Chapter 196: Shameless Ease
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The attendant smiled and said, “They are graded. This one here, which is used for laundry, is the cheapest. It only costs ten wen for one piece, and one piece can be used for a long time. Even ordinary people can afford it. The ones with added spices and carved boxes are more expensive. The better the materials, the more expensive it is. Which one would the noble lady like?”
Mingzhu was still pondering, but Yuwen Chu already said, “Pick a little of everything and have it packaged, then send it to the Palace of Ying Wang.”
The clerk was startled and was about to greet the couple, but Yuwen Chu had already pulled Mingzhu away, saying, “The Great Empress Dowager likes crystal products, large pieces of crystal are rare. The glass products here are not bad. You should pick some.”
Although the items were good, they couldn’t compare to the desire for food and drink. Mingzhu quickly picked out some things, as usual, had the clerk send them to the Palace of Ying Wang, and then pulled Yuwen Chu away, “Let’s go, they’ll close soon.”
Yuwen Chu smiled and went along with her. As they reached the door, Jiang Shanshan led a few noble ladies in. When they met, both sides were a bit surprised. Jiang Shanshan reacted quickly and quickly led her good sisters to greet Yuwen Chu and Mingzhu.
Yuwen Chu said indifferently, “We’re outside, there’s no need for so many formalities.” After speaking, he didn’t want to stay longer and gestured for Mingzhu to follow.
However, Mingzhu didn’t want to leave. At this moment, she looked at Jiang Shanshan, and her mood completely changed. This person, in the past, she kept her distance; later, because of her marriage to Yuwen Chu, she felt guilty and ashamed, with a hint of caution and frustration; now that she knew Jiang Shanshan had once presented the design of the bed crossbow to Yuwen Chu, she completely lost her guilt and shame, leaving only countless defenses and suspicions.
She wanted to know if in her previous life, the design of the bed crossbow leaked from Jiang Shanshan, and whether there was any relationship between the bed crossbow that shot and surrounded her second brother and Jiang Shanshan. Does this matter have anything to do with Yuwen Chu? Seeing Jiang Shanshan, it seemed like all the unpleasantness came back.
Jiang Shanshan was quite generous, first smiling at Mingzhu, then looking at the servants who were packing up their things behind her, and said, “Is this purchased by His Highness and the Wangfei? You don’t need to pay. I didn’t give any gifts at the time of the wedding. It’s rare that you’re interested in these little things. Consider them as gifts from me. I hope you won’t refuse.”
What? It’s her shop? Mingzhu was surprised again, but before she could ask, Yuwen Chu already said indifferently, “There’s no need. I just heard that an interesting shop opened these days, so I deliberately brought Mingzhu out to relax and have some fun. If Second Miss Jiang wants to pay, it would go against my original intention.” After speaking, he handed his hand to Mingzhu and said lightly, “Come here, let’s go!”
Mingzhu stood still, so he walked over and took her hand, nodded slightly to the noble ladies, and then walked away.
Jiang Shanshan smiled, her lips curling up as she watched their hands clasped together, feeling extremely jealous, but there was nothing she could do. She waited until the two were far away before turning back to her good sisters and said with a smile, “Feel free to choose whatever you like.”
The noble ladies were all well-traveled, and even though they were happy, they didn’t show too much joy. Instead, they expressed their thanks modestly, and then flattered Jiang Shanshan, “Look at the arrogance of Lady Mingzhu. How can she be so shameless? Seeing you, she should at least feel a little guilty and embarrassed, right? She acts as if she’s already the Ying Wang Wangfei. She even pretended not to hear when we greeted her. She’s more arrogant than His Highness, truly shameless…”
“Enough!” Jiang Shanshan was extremely frustrated and irritated, unable to help but raise her voice, “If you still consider me a good sister, don’t mention this matter in front of me again! And don’t blame me for losing my temper.”
The noble ladies had always looked up to her, and they had only mentioned this matter to please her. Moreover, Mingzhu had already become the Wangfei of Ying Wang, so what else could they do? This time, she was legally higher in status than them. Even if they wanted someone to slap them, it was only natural. Offending her with a single sentence of disrespect was a good enough reason. So they quickly changed the topic, flattering Jiang Shanshan, “Second Sister Jiang is really amazing. I heard that these things were originally brought by someone from overseas to present to the Marquis. Second Sister Jiang found a way to make them herself?”
Jiang Shanshan smiled without saying a word, but when she was asked anxiously, she modestly said, “It’s not a big deal. I just had a few ideas, saw a few ancient formulas in books, and was interested. So I discussed them with experienced craftsmen and somehow managed to produce them.”
Everyone continued to praise her, “Second Sister is too modest! You say it’s just luck, why can’t we have such luck?”
Jiang Shanshan was modest again, leading the girls to look at the toilet soap. Just then, some commoners came in to buy the cheapest soap, priced at ten wen per piece. Seeing a group of noble ladies here, they hesitated to approach, so she kindly asked the clerk to find what they wanted, and upon hearing that they wanted the cheapest soap, she asked the clerk to send it to them.
The noble ladies couldn’t help but be surprised, “What do these people do? They don’t seem very well-off, yet they can afford such expensive soap!”
Before Jiang Shanshan could answer, her maid Mu Di hurriedly explained, “This kind of soap isn’t expensive, it’s only ten wen per piece, mainly used for washing clothes and bedding, but of course, it can also be used for bathing and washing hair, very clean and convenient.”
The noble ladies couldn’t help but express their surprise again, “Why is it so cheap?”
Mu Di explained hurriedly, “Our young lady said that the common people are suffering, and since she was lucky enough to produce this thing, she didn’t dare to monopolize the benefits. It’s considered a good deed. She also complained, “Ladies, please advise our young lady. This is selling at cost! Others open shops to make money, but she’s the only one who’s selling at cost. Where does she get so much money to subsidize it? Even if they benefit, they might not know her kindness.”
“Stop talking!” Jiang Shanshan reprimanded Mu Di with a stern face, then said calmly, “Don’t listen to her nonsense. There’s no need to subsidize anything. I’ll just put some of the money earned from the other soap into it, it’s just a little less profit, not a loss.”
The people couldn’t help but praise her for her integrity and her concern for the people. Jiang Shanshan, however, didn’t buy into it, saying seriously, “The one who cares about the people is the Emperor. It has nothing to do with me, a mere woman. It’s just something I stumbled upon by chance, and I dare not keep it to myself. I brought it out to share with everyone and have some fun.”
The people continued to chatter, and Jiang Shanshan looked out at the street outside. The carriage from the Palace of Ying Wang had long since disappeared. Thinking of the two hands clasped together by Yuwen Chu and Mingzhu, she smirked ironically. If they don’t want the design of the bed crossbow, how will they react when they see the actual thing? And this glass and soap, simple to make and good for business, it’s simply a money tree. It can be used to make bed crossbows and earn substantial assets, and it can also bring her more good reputation. Yuwen Chu, can you endure it or not?
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