Chen Pingjin, standing to the side: ...
She hadn't even committed adultery yet, and this regent had already cuckolded her?
Yan Jue was filled with regret. He had brought Miss Wen to the clothing shop because he had an important matter to ask of her. Who knew that people in the capital would find out and think that he and Miss Wen were having an affair?
Knowing his reputation for womanizing, and seeing that Miss Wen didn't seem to care about the matter, he didn't send anyone to stop him.
Who knew today...
Seeing Shen Pingjin's face darken little by little, Yan Jue felt it was necessary to explain himself, "Pingjin, I didn't..."
Shen Pingjin was all smiles as she looked at Yan Jue, who was about to explain.
She interrupted him without hesitation, "Husband, Pingjin knows everything. You don't need to explain. Pingjin doesn't care about these things."
Yan Jue was utterly exasperated. Seeing that the fire wasn't burning big enough, Li Qin'er, who was standing next to him, was about to add fuel to the fire: "Young lady, you must be Miss Shen, right?"
Shen Pingjin didn't mind that the girl had ignored her earlier. She nodded in agreement, "Yes, but you should change your address, since I married the Regent a few days ago and am now the Regent's Consort."
Li Qin'er nodded heavily. "I know everything. Your Highness, you just said you wanted to pick out clothes with the Regent, was that true?"
Shen Pingjin was somewhat puzzled, "How could this be fake?"
Li Qin'er shook her head like a rattle drum, "No, no, I misspoke just now, I apologize to the Regent Princess."
Shen Pingjin became even more puzzled. "It's alright. Can you take us inside to look at the clothes now?"
When Li Qin'er heard Shen Pingjin say that she wanted to go inside and take a look, and that she herself would lead the way, her mind raced, and she instantly conjured up stories of love and hate from the folk tales of the capital.
Her gaze lingered, and she shook her head. "Your Highness, in terms of familiarity with the Imperial Clothing Shop, I dare not compare myself to the Regent. Please forgive me for being unable to help you. I am truly sorry."
Chen Pingjin: ...
Why did she feel that the shopkeeper was even somewhat expecting her and Yan Jue to go in?
Li Qin'er was so excited. She really didn't know what was going on at their clothing shop today. Two people from the royal family had come all at once, and they were... the very people who had recently been thrust into the limelight in the capital.
Shen Pingjin was never an unreasonable person. "Since you are unwilling, I will naturally not force you."
She looked up at Yan Jue beside her, her eyes full of smiles, "Husband, let's go inside."
The calmer and more composed Shen Pingjin was, the more frightened he became. However, he did not dare to refuse Shen Pingjin directly, so he could only let Shen Pingjin take his hand and walk into the clothing shop.
Li Qin'er watched the two leave, her eyes filled with excitement and lingering reluctance. Sigh, the jealousy and rivalry from the storybooks was about to unfold in her clothing shop!
As expected of Kyoto's most famous clothing store, it has a full range of fabrics and novel styles. The clothes hanging on the wall are so exquisite that they make people stare in amazement. Chen Pingjin subconsciously reached out to touch the clothes closest to her, but was blocked by the shop assistant walking back and forth next to her.
Because of Li Qin'er, most of the shop assistants knew about Shen Pingjin's identity. "Reporting to the Regent's Princess, there is a rule in the clothing shop that you must not touch anything unless you want to buy it."
Chen Pingjin frowned slightly. "If you can't even touch it, how can you know if you like it or what the fabric is like?"
The person blocking the hand was a maid who looked quite young. She replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Reporting to the Regent Princess, these are all the rules of the Imperial Palace. This servant is just acting in accordance with the rules."
Chen Pingjin glanced at Yan Jue, "The shopkeeper mentioned that you often come to Yujingfang. Do you know which fabrics here are of good quality?"
Yan Jue: ...
It seems she really took Li Qin'er's words to heart!
Yan Jue was at a loss for what to do. He looked at the row of fabrics on the cabinet in front of him, picked up a piece at random, and said, "I think this fabric is very good."
Shen Pingjin hesitated for a moment before picking up a bolt of cloth, her gaze fixed on Yan Jue. "Are you sure?"
Yan Jue nodded. "I'm sure."
The maid beside him hadn't missed the fabric in Yan Jue's hand. She stepped forward, her expression slightly surprised. "Your Highness truly has excellent taste. This fabric is indeed a piece of soft silk gauze, a tribute from the Western Regions. It's of superior quality, and garments made from it feel as smooth and lustrous as jade. I wonder if Your Highness, Your Highness, has taken a liking to this piece of soft silk gauze?"
Before Shen Pingjin could nod, Yan Jue waved his hand and said, "I'll buy it."
The maid's expression finally showed a slight change. "Reporting to Your Majesty, the price of soft silk gauze in our Imperial Capital Market is one tael of silver per bolt. I do not yet know how many bolts Your Majesty requires."
Shen Pingjin gasped. The best fabrics she usually bought cost thirty coins a bolt, but this soft silk gauze was asking for one tael of silver a bolt. Wasn't this outrageous?
Yan Jue wasn't stupid after all. He looked at the lustrous, translucent silk gauze and frowned slightly. "How many bolts of silk gauze are needed to make three garments?"
“This…” The maid pondered for a moment, “I’ve calculated that it will take about fifteen bolts.”
One tael of silver for one bolt of cloth, so fifteen bolts would be fifteen taels, which was not a difficult task for Yan Jue.
Yan Jue looked at Chen Pingjin and asked, "Your Highness, do you like this soft silk gauze?"
Since it wasn't her money, Shen Pingjin didn't feel any pain at all. However, she suddenly remembered something, "Yan Jue, you said you would lend me money last time. If you buy so much, won't the warehouse be in debt?"
If he buys just a few bolts of soft tobacco, his warehouse will be in debt?
Yan Jue lifted his eyelids and glanced coolly at Ye Ting behind him. The latter hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "Your Highness, I checked the treasury yesterday, and there's still plenty of money."
Shen Pingjin always trusted Ye Ting's work. She nodded and said, "This soft silk gauze has a beautiful sheen and feels warm and smooth like jade. I like it."
Ye Ting immediately brought over the soft silk gauze. Upon seeing this, the maid beside him lowered her head and asked, "Your Highness, Your Highness, are you going to the second floor to deliver the soft silk gauze to Auntie, the head of the workshop?"
Chen Pingjin was somewhat puzzled, "Give it away?"
The maid nodded. "Your Highness, you can take the fabric upstairs to the second floor and have the shop owner take your measurements to make clothes for you, or you can take the fabric back to your residence and have your own aunt make it for you. We at Yujingfang fully respect your choice. However, if you choose to have clothes made at Yujingfang, you will not have to spend a single penny."
Shen Pingjin had never been to Yujingfang before, so she didn't know much about its rules. Now that she did, she nodded in agreement, "I'll stay here and let Auntie, the shop owner, make a custom order for me."
Yan Jue thought so too, after all, the clothes came from the shop owner's aunt, and in terms of style and structure, they were not comparable to those of ordinary aunts.
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