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

In the secret room of the headquarters of Qingyutang in Kyoto, the candlelight flickered uneasily.

Ye Songnian sat at the head of the long table, his fingers unconsciously twirling a copper coin.

Seven or eight managers sat on both sides, all of whom were in charge of Qingyutang in various industries or at its headquarters in Kyoto.

There was a suffocating tension in the air, making one's chest feel tight.

"The auction preparations are almost complete," Ye Songnian said, his voice still relatively steady. "Our people have spread the word to all the places they can reach."

Sitting to his right, Ye Jingxing nodded. This manager from Kyoto was in his early forties, with a square face and shrewd eyes.

"The news has been spread, but I always feel that the weight of our Qingyutang's words... is not what it used to be."

These words are like a needle, pricking everyone's heart.

Ye Canglan slammed his fist on the table with a "bang".

He was in his fifties, in charge of overseas business, his face tanned a dark red, and right now he was so angry his neck was swollen:

"It's not just incomparable! The boss has only been gone a short time, and those bastards already dare to lay their hands on things!"

"Something happened overseas?" Ye Songnian looked up at him.

"Something's happened!" Ye Canglan pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and slammed it on the table. "This news just arrived today. One of our cargo ships was intercepted in Japanese waters! Those Japanese bastards say it's tax we have to pay!"

The room erupted in chaos.

"Taxes? Who do they think they are to dare collect our taxes!"

"This is outright robbery!"

"Would they dare to do that when the boss was around? Huh?!"

Ye Zhensheng jumped to his feet. He was in charge of personnel for the business and had the worst temper: "Damn it! I'll lead my men and kill them!"

"Sit down!" Ye Songnian shouted.

Ye Zhensheng stiffened his neck, took a few deep breaths, and then sat back down heavily.

Ye Jingxing picked up the letter and read it carefully, his expression growing increasingly grim:

"This isn't robbery, it's a test. They're testing our reaction, testing our bottom line."

"If we tolerate this, they'll dare to intercept two or three ships next time... and eventually we won't be able to smuggle any goods at sea."

"What did the Japanese officials say?" Ye Songnian asked Ye Canglan.

Ye Canglan spat: "They said it was a misunderstanding, but the ship and cargo haven't been returned. They even said they'd attend the auction in a little over a month and discuss it in person then."

"Discuss?" Ye Jingxing sneered. "They're using our entire cargo ship and our maritime safety as bargaining chips to force us to give them the sales rights."

The room fell silent again.

The candlelight crackled.

"We need to tell the new employer about this," Ye Songnian said slowly.

The shopkeepers looked at each other.

Ye Canglan hesitated for a moment: "Manager, is Lord Wu... alright? Things overseas are not like things at home."

"It has to be done, no matter what." Ye Songnian slammed the copper coins on the table. "The boss tells us to listen to him, so we'll listen. At least... we have to let him know, and besides, this is also an opportunity..."

He looked at Ye Canglan: "Send the message tomorrow. Tell the truth."

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 morning, the sun was already high in the sky.

Wu Feng rolled over on the bed in the side hall, feeling as if his whole body had been dismantled and he was in pain all over.

He groggily opened his eyes, and before his vision could focus, he saw someone sitting on a chair next to the bed.

She wore a pale yellow palace dress, her hair was loosely tied up, and a few strands of hair fell beside her fair cheeks.

Li Yunrui was resting her chin on her hand, quietly watching him, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Wu Feng was startled and instinctively pulled the blanket over himself: "Your Highness... what are you doing here?"

Li Yunrui chuckled softly, her voice gentle: "Awake? If you're awake, get up quickly."

She stood up, walked to the bedside, and reached out to lift the blanket: "Don't worry, I don't want to play games today."

Wu Feng's lips twitched, and he shrank back, wrapped in the blanket.

This lunatic is now acting recklessly because she's pregnant.

"How could I trouble Your Highness..." Wu Fengqian smiled and obediently crawled out of bed.

The marks on his body were visible, blue, purple, and red, in varying shades, all the work of Li Yunrui last night.

Li Yunrui's gaze fell on him, her charming eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of infatuation flashed deep in her pupils.

She reached out and gently touched a red mark on his shoulder with her fingertips.

Wu Feng shuddered.

"What are you afraid of?" Li Yunrui covered her mouth and laughed, her laughter soft and seductive. "Weren't you quite brave last night?"

She picked up a clean set of clothes from the side and unfolded it: "I said I would personally help you get dressed today."

Seeing her stance, Wu Feng knew he couldn't avoid it, so he had no choice but to stand up.

Li Yunrui's movements were clumsy.

She had never helped anyone dress before; she could get the front and back of the robe backwards, and the belt was tied loosely. Several times, her fingers brushed against Wu Feng's skin, feeling icy cold.

Wu Feng remained frozen in place, letting her do as she pleased.

It took a full fifteen minutes of struggling to get dressed.

At this moment, the door to the sleeping quarters was gently pushed open, and Chunmei walked in.

She was holding a small bamboo tube and was clearly taken aback when she saw Li Yunrui straightening Wu Feng's collar.

When Chunmei saw the marks on Wu Feng's neck that couldn't be covered up, her eyes flickered, and she lowered her head.

"Your Highness," she said softly, "it's a message sent by carrier pigeon from Qingyutang."

Li Yunrui was tying the last sash on Wu Feng's clothes when he heard this, and without even looking up, said, "Give it to him."

"Yes." Chunmei handed the bamboo tube to Wu Feng.

Wu Feng took it, unwrapped it, and pulled out the rolled-up paper inside. He quickly glanced at it, a bloodthirsty expression appearing on his face.

"What's wrong?" Li Yunrui looked up at him.

"One of Qingyutang's cargo ships was hijacked off the coast of Japan." Wu Feng handed her the note. "The Japanese said it was for tax payment, the goods weren't returned, and they said they'd come to discuss it at the auction."

Li Yunrui took the note and glanced at it, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Qingyutang...is asking you for help?"

"It's not just asking for help," Wu Feng said. "I guess they're testing me to see if I have the ability to solve this kind of problem."

Li Yunrui understood. She casually tossed the note onto the table, turned around, and reached out to pinch Wu Feng's cheek: "So, how do you want to resolve this?"

Wu Feng's face was being pinched by her, and he spoke somewhat indistinctly: "The situation on His Majesty's side is unclear right now, Your Highness, you cannot interfere with the military. Contacting the military is too sensitive."

Then, his eyes turned cold: "Otherwise, I really want to ask Your Highness to order the Jiangnan navy to sail over and wipe out Japan."

Li Yunrui laughed, her fingers sliding from his cheek to his chin, gently scratching him: "So much killing intent?"

"Japan is facing a severe shortage of supplies. Most of their goods have to be purchased from our Qing Kingdom, with the remainder supplied from Northern Qi and Dongyi City." Wu Feng grasped her hand. "Your Highness can have the court prepare to cut off their supplies. Grain, iron, salt, cloth... whatever they lack, we'll cut off. Let's see how long they can hold out."

Li Yunrui looked at him, the smile in her eyes growing deeper.

She suddenly leaned in and gently kissed him on the lips.

"You're becoming more and more mature," she said softly, with a satisfied, almost indulgent tone, "I... like it very much."