Chapter 259 Opening a Shop
The Empress Dowager didn't care, pointing at her and laughing heartily as she scolded:
"You dare to do it but not admit it, Chang Le! Don't listen to your mother. Go ahead and look! You won't feel comfortable marrying someone you haven't seen with your own eyes!"
Qi Yuxuan pursed her lips and covered her smile with a handkerchief, without actually responding.
The Empress Dowager and the eldest princess had a good relationship, and she extended that affection to the princess as well. This was not because the Empress Dowager valued her, so she was naturally not foolish enough to take it seriously.
While the group was talking, the women's polo field was also ready. Zheng Yanling and Chu Jiao led the way, splitting into two teams and entering the field.
Qi Yuxuan saw Zheng Yanling still dressed in red, riding her horse as swiftly as the wind, and knew how carefree she was.
The polo mallet swung wildly, the ball was struck again and again, until—
Chu Jiao somehow managed to swing the polo ball from the girls' polo field onto the boys' field!
Chu Jiao's face was filled with anxiety. She spurred her horse and galloped a few steps to the boundary line between the two polo fields, then called out in a clear voice:
"Your Highness! Your Highness, could you please help me hit that polo ball over here?"
Qi Yuxuan's gaze followed her movements, and she saw that their polo ball had landed near the prince, within striking distance of him, where a swing of the mallet would easily send it back.
Just when everyone thought the Crown Prince would very gracefully help with this small favor, he swung his club and knocked the ball off Chu Heng's horse.
Then Chu Heng returned the ball to his younger sister.
Well, it seems the Crown Prince isn't so chivalrous after all. The crowd gave up their heckling and focused on watching the polo match.
The young men on the polo field were as agile as eagles and as fierce as wolves, but they couldn't withstand the Crown Prince's brave and fearless short-range charges. He forced back four or five opponents who were attacking him. With a powerful swing of his long pole, Zhang Xian and Chu Heng tried to intercept him, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get the wooden ball to their side. In the end, they could only hold their breath and watch the ball pass through the goal with lightness and agility.
"good!!!"
The cheer actually came from the girl next door.
It's Chu Jiao again.
Qi Yuxuan looked over curiously.
Having been so proactive and bold in front of everyone twice in a row, isn't she worried about the damage to her reputation? And if she fails to achieve her goal in the end, will she be attacked by the world?
But Chu Jiao's face only showed fervent and sincere admiration, as if the man she was cheering for was the only one in the world, and the best one.
Qi Yuxuan immediately realized that she was wrong.
In her previous life, Chu Jiao did not enter the palace for fame and fortune. Perhaps it was because the Crown Prince had passed away and her heart was dead that she was willing to enter the palace for the sake of her family and forge a future.
Chu Jiao probably truly loves the Crown Prince, regardless of her future prospects or reputation.
As an observer, Qi Yuxuan genuinely approved of the marriage.
For some reason, the thought of the future Crown Prince having a Crown Princess and other beautiful women by his side, whether they were women he genuinely loved or women he married after weighing the pros and cons, made her feel that the image of the Crown Prince she had of him as a perfect and refined man had changed somewhat.
She couldn't explain exactly how things had changed.
Amidst the cheers and whispers of laughter and mockery, no one noticed that Qi Yuxuan had fallen into deep thought.
Apart from Qi Jun on the field.
When the wooden ball was hit into the goal from a distance, his first reaction was not to look at who was cheering for him, but to pull on the reins and turn to look at the spectators on the high platform.
But the girl he longed for only lowered her eyes and didn't even glance at him. He didn't know if she had seen him at all.
The slight smile that was about to appear on Qi Jun's lips immediately vanished, and he returned to his calm and dignified demeanor as the crown prince.
Chu Heng was also very excited. As his opponent, he had to admit that the shot was truly beautiful. He was close to the Crown Prince, so he spurred his horse and took a few steps to sincerely congratulate him:
"Your Highness, that was a brilliant shot! We are truly impressed!"
Qi Jun gave a casual "hmm," patted off non-existent dust from his clothes, and seemed uninterested.
The match continued, and Prince Team 1 ultimately won the game with an overwhelming advantage.
Whether they were young military officers or members of the imperial clan, they were all sincerely convinced this time, and one by one they stepped forward to speak with the Crown Prince.
Young men's support is so straightforward and passionate: whoever is the strongest and has the biggest fist is the boss.
Qi Yuxuan was genuinely happy to see the Crown Prince mingling happily with the military officers from the stands.
But before they could enjoy their happiness for long, a strange fragrance suddenly wafted into their noses.
It was a noble lady who, after relieving herself, casually touched up her face with perfumed powder and rouge, and it was even something from Xiangqifang.
A shadow fell over Qi Yuxuan's heart again. Yes, there was still no clue about this matter, so she had not yet told the Crown Prince.
The powder was locked in someone's backyard, and she couldn't explain how she got it. Since she hadn't found out where the powder came from, she had no legitimate reason to do so. Even if she told the Emperor and the Crown Prince and mobilized the Qilin Guard, she would probably only alert them and get nothing in return.
So now she can only wait.
After drinking a cup of tea, she remembered something Zhao Mei had told her the day before.
In the capital, face powder and rouge have always sold well, and Xiangqifang is a dark horse that has taken away the business of many old shops, including the Zhao family business.
Zhao Mei studied and pondered for a long time and found that the quality of Xiangqifang's products was not very good, but they were sold at such high prices, which was really inexplicable. So she got the idea to lead people to study rouge and face powder on her own, and only recently did she achieve some results.
Instead of selling it at the Zhao family's business, she went to Qi Yuxuan.
“Princess, these things are the result of my long and painstaking research. They are much better than the things from Xiangqifang. Take a look.”
On the low table of the daybed, dozens of small white porcelain bottles and jars were neatly arranged from left to right, each with its name and color thoughtfully written on a slip of paper, making them easy to distinguish.
Qi Yuxuan tried several different kinds of spices and herbs, and then let Pei Xing'er smell and examine them to confirm that the spices and herbs used were normal, and most of them were very precious and harmless to the human body. Only then did she hear Zhao Mei tell her grand plan.
"Since Xiangqifang was able to suddenly appear out of nowhere, why can't we try making our own things? People like novelty, and Xiangqifang is a perfect example..."
Before Zhao Mei could finish speaking, Qi Yuxuan interrupted her with a frown: "Us?"
“Yes…” Zhao Mei raised her hand and waved it across a patch of rouge and powder: “Princess, don’t you think these things sell very well?”
"We can't let Xiangqifang be the only one making all the money!"
Zhao Mei spoke without thinking, but Qi Yuxuan took it to heart.
We haven't found a breakthrough yet, but this plan might be worth a try.
She hesitated and did not give a definite answer, but seeing that the girls at the palace banquet had started using Xiangqifang's products, she was afraid that if she waited any longer, something bad might really happen.
If the shop she and Zhao Mei jointly opened were even better and cheaper, people would not only flock there in droves, but many would come out of curiosity. Naturally, Xiangqifang would see fewer customers, and the harmful things would have no place to be used.
Moreover, if the person behind the scenes is pushed to the limit and deliberately reveals their true colors, that would be exactly what Qi Yuxuan wants.
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