The Exiled Villainess and Her Shopping Dimension

Chapter 107

Two days passed, and this small, remote town began to bustle with activity. As the news spread rapidly, many people traveled here quickly, all to see the valuable item that prompted the Art Institute to invite “Elder Ning” to personally examine it.

Of course, this was one of the rare occasions when this small town welcomed so many people. The villagers and townspeople were extremely excited. Some even set up roadside stalls, in case they had the luck to welcome important guests and earn a substantial amount of money to spend in this life.

The busiest place, however, was Yueqian’s shops. What used to be a deserted place now saw a constant stream of people coming and going. The economic boom in this area sparked envy in many.

The tavern that used to look like an abandoned tavern was now renovated, because they had to welcome the traveling group from the Art Institute. It became the venue for the much-anticipated auction. The entrance fee alone, collected by the tavern, was several gold taels per person, making its total value incalculable.

It wasn’t just the tavern’s business that gained more attention. Clothing stores, tool stores, restaurants, jewelry shops, and many other businesses also saw increased attention. Yueqian hired workers from her own village, certainly, those were people who had been good to her, and were people whom she trusted, mostly from the five families.

Now, they acted as the managers of the shops, handling goods and selling items, earning substantial amounts of money in just two days.

The villagers like Aunt Liao and others who had been kind to Yueqian were not forgotten. She bought food ingredients at higher prices and provided them with opportunities to earn money because she needed helpers for her work. Thus, the task of purchasing ingredients was left to the uncles and aunts.

She gave them a profit margin based on how much they could bargain. Regardless of the price at which they bought from others, Yueqian still bought the ingredients from them at a high price. Of course, quality was a factor; not everything was bought at a high price. However, the uncles and aunts understood this and pre-selected the ingredients for Yueqian.

The new restaurant was primarily staffed by the wives of the five families, as Yueqian didn’t trust others enough to share the special recipes she knew from her past life. Since the women from these poor families were used to hard work, kitchen tasks didn’t bother them. On the contrary..., they felt happier with the increased money in their hands.

Today, Mu Heng also had work to do. He needed to bring his younger siblings to manage their own shop, using this opportunity to help them get used to meeting many people and to learn how to analyze situations.

As for Yueqian, she simply told her husband that she had work to do today. Mu Heng never questioned her, allowing her to do as she wished, only reminding her to be careful.

At Mu Yue Tavern.

The busiest place in town, people dressed in beautiful and luxurious clothing continually streamed inside. They paid one gold coin charged by the tavern, which the wealthy didn’t mind paying one gold tael at all. It was beneficial for them as it kept them from mingling with those who had no money but sought entertainment.

Charging one gold tael acted as an initial filter, ensuring that only the wealthy, for whom one gold tael was mere pocket change, could enter.

Inside the tavern, there were many reception rooms. The princes had made prior notification, so they were seated on the top floor, which allowed them to easily observe all the people and the items on display. This top floor had only 21 chairs: 2 for the princes, 7 for the representatives of other princes, and the remaining seats for various high-ranking nobles who had traveled there.

There was a method for selecting the nobles who would sit on the top floor as well. One could even say that the auction had begun at that point, as the 21 seats on the second floor were highly coveted. People vied for the best seats, and naturally, those who secured these seats were the ones who bid the most for them.

Yueqian earned several hundred gold taels from this alone. This was because she understood the personalities and nature of the nobles well. They didn’t mind spending money, but losing face was unacceptable. Hence, they didn’t regret spending whatever amount necessary to flaunt their prestige!

The group from the Art Institute was seated on the ground floor, but they had special seats at the front, providing a clearer view of the event than anyone else. There were only three honorary seats. Two were occupied by the young master of the Art Institute, Wu Yuandong, and the long-serving elder, Luan Taichun.

Of course, there was no need to guess who the third seat, placed between the young master of the Art Institute and Elder Luan, was reserved for. It was for “Elder Ning,” a legendary figure. The fact that the Art Institute could invite this elderly woman to become their people was a testament to its influence.

Elder Ning was an over 80-year-old woman who had created many great works. Her paintings were said to reach the essence of the soul, making it difficult to distinguish between real and fake when they saw one. Moreover, Elder Ning pioneered realistic coloring techniques that many tried to imitate but was unable to succeed.

Ah... in truth, it must be said that Yueqian wasn’t particularly skilled at painting. She simply bought finished artworks from department stores to sell. Some of these were nature photographs, while others were novels’ book covers that looked like they belonged in paradise.

Thus, it was only natural that these people couldn’t replicate the artworks she had bought from the department stores!

Moreover, people of this era weren’t familiar with colored pencils, high-quality watercolors, or acrylic paints. They only knew how to grind ink sticks and use natural dyes, such as those from leaves, flowers, and animal blood. This made any comparison impossible.

Initially, some people doubted that Elder Ning had painted the artwork herself and wanted her to prove it. However, Yueqian, who couldn’t do so, ignored these challenges and released two or three more paintings. In the end, those words became meaningless to her. With such outstanding works, even if it were said that ghosts had painted them, people would have to believe it.

Over time, her reputation as Elder Ning grew even more. Many people assumed she was someone who was indifferent to fame and devoted all her time solely to what was called art.

Yueqian herself enjoyed this reputation, so she made herself less accessible. Since adopting the identity of Elder Ning, there was only one woman she agreed to meet privately: Yan Guifei, the emperor’s most beloved woman. Yan Guifei was the daughter of a lowly merchant, and becoming a Guifei was a significant effort on the emperor’s part.

However, lacking any backing ultimately led to her downfall. Ultimately, she wished to take that artwork to the afterlife with her, which made the emperor admire Elder Ning’s work even more.

Unbeknownst to anyone, that particular piece of Elder Ning’s work was actually a secret kept by Yan Guifei. It was a painting of a woman who resembled her former lover, from before she was summoned to serve the emperor. This painting was extremely precious to her, especially in the snake pit known as the inner palace, where a woman who originally had no affection for the man had to serve him and compete with thousands of other snakes.

Yet, because of the archaic customs, she couldn’t do anything about it. Only Elder Ning, who accidentally learned this secret, became a confidante for Yan Guifei, she was the one Guifei could tell her sorrow to.

Even until her death, Yan Guifei asked for nothing more. She hoped to go to the world that Elder Ning had once told her about—a world where women could openly say they love each other, a world where she wouldn’t be a pawn for her parents...

Well, such a sad story. Yueqian could only let it pass. She believed that Yan Guifei’s departure from this rotten world was the best solution. Having experienced the old world herself, she thought that her friend of different age’s wish might come true. All she could do was pray for it to be so...

As she thought of this, Yueqian, in her guise as Elder Ning, appeared before the public.

If anyone else dared to arrive after the princes had already taken their seats, the consequences would have been severe. However, for Elder Ning, even the princes had to stand to welcome her arrival.

Her gray eyes, different from those of ordinary people, gave her an aura of fear and mystery. Her snow-white hair, along with her wrinkled face and hands which gained through a makeup process, made people sense the vast experiences she had been through.

Elder Ning walked in with her favorite cane. The cane itself was peculiar. It was shiny and had a steel-like color, but even the elderly woman could easily lift it, indicating it was remarkably lightweight.

Every time the old woman lifted the cane and placed it forward, her hand trembled slightly, but the black rubber tip of the cane firmly gripped the ground, preventing her from slipping.

This cane, even someone in the palace, like the Empress Dowager, envied it. The Empress Dowager was so worried that she needed court ladies to support her on both sides. Using a cane was risky for her as it could lead to a fall. However, the cane of the mysterious elder was superior to anything she had.

For someone of her age, who once considered certain pieces of jewelry to be very valuable, now viewed the seemingly insignificant cane as more valuable than any expensive ornament. Unfortunately, it wasn’t something available for purchase, and when attempts were made to buy or inquire about it from Elder Ning, she refused to welcome. No matter how many times she contacted her, she couldn’t meet Elder Ning.

Yueqian, peering through the gray-colored contact lenses that enhanced her mystique, gazed at the princes standing to welcome her. She almost smirked when she saw the Young General rise to show his respect as well. Being a follower of the two princes, he must have paid a large sum to secure such a position beside them.

What she hadn’t expected was his audacity to act as if nothing had happened.

In reality..., he should have known that Liu Sun’s situation was dire. According to the original story, there was no auction of valuable items in this period or a visit from the princes. In the novel, after serving the kingdom by defeating bandits who slaughtered citizens, the Young General, deeply devoted to his love, rushed back to the capital to protect Liu Sun, who was being bullied by the Liu family.

Liu Sun was merely the daughter of a concubine. Her living conditions improved after she became known as the Young General’s beloved. Her family had high hopes for this beautiful woman. If she became the Young General’s person, their connections to the two princes vying for the throne would be strengthened.

However, after Liu Sun caused such a disgraceful scandal, the Liu family no longer wanted to keep her. Everyone assumed the Young General would abandon her, and she would have no future prospects of rising in status. Therefore, when the Young General hurriedly took her as his wife, it confirmed that he still valued her. Consequently, the Liu family did not harm Liu Sun any further.