Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 480: Can You Draw Me?

"If you trust Manager Chai enough, you indeed can have him feign defection to see whether Wang Yingluo is truly a commercial prodigy or not,"

Jun Yuyan said with a smile.

Although he was not very familiar with that Manager Chai, since he was one of the Empress’s own people, he had to be trustworthy. As the saying goes, ’employ people without suspicion; if you suspect them, do not employ them.’ He believed his Empress was also a smart person.

Murong Jiu nodded, "If Wang Yingluo has enough ambition, she should seek out Manager Chai again. I’ll have him probe her first. If she truly comes from the future, then everything she knows is standing on the shoulders of those before her."

"Yes, she doesn’t necessarily have much real capability, but with ’foreknowledge,’ she could stand proudly above the world."

Wang Yingluo grew up in Xiaoxi Village, and through their investigation, they found that she had never been to the Capital City. The farthest she had gone was to the neighboring town and she had never learned to read or write.

Such a woman, even if she had strange and wonderful ideas, would not know a major commercial establishment’s manager.

Manager Chai was no longer the minor character he used to be. Even officials and nobles might not be able to secure a meeting with him. Although he personally dealt with many matters and was busy every day, he rarely made public appearances and had trained many talents underneath him.

She couldn’t possibly know him, let alone specifically seek him out and confidently try to poach him.

It was obvious that Wang Yingluo knew of Manager Chai’s future reputation; perhaps in later generations, Manager Chai would be renowned in history.

Isn’t that ’foreknowledge’?

Just like her, after being reborn, she could "predict" the future.

However, she died early in her previous life, so she knew less of what followed compared to Wang Yingluo.

If they didn’t regard Wang Yingluo as a crisis but saw her as someone they could use instead, perhaps they could create an even stronger Great Yan Dynasty.

She and Jun Yuyan had come to the same conclusion.

At this moment, Jun Yuyan no longer felt like chopping off Wang Yingluo’s head.

If it was beneficial to the Great Yan, it naturally counted as a good thing.

Moreover, by figuring out Wang Yingluo’s origin, if they encountered others of her kind in the future, they wouldn’t be caught off guard and would be able to respond appropriately.

The two continued to read on.

Wang Yingluo spent the morning browsing and shopping; by noon, tired, she went to the best restaurant in the Capital City to dine, ordering a large table full of dishes, especially enjoying spicy food and disliking noodles.

From this, they inferred that Wang Yingluo must be from the south.

It seemed that the cuisine of the Capital City suited Wang Yingluo’s tastes well. She ate quite a bit and praised the food a few times for being "free from pollution and original in taste."

She then called over the manager and the head chef and gave them a few pointers.

At the time, a few Noble Girls were dining nearby. There had been a slight friction when they were going upstairs, so Wang Yingluo took the opportunity to give high-profile suggestions and asked the chef to remake the dishes according to her instructions.

The dishes indeed tasted much better, leaving the Noble Girls speechless and forced to watch Wang Yingluo walk away with her head held high.

Murong Jiu said with a laugh, "Hmm, it seems Wang Yingluo doesn’t know the restaurant is mine, otherwise she certainly wouldn’t have offered her advice. Tomorrow, let’s also try the dishes she improved."

She was not the least bit upset; instead, she revealed a smile like that of a merchant.

It wasn’t a problem that the other party was showing off; the problem would be if she didn’t show off. freewёbnoνel.com

Jun Yuyan found this very interesting. The woman in front of him seemed to have become much more lively and intriguing. He suddenly remembered the day he had returned to the palace, the beautiful woman with the lifeless demeanor and no light in her eyes, and his heart swelled with a pang of pain.

"Alright, let’s try it together. Plus her ’fries’ she mentioned before, I’ll have her come up with some for you to try another day," he said.

Murong Jiu covered her mouth, a giggle escaping her lips.

"We’re acting like exploitative landlords," she remarked.

Jun Yuyan, seeing her shaking with laughter, felt in a much better mood, "It was her with ulterior motives first, causing me to lose my memory. Not chopping off her head and just exploiting her is already quite generous."

Murong Jiu nodded vigorously, "Exactly, it was she who chose not to be kind first, so we can’t be blamed for being ruthless."

After they laughed, they slowly moved closer and closer until their heads were huddled together, continuing to read the contents on the paper.

Wang Yingluo, having had her fill of food and drink, went to listen to ballads—not only ballads but also some folk acrobatics and the like. However, she seemed rather disinterested, as if she had seen it many times before, the only thing that truly captured her attention was a few male performers singing Jiangnan ballads.

Perhaps it was because she was from Jiangnan, or perhaps it was because those performers were exceptionally handsome, but they managed to hold her attention, making her listen to one song after another, completely forgetting the time to return to the palace.

The paper recorded a few of Wang Yingluo’s strange remarks.

"Better looking than celebrities, ready to debut right on the spot."

"Now I finally understand the joy of a wealthy woman."

"Really compelling, singing a little ballad, not only good-looking but also having a naturally good voice, emotionally expressive, with excellent control over facial expressions!"

From this, it could be determined that Wang Yingluo was also someone who judged by appearances, liked beautiful things, and was not bound by worldly conventions, not someone who would abide by the rules.

Of course, this was not a flaw; many of the rules of the time were targeted at women, and in Murong Jiu’s view, those rules should not have existed in the first place.

If Wang Yingluo weren’t full of schemes, perhaps she would have appreciated such a woman.

And from this, it could also be seen that in the era where Wang Yingluo grew up, women were perhaps as equal as men, which for Murong Jiu, was good news.

By the end of the day, Wang Yingluo’s temperament had been thoroughly figured out.

After pondering for a moment, Murong Jiu said to Jun Yuyan, "Have someone take her to a few academies tomorrow, she might find some surprises waiting for us."

Jun Yuyan of course agreed, nodding and saying, "Good."

Then he added, "That’s enough discussion about her for today. Let’s not talk about her anymore. The food has gotten cold, shall we have it served again?"

Murong Jiu waved her hand and said, "I’ve already had my fill. If you’d like anything, I’ll have Chun Tao go to the Imperial Kitchen."

"I’m also full, let’s have them clear it away then."

"That’s fine."

After speaking, she stood up, and Jun Yuyan followed suit. They called out to Chun Tao and slipped into the study nearby, to avoid being seen by the eunuchs and palace maids coming in to clear away the meal, as it was too quiet, and they were sitting too close, giving rise to an unspoken atmosphere of intimacy.

Murong Jiu felt her heart flutter like a deer’s, reminiscent of the initial sensation when she was first spending time with Jun Yuyan.

From acquaintances to knowing each other to falling in love, and now she felt almost like she was experiencing it for the first time again.

It seemed, not at all bad.

She couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing this, Jun Yuyan immediately took the chance to get closer, reaching out and taking her hand.

"It’s still early, why don’t we paint together?"

"Good."

"What do you want to paint?"

Murong Jiu said, "Paint me, would you?"

Jun Yuyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, looking at her face, feeling an urge to kiss her.

Murong Jiu was already reclining on the Noble Consort’s couch by the window, her posture lazy, one hand supporting her cheek, legs entangled, and the other hand holding a book.

"How’s this pose?"

"It’s, it’s fine."

Jun Yuyan felt his throat was sore, and he was feeling heated.