Bai Yan didn't return to the Jin residence until late at night, while Zhan Shide went to the palace and reported to the emperor everything that Bai Yan had asked him to do that day.
“The princess’s method of building factories is just as efficient as this spinning wheel!” James said, then shook his head. “No, no, no, it’s more than efficient!” He cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, if this textile factory is completed, you will no longer have to worry about insufficient food and an empty treasury.”
Looking at the blueprint that his daughter had already planned in his hand, Bai Qing felt as if he were watching a large amount of gold and silver bouncing towards his national treasury. How could he not be invigorated?
"James, wasn't it you who recommended her?" Bai Qing asked.
James gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Your Majesty, I am not as good as the princess, how dare I offer her any advice?" A princess in the deep palace has such wonderful ideas. Confucius did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits. James could only sigh: "A genius born of heaven."
Bai Qing was overjoyed to see his daughter praised so highly, but like any other parent, he said, "Elder Zhan, please don't say it in front of her. She's young and might not be able to handle the praise."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
...
After receiving the clothes made by his beloved, Jin Chang'an was even more unwilling to share a room with the princess. Knowing that she had thrown him out on her wedding night, he felt that this woman was neither virtuous nor obedient, and was not worthy of being compared with his beloved.
He ordered his servants to divide the courtyard in two, and a thick wall was erected, partly to teach the shrew a lesson, and partly to show his true feelings for the man.
Jin Chang'an's actions suited Bai Yan's wishes; a thick wall made it easier for her to come and go.
Over the course of half a month, Bai Yan frequently visited the Jin residence and the Ministry of Works to build the textile city, while also constantly recruiting embroiderers.
Machines replaced manual labor very quickly. Even before the factory was fully built, the first batch of embroiderers were equipped with spinning wheels made by the Ministry of Works. Within a few days, the factory had a warehouse full of fabric.
The cloth was sent by Zhan Shide to various merchants and sold at low prices among the common people, while the cloth sent to foreign countries was several times more expensive. However, Han Chinese silk was already expensive, and no matter how expensive the silk from the factories was, it was still cheaper than that from traveling merchants.
Within days, the factory was raking in profits, no longer needing any more money from the national treasury, and had recruited a new batch of embroiderers.
...
Inside the Jin residence, Cuiming leaned against the corridor outside the courtyard, sewing socks while chatting idly with Hongping: "If you ask me, our princess is just lucky and still not satisfied, all because she married into the Jin family!"
She looked around again: "When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Jin family will be his maternal family! Our princess has no maternal family, so instead of clinging to Madam Jin and her husband, she's throwing a tantrum?"
Hongping didn't like talking to her about these things: "So what if it's the Jin family? You and I are both the princess's maids, eating the princess's food."
"Then the princess is still living under the Jin family's eaves? A woman's husband is her heaven. First, the princess was disliked by her husband, and now she has offended her mother-in-law? She was only whipped a few times, yet she has been lying in her room for more than half a month. If I were the princess, I would have crawled out long ago to kowtow to Madam Jin and beg for forgiveness—"
"I never expected that such a spineless girl would appear in my room." A female voice came from behind her.
Cui Ming's expression changed, and when she turned around, she saw a young man with a jade-like face and a pair of bright, dark eyes.
This... is a princess!
Cui Ming glanced back at the tightly closed door, then looked at the princess dressed in men's clothing who seemed to have just returned home. Her eyes widened, and then she knelt down with a thud: "Princess, please forgive me! Princess, please forgive me!"
Bai Yan pressed her temples and removed the headband from her head. Her long, flowing black hair and bare face, without any makeup, made her look even more beautiful, like a lotus emerging from the water.
"So you really want to serve the Jin family?" Bai Yan's lips curled slightly as she walked up to Cui Ming. "Very well, it just so happens that I heard from the people in the front courtyard that Jin Chang'an's courtyard is missing a maid who empties the chamber pot."
"If you want to curry favor with the Jin family, then start with Ye Xiang."
Cuiming knelt outside and kowtowed to beg for mercy, but Baiyan ignored her completely. She lay on the bed looking extremely tired. Hongping stepped forward and gently removed her shoes and socks, and then massaged her forehead.
Bai Yan held a hand warmer in her arms, her gaze fixed on Cui Ming kneeling outside the door: "The matter at the textile factory is almost settled; now it's time to go to the Jin family..."
She touched the heater, a smile curving her red lips: "Heh, Jin Chang'an, the most romantic and talented man in the capital, even as a ghost he'll still be romantic, won't he?"
Cui Ming knelt and kowtowed for a while, but there was no response from the inner room. Her eyes turned venomous. She had only said one wrong thing... Besides, what did she say wrong?
How will the princess live if she doesn't cling to the Jin family? If the princess doesn't plan for herself, can't she at least plan for herself?
Princess Mingming is the one who is completely wrong!
Remembering the princess who had returned dressed as a man and was now utterly exhausted, a hint of doubt flashed in Cui Ming's eyes...
...
A few days ago, Mrs. Jin and Jin Chang'an had a fight.
Madam Jin had kept the fact that Consort Yun was being neglected by the Emperor a secret from her son. She thought that once he got married and had a beautiful princess, he would forget about the people in the palace. But she didn't expect that he would find out anyway. When he learned that Consort Yun had been punished, this fool actually wanted to go to the palace!
Fortunately, Madam Jin managed to stop them.
Unable to enter the palace to comfort his beloved, Jin Chang'an could only write poems and essays to encourage her. He was a famous talented scholar in Chang'an, and his poems, lyrics, and essays were naturally sought after by courtesans in brothels.
One day, Jin Chang'an's friend invited him to a brothel to listen to his lyrics and music. Jin Chang'an was already troubled because his beloved had been punished, so he just went to relieve his sorrow. He raised his wine cup to toast his friend, but as soon as he looked up, he saw that the figure of the dancer in the dance floor overlapped with the face of his beloved.
He rubbed his eyes again, and the dancer turned her head, looking at him with a charming smile...
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
