The Queen’s Husband Chapter 41

Inside the Empress Hotel.

The steward of the Duke’s residence, Zhong Shuwen, was busy calculating accounts in a side room of the back hall when he suddenly heard someone report, “Steward Zhong, the third young master of the Du family is here.”

The third young master of the Du family? Zhong Shuwen set aside his abacus, his expression showing mild surprise. He had heard of Du Qiuluan, but what was he doing here now?

After a moment’s thought, he guessed the purpose of the visit and instructed, “You go ahead and give our guest, Young Master Du, a warm reception. I’ll be there shortly.”

Du Qiuluan must be here because the Empress Hotel has taken away quite a bit of business from the Du family’s inn! However, every business has its own methods. No matter how famous or ruthless Du Qiuluan is, he cannot compete with the Princess of Changting, who has the support of the Emperor and Empress Dowager.

With that thought, he slowly made his way to the front hall.

A young man, dressed in luxurious brocade and exuding a handsome, otherworldly charm, sat elegantly and lazily in the guest reception room. He took a sip of fragrant tea served by two beautiful maidservants in palace-style attire. With a glint in his eye, his stunning face broke into a captivating smile as he said, “Could you please show me your hotel’s rate list?”

“Yes, Young Master, please wait a moment.” The two young maidservants, their faces flushed with shyness, reluctantly diverted their gaze and brought over a booklet for him.

“Thank you.” Du Qiuluan smiled graciously, causing the two maidservants to become flustered, their hearts racing as they shyly replied, “Young Master is too kind.”

Du Qiuluan glanced with a smirk at the group of admiring women whispering outside the hotel’s door and slowly flipped through the booklet.

The two maidservants stared at him dreamily, their faces flushed as they were mesmerized by his graceful and attractive book-flipping.

“Single room, ten taels per day; double room, thirty taels per day; noble room, one hundred taels per day. Standard noble room, one hundred taels per day; high-class noble room, five hundred taels per day; couples’ room, one thousand taels per day; imperial suite, ten thousand taels per day, with three meals included. Heh, your boss is quite bold, setting such high prices for a new inn. Aren’t you afraid of criticism?”

The young master’s attendant, Xiao Ye, scoffed and muttered, “Young Master, it would be more appropriate if they were robbing a bank.”

The two maidservants quickly came to their senses. One explained, “Young Master misunderstood. When the Empress Hotel first opened, we offered three days of free stay. Our guests are willing to spend money to return because they appreciate the quality of our service.”

Another maid added, “Additionally, we have special promotions. Within a month, if you stay in a standard room for ten days, you get a discount card, allowing you to stay one day for free in a high-class noble room at the end of the month. If you stay in a high-class noble room for ten days, you get one day free in the imperial suite at the end of the month.” She glanced at Du Qiuluan with a flirtatious look, “Since Young Master appears to be wealthy, would you like to enjoy a night’s stay with imperial treatment?”

No wonder these maidservants were assigned to reception; they were sharp-tongued and skilled in business.

Xiao Ye coldly interjected, “Our Young Master has numerous mansions, and there are over a dozen inns in Da Yuan’s capital city. We’re not interested in staying here!”

The two maidservants shot him a scornful look and fell silent.

The smirk on Du Qiuluan’s lips deepened as he nonchalantly stroked his teacup, internally mocking: The Empress Hotel’s rates are three times higher than the Du family’s inn. Its noble and imperial suites are exorbitantly priced! The best rooms at the Du family’s inn don’t exceed one hundred taels! Only a fool would stay in such overpriced rooms.

However, there are indeed fools like that. A rotund young man, dressed in fine clothes and accompanied by two charming young women, emerged from the hotel, laughing heartily, “Not bad, not bad. The imperial suite truly offers imperial-level enjoyment. I, Zhuang Dafu, am fortunate to experience what it’s like to be an emperor.”

As he finished speaking, he approached the two beautiful maidservants, casually touching one on the face and grinning, “Beautiful maid, I’ll come back tomorrow. Make sure the imperial suite is thoroughly cleaned and ready for me.”

“Yes, Young Master Zhuang.” The maid restrained her dislike and replied with a forced smile. This was the rule set by Yu Xinruo; no matter what kind of customer it was, a smiling face was required. However, if a customer’s behavior was excessively outrageous, they could call the hotel’s guards to escort them out.

“Oh, Young Master Du, you’re here too? Are you here to experience the emperor-like treatment as well?” Zhuang Dafu, catching sight of Du Qiuluan, gave him a wink and added, “You’re in for a treat. You wouldn’t believe how enchanting the concubines in the palace are.” With that, he laughed heartily and left with his two concubines.

Even someone as worldly as Du Qiuluan couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of his eyes. What a spendthrift!

“Call your boss out here. I want to speak with them.” Du Qiuluan said to the two maids.

Before they could respond, a voice came from the doorway, “I’m the boss. I didn’t realize Young Master Du was here. What would you like to discuss?”

The two maids quickly stepped aside to make way for Zhong Shuwen.

Du Qiuluan narrowed his beautiful eyes slightly, giving him a scrutinizing look before shaking his head with a smile, “I want to meet the actual owner of your Empress Hotel, not you.”

Zhong Shuwen was slightly taken aback. He quickly assessed Du Qiuluan and realized that this young master had sharp eyes, easily discerning that he wasn’t the real owner!

With a faint smile, Zhong Shuwen said, “Whether or not I am the real owner, you can tell me what you need.”

Du Qiuluan didn’t insist on meeting the real owner. He nodded, casually tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair, and said with a smile, “Alright then, since you’re in charge, I’ll be straightforward. As the saying goes, ‘Every business has its rules.’ Your exorbitant prices are a threat to other inns, so I’d like to ask you to lower your rates to market levels to ensure fairness. Otherwise, don’t blame me, Du Qiuluan, for being unkind.”

Xiao Ye looked smugly at the two maids who were occasionally glaring at him. “Hmph, you women are just infatuated. Let’s see how my young master deals with your so-called hotel.”

Zhong Shuwen’s eyes flashed with a glint of light as he maintained a calm smile. “If the Empress Hotel’s prices don’t change, what does Young Master Du plan to do about it?”

Du Qiuluan smiled innocently, “There’s an old saying, ‘Strike the bird that sticks its head out.’ As a businessman, you should understand the meaning of this. If your hotel doesn’t lower its prices, don’t blame me if I join forces with other inns to put the Empress Hotel out of business.”

Having been in the business world for years, Du Qiuluan was no stranger to such underhanded tactics. After all, he had managed to expand the Du family’s business across much of the capital in a short time. With royal backing, he felt even more confident.

Zhong Shuwen’s expression darkened. Du Qiuluan was indeed arrogant and shameless! Just as he was about to retort, a clear and melodious female voice suddenly came from the entrance, “Young Master’s comments are misplaced. We are all in the business of providing services, and everyone has their approach. Why should everyone be like you?”

Du Qiuluan was taken aback and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw a beautiful young woman, about fifteen or sixteen, pushing her way through the crowd. She wore a white floral-patterned skirt with gold embroidery, topped with a green veil. Her delicate features, snowy-white skin, and alluring red lips, along with her enchanting eyes that were fixed on him, immediately captivated him.

Just a glance at her made his heart race. It was her! The very woman who had disguised herself as a man and touched him all over!

Since that day, he had been searching for her whereabouts, as he never overlooked someone who had captured his heart. Yet, despite a month of investigation, he had found no trace of her, and she had seemingly vanished from sight.

To his surprise, he had found her effortlessly today!

Upon seeing Yu Xinruo, Zhong Shuwen hurriedly bowed to her, “Mistress, you’re back.”

Mistress? So the owner of the bustling Empress Hotel was a young and beautiful woman? Xiao Ye stared at Yu Xinruo in astonishment. He had seen many business rivals, but never had he seen a woman running a business, especially not a beautiful young woman like her.

Yu Xinruo waved him away and took a seat directly across from Du Qiuluan. Without recognizing him, she assessed him while smiling, “Young Master, you just said that our Empress Hotel’s prices are sky-high. But how can you be sure that our services aren’t worth the price? Furthermore, our hotel operates transparently; we don’t force anyone to spend here. The money is in the guests’ hands; if they choose to enjoy our superior service, that’s their decision. We rely on this to make a living, and naturally, we don’t refuse guests. Since our business relationship is mutually agreed upon, how does it concern you or others? If you want more customers for your inn and to earn more, you should focus on improving your inn’s management and surpassing us. That’s the proper way to compete in the industry, not through intimidation and threats to crush us! Let me also tell you, even if you team up with other inns to bring down the Empress Hotel, it won’t be easy. Without a strong backing, I, Yu Xinruo, wouldn’t have the courage to run such an expensive hotel!”

After her lengthy speech, Yu Xinruo drank the tea brought by the maid. She had squeezed her way in from outside and was quite exhausted.

Du Qiuluan stared at her in shock, momentarily speechless.

Xiao Ye was equally astonished. Young Master Du Qiuluan had always been known for his eloquence and sharp debating skills, with a reputation for being a master debater in the business world. Yet now, he was rendered speechless by this delicate young woman, a significant blow to his pride!