Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

Chapter 63 Young Master Liu Wants to Buy Jinxiufang, But He Doesn't Know That the Owner Is His "Deceased" Wife

On the third day of its opening, Jinxiufang saw an increase in customer traffic instead of a decrease.

The first-floor ready-to-wear section has a daily limit of twenty sets, and it sells out before 9 AM when it opens.

The ladies who didn't manage to buy anything refused to leave, gathering in the second-floor custom area to select materials, or sitting in the tea room drinking tea and waiting—just in case someone returned the goods?

Qian Sihai was extremely busy, yet he was full of energy.

The income from these three days was more than the revenue from his family's peak period over half a year.

What excited him even more was that Jinxiufang's "rules" were being accepted: limited editions, high prices, membership system...

Instead of scaring away customers, it made those who bought the product even more proud.

Just after noon, a special guest came into the store.

He was a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, dressed in a moon-white silk robe with dark patterns, a jade belt around his waist, and holding an ivory fan sprinkled with gold.

With a handsome face, smiling eyes, and an air of refined elegance befitting a scion of a prominent family, he exuded the grace and gentle demeanor of a young nobleman.

A servant boy, also dressed smartly, followed behind him.

When he entered, several women from official families who were selecting fabrics on the first floor instinctively stopped what they were doing.

I took a second look—such appearance and demeanor are rare in Hangzhou.

Qian Sihai was checking accounts behind the counter when he looked up and saw the person who had come in, and his heart skipped a beat for no reason.

The man approached, closed his fan, and bowed: "This must be Manager Qian? My name is Liu Ming. I am new to Hangzhou and have come to pay my respects after hearing of the great reputation of Jinxiufang."

His voice was clear and pleasant, and his manners were impeccable.

But Qian Sihai's back was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

Liu Ming.

Liu Chengming.

Even with an alias and changed clothes, Qian Sihai recognized him at a glance.

Three years ago, it was this same gentle and refined face that smiled and said to his father in the Qian family ancestral hall:

"Old Master Qian, why bother?"

He was hiding behind the screen at that time and saw his father trembling with anger.

Seeing Liu Chengming slowly and methodically brushing non-existent dust from his sleeves,

Then, he casually tossed out a sentence: "Since you refuse to cooperate, then the Qian family... has no reason to exist."

Three years.

This face appeared before him countless times in the dead of night.

"Young Master Liu..."

Qian Sihai forced himself to steady his breathing and forced a smile.

"Your presence is an honor, I am so sorry for not welcoming you sooner. May I ask what kind of fabric you would like to see?"

Liu Chengming smiled slightly and glanced around the shop: "I will naturally take a look at the materials, but what I am more interested in is the Jinxiufang itself."

He walked slowly to the "Phoenix and Peony" horse—this was the second one, even more exquisite than the previous one, with gold threads and subtle patterns flowing in the light, priced at... six hundred taels.

"Excellent craftsmanship." Liu Chengming reached out, his fingertips gently tracing the surface of the brocade. "The two sides are different colors, and the gold thread is evenly mixed. The weaver must have at least thirty years of experience. There aren't many master craftsmen like this in Hangzhou."

Alarm bells rang in Qian Sihai's mind.

This person saw right through the weaver!

"Young Master Liu has a good eye." He remained expressionless. "It is indeed a master craftsman hired at great expense."

"A hefty sum?" Liu Chengming turned around, smiling at him. "I'm afraid it's more than just a hefty sum. Ordinary craftsmen couldn't produce something like this. Is there... another master craftsman behind Manager Qian?"

Every sentence is a probing question, every word a veiled threat.

Qian Sihai's back was soaked with sweat, but his smile became even more respectful: "Young Master Liu is too kind. Our shop is just in the fabric business. We don't have any experts here."

Liu Chengming didn't press the matter further, and paced around the shop, fanning himself.

He observed very carefully.

The tailoring of the garments, the display of the fabrics, the conversation of the shop assistants, even the "Beautiful Landscape" embroidery hanging on the wall—

That was a design drawn by Ye Huang herself, and it took the embroiderer half a month to complete.

"This embroidery," he stopped in front of the painting, "has a novel composition and bold use of color, unlike the style commonly seen in Jiangnan."

It does have a touch of... the open and expansive feel of the North.

Qian Sihai's throat went dry: "The master comes from the north, so his preferences are naturally different."

"Oh?" Liu Chengming turned around. "May I pay my respects to your esteemed employer? I greatly admire your magnanimity and vision."

"The master is not here today." Qian Sihai said without leaving a trace. "If Young Master Liu has anything important to say, please leave a message and I will certainly pass it on."

Liu Chengming looked at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

The smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Very well." He closed his fan. "Then please ask Manager Qian to convey that I, Liu, am willing to offer 50,000 taels of silver to buy Jinxiufang."

This includes the shop, the inventory, the craftsmen, and... all the blueprints in the hands of that "owner from the north."

Fifty thousand taels!

Several customers in the shop who had been listening intently gasped in surprise.

Jinxiufang has only been open for three days, and someone has already offered 50,000 taels of silver to buy it!

What an astronomical price!

Qian Sihai felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

Liu Chengming did not come to buy the shop.

He came to... find out more about him.

"Young Master Liu is too kind." Qian Sihai bowed. "However, Jinxiufang is the owner's ancestral property and is not for sale."

"Eighty thousand taels," Liu Chengming raised the price.

"Ancestral property will not be sold."

"One hundred thousand taels." Liu Chengming's voice remained gentle, but the light in his eyes gradually turned cold.

Qian Sihai raised his head and met his gaze.

Three years.

When the Qian family was driven to the brink of despair, Liu Chengming did the same thing, smiling as he raised the price and watched his father struggle in humiliation and despair.

"Young Master Liu," Qian Sihai said, enunciating each word clearly, "Jinxiufang is not for sale."

The air suddenly froze.

The customers in the shop sensed something was wrong and fell silent. The staff stopped what they were doing and looked over warily.

Liu Chengming stared at Qian Sihai for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.

This time, the smile seemed more genuine.

"Manager Qian has backbone," he said slowly and deliberately. "Then so be it. However—"

He paused, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear:

"Qian Sihai, do you think the Liu family won't be able to find you just because you've changed your name and location?"

Qian Sihai's pupils suddenly contracted.

He got it!

He really does know everything!

"You were lucky to escape three years ago." Liu Chengming tapped the counter lightly with his fan. "This time, you'd better watch yourself."

After speaking, he turned to leave.

Just then—

"Wow--!!!"

The heart-wrenching cries of a baby came from the second-floor stairwell.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the wet nurse standing there holding Bao'er. The child's face was red from crying, and his little finger was pointing in Liu Chengming's direction. He struggled desperately, as if he wanted to rush over—not out of affection, but out of extreme fear.

Liu Chengming paused and turned around to look.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes the moment he saw Bao'er.

That child... was born so beautifully. She was lovely and delicate, with exquisite features, and even crying like this couldn't hide her innate charm.

What terrified him even more was the way the child looked at him—unlike the innocent look of a normal infant, it seemed as if… he had recognized something terrifying.

"This is..." Liu Chengming looked at Qian Sihai.

"The master's child." Qian Sihai quickly went over, took Bao'er from the wet nurse's arms, and patted her gently to comfort her. "I'm sorry to have disturbed Young Master Liu. The child is shy."

Liu Chengming watched as Bao'er gradually stopped crying in Qian Sihai's arms, but her little hands were still tightly gripping his clothes, and her eyes were staring at him warily.

Shy?

Not like.

It's more like... an instinctive aversion.

His mind was filled with doubts, but he showed no sign of them on his face: "The child is very bright. May I ask if your master... is a lady?"

"Yes," Qian Sihai replied briefly.

"Living as a widow?"

"..."

"It seems so." Liu Chengming understood, glanced at Bao'er again, and suddenly took out a name card from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

"I apologize for bothering you today. Please forward this post to your employer."

He turned and walked out, but stopped at the door and turned back, his voice clear and smiling:

Tell her that I, Liu, am looking forward to... our next meeting.

"Miss Ye Huang."

The last four words, though light and airy, struck Qian Sihai like a thunderclap.

He knew his employer's name!

He even knew that the owner was in the shop today—his earlier statement, "The owner is not here," couldn't be hidden from him at all!

Qian Sihai held Bao'er in his arms, watching Liu Chengming and his servant disappear around the street corner, feeling a chill run through him.

"Manager Qian?" the shop assistant asked cautiously as he approached.

Qian Sihai snapped out of his daze and took a deep breath: "Business as usual."

He handed Bao'er back to the wet nurse and picked up the name card from the counter.

The paper, pure white with gold flecks, had only the two characters "Liu Ming" written on the front, but a line of smaller characters on the back:

Three days later, at 3:45 PM, the painted boat "Yanyu Tower" on West Lake awaits your arrival.

At the end of the signature, there was a small willow leaf seal.

A subtle fragrance.

Qian Sihai clutched the name card tightly, turned around, and quickly went upstairs.

---

Private room on the third floor.

Ye Huang stood by the window, taking in everything below.

Jinshu's face turned pale: "Miss, he... he recognized you?"

"No." Ye Huang turned around, her expression calm. "If he truly recognized me as Shen Qingci, he wouldn't be testing me like this."

"Then he..."

"He only has suspicions." Ye Huang walked to the table, looking at the name card that Qian Sihai presented. "He suspects that the person behind Jinxiufang is not simple, that Qian Sihai's appearance is not a coincidence, and that I... am related to someone he is looking for."

Jinshu asked anxiously, "Will you go to the appointment in three days?"

"Go." Ye Huang picked up the name card, her fingertips tracing the willow-leaf seal. "Why not go?"

"That's too dangerous!"

"He's the one in danger." Ye Huang raised her eyes, a cold glint in them. "In Hangzhou, on my turf, it's Liu Chengming who should be afraid."

Qian Sihai then came in carrying Bao'er.

Bao'er had stopped crying, but tears still clung to her little face. When she saw Ye Huang, she immediately opened her little arms to hug him.

Ye Huang took the child, and Bao'er hugged her neck tightly, burying her face in the crook of her neck, her body still trembling slightly.

"Bao'er is frightened," Qian Sihai said in a low voice. "He has never cried like this before."

Ye Huang gently patted Bao'er's back, her voice softening: "Bao'er, don't be afraid, Mother is here."

Bao'er looked up, her big, dark eyes staring at her. She gestured with her little hands and mumbled indistinctly, "Bad...bad person..."

Ye Huang felt a pang of pain in her heart.

Her precious child was born with the ability to sense good and evil. The malice emanating from Liu Chengming was so intense that even the child instinctively felt fear.

"Yes, they are bad people." She kissed Bao'er's forehead. "But bad people can't hurt Bao'er, and they can't hurt Mommy either."

Bao'er seemed to understand but didn't quite, yet she nodded obediently and gently patted her face with her little hand, as if to comfort her.

Ye Huang hugged the child tightly and looked up at Qian Sihai:

"For the next three days, Jinxiufang will remain open as usual. However, all records of incoming and outgoing goods, the list of artisans, and the membership list will be encrypted and backed up and sent to Tingfenglou."

"yes!"

"Furthermore," she paused, "have Mo Shisan find out who Liu Chengming met, where he went, and what he did during his stay in Hangzhou. In particular... whether he had any contact with anyone from the palace."

Qian Sihai's expression hardened: "You suspect something about the capital..."

"One should always be wary of others." Ye Huang looked out the window. "Liu Chengming arrived too quickly and too precisely. If no one had informed him, why would he have gone straight to Hangzhou, straight to Jinxiufang?"

Jinshu gasped, "You mean... he has spies in the palace?"

"Perhaps," Ye Huang withdrew her gaze, "or perhaps we underestimated the Liu family's influence in Jiangnan."

She looked down at Bao'er, who was gradually falling asleep in her arms.

Liu Chengming.

Since you've chased me all the way to Jiangnan, since you insist on touching my Jinxiufang and my child—

Then don't blame me for chopping off your claws one by one.

The night is getting darker.

The lanterns in Jinxiufang swayed gently in the evening breeze, illuminating the willow-leaf name card in the counter.

Like a declaration of war.

It's like a death warrant.