the miss is already considering herself as a man! This is a catastrophe!'' thought the little servant.


    "Xiao Peng, I''ll be going to my shops to see their condition. I''ll be doing a few changes as well. Do I have enough money to do as I wish with them?" Asked Liu Yang.


    "Of course, your parents left you with so much money but you always wanted to keep it for your downry. Are you sure you want to use it?" She said.


    "What''s the use of money if it''s not invested in anything? I''m sure, I don''t want to just leave it for my downry! But while we''re on the subject, when will I get married?" Asked Liu Yang.


    She remembered that in ancient china, women would get married at around fifteen years old and the original owner seemed to be around sixteen or seventeen years old.


    Xiao Peng chewed a bit on her lip, which meant she was uncomfortable.


    "Actually, you should''ve gotten married last year when you were fifteen but you didn''t get any offers because of the rumors you are ugly." Explained the little servant, avoiding her master''s eyes.


    Liu Yang was overjoyed. After all she never wanted to get married to someone she doesn''t even know. In addition, if she was married, it would''ve been hard to hide that she wanted to become rich by cross dressing!


    "Very good, now, let''s head out and visit the shops!" She said cheerfully, while putting her eye patch on her black eye, leaving only her emerald green eye to stare at the world.


    At this moment Liu Yang looked like a handsome effeminate young man. Her hair was held up in a ponytail and when she smiled at Xiao Peng, the little servant''s heart missed a beat.


    ''Even as a man, the young miss is just too beautiful for normal people like me to handle!'' She thought.


    Unable to refuse anything to Liu Yang''s handsome face, Xiao Peng unconsciously led Liu Yang outside to the city center.

 5 the corrupt manager

    The two girls first arrived to the brothel Liu Yang''s parents had passed down to her. A cute woman around fifteen years old came to greet them.


    "How can I serve you?" She asked.


    Liu Yang paused for a second. She then slowly turned towards the young girl and looked at her weirdly. "Do you work here?"


    "Yes. I started working last week." She replied shyly.


    "How old are you?"


    "I''m fifteen years old." She replied hesitantly.


    Liu Yang was shocked. She was the owner of a brothel that employed a fifteen year old girl to sell her body. Liu Yang was ashamed of owning such a place.


    "Bring me to the manager." She demanded.


    At the same time, a middle-aged woman wearing a thick layer of makeup walked into the hall.


    "I''m right here, what do you want."She said with a superior tone.


    When the woman saw Liu Yang, she got stuck in a trans for a moment. Since when did their town have such a beautiful man? As a courtesan, she had seen a lot of men but the one in front of her had a different charm. He was mesmerizing and so pretty he could pass off as a woman.


    But even if she was surprised of the handsomeness of the man for a second, she quickly regained her composure.


    "Are you crazy, how could you employ a fifteen year old girl to sell herself? Do you have no shame? Are you even human?" Exclaimed Liu Yang getting more and more enraged every second.


    As someone coming from the modern society, she found it disgusting to exploit such a young girl for money.


    The woman was surprised by Liu Yang''s sudden accusation, but quickly regained her calm.


    "Who do you think you are to criticize me this way! She applied here on her own free will, I didn''t force her to work here!"


    "And if a little four year old girl asked you to become an assassin would you let her?" Liu Yang replied coldly.


    While they were arguing, a crowd had started to gather around the brothel. The people seemed to share Liu Yang''s opinion that the girl was too young to sell her body.


    The most daring people had already started throwing insults at the manager. Some were pointing fingers while parents who were walking by covered their children''s ears.


    The middle-aged woman finally became aware of the commotion that had started because of her.


    She observed the pretty youth in front of her. As an old brothel owner, she knew very well how to judge men, but the persone in front of her was unreadable. She couldn''t understand what was his goal and if he stired up a commotion on purpose or not.


    Of course, Liu Yang had a goal in mind when she gathered a crowd.


    When she had read the shop''s information previously, she had realized that the brothel owner wasn''t announcing the true earnings of the brothel. She was actually keepinga big part of the store''s income for herself. Her grandfather must''ve been so busy with his official''s duties that he didn''t realize about the manager''s scheme.


    Since she wanted to fire the middle-aged woman, she needed public opinion on her side or she would''ve been insulted for firing the woman who had been the manager of the brothel for such a long time as soon as she arrived.


    In addition, she was furious at the woman for employing such a young girl as a courtesan. Selling her for money was outrageous in Liu Yang''s eyes since on Earth, at fifteen years old you were underaged and she believed it was an age where children should be naive and innocent. Seeing such a young girl have to grow up so quickly made Liu Yang''s heart ache.


    "Young man you''re really disrespectful to your elders! If I were your parents, I''d be ashamed! Get out of here, you''re obstructing my business!" The lady barked.


    Xiao Peng wanted to step out from her miss. After all, bringing parents in the conversation was under the belt. But when she tried to speak up, Liu Yang spread her arm out to signal her servant to not make a move.


    In truth, Liu Yang was really hurt by her comment but she didn''t show it. After all, even in her old life, her parents were killed when she was very young and the woman''s comment made her reminiscent of her childhood where she grew up without any parents.


    "Actually, my parents are dead, so I guesswe''ll never know if they''re ashamed of me unless one of us joins them in the other world."


    Liu Yang uttered this sentence with a light tone, but anyone could recognize the threat hidden within the casual words.


    It was as if Liu Yang was telling the woman she would die if she dared to talked about her parents again.


    The woman felt a chill run up her spine. The beautiful young man before her was really scary. With just one sentence, he managed to intimidate her. That wasn''t something just anyone could do, the person had to be very eloquent.


    In addition, the flower boy was releasing a terrifying aura she had only ever saw with army veterans who had fought in a lot of wars. This wasn''t an aura a man in his twenties should have.


    Actually, Liu Yang looked like a man in her twenties because of the makeup she applied on her face. She actually wanted to look like a man in his thirties but her face was so youthful she couldn''t manage to seem older than in her twenties.


    As for her aura, as a businesswoman, she developed it because she would be looked down upon if she didn''t have it. Indeed, even if people weren''t as sexist on Earth as in this world, some men still looked down on women just because of their gender. Liu Yang had to produce such a terrifying aura just so men wouldn''t belittle her when she made deals with them.


    "Just get out of here and never come back!" Shrieked the woman.


    "That''ll be pretty hard, given that I own this place." Coolly responded Liu Yang.


    Astonished gasps from the crowd followed her announcement.


    The lady''s face froze in disbelief. This couldn''t be right, the owner was the left prime minister.


    Even if he never physically came to check out the store, she still knew who the owner of the brothel she managed was!


    "How dare you lie to my face like that!"


    "Why would I lie?"


    "You must''ve been sent by a rival brothel to tarnish my establishment''s name! I know for a fact that you aren''t the owner you dirty liar! The owner is the left prime minister!" The manager stated.


    "And what''ll you do if I am?"


    "I''ll resign from my manager''s position as I couldn''t recognize my establishment''s owner!" She said recklessly without thinking.


    Liu Yang''s didn''t even bother talking to her again. She just brought out the paper thatproved that the brothel was her property.


    At the sight of the paper, the woman''s face fell. After all, she could at least recognize what this paper was, and she also knew at first sight it wasn''t a fake.


    Without a word, Liu Yang watched as the manager''s face passed from surprise, to shock, to horror and finally to despair.


    "Now as you promised, leave this place. I hope we never meet again." She said.


    Normally, the woman would''ve come back on her word, but since she had an audience who saw what happened, she couldn''t do that.


    Swallowing her pride, she quickly disappeared from the site.


    Slowly, the crowd started to fade away.


    Liu Yang then turned to face the young courtesan who was standing next to her with a bewildered expression.


    "Gather all of the workers. Things are going to change around here."

 6 Reorganizing the brothel

    Liu Yang had temporary closed the brothel. She had sent Xiao Peng out on an errand and had gathered up all the workers in one room. It was small, but that was the least of everyone''s worry. The courtesans all had an anxious expression on their faces. They wondered what would happen to them now that theiremployer had changed.


    What if he fired them all like he did to the manager and sold the brothel? What would happen to them? They were all desperate enough to sell their body because they all had a family to feed. How will their families survive without their income?


    When they thought of that, all the women became even more nervous.


    Meanwhile, Liu Yang was leisurely sipping on her tea. The image of her simply drinking tea was mesmerizing. Each of her movements were particularly graceful, and she executed each of them naturally.


    That, added to her stunning face made her extremely captivating.


    But the women were too preoccupied about their fates to be enthralled with the beautiful youth.


    Everyone waited for Liu Yang to utter a sound. The room was dead silent as everyone held their breaths. But she simply didn''t seem to realize that everyone was waiting for her to do something. She continued sipping on her tea without a care in the world.


    Finally, one of the women couldn''t take it anymore and spoke up.


    "What will happen to us in the future?"


    Liu Yang seemed like she finally became aware that everyone was waiting for her to say something.


    She slowly put down her cup of tea and instead of answering the courtesan''s question, she asked one herself.


    "Who here is under eighteen years old? Raise your hand."


    Nobody lifted up their hand. The small room was noiseless and the all the womenevaded Liu Yang''s gaze.


    "If nobody manifests themselves, I''ll fire all of you." She declared.


    Hastily, five out of the ten or so women raised their hand.


    Liu Yang seemed pleased she finally got an honest answer.


    "As of today, you''ll only help out with the brothel''s maintenance, at least until you turn eighteen. Don''t worry, your salary won''t change."


    Even if she wanted to bring change to the brothel, she wouldn''t let underaged women enter in contact with men that frequented the red-light district.


    The five underaged girls were instantly relieved. They wouldn''t have to sell their body and their pay wouldn''t be reduced. It was a dream come true!


    But Liu Yang wasn''t done with the questions.


    "Who here has a special talent, for example can dance, sing or play an instrument well?"


    This time, three women, out of the five remaining raised their hand.


    "Then the two of you will also help with the maintenance." She said to the two leftover women.


    At this moment, Xiao Peng entered the room.


    "Have you gathered them?" Asked Liu Yang.


    "Yes miss, they''re here."


    Eleven beautiful women and three muscular men entered the small room. It became even more crowded, but nobody seemed to mind.


    "From now on, this brothel doesn''t offer women''s bodies anymore, but their talents. You will show off your skills and any man who tried to touch you, will have to answer to these threehandsomegentlemen." She said pointing the robust men who just entered the room.


    Everyone''s jaws fell to the floor.


    "But then this won''t be a brothel anymore. Who would be interested in women for their skills?" Asked one of the underaged girls.


    Liu Yang was going to answer, but one of the two courtesans with no special skill was quicker. She was older than most of the women here, and seemed to be in her thirties. She also had a clever glow in her eyes.


    "But then men will be able to come here without shame. It could even become a sign of nobility and opulence if we play this well. Think about it this way, influencial men could come here to be entertained without loosing their reputation. And if the prices are high enough, coming here could become a sign of wealth. people could even come here for casual work-related meetings to impress theirpartner. What a brilliant idea!" She said passionately.


    Understanding could be read on everyone''s face.


    A glow of approval shined in Liu Yang''s eyes. This woman was surprisingly quite smart!


    "We will also offer different events regularly, like inviting celebrities, or hosting contests for different categories of people to find new talents. They will be accessible to anyone and we could also set up a gambling area, where people could bet during the contest on their favorite person. We can also organize a vote to designate a winner. What do you think?" She asked.


    Everyone was rendered speechless. This was an amazing idea! And Liu Yang said it as if it was nothing.


    Everyone was hooked on the idea. They already started imagining how the brothel would be in the future.


    "We could even try to hire some of the contest winners!" Proposed the woman in her thirties.


    "Well, since you have such good ideas, I''ll make you the manager. I''ll be very busy the next few months so please help me make this project possible!" Responded Liu Yang cheerfully


    The woman was delighted.


    "Oh and you can call me Yang, what''s your name?" She added.


    Liu Yang couldn''t use her real name, but Yang was also a man''s name so she could use it even when she was dressed as a man.


    "I am Chen Ning." She said respectfully. "I will make sure this idea is a success, leave it to me, sir Yang!"


    "Alright I''ll count on you, then. Feel free to ask me for money if you need to buy anything. Well then, I''ll get going. I''ll come back in a few days, I hope we''ll have lots of customers by then!" Said Liu Yang.


    Everyone in the room bowed down to her respectfully as she took her leave with Xiao Peng.


    Once she was gone, exited voices could be heard from the small room. Everyone was overjoyed of the change of owner and of the new system installed.


    Chen Ning quickly started making the necessary changes for the brothel as well as promoting it.


    Later, this will be known as the start of the ascension of "sir Yang" to becoming one of the richest "men" alive.

 7 The Twin Dragon Restaurants

    Liu Yang and Xiao Peng directly headed home. The little servant kept quiet the whole time. She was staring at her feet and seemed to be thinking deeply.


    By the time they had arrived to Liu Yang''s courtyard, the night had already fallen and the moon shined brightly.


    Liu Yang removed her makeup and her eyepatch while Xiao Peng was still staring into space.


    The young girl finally snapped out of her daze. She slowly looked up to Liu Yang.


    "Young miss, what happened to you after the accident? I would''ve understood if you had become silly from the fall, but how did you became so clever? You used to think a brothel was were men went to hang out with their friends! You believed it was another name for "restaurant"! How come today, you knew what it was?


    Even your personality changed! You used to spend your time crying in your room and being depressed all day long since you thought you were cursed because your eyes were of different colour! Now you''re way more cheerful, and you even went outside for the first time in so many years!"


    Liu Yang was surprised by the Xiao Peng''s sudden outburst. She didn''t know the original owner of the body was so depressed. It was very saddening to know that a young sixteen years old girl had become so miserable just because of the colour of her eyes.


    "Xiao Peng, I don''t know why I''ve changed, and I don''t remember how I used to be, but I''m sorry if I made you worry about me all these years. It won''t happen again, so you can be at ease." She said with a wide smile.


    It was the first time the young miss had ever smile so brightly, without having a glimpse of sadness hidden deep in her eyes. She was breathtakingly beautiful and her eyes showed a determination they had nerver displayed before.


    At this moment, Xiao Peng swore to herself that she would never betray her miss, and she would be even more devoted to her.


    Liu Yang''s didn''t know what was going on in her servant''s mind, but if she knew, she would surely be flabbergasted that Xiao Peng became even more loyal to her just thanks to one smile.


    "Please bring me the account books of the two restaurants I own." She asked the young girl.


    Xiao Peng hastily fetched the books. They were in Liu Yang''s closet, at the very bottom and seemed to have rarely been opened before.


    Liu Yang sat at her desk and proceeded to meticulously read each book.


    Xiao Peng was bewildered. Her miss had never worked more than ten minutes before stopping saying she was too tired. But now, she was thoroughly reviewing each account book! Still, the maid chose to keep silent, after all, this was such a rare moment. She must treasure seeing her miss work seriously!


    But after two hours of Liu Yang working tirelessly, Xiao Peng''s brows started to crease. It was getting late and her miss was showing no signs of stopping what she was doing.


    But it was so rare to see her miss work, Xiao Peng didn''t want to disturb her! The little maid was hesitating. Should she stop her miss and have her rest?


    Finally, after three hours, Xiao Peng couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Miss, it''s getting late, you should rest." She said.


    Liu Yang seemed to wake up from a trans. She looked at the sky through her window, and it was indeed very late. She had been so absorbed by the account books that the time had flown by!


    But she was still happy,, because she had finished reviewing the restaurants'' account books.


    However, she had been very surprised by something while reading the books. Three months ago, the restaurants had significantly lost revenue, but the next months, it was as if nothing had happened and they started getting the same amount of money than they used to.


    Of cours, they could''ve just had a bad month, but something didn''t seem right.


    "Xiao Peng, do you know the Eastern Dragon Restaurant and the Western Dragon Restaurant?" Curiously asked Liu Yang.


    "Of course miss, who doesn''t know the name of those two unlucky restaurants?"


    Liu Yang was surprised by her answer. What did Xiao Peng mean by "unlucky"?


    "What can you tell me about them?" She quickly asked.


    "Sure. The Eastern Dragon Restaurant and the Western Dragon Restaurant are owned by two twin brothers. That''s why we usually call them the Twin Dragon Restaurants. They used to be very prosperous and popular amongst the old and the new generation. Everyone was welcome, weather they were poor or rich. But three months ago, the owners'' father passed away, so they both closed their stores for a week to prepare the funeral.


    The thing is, during this time, the eldest son of the right prime minister wanted to eat in one of their restaurants. He wanted to show off his power by forcing them to open the restaurants, but surprisingly, they refused to do so in order to mourn their dead father.


    The right prime minister''s son thought they were ridiculing him and felt humiliated. As a result, he declared that anyone who dared to go to one of those restaurants would be his enemy.


    Thus, it has been three months that those two restaurants haven''t had even one customer. After all, nobody wants to get on the bad side of the right prime minister or his son since they are well-known for being ruthless and unforgiving."


    "I see, so a spoilt brat felt humiliated and decided to ruin the life of two men who just lost their father. He is truly disgusting."


    But then why did the account books show that there were no problems? How did the two brothers get the same amount of money they''d usually get, with no customers? This was truly strange.


    "Xiao Peng, rest up, we''ll be meeting those two brothers tomorrow, and it''ll be a long day." Said Liu Yang while getting in her nightgown.


    "Yes miss, I''ll take my leave" Said Xiao Peng while bowing.


    ''What will my miss do this time? Why do I feel like she''ll do something crazy like she did at the brothel this morning again?'' thought the servant.


    But oddly, she wasn''t anxious. Her miss had changed drastically since the accident, and seemed extremely trustworthy. She also kept surprising Xiao Peng, by dressing as a man, reorganizing a brothel and even by simply smiling!


    Her miss was like a new person and Xiao Peng couldn''t wait for Liu Yang to surprise her even more!

 8 The perfect temporary wife

    Meanwhile in Song Wei''s study....


    The handsome man seemed very peaceful. He was holding a brush in his hand and doing some calligraphy. The brush was gracefully dancing on the paper as if it had a life of its own. Suddenly, his hand froze.


    "Long Fei." He called out.


    The moment he uttered this name, a man appeared in the room. He was clothed entirely in black, and released a powerful aura. He was very strong, but was bowing to Song Weirespectfully.


    "Tell me, who is the most low-key but still well-born woman in this kingdom?" He asked.


    Long Fei thought his master''s question was odd, but he nevertheless answered truthfully.


    "Without a doubt, the most discrete noble ladyis the first and only daughter of the left prime minister! Nobody has ever seen her face because she never leaves her house! It''s like she''s a ghost."


    A glint of interest and craftiness flashed in Song Wei''s eyes.


    "I see... And is this ghost married?"


    "Of course not, even if she''s the left prime minister''s daughter, who''d want to marry such an ugly woman?" Responded Long Fei.


    "Didn''t you say nobody had ever seen her? How do you know she''s ugly?" Inquired Song Wei curiously.


    "Of course she''s ugly, or else why would she never go out, or clear the rumors that she''s unattractive?" He stated as if it was an undisputable evidence.


    "She''s perfect then." Cheerfully smiled Song Wei.


    Long Fei felt a chill run down his spine. His master only smiled so sincerely when something bad was going to happen. Long Fei had a bad premonition.


    "What do you mean? Perfect for what?"


    "Well to be my temporary wife of course! I''ll be announcing that I want to marry her at the emperor''s birthday party, tell him to make sure she''s there!" Said Song Wei joyfully.


    Long Fei''s jaw fell to the floor. What? His master who''s even richer than the emperor and one of the most powerful person in the world wanted to marry the left prime minister''s ugly daughter? Did he become crazy after the talk he had with the emperor this morning?


    Song Wei seemed to understand what his subordinate was thinking just by looking at him.


    "The emperor wants me to take a wife. He said that I can divorce her if I don''t like her after one year of marriage.That''s why I''ll marry the most discrete woman possible and if I''m lucky, she won''t bother me for a year like other women would. Then I''ll divorce her, and live happily ever after without having a useless woman to spend money on. Don''t you think she''s perfect for this role?"


    Long Fei had always known his master hated women ever since he was little, but he didn''t know his hatred for the other gender ran so deep that he''d use such a plan to not get married!


    What if his master actually likes men, like the rumors about him suggest? Actually, that didn''t matter. Long Fei would still serve his master faithfully, regardless of whom he likes!


    But Long Fei was still bothered by something.


    "If you divorce her, her reputation will be ruined. Isn''t that to ruthless, after all, she didn''t do anything wrong." He worried.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll reward her well, I won''t just let her life be ruined because of me. Also, do some more research about her, in case she''s hiding something.


    Now, I just have to wait for the emperor''s birthday party. In three months, I''ll have to propose to my future temporary wife!" Said Song Wei with a sly smile. Little did he know,but at this moment, he had just made a decision that will turn his whole life upside-down.


    _________________________


    The next day...


    Liu Yang was woken up by the sun. She slowly opened her eyes and was disoriented for a moment. ''Oh right, I transmigrated...'' She thought.


    At this moment, Xiao Peng walked in the room with a tray on which were lots of tasty-looking dishes.


    Liu Yang''s stomach grumbled. Yesterday night, she was too engrossed in the account books she didn''t take the time to eat. She was really starving.


    "Thanks for bringing the food Xiao Peng!"


    The young girl was surprised. Why was the miss thanking her? After all, she was just doing her job, she didn''t deserve any praise.


    Unaware of the fact that her small comment had made Xiao Peng so startled, Liu Yang started eating her meal.


    The food wasn''t bad, but as someone who came from an advanced world, it couldn''t really compare to her usual meals. It was okay, but she missed the food she used to have.


    After finishing her meal, Liu Yang put on her black cloak and black eyepatch again. She also of course apply the same makeup as she did the day before, and finally, she was ready to go.


    Xiao Peng wore a helpless expression on her face. Her miss was dressing as a man again. She really wanted to cry. How will she face the Liu Yang''s parents in the afterlife when she had let their only daughter crossdress?


    Still, she brought her miss outside and lead her to the Eastern Dragon Restaurant, which was pretty close to her house.


    On the way there, they passed by dozen of advertising posters for Liu Yang''s brothel.


    In just one day, the brothel had become one of the the capital''s most talked about subjects.


    "Did you hear, there''s a brothel in the red-light district that only sells women''s talents!"


    "Of course I know, I''d love to go there to go there to see who had such an audacious idea but it''s so expensive only rich people can go!"


    "And I heard they''ll also host events and contests!"


    "Contests? Do you think I''ll be able to finally show off my dancing skills? It would be amazing if I can even get in the competition, after all, I''m poor."


    "Don''t worry, they accept everyone as long as they have talent, maybe if you compete, your skills will be recognized by wealthy people and they''ll sponsor you!"


    "I heard lots of powerful people will be going there tonight to see how good is this concept!"


    "And I heard the great general Zu will be coming with his wife to show her this brothel is different than the others and is somewhere he would like to go without being watched by her spies."


    Everyone burt our laughing.


    The whole trip to the Eastern Dragon Restaurant, everyone around Liu Yang and Xiao Peng only talked about the change of the brothel and how lots of famous people would to go there as soon as tonight.


    "Chen Ning has really done an amazing job at promoting the brothel! It''s already what everyone talks about after just one day! She''s really impressive." Said Liu Yang.


    Xiao Peng was even more shocked. She couldn''t believe the brothel everyone talked about was owned by her miss! And it was even her who had the amazing idea of selling women''s talent only!


    Finally, they arrived at their destination.


    The Eastern Dragon Restaurant had a very beautiful exterior. It was painted in red and was simple, yet sofisticated at the same time.


    The only problem was that in was completely empty.

 9 Meeting the twins

    Liu Yang and Xiao Peng entered the restaurant quietly.


    There wasn''t anyone in sight. The tables were all set, but the chairs were empty.


    The atmosphere was quite strange. The Eastern Dragon Restaurant was just too quiet.


    Suddenly, they heard voices coming from the kitchen.


    "Brother, maybe we should just beg the right prime minister''s son, Shen Cao, for forgiveness." Said the first voice.


    "How could you even consider this idea, Su Bai! How could you thing of begging when we didn''t do anything wrong? Do you regret mourning our father for a week? You should be ashamed of yourself!" Said the second voice.


    "Dad would''ve wanted us to have a good life, even if that means we have to plead that bastard for forgiveness, and you know it." Replied Su Bai.


    At this moment, Liu Yang loudly burst into the kitchen. Inside, two identical looking people were arguing. They were tall and fairly handsome. They seemed to be in their twenties.


    The two brothers were shocked. They looked at the gorgeous "man" who just came barging into the kitchen like he was an alien form another planet.


    After a few seconds, the twins snapped out of their daze.


    "Who are you? Did Shen Cao send you? If he did, tell him he can just go to hell! We didn''t do anything wrong, so we won''t apologize!" Said the first man.


    Liu Yang''s lips curved into a sly smile. This misunderstanding was a good way to grasp the twins'' caracters.


    "Don''t worry, since my master is very kind-hearted, he accepted to let people come to your restaurant again. Of course, in exchange for his act of kindness, he hopes you''ll pay him back generously... For example by giving him ten percent of your revenue every month. After all, your restaurants are owned by the ugly daughter of the left prime minister, it''s not like she will come check if you''re really earning the same amount as what you write in the account books. What do you say, will you accept my master''s kind offer?" Said Liu Yang with a dazzling smile.


    Honestly, she believed the brothers would take her offer. After all, they were in a bind, and it was the only way to get out of their situation.


    "We refuse." Said the twins without missing a beat.


    Liu Yang was stunned. There weren''t many people who could stick to their principles in such a hopeless situation.


    "Why?" She inquired. She was truly curious. Did they really have good morals, or were they just to prideful to make a deal with their oppressor? If the answer was the latter, Liu Yang would be very disappointed. Having some pride was a good thing, but she believed being foolishly prideful was just stupid. In the buisness world, one of the most important skill was knowing how to adapt to any situation.


    "Because we are loyal to the daughter of our savior." They said with eyes full of determination.


    "What do you mean?"


    Liu Yang was curious about the original owner of the body''s parents. She didn''t dare ask her grandfather in case thinking about them makes him sad, and Xiao Peng was too young when they died to remember them. That''s why she didn''t know anything about them.


    "When we were young, our father lost his leg in an accident. He soon lost his job and nobody wanted to hire a man with only one leg. We ended up living in the streets because we couldn''t pay for the house anymore. We would''ve died of starvation if the son of the left prime minister hadn''t save us! He picked us up from the streets and entrusted two restaurants to our father. He saved complete strangers! When we asked him why he did it, he said he was good at judging people and believed we would never betray him. He also said he wanted my brother and I to inherit the restaurants when we grow up to take care of our father! And just like that, he saved our family. How could we betray our savior''s daughter?" Explained one of the brothers.


    Liu Yang finally understood why the twins didn''t want to betray her. The original owner of her body really had kind-hearted father. She was convinced that the two brothers were entirely loyal to her.


    "I see... The granddaughter of the left prime minister is very fortunate to have such loyal people under her."


    "That''s right, so you can go see the son of the right prime minister and tell him we won''t give him anything that belongs to our master!" Said one of the twins with a stubborn expression.


    Finally, Liu Yang couldn''t take it anymore and burst out laughing. Those brothers were just too cute!


    The twins looked at each other, wondering if the gorgeous man in front of them was crazy.


    Xiao Peng who had been standing behind her miss since the beginning of their conversation shook her head helplessly. Her miss was really a bully,how could she not clear the misunderstanding from the start but instead act like she was sent by Shen Cao?


    When Liu Yang had finally finished laughing like a madwoman, or madman, depending on the point of view, she got out the paper that proved she was the owner of the restaurants.


    The twins stared at the paper for a long time.


    "I didn''t steal it, I promise." Smiled Liu Yang after a while.


    "The granddaughter of the left prime minister is a good friend of mine. Since she doesn''t know how to manage shops, she chose to sell your restaurants to me. She thought I would be a better owner than her. She wanted me to tell you she was sorry for never taking care of the restaurants. I acted as if Shen Cao sent me to be sure you were loyal to Liu Yang and deserved her apology. I hope you''ll be as devoted to me as you were to her."


    Actually, Liu Yang was saying she was her own friend because she believed it was the only way to gain the trust of the brothers. After all, they wouldn''t just trust a complete stranger, but if this stranger was a close friend to the person the were loyal to, there was a bigger chance they would trust her.


    The brothers were very surprised by the news. They looked at each other and simultaneously nodded.


    "If the daughter of our savior trusts you, so do we. But I''m sorry to tell you the restaurants will probably have to close. As you may know, the right prime minister''s son forbade anyone to come to the Twin Dragon Restaurants." Said one of the twins.


    A frightening expression passed on Liu Yang''s face before disappearing as if it was never there. The two brothers as well as Xiao Peng felt a chill run up their spine.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll deal with him, just prepare to get customers by the end of the week."


    They didn''t know why, but the twins didn''t doubt Liu Yang was telling the truth even one second.


    "Oh, and I have a question, why did it seem like the restaurants were doing well in the account books?"


    "Well, we didn''t want to disappoint our savior''s daughter, so we chose to hide the fact that the restaurants weren''t doing well. But don''t worry, what we wrote in the account books wasn''t a lie, we actually gave all of our savings to the left prime minister''s granddaughter instead of the restaurants earnings."


    Liu Yang was flabbergasted. These men were truly loyal to her, they even gave her all of their savings so that she wouldn''t worry about the restaurants!


    Still, it was quite a foolish decision, how should the owner resolve problems if he or she doesn''t even know about them?


    "I see... Well, I''ll be leaving, I have a few arrangements to make concerning the right prime minister''s son."said Liu Yang with an intimidating glint in her eyes.


    Without waiting for an answer, Liu Yang left the kitchen, closely followed by Xiao Peng.


    "Why do I feel like like we''re very lucky we didn''t get on our new master''s bad side?" Said the first twin, Su Bai.


    "It''s not just you. I think our new master, behind his youthful and innocent appearance, can be very scary. I look forward to seeing how he''ll handle Shen Cao."

 10 Find out everything about him

    After leaving, Liu Yang and Xiao Peng directly headed to the brothel. The streets were just as boisterous as they were before the girls had gone to the Eastern Dragon Restaurant. Everyone was still talking about the change in the brothel''s functioning.


    Finally, they arrived to their destination.When they got inside, the courtesans were all agitated. Everyone was preparing for this night''s grand reopening. Chen Ning was the most collected person in the room.


    She was calmly giving orders to everybody.


    "Feng Xiao, check the instruments again."


    "An Fei, set the chairs."


    "Qin Pei, I told you to bring the red cups, not the blue ones!"


    "Lu San, are t... Sir Yang!" She exclaimed.


    Every head turned towards the entrance. A beautiful youth wearing an eyepatch was looking at them with a smile.


    When they saw him, the women allinstantly bowed their heads respectfully.


    Without wasting time, Liu Yang started talking.


    "First of all, congratulations to all of you.Everyone in the capital is talking about this brothel. Many important people will be coming here tonight, and it''s all thanks to how well you promoted this establishment."


    The courtesans revealed proud smiles. The man who had changed their fates had just complemented them. They were like children who had just been praised by their parents.


    "Secondly, you must''ve heard of Shen Cao, the right prime minister''s son. He''ll be coming here this week, given that the brothel is so popular and it would hurt Shen Cao''s reputation of rich playboy if he didn''t come to its reopening.


    He has offended me. Find out everything about him, from his favorite food to the last argument he had with his father. Uncover every single one of his secrets, fears, desires and shames. Everything."


    Liu Yang had kept a smile on her face but she somehow managed to look terrifying. The courtesans broke into a cold sweat.


    The man in front of them looked like a demon. He emanated a scary aura that made people not dare to get close to him. His unmasked emerald eye was like a sea of endless calmness, devoid of any emotion, and it seemed like he could freeze them with just one glance.


    The courtesans finally understood that he wasn''t someone that should be offended.


    They pitied Shen Cao for crossing such a fearful youth.


    Still, Liu Yang had saved them from their tragic fates, and they would forever be grateful to her. That''s why they would do whatever she wanted them to do.


    Since their master wanted information on Shen Cao, they would do their best to fulfill his demands.


    "Yes, sir Yang." They all said unanimously, with determined expressions.


    Liu Yang was very satisfied about their firm answer.


    "I''ll come back by the end of the week, good luck!" She said before leaving the brothel, accompanied by Xiao Peng.


    Liu Yang was feeling very tired. Her body was very weak and not used to exercising. This, added to the fact that she went to bed very late last night, made her exhausted.


    Xiao Peng realized her miss seemed very tired.


    "Young miss, you should take a nap when we go back your courtyard. You seem very sleepy."


    "Yes you''re right."


    When they returned to the courtyard, Liu Yang collapsed on her bed and dozed off instantly.


    She was woken up by Xiao Peng''s sweet voice.


    "Miss, I prepared a bath for you, please come wash yourself." Said the young girl.


    Liu Yang slowly opened her eyes. She got out of bed and saw that Xiao Peng had brought in the room next to hers a large bassin that she had filled with warm water.


    There were flower petals floating on the water. She undressed herself and got in the warm water. It was very pleasant.


    Liu Yang relaxed in her bath for a few moments but after a while, she realized she was missing something... Soap. She was kind of a clean freak and even if the flower petals smelled good, they didn''t really clean her.


    She had heard in her history classes about the deplorable hygiene in the past, and if this world was so similar to it, it wouldn''t be surprising that soap hadn''t been invented.


    Liu Yang thought for a while. She had once read online how soap was made, but didn''t really remember it since at the time, she believed she''d never have to make soap herself because she could just buy some at the nearest grocery store.


    Still, luckily, she remembered the general ingredients.


    Without wasting time, she got out of the tub and got dressed. She then called for Xiao Peng. The servant quickly arrived. Liu Yang asked her to bring all of the necessary ingredients to make soap she could remember. Xiao Peng looked at her weirdly, wondering if her miss hadn''t been possessed by a demon.


    Still, like the good servant she was, she said.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll gather all of the things you''ve asked for. I''ll have them ready for you by tomorrow afternoon."


    Liu Yang flashed her one of her mesmerizing smiles.


    "Thank you Xiao Peng, you''re the best!"


    Xiao Peng left the room pondering on why her miss had suddenly become so nice to her, and even treated her like a friend.


    She was thrilled that her miss finally seemed to see her as a friend and not just a servant.

 11 Beauty wonst last forever

    The next morning, Liu Yang was woken up by the sun.


    Shortly after that, Xiao Peng arrived with Liu Yang''s breakfast. As she ate it, Liu Yang really missed her usual toasts and coffee.


    At this moment, she really regretted not learning how to cook in her old life. She couldn''t even use a microwave without burning her house down. That''s how bad she was at cooking.


    While eating, an idea passed through her head.


    "Xiao Peng, you told me I had a lot of money in my downry that my parents left me when they passed away. How much exactly do I have?" She asked suddenly.


    "Why do you ask?" Responded Xiao Peng, eying Liu Yang suspiciously.


    "Just curious! Don''t worry, you know I''m not the type of person who would just spend everything carelessly!" Replied Liu Yang with an innocent smile.


    "They left you with a fortune! More than one thousand gold coins!" She exclaimed.


    Liu Yang had no idea what was the value of one thousand gold coins, so she just stared at Xiao Peng cluelessly.


    Seeing that her miss had no reaction to this declaration, Xiao Peng looked at her with a helpless expression.


    "You don''t remember anything about the currency of the world, do you?"


    "Not really..." Replied Liu Yang with a sheepish smile.


    Xiao Peng took a deep breath and started her explanation.


    "Every kingdom has its own currency. In our kingdom, we use copper coins, silver coins and gold coins. One hundred copper coins are equal to one silver coin and one hundred silver coins are equal to one gold coin."


    "I see, and what are those coins actually worth?" Asked Liu Yang.


    "Well, you can buy a normal meal with just a few silver, and a medium-sized store cost around fifty gold coins."


    Liu Yang nearly dropped her chopsticks in surprise.


    "You''re saying my parents left me enough money to buy around twenty shops?!" She shouted dumbstruck.


    She had just struck gold! Literally! A sixteen years old girl was really given so much money. Liu Yang was speechless.


    "That''s right miss, you were supposed to put it in your downry to impose yourself in your husband''s family once you got married. But now everyone thinks you''re ugly so no one wants to marry you.


    If only people knew you were so beautiful, every man in the kingdom would run over to court you! You have to hide your beauty just because of your eyes, it''s such a shame!"


    Suddenly Xiao Peng realized what she had just said was the reason her miss used to be so depressed! What if her miss became sad again because of her?


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean what I just said, those men don''t deserve you, miss!"


    Surprisingly, instead of starting to cry like Xiao Peng thought she would, Liu Yang simply smiled.


    "People who are attracted to you for your pretty face or nice body won''t be by your side forever. But people who can see how beautiful your heart is will never leave you. I won''t be beautiful forever, and so I don''t want my husband to love me only for my appearance.I want him to love me for who I am as a whole. I''d rather not get married than be the wife of a man who doesn''t truly loves me. That''s why don''t regret not showing my face to the world." She said.


    Xiao Peng understood what her miss was saying. She had never seen marriage from that point of view. After all, people didn''t marry for love, that would be too good to be true. But strangely, Xiao Peng found Liu Yang''s speech made sense and was very inspiring. She started longing for a man like that, who would truly love her personality, and not just her face.


    After all, Xiao Peng wasn''t as beautiful as her Liu Yang, but she was still quite a beauty, and had had lots of suitors. Sadly, none of them had ever really wanted to get to know her.


    Seeing the dreamy look on Xiao Peng''s face, Liu Yang was quite amused. This little girl was really too adorable!


    Xiao Peng was snapped out of her daydream when Liu Yang pinched her cheek. The servant looked at her miss questioningly.


    Seeing she was caught red-handed, Liu Yang quickly retreated her hand and coughed awkwardly. ''That was totally worth it.'' She thought.


    "Is the economy going well?" Asked Liu Yang to change the subject.


    Xiao Peng thought for a while.


    "I think so, the prices have been low since the new emperor has come to power. Even the poor people have been able to eat well ever since."


    "Oh, this kingdom seems quite prosperous! It''s really an ideal moment to invest!"


    "What do you mean? You aren''t saying you''ll spend the money your parents left you for your downry, right?"


    "Of course I will! After all, it''s not like I''m going to get married soon, and having money stored away is really dumb. Isn''t it better to invest it, so that I can make even more money? It''s not like I''m throwing the it away, I''m just using it wisely!"


    Xiao Peng thought for a while. Her miss had a point, but what if her investments made her lose money instead of winning some? In addition, owning so many shops was a lot of work, that''s why nobles usually didn''t own many stores. And her miss wasn''t a hard-working person, she couldn''t even take care of 5 stores before the accident, if she had 25, Xiao Peng was afraid her miss would just lose a lot of money!


    "Miss, owning stores is a lot of work, you should reconsider..."


    She was cut off by Liu Yang.


    "Don''t worry, I''m different than I used to be, hard work doesn''t scare me!"


    When she said that, someone loudly burst in the room.


    "Yang''er! Something big happened!" Shouted her grandfather.


    Liu Qian was out of breath. He seemed to have run the whole way from his courtyard to hers.


    "Grandpa, what''s the matter, are you alright?" Said Liu Yang concerned.


    "It''s not about me! The emperor has personally asked you to come to his birthday party in three months! This is a disaster, what if people attack you for being "cursed"!"


    "Don''t exaggerate so much grandpa, it''s not that bad, it''s not like my reputation can worsen, even if I''m deemed as cursed! I''ll just have to go to the party, after all, I can''t go against the emperor. If he wants me there, I''ll come!"


    "Have you really forgotten everything? Of course it''s bad, cursed people are to be executed in order to not bring misery to the kingdom!"


    A moment of silence passed by.


    "You must be joking, nobody will kill me just for the color of my eyes, right?" Said Liu Yang with a nervous laugh.


    "Why do you think it''s so important you stay hidden! Many people were killed for even less!" Replied Liu Qian with teary eyes.


    Liu Yang was petrified. She didn''t know death was treated so lightly in this world. She may have died once already, but she was still afraid of dying!


    Seeing that his granddaughter was scared stiff, Liu Qian felt his heart ache.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t let anyone hurt you. You can''t go to the emperor''s birthday party, I''ll just tell him you''re terribly sick." Said Liu Qian to reassure his granddaughter.


    Liu Yang knew that by doing that, her grandfather would without a doubt lose face.


    He really was a kind old man, ready to go to such length for his granddaughter.


    She couldn''t live her whole life scared of going outside. After all, she had gotten a second life and couldn''t just wast it by living in fear! She just had to be careful, and everything would be fine!


    "Don''t worry, I''ll go. I''ll just wear a veil and an eyepatch, saying I hurt my eye not long ago. Nobody will know." She said with determination.


    Liu Qian was about to oppose this idea but seeing the resolve in his granddaughter''s eyes, he changed his mind. She was not the weak young lady she used to be. She was a strong and independent woman and he trusted her decisions.


    Looking at her face, Liu Qian couldn''t help but think of her parents. They would really be proud of her. If only they hadn''t been killed.


    "I trust you. I just want you to know that I''ll always support you and protect you."


    Liu Yang was really moved by whatLiu Qian had just said. She was really blessed to have been reborn with such an amazing and loving grandfather.

 12 The great Song Wei

    The next day, Liu Yang and Xiao Peng headed yet again to the city. Liu Yang was of course still wearing her black man''s cloak and her eyepatch to cover her ink-black eye.


    This time, Xiao Peng didn''t even try to convince her miss to dress like any honorable young lady of a noble family would, since she knew it was useless in front of her stubborn master.


    "Where would you like to go today, miss?" Asked Xiao Peng.


    "I''d like to take a stroll around the city to familiarize myself with it..." She responded.


    They then leisurely started walking without any particular destination.


    After a while, Xiao Peng started talking again.


    "By the way miss, what do you count on doing with the ingredients you had me prepare yesterday?" She asked with a curious look.


    Liu Yang stared blankly for a second, before finally remembering what Xiao Peng was talking about. That''s right, the soap ingredients! She had totally forgotten about those!


    "I''ll show you when we get back home" She said with a mysterious expression and a wide smile.


    Without realizing, the two girls had ended up in front of a magnificently decorated restaurant.


    The entire facade was painted in a brilliant red colour and was richly decorated. The window outlines were coated with gold and a sign where were written the bold letters "Vermilion Bird Restaurant" stood proudly above the massive wooden doors.


    This entire restaurant screamed: "For the rich and powerful only."


    Liu Yang was shocked. How could someone invest so much just in the facade of a restaurant? Wasn''t the interior, and most importantly, the food, that mattered for a restaurant? Even if it was only for the rich and powerful, wasn''t outlining the windows with real gold a bit too much?!


    Seeing the astonished expression on her miss'' face, Xiao Peng looked at her knowingly. After all, this was the normal reaction to have when facing such a high-class restaurant.


    "Who owns such a place?" Murmured Liu Yang in a low voice, talking to herself.


    Surprisingly, Xiao Peng, who was next to her, heard what she had just said.


    "The great Song Wei of course!"


    Liu Yang looked at her with a puzzled expression.


    "Should I know him?" She asked.


    "Ah... that''s right. I keep forgetting you''ve lost your memory! Let me tell you all about him! He''s the kingdom''s most wealthy man! He...."


    She was cut off by Liu Yang.


    "Shouldn''t that be the emperor?"


    "Yes, it should, but his wealth is even greater since he only uses it to invest and make even more money while the emperor has to use his wealth to build roads and such!"


    "But doesn''t the emperor view him as a threat? Why doesn''t he eliminate this Song Wei?"


    Liu Yang knew that monarchs were usually quite paranoid and wouldn''t hesitate to get rid of anyone that seemed dangerous.


    "They have been friends since their childhood and so the emperor must trust Song Wei a lot! And even if he did try to kill the man he grew up with, I think it would be hard given that Song Wei is very powerful and has many connections, even outside of the Ming Kingdom."


    So this was the man she had to surpass to show this world women could be more powerful than men. It would be a hard fight, a simple person couldn''t possibly be richer than his own emperor!


    Oddly Liu Yang felt very excited to compete with this man, and didn''t feel an ounce of fear.


    "Also..." Started Xiao Peng.


    "Also what?" Asked Liu Yang eagerly. She really wanted to know more about her enemy. As the saying goes: "If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles"


    "He... He... He''s the most handsome man in the whole capital!! He''s attractive, rich... Every woman in the kingdom wishes to marry him! He would be the perfect husband!" She said with an idolizing gaze.


    Liu Yang''s enthusiasm was crushed. ''Who cares if he has a pretty face! How is that going to help me become richer than him!'' She wanted to shout.


    "But..." Xiao Peng started again.


    "But what?" Asked Liu Yang with renewed enthusiasm.


    Xiao Peng looked around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation.


    Liu Yang''s eagerness rose another level.


    Xiao Peng got closer to her and whispered in her ear.


    "I heard he likes men. He''s twenty-one years old and doesn''t even have a concubine!" She said as if it was the most shocking secret ever.


    As a modern person, Liu Yang entirely supported the LGBTQ+Community even if she wasn''t part of it. She found it very admirable for a man in this era to be so open with his sexuality! She was amazed he didn''t even try to hide it by taking at least a concubine.


    But still, how was this an important information for her to become wealthier than him!


    Liu Yang wanted to cry but had no tears. Her expectations were once again crushed.


    "Well, good for him. But what''s wrong with men liking other men?" She said.


    Xiao Peng didn''t expect her miss to ask her that question. She thought hardly.


    "Well... Hmm.... It''s against nature, they can''t bear children!" She finally said.


    "Well it''s the same for sterile people, does that make it''s wrong for them to exist?" Replied Liu Yang.


    Xiao Peng pondered on that idea for a moment. Finally, she couldn''t find any flaw with what her miss had said... Why was it wrong for two people of the same sexe to love each other?


    Seeing Xiao Peng in deep thought, Liu Yang took the opportunity to pinch her cheek again. This girl was just too cute!


    Xiao Peng snapped out of her daze and started at Liu Yang with a confused expression.


    Liu Yang coughed slightly as if nothing happened and changed the topic.


    "So in which areas does Song Wei invest in?" Asked Liu Yang. She was truly curious about this man who managed to be richer than the emperor in an era where the emperor was supposed to be the most powerful man of the kingdom.


    "I don''t know the details. I''m pretty sure he invests in land. He then builds houses and shops and then sells them for a big price. He also owns a few stores and restaurants. That''s all I know..."


    "Ok, thanks Xiao Peng!" Smiled Liu Yang.


    "Should we continue our walk?" Asked the little girl.


    "No. I just had a great idea, could you lead me to one of the Twin Dragon Restaurants please?"


    "Sure..." Replied Xiao Peng


    She was truly curious as to what kind of crazy idea her miss had this time.

 13 A new idea!

    The duo arrived in front of the Eastern Dragon Restaurant after a few minutes of walk.


    It was still just as empty as it was the last time they had come. Two familiar voices could be heard in a corner of the restaurant.


    The twins were seated at a table and were talking in low tones. When they heard the door open, they both eyed theentrance with surprise.


    When they saw that it was the restaurants'' handsome owner and his young servant, they relaxed a bit.


    "It''s you, sir... That''s right, you didn''t tell us your name!" Realized the first twin.


    "You can call me sir Yang. What are your names?" She asked in return.


    "I''m Su Bai, and this is my brother, Su Ren." Said the second brother.


    "What brings you here sir Yang? Weren''t you supposed to only come at the end of the week?" Asked Su Ren curiously.


    Did something bad happen with Shen Cao? He wondered.


    By seeing his expression, Liu Yang could kind of guess what he was thinking.


    "Don''t worry, nothing happened, I just had a request for you guys." She started.


    "What is it?" Asked the brothers at the same time.


    "Well, you see, I''m thinking of buying more restaurants but it would cost me a lot of money to hire new chefs. Since the both of you are very good at cooking, could you teach about twenty people for two weeks how to make around ten simple delicious dishes?" Asked Liu Yang.


    The twins thought about it deeply.


    "Teaching them won''t be a problem, two weeks are enough, but if we teach them all how to cook the same dishes, every restaurant will be the same! Restaurants are supposed to be different so that people remember them and want to return there a second time." Said Su Bai seriously.


    "Actually, that''s the point. At the moment, I plan on buying shops everywhere in the capital, but in the future I wish to have shops all around the Ming Kingdom, and even, why not, in other kingdoms as well!"


    The twins looked at her in confusion. Why would their master want to own so many restaurants that serve the same dishes? Restaurants are supposed to be different because original ones are more easily remembered by costumers than plain ones. Yet their master wanted to own many restaurants that served the same dishes? Was he an idiot?


    Ignoring the confused expressions of the twins, Liu Yang continued her explanation.


    "I want every restaurant to be the same, so that any customer who once ate in one of them in the capital, and enjoyed it, will be able to find the exact same restaurant anywhere else in the Ming Kingdom. That way, without even having gone to the restaurant in the countryside, he''ll already know that he will like the food there."


    Puzzlement could be seen in the eyes of the twins as they tried to understand and imagine what Liu Yang was talking about.


    When they finally started to grasp what Liu Yang was explaining, astonishment and excitement started to form in their eyes.


    This was simply a brilliant idea!


    Liu Yang actually hadn''t invented anything new. She was just going to establish chain restaurants like MacDonald! After all, chain restaurants were usually extremely successful in her old world, like MacDonald, Soobway, Wendie''s... But in this world, it seemed like chain restaurants hadn''t been invented yet, so the concept was new and ingenious.


    Seeing the astonished expressions of the twins, Liu Yang let out a small smile, which truly made her look captivating.


    Her knowledge about the modern world was really a blessing! That, added to her good business skills, made it really easy to come up with ideas to get a lot of money!


    She was convinced it wouldn''t be hard for her to become wealthier than that Song Wen guy or whatever his name was. Was it Song Fei? Song Wu? Ah right... It was Song Wei!


    Well, he would just be a tool for her to prove to this world that a woman can surpass a man in a domain that was considered only for men, so remembering his name wasn''t really important...


    Little did she know, but that insignificant man would become quite important for her in about three months...


    The twins couldn''t contain their excitement anymore.


    "This is an amazing idea! Making restaurants where clients already know they''re going to like the food without even having tried it!" Exclaimed Su Bai.


    "That''s right, I already have ideas of the food we could teach the people to cook!" Continued Su Ren.


    "I trust you, but be sure to teach them recipes that will be liked in the entire Ming Kingdom and are pretty simple to do. That way, we can hire new employees easily given that they''ll just need a two weeks formation.


    I don''t plan on making a restaurant for the wealthy, but for the middle-class and poor people. That''s why you should remember to teach recipes that can be done easily, quickly and that aren''t very costly, as our dishes have to be cheap, but we still need to make money!" Said Liu Yang.


    The twins looked at each other and simultaneously nodded.


    "Don''t worry, we''ll come up with the perfect recipes!" Said Su Ren, barely able to contr?le his excitement.


    "I leave that in your care then. I''ll also come back by the end of the week when I''ll have dealt with Shen Cao. Goodbye!" Said Liu Yang simply, as if she was talking of simply killing an annoying bug.


    When she was gone, the twins started talking again.


    "At first, I didn''t believe that he could deal with someone as powerful as Shen Cao... But now, strangely, I don''t have any doubts that he could." Said Su Bai.


    "I feel the same way. Oddly enough, I don''t even feel nervous about the idea of him opening many restaurants that are the nearly same. Despite the fact that it has never been done before and is a risky idea, I feel like as long as sir Yang is in charge of everything, it will be alright" Said Su Ren.


    "I wonder what is the background of such an incredible man is."


    Unknowingly to them, while they were saying that, the incredible man was complaining to her servant about how uncomfortable makeup was, and how much she wanted to go home to finally be able to remove it.


    Xiao Peng helplessly explained to her miss that that was one of the many reasons she shouldn''t dress up as a man, but of course, Liu Yang turned a deaf ear to her ranting, as always.


    At the present, the little servant was extremely impressed by her miss that had, yet again, had a crazy but incredible idea.


    "Could you hire around twenty people and send them to the Eastern Dragon Restaurant by tomorrow?" Asked Liu Yang.


    "Of course, but they''ll need helpers in the kitchen if they are to manage a whole restaurant, right?"


    "Of course but the employees will have to teach their helpers how to cook themselves, after all, the twins can''t teach hundreds of people how to cook in just two weeks! Besides, the brothers will have their own restaurants to manage by the end of the week." Replied Liu Yang.


    "I see! Don''t worry miss, I''ll find enough people by tomorrow!" Said Xiao Peng cheerfully.


    When they got back to Liu Yang''s courtyard, she saw that Xiao Peng had indeed brought the ingredients she had requested.


    As soon as she saw them, Liu Yang''s eyes started shining brightly.


    "It''s time to make soap!"

 14 Soap!

    Four days later...


    She had finally done it! She was so happy she wanted to cry from joy!


    After four days of tirelessly working, Liu Yang had finally managed to create soap!


    Originally, she thought making soap would be rather easy, and would take at most one to two days. Yet who would have thought creating this little devilish bar of cleanliness would require so much work!


    Finally, after countless failed attempts, she had made it. She would''ve never guessed that seeing such a simple bar of soap could make her feel so happy she wanted to cry!


    That was all because even though she remembered most of the ingredients necessary to create soap, she didn''t remember their proportions! At first she thought she could adjust the quantities after a few tries, but she quickly realized making soap was actually very complex and intricate!


    Even after many tries, there was always something wrong with the soap she made! Getting the proportions correct was extremely complicated. Many times Liu Yang had thought about giving up, but the prospect of living her whole life without soap was truly inconceivable for someone who liked cleanliness as much as her!


    As such, she continued trying and failing until finally, a normal soap bar stood proudly before her!


    Even if she was an atheist, Liu Yang couldn''t help but thank God for the miracle in front of her!


    This was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her entire life! Or rather lives.


    This soap bar was so simple, yet so perfect in her eyes. Finally, today, she would be able to take a bath and feel clean afterwards. There were simply no words to describe her joy at the moment.


    By her side, Xiao Peng was looking at her miss like she was possessed by a demon.


    Four days... It had been four days since her miss had become so engrossed in making a little white bar that she called "soap" that she had barely slept or eaten.


    Honestly, right now, Xiao Peng felt her miss looked slightly terrifying.


    The dark circles painted under Liu Yang''s eyes made her look like a ghost. She had been muttering to herself like a crazy person for the past four days as if she was possessed.


    For four days, she had mixed, grinded, refined ingredients like a mad scientist with the exact same look in her eyes a lunatic would have!


    Finally, today, her miss had stopped her actions after making a bar of what she called "soap".


    Xiao Peng had thought her miss would''ve returned to normal after managing to make soap, but to her surprise, she had actually stood an entire day admiring the white bar with a silly grin on her face!


    The little servant couldn''t take her miss'' craziness anymore.


    "Miss, do you plan on admiring this so-called soap bar the entire night to? If so, I would advise against it given that you haven''t slept more that six hours for the past four days and that you''ll definitely collapse or fall ill if you don''t rest! Truthfully, I''m surprised it hasn''t happened by now!"


    Liu Yang snapped out of her daze because of Xiao Peng''s outburst. When she saw the sun had already gone down, she was stunned. Had she really been staring at her soap bar for a whole day?


    Well, it was, after all, the first time she had managed to combine ingredients without setting a fire, given her horrible cooking skills, so she was extremely proud of herself! Still, being caught admiring a soap bar for an entire day was quite embarrassing, so she coughed awkwardly and tried to hide her shame.


    "I''ll go rest later, first, I want to go clean up and try out my soap!" She said excitedly.


    Xiao Peng had an intrigued expression.


    "What does that soap you worked so hard to make actually do?" She asked.


    Liu Yang''s eyes started to sparkle as she explained the wonderfulness of her creation.


    "It cleans you. When you use it, your skin becomes much softer and shinier but most importantly, it gets rid of germs, so you''re less likely to fall ill and aren''t dirty all the time!"


    Xiao Peng was surprised. There was actually a way to reduce chances of falling ill different from expensive medicine? In addition, it even made one''s skin softer!


    Honestly, if her miss wasn''t the person who had said that, she wouldn''t have believed it.


    "I''ll go prepare the bath then..." She said.


    Truthfully, it didn''t really matter if soap was so amazing as long as it could make her miss happy.


    Xiao Peng proceeded to bring the bathtub and fill it with warm water.


    After she left, Liu Yang started to undress. Every inch of her skin was truly flawless.


    Slowly, she got into the tub. When she was finally entirely in the water, her muscles that she hadn''t realized were tense, relaxed. This sentation was extremely satisfying.


    Liu Yang leisurely cleaned her perfect body with the soap she had made.


    She had even added a bit of rose essence to it so it was quite fragrant but yet not as overbearing as perfume.


    When she had finished cleaning herself, she leaned against the bathtub and closed her eyes.


    Finally being clean felt really good. This moment was truly perfect.


    About an hour later, Xiao Peng started to worry a bit about her miss.


    It had already been an hour, yet she still hadn''t come out. What if something had happened to her?


    At this thought, Xiao Peng became even more anxious.


    Quickly, she knocked on the door of the room her miss had been bathing in. After a few seconds, nobody answered, so the little girl knocked again a bit louder. Still, nothing happened.


    Xiao Peng started getting more and more nervous as time passes by. Did something really happen to her miss?


    Anxiously, the servant opened the door.


    What awaited her was a beautiful scene.


    Liu Yang had fallen asleep during her bath. She was lying in the tub and was sleeping soundlessly, with her mouth slightly opened. She looked like a sleeping child.


    Xiao Peng''s gaze immediately turned soft. Quietly, she advanced towards the bathtub and slowly, she grabbed a towel.


    She then proceeded to pick Liu Yang from the bathtub and wrap her in the cloth like a mother would her child.


    After that, she soundlessly carried her miss toher bed and gently lied her down on it.


    Xiao Peng looked at the angelic expression her miss bore and couldn''t help but want to protect her innocence as long as she possibly could.


    Then, she quietly left the room to let her miss have some sleep. After all, working so hard to make soap had really exhausted her, and she deserved to rest.

 15 Sir Yangs return

    When Liu Yang opened her eyes, she was blinded by the light that passed through the curtains.


    She slowly sat up and looked around her in confusion. Oddly, she had no recollection of getting in bed.


    But when she saw she was wrapped tightly in a towel, Liu Yang understood she had probably fallen asleep in her bath and that Xiao Peng must''ve carried her to bed without waking her up.


    Wow, that little girl was stronger than she seemed... Even if Liu Yang was very light, she still weighted like a sixteen years old girl!


    Her heart unconsciously softened. Xiao Peng was such a sweet girl. Actually carrying her to bed so that Liu Yang wouldn''t wake up.


    At that moment, Liu Yang swore to herself to always protect Xiao Peng and care for her.


    As she thought that, Xiao Peng entered quietly in the room with a tray of food.


    When she saw her miss was awake, a wide smile bloomed on her lips.


    "Good morning!" She said cheerfully.


    "Good morning! Could you tell me what time it is?" Enquired Liu Yang.


    "It''s a bit past lunchtime, I was going to wake you up so that you could eat but I guess there''s no need for that." Replied the young girl.


    Liu Yang was surprised. She usually didn''t sleep past ten o''clock even when she was extremely tired. This body was really weak!


    Liu Yang quickly ate her lunch, which consisted of a light soup and a few side dishes, Liu Yang got ready to head out.


    After having put on her black coat, black eyepatch and of course her usual makeup under Xiao Peng''s disapproving gaze, she headed off towards the brothel.


    When they arrived at their destination, the courtesans were already moving around preparing for the night.


    When they heard footsteps coming towards them, they all raised their eyes to see who it was. As they saw the handsome owner, their eyes all started to sparkle and beautiful smiles bloomed on their lips.


    While that happened, Chen Ning was in the next room cleaning it to prepare for their customers'' arrival.


    When she couldn''t hear the women in the neighboring room work anymore, her brows knitted in a frown.


    Were the taking a rest? But the preparations for the night weren''t done yet, and in wasn''t like them to slack off before everything was ready. Did something happen?


    Getting increasingly worried, Chen Ning hurried to see what was going on. When she saw the owner, she was instantly relieved.


    "Sir Yang!" She exclaimed joyfully.


    Honestly, she thought he would''ve come sooner to see how the brothel had done for their first nights after having been reformed. But to her surprise, he hadn''t shown the slightest sign of life so she had started to get anxious.


    After all, what would happen to the brothel without its owner? In addition, he was their savior so to was natural for her to worry about him.


    Thankfully, he seemed fine. Maybe a bit tired, but fine.


    "Good afternoon, how have you been?" Said Liu Yang with a cheerful smile.


    "I''ve been well, thank you. How about we go talk in private, your presence is distracting the girls." Replied Chen Ning with a helpless expression.


    The owner was truly too handsome! With a single smile, he could turn those courtesans used to handling men everyday into love-struck fools!


    Only then did Liu Yang realize the women were all staring at her smiling face in a daze.


    She coughed lightly to hide her embarrassment.


    "Of course, after all, we have many things to discuss!" She said.


    Chen Ning the proceeded to guide Liu Yang and Xiao Peng out of the room.


    She led them through many corridors that all resembled each other and finally, they arrived at a very spacious room.


    "This is where we hold public performances and contests. They are both very appreciated by nobles as well as commoners given that they are cheap for people who don''t have the money to get a private performance, but nobles can also pay more to have an independent room that allows them to have a better view of the performance as well as flaunt their money, since are pretty expensive."


    "I see... It''s a very clever idea. You managed to open public performances to commoners but still make nobles assist them without them thinking it would be equal to lowering themselves to commoners. Good job! And excluding that, has the brothel been doing well?" Asked Liu Yang.


    Honestly, she thought the whole "reorganizing the brothel" idea was a pretty good one but was still quite risky.


    She didn''t know much about this world except that it was very sexist like Ancient China, and there was still a possibility that men wouldn''t be interested in women''s talents if they couldn''t even touch them.


    Chen Ning''s eyes started to sparkle.


    "We''ve been doing even better than I had imagined! At first, I believed we would''ve attracted a few important figures but who would have thought it would become so popular!


    We became the second most visited brothel in the capital when we weren''t even in the top ten before! In addition, the only brothel that is better than us is the Pleasure Pavillon, but they''re at least twice as big as us, yet we still managed to get nearly as many custommers as them! This proves we''re actually better than them in all aspects except size!"


    Liu Yang was taken aback. She didn''t think the brothel would''ve been received so well by the public! This was great news!


    "What about the contests, have you gotten enough candidates?" She asked again.


    The contests idea was also a risky one from her point of view. In truth, given this world''s harsh separation between the rich and the poor, she wasn''t sure they would be able to meet in harmony in the same contest. After all, there were lots of prideful nobles who would probably not want to mix with commoners. Moreover, commoners would probably be scared of not being talented enough to beat nobles in a contest when nobles had been trained since they were young by great teachers.


    It was possible there wouldn''t even be enough enteries to launch the contest.


    "Actually, I was surprised about that too." Said Chen Ning.


    "What do you mean?" Asked Liu Yang a bit nervous.


    "Well, I thought it would be hard to mix commoners with nobles, because nobles are prideful and that commoners would be too scared to join the contest, but as it turns out, there were too many enteries!


    I think commoners think of that as a great way to finally be able to showcase their talent in front of many people and most importantly powerful people who might consider sponsoring them if they are talented enough.


    Contrary to them, I think nobles believe that if they don''t compete against the commoners to show their superiority, it would be a sign of weakness and fear, which they can''t tolerate." Explained Chen Ning.


    "You''re right, it''s quite logical. But then how did you decide who to keep for the contest if you had too many demands of participation?"


    "I kept the people who asked to join the contest first, and as for the rest, they''ll compete in the next contest."


    "Good. What''ll be the theme of the contest? And when will it take place?" Asked Liu Yang.


    She was like a curious child and her gaze reflected a large interest in the topic.


    Chen Ning laughed slightly after comparing her handsome employer to a curious child, but quickly hid her smile in case Liu Yang saw her amusement.


    "If you''re so interested, why don''t you stay here tonight? That''s when the contest will happen. It will be an instrument competition and contenders will be allowed to demonstrate whatever instrument they want. The jury panel will be composed of three renowned musicians, famous in the whole Ming kingdom. It will be a big event and many powerful people will be coming. If you wish to assist to the contest, you can stay in one of our few VIP rooms, what do you say?" Offered Chen Ning.


    Liu Yang thought for a moment. She didn''t have anything to do this night, so it would be the perfect opportunity to have some fun. Besides, she hadn''t had time to relax since she had transmigrated, and music had always been important to Liu Yang. She liked all kinds of music and really enjoyed live performances, so she was really interested in tonight''s contest.


    "I''d love to stay!" She said.

 16 Gossiping with Chen Ning

    Liu Yang waited in a VIP room for the courtesans to finished the preparations for the night.


    When Chen Ning had finally completed the tasks she was supposed to carry out, she came to Liu Yang''s room to keep her company until the contest.


    The two girls, or more precisely a woman and a girl crossdressing as a man, started exchanging pleasantries, but they quickly deviated from their original subjects and started gossiping.


    Well, to be more accurate, Chen Ning started telling Liu Yang all of the city''s new gossip, given that she didn''t even know anything about this world, let alone gossip.


    Liu Yang was blown away by how many secrets Chen Ning knew about powerful people. Even though it was just gossip, if half of what she said was true, it could definitely ruin the lives of many influential people if it were to be revealed to the public.


    During their discussion, Liu Yang felt a cold chill run down her spine. Courtesans were really dangerous. They couldn''t be underestimated because of their beautiful faces, in fact they could crush many people''s reputation with just a few words.


    Liu Yang felt lucky not having these women as enemies. They really had lots of connections and their clients wouldn''t hesitate to tell them deeply hidden secrets about themselves or others just to impress them.


    Hours flew by very quickly. Liu Yang didn''t really like to gossip, but she had to admit, hearing all of the rumors and secrets of prominent families and people was very fun.


    From the affair of the Fei family''s first miss with a commoner, to the fact that the emperor didn''t take a wife because he was still searching for his first love who had, one day, disappeared without a trace, or that Song Wei, the richest man if the country ''s family was in another kingdom but had exiled him for some obscure reason...


    That last information had particularly interested Liu Yang, given that it meant that the man she considered to be her rival, Song Wei, had become rich in this kingdom without the backing of a powerful family. That suggested he was a very man, who mustn''t be underestimated.


    Sadly, when she tried to get more information about this story from Chen Ning, the woman told her she didn''t know anything more about the subject.


    She had only heard this news from a travelling merchant who was from the Bai Kingdom, when he came to the brothel and got very drunk, so she wasn''t sure if this was a reliable information.


    This greatly disappointed Liu Yang. But suddenly, she remembered the entire reason she had come here. How could she forget something so important! Maybe her brain had gotten damaged during her transmigration?


    "What about Shen Cao? Did you manage to get some useful information about him?"


    "Ah that''s right, I had forgotten about him! Well surprisingly, as you predicted, he has indeed been coming here a lot. He came nearly every night since the reopening and has even booked a room for tonight''s contest."


    "And have you gathered any of his weaknesses?" Asked Liu Yang.


    "Yes, and a very big one." She said with an unreadable look in her eyes.


    "He had always come with people his age to the brothel but never had any important conversations with them or shown any weaknesses, except maybe for the fact he admitted to gambling illegally, however everyone in the capital knows about it, so it''s not a big secret.


    But oddly, yesterday, he came by with a man who was in his forties, old enough to be his father. He was clearly very different than the people who usually accompanied him. That''s why I instantly knew they were going to talk about private matters, and hopefully, it would expose one of Shen Cao''s weaknesses.


    I arranged for them to be hosted by our smartest courtisan, who would know when to speak and when to listen to get the most information out of Shen Cao and his companion.


    However what we didn''t expect is that that a few moments after she joined them in the room, they kicked her out mercilessly. At that point, we were sure they were going to talk about a classified subject.


    Luckily, the courtisan remembered to leave the door a bit open so that we could hear the conversation, but not enough for the men in the room to realize it wasn''t closed." Explained Chen Ning.


    Liu Yang''s curiosity was peeked. What could this important conversation be about?


    "So what did they talk about?" She enquired excitedly.


    Chen Ning looked around anxiously as if she was looking for someone spying on them.


    Liu Yang wanted to raise her eyes to the sky, but refrained herself at the last minute. After all the gossip she Clean Ning disclosed, watching out for spies was a bit too late.


    Chen Ning was actually doing that to add a bit of a dramatic effect to what she was going to say. After all, this was the result of the brothel''s hard work for a whole week! She really wanted for Sir Yang to be satisfied with their accomplishment.


    "Just spill it!" Finally said Liu Yang after a few moments. What bloody secret did this Shen Cao have!


    The anticipation was killing her!


    When she realized the owner was getting restless, Chen Ning stopped with her dramatic pause and brought her lips to Liu Yang''s ears before whispering a few words.


    As Chen Ning murmured, Liu Yang''s face gradually showed surprise before turning into a wide smile.


    Oddly, this smile was unlike her usual cheerful ones, and it was hard to even look at it without feeling a chill run down your spine.


    When Chen Ning had finished sharing what she had headed during Shen Cao''s conversation, a cold glint flashed in Liu Yang''s eyes.


    "Thank you for your hard work, you did well." She said to the brothel''s manager.


    "Will this information be useful to you?" Asked Chen Ning with an expectant gaze.


    "Definitely. Shen Cao will regret angering me." She replied with a frosty look.


    A joyful expression spread on Chen Ning''s face. She had been useful to her savior! This thought made her very happy.


    Without even realizing it, Chen Ningwas already completely and wholeheartedly loyal to Liu Yang, and that loyalty was something that Liu Yang would be very lucky to have, more than once.


    "Well, it''s nearly time to open the brothel. I have to greet the contest participants so I''ll be leaving. I hope you''ll enjoy the show!" Said Chen Ning before leaving contently.


    ''So Shen Cao will be at tonight''s contest... It''s going to be an eventful night." Thought Liu Yang with a cold smile.

 17 The beginning of the contes

    Liu Yang was waiting for the contest to start. The brothel got louder and louder as time passed.


    Even if she was in a VIP room, she could still hear the excited people outside. She could also hear groups of people filling in the private rooms next to hers.


    This contest had for theme "music". That means the contestants could show off any talent, as long as they had a relation with music. For example, the contestants could sing, dance, play an instrument... It was a wide theme.


    The contest was divided into three parts. In the first one, the twenty or so contestants would individually show off their talent. A panel of judges composed of two famous musicians and a popular poet would rank each performance scale of one to ten, one being the worst mark, and ten the best.


    The eight people with the highest marks would be able to go to the next round, while the rest would be eliminated.


    Following that, the eight remaining contestants would be randomly divided in four groups of two.


    The duos would have one hour for the two members to create a performance that mixed their talents and showcase it to the audience.


    The jury would then rank the duos from best to worst and the the two worst pairs would be eliminated from the contest.


    In this round, luck was an undeniable factor to win, because some groups would have talents more compatible than others, and would therefore have a higher chance to win, but if two people with talents that aren''t very compatible managed to make their skills work together, it would be even more impressing.


    This test was perfect to uncover hidden talents and let them show off to their fullest their abilities.


    In the final part of the contest, the remaining four participants would once again show off their skill, but this time, instead of being judged by the jury, they would be judged by the audience.


    Everyone that came to watch the contest had been given the paper with which they could vote for their favorite artist.


    Because of this, the winner would be the person who touched the audience the most, and it would also allow the public to play a role in the contest and not just be bystanders.


    Liu Yang watched from her room''s window the brothel fill up. It was getting more and more crowded but wasn''t showing any signs of stopping.


    As she waited for the contest to start, Liu Yang couldn''t help but regret making Xiao Peng go home.


    She had asked the little girl to return because she was disguised as a man, and men didn''t usually have many female servants. Even less to accompany them wherever they went.


    She didn''t want people to misinterpret her and Xiao Peng''s relationship. She was here as the brothel''s owner, so she didn''t want to be seen as unprofessional, mixing personal and private matters.


    In addition, she didn''t want to show anything that could disclose her identity before she was powerful enough to protect herself, because that could bring a lot of trouble, and given that Xiao Peng was he female identity''s servant, she would rather not be seen together with her too much.


    After waiting for a few more minutes, Liu Yang finally saw Chen Ning get on the stage.


    The woman was wearing a white dress that fitted her perfectly and showed off her curves without being indecent. She had a bright smile on her face, and just like that, she had already charmed most men in the room, and even a few women.


    "Hello ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking some time on your busy schedules to come to our humble establishment.


    Tonight will officially be our first contest, and it definitely won''t be the last!


    For this contest, the theme will be "music" and many talented participants have come to show you their various skill in this domain.


    Before starting the contest, I''d like to thank the members of the jury for honouring us with their presence.


    Now without further ado, let''s start the show!" Said Chen Ning cheerfully.


    Loud cheers and applause followed her statement.


    Liu Yang couldn''t help but smile at that sight. Chen Ning was really talented in creating a good atmosphere. With just a few words, the crowd had already become very lively. She was really charismatic.


    After going down from the stage, Chen Ning instinctively looked in Liu Yang''s direction.


    As their eyes met, Liu Yang nodded at her in approval.


    When she saw that, Chen Ning was overjoyed. The owner had just praised her! Her eyes started sparkling like a child and an innocent smile bloomed on her lips.


    As she smiled so beautifully, everyone that was watching her became enthralled by her beauty once again.


    Seeing that, Liu Yang was speechless. Why had a simple nod from herself made Chen Ning so happy? Was she too cold before? Liu Yang started thinking about how she had previously interacted with Chen Ning, but couldn''t find any reason for her to be so happy just because of a nod.


    A beautiful sound made Liu Yang snap out of her daze.


    The contest had started.


    On the stage, a middle-aged man dressed humbly was playing a handmade instrument that sort of looked like an violin.


    The melody he played was very beautiful. It was slow, yet sounded extremely hard to play and refined.


    Liu Yang couldn''t help but be captivated. When the music stopped, it was immediately followed by thundering applauds from the audience.


    The next few contestants weren''t as good as the middle-aged man, but they were still very talented and it was very entertaining.


    Chen Ning had definitely done very well to chose the contestants for the show. Since it was the first show, it was good to start with very talented participants.


    As she applauded for a woman who had just finished playing the flute, a courtisan discretely entered her room.


    When she saw her, Liu Yang eyed the woman questioningly.


    The courtisan respectfully greeted Liu Yang before taking out a paper from her sleeve.


    "The manager asked me to give you this paper. I''ll take my leave then." Said the woman shyly.


    Liu Yang opened the paper. On it was written with a nice handwriting: "Shen Cao is to the room to your left. In the room to your right are powerful people, you should be careful if you talk to them."


    Chen Ning was really helpful. Because of her message, Liu Yang wouldn''t have to look for Shen Cao everywhere in the brothel. Chen Ning was quite smart, knowing Liu Yang would want to deal with Shen Cao tonight.


    Still, she couldn''t help but wonder who could possibly be in the room to her right. Who could be so important Chen Neing would go so far as to warn her about them? Her curiosity was peeked.


    Suddenly, she heard loud gasps from the audience. Unconsciously, she turned her head to see what had affected the crowd so much, and was instantly enthralled.


    On the stage stood a short woman. She was wearing a white dress quite similar to Chen Ning''s, yet unlike her, her dress seemed to try to hide her beautiful body.But the woman was just to pretty. Her slender perfect body couldn''t be masked by a simple dress.


    She looked like a fairy. Her face was covered by a veil, and only her eyes could be seen. They were like pools of ink, and radiated brightly under the light.


    This veiled woman simply had no flaw. She was just beautiful.


    Without waiting for the people around her to snap out of their daze, the woman opened her mouth and started singing.

 18 The mysterious woman

    The woman''s voice sounded like heaven flowing down on Earth. It was simply mesmerizing. Everyone in the room started to get goosebumps, and gave their full attention to the mysterious woman on the stage.


    Apart from her voice, not a single sound could be heard. The beautiful woman, accompanied by her captivating voice rendered everyone in the room speechless.


    Even if she was singing acapella, this music sounded like the most perfect and refined sound to everyone''s ears.


    Even if Liu Yang was used to listening to numerous talented singers back on Earth, she was still shaken to the core.


    The voice of the woman on the stage was just too beautiful, it was nearly otherworldly!


    Time seemed to stop, but it actually flew by very quickly.


    When the song ended, the people in the room were dumbstruck.


    A few seconds past... But no one was reacting. The beautiful veiled woman seemed anxious and confused seeing that nobody was giving a sign of applauding her.


    Seeing that, Liu Yang finally snapped out of her daze and started applauding loudly.


    When people heard her clapping, they automatically reacted to it and started clapping themselves.


    Quickly, the room was filled with applauds and cheers. The public had never been so lively before, even for the middle-aged man of the first performance.


    While the crowd was going wild, the anxiousness in the veiled woman''s eyes disappeared and was replaced by a joyful look.


    Seemingly very happy to hear the cheers, she turned around without waiting for the applauds to end and returned to the backstage unhurriedly.


    Disappointment could be heard from the public when the woman had entirely disappeared from their sight.


    Without missing a beat, the next contestant made his way to the center of the scene and slowly, the atmosphere returned to normal.


    It was as if the veiled woman was just a miragre, an illusion that was too perfect to be real.


    But Liu Yang still hadn''t forgotten about her. Her mind had already started running at full speed.


    Having this woman work in the brothel would be extremely beneficial. With just one performance, she had already managed to stir up a whole crowd. With her talent and looks, she could easily become a national idol.


    The only question was, how would Liu Yang be manage to hire the veiled woman?


    The obvious answer would be to draw her in with money, but Liu Yang had already ruled out that possibility. The woman was wearing a veil, which indicated she didn''t want her identity to be revealed.


    In addition, even if the dress she was wearing seemed simple, Liu Yang, who had always been very attentive to small details, knew it wasn''t. She didn''t recognize the materialsince she wasn''t a specialist in the subject, but given her experience with the high society, she knew for a fact it was of the highest quality.


    If you added up those two clues, it was obvious that the woman was probably a noble, and likely the daughter of an influential family.


    That''s why, she would surely not be moved by money.


    So what could possibly make her join the brothel?


    While she was in deep thoughts, time flew by, and when Liu Yang came back to reality, the first round of the contest had already ended.


    Liu Yang cursed at herself for not being attentive enough, when she was attending her own brothel''s first big event.


    But it wasn''t her fault she had been caught up in her thoughts, after all, who would''ve thought she would encounter such a mysterious and talented woman in this contest! The world was truly full of hidden talents.


    Liu Yang quietly watched as the jury announced the eight people who were chosen to remain in the contest.


    After this announcement, different reactions could be seen in the public.


    The people who just came here for entertainment didn''t seem to be too interested in the results, as they were just here to have a good time.


    Contrary to them, the people who had come to support their friends or family members either had a delighted expression on their face or a gloomy one if the person they had come to cheer on hadn''t passed the first round.


    There were lots of different conversations, but nobody dared to announce their unhappiness aloud, given that they didn''t want to be kicked out of the brothel for causing a ruckus.


    There was a one-hour pause before the second round, and snacks were sold in the main room for anyone who was hungry.


    Many people had gathered in front of the snack bar. Since Liu Yang didn''t want to just wait an hour without doing anything, she decided to join the crowd and try to socialize with strangers.


    She quickly got lost in the crowd and was surrounded by people. She had underestimated the quantity of the crowd and started regretting her idea of coming to interact with new people.


    She truly didn''t feel at ease in large crowds, and had always preferred to be alone in a room, rather than with too many people. In addition, the crowd had surrounded her and she didn''t know how to leave it, or from where she came from.


    As she started feeling a bit claustrophobic, a small but powerful hand had clasped her arm and pulled her without restraint out of the crowd of people surrounding the snack bar.


    Regaining her senses, Liu Yang quickly turned around to face the person who had pulled her out of the crowd.


    To her surprise, a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old was looking back at her unfazed with a scrutinizing look in her eyes.


    They both stared at each other soundlessly, but the strange girl finally broke the silence.


    "Are you seriously a man? You''re really weak." Stated the girl bluntly, without even an ounce of diplomacy.


    Little did they both know this tactless sentence would, in the future, be the start of their lifelong friendship.

 19 Announcemen

    @@


    Hey everyone,


    I haven''t been updating for a while now because I just can''t get myself to write anymore.


    When I started the novel, I had so many ideas for a development but I soon realized writing was really hard. I guess it means I just wasn''t motivated enough and I''m sorry.


    I''m writing this announcement because I''ve finally decided to officially drop this novel.


    I''m sorry and thankful go everyone who supported me and read my novel, it meant a lot to me.


    -Lizzy@@