Chapter 6 A Little Bit of Beauty
Wang Si scratched his head: "But Miss Shang asked me to ask this."
Shang Yuji: "I told you to ask, but I didn't say I would definitely answer."
Upon hearing this, Wang Si agreed, saying, "That's true."
Moreover, having spoken out, even without a reply, had greatly diminished his intense curiosity.
Jiang Xi didn't get an answer, but that wasn't important. What was important was that no one else knew the answer either.
Ah-Ji treated everyone equally; there was never a situation where he treated others better than he treated himself.
She is so kind. She met so many people who were smarter and more capable than him, but she didn't look down on him for being stupid and abandon him.
He needs to be more obedient so that Ah Ji will be happier, and if Ah Ji is happy, he will be happy.
While the veil concealed Jiang Xiqu's face, it also hid his serious expression as he made up his mind, leading Jiang Xiqu to repeatedly choose to approach her without Shang Yuji's knowledge.
.
The Mingyue Teahouse, which is closest to the city gate of the capital, has a good view on the second floor. Guests can choose to sit by the window and watch the flow of people coming and going through the city gate.
Now, a handsome man sits on the windowsill, one long leg resting on the windowsill and the other dangling inside the room. He is dressed in a black outfit, with a silver belt that accentuates his powerful waist. His dark eyes are fixed on the endless stream of people entering and leaving the city gate.
If Shang Yuji were here, she would definitely recognize this person as the strange black-robed man she saw when she climbed through the dog hole to buy meat fritters, asking everyone whether the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice was good or bad.
She said at the time, "Good officials usually don't have much money, while bad officials wish their houses were inlaid with gold and jade. If you're really curious, why don't you go to their house and see for yourself?"
He responded and then disappeared. Because she had said a few more words, a long queue formed at the meat pie stall, and she had to wait in line, which made her late for returning to the Jiang residence.
"What has Young Master Lin discovered?"
The Second Prince, Zhou Ao, wore a magnificent crimson brocade robe embroidered with gold-threaded unicorn patterns, and a jade pendant with double beast patterns around his waist. He was incredibly glamorous, and everyone who saw him couldn't help but sigh at his wealth and glory.
Lin Mingshan withdrew his gaze and looked directly at the esteemed Second Prince of Da'an, the one most capable of becoming the Crown Prince and ascending to the supreme throne.
He spoke slowly, emphasizing each word: "No, yes."
Ignoring his disrespectful attitude, Zhou Ao had already learned about the personality of this young leader of the martial arts world before seeking cooperation with him.
"How are things going with the arrangements we made before?"
Lin Mingshan: "You lied to me. He's a good person. I won't kill a good person."
"..." Zhou Ao did not expect that things would take such a turn. His arrogance remained unchanged, and his tone carried a hint of superior authority, "Young hero, we have already agreed on this matter. It is not good to change your mind at the last minute."
Lin Mingshan paid no heed to his intimidating aura; in other words, he was completely unaware that the other party had lost patience, and earnestly explained:
“He’s a good official. You started by saying he was bad, and that’s why I agreed.”
To show the other party that he wasn't just making things up, he gave examples of his sources:
"The tofu lady said he was good, the candied hawthorn vendor said he was good, the innkeeper said he was good..."
"Stop!" Zhou Ao didn't want to hear any more of his examples, his eyes filled with anger. "Now that this matter has been settled, please keep your promise, young hero."
"I can return the money."
After saying that, he took out a tattered cloth bag from his clothes, and tossed several large-denomination silver notes into the air. The notes landed neatly on the tea table a few steps away, just like a long sword.
Seeing that he was determined, Zhou Ao no longer maintained his proper demeanor and threatened in a low voice, "Since Young Hero Lin refuses to listen to reason, then I have no choice but to let him stay."
Lin Mingshan had already heard twelve heavy breathing sounds coming from outside the second-floor door and down the corridor. Regardless of whether the other party was highly skilled in martial arts, they must be a tough guy with real strength.
"The old man said that we practice martial arts for the people and the country, not for our own selfish interests. If we do, we are bullying the weak and oppressing the vulnerable, and we are bad guys!"
Lin Mingshan remembered this sentence very well, so he said it much more fluently.
Without waiting for Zhou Ao's order to arrest him, he decisively jumped out of the wooden window, stepped on the roof tiles extending from the first floor, pushed off with all his might, and his black figure quickly swept past, disappearing in an instant among the rows of taverns.
Lin Mingshan firmly believed the old man's words, understanding that high-ranking officials and nobles preferred to beat up the young and then bring in the older ones, and vice versa.
He also learned to retreat when things went wrong. Only a fool would stand still and get beaten up; he's not a fool.
Zhou Ao never expected that he would dare to run away. That's how brainless a reckless man in the martial world is. If he were as sensible as those powerful and influential people in the capital, and would be respectful to him and not dare to say a word, he wouldn't be so angry.
Hearing the commotion, the private soldiers who had been hiding outside the door quickly pushed the door open and entered, but they still couldn't keep up with Lin Mingshan's escape speed.
The leader, with his eyes fixed on the heart, bowed his head and asked, "Your Highness, should we bring him back?"
Zhou Ao's face darkened, and he glanced at him: "No need, disturbing the grass will only alert the snake, you all step back."
"yes."
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Half a month later, at the Fulai Inn in Cangzhou.
Shang Yuji booked four rooms. She and Jiang Xi went with Old Chen to take the things from the carriage into the rooms to unpack.
Wang Si handed the carriage over to the innkeeper's waiter. Seeing that the waiter had handled the carriage quickly and efficiently, he felt relieved and went into the inn.
After half a month of traveling, Shang Yuji could usually tolerate the lack of conditions, but now that she was staying at an inn, she naturally had no intention of making herself suffer any longer.
She called over a waiter and asked him to boil some water for her and Jiang Xi to wash themselves. Then she said to Jiang Xi, "After we're done washing, let's go stroll around the night market."
“Okay.” He looked expectant and went into the room next to hers.
Shang Yuji pushed open the door and entered the house. The space inside was not large, but it was neat and clean, and had everything she needed. Opening the wooden window, she could see the bustling market downstairs.
A moment later, the waiter brought hot water and poured it into the bathtub. Shang Yuji was determined to wash herself thoroughly from head to toe.
When using soapberry, she inevitably thought of soap, which is simply a cleaning tool.
Otherwise, a method for making soap for the eldest princess.
She doesn't have enough energy on her own, so it would be better to let the eldest princess take over. In that case, soap will be everywhere in Da'an, which would be a good thing for the people.
Pricing shouldn't be too high for the convenience of ordinary people, but why would the princess promote soap to ordinary households if there weren't enough profits?
As the water temperature in the bathtub decreased over time, Shang Yuji put on a light blue dress and suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Commoners typically wore blue clothes, while wealthy families had a wider range of colors to choose from.
One reason is the technical requirements for dyeing clothing; the rarer the color, the more expensive it is. Ordinary people struggled to make a living, let alone spend a lifetime's worth of money to buy a piece of brightly colored fabric.
Another reason is to demonstrate social class; the saying "respect the clothes before the person" is not just a saying.
In ancient times, information was incomplete and delayed. People might not know who the other person was, but a minor official could tell a high-ranking official by seeing someone wearing purple, and someone in purple could tell a member of the royal family by seeing someone in yellow.
If we apply the theory of clothing color to soap, as long as the soap sold to the powerful and wealthy is "limited edition," "class-specific," and "prestigious," there's no need to worry about them not buying it.
Shang Yuji's thoughts wandered further as she pondered: "You can also carve auspicious patterns on the surface of soap and add flower petals or herbs to make scented soap or medicated soap."
Then fabricate a mysterious background and a touching story for them, since products with a story sell for more money.
Moreover, how can swindling money from powerful families, nobles, and wealthy merchants be called swindling?
They were the ones who got the product they wanted (the elegant and mysterious premium soap).
Ordinary people can have cheap and practical regular soap.
The eldest princess received a steady stream of gold deposits.
She received the protection of the eldest princess and another huge reward.
Everyone gets what they want, and everyone's happy!
Win!
Thinking of this, Shang Yuji immediately felt refreshed. She asked Wang Si to bring paper and pen, wrote down the method of making soap, added a lot of business sales tips, and did not forget to explain that soap was a good thing for the people and should not be priced too high for ordinary people. She also asked the Princess for a favor.
Jiang Xi had already washed up and came to find Shang Yuji. She saw Shang Yuji writing furiously and sat obediently beside her desk waiting for her.
After Shang Yuji finished writing, he quickly glanced at the document and, finding no errors, sealed it in the letter with satisfaction.
She handed the letter to Wang Si and said softly, "Give this letter to Old Chen and have him use your connections to deliver it to the Princess. By the way, you have connections in Cangzhou, right?"
Wang Si nodded without saying a word.
Shang Yuji: "After Lao Chen finishes dropping off the passengers, he should go back to the inn to rest. He's been driving hard for the past two weeks."
"Come with us to the night market later. If there's anything you want to buy, just buy it. Ask Old Chen if he wants anything too, and we'll buy it for him as well. Don't worry about the price; I'll pay for everything."
Wang Si responded, hid the envelope, and went out to discuss it with Old Chen.
Putting everything else aside, the two of them have been very responsible and helpful over the past two weeks, saving them a lot of trouble. After getting along like this, they might not be close friends yet, but they are definitely more than family.
Fortunately, the "alluring physique" in the restricted novel Jiang Xi went to only applies to specific protagonists, so she didn't have to worry about anyone becoming wildly lustful upon seeing him.
Otherwise, she would have no choice but to become a law-abiding citizen, imprison him in the yard, and stage an extreme and heart-wrenching forced love story.
Do those main characters understand imprisonment literature and forced love literature as well as she does?
Jiang Xi sat to the side, unaware of how wildly imaginative Shang Yuji's thoughts were at that moment.
If he knew that Shang Yuji wanted to imprison him, he would lock himself up without her even having to lift a finger and jump into the shallow pit she had dug.
Shang Yuji tapped the wooden table lightly with her fingers, thinking that it would be good to be an anonymous character like Wang Si and Lao Chen in the story, at least that would be a normal person.
And those who become the protagonists of this restricted novel's forced romantic encounters are all wolves in sheep's clothing, morally corrupt, despicable, shameless, and treacherous.
Shang Yuji glanced at Jiang Xi, who was sitting motionless to the side.
He kept staring at her, and the moment her gaze fell on him, he noticed it immediately.
Those fox-like eyes, like mist in the forest, curved slightly, and her naturally red lips turned up, drawing attention to the alluring red mole on her cheek.
Unconsciously, Jiang Xi smiled at her.
His skin looked even more translucent after his bath, with a few strands of half-dry black hair playfully clinging to the side of his neck, creating a striking contrast between his dark black hair and snow-white skin.
Jiangxi Qu was like a shy white epiphyllum, blooming in full glory and splendor for a moment, just to catch her gaze, even if only for a fleeting instant, that would be enough.
Shang Yuji subconsciously glanced at the side of his neck, and finally followed her instincts to smooth the unruly hair back to the nape of his neck.
Sometimes she had to admire herself; such a top-tier beauty seduced her every day, yet she managed to maintain her composure and not be blinded by her charm.
She's practically the Da'an version of Liu Xiahui (a legendary figure known for his virtuous conduct).
A note from the author:
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