"My sister was about four years old when she went missing. I don't know when she went missing, but I have some vivid memories of her."
"I vaguely remember eating roasted sweet potatoes in a dilapidated temple."
Li Youran did not answer the Second Prince's wife's first question, but directly described the scene from the depths of her memory.
"It seemed like it was drizzling that day."
The Second Prince's wife could no longer sit still. She got up from the chaise lounge, walked to Li Youran, squatted down, and looked up at Li Youran's small, palm-sized face.
Shangguan Wenwan looks like her father, while Li Youran looks like her mother.
In Shangguan Wenwan's memory, her mother's appearance had become blurry, but looking closely at Li Youran's face, Shangguan Wenwan once again remembered what her mother looked like when she was young.
Especially her eyes, they were practically identical to her mother's.
"Little sister, I am your long-lost sister. I have been searching for you for so long."
After Shangguan Wenwan finished speaking, she buried her head in Li Youran's knees and cried bitterly, forgetting all about being a princess consort.
Yun Yingying, standing to the side, felt somewhat awkward, as this was a family matter. She didn't know whether to leave or stay.
Just as Yun Yingying was at a loss for what to do, the Second Prince's Consort wiped away her tears and looked at Li Youran with a smile.
"Does my sister remember that her surname is Shangguan?"
"I will always keep it in mind."
Li Youran couldn't help but cry, but Shangguan Wenwan gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
"It's good that you remember, it's good that you remember."
"Your Highness, it's getting late."
Just as the Second Prince's Consort wanted to have a long talk with Li Youran all night, a maid came to her and whispered a suggestion.
"You Ran, I still have some important matters to attend to today. We sisters have a long future ahead of us, so why don't you come to the manor first thing tomorrow morning?"
The Second Prince's Consort looked at Li Youran with expectant eyes, and Li Youran nodded as if possessed.
On the way back, Li Youran sat in the carriage without saying a word. Suddenly, she pinched Yun Yingying's thigh tightly.
"Li Youran, why are you pinching me? Even if you are the Second Prince's sister, you can't bully people!"
Yun Yingying immediately lost her temper, but then she remembered that Li Youran was the younger sister of the Second Prince's wife, so her momentum softened, and she looked like a wronged little wife.
"Looks like it's not a dream."
Li Youran stared blankly at Yun Yingying.
"You should pinch yourself! Seriously, who did I offend?!"
Yun Yingying snorted, then looked at Li Youran with great interest and continued.
"I didn't know you had this other identity. This will make our business even easier in the future."
Although the Yun family is large and powerful, with its own roots in the capital, it hasn't produced any influential officials in recent years. Therefore, they've been engaged in businesses that don't qualify for official recognition. If they had a powerful patron, they might even be able to become emperors themselves. Yun Yingying set her sights on Li Youran. Now that she has a connection with Li Youran, the Second Prince will likely pay more attention to the Yun family, and perhaps they can even become imperial merchants.
"What are you thinking? Don't forget there are other princes. Besides, the Ministry of Justice, which His Highness the Second Prince currently manages, doesn't actually handle this kind of matter at all."
After Yun Yingying expressed her thoughts, Li Youran poured cold water on her ideas.
However, Yun Yingying's words gave Li Youran a lot of inspiration, leading her to become a royal merchant...
She had planned to do this before, but after learning that becoming a royal merchant was not so simple, she postponed it.
Now, this idea has rekindled in Li Youran's mind.
"I do have a new idea that might be worth a try."
Upon hearing Li Youran's words, Yun Yingying readily leaned closer.
"Will this work? I'm afraid the other managers in the Yun family won't agree."
"We can try it ourselves first, and if it works..."
Li Youran understood Yun Yingying's concerns. After all, there were many people in charge of the Yun family, and it wasn't enough for Yun Yingying to make a decision on her own.
"Alright, but we need to hurry. The national selection of imperial merchants is in a month, so we can't miss it."
Yun Yingying hesitated, thinking that if Li Youran could really succeed in the experiment, he might actually be able to secure the lucrative job of supplying goods to the royal family.
You must know that the emperor was incompetent and tyrannical, and there were so many beautiful women in the harem that they were almost overflowing. The daily consumption of cosmetics was astonishing.
That's not the point. The point is that these women were willing to spend money to win the old emperor's favor!
The next morning, before Li Youran had even gotten out of bed, Xiao Hong rushed over in a panic.
"Miss, wake up quickly."
Li Youran rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at Xiao Hong with a puzzled expression.
"What happened? Did the sky fall or was there an earthquake...?"
As Li Youran spoke, she pulled the blanket over her head, turned over, and went back to sleep.
"No, that's not it. Several young ladies have suddenly arrived at our residence, and they all seem to be of extraordinary status!"
Li Youran suddenly came to her senses, her brows furrowing slightly. She thought to herself, "This is like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken; it's up to no good."
Although she had only attended three such occasions, Li Youran had already seen through them. Few of these young masters and ladies were easy to deal with; they were either prickly or trying to get close to her.
"Treat them well with good food and drinks, and tell them I'll be there soon."
Li Youran had no choice but to climb out of bed with her hair all messy.
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