Chapter 49 Splitting the Money

On the other side, Chu Nan was sitting behind the counter, clutching the ledger he was using to vent his frustration after Yang Ruyan had huffed away.

He flipped through it page by page, growing angrier with every turn.

He muttered under his breath, "She just robbed me, and yet she acted so righteous... What a madwoman!"

"A single cup worth ten thousand taels of gold, just like that! Can this person reason at all?"

At that moment, a crisp sound of footsteps echoed, and before he could look up, the door was gently pushed open.

Shangguan Ya'er walked in wearing a plain long dress, exuding a sense of poise and composure.

Her gaze swept around the room and lingered on Chu Nan with a hint of puzzlement.

"Young Master Chu, what is wrong with you? Why are you full of rage? You look like you're about to smash the table to pieces."

Hearing her voice, Chu Nan immediately looked up, his face full of gloom. "What else could it be? Don't even ask, I got robbed by a madwoman!"

"A madwoman?" Shangguan Ya'er paused slightly, raising an eyebrow. "Who has the audacity to rob Young Master Chu?"

Chu Nan let out a cold snort. "That woman is used to being overbearing. She simply saw that the cup in my hand looked nice, so she took it right away! Not even a thank you, let alone paying for it!"

Shangguan Ya'er let out a soft laugh. "Could the cup that was snatched away happen to be the 'foreign jade-glazed glass' you sold to Her Majesty?"

Hearing this, Chu Nan froze for a second, then frowned as he looked at Shangguan Ya'er. "Wait, Miss Shangguan, how do you know about that?"

Shangguan Ya'er arched an eyebrow, sat down opposite Chu Nan, and said softly, "How could I not know about matters concerning Her Majesty?"

"That 'jade-glazed glass' cup was bestowed by Her Majesty as a supreme treasure, and the entire capital is buzzing with the news."

Hearing this, Chu Nan's expression softened a bit, though his tone remained somewhat dissatisfied. "She can buzz all she wants, it's her cup now, I have no objections. But Miss Shangguan, you must be reasonable for me—isn't that considered a crime?"

"Of course it is," Shangguan Ya'er said with a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Would you like me to send people to drag her back right now?"

"That way, she can personally apologize to you and return the cup along the way."

Upon hearing this, Chu Nan quickly waved his hands. "No, no, better not. I can't afford to provoke her, and I don't want to have anything more to do with her."

"I'll just chalk it up to bad luck this time and take the loss on this cup!"

Seeing this, Shangguan Ya'er stopped teasing him and turned serious. "Alright, let's put that aside."

"I came to see you today because Her Majesty asked me to pass along a message."

"What message?" Chu Nan instantly perked up, straightening his posture. "Is there another business deal?"

Shangguan Ya'er smiled faintly. "You could say that."

"But first, I must tell you some good news: the jade-glazed cup Her Majesty had has already been sold."

Hearing this, Chu Nan's eyes lit up instantly, his face beaming with excitement. "Really? It's already sold?"

"Who bought it? For how much?"

"Tsk, Young Master Chu, why are you always such a money lover?"

Shangguan Ya'er shook her head helplessly before speaking in a serious tone, "The buyer is the Yang family. As for the price... thirty thousand taels of gold."

"Thirty thousand taels?" Chu Nan's eyes widened in disbelief, and then he slammed his palm onto the table. "Good! This business deal was executed brilliantly!"

Seeing him dance around with joy, Shangguan Ya'er couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head. "Young Master Chu, your abacus skills are truly sharp."

"What a pity, though. Those thirty thousand taels of gold were collected by Her Majesty; you won't get a single tael of it."

"What?" Chu Nan's excited expression froze, and then he curled his lips in dissatisfaction.

"Miss Shangguan, you're not being fair here."

"Without the cup I provided, where would those thirty thousand taels of gold have come from?"

"I worked so hard to pull off such a massive deal, I surely deserve a cut for my trouble!"

Shangguan Ya'er glanced at him sideways and said in a flat tone, "Young Master Chu, matters concerning Her Majesty are not something just anyone can negotiate terms over."

"Those thirty thousand taels of gold aren't even enough to subsidize the northern border's military expenses, let alone leave any extra rewards to share with you."

"Tsk!" Chu Nan clicked his tongue. Although he felt somewhat resentful inside, he knew he couldn't get his hands on the money, so he decided not to dwell on it.

As Chu Nan held his teacup, hearing Shangguan Ya'er mention the Yang family, his eyebrows twitched slightly, and a familiar name instantly flashed through his mind.

"The Yang family?" He put down his teacup and asked casually, "Which Yang family?"

Shangguan Ya'er replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Which other family could it be? How many Yang families are there in the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Nan froze as if he had been hit by a paralyzing spell, remaining stunned for a fraction of a second before reality violently struck him.

The corners of his mouth quickly curled upward, his expression shifting from blankness to astonishment, and finally breaking into an uncontrollable burst of laughter.

"Hahahaha—" Chu Nan suddenly slapped the table, laughing so hard he rocked back and forth.

"It really is their family! Yang Ruyan! Hahaha, this is just too wonderful!"

Shangguan Ya'er was completely baffled by his sudden reaction, frowning as she watched him. "Young Master Chu, what are you laughing at? The Yang family bought the jade-glazed glass, is there anything funny about that?"

With great difficulty, Chu Nan managed to stop laughing, bracing himself against the edge of the table to catch his breath.

He looked up at Shangguan Ya'er with an expression that looked like he was watching a magnificent farce. "You have no idea how 'worthwhile' those thirty thousand taels of gold were for the Yang family."

"How so?" Shangguan Ya'er asked curiously.

Chu Nan narrowed his eyes, waved a hand, and wore a playful smile. "Yang Ruyan came to me just now to learn about military formations, and by the way, she 'borrowed' a cup—which happens to be the 'jade-glazed glass' you just mentioned."

"What?!" Shangguan Ya'er's eyes widened. "You mean to say, the glass cup Yang Ruyan took from you earlier is the exact same jade-glazed glass her father spent thirty thousand taels of gold to buy back?"

"Precisely." Chu Nan shrugged, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed and amused smile.

"This father and daughter duo are truly something else. One robs me of my cup, and the other spends thirty thousand taels of gold to buy it back. I wonder what their expressions will look like when they find out."

Hearing this, Shangguan Ya'er was left not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "This Yang Ruyan, she really is..."

She shook her hand, then arched an eyebrow. "Then, Young Master Chu, how do you plan to handle this? Would you like me to inform Her Majesty and help you seek justice?"

"Forget it, forget it," Chu Nan waved his hand, his face full of disdain.

"I can't be bothered to argue with them. Since I can't afford to provoke that madwoman Yang Ruyan, can't I just hide from her?"

His tone suddenly shifted, turning sly and cunning. "However, since the Yang family is willing to shell out thirty thousand taels of gold for a single jade-glazed cup, it shows that market demand is quite strong. Since that's the case—"

Chu Nan stood up, walked over to the corner of the shop, lifted a piece of cloth, and revealed a heavy wooden chest.

He bent down and lifted the lid, revealing a dozen glass cups neatly arranged inside.

In the morning light, they were crystal clear and emitted a warm, gentle luster.

"Miss Shangguan," Chu Nan pointed at the chest and said in a brisk tone.

"This time, help me take these things back and present them to Her Majesty, and tell her they are a new batch of jade-glazed cups I've recently crafted. Let Her Majesty sell them however she sees fit. But—"

He paused, a hint of seriousness flashing in his gaze.

"This time, I want my cut!"