The first department to venture out would be Luna Marche's confectionery department. It had been 2 years since the confectionery department had been established and there was considerable demand. We already had a couple promising chefs who we had sought out to promote and move to the neighbouring cities to establish the new branches.
Food was also a rather straightforward matter. As long as the food was good, there was demand, and you were consistent, the value of food was much easier to convey and to attract customers than more complex goods like electronics, or fancy accessories, where different groups of consumers would have different perceptions of value and would have to be marketed to differently.
As it was now evening, I had brought my papers back to my personal study to review. Come to think of it, I was quite sleepy. Should really turn in soon. I organised the papers, bundled them up and locked them back in a chest. As I prepared to leave, Qiu Ci hurriedly came in. "Young Miss, the Emperor is here!" she said. Ah? He was? What was he doing here so late at night?
Before I could collect my thoughts, I was rushed back to my bedroom, where I found a ready ensemble of maids waiting for me all with various accessories in their hands. They pounced on me like they were going to war.
Some helped me into new robes, some brushed my hair, everyone poked me with various accessories, some applied cream, some rushed to get water, some lit up candles. "What's all this for?" I asked, confused. "Noble Concubine, the Emperor is here! You have to look presentable!" they said frantically. Lu Qing Yu was here... What did I need to look presentable for? I always looked presentable...
After thinking awhile, I felt my face heat up as I recalled what happened the last time he was here. After the maids finished their finishing touches, I was deposited back in the inner room where I waited. The drapes shifted as Lu Qing Yu came into the inner room.
I met his gaze with apprehension. I had always been unmoved by him. Why did I suddenly get this feeling? "Is your body well? I heard you slept till midday." he said. I shifted my gaze. He was looking at me with this water like gaze which I wasn't used to. I nodded. "It's nice to sleep in once in awhile." I said.
"How is your business going?" he asked. I relaxed since he changed the topic. "Not bad. We'll be expanding our confectionery department to the next 3 cities. We're taking a trip out of the capital to scout it out." I said. "Out of the capital?" he raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" "Ling Yue, its not confirmed yet, but we're investigating Duke Lian for corruption. He has a wide network of supporters. Avoid Lu Jing for the time being. It's dangerous to be a member of the Imperial Family." he said.
Duke Lian? If I remembered correctly, Duke Lian was one of the previous Emperor's supporters and a powerful noble. I had met him briefly during the Norse Diplomatic Ball and didn't have a very good impression of him. He rubbed me the wrong way. I sighed. "Alright. I'll go to Xia Hai first then. How's that?" I asked. He frowned. "Xia Hai..." he muttered. "What about Xia Hai?" "Hm... You can go, but be wary. There's some rioting going on." he said. "About what?" he shook his head.
"Come on." "The poor in Xia Hai want some supplies." "Why don't we give it to them? In a city as prosperous as Xia Hai, we still can't afford to take care of them?" "You see... its more complicated than that. Duke Ming's family businesses own a lot of land around Xia Hai and decided to evict the poor living on it to build other things.
Legally, they haven't done anything wrong, since the poor are living there illegally, but after the poor refused to comply... some of the men... some of the men set fire to their homes. Now they are rioting and seeking damages as well as supplies to rebuild their home. As members of the Imperial family, or as those who have profited from business, its a poor time to decide to donate any supplies. They won't be satisfied and will instead continue to riot since they have a deep hatred for the upper class now."
I thought about it. Although I was a second rank civil official, I worked in the Ministry of Foreign Exchange and Trade after all. I wasn't as well informed about the matters of the empire like he was. "Should we push back our expansion plans?" I asked doubtfully.
"No." he shook his head. "These are common issues of our time. If all the businesses stopped investing because of these issues, we would have a big problem." he said. "What if I disguise my identity?" I asked. "That would work too. But bringing less guards is also very dangerous for you. Send me a memo when you're going. I'll dispatch some shadow guards." he said. "Okay." I decided to listen to him.
After the somber conversation, he moved to the sofa and picked up a cup of tea. Noticing my gaze, he laughed. "What? Were you expecting me to do something?" he asked. "Well, I..." Ugh. Forget it. "Well, if there's nothing else, I'm going to bed." I said huffily.
After yesterday, the bedclothes had been changed back from the initially very eye-catching auspicious red and gold theme to the usual blue that I preferred. As a person from the 21st century, I still felt there was too much red and gold in the palace, to the point it was almost revolting. On the other hand, my palace was always decorated in the most airy and minimalist style possible, to the point I got some comments from other noble misses about how "I couldn't afford to decorate my palace".
I adjusted my blanket and buried my head in my pillow, then glanced at him. Lu Qing Yu was still drinking his tea, looking off into the distance. Zzz. Making me all worried for nothing. Right as I was about to doze off, I felt a weight on the bed and then a shadow over me. "Silly girl." he said as he made himself comfortable in the bed. Sleepy, I instinctively moved towards the warmth, wrapping an arm around his waist and burying my face at his collar.
"Ling Yue, my precious girl." he mumbled as he patted my head. Hmm. This was quite nice. I enjoyed the pampering shamelessly. "More pats." I even asked when he stopped. He only smiled and continued patting. Then a fair hand sneakily moved to untie my robes, sliding up to a certain region...
My eyes widened. "Lu Qing Yu!" I exclaimed.
"Yes?"