19 Luna Marche

Retired General Mian looked at Ling Yue swinging her sword, impressed. For 6 months now, Ling Yue had been showing up to each 3-hour practice without complaint, and had usually given her best. Sometimes, she would look noticeably winded, but would press on, collapsing several times.

When he asked why she was pushing herself, she said "In war, your enemies do not care if you are winded. They will still strike you when you are down. Moreover... as a woman, I will not be killed immediately. I will be subjected to humiliation first.".

He was very satisfied with her attitude. She was polite, courteous, and keen to learn. All the elderly liked polite kids. Having followed her brother to war before, she was also very aware of the dangers. Yet, now having grown up to be a Noble Concubine living a sheltered life in the harem, she was still willing to train in case her country needed her. Wasn't that worthy of praise?

Honorary General Mian was happy with Ling Yue as well. Honorary General Mian had been unable to climb back to his former glory after the injury, general or not. He was honored when Lu Qing Yu recommended him to train Noble Concubine Ling. At least he could put his know-how to use and felt like he was reliving his military days. Noble Concubine Ling was not an ordinary woman. Having heard of her achievements, he wondered how a noble woman could be so gutsy and fearless.

The training sessions were 3 hours in the morning, a bath and change of clothes, then back to work at the Ministry. The war had officially started. For now, the situation was under control, but a drawn-out war was never good. I was becoming increasingly burnt out. After I returned from the ministry and had dinner, I would usually pass out straight away on my bed, only to awake the following morning.

I was never a particularly athletic woman, but I did not trust the men of this era to protect me. This era was not kind to women, and I had no interest in becoming another wartime statistic. Fortunately, on Sundays I could work on my secret projects, and this one was nearly finished.

On Monday, at the backdoors of all the noble households, a complimentary basket and a note addressed to the noble ladies of the households arrived, from Noble Concubine Ling. It contained menstrual pads, and urged them to try it discreetly. If they liked it and wanted to purchase some, they could order more through my employees.

I had long gained a decent reputation for my face glitter. The royal tailor went amok and created many stunning gowns with the holding glitter I got him, and those were for me only. However, I was happy to produce the face glitter with the help of my team of trusted servants, in very small amounts and sell them at high prices to the noble households. Moreover, my work with the ministry had lauded me as a women's champion. A symbol that women could also do what men could. My small business, Luna Marche operated out of a newly built 8 floor building near the center of the capital.

Luna Marche was the dream of many women. For the noble women, it was a place they could order beautiful glitter (wondrous), and some limited-edition glittery accessories, which sold out very quickly. For the commoners, Luna Marche was a place that offered them rights and independence.

I accepted employees only by recommendation by my trusted servants (not my family, since noble families only cared about themselves). Luna Marche borrowed many elements from the 21st century. It occupied a prime piece of land beside exquisite women's shops, and its first floor was a showroom, with ¼ being a tea house (café), which served novel sweets, candy and tea to the noble ladies shopping here. The 2nd and 3rd floor was a special shop accessed only by premium membership. To be a member, you had to sign up for at least 1 year.

Whenever there were new products, an employee would deliver a sample to your door and let you know. If there was a waiting list, you would be bumped to the top. There were also special products released every month for premium members. The membership wasn't cheap, but many noble families paid it without blinking.

The 2nd and 3rd floor were also shops. The 2nd floor was a full shop floor, while the 3rd floor had a ¼ exclusive teahouse as well, and the rest was shop. The 4th and 5th floor were employee workspaces. It had wide, airy windows, a beautiful pastel colour scheme, and a ¼ employee teahouse (complimentary).

At any time of day from 6am to 6pm, employees could order food from the teahouse and enjoy it. Some employees would also ask if they could take food home for their families. As long as they weren't stealing from the kitchen or taking an unreasonable amount, I let it pass.

On the 8th floor was offices. I had the largest office with a view of the bustling street. There were 4 other offices on this floor, only 2 occupied. I had 2 trusted servants become my shop manager and partnerships manager. They had quit their jobs at servants to become independent ladies. My Shop Manager, Hua Ling managed the shop, production, and logistics.

My Partnerships Manager, Yu Hui, kept a lookout on competitors, new trends in the market, and managed our relationship with noble houses and other businesses. This was important as Luna Marche was an exclusive business and noble houses could be very demanding. They often worked together. At the end of the week, they submitted a report to me.

The other 2 offices were in case I needed any more managerial staff. At a corner of the 8th floor was also a beautiful, padded lounge for relaxation, as well as a small room which contained sleeping pods. No one had dared to use them yet, but I suspected when we were once overwhelmed with orders it would be in high demand.

The 8th floor offices also had the privilege of ordering a menu of special treats from the employee teahouse, which changed every month and would have it delivered to their offices whenever the teahouse was open.