Xiao Changyi added indifferently, "The incomparable beauty of Xiyun Kingdom is also him."
The undisputed number one beauty of Xiyun Kingdom was not a woman, but a man...
An Jing: "..." Indeed, he was truly more beautiful than any woman.
Meng Lanqing did not just kneel on one knee this time, but both knees dropped to the ground, his hands joined in utmost solemnity in front of him, head resting on his hands, and then he heavily kowtowed to the floor.
Such a grand gesture clearly meant: My lord, please spare me!
Xiao Changyi was unmoved.
It was An Jing who felt that if this continued, Meng Lanqing might die of shame by banging his head on the ground.
She then took the initiative to hold her husband’s hand, hinting that a lesson was enough, there was no need to push someone to their death.
However, as she held her husband’s hand, she sighed happily in her heart: When her husband got angry, the consequences were truly severe; he had a knack for poking right where it hurt the most, making life worse than death, haha~
Xiao Changyi did not say anything immediately but interlocked his fingers with An Jing’s, causing the corners of her mouth to immediately curve upward.
Having Meng Lanqing kneel for quite a while more, he finally said, "Get up."
Only then did Meng Lanqing stand up, his back straight as a pine tree, yet his head was lowered, clearly not wishing to show his face to others again.
At this moment, An Jing thoroughly understood that Meng Lanqing really despised his face that eclipsed heaven and earth, considering such a face his disgrace.
Xiao Changyi did not say anything more but turned to look at An Jing.
An Jing immediately caught on and smiled, "My lord and I want to open a rice shop, and we’ve asked you over because we’d like you to manage it for us as the shopkeeper, to take care of the business. I wonder if you are willing?"
Meng Lanqing was somewhat surprised An Jing would even ask for his opinion, as his lord always issued direct orders. Nevertheless, he quickly agreed, bowing with a fist in palm, "I am willing!"
An Jing took out three silver notes and handed them to Meng Lanqing, "This is three thousand taels. The rice shop needs some repairs, plus purchasing grains, paying the workers, and other expenses. Buying grains will be the major expense, and three thousand taels might not be enough. If you run short, let us know."
"Yes!" After pausing, Meng Lanqing respectfully asked, "May I ask how much grain does madam plan to purchase?"
An Jing replied, "At least two hundred thousand dan."
Meng Lanqing’s heart trembled.
An Jing continued, "Right now, our money isn’t enough to buy so much grain, and our shop can’t store that much anyway. For the time being, let’s just buy one hundred and fifty thousand jin of grain, store one hundred thousand jin, and mill the remaining fifty thousand jin into rice to sell."
To store two hundred thousand dan of grain, where a dan is one hundred jin, and with rice at eight coins per jin, so much grain would require a total of one hundred and sixty thousand Silver Coins, which they indeed didn’t have enough for.
What An Jing said was nothing but the plain truth.
Yet, it made Meng Lanqing’s blood boil.
Xiao Changyi had acclaimed him as the foremost beauty in the military, which meant he had seen battle and killed enemies. Now that An Jing planned to store so much grain, not just to open a rice shop for profit, Meng Lanqing, who was not foolish, naturally understood her intention.
"Yes!" Suppressing his excitement, Meng Lanqing’s agreement was much more sincere than before.
An Jing noticed it and couldn’t help but find it amusing, instantly recalling Wang Youbao’s words that a true man should go to the battlefield to kill enemies and serve his country. Indeed, the battlefield was a place that could easily arouse a man’s fighting spirit.
However, An Jing did not dampen Meng Lanqing’s enthusiasm but said, "You’ve been hanging around our vicinity every day, and you must surely know where the shop we bought is. Here’s the key; from now on, the shop is in your hands."