After the maids finished helping the Third Master wipe himself down, they all blushed and left. The Third Princess was also exhausted and covered in sweat. She saw that the Third Master was still muttering about things in the Prince Heshuo's mansion.
"You all keep an eye on Third Master. If he causes trouble again, just ignore him," Third Princess said with a look of disgust.
After leaving the Third Master behind, the Third Princess Consort led her people out for a walk in the garden, since these women in the inner quarters had nothing else to do anyway.
"Oh, how boring. With Hongwen away, I don't know what to do. Qiuhong, when will the Second Prince return for his leave?" the Third Princess asked, clutching her handkerchief.
“The Second Prince will be back in five days. He just returned yesterday, Princess Consort,” said Qiu Hong, the maid who served him closely.
"Hmm, I heard that Yunxiafang has received some new fabrics. I'd like to go and take a look. Qiuhong, go and tell the gatekeeper to prepare a sedan chair." The Third Princess Consort strolled through the garden for a while, but still felt bored. She was also resentful that the First Princess Consort and the Crown Princess had embarrassed her in front of her last time, and she had been feeling uncomfortable these past few days.
"Madam, it's already past mid-morning. If you go out now, what if the master wakes up and asks about you?" Qiu Hong whispered.
"What's there to be afraid of? He's so drunk, he won't wake up anytime soon. Hongwen isn't here, and I'm going to go out for a stroll. I'm so bored," said the Third Princess.
Qiu Hong dared not say anything more and immediately went to comply. The Third Princess then went back to her room to change her clothes, wearing flowerpot-soled shoes.
A maroon sedan chair exited through the main gate of Prince Yi's mansion, flanked by two maids, Qiu Hong and Yancao, both trusted maids of the Third Prince's wife.
Two burly men carrying the sedan chair walked briskly, familiar with the route, towards the main street frequented by the Third Prince's wife. This was what distinguished the Third Prince's wife from the other women in the inner quarters; she could come and go freely without the permission of her husbands. Other women, even concubines, were not allowed to leave their homes without the consent of their husbands and the Third Prince's wife.
Because it was not yet April and the weather was still a bit chilly, the Third Princess Consort wore an orange-red cheongsam with a lake-blue cotton overcoat, and her gilded headdress revealed her status as a princess consort of the Prince's Mansion.
"Oh my, it's the Third Princess Consort!" The owner of Yunxia Fang saw the Third Princess Consort as soon as she entered the door, and immediately abandoned the customers he was dealing with and walked over to her.
The Third Prince's wife was a frequent visitor here. Although the prince's wives in the Prince's mansion had no shortage of fine fabrics and jewelry, the fabrics and jewelry at Yunxia Pavilion sometimes even the Imperial Household Department did not have. Therefore, the Third Prince's wife would come often and would often spend lavishly.
"Manager Lu, have you had any new arrivals lately?" The Third Princess Consort was quite pleased with Manager Lu's flattery; his address of "Your Highness" brought out all of her vanity.
"Yes, of course. Please come with me, Your Highness, to take a look!" Manager Lu's face was full of servility, he was practically begging to carry the shoes of the Third Princess.
It turns out that Yunxia Fang was a three-story "women's clothing specialty store." The first floor offered ordinary fabrics and jewelry for regular customers; the second floor catered to higher-class clients, such as the wives of officials or wealthy merchants; and the third floor, displaying fabrics and jewelry, was reserved for guests of the caliber of the Third Prince's wife. Although these imperial relatives had more than enough to wear each year, they still wanted to stand out. The Imperial Household Department distributed the same items to the families of all the princes and princesses. Their status was determined by what they received, even the colors were similar. Therefore, it was quite common for the princes' wives and princesses to wear the same clothes!
When the Third Princess and Manager Lu arrived on the third floor, they saw that all the young waiters there had neat and handsome features.
"Your Highness, please take a look. These are all the latest pieces of leather and mulberry silk fabric from Yunnan. They're perfect for making qipaos in the summer—cool and beautiful." Manager Lu glanced at the young shop assistant, who immediately understood and brought over a bolt of light pink fabric for the Third Princess to see. The fabric had a subtle, light yellow silk thread weave pattern on it.
"It's beautiful, but it's a pity it's a bit too youthful. I'm afraid I can't wear it." When the Third Princess saw the fabric, her eyes lit up, but she also clearly felt that she was no longer suitable for such a fresh color.
“Your Highness, you flatter me. This fabric suits your fair skin perfectly. Coupled with your noble bearing, no one could be more suitable for you,” the young shopkeeper said immediately.
Shopkeeper Lu chuckled and continued, "Look, Your Highness, the young waiter is only sixteen years old. In his eyes, Your Highness is even more beautiful than the Guanyin Bodhisattva in the painting."
The Third Princess's long-empty heart was overjoyed by the two men, one tall and one short. Qiu Hong, who was standing to the side, inwardly pursed her lips upon hearing this, but she dared not interrupt these people flattering the Third Princess. As long as her mistress was happy, why should she say anything?
"Your Highness, please take another look at this set of jewelry. It matches the fabric perfectly," Manager Lu said, seizing the opportunity to introduce it further.
The young shop assistant serving the jewelry immediately brought out the tray of jewelry that Manager Lu had glanced at, preparing to show it to the Third Princess Consort.
The Third Princess Consort, completely swayed by the flattery, immediately followed Manager Lu's directions to examine the jewelry. It was a set of jewelry featuring carnelian and rubies. There were seven pieces in total: a pair of red gemstone hairpins, four carnelian beaded ornaments, and a necklace crafted from rubies and carnelian, all set in gold. It truly looked incredibly opulent and grand.
"How magnificent!" the Third Princess Consort couldn't help but exclaim. The allowance from the Imperial Household Department that reached her was not like this; the style was somewhat frivolous. The items from the Imperial Household Department were all made in a more elegant and luxurious style. Sometimes, they would produce such finely crafted pieces, but once they reached the Third Prince, they were mostly given to Lady Tian or other princesses, and would never be worn by her.
“Your Highness, if you wear this set of jewelry and that qipao made of cloth, you will look like a fairy descended from heaven. Why don’t you try it on?” Manager Lu looked at the Third Princess’s expression and knew that she actually liked it.
"Alright, let's give it a try." When the Third Princess saw the jewelry, she thought of all the things the Third Master had done, and she wanted to vent her frustration. Anyway, if he didn't spend that money, he would spend it on other women.
"Quickly, let the Third Princess try it on!" Manager Lu seemed to see the silver beckoning to him, and immediately ordered the shop assistant to let the Third Princess try it on.
After Qiu Hong and Yancao helped the Third Princess remove the jewelry from her head and put on the set of ruby and carnelian jewelry, her complexion indeed improved a lot.
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