As soon as the door curtain fell, Su Jinli feigned anger and kicked the bed, the tip of her boot brushing against the corner of Jiang Yan's quilt: "You are so good, Jiang Yan, you even fooled the old fox in the Imperial Hospital."
Jiang Yan sat up with a jerk, the quilt slipping off his body, revealing the neatly-knit undergarment beneath. He grasped Su Jinli's wrist and gently pulled her toward him, nuzzling the pearls in her hair. With a hint of cunning and fondness, he said, "I had no choice but to do this to prevent you from entering the palace and becoming a tutor." He paused, his fingertips gently caressing the jade bracelet on her wrist, his expression growing a little worried. "If the Queen Mother blames me..."
Before he could finish his words, the servants' cries of surprise echoed from the front yard, mingled with the angry voices of women. Young Marquis Su scrambled into the accounting office, his toy sword dropping to the ground with a dull thud. Panicked, he shouted, "Sister! Princess Shou'an is making a scene at the door, saying...she wants to settle accounts with you for feigning illness!"
The snow outside the window had quietly stopped falling. A ray of sunlight, like a sharp sword, pierced through the thick clouds, illuminating the abacus that Jiang Yan hadn't had time to put away. The light reflected from the beads was so dazzling that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes. Su Jinli looked at Jiang Yan's profile, which had instantly stiffened, and groaned inwardly. She suddenly felt that this carefully planned feigned illness was about to turn into a farce that would be known to the whole city.
Su Jinli took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She looked at Jiang Yan, then at the equally panicked Young Marquis Su, and said, "Why are you panicking? Now that things have come to this, we have to find a way to deal with it. Young Marquis, go and calm Princess Shou'an down first. Tell her that your brother Jiang Yan and I will be here soon."
Young Marquis Su nodded quickly, turned around, picked up the toy sword on the ground, and hurried out. Su Jinli turned around, looked at Jiang Yan, and said, "Jiang Yan, how do you think Princess Shou'an knew that we were faking illness?"
Jiang Yan frowned, and after a moment's contemplation, he said, "Madam, I suspect someone may have leaked the news. There have been so many visitors these past few days, and it's inevitable that some of them have ulterior motives."
Su Jinli bit her lip and said, "No matter what, we have to face Princess Shou'an now. You should quickly think of a way to explain this to her."
Jiang Yan stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "Don't worry, Madam. I will explain the situation to Princess Shou'an truthfully. Although she may be a bit willful, she has a kind heart and may understand our difficulties."
After the two men had discussed their plans, they headed for the front yard. A large crowd had already gathered. Princess Shou'an stood in the middle of the yard, her hands on her hips, a look of rage on her face. She was dressed in a gorgeous palace dress, and the pearls and jade on her head swayed with her movements, making crisp sounds.
"Su Jinli! Jiang Yan! You are so bold that you actually pretend to be sick and deceive the Queen Mother!" Princess Shou'an immediately scolded loudly when she saw Su Jinli and Jiang Yan coming out.
Su Jinli and Jiang Yan hurried forward and saluted Princess Shou'an. Su Jinli said, "Princess, please calm down. We have our reasons for doing this. The Queen Mother ordered me to enter the palace to be your tutor, but Jinyun Bookstore is opening a Jiangnan branch next month, so I'm really unable to spare the time. Jiang Yan had to feign illness to help me avoid this."
Princess Shou'an frowned, looked at them, and said, "How dare you deceive the Queen Mother just for such a small matter? Do you know that this is a crime of deceiving the emperor?"
Jiang Yan hurriedly said, "Princess, we know this is inappropriate, but there is really no other way. We are willing to accept any punishment from you, and we only ask that you speak a few good words for us in front of the Queen Mother, so that she will forgive us this time."
Princess Shou'an watched their anxious expressions, and her anger gradually subsided. She snorted and said, "Since you're honest, I can help you plead with the Queen Mother. But you have to agree to one condition."
Su Jinli and Jiang Yan exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Princess, please explain."
Princess Shou'an raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a sly smile, and said, "I want you to send me a copy of all the new books published by Jinyun Bookstore, and in the future, any new books you have must be sent to my palace as soon as possible."
Su Jinli and Jiang Yan were overjoyed when they heard this and quickly said, "Don't worry, Princess. We will definitely do as you say."
Princess Shou'an nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very well, I will go back to the palace and tell the Queen Mother. But please don't try any more tricks, or I won't forgive you."
After saying this, Princess Shou'an left with the palace maids. Su Jinli and Jiang Yan watched her leave, and the stone in their hearts finally fell to the ground.
After this incident, Su Jinli and Jiang Yan became even more cautious. They understood that in the capital, every word and action could have unexpected consequences. To prevent similar incidents from happening again, they decided to strengthen the management of the bookstore and pay more attention to their own words and actions.
As the days passed, preparations for Jinyun Bookstore's Jiangnan branch continued with intensive but orderly progress. Su Jinli and Jiang Yan threw themselves into the project, meticulously selecting books, setting up the shop, and training the staff. They hoped that the Jiangnan branch, like the main branch in Beijing, would become a vital venue for local cultural exchange.
Throughout this process, Su Qingyao was also busy. Leveraging her exquisite skills in making incense and blending rouge, she designed a series of culturally distinctive peripheral products for the bookstore, including sachets printed with the bookstore's logo and rouge themed after characters from the books. These products not only added a unique charm to the bookstore but also attracted more customers.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
