Resplendent – Chapter 473

Chapter 473 — Gifts

Gu Ye glanced at Yin Ba and saw nothing unusual. The shadow guard following from the shadows, Yin Mei, also did not come out to give any warning. Since she sensed no malice from the other party, she didn’t dwell on it.

Hidden in the secret chamber, Yin Kui wore a poker face, his voice completely emotionless: “Master, it seems that Miss has noticed your spying!”

Ling Juechen showed a faint, indulgent smile. “This girl’s perceptiveness is still as sharp as ever.”

“Master, aren’t you going to go see her?” Yin Kui, though appearing like a masked robot, had a curiosity no less intense than Yin Ba’s.

“Wait a little longer.” Ling Juechen felt a twinge of nervousness, as if approaching home after a long journey, and decided to stick to the original plan to surprise her. “By the way, send a message via carrier pigeon and have Yin Chao come over as soon as possible.”

Yin Kui lifted his eyelids and glanced at his master. Yin Chao was the most famous architect in Yan Kingdom, renowned for designing and matching various types of greenhouses, highly favored by the nobility. The master must have learned that Miss Gu wanted to build a glass greenhouse and, worried she wouldn’t find a suitable craftsman, summoned Yin Chao over.

Right… Yin Ba had already reported to the master what had happened at Jinyuman Pavilion. 

Ling Juechen’s handsome face darkened. “Remove the manager of Jinyuman Pavilion. Dismantle the pink-diamond crown and turn it into a set of headpieces. Have Yin Zhu rush to design several innovative floral crowns, using the red jadeite, yellow jadeite, and purple jadeite just brought back from the Bagan Kingdom.” It must be delivered into Ye’er’s hands tomorrow! Otherwise, she’ll have to come to Hidden Soul Palace headquarters to collect her punishment!”

…It was like he would be poking a hornet’s nest! He should have known: their master protected this precious girl so tightly, unwilling to let her suffer even the slightest grievance. The manager of Jinyuman Pavilion clearly lacked tact, daring to slight the future mistress. No wonder he was being demoted!

Poor Yin Zhu—tonight, there will be no sleep for you! Yin Ba didn’t dare waste a single second. He rushed to Jinyuman Pavilion, first relaying the master’s order to Yin Zhu, then handling the staff there and urgently calling in reinforcements from elsewhere to take over.

After this incident, nearly everyone in Hidden Soul Palace understood just how important the future mistress was to the master. Everyone had to treat her with the utmost respect, without the slightest neglect. Otherwise, the hardest, coldest post would be where they’d spend the rest of their career!

Outside, Gu Ye had almost finished her shopping. She had bought gifts for everyone in her family. For her mother, she chose a pot of the rare ‘plain crown, lotus tripod’ lotus-petal orchid. It was something nearly impossible to find a second of its kind. Her mother, who adored orchids, would surely love it. Most importantly, this lotus-petal orchid wouldn’t conflict with any medicines or food ingredients, making it completely harmless to the body.

For her father, she chose a truly unparalleled left-handed sword. Even after surgical repairs, her father’s right hand could hardly return to its former state. Holding a pen or ordinary objects was fine, but wielding a weapon and practicing swordplay with it would be extremely difficult. Fortunately, in recent years, he had been training his left hand, with remarkable progress. This sword was perfectly suited for him!

For her eldest brother, she picked a fragment of a long-lost military manual. For her second brother, a sharp flexible sword. For her third brother, a jade-bone fan capable of shooting hidden weapons.

For her fourth and fifth brothers, a pair of ultra-thin daggers, sharp enough to cut a hair with a breeze. For her sixth brother, in addition to the bicycle, she chose a crossbow he liked.

Of course, she didn’t forget a gift for her grandfather—a jar of the legendary Monkey Wine. Her grandfather’s greatest pastime was enjoying a small drink with two or three old friends. With this jar of liquor, he could show off a little in front of them.

Brother Gu Ming received a five-stone strength bow. He was currently practicing horseback archery, and with his naturally strong arms, ordinary bows were ineffective for him. This bow at Yinzhen Pavilion had been unused for a long time, as no one could draw it. Now, its true owner has finally been found.

“Since Grandpa Gu has a gift, what about Grandpa?” Chu Mushan couldn’t help reminding his sister. “Besides liking to drink, Grandpa also enjoys collecting seals. You could pick a seal stone for him.”

So, under Yin Ba’s recommendation, Gu Ye selected a top-quality Tianhuang stone worth ‘One liang of Tianhuang stone, three taels of gold.

Since her grandfather liked to carve seals himself, she didn’t have the master craftsmen at Yinzhen Pavilion work on it.

Having many relatives was costly. Just calculating the value of these gifts roughly, it came to over fifty thousand taels of silver. And that was at the lowest discount. If it were purchased elsewhere, it would easily cost fourteen or fifteen thousand more.

Chu Mushan felt the emptiness of his own pocket. His sister’s generosity made him feel utterly incompetent as her elder brother. It seemed he would have to find some extra income outside. Relying solely on the household allowance and red envelopes wouldn’t be enough to grow rich and support his sister!

Thus, Chu Mushan became increasingly determined to earn money through business. Later, under the guidance of Ling Juechen and Yin Ba, he actually became the wealthiest person in all of the Northlands.

What surprised Chu Mushan the most wasn’t his sister’s extravagant spending, but her incredible ability to make money. She took out two bottles of potion and three pills from her bag. Remarkably, their value completely offset the cost of all the gifts, and there was even a small surplus.

When he heard that those potions and pills could save a life in critical moments, he no longer thought they were expensive. Spending ten or twenty thousand taels of silver for a life? Truly worth it! If these potions and pills were auctioned, their price would be even higher. A Grand Pharmacist was like a hen laying golden eggs. Now that he was planning to learn alchemy, would he even make it in time?

He quietly shared his thoughts with his sister. Gu Ye studied him for a long while before speaking. “Sixth Brother, learning alchemy requires talent. Many pharmacists spend their whole lives, and reaching an advanced level is already commendable. Becoming a Grand Pharmacist is extremely rare—a genius among geniuses.

If you want to learn, it’s not impossible. With your talent, maybe by the age of seventy or eighty, you could reach the threshold of a Grand Pharmacist. Don’t be stubborn. Go back and memorize a few pages of the pharmacopeia, and you’ll see for yourself.”

Chu Sixth stubbornly went back to memorize it. As for the results… one glance at his dejected expression said it all. He could memorize an entire military manual in one go, yet couldn’t remember the shapes, properties, or effects of a few simple herbs…

Chu Mushan sighed deeply. He truly was hopeless at alchemy. How disheartening!

When the gifts were distributed back at home, everyone was delighted. They had truly hit the mark. Lady Jun held the pot of plain crown, lotus tripod lotus-petal orchids, repeatedly praising her daughter for her filial piety. Even when she went to bed that night, she couldn’t bear to put it down.

Chu Bufan felt a pang of envy. He had long had his eye on that lotus-petal orchid. But the price had been too high, and there wasn’t enough cash on hand at home, so he had asked the manager of Yinzhen Pavilion to hold it for him until next month, when he could settle the accounts of his external business, and then pick it up.

He never expected his daughter to buy it herself. And the price she paid was only a third of what he had inquired about. He asked his daughter about it, and she explained that the young master of Hidden Soul Palace had once benefited from her kindness, which was why she enjoyed the highest discount.