The Slender Waist-Chapter 748 - 536: Three Years Later

"Madam is here, madam is here!"

"Quick, look, is the plaque straight?"

"It’s straight, it’s straight. Hold the ladder steady, be careful."

At the entrance of Emperor Street in Andu County, beside a banyan tree thick enough for two people to embrace, a crowd of onlookers was gathered around the "Changmen Long Huan Pavilion" as they put up the sign, their laughter filled with pointing and commenting.

Long Huan, the mythical location where the celestial emperor stored his books.

Today, it descended to the mortal realm, becoming Feng Yun’s Scripture Pavilion...

Not far from Long Huan Pavilion was the former Prefecture Governor’s Office, later the General Residence, and currently the newly renovated "Changqing Palace"—also the imperial palace of Dajin’s accompanying capital, Andu.

This palace, construction started in the second year of Tianshou due to the constraints of Dajin’s national treasury, was intermittently repaired until this year—the first month of the fifth year of Tianshou, as Dajin under Pei Jue’s administration saw frequent trade, industry revival, and a rising national power, it was finally completed.

Counting the days, it took four years.

Compared to the former Prefecture Governor’s Office, the palace was very different.

The door lintels and courtyard walls had been altered, heightened and widened, and expanded into a palace, with carved beams and painted rafters, auspicious clouds all around, eaves turned up high, dragons and phoenixes auspicious...

The Emperor’s dwelling looked much more impressive.

Hence, this street was also renamed—Emperor Street.

Above the entrance lintel of Long Huan Pavilion, a big red silk cloth was tied into knots, securely covering the black plaque with gilded letters.

Upon Feng Yun’s arrival, the crowd parted to open a path in the middle.

Jiang Yin approached with a slight bow.

"Madam, please take a look, is this satisfactory?"

She looked up at the plaque covered with a red veil.

In her eyes was cautiousness.

Feng Yun walked through the crowd, looked up for a moment, "Very good."

Jiang Yin sighed with relief, "The auspicious hour has arrived, madam, please unveil the plaque."

Feng Yun hummed in agreement.

Jiang Yin turned back, gesturing to the shop assistants.

In no time, Emperor Street was drowned in the booming sounds of firecrackers.

Amidst the deafening sounds, there were smiling faces veiled in smoke.

The joy of the people blended seamlessly with the lanterns of Emperor Street and the bluestone pavement, interweaving into an uplifting tapestry...

"Unveiling—"

Feng Yun reached out to grab one end of the red silk.

Thump!

A muffled sound.

The silk covering the plaque was pulled off.

Feng Yun looked up, engulfed in a sea of red...

The five characters of "Changmen Long Huan Pavilion," with their dragon-like strokes and phoenix-dance flair, seemed to shine with a dazzling golden light, confronting her.

"We are open!"

"We welcome all to visit, to appreciate the charm of books together."

Today is the second day of the second month of the fifth year of Tianshou.

It is also Feng Yun’s 23rd birthday.

Since the beginning of Changmen, six and a half years had passed, and she had finally fulfilled her youthful dream—

To own a library filled with ten thousand volumes.

To read mountains, rivers, the world; to read people, things, the prosperity.

She had accomplished it.

Over six years, as a woman, she had conducted business all over the world, wealth flooding her door, making Changmen prosper and thrive. She was not a "beauty that brings disaster," she did not become a man’s plaything in the inner quarters, nor did she impede a man’s speed of drawing his sword...

What’s most important is...

The tragic experiences from her previous life, they didn’t happen.

She won.

She reversed her own fate.

And she lived well.

People drawn by the fireworks gathered under the large banyan tree, increasingly thronging.

Jiang Yin, looking at the crowd, nervously said to Feng Yun: "Madam, please sit inside, there are too many people here."

Where there are lots of people, all sorts gather.

While Jin hasn’t waged war for three years, the world wasn’t completely at peace.

Feng Yun hummed, sent her an encouraging smile.

"You did very well this time."

Jiang Yin’s cheeks flushed, joy indisguisable in her eyes.

"It’s because of madam’s teaching; I haven’t really done much."

Feng Yun smiled faintly, leading her maid inside.

Jiang Yin quickly followed, and amidst the praise from the passersby, from her heels to her hair seemed to quiver with excitement...

Six years since entering Jin with Feng Yun, the twenty beauties each met with their own fate.

Until the previous year, Jiang Yin had always been the least promising among them.

Even she didn’t expect that Feng Yun’s new Long Huan Pavilion would be put under her charge.

Spending years in Changmen, Jiang Yin was reserved and subdued, not like Nan Kui, Chai Ying or Wen Hui Ying Rong with the capability to do business, or the courage to stand on their own.

More often than not, she felt like an outsider, detached from their successes.

In the years she unenthusiastically got by, she mostly spent her spare time learning and reading.

Originally anxious, she barely dared to step forward to do business.

If it were not for Feng Yun’s coercion—do it or leave—she would have almost given up.

Unexpectedly, after running around busily for more than half a year from the preparation to the opening of Long Huan Pavilion, she found joy, and even felt this was the right place for her.