Yan Shiman wanted to refuse, but Shen Yunjiao's last question piqued her curiosity: "What useful thing?"
He gently opened the box and found that it contained white powder compacts wrapped in silk, with various patterns printed on them.
Yan Shiman asked, puzzled, "Miss Chen, what is this?"
Shen Yun walked up to him with a charming smile, took out a powder compact and gently pressed it onto the back of her hand that had accidentally gotten dusty. The gray marks were covered up, and her hand was smooth, white, and shimmering with light.
"This is a powder compact I made at home when I had nothing else to do. It applies very smoothly, and I even specially developed one with a very obvious concealing effect." Shen Yun smiled and pointed to the blue spots all over Yan Shi's face. "Try it, it's much better than ordinary pearl powder."
Yan Shiman made no secret of his love for this powder compact. For him, the most troublesome part of dressing up as a woman was the makeup. No matter how delicate his appearance was, the newly sprouted stubble was particularly annoying. He had to apply powder to his face several times like a wall to cover up the stubble.
This powder is indeed better than regular face powder, but he was quite surprised that the daughter of a high-ranking official would actually make these little things herself.
"Then I'll accept it." Yan Shi happily accepted the brocade box. "I never expected Miss Shen to be so skillful."
"No, no, I just made it for fun when I was bored. If you like it, I'll make you more when you run out. The ingredients used in this powder are also very healthy. If you use it frequently, you won't get any rashes on your face."
Shen Yunjiao talked on and on, but suddenly felt like a micro-business owner promoting their products, so she quickly shut her mouth.
Yan Shiman grew increasingly fond of the woman before him. Not only was she skilled in poetry, but she was also diligent and capable. No wonder her cousin was still so fond of her even though he knew she was already married.
I just don't know why Prince Pei doesn't like her.
However, everyone has their own preferences. He had long heard about the complicated relationship between Prince Pei and Miss Shen. Now, seeing Shen Yunjiao's poised and generous demeanor, he didn't seem like the kind of woman who would be bound by love.
Yan Shiman secretly hoped that his cousin could be happy, but he was indeed a novice when it came to matters of the heart.
He could only do his best to help his cousin with other things.
Shen Yunjiao chatted with Yan Shiman for a few more minutes before not lingering any longer.
She had already told Yan Shiman what she needed to ask and given her the gift. Now it was up to Yan Shiman to help her find that doctor.
—
After leaving Ziyun Tower, Shen Yunjiao thought about going to the pharmacy to buy some more Chinese herbal medicines. She was sure that the quality of the herbs she chose herself would be much better than what the Shen family would buy from outside.
She had already recovered somewhat in the past few days, but unexpectedly, she was drugged and then tormented by Xiao Huaijin for most of the night. Now her hands are shaking when she picks up things, and being too weak is not good.
The herbal medicine shop they were going to was next to Jinshui Bridge on West Street. Shen Yunjiao thought it would be too conspicuous to take a carriage in the bustling city, with too many carriages and people coming and going, and she was afraid it would delay them. Besides, it was only two streets away from Ziyun Tower to Jinshui Bridge, so she simply had the carriage wait in front of Ziyun Tower and walked there with Fuxia.
"Miss, there's a shortcut here. Let me lead you there." Just as Fu Xia was about to lead Shen Yunjiao to take the shortcut, she accidentally bumped into a laundry woman carrying a basket of dirty clothes.
"ah!"
Ouch!
The two collided face-to-face and fell to the ground.
Shen Yunjiao first helped up her maid, and when she was about to help up the laundry girl, she felt that the girl looked somewhat familiar.
Fu Xia had been staying in the backyard of the Pei residence for two years, so she immediately recognized her as the maid who had almost been beaten to death by the Duchess of the State not long ago.
"An'er?"
An'er thought she had bumped into some pampered young lady and would definitely be given a hard time. Just as she was about to apologize with her head down, she heard a somewhat familiar voice calling her name.
She looked up in surprise and found that the person who called her was a pretty maid, and the beautiful woman standing next to the maid was none other than the heir apparent of the Pei family.
An'er was stunned. After regaining her senses, she hurriedly kowtowed several times on the ground: "Princess Consort, An'er was rude just now. Please forgive me."
"It's alright. It was just that Fuxia was clumsy and accidentally bumped into you. You did nothing wrong."
"How is your mother?" Shen Yunjiao suddenly remembered what had happened before and asked casually.
Speaking of this, An'er's eyes glistened with tears of gratitude. "Thank you for your concern, Princess Consort. You didn't let Madam beat me to death, but instead chose to handle the matter impartially. When I arrived at the government office, they saw that I hadn't committed any serious crime, so they only imprisoned me for a month. My elder brother paid the fine for me, and I was released from prison a few days ago. When my mother heard this good news, her illness was half cured."
"That's good. Remember not to make the same mistake again," Shen Yunjiao said earnestly.
An'er nodded in shame, then said resentfully, "If it weren't for Madam's harsh treatment of us, I wouldn't have thought of that method. It's not just me; many servants in the Pei family are saving up money, waiting to redeem their indentures and leave. But as some leave, others want to come. I heard that several maids from the Princess Consort's family went to the Pei family to become the Prince's personal maids."
"You've heard about this too?" Shen Yunjiao asked.
Upon seeing this, An'er quickly replied, "Those two maids are from the same village as me, and we get along quite well."
Shen Yunjiao pondered for a moment, and it seemed that she had found another good way out.
Seeing that the Crown Princess remained silent, An'er felt a little uneasy. "Don't worry, Crown Princess. Although those two maids are quite pretty, they are timid. When I have the chance to see them, I will definitely remind them to stay away from the Crown Prince."
Standing to the side, Fu Xia spoke up: "Those two maids were sent back by the Pei family, and now the Shen family has also sent them to the market to be sold."
An'er was stunned. "Is that so?"
"An'er, there's something I'd like to ask you."
Shen Yunjiao then thought of a brilliant idea, but she didn't know if An'er would be willing to help her.
Upon hearing Shen Yunjiao's words, An'er nodded solemnly, "The Crown Princess has been kind to me, so please give your orders."
"That's wonderful! You'll be richly rewarded once it's done," Shen Yun replied with a charming smile.
Shen Yunjiao led An'er to the side of the alley and explained her plan to her in detail.
Actually, it's quite simple. If nothing unexpected happens, Aunt Liu will order the steward to take the two maids to the market to sell today. An'er just needs to step in and buy them.
An'er accepted the heavy money bag and replied without hesitation, "This servant will definitely do as the Crown Princess says."
"Okay." Shen Yunjiao nodded, gave An'er a few more instructions, and then left the alley.
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