The Reborn Legitimate Daughter is Frivolous - Chapter 30

The slave’s boldness in protecting her mistress surprised Mo Xiaoyu.

The people loyal to him were all battle-hardened subordinates—men who lived and died by his side. But the maidservants around Murong Qing? He had never questioned their loyalty before, yet seeing such fearless devotion felt rare, almost unbelievable.

He couldn’t help but wonder how Murong Qing managed to inspire that kind of faith.

“Forget it,” Murong Qing said, motioning for Qingbi to step back. “If the Seventh Prince likes my little veil so much, then he can have it. No need to accuse me of being stingy.”

She placed the veil on the table, turned to leave, then paused at the door. “The veil is on you now, Your Highness. I hope you won’t let anyone else see my worldly face—otherwise, I might get angry.”

Though she didn’t see his expression, she could imagine it. Based on what she knew of his personality, she could guess his smile.

When Mo Xiaoyu finally left, Qingbi muttered angrily, “I’ve heard about the Seventh Prince before, but I didn’t expect to meet him in person—and for him to be like that! He’s even worse than the rumors!”

Murong Qing chuckled. “He’s still the Seventh Prince. Since the emperor lets him act so freely, it means His Majesty favors him deeply. If you offend him one day, even I might not be able to protect you.”

Qingbi shrank back at that, still shaken from earlier.

“Liuli, come here,” Murong Qing called.

Liuli stepped forward. Murong Qing stood and pulled her down into the chair where she had been sitting.

Liuli stiffened immediately and tried to stand, but Murong Qing pressed her shoulder lightly. “From now on, this is your seat.”

“Miss, that’s not proper!” Liuli said in alarm.

Murong Qing smiled. “There’s nothing improper about it. There’s only one chair here, after all.”

“But, Miss…”

“You’ll need to get used to sitting here,” Murong Qing said gently.

“Slave…”

“I’m the legitimate daughter of the General’s Mansion,” Murong Qing continued. “Although my father allowed me to manage the jewelry shop, if a woman goes out every day, people will gossip. But the shop can’t run without someone watching over it. I trust you, Liuli. From now on, you’ll be in charge of the Jewelry Pavilion.”

For a moment, Liuli’s stubborn eyes softened. She could read and calculate, but she was still just a servant—she had no idea how to run a business. This was a heavy responsibility, and Murong Qing was making things difficult for her.

“How long will it take you to finish reading these three ledgers?”

“I should be done by the hour of Shen.”

Three ledgers weren’t too many, but they weren’t few either. And since jewelry involved large sums of silver, the calculations required focus.

If she wanted to manage the shop well, she had to do things herself. She couldn’t always rely on others.

“Qingbi, bring me a stool—and one for yourself. Sit next to Liuli.”

“What are you doing, Miss?” Liuli asked, confused.

“Don’t worry about the ledgers for now,” Murong Qing said. “Teach me the basics of arithmetic with Qingbi. The Jewelry Pavilion is mine—I can’t expect you to carry all the work alone.”

Liuli nodded, opened one of the ledgers, and began teaching her patiently, page by page.

Murong Qing wasn’t unfamiliar with numbers, but she’d never used them much—only when handling small expenses. Now, she was determined to learn. One more skill was always better than one less.

Liuli turned out to be a surprisingly good teacher—calm, patient, and detailed. She rarely spoke much, but once she started explaining arithmetic, she became lively and clear.

Qingbi learned quickly, even faster than Murong Qing, but Liuli didn’t laugh or mock her mistress. She only taught more carefully.

Half an hour passed before they realized it. None of them felt tired—only cheerful.

Murong Qing found herself genuinely enjoying it. Arithmetic, she thought, was actually quite fun.

“Math is simple,” Liuli said. “Just remember two things: be careful and patient.”

“That’s true,” Murong Qing said with a smile. “After your teaching, it doesn’t seem so difficult anymore. These ledgers gave me a headache yesterday.”

“Miss, you’d better work hard,” Qingbi teased. “Otherwise, we slaves will outshine you.”

Murong Qing shot her a mock glare. “Watch your mouth. If you say the wrong thing to the wrong person one day, I might not be able to save you.”

After this little exchange, the three of them grew even closer.

Liuli slowly began to accept Murong Qing as her true mistress. Seeing how freely Qingbi spoke in front of her, she realized Murong Qing wasn’t the cold, untouchable type of noblewoman most were.

“All right,” Murong Qing said. “Let’s start with the ledgers. Liuli, you’ll have to check Qingbi’s and mine afterward—to make sure we didn’t mess up.”

“Yes, Miss.”

The table was large enough for all three to sit together—Murong Qing and Qingbi facing each other, with Liuli in between. They began examining the accounts.

The jewelry shop grew quiet except for the sound of pages turning.

Murong Qing frowned sometimes, rubbed her forehead sometimes, but more often, she smiled. Compared to yesterday, the ledgers now seemed much easier.

After lunch, she let Qingbi and Liuli continue reviewing while she called for Shopkeeper Wu and went to the side courtyard next to the pavilion.

“Miss,” Shopkeeper Wu greeted.

“Shopkeeper Wu, how much available silver do we have right now?” Murong Qing asked directly.

Thinking she wanted to spend the shop’s funds, Shopkeeper Wu frowned slightly. Without commenting, he took out a small notebook, flipped through it, and said, “Roughly fifty thousand taels of silver are available.”

“Shopkeeper Wu,” Murong Qing said with a calm smile, “I have an idea. I’m not sure if it’s feasible.”

“Please, tell me, Miss.”

Knowing he still had some doubts about her, Murong Qing didn’t mind. She smiled faintly and said, “Though I’ve only been here for two days, I’ve noticed that quite a few customers come by daily to buy jewelry.”

He nodded. That much was true.

At first, business had been slow. But over time—thanks to the shop’s fine craftsmanship and fair prices—word spread. From a handful of customers, it grew to dozens, then hundreds.

The jewelry shop had taken off because Murong Jie insisted on using only the best materials, never cutting corners. Though the initial investment was heavy, it had built the shop’s reputation and steady growth.