Joy of Life: Starting by clinging to the eldest princess's coattails!

A few days later, the people sent by Li Yunrui arrived in Suzhou.

The eight people, travel-worn, were led by three people: Xiao Jian, Ma Xiongjian, and Hu Jinlin.

Wu Feng met them at the three major workshops.

"Greetings, Lord Wu." The eight men bowed in unison, their attitude respectful enough, but the scrutiny in their eyes was unmistakable, and there was a hint of disdain.

Wu Feng sat in the main seat, not offering them a seat, and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the chair: "I believe you already know the purpose of His Highness's summons."

Xiao Jian stepped forward, a smile on his face: "His Highness instructed that the three major workshops are of great importance and must be managed by reliable people."

"Reliable people..." Wu Feng repeated, his gaze sweeping over the three men. "The three major workshops currently have three treasurers and eighteen managers, all of whom are veterans who have served Ye Qingmei for many years. Now that they have joined His Highness's ranks, to appease them, some positions will remain unchanged for the time being."

Ma Xiongjian frowned: "What does Lord Wu mean...?"

"What I mean is," Wu Feng said calmly, "that the eight of you will be assigned to the three major workshops, but only with supervisory authority. Production, scheduling, and personnel will still be managed by the original people. Just keep an eye on things, don't interfere."

"What?" Hu Jinlin couldn't help but exclaim, "Lord Wu, isn't this against the rules? His Highness sent us here to take over. What does 'take over' mean? It means that the three major wards will have to listen to us from now on!"

The other seven people nodded in agreement, their faces showing dissatisfaction.

They came all the way from Kyoto, thinking they could take charge of the area, but it turned out to be a sinecure where they could just "watch".

Wu Feng looked at them, his face expressionless. He took out the jade pendant that Li Yunrui had given him from his pocket and placed it on the table.

The jade plaque is warm and smooth, with a faint luster under the light, and is engraved with palace patterns.

"Do you recognize this?" Wu Feng asked.

The expressions on the faces of all eight people changed.

Of course they recognize them.

This is Her Highness the Eldest Princess's identity jade token; seeing the token is like seeing the Eldest Princess herself.

"The three major districts will remain as they are for now, prioritizing stability." Wu Feng picked up the jade token and weighed it in his hand. "If you have any objections, you can return to the capital now and ask His Highness in person."

The room fell silent.

Xiao Jian's smile froze for a moment, but he finally lowered his head: "Since it is His Highness's will, we will obey."

Ma Xiongjian and Hu Jinlin exchanged a glance. Although unwilling, they could only bow and say, "Yes, sir."

Wu Feng then asked them to sit down, briefly explained the situation of the three major workshops, and told them to go and settle in first.

After the eight people left, Wu Feng called Wang Ganju over.

"Treasurer Wang, keep a close eye on those three men from earlier: Xiao Jian, Ma Xiongjian, and Hu Jinlin," Wu Feng said directly.

Wang Ganju was somewhat puzzled: "Lord Wu, they were sent by Her Highness the Eldest Princess after all..."

"I'll speak to His Highness," Wu Feng interrupted him. "Remember my words, keep a close eye on them. If anything seems amiss, tell me immediately."

Seeing Wu Feng's serious expression, Wang Ganju quickly nodded, "I understand."

Wu Feng waved his hand, telling him to leave.

He remembered that in the original story, these three people later treated the three major workshops as the Ming family's private property, and they were all traitors.

Li Yunrui is just starting to gain momentum, so it's not advisable to make moves against them for now.

But it's always good to be on guard.

Fortunately, he now effectively controls the three major workshops, and the loyalty of Wang Ganju and others is beyond question. Moreover, the defense of the three major detachments is exceptionally strict, so keeping an eye on a few people is not difficult.

With all this done, things in Suzhou are finally over.

Ye Songnian and his team had finished dealing with their affairs in Suzhou and set off for Kyoto yesterday to prepare for the auction, which would be held in a little over a month.

Wu Feng had nothing else to do in Suzhou and was preparing to return to Kyoto.

But before returning to Beijing, I always have to bring some gifts.

He recalled Li Yunrui's beautiful face and her sickly yet alluring smile.

What should I give as a gift?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next day, Wu Feng wandered the streets of Suzhou alone.

In May, the air in Suzhou is humid, and the willows along the streets are tender and green.

He walked past silk shops, looked at jade shops, and even went into a spice shop, where he smelled several kinds of precious incense.

I'm not entirely satisfied with any of them.

As he walked, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

He stopped and silently thought to himself: System, why do I feel like I'm a simp right now? Are you doing this on purpose?

The system remained silent.

A pale blue panel appeared silently before my eyes.

Wu Feng frowned and continued to think: System, you're not a fan of Li Yunrui, are you?

A symbol slowly appeared on the panel: [?]

Then, a few more lines of text appeared:

Did you manage to lick it?

Wu Feng paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied: Lick... I did lick it.

The text on the panel continues to change:

[The definition of a "simp" is one-sided, humble devotion.]

You've got your eye on her, and she's a top-tier rich, beautiful, and successful woman.

[Simps don't get this kind of treatment.]

Wu Feng blinked as he looked at the few lines of text.

It seems... to make some sense?

Before he could think about it further, new content appeared on the panel:

[Host, you actually enjoy it every time, don't you?]

"I..." Wu Feng opened his mouth, his face turning red instantly.

He stood in the middle of the street, desperately rebuking in his mind: System, you're a traitor! A complete traitor!

But the system did not respond.

Passersby glanced curiously at the young man who suddenly blushed and stood motionless.

But Wu Feng didn't care at all.

He continued walking forward, and then he saw Xie Cai leading four children passing by in the distance.

She was still dressed in coarse cloth clothes today, her hair wrapped in a gray headscarf, showing no trace of her former life as a prostitute.

But upon closer inspection, his face still revealed a delicate and handsome appearance.

The four children, the oldest being eight or nine years old, a girl with pigtails, and the youngest being about four or five years old, still hopping and skipping when she walks.

Xie Cai also saw Wu Feng, and was first stunned, then her eyes showed a little panic.

She hesitated for a moment, then pulled the children over and whispered to Wu Feng, "Young master... what a coincidence."

Wu Feng was somewhat surprised by Xie Cai's attire: "It's quite a coincidence." Then he glanced at the children Xie Cai had brought with her.

Xie Cai glanced around and lowered her voice even further:

"Um... I was wrong to say those things on the ship earlier. And about my affairs... could you please not tell anyone?"

Her eyes were pleading, and her hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.

Having finally redeemed herself from Kyoto and returned with a considerable amount of money, she didn't want anyone to know about her past.

Wu Feng looked at her for two seconds and nodded: "I'm not that bored."

Xie Cai breathed a sigh of relief, a grateful smile appearing on her face: "Thank you, young master."

"Auntie!" The little girl with pigtails tugged at Xie Cai's sleeve, her big eyes curiously scrutinizing Wu Feng. "Who is this older brother?"

The other three children also came over, looking up at the screen with their little faces.

"Don't ask too many questions." Xie Cai gently patted the little girl's head and smiled apologetically at Wu Feng. "The children are ignorant. We should go back now. We've been away for too long; the elders at home must be worried."

"No! No!" The children immediately started fussing, the youngest one grabbing Xie Cai's leg. "Auntie said she wanted to buy candied hawthorns!"

"That's right! It was a promise!"

Xie Cai, unable to resist the children's pestering, had no choice but to give in: "Okay, okay, I'll buy the candied hawthorns and then go home."

"Great!"

The children cheered.

Xie Cai nodded to Wu Feng and led the children toward the stall selling candied hawthorns.

After walking a few steps, she looked back and saw that Wu Feng had already turned around and left in another direction.

The sun was shining warmly on the street, and the children held up bright red candied hawthorns, laughing happily.