"Princess, I'll wrap it up for you right away."
If Wang Kai hadn't mentioned Li Youran's name earlier, the shopkeeper wouldn't have known who Li Youran was.
Seeing that Li Youran was no ordinary person, he dared not be negligent in the slightest. He first wrapped up the century-old ginseng, and then hurriedly took out several of the store's prized possessions.
Li Youran was very satisfied and bought a lot of tonics with a wave of his hand. In the end, he left with a warm farewell from the shopkeeper.
"His Highness the Crown Prince appears harmless on the surface, but he is the one who holds the deepest grudge among us brothers. My third brother has already been won over by the Crown Prince, so I'm sure I'll be the next target."
It was rare for the Fourth Prince to have such a heart-to-heart talk with Hu Qinqin. Hu Qinqin's heart tightened upon hearing the Third Prince's words.
If His Highness the Fourth Prince were to meet with misfortune, she, as His Highness the Fourth Prince's consort, would naturally not have a good ending either. Therefore, Hu Qin looked at His Highness the Fourth Prince nervously and asked cautiously.
"Even with Father's help, we still can't protect ourselves?"
The prime minister originally sought refuge with the fourth prince because the third prince was utterly incompetent.
However, the fact that His Highness the Third Prince has now been stripped of his royal status and demoted to a commoner has created a considerable crisis for the Prime Minister.
Fortunately, he changed his mind quickly and did not continue to serve the Third Prince. Otherwise, he would have been stripped of his official position and demoted to a commoner, just like the other officials under the Third Prince.
Through this incident, the Prime Minister finally understood that the Crown Prince was not someone to be trifled with. Despite his unassuming demeanor, he could always deliver a fatal blow at the last moment. The Crown Prince likely played a significant role in the Third Prince's demotion to commoner status.
The prime minister originally only followed the fourth prince symbolically, after all, he always needed to find a patron, but now the only one he could choose was the fourth prince.
Therefore, ever since the Third Prince's incident, the Prime Minister has sincerely handed over all his connections to the Fourth Prince, forming a united front with him.
"Although I have connections, it's not easy to mobilize them and develop relationships; all of these things require money."
The Fourth Prince's words were pointed. The reason he said these things to the Fourth Princess was simply to hope that Hu Qin could earn more money, since Hu Qin really had a talent for making money.
Despite her constant battles with Li Youran, Hu Qinqin's income remained unaffected.
Although Li Youran's influence had somewhat dampened business at the beverage shop, she had simultaneously and quietly opened a hot pot restaurant. Furthermore, she had also opened numerous beverage shops outside of Beijing.
Therefore, although Hu Qinqin was outwardly overshadowed by Li Youran, she actually made a lot of money in beverage shops outside the capital.
"Your Highness, please rest assured, the beverage shop has been doing well these days. I will transfer all the profits to your name as soon as possible, and use them all to recruit soldiers and strengthen our forces."
Although Hu Qinqin was strong-willed and arrogant, she was ultimately influenced by the Prime Minister's wife and adhered to the principle of putting her husband first. Since the Fourth Prince had asked, she would grant his request.
"It's almost autumn, and I don't know how much longer the beverage shop business can continue. I'm planning to add some hot drinks, but I don't know how to do it. If it works, I can make a steady profit; if not, I'm afraid I'll have to wait until next summer to continue."
Hu Qinqin was unsure whether she could do well going forward, since she had opened the beverage shop entirely by imitating Li Youran.
But the beverage shop is about to face a turning point, and she is not confident that she can do it well.
"Although the hot pot restaurant is doing well, it is also on a downward trend. The hot pot base can never taste the same as Li Youran's hot pot restaurant. It seems to be missing something, and there are very few repeat customers."
The Fourth Prince was initially very pleased that Hu Qinqin was willing to hand over all of her subordinates' profits to him, thus solving his immediate crisis. However, upon hearing Hu Qinqin's words, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
Indeed, while good management is important for a successful business, the most crucial factor is that the food tastes delicious.
"Since we can't do it ourselves, we might as well keep imitating."
Although the Fourth Prince phrased it euphemistically, he meant for Hu Qinqin to steal Li Youran's recipe.
Hu Qinqin had considered this before, but lacked the ability to do so. Now that the Fourth Prince also thinks so, things are different.
"Madam, please have pity on me. I have no parents. If you don't take me in, I will really have no choice but to go to that brothel."
A ragged, thin girl knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to Lady White Snake.
Lady White Snake felt a pang of sympathy as she looked at the girl kneeling before her. She herself had faced a similar situation back then, forced to work in a brothel because her parents couldn't make a living.
Seeing the little girl in front of her, Bai Suzhen seemed to see herself in her younger days.
"In that case, you can stay and assist me."
Lady White sighed helplessly. Although she had enough servants in the mansion, she still felt sorry for the little girl, so she kept her to work in the kitchen with her.
Not only is Lady Bai skillful, but she is also very dexterous. She can always complete the tasks that Li Youran assigns to her quickly and well. Therefore, Lady Bai is now not only busy with kitchen matters, but also taking care of the drinks needed for the beverage shop.
Since being taken in by Lady White Snake, the little girl has been working by her side. Although she looks small and thin, she is very strong and hardworking, which pleases Lady White Snake.
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