My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

Wei Nanxun hadn't left the house or gone out for many years. When she was a child, her father would take her and her mother out for a stroll every time he came back from outside.

She would sit on her father's shoulders, lifted high to watch the acrobatic performances in the center of the crowd, while her mother would buy her rabbit lanterns and candied hawthorns. Unfortunately, after her mother passed away, she never went to the street again.

Firstly, the Wei family was keeping her mother from going out, and secondly, she didn't like going out alone, always feeling that the sight of her mother would remind her of her mother.

But now she has died once, and her mindset is completely different from before. She must step out and see a wider world, and can no longer confine herself to a small inner courtyard.

"Girl, is this really okay? Won't someone find out?" Zhixia awkwardly tugged at her cloth clothes, feeling that something was wrong with her.

Wei Nanxun's long hair was tied up high, and he wore a royal blue robe and held a folding fan, dressed like a young master from a wealthy family.

She was strikingly beautiful with fair skin. To blend in more closely with the man, she not only applied a layer of gray powder to her face but also thickened her eyebrows and wrapped a cloth around her chest. From a distance, she was truly indistinguishable from the man.

Upon hearing this, she closed her folding fan and gently lifted Zhixia's chin with the fan ribs: "Don't worry, we'll only be out for half a day. With Uncle Qiu covering for us, we won't be discovered. If you're still scared, I'll go alone."

Zhixia blushed with embarrassment at her flirtatious demeanor. Upon hearing that the young lady was going alone, she immediately shook her head repeatedly: "How can that be? I'm not afraid. If you really run into anyone, just hide behind me."

Wei Nanxun was amused by her feigned courage despite her fear, but her eyes were filled with emotion. In this world, besides her father and brother, the only person willing to protect her unconditionally was probably Zhixia.

The arrangements for leaving the manor were all made by Steward Qiu. He found a trusted servant and arranged for a carriage at the side gate to escort them all the way to the shop entrance.

The shop is located right next to the moat. Although it's not the busiest street, there are still quite a few customers. It's almost noon and the shop entrance is already crowded with customers.

Outside the door were four long square tables, filled with all kinds of pastries, from delicate pastries from the south to various square cakes from the north, a dazzling array of choices.

These pastries were selected by Steward Qiu and Wei Nanxun together.

There are many pastry shops in Beijing, offering both Jiangnan-style and local options. How can one gain a foothold in Beijing?

Wei Nanxun's idea was to offer a wide variety of products that tasted good and were inexpensive. No matter what, he wanted people to be willing to spend money to buy them before he could move on to the next step.

Therefore, the shopkeeper at the entrance held up pastries while loudly announcing, "Xia's Pastries are open for business today. They are only given away, not for sale. Customers who want to try them, please line up here to receive them. Everyone gets one, and it's free."

Sure enough, it's human nature to not take advantage of a bargain. Originally, they were just watching and pointing, thinking that this shop was not as grand as the old Chen family shop next door, and the pastries were not as exquisite as Qin's. But as soon as they heard that it was free, they all rushed forward like crazy.

Everyone who tried it said it tasted great, and when they asked about the price, it was 20-30% cheaper than what was available in the market. They all said they wanted to buy some.

The shopkeeper was still cheerfully saying, "Don't worry, everyone. When we officially open tomorrow, we will not only have all kinds of pastries, but we will also give you a 50% discount. The taste will definitely not change."

Free today, half price tomorrow? The crowd became even more excited and pushed forward, almost knocking Wei Nanxun and her servant over. Luckily, Steward Qiu caught them in time.

"Young master, be careful. Your idea is good, but I'm afraid that once people taste the sweetness of this half-price discount, no one will come to buy."

"Uncle Qiu, please rest assured. I am confident in the taste of our dim sum. Besides, even if the price is restored to the original price, it will still be cheap. Anyone who has tried our dim sum and likes it will definitely come back to buy it again."

Wei Nanxun's opinion has truly changed, and he admires her from the bottom of his heart. Putting aside everything else, her courage and foresight are something that many men cannot match.

Just then, a waiter came over and said that the manager wanted to discuss something with Steward Qiu, so he had to swallow his words: "Young master, please wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

"Uncle Qiu, you don't need to worry about me. I'll go back home after I've been wandering around for a while."

Manager Qiu was still a little worried about leaving her alone, but they were urging him to leave urgently. He figured that nothing would happen since she was right at the shop entrance, so he had no choice but to go ahead.

At first, Wei Nanxun was indeed a little unaccustomed to so many people and the noise around her, but after staying for a while, she got used to it and found that the bustling crowds were a kind of lively atmosphere that she hadn't experienced in a long time.

Seeing that the snacks were almost gone, she couldn't resist joining in the fun.

"Come on, Xiao Zhixia, let's get one too and take it back to try."

Even though she had tasted it beforehand, the significance of this moment was still different, as this was the first shop she had opened herself.

Zhixia, who was initially timid and nervous and dared not speak, was infected by the atmosphere and wanted to squeeze in. She had been itching to join in for a long time, and when she heard that she had to queue up, she nodded hurriedly.

The master and servant stood at the very end of the line. Although their clothes were simple and clean, they were anything but ordinary when paired with Wei Nanxun's face.

Many middle-aged women and young girls from the neighborhood were already secretly glancing at her up and down. Some people even came to inquire which family's young master she was, since he was also buying pastries, which must be delicious.

When they finally got to the front of the line, there was only one serving left.

Just as Zhixia was congratulating themselves on their good luck and was about to reach out to catch it, she heard several gasps and exclamations from the surrounding area.

"Young master, be careful."

Wei Nanxun was stunned for a moment before she realized that this man was herself, and subconsciously turned around to look.

In the center of the crowd stood a man dressed in a slick, frivolous manner, a bamboo skewer dangling from his mouth, staring at them with disdain. This didn't bother her.

The most terrifying thing was that the scoundrel had a rope in his hand, and a mastiff that was half her height was tied to the rope.

The mastiff was entirely brown and black, its fur looked messy and shiny. It seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, its eyes were bloodshot and as big as copper bells, staring intently at the pastries in Zhixia's hands, its mouth constantly drooling, and occasionally revealing its sharp teeth.

Its relaxed demeanor, occasionally twitching its fur as if surveying its territory, sent chills down one's spine.

"Make way, make way, all of you make way for me! Since you're delivering something, why don't I have anything? Hurry up and bring out the pastries."

"I'm sorry, sir, we've already served all the snacks for today. Please come earlier tomorrow."

"Pah! If you don't have anything to offer, then don't open a shop! I can't wait, I have to eat today."

Wei Nanxun's first instinct was that this person was here to cause trouble, maybe a competitor from next door who was jealous of their customers.

She was frowning and trying to think of a solution when she saw the man looking at her: "Didn't you say it was gone? How come he still has it? Go, get it!"

Zhixia quickly hid the snacks behind her back and stood protectively in front of Wei Nanxun: "These were received by my young master after queuing up. Who are you? Why should I give them to you? No, I won't give them to you."

The man spat out the bamboo skewer from his mouth and forced an ugly smile: "Ha, why should I? Because this whole street has to listen to me, Chen Er!"

"You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences, huh? Wangcai, go and bite these two arrogant brats."

As Chen Er spoke, he actually loosened his grip on the rope. The surrounding people scattered in fear. They saw the enormous creature bark wildly and pounce on Wei Nanxun and her servant with its blood-red maw wide open...