The 140th palm-sized contraceptive was discovered.
Because they had made too much noise that night, Ji Shu had already fallen into a deep sleep before he finished bathing.
When Pei Yanzhi came out, drying his wet hair, he saw her sleeping face and couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the moon outside the window was unusually full. He walked to the window, where the courtyard was completely quiet.
Suddenly, a medicinal smell wafted from afar. Pei Yanzhi turned her head and looked over, only to see her two maids talking under the eaves.
Chunzhi poured the remaining medicine from the earthenware pot onto the edge of the flower bed. Lian'er asked, "Why did you suddenly start taking medicine tonight?"
Seeing that the medicine had completely seeped into the bottom of the flowerpot, Chunzhi straightened up and sighed, "The young lady insisted on drinking it, and I couldn't persuade her otherwise. You know how stubborn she is."
When the words the two were saying under the eaves reached his ears, he couldn't hear them very clearly; he only caught a few words here and there.
Looking at the medicinal juice that had already been used as fertilizer, a dark look flashed across Pei Yanzhi's eyes. He glanced at the hazy figure behind the gauze curtain. At first, he didn't think there was anything wrong with her taking medicine so late.
Her health had always been weak, and she had caught a cold at the Wei family's house, but hearing the two maids say this, it seemed they were talking about something else.
Suppressing his doubts, he closed the doors and windows, then went to bed and held her as they fell asleep.
The next morning, after Pei Yanzhi finished his morning exercise in the courtyard, Wu Yang served him a handkerchief and tea.
Pei Yanzhi wiped the sweat from his chest, his gaze falling on the flower bed behind him. He paused slightly, saying, "Go and find out what medicine Madam has been taking these past few days. Remember, make sure to find out the details of her medication."
Wu Yang said "Yes," bowed, and accepted the order.
After Ji Shu got up and had breakfast, she received a letter from Ying'er. She took out the envelope.
Only then did she learn that after she returned to Connecticut, her parents, upon learning that she had been divorced as a concubine, were utterly humiliated and would not allow her to stay at home for long.
The words are full of irony. Back then, Ying'er sold herself into servitude so that her brother could get married and her younger brother could attend a private school.
Now that she has returned home, she has nowhere to stand.
She then thought of the letter Ji Shu had given her, which mentioned Chongzhou, and set off with Qing'er that very night.
With Ji Shu's letter, everything seemed to be going incredibly smoothly.
Not only did she have a spacious and bright room, but even though it was a small room, it made her feel very warm.
The next day, she visited Furong Pavilion again. Madam Rui told her to start by learning how to cultivate flowers. She studied every day and her days were fulfilling and peaceful.
Once everything was settled, she wrote a letter to Ji Shu.
Looking at the neat handwriting on the letter, she remembered that she had only helped out slightly, yet it had changed her life forever. She couldn't help but lower her eyes and smile.
He instructed Chunzhi, "Keep the letter safe, and have Lian'er write her another letter."
"Tell her not to rush. If she can master the art of flower cultivation, we will entrust her with the management of the land we bought in Chongzhou."
Chunzhi sighed: "To be honest, Ying'er probably never thought that one day she would not only be able to redeem her freedom, but also learn the skills to make a living."
Ji Shu remained calm and said lightly, "They are all pitiful people. What is rare is her strong will. I have learned a lot from her. How can one turn adversity into a way out?"
It was precisely because of this that many years later, Ji Shu dared to hand over most of her business to Ying'er.
Inside the Magnolia Pavilion, the second branch of the Pei family mansion.
Miaoyin hurriedly returned from outside and entered the inner room.
As Madam Song was doing her makeup in front of the mirror, she didn't even glance at Miaoyin when she saw her enter.
"What is it?"
Miaoyin bowed and whispered, "Madam, a letter has arrived from Chongzhou!"
Song Yunshu stood up abruptly from her chair, took two steps to her, and grabbed her wrist: "Where's the letter?"
Miaoyin pulled the thick letter from her chest. Song Shi hurriedly opened it, and the more she read, the brighter her eyes became.
It not only records Ji Shu's experiences from childhood to adulthood, but also details her past with the Pei family father and son in Chongzhou.
Madam Song stared intently at those lines of text. It turned out that Ji Shu had been manipulating the relationship between the father and son back in Chongzhou, engaging in shady dealings behind the scenes.
What kind of pure and innocent girl is she? So young, yet her heart is so wicked.
If such secrets were to be spread, what a shocking scandal it would be that the mistress of Yanzhou was serving both father and son.
She suddenly looked at Miaoyin and said in a deep voice, "Have you read this letter?"
Startled, Miaoyin hurriedly knelt down and swore, "This servant would never dare. I returned to the manor immediately after receiving the letter and did not delay."
With a smile, Madam Song helped her up: "I know you are always meticulous in your work. You handled this matter very well. I will grant your request."
"only……"
Miaoyin hurriedly said, "Please speak freely, Madam."
"But this matter concerns the reputation of the Pei family, so those who know this information need not remain in this world!" With just a few simple words, life and death were taken away.
Miaoyin trembled all over, but she knew she couldn't back down now, because her fate was very likely to be the same.
He quickly replied, "Yes."
Madam Song nodded in satisfaction, took out a document from the box, and said in a seductive tone, "Look, I've prepared the document for your redemption. If you handle this matter well, this will be yours."
Miaoyin's eyes lit up when she saw the document, and she gritted her teeth and nodded in agreement.
"This servant will take care of it immediately, but I hope Madam will grant me some time."
"Okay, go ahead."
Once she was alone in the room, Madam Song slowly sat down, read the letter over and over again, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
She muttered to herself, "Ji Shu, Ji Shu, tell me, there are so many men in the world, yet you had to provoke these two. Now I have plenty of leverage over you."
"Truly... the will of Heaven is hard to defy."
He could almost picture what was to come, and thinking of his elder brother and Pei Xingjian, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
...
As lunchtime approached, Ji Shu applied the newly developed perfume to her wrists, and Lian'er and Chunzhi exclaimed in unison, "Madam, it smells so good!"
Ji Shu was extremely satisfied; it possessed both the sweet elegance of roses and the subtle, lingering fragrance of sandalwood, making it noble yet refined.
What's even more wonderful is that it emits a unique scent each time it encounters someone's body temperature, which is truly remarkable.
She could already imagine that, given time, this perfume would become a priceless treasure when it was put on the market.
It's a pity that after so long, only a small jar has been made. It would take some time to make a replica. It will be perfect as the prized possession of our branch in Yanzhou.
He made a name for himself overnight.
Wu Yang entered from outside and, seeing the three of them beaming with joy, could only announce at the door, "Madam, the master invites you to the study for lunch!"
Ji Shu froze, blinking her eyes. He was working in his study, what was she going there for?
"Since you have important matters to attend to, it might be inappropriate for me to go."
Wu Yang continued, "My lord said he acquired some novelties outside today and specially sent his wife to select them."
Ji Shu had no choice but to agree, wondering what had gotten into him this time!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com