Having watched various dramas in modern times, Xiang Wan believes that having a certain economic foundation is essential no matter where you are. Therefore, she has never given up on the idea of having the Queen Mother open a clothing store. She first inquired whether the Queen Mother had a shop in Anyang City, and then offered many suggestions based on her observations about ancient costumes and fashion from modern times.
At first, Wang's mother thought she was joking and didn't take it too seriously. She just thought she wanted to earn some pocket money, so she didn't hide it from her. She entrusted her with managing a newly purchased shop and assigned her several capable servants to run errands.
With Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia working together, and under the guidance of the Queen Mother, they quickly opened a clothing store. She drew inspiration from the popular clothing styles seen later in the story, hired several tailors to make casual wear suitable for ordinary people based on her drawings, and also tailored several stylish aristocratic outfits, paired with crystal jewelry. While making glass slippers, she suddenly remembered the slippers that connected Qin Rong and the prince in the story, and an idea struck her: if the glass slippers were readily available before the ball, she wondered if Qin Rong would still have this special advantage.
In this dynasty, crystal was still rare, but the craft of glassmaking existed, albeit a laborious process that led to a relatively high price. Xiang Wan, however, was undeterred. She hired several artisans and, using modern glassmaking techniques, had them create rough glass products, which were then slowly polished and fired into the desired shapes. When the first pair of glass shoes was made, although not perfectly clear and sparkling, they were still quite eye-catching.
Relying on these glass products, jewelry, and novel clothing, the shop quickly gained a reputation and became very profitable. Even some prominent people in Anyang City came specifically to order clothing and accessories.
These are all things to be discussed later. In the month that followed, Xiang Wan only had time to tidy up the shop and get it to a basic size. When Qin Rong received the news, her face turned ashen with anger, and her fingernails almost drew blood from her palms.
With the Queen Mother's special care, Qin Rong lived a good life, playing the zither in her spare time. Since she missed the Queen Mother, she placed her memorial tablet before her and lit an incense stick. Stopping the incense before it burned out would be disrespectful to her deceased mother. Before meals, she had to bathe, change clothes, and soak in incense to invite her deceased mother's spirit to eat. She had to wait the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before eating herself, otherwise it would be disrespectful to her. Before going to sleep, she had to copy a scripture, otherwise her deceased mother would be displeased.
Outside Qin Rong's courtyard, Wang Mu prepared various foods, and whenever there was something delicious, she would give Qin Rong a portion first. In front of most people in the mansion, she would praise Qin Rong's filial piety as touching and heartwarming, saying that she herself felt sorry for her and always put Qin Rong first.
The maids in Qin Rong's courtyard kept a close watch on her schedule, not allowing her to waste a single moment. If they noticed Qin Rong becoming impatient, they would stand in front of her with the memorial tablet of the deceased Madam Qin and earnestly persuade her.
The Queen Mother's reputation in the mansion grew better and better. When Qin Rong left the mansion, even though she had lost a lot of weight, everyone thought it was because she missed her deceased mother. Even if she wanted to explain, no one believed her. Even her own father, Master Qin, wrote a letter praising her for her filial piety.
Qin Rong has experienced all the grievances the original owner suffered in her past life. She can be ruthless enough to kill everyone, but Xiang Wan has no intention of doing so. After all, you reap what you sow; if she brings about her own demise, she can't blame anyone else.
In just one month, the situation inside and outside the manor has become completely different. Qin Rong, the main character, has been imprisoned for so long; what tricks will she pull once she's released? Xiang Wan felt utterly exhausted. You won't understand the feeling of constantly being on guard against being schemed against until you've dealt with someone cunning. It's unbearable, more tiring than running a marathon. But this is her mission; failure to complete it will be fatal!
As the shop gradually got back on track, Xiang Wan returned the main management to Wang Mu, since her primary task was Qin Rong. She believed that without Qin Rong's interference, Wang Mu and Xiang Xia's lives would be fine.
Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia went to Li Niangzi's place to study with Qin Rong every day without fail. After what had happened, the two sisters had become much more composed. Qin Rong remained polite on the surface, but she gradually concealed her true thoughts more deeply. Xiang Wan knew she couldn't see through Qin Rong, but as long as she was under her watchful eye, she had to keep a close eye on anything Qin Rong interfered in, so as not to give her any chance to scheme again.
The peaceful days didn't last long before Xiang Wan discovered that Qin Rong seemed to have gotten into trouble again. She sent Xiao Zhu to secretly contact Qin Rong's maid and found that she often found opportunities to go out, and the timing of her departures was very clever. She always made sure that the Queen Mother was busy and couldn't attend to her, and she would return just before the fixed afternoon study time.
The reason the Queen Mother was able to so easily know Qin Rong's movements was entirely due to her combination of kindness and pressure on Xiao Lan. Although Xiao Lan had returned to Qin Rong's side, her heart was no longer truly with her. Anyone would feel a rift in their heart after being easily used as a shield by their master. The Queen Mother merely widened the rift further before applying honey to it. Qin Rong believed that with Xiao Lan's parents in her hands, she wasn't afraid of Xiao Lan's betrayal and allowed her to return to her side.
"Miss, Qin Rong is up to something, you should be careful."
After Xiaozhu returned, she told Xiangwan the news she had gotten from Xiaolan. Fearing that Qin Rong was up to something, she was extremely worried and reminded her mistress once again.
"It's alright, Xiaozhu." Xiang Wan patted Xiaozhu's hand. "Her situation is a big deal to me, and I can't ignore it."
"But…"
"Don't worry, if things really get tough, just follow behind me. If you notice anything wrong, come back immediately and ask for help."
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