"So, this inn is the best in the capital?" Peng Mingzhu asked with a curious face as she looked at the huge and tall oriental building in front of her.
While she was staring at the architecture of the ancients, she also started noticing a fragrance from somewhere.
"Plum blossoms…" Peng Mingzhu mumbled as she closed her eyes to get a better feel of the scent.
"Plum Fragrance Inn is the most famous inn in the capital," Mo Nianzu answered her question and began to tell her more information about the inn. "The inn is relatively young, but due to the special fragrance of plum blossoms in the materials used to build the inn, many people are attracted to the inn. Not only that, this inn has the best views, food, and hospitality compared to any other inn in the capital."
With a small smile, Peng Mingzhu acknowledged, "This place is sure to have beautiful views. Just look at the architecture…"
"Should we go in now?" Mo Nianzu asked Peng Mingzhu as he stared up at her.
Nodding her head, Peng Mingzhu answered with a light voice, "Yes, let's go."
"Um… By the way, is leaving the estate without noticing the prince a good idea?" Mo Nianzu with a cute tilt of his head.
When Mo Nianzu said "leaving the estate," he did not mean as in just taking a trip. He meant completely planning to live at another place with no intentions to come back.
Early in the morning, Peng Mingzhu had woken up to wake Mo Nianzu awake so that he would show her which inn was the best in the capital so that she could move out. She knew that Wei Kangnuan would surely try to stop her, but if he could not…
He would surely buy the entire inn just so that he could visit her everyday.
"You don't have to worry about the prince," Peng Mingzhu patted his small head. "All you have to do is make sure I'm having fun just like what you're supposed to do."
Nodding his head, he silently agreed to her statement.
"Young Master Mo, Miss," the manager of the inn greeted, personally walking out to welcome them.
Mo Nianzu did not respond, but he nodded his head to show that he acknowledged the addressment. On the other hand, Peng Mingzhu was too busy looking at the architecture to greet the old manager.
"Young Master Mo, has His Highness asked for something to have Your Excellency personally come here?" the old manager asked with the utmost respect he could form.
"This is Miss Peng," Mo Nianzu introduced with his small hand. "Please give her the best room and hospitality your inn can offer."
"Yes, definitely," the manager professionally replied with a kind old smile, but at the same time, he was sneaking peeks of Peng Mingzhu.
'Who is this Miss Peng to have His Highness the Second Prince personally have Young Master Mo request for a room and service?' the manager pondered inwardly without showing outsiders what he was thinking.
"What is the bill?" Mo Nianzu asked after receiving an affirming answer from the gray haired manager.
However, before the manager could answer, Peng Mingzhu interrupted, "I'll pay for everything myself, Xiao Zu."
"That… That does not feel right," Mo Nianzu tried to tell Peng Mingzhu with a hesitating face.
Peng Mingzhu did not deny Mo Nianzu or tell him otherwise, instead she requested something else from the small boy, "Instead of worrying about the payment, how about you go to Verbatim Bookstore and tell them that they can send the books to me at this inn from now on? Will you be able to do that on your own?"
With bright shining eyes, Mo Nianzu nodded and replied with an extremely happy voice, "I will be back shortly then!"
Peng Mingzhu patted his head again and responded, "Mm."
Then, they separated ways as Peng Mingzhu followed the elderly manager in to pay for her room while Mo Nianzu ran his way to Verbatim Bookstore to do as she had asked.
"For how long does Miss Peng want to reserve our room?" the manager asked after gesturing for her to enter the study for VIP customers.
"Three months," Peng Mingzhu told him without a blink.
"T-three months?!" the manager stood up from his desk in shock and exclaimed in a loud voice.
"Yes, is there something wrong?" Peng Mingzhu asked the manager with a confused face.
"Miss Peng, do you know how much our best rooms are for one night?" the manager asked her while trying to calm his shooken body.
Shaking her head, Peng Mingzhu answered, "No."
"A single night in the best room in our inn is nine hundred gold taels," the manager told her, still trying to calm himself down.
"Oh," Peng Mingzhu muttered as though that price was very normal.
"Miss Peng, do you know how much three months is in total?" the manager questioned her seriously.
"81,900 gold taels in total, not including service fees, food, and other expenditures," Peng Mingzhu answered without flinching her body.
"Miss Peng, that is not a small amount…" the manager tried to tell her.
Peng Mingzhu did not really pay attention and instead replied in a roundabout way, "Yeah, and I didn't just pay nine million gold taels worth of books a few days ago…"
The manager choked on his tea that he was sipping.
Did he just hear right?
She spent nine million gold taels on books!? Is she crazy!?!?
"What's the matter, manager?" Peng Mingzhu questioned with a brief smile.
"Miss Peng, pleased to do business with you!" the manager exclaimed without questioning any longer.
'If she is willing to spend so much money on books, our inn is surely able to make lots of revenue with her being our VIP customer!' the manager cried out happily inside his heart.
"Before I agree to being your customer though, I must tell you that I can't pay you with gold taels," Peng Mingzhu kindly smiled.
"Huh? Uh… Then, what do you pay with if not gold or banknotes?" the manager asked nervously.
Hearing his question, Peng Mingzhu reached into her sleeve and once again performed her magic trick for the old man to see.
Taking her hand out of her sleeve, a beautiful set of hairpins were shown to the manager.
"This hairpin set is called The Black Opal Roses," Peng Mingzhu introduced to the manager. "According to the name of the hairpin, the gemstones are black opals that have been carved into roses."
"Those...are those real black opals?" the manager asked with cold sweat going down his back.
He could not believe that they were real. There was just too much gemstone that he was beginning to think that black opals were not a rare and expensive gemstone anymore.
"I recently read a book on the most valuable gemstones in this world," Peng Mingzhu suddenly stated. "Apparently, black opals is in ninth place as one of the most expensive gemstones: being valued at 9,500 gold taels per carat. Don't you think that it's weird how opals can make such beautiful roses despite their dark blue and aqua-like color? Say, have you ever seen a blue rose?"
"Miss Peng...this...this is worth too much…" the manager told her after taking a gulp of his saliva that was stuck in his throat due to the sheer amount of shock he had received from the set of hairpins.
"It's okay," Peng Mingzhu waved her hand with no care. "If I happen to need to use this money for your inn sometime soon, just use the leftover money. I'm quite lazy to continuously pay."
"Miss Peng…" the manager called out with tears in his eyes.
'Goodness… So many years of work and this is the first time I am crying due to work,' the manager inwardly thought while trying to hold back his tears
"Anyhow, I'd like to receive a tour of the inn, if it's possible?" Peng Mingzhu requested the manager. "Also, what's your name? I couldn't possibly call you, 'Hey!' even after being here for a month, right?"
"Oh, apologies for not introducing myself, Miss Peng," the manager gave a small bow before rising up to tell her his name. "Please just call me Manager Bai."
"Alright," Peng Mingzhu nodded. "Should I just leave the hairpins here?"
"Yes," Manager Bai responded before opening the door to give her a tour of the inn.
While they were touring the dining area of the inn, Peng Mingzhu told Manager Bai something that surprised him, "For my meals, please just prepare ingredients for me to cook."
Even though Manager Bai was shocked, he still responded with a calm face, "Yes, I will instruct the cooks to do so."
Then, they continued onto other areas. By the time Manager Bai finished giving Peng Mingzhu a tour of the inn, the sun was already at the horizon and emitting orange hues.
As Manager Bai followed Peng Mingzhu to her VIP room, he heard her request him for something.
"Is there a secret path to exit and enter the inn?" Peng Mingzhu questioned before putting her hand on the door handle of her room door.
"Yes," Manager Bai respectfully answered. "But only the owners are allowed to take them."
"Is there a way for me to meet them?" Peng Mingzhu asked as she opened the door.
"Uh… That… I will try to ask them…" Manager Bai reluctantly replied. "However, I cannot assure you that they will approve the meeting."
"No worries. You being willing to just ask them for me is more than good enough," Peng Mingzhu replied with a thankful sigh of relief.
"Then, please have a good rest, Miss Peng," Manager Bai said with a bow.