Chương 474: Chapter 466

Neatly stacking the last sheaf of documents, Luo-Luo went over her report once again, tapping each relevant stack as she moved past to ensure everything was in place. It'd been two weeks since Lord Husband's last visit, and they'd barely covered half of what she wanted to and only heard his thoughts on a quarter of what she brought him, circumstances which left her scrambling to put out the metaphorical fires cropping about their burgeoning mercantile enterprises.

While wholly capable of handling most business issues without his input, there were certain things Luo-Luo wanted Lord Husband to know about so he could prepare himself for the stormy seas ahead. Oh who was she fooling? Their ship had sprung a thousand leaks and it was all she could do to keep it afloat. Worst of all, she had no one to blame but herself. Before his downfall in Sinuji, business had been thriving and she made coin hand over fist.

Whether it was bells or baubles, tools or trinkets, wagons or water clocks, she made massive profits with every contract and amassed a fortune which even Lord Husband couldn't squander away.

Though he had advised her to take things slowly and set a foundation for future progress, she convinced him to strike while the iron was hot and invested the lion's share of their profits into expansion and development for a variety of different endeavours, expecting they would pay out a hundred times over if events continued as expected. And they would have too, but alas, man proposes and Heaven disposes.

While she knew it had always been a factor, only after Lord Husband took grave injury did she realize just how much of their success had hinged upon his distinguished reputation. Who wouldn't want to forge a connection to the Number One Talent in the Empire and first ever external Imperial Consort in history?

Their business partners saw this as a chance to build a relationship before Lord Husband came into true power, so they were all too happy to accept less than ideal terms in their business dealings, but all this came to a crashing halt after his reversal of fortune in Sinuji.

Where he'd once been a rising dragon with limitless potential, Lord Husband was now little more than a defeated savage in the eyes of the nobility, the 'Broken Barbarian' whose days were numbered, which meant all the goodwill which came with his lofty status immediately dried up and disappeared. How far she'd fallen, from playing concerts for the Emperor to playing nursemaid to a cripple.

Surprised by her hurtful and inaccurate thoughts, Luo-Luo shook it off and continued with her preparations, hoping to cover as much as she could before Lord Husband lost interest or grew tired. With so many vultures and jackals crawling out of the woodwork, she'd been working day and night to salvage what she could, but their losses were considerable as their business partners cheated and betrayed them to their competitors.

Day after day, she received word of 'bandit attacks', 'damaged shipments', 'ruined materials' and more, manufactured delays and setbacks which cost her dearly when she couldn't fulfill her contractual obligations. Though she could pursue legal action against those deceitful merchants, there were so many issues it would take the Adjudicators months, if not years to sort through the mess, and by then, the fines would be a mere slap on the wrist compared to the profits they'd make in the meantime.

If not for Marshal Yuzhen and the Yo family's steadfast allegiance and constant support, Luo-Luo feared she would have managed Lord Husband's business into the ground and left him a destitute pauper. If only she'd listened to Lord Husband's advice and offered their business partners better terms... Business and politics were supposed to be her areas of expertise, her fields to excel in, her niche with which she earned his approval, if not his affection, but the results spoke for themselves.

Forget about profits, Luo-Luo would be ecstatic if she could recoup their losses by year's end, but with only three weeks left to go, it seemed like wishful thinking. While they were still earning a tidy revenue with their cast iron business thanks to military contracts from Marshal Yuzhen and Marshal Yo, all of her other investments had turned to dust.

Lord Husband's exorbitant spending only exacerbated the issue, leaving her with minimal funds to defend against their competition and protect what few assets they still had left. Though she'd tried to bring it up during their last meeting, he'd been adamant about continuing to fund the Tyrant and his Teacher in their costly and unprofitable endeavours instead of putting his profits to better use, and nothing Luo-Luo said could convince him otherwise. Not that she blamed him for rejecting her advice.

Were it not for his health issues and lack of other options, Luo-Luo imagined he would have long since replaced her as his business manager and perhaps relegated her to the role of scullion maid or cattle minstrel. He doesn't appreciate you, doesn't understand your true value... The mere thought of being ordered to play for cattle set Luo-Luo to fuming, her outrage only matched by her exhaustion.

Though merely a lowly Imperial Servant, her musical performance had earned her a standing ovation from the Emperor Himself, and Lord Husband would have her play for smelly, stinking cattle? The indignity was too much for her inner artist to bear, but he didn't even notice. Every now and then, he would ask if she had time to play him a song, a request she would happily comply with if he didn't insist on an audience of livestock.

All her suggestions regarding a private performance or even a dinnertime show were rejected because he was genuinely interested in seeing how his hairy beasts would react, and though she knew he meant no insult by it, she saw his request as an affront to her hard-earned skills and refused to humiliate herself to indulge his curiosity. Though crippled and medicated, he still possessed a brilliant mind, so why couldn't he understand her aversion to playing for cattle?

She couldn't outright refuse him as it would be crass and unbecoming of an Imperial Servant, but surely even he could see there had to be something afoot after months of evading the subject... He is blind because he does not care and treats you like a slave to be ordered about... Lightheaded from indignation, Luo-Luo brewed herself a pot of calming tea, and had only just seated herself when mother-in-law Sarnai's voice rang out behind her.

"BoHe tea, a fine choice. Rare and expensive, but fragrant and enjoyable, a true treat for all the senses. I saw some in the market the other day, but I couldn't bring myself to make such an extravagant purchase." Almost spilling her drink as she scrambled to her feet, Luo-Luo put on her best smile and curtsied before the fearsome woman.

"Consort Luo greets esteemed Mother." How does a woman with a four-legged cane move so quietly? And she just had to show up the second Luo-Luo took a break...

"If it pleases Mother, then Luo-Luo is happy to present all three bricks back for Mother to enjoy."

"Three whole bricks? My word, you purchased so much at once? You must drink it morning, noon, and night." Patting Luo-Luo's hand, Sarnai smiled without smiling and said, "No need dear. You keep it for yourself. I'm a simple woman with simple tastes. Apologies for coming in alone and interrupting your relaxing tea time. Rain and the others are putting Erdene in the stables, but I had to get off my feet."

Wishing she could curl up and die of shame, Luo-Luo pulled out a chair and set to brewing a fresh pot of 'simple' tea for everyone. On the surface, it seemed like a harmless statement, but Sarnai saw Luo-Luo as an extravagant and spoiled milksop and was none too shy about voicing her displeasure. It wasn't entirely fair since the BoHe tea had been a gift from a business partner, and Luo-Luo only kept it for herself because Lord Husband preferred water or mild teas mixed with honey, milk, and butter.

Explaining wouldn't help matters one wit, because Sarnai's poor impression of Luo-Luo stemmed back to their first meeting, when she walked in on Luo-Luo talking about pawning Rain's valuables for his wedding banquet. Even when the business had been wildly profitable, Luo-Luo still couldn't win her mother-in-law's approval, and their relationship had only worsened in recent weeks as Sarnai used her as a verbal striking post to vent her frustration on.

Luo-Luo hadn't even been allowed to join Mila and Lin-Lin on their journey to Sinuji, relegated to looking after the twins and animals while making their way to the citadel, but Sarnai held Luo-Luo's absence against her, as if she didn't care enough to ride out to her Lord Husband's aid. There was no winning against the sharp-tongued dragon woman, so most days, Luo-Luo did everything she could to avoid her mother-in-law, a difficult prospect considering they lived in the same manor.

Poor Luo-Luo, with a husband who didn't love her and mother-in-law who disapproved of her. All that was missing was a father-in-law or brother-in-law who lusted after her and even the most tragic of opera writers would consider her existence too miserable to even contemplate... You deserve better than this. All of Luo-Luo's attempts to make polite conversation were met with hidden barbs and cutting remarks from Sarnai.

Though it only took two minutes for Lord Husband to hobble in with Blackjack roosting in his hair, Luo-Luo was on the brink of tears as greeted him, Li-Li, and Lin-Lin as they entered. After pouring tea and setting out snacks, she lifted sweet Tate into her lap and kissed his brow, using him as a physical shield and emotional barrier to guard her from the fiercest woman alive.

"Did you enjoy your lunch at the Garden of Enlightenment?" she asked, hoping to make small talk and divert the conversation away from her flaws.

"Luo-Luo has heard many good things about the food there and regrets she could not join you, for there is much work left to be done." Even if she were free, Luo-Luo would much rather eat dried jerky and stale steamed buns than endure a full meal filled with vitriol and abuse from her mother-in-law. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"We wouldn't know," Sarnai replied with a sniff.

"They refused to seat us since we were a whole two minutes late for our reservation and had already given our tables away." Appalled by the restaurant's blatant disrespect, Luo-Luo had the sinking suspicion that Sarnai blamed her for making the recommendation, but there was more. Huffing in anger, Lin-Lin pouted and said, "Those stinky liars, they never intended to let us in. We booked the entire lower level so we could eat with our guards, but there were people already halfway through their meals, ya?"

Even Li-Li seemed visibly angered by the event, her eyes hard and scowl grim, but Lord Husband merely laughed it off, his mood carefree and light as always.

"No need to dwell on it wifey, we still had an enjoyable lunch, didn't we? Don't look down on common street vendors, with Charok off on an adventure, they're some of the best cooks left in the citadel." A gross over-exaggeration, but what else could he do besides accept the snub? If he had even raised his voice in irritation, by this time tomorrow, half the Empire would know of Falling Rain's public tantrum because he wasn't immediately seated at a popular restaurant.

Matters such as today were undoubtedly engineered to solicit a reaction from him, one his enemies could use to trample over his public image and further ruin his reputation. The sooner the public forgot about his contributions, the sooner his enemies could openly act against him, because no matter how great a hero he might have been, it was all in the past now. Oh her poor, pitiful husband, making the best of his situation without losing hope.

A shame on the Empire, for though its citizens loved their triumphant heroes, few cared to remember the fallen and defeated. This was why she was so desperate to turn a profit, because while Lin-Lin and the others were optimistic about a recovery, Luo-Luo knew his chances might as well be non-existent.

Best to accept that the path of a warrior was closed off to him, but he could still live a good life as a wealthy merchant, and if he were so inclined, an appointment as a Lieutenant Marshal wasn't too far out of reach. This was, of course, unless he frittered away his fortune on Spiritual Herbs and experimental Runic devices... Once finished with their tea, Lord Husband suggested the other ladies bring the twins back to the residential district to visit the Divine Turtle and the roosequins.

It didn't take much convincing considering the voluminous stacks of documents sitting on the table nearby, and soon enough, Luo-Luo was left alone with Lord Husband which caused her heart to race in excitement. Though his body was ravaged by injury and his future prospects bleak, she admired his steadfast perseverance in the weeks since, and he was still a handsome, confident man despite his ailment.

Not once had she seen or heard him weeping in despair, nor had he fallen into one of his sullen, sombre moods since his return, unlike how he behaved in Nan Ping and SuiHua. Now, every time she saw him, he was always working towards bettering himself and his quality of life, whether it was pushing himself to do things on his own, reading through books in search of a new prescription, or designing a new contraption to aid him in some way.

Most other men would have turned to drugs and alcohol or given in to their anger and lashed out, but not him, because crippled or not, Falling Rain was still a dragon among men. Eager to get down to business and show him the fruits of her labour, Luo-Luo opened her mouth to speak and was immediately met with Lord Husband's hand raised for silence.

"Are we private?" Realizing he wasn't speaking to her, Luo-Luo moved aside as a previously unseen Expert stepped out of the shadows, a young man with no real distinguishing features wearing a bored, almost complacent look.

"Yes boss. No one can hear or see us."

"Good." His easy smile melting away, Lord Husband waved for the Expert to take a seat.

"Luo-Luo, this is MuYang. From here on out, he'll be reporting to you."

"... Ah." Eyeing the mundane looking Expert in trepidation, she wondered what sort of parents would name their son 'shepherd'. Well, at least he rose above his station and became a peak Martial Warrior.

"And what will he be reporting?"

"Information," MuYang replied.

"News and gossip is all I have for now, but Consort Luo only need ask and I shall endeavour to uncover all I can."

"He has a spy network," Lord Husband said, while waving at the stacks of documents.

"Use him to vet our prospective business partners, sabotage our rivals, ferret out traitors, that sort of thing." Shrugging, he added, "I would have introduced you earlier, but he's been busy cleaning house these past few weeks and things are finally in order." Why tidying his living quarters would take several weeks, Luo-Luo wasn't sure, but her spirits rose as she studied her would-be spymaster.

A quiet, almost mousy looking man, and though she knew he was an Expert, his commoner's garb seemed oddly fitting on his deceptively muscular frame. With his help, not only could she learn more about her competitors' plans, but she could also strike back at those traitors and turn-coats by sending MuYang to find evidence of their wrongdoings to present to the Adjudicators. Unfortunately, Lord Husband had other ideas.

"Luo-Luo, MuYang, for your first collaborative effort, I want you to find out the name of that smug, smarmy waiter and where he lives." Gone was the light and carefree Falling Rain, and in his place was a man burning with anger and thirsting for vengeance.

"Then go steal every last coin he has to his name and dose his water barrel with Mandrel Stalk extract. Two spoonfuls per barrel, but no more. He won't die, but he's liable to shit himself at the table after a cup of tea." How petty...

"Mandrel Stalk is in short supply and Marshal Yuzhen has placed military priority on all transactions." The words slipped out before Luo-Luo thought better of it, and she almost wilted before Lord Husband's glare, brimming with the promise of pain and violence, though not directed at her.

"If Lord Husband wishes to purchase any, the sale must first be approved."

"Ah. Ink and paper, please." Though Luo-Luo leapt to her feet to obey, MuYang was three steps ahead of her, somehow already aware of where she kept everything. Using his metal pen, Lord Husband wrote out a list of ingredients and instructions on how to prepare them before handing it over to MuYang.

"Find a pharmacy and have them make a dose, this is good for a barrel." Peering at his neat but uninspired writing, Luo-Luo committed the instructions to memory and asked, "This is a laxative?"

"Yea. Mandrel Stalk is popular because it's readily available and easy to prepare, but I'd rather not explain why I need it. This will work just as well." Frowning, he took another look at his writing and said, "At least, I think it will. Losing my Natal Palace means my memory's not what it used to be, but I'm pretty sure I memorized this prescription before I formed a Natal Palace, which... may or may not make a difference." With a heavy sigh, he added, "I'll double check with Lin later."

Unsure how to console him, she merely nodded and said, "Lord Husband is wise." Needing to establish herself as an authority figure to this low-born 'shepherd', Luo-Luo turned to MuYang and spoke using her most commanding tone.

"Tell no one what the prescription is for. If they must know, say you're adding it to animal feed to soothe their stomachs." With Mandrel Stalk prices at an all time high, Lord Husband's prescription could earn a tidy profit depending on the cost and availability of ingredients, but more importantly...

"How extensive is your spy network? Write out a list of contacts and where they are stationed so I can plan how to use them."

"Consort Luo's request is impossible." Though his tone was patient, MuYang's eyes betrayed his true thoughts, treating her like a vapid little girl playing at games.

"We work to uncover taint and corruption wherever we may find it, and our enemies are vast and powerful. The identity of each contact is a carefully guarded secret, and no one is privy to all their details, but even if I were, I would not hand them over to a mere Consort."

"Leave the spy work to MuYang," Lord Husband said, cutting Luo-Luo's authority off at the knees.

"You can trust him. He swore an Oath to BoShui, and I trust BoShui with my life. However," he added, fixing MuYang with a glare, "You will treat her with respect, understood? If you think her a mere empty-headed maiden, then you are sorely mistaken. She's an intelligent woman and remarkably talented in both business and the Martial Path. You would do well to heed any advice she gives and while I understand your caution, if you cannot trust her, then you might as well leave now and return to BoShui's side."

Annoyed Lord Husband wouldn't let her handle things on her own and blushing at his compliment, Luo-Luo struggled to look calm and confident while MuYang shrugged and said, "By your command, but don't you think you're giving the waiter too much attention? If you want revenge, then kill him and be done with it."

"This isn't about revenge," Lord Husband said, though his icy tone said differently.

"Besides, I won't have a man killed for refusing me a table." Nodding at the window, Lord Husband continued, "If I wanted revenge, I'd send you after those idiot fops outside who think sarcasm and alliteration is the height of wit. No, what I want is to send a message."

"And what, pray tell, would that message be?" Smouldering with barely restrained fury, Lord Husband spoke through gritted teeth.

"I don't mind if people insult and disparage me, but the moment something affects my family, then I will unleash hell. I don't care about reputation or public opinion, all I know is my family was disrespected, my mother was disrespected, and I will not stand for it. Someone paid that shit-bag waiter to snub me and my family, so I intend to make sure he lives to regret it." Settling back in his chair, Lord Husband's eyes grew hard as he rattled off a list of instructions to ruin the poor waiter's life.

"Look into him. If he has debts, then buy them and send people to collect. If he has a woman, then drug him with aphrodisiacs and hire a prostitute to seduce him at home. If the restaurant is for sale, then buy it and fire him. If he has friends to lend him money, then rob them and leave evidence pointing to him. All the while, spread word about how his life went to shit after he disrespected my family, so everyone knows why he's so wretched and miserable, but leave him his legs so he can still walk away."

Perhaps Luo-Luo could learn from Lord Husband's example and use this against their business rivals. Fear was a powerful tool, and with Experts and spies at her command, financially ruining a lesser family would be child's play... Taking a deep breath, Lord Husband closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, visibly shedding his anger before opening them again. Favouring Luo-Luo with a smile, he said, "Now, let's move on to business. You said there were matters which needed my attention?"

Chuckling beneath his breath, he eyed the many stacks of documents and added, "How's about we schedule a regular meeting so things don't pile up like this again. Like say, twice a week?"

"It sounds wonderful, but Luo-Luo worries for Lord Husband's health. To begin with, the new crossbows have arrived, but..." Beaming from ear to ear, Luo-Luo reached for the first stack of documents and launched into her report, but only with half a mind. The other half was busy keeping herself from jumping for joy, because she realized he saw her as family. That's why he was so quick to warn MuYang to be respectful, and even though she could have handled him herself, she still appreciated the sentiment.

It took nine months and a grievous, life-altering injury to bring it about, but Lord Husband was finally warming up to Luo-Luo. In light of this, perhaps playing for cattle wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, provided he was there to enjoy it too. She could see it now, the two of them sitting together beneath the moonlight while the cattle slept and paid them no mind. She'd play him a romantic tune while he leaned against her, tired from a hard day's work yet revitalized by her music, and then... perhaps...

If only... Such a shame Lord Husband was in no condition to... Well, perhaps in another nine months... Chapter Meme