While reminding Gu Yanshu of their arrival, Zhige couldn't help but glance at the teahouse—
Only to find its entire three-story facade shrouded in heavy hemp cloth, leaving no detail visible to outsiders.
This, of course, was Gu Yanshu's doing.
"Maintain the mystery," he'd insisted.
After all, this renovation incorporated unprecedented modern leisure concepts:
Traditional tea-drinking and storytelling areasChess roomsDedicated reading zones for scholars' discussions
Such innovations needed concealment until the grand reveal.
Stepping from the carriage, Gu Yanshu surveyed the veiled structure with approval before striding inside, Zhige in tow.
Manager Zhao and the foreman—having anticipated his inspection—bowed deeply at the entrance:
"Greetings to the Princess Consort."
"At ease. Your report mentioned completion?"
Gu Yanshu swept past them without breaking stride.
"All fulfills Your Highness's requirements," Manager Zhao hurried after him, "though minor oversights may remain."
The interior starkly contrasted Taoran Teahouse's emptiness.
Furnishings were already in place—
Starting with an elegant foyer housing the reception counter, its partitions doubling as decorative screens.
Beyond lay the central atrium, dominated by a raised opera stage encircled by tastefully arranged tea tables.
The setup resembled a theater more than a teahouse—a deliberate choice.
Upper floors featured private rooms with soundproofed windows overlooking the stage—
Guests could enjoy performances when opened or silence when closed.
Past the atrium, a miniature classical garden unfolded, its winding paths leading to leisure zones:
Ground floor: Chess parlors where patrons could sip tea while playing
Second floor: Reserved storytelling pavilions
Top floor: A sunlit reading hall with five bookshelf rows and perimeter tea seats
The sheer scale—possible only due to the property's original vastness—prevented any sense of confinement.
Manager Zhao had initially protested the stage's inclusion ("We serve tea, not operas!"),
But Gu Yanshu's decree was absolute: "Discard leisure areas if needed, but the stage stays."
To Zhao's surprise, the final result exceeded even Gu Yanshu's expectations—
A testament to the craftsmen's meticulousness after those early do-overs.
With final inspection completed flawlessly,
The teahouse awaited only tomorrow's ceramic deliveries from Taoran Kiln to commence operations.
Though eager for revenue, Gu Yanshu respected tradition—
Selecting an auspicious reopening date four days hence.
This allowed:
Ample promotional time
Final staff training sessions
After concluding his inspection at Manager Zhao's teahouse, Gu Yanshu proceeded directly to the second establishment.
Though both teahouses followed his architectural blueprints, their styles diverged subtly—
This one retained the core elements (atrium, opera stage, garden partitions, leisure zones) but with key variations:
Third-floor redesign: Replacing bookshelves with private lounges featuring recliners and daybedsAesthetic softening: Vibrant window drapes and floral motifs replacing the first teahouse's scholarly austerityManagement anomaly: Oversight by a female proprietor—Madam Yao
Even Zhige—no stranger to formidable frontier women during military campaigns—found this last detail striking.
Tianqi's social norms typically confined women to domestic spheres.
A lady managing a commercial enterprise of this scale was unprecedented.
Yet Gu Yanshu's rationale became clear during their dialogue:
Location Context:
This teahouse occupied a prime stretch of the capital's feminine commerce corridor—
A street exclusively housing:
✓ Rouge & cosmetics shops
✓ Jewelry ateliers
✓ Silk emporiums
Historically, its previous incarnation as a cosmetics store had failed under male stewardship—
Gu Yanli, inheriting it from their mother's dowry assets, lacked expertise in feminine luxuries.
His solution? Pivot to tea—a domain he understood.
Though still unprofitable, it outperformed the cosmetics venture.
Why Not Sell?
As Gu Yanshu knew:
"Two demographics spend most freely—women and children."
This street was Tianqi's epicenter of female expenditure.
Properties here hadn't changed hands in a decade due to scarcity.
Gu Yanli had retained it, hoping a future sister-in-law might revive the cosmetics trade.
(Fate, of course, intervened differently—with Gu Yanshu becoming the in-law instead.)
Recent Developments:
The former (male) manager, upon learning of renovations, advocated reverting to cosmetics.
Gu Yanshu investigated—
Discovering the original cosmetics losses stemmed from managerial embezzlement exploiting Gu Yanli's disinterest in "feminine trivialities."
Result?
Immediate termination of the corrupt manager
Radical repurposing into a women's social club
Strategic appointment of Madam Yao—a savvy businesswoman with elite clientele connections
Operational Vision:
Unlike the first teahouse catering to scholars and merchants, this venue would target:
✓ Noblewomen's tea circles
✓ Matriarchal business negotiations
✓ High-society matchmaking events
The lounges' privacy enabled discreet dealings, while the stage hosted:
Fashion showcasesCosmetic demonstrationsMusical recitals
By leveraging the location's inherent feminine traffic, Gu Yanshu transformed a liability into a luxury patronage hub.
The facts proved Gu Yanshu's discerning eye for talent.
Originally just a stewardess at the estate near Taoran Kiln, Madam Yao had transformed under his guidance—
Now executing tasks with military precision, her reliability ranked just below Manager Tang and Prince Li's inner circle in Gu Yanshu's trust hierarchy.
With such an iron lady supervising, the teahouse required zero corrective adjustments.
Like its counterpart, it would reopen in four days.
Post-meeting, as they departed, Zhige's typically stoic expression showed uncharacteristic fissures.
Years beside Qin Lu had forged him into an even more impassive iceberg than his master—
Yet prolonged exposure allowed Gu Yanshu to detect subtle shifts.
(Early on, he'd privately dubbed them "a pair of repressed exhibitionists—one major, one minor.")
Recognizing this wasn't alertness to danger, Gu Yanshu dismissed the anomaly.
Little did he know—Zhige was mentally reeling from the teahouse's extravagance:
Glass Windows
Installed here before the prince's residential hallsDiffusing light brilliantly despite exterior hemp drapes
Polished Bluestone Flooring
Mirror-smooth surfaces stretching endlessly
For all his battlefield experience, even Zhige marveled at the opulence.
Fortunately, Gu Yanshu never asked his thoughts—
Or he'd have learned this was merely appetizer luxury compared to Prince Li's residence renovations:
Heated marble floors with underground furnace systemsImported tropical hardwoods for all structural beamsA master bath featuring Gu Yanshu's prototype pressurized shower
Now that was true extravagance.