Chapter 97 This is Professionalism

"I'm naturally third in line."

Why am I ranked third...? As you all know, my maternal family is the maternal family of the late Empress Dowager!

My maternal grandfather still holds the reins of the Imperial Guard. Even if I marry someone in the future, it won't be up to me to decide, right?

And the last one is Ye Mingmin from Nanqing Academy.

You know Nanqing Academy, right? It's the top girls' academy in Chongqing, founded by the wife of former Prime Minister Ye, who was also a young lady from the Shangguan family.

Which young lady from a noble family in the capital wouldn't consider it an honor to enter the Nanqing Academy for further studies?

Ye Mingmin is the granddaughter of the current headmaster of Nanqing Academy, and she is exceptionally talented.

Xiao Ruanruan, myself, Lord Ye Yunshu, and the Crown Princess all studied at Nanqing Academy.

Princess Shou Kang from the palace also studied there for two years.

Ye Mingmin once said that she could marry someone, but he had to be more talented than her. If he was not even as good as her, it would be a disgrace to the Ye family.

Therefore, Ye Mingmin is both difficult to marry! Princess Yongxin continued.

Lian Qiao nodded repeatedly.

That's great; it's something most people can't afford.

Song Zhimian, however, had figured something out.

Of these four, Xiao Ruanruan comes from a wealthy family, Ye Yunshu holds power, Princess Yongxin's family has military power, Ye Mingmin comes from a family of scholars, and the Shangguan family of the Censorate also stands behind her.

These women's marriages weren't ordinary marriages; they were marriages of choosing sides!

That's why it's both hard to find a husband and hard to marry!

But in reality, these families already had their own ideas. Now that all the princes in the court have come of age and the crown prince is in poor health, they have to be careful.

Now... it's best not to get married!

Just like Princess Yongxin, the outside world says she is deeply in love with Xiao Huaijin, but in reality...

Anyway, Song Zhimian realized that the two of them were just using each other as scapegoats.

"Alright, don't overthink it. Anyway, you'll be here recovering for the next couple of days, so you'll have plenty of time to think about these things."

I will bring Xiao Ruanruan tomorrow.

As for the things you mentioned that you want to sell, we'll talk about that when Xiao Ruanruan arrives.

She also owns a pawnshop, and she knows better than anyone how much silver your things can fetch.

I'm leaving now! You should get some rest today.

If Xiao Ruanruan comes tomorrow, she'll probably stay here all day. Please prepare some tea and snacks.

As she spoke, Princess Yongxin picked up another piece of pastry, popped it into her mouth, and then picked up her small leather whip and left.

...

The next day, just after Song Zhimian finished breakfast and applied medicine to her back, Princess Yongxin arrived with Xiao Ruanruan.

Song Zhimian looked at the woman in front of her.

Bright eyes and white teeth, her beauty surpasses even the snow.

She wore a yellow dress, her hair was styled in a high bun, and there were two almost lifelike golden butterflies on the left and right sides of her hair. In the middle of her bun was a golden pearl flower.

The center of the pearl flower is a large, full golden pearl.

Furthermore, a pair of gold bead earrings hung on her ears...

Her eyes were large and round, and her thick eyelashes fluttered like two small fans...

"Greetings, Young Master Xiao!" Song Zhimian bowed.

Xiao Ruanruan glanced at Song Zhimian and quickly returned the gesture with a bow.

“You are now a fifth-rank master of ceremonies, which is higher than my sixth-rank junior official position.”

"I should be the one bowing to you first," Xiao Ruanruan said with a smile.

This made Song Zhimian feel even more certain that Xiao Ruanruan's name was not a mistake.

She has a delicate and soft appearance, and her voice is also soft and gentle...

However, what she said next made Song Zhimin immediately retract her initial judgment.

This Xiao Ruanruan is anything but soft when it comes to doing things...

...

"Princess Yongxin said you want to open a shop, right?" Xiao Ruanruan asked, holding a cup of tea in one hand and a business card in the other.

"Yes! I want to be more flexible with my money so that I won't be short of funds when I need it," Song Zhimian said hurriedly.

"Princess Yongxin said that you want to open a shop selling rouge and face powder?" Xiao Ruanruan continued to ask.

"It's not just about rouge and face powder."

The main goal is to sell ointments that can make women's skin more delicate and fair.

There are also scar removal creams.

"She can do it! She has a family recipe passed down through generations, so the results are guaranteed." Song Zhimian quickly tugged at Lian Qiao.

Xiao Ruanruan thought for a moment and immediately gave her judgment.

"I see! So that means your target audience must be people from well-off families."

After all, most families only need enough to eat and wear.

I don't really care what's on my face, or whether my skin is fair or not.

It is the ladies and young women of noble families or wealthy households who care more about these things.

That means the price has to be set high so that it can sell better!

Song Zhimian...

Holy crap! It's exactly what I expected!

This young envoy Xiao is indeed skilled in business; he identified his target customer group right from the start!

See? That's what professionalism is!

"Since the goal is to sell to wealthy people, the location of the shop cannot be bad, and the space cannot be small."

Everything inside should be of good quality.

"If you calculate it like that, the money for opening the shop is quite a lot!" Xiao Ruanruan smiled.

Song Zhimian nodded.

“Princess Yongxin and I will pay for this money, and the Forsythia Formula will be our investment!”

Xiao Ruanruan smiled and nodded.

"Okay! I understand. So... what can you do? What do you need me to do?"

Song Zhimian, Princess Yongxin, and Lian Qiao looked at each other and shook their heads.

“I’m in the palace, I can’t get out!” Song Zhimian said.

“Me too, but I can give you the recipe!” Lian Qiao quickly said.

Princess Yongxin glanced at Song Zhimian and Lian Qiao, then at Xiao Ruanruan.

"You know me, I never care about these things, I just pay the money and then get the paycheck at the end of the year..."

"I wasn't counting on you either!" Xiao Ruanruan interrupted Princess Yongxin with a grin.

The three of them chuckled.

They... don't seem to be able to do anything!

"That means you only have an idea, a prescription, and some money right now."

"So you want to open a shop that makes money, right?" Xiao Ruanruan still smiled.

The three nodded vigorously.

"Or to put it another way! I need to find you shops, set up your shops, and find you shop assistants and managers."

"So, I'll help you sell what you have at a good price, won't I?" Xiao Ruanruan continued with a smile.

All three of them were a little embarrassed this time.

"It's alright! I can help you with everything. Anyway, I won't be going to the Merchant Guild for the next month, so I might as well open a shop with you to pass the time."

"However, I'm a bit pricey, are you sure you want to treat me?" Xiao Ruanruan raised an eyebrow at Song Zhimin.

"No matter the price, please! Young Master Xiao is worth it!" Song Zhimian immediately made her stance clear.

“Yes!” Lian Qiao quickly added.

“That’s right!” Princess Yongxin nodded quickly as well.

Xiao Ruanruan felt secretly delighted.

See, it's still better to be with girls, saying nice things and doing things we like.

What's the point of having a man? Isn't it good as it is?