Miss Chen's face turned pale and ashen; she wished she could turn back time and sew her cousin's mouth shut.

But now that things have already happened, it's too late for her to regret it.

The last time she went home, her father had already given her a severe scolding and confined her to her home for a long time.

If it weren't for the selection of imperial concubines, she wouldn't have had the chance to step out of her house at all!

“Princess Kangle, it is indeed wrong of us to gossip behind people's backs. But your servant is far too unruly, coming up here to curse people. Is this the upbringing of your Li family?!”

"Or has the Li family become so arrogant that even a servant girl is more noble than me, a daughter of an official?"

It must be said that Ms. Chen has indeed improved; she actually managed to gain some ground when she spoke.

Just as Jiayin was about to retort, Wan'er stood beside her.

“Miss Chen, if we’re talking about status, my sister is a princess with a title and fiefdom. Isn’t she much more noble than you? Yet you still casually hurl insults at her.”

"When it comes to being ill-mannered, the Chen family probably doesn't have much manners either!"

"After all, it's understandable that our servants are ill-mannered, but it's ridiculous that the daughter of a vice minister is ill-mannered. The Chen family has money to buy jewelry for their daughter, surely they have money to hire a governess?"

"And just now, Miss Chen kept saying that you were going to be the Crown Princess! If I remember correctly, the selection of consorts hasn't even started yet, right? Could it be that your Chen family has manipulated the Emperor and the Crown Prince and decided on the outcome in advance?"

Controlling the royal family?

"No, I didn't say that!" Miss Chen's lips trembled with fear. Even if she was stupid, she knew that she couldn't bear this crime, otherwise, not only her, but the Chen family's future would be ruined.

Wan'er didn't care what she did, and her laughter became even more mocking.

"Miss Chen should go to the clinic for a checkup. She's a grown woman, yet she can't even remember what she said. Her illness must be quite serious."

"You should know that the basic requirement for being selected as a concubine is good health. Miss Chen, even if she enters the palace, she will be guilty of deceiving the emperor!"

Miss Chen stomped her feet in anger. This daughter-in-law of the Li family was even more ruthless than the princess. In the blink of an eye, she had already pinned two charges on her.

If she continued talking, she wouldn't know what to do next.

So, suppressing her anger and fear, she called out loudly to her cousin and the maids.

"Let's go, we won't bother with these barbarians!"

After saying that, she was the first to flee in panic.

Her cousin glared at Jiayin and the others unwillingly, then hurriedly ran off with the maids.

Jiayin hugged her sister-in-law's arm, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Sister-in-law, you're absolutely amazing! Your fighting power is off the charts!"

"Silly sister, what strange things are you saying again!" Wan'er didn't understand what "off the charts" meant, but she was still coaxed into laughing by her sister-in-law.

"When you were out there, I could only watch out. But now that you're right here in front of me, if I let you get bullied again, how could I face Grandma and Auntie in the future!"

Wan'er patted her sister's hand, turned around to look at the embarrassed shopkeeper and waiter, and said with a smile, "Shopkeeper, I'm really sorry for causing you trouble."

"Alright, we've finished selecting. Now, please calculate the price for us. We won't haggle; consider it an apology for disrupting your business today."

"Oh dear, no, no!" The old shopkeeper quickly bowed and said, "Young Madam, you are too kind. It is all my fault for not entertaining you properly and for causing you and the Princess such a fright."

"In that case, I'll take the liberty of giving you a 10% discount as a token of my sincerity. I hope that the young mistress and the princess will continue to patronize my business in the future!"

In this way, both the buyer and seller valued harmony, and the matter was resolved smoothly.

Soon, Jiayin and her sister-in-law paid the bill, and Granny He and the others took their things and left the shop.

Those who had been hoping for a bigger spectacle were disappointed.

Shui Ling was worried that the ice cream in the box would melt, so she rushed ahead to Baiyunjian.

Jiayin, Wan'er, and the others also walked quickly, for no other reason than that the midday sun was too hot.

Shuiyun glanced at Granny He's cold face, wiped the sweat from her sister's brow, and thought that the gluttonous silly girl could only pray for good luck.

Although she had just stood up for her master, she had acted on her own initiative.

She'd probably get a scolding from Granny He when she got home...

Shui Ling was completely unaware of her mistake. She rushed into the backyard of Baiyunjian and shouted, "It's so hot! It's so hot! Miss and the eldest young mistress are here. Manager Peng, hurry up and prepare the room!"

Shopkeeper Peng was already overweight, and the summer heat made things even more difficult, especially since business at his shop was booming.

He was covered in sweat, and when he heard his master was coming, he quickly told the waiter to tidy up the guest room in the backyard, bring out plenty of ice basins, and prepare ice cream and snacks again.

As soon as Jiayin, Wan'er, and the others entered the room, they were greeted by a blast of cold air, and they all breathed a long sigh of relief.

Wan'er wiped her forehead with a handkerchief, frowned and sighed, "Sister, it seems...it won't rain this year. Does this mean we'll have a complete crop failure?"

Jiayin was also feeling anxious and replied, "I don't know either. If it continues to be dry, that's fine, but I'm afraid it will start raining again after summer and cause floods. That would be a real disaster."

Shopkeeper Peng stepped forward with a smile, holding a teapot filled with plum juice. He poured two cups himself and advised, "Young Madam, Princess, we mortals can't control what God does. We can only see what His mood is like."

"You should try our newly launched chilled plum juice. It's selling like hotcakes and we can't keep up with the demand."

Jiayin and Wan'er picked up their glasses, took a bite, and couldn't help but praise them.

Wan'er replied, "It's really good, sweet and sour, refreshing, and most importantly, it helps to cool you down in the summer."

Jiayin asked about the price and nodded, "Good quality at a low price."

After saying that, she remembered something and added, "The daily wholesale distribution of popsicles must not be interrupted, no matter how busy we are. Firstly, it will give the relief agency staff a livelihood, and secondly, it will help the people of the city cool off in the heat."

"Princess, rest assured, everyone is working overtime tonight to make more popsicles. Actually, popsicles don't make much money, but we just hope that our poor folks can cool off a bit. After all, not everyone has the money to come to our shop to buy ice cream and fruit drinks."

Manager Peng is a conscientious person. Since his master is generous, he is naturally willing to put in more effort.

Jiayin smiled upon hearing this and instructed, "That's good. If there aren't enough people, hire a few more so everyone can get some rest. However, you must thoroughly investigate any new hires before they join."

“We’re in the food business. If someone has malicious intent and tries to sabotage us, our reputation will be ruined.”

"Yes, Your Highness, don't worry. I've been thinking about this too, and I'm being extra careful." Manager Peng's expression became a little smug as he replied, "Originally, even if Your Highness hadn't come, I would have gone to see her and ask for her permission."

"If there are any suitable young men or women in Broken Gold Beach, it would be best to send five of them to learn a trade."

"If not, I plan to have the shop assistants go home and ask their younger siblings or nephews for help. That way, they'll know the business inside and out, which is much more reassuring than strangers."

"Good idea," Jiayin praised, and replied, "Then I'll go back and ask the village chief today, and have someone come and reply to you tomorrow."

"Yes, Princess."

After exchanging a few more words, Manager Peng left.

Jiayin, Wan'er, and the others ate and drank to cool off and rest, then continued to stroll around the various shops.

Meanwhile, in the palace, His Highness the Crown Prince was enjoying the flowers and cool off in the Imperial Garden. Eunuch Feng was waiting at the garden gate, eagerly awaiting the return of the young eunuch who had gone out to buy things. He muttered under his breath, "You brat, why are you only coming back now? His master must be thirsty."

Two updates today!