138. Kicked Down

In the renowned Qingming Teahouse of Yizhou, Gu Fei sat by the window of a second-floor private room, resting her chin on one hand. Her gaze drifted aimlessly toward the street below, a steaming cup of tea resting beside her.

Mo Yuhua picked up the teapot, poured a small amount into a cup with practiced grace to rinse it, discarded the water, and then filled the cup to the brim. The room was exceptionally quiet, holding no one but the two of them.

Once the tea was finished, Mo Yuhua reached into his robes and produced a gold-red invitation embossed with the double-happiness character. He pushed it toward Gu Fei and said, "The twenty-fifth of the tenth month is an auspicious date."

Gu Fei glanced at him, plucked the invitation with two fingers, and wore a mocking smile. "The Gu family of the past no longer exists, and you are now the head of the Little Mo family. I honestly didn't expect you to keep this engagement."

Mo Yuhua shook his head. He took a sip of tea and looked at her with an expression Gu Fei could not fathom. "There are some things, A-Fei, that you will never understand. Even if I do not care for Gu Wanting, and even if the Gu family no longer enjoys its former glory, this betrothal was arranged by my father. I will fulfill my promise and take Gu Wanting as my wife."

Gu Fei’s expression hardened. After a moment of contemplation, she asked, "Do you care for her?"

Mo Yuhua shook his head again. "I do not care for any woman, but this is a mission etched into the very bones of our family. My existence is for the sake of the Little Mo family alone."

Gu Fei sneered, her features sharp with disdain. "Stupid. Blindly filial, blindly loyal. A family’s prosperity is not decided by a single marriage. With an incompetent head and lackluster descendants, even the Great Jing Mo family will eventually collapse."

Seeing Mo Yuhua’s detached, indifferent attitude, she felt an irrepressible surge of sorrow and anger. Deep down, she did not want to see him follow this path.

Yet, Mo Yuhua only offered a faint smile. He refilled his cup, replying with airy indifference, "In this world, some things always require sacrifice so that others may find peace."

His words were profound and cryptic, leaving Gu Fei momentarily stunned, unable to collect her thoughts for a long time.

Mo Yuhua leaned forward and patted the back of Gu Fei’s hand, where faint blue veins were visible. "A-Fei, do not worry for me. Gu Wanting believes she is incapable of bearing children, and with the Gu family’s diminished influence, she will certainly not dare to be overbearing in the future."

Gu Fei snapped back to reality. She lowered her gaze, pulled her hand away coldly, and said, "That is your business, not mine."

Mo Yuhua smiled. He did not expose her sharp tongue and soft heart, knowing she had struggled with the decision to acknowledge him. He didn't take her coldness to heart. "I know. It has nothing to do with you."

Gu Fei looked annoyed. She turned her head away and said fiercely, "Don’t think this is the end. The Gu family is already in my hands, and I will eventually bring the Little Mo family under my control as well."

Hearing this, Mo Yuhua frowned. He traced the rim of his teacup and mused, "There is no need for such trouble. If you wish, A-Fei, you are welcome to intervene in the Little Mo family’s business affairs."

Gu Fei lifted her chin, her expression haughty. "Not just intervene. I intend to swallow the Little Mo family whole."

Mo Yuhua’s brow furrowed deeper. The purpose of this meeting was to prevent the Little Mo family from falling into such a state. While he was willing to indulge and protect Gu Fei, he did not want to involve his family's survival.

The Little Mo family was his only bottom line.

He pondered for a long time. The room fell silent again, and the tea on the table cooled until it lost all its warmth.

"I know somewhat what you intend to do. If," he paused, his handsome, jade-like face turning to look directly at her, his eyes darkening, "if I shared your ambition to replace the Great Jing Mo family, would there be any room for negotiation?"

He was unsure of her current boundaries, so he laid his own cards on the table to see how she would choose.

Gu Fei remained silent. She pressed her pale lips together, gazing back at him with deep, unreadable eyes.

Mo Yuhua continued, "To deal with the Great Jing Mo family, one person alone cannot succeed. Because of the Mo Geyi incident, you are already exposed. If I stand behind you as your shadow, I can feign loyalty to infiltrate the Mo family. Wouldn't that improve our chances of success?"

Gu Fei’s eyes flickered. She had expected many things from him, but not this. For a moment, she could not determine if he was sincere.

Seeming to sense her hesitation, Mo Yuhua sighed. He reached into his sleeve and said, "I know you do not trust people easily, A-Fei. That is why I drafted a business contract yesterday. If you agree, sign it, and we shall form an alliance and take this gamble."

He pushed the contract toward her. She hesitated before opening it with suspicion.

In black and white, the paper simply outlined that the Little Mo family would cooperate fully in her quest to topple the Great Jing Mo family; if they failed to do so, all their assets would belong to Gu Fei.

She read it over several times. She couldn't fathom his true intent—was this genuine, or merely a stalling tactic?

Seeing her skeptical gaze, Mo Yuhua gave a bitter smile and poured her another cup of hot tea. "A-Fei, have you really lost all faith in me, even me?"

Could the bond of their childhood not withstand the passage of ten years?

He swallowed the thought. Looking into her clear, black-and-white eyes, he could not imagine how she had survived after her legs were mutilated, escaped the Great Jing, and rose to fight back.

With eyes like dark ink, Gu Fei pushed the contract back to him. "I will not sign it."

For a split second, Mo Yuhua’s face paled. A sharp, unbearable pain flickered in his eyes, and he felt as though he had fallen into a frozen valley.

Gu Fei curled the corners of her lips, taking in his reaction. "If it is you, I am willing to believe once. So, Brother Yuhua, do not disappoint me."

Her voice lingered, airy and ethereal. To Mo Yuhua, it felt as though he had been pulled from an icy abyss into the burning sun, a surge of warmth flooding his body.

"Are... are you sure?" His voice trembled.

Gu Fei’s almond-shaped eyes curved into crescent moons. For the first time, a warm, genuine smile reached her eyes. She picked up her cup and took a small sip, squinting like a cat basking in the sun. "Naturally, I am sure. I have always remembered the kindness you showed me when we were young, Brother Yuhua."

She called him "Brother Yuhua" twice, as if the past had vanished and she were once again the innocent young girl from ten years ago.

However, only she knew how much of her words were true.

As clever as Mo Yuhua was, he knew the implications, but he refused to look too deeply. As long as he could preserve the Little Mo family and avoid being her enemy, her willingness to address him as a brother was enough to make him rejoice.

The atmosphere lightened, and they chatted about their childhood, laughing and smiling. The contract on the table was accidentally stained by tea, the ink blurring into murky circles until the writing became illegible—a useless scrap of paper.

Following this, alongside the six shops and one ink kiln from the Gu family, Gu Fei had formed an alliance with the Little Mo family. Including the two shops Mo Yuhua had previously shared with her and the Xuanzhu Workshop managed by Ziyuan, Gu Fei now controlled nine shops selling ink cakes.

If others knew, they would be astonished; even the Little Mo family in Yizhou only owned about fifteen shops, yet Gu Fei had gathered nine with almost no effort.

For these nine, the Xuanzhu Workshop remained unchanged, focusing on exquisite ink cakes with production strictly limited to fifteen per month. Customers often found themselves unable to buy ink even with gold in hand.

For the remaining eight, Gu Fei had her own plans. She renamed them all "Hua Jian Ci" and coerced Master Feng into calligraphy for the signs. She renovated the largest one into a two-story establishment; the ground floor sold unique ink cakes, while the second was reserved for scholars to compose poetry. She sent out invitations to Yizhou’s intellectuals, hosting poetry gatherings every ten to fifteen days.

Over time, Hua Jian Ci became a gathering place for Yizhou’s refined elite, and the business thrived. The other seven shops had their own specialties—some sold only colored ink, some sold ornate ink sets, and others focused on local Yizhou styles.

This unique way of doing business quickly became known throughout Yizhou. Everyone knew that if they wanted a specific ink cake, they could find it at Hua Jian Ci.

Gu Fei kept the original master craftsmen and staff, only altering the secret recipes. Since her own reputation was poor, she rarely appeared in public, and Ziyuan was also better off staying hidden.

For a time, Gu Fei had no one to rely on. In desperation, she bought another property in the city and had Ziyuan visit it secretly. Ziyuan remained unseen, sending account books for Gu Fei to review and approve. Every half-month, she would report back to Gu Fei.

Thus, no one knew who the owner of the suddenly prominent Hua Jian Ci was. After the Linlang Pavilion, the owner of Hua Jian Ci became the second most mysterious figure in the city.