Black Belly Wife

Perhaps she has just been too busy lately, or perhaps because nobody interrupted her beauty sleep, Murong Yun Shu did not wake up from her nap till the early evening and still feeling somewhat sleepy. Sluggishly she placed her feet onto the floor and lackadaisically propped her body up. She stretched while pulling the door open with both hands, then looked up into the now dimming sky and yawned.

Nie Qing stared coldly at her, looking very displeased. But who could blame him, he waited for an entire afternoon outside of the door. How could him not be in a bad mood?

Feng Ling looked at Murong Yun Shu with admiration. She and tried yet failed to be lady-like, yet others could look so elegant even when they were merely yawning....

After she finished yawning, Murong Yun Shu started walking slowly toward the gazebo. On her way there, she did not forget to tell Lu'er to bring her some snacks. And completely ignore the two person who were looking at her strangely.

"Hey, Murong, where are you going? Nie Qing waited the entire afternoon for you...." She waved her hands in front of Murong Yun Shu as though she was trying to summon her soul back.

Nie Qing was unappreciative for her help. He gave her a stare and with silent anger stormed after Murong Yun Shu. Feng Ling pouted and blink. Then started bouncing next to him, taking an occasional peek in his direction.

Murong Yun Shu listened to the footsteps behind her that were entirely out of sync, she started to think that this Feng Ling was quite a character. She never gave up no matter how Nie Qing treated her. Perhaps that was some sort of filtering system within her body that automatically filter out anything unpleasant.

The cold breeze woke Murong Yun Shu up completely and she was ready to talk business, gently she said, "You may start presenting your arguments." She then proceeded to use the pace of an after-dinner leisurely stroll to walk around on the little path paved with quartzite. Her sight wandered aimlessly on the plants on both sides of the path, looking very carefree.

"Shang Yang is out in the boonies. It's mountainous with very limited paved roads, not to mention that it's very far away from Beijing...." Soon as the subject touched upon the Court, the quiet Nie Qing immediately took on a different personality. He was eloquent, verbose, quoting classic work copiously to articulate any reasons that could remotely support the point that Shang Yang would not be a suitable location for the warehouse. He even used feng shui1 as part of his argument.

Murong Yun Shu frowned, "Just when did Master Nie picked up the part-time job as a fortune teller?"

Nie Qing snickered, "You thought it was easy to be the top scorer in the imperial examination2?"

Murong Yun Shu's frown deepened, "I didn't know feng shui was covered in the imperial examination."

Her question made him speechless. A sullen look on his face, a few minutes had passed before he said icily, "We are talking about where to put the warehouse, why are you asking so many questions about the entrance exam!"

"To make sure you are not making stuff up!" Murong Yun Shu kept a straight face.

Nie Qing looked even more annoyed, finally he let out a snort, "The emperor has decided to build the warehouse next to the imperial mausoleum."

"So his ancestors can help guard over it?" Murong Yun Shu asked mindlessly. The nod from Nie Qing was unexpected. Murong Yun Shu frowned a little, "Master Nie, you work at the Ministry of Revenue, surely you are no stranger to business management. Our country divides into nine regions, the imperial mausoleum locates in Mt. Yangming, belonging to the Jing region. Even though it's only about 100 or so kilometers from Beijing, but it locates at the northern most end of our country and very far off from the other eight regions, particular the Min region in the Southern most end. It was take the fastest horse several months to make a round trip, let alone our transportation carts. They will practically have to turn around before the silver dollars even arrive at the destination."

Nie Qing moved his lips but did not make a sound. Obviously, he was well aware of that fact.

Murong Yun Shu continued, Shang Yang, on the other hand, belongs in the Chu region. It is centrally located and has historically played the role of a transportation hub. On the other hand, it's mountainous geography makes it easy to guard and hard to attack. It's the perfect location for a bank warehouse." She paused for a second, then looked back at Nie Qing, her temperament mild but her majesty unmistakable. Slowly, she added, "As I have said before, either we do things my way, or we don't do anything at all."

Pondered for a little bit, Nie Qing gave up, "You are a true business woman!" A hint of respect glowed behind his twisted expression.

Murong Yun Shu raised her brows. Her entire family are businessmen, wouldn't it make sense that she was one as well?