Upon hearing this, Consort Xin replied without hesitation, "Your Majesty, you don't know how lively the palace has been while you were away for more than a month."
"First, there were those perfumes that Consort Jing sent to us, and everyone loved them."
"When noblewomen entered the palace to pay their respects, they encountered Consort Qi and Noble Lady Fucha on the palace road. They were extremely attentive to the fragrance emanating from the women."
"He held their hands, not letting them leave, and only after he had learned the origin of the perfumes did he reluctantly leave the palace."
"Consort Qi and Noble Lady Fucha are quite pleased with this. Although the things sent by the Imperial Household Department in the past were good, they were conventional and lacked any originality."
"We concubines cannot leave the palace. By the time the fashionable things outside the palace reach the palace, the noblewomen have already changed to new styles, and it will be too late."
"The Empress and Consort Hua don't need to care about these things, but someone like me wouldn't even get the best of things."
"So it's really nice to see those noblewomen looking like they've never seen anything good before."
Sun Miaoqing hadn't expected there to be such intricate relationships between imperial concubines and noblewomen. However, thinking about the clothes sent by the Imperial Household Department, the embroidery on them was almost identical, no matter how many times it was done.
Once, she wanted to make a dress embroidered with philodendron flowers.
However, the people from the Imperial Household Department said that the Xiling Grass had a short lifespan and would wither after blooming, making it a flower with a short life and unsuitable for embroidery on the concubines' dresses.
It was because of these kinds of small things in the past that Sun Miaoqing was able to understand why Consort Xin was so happy just now.
Sun Miaoqing said, "My cosmetics shop will be opening soon. Only after I've aroused the sexual desire of those noblewomen can the business be even more prosperous after the opening."
Consort Xin said, "Your Majesty is the God of Wealth descended to earth. The business of your cosmetics shop will definitely be more than ten times better than that of the Honey Shop."
Sun Miaoqing said with a smile, "Sister Chengxin, your words are auspicious. If it is really that good, then I can rest assured."
Consort Xin said, "Your Majesty, you can rest assured, it will definitely be more, not less!"
"Besides these, there's also the matter of Consort Hua's family. Your Majesty should have heard that after Nian Gengyao returned to the capital, his old illness flared up, and the Emperor even specially sent the imperial physicians to treat him."
"I've heard this disease is quite serious; it even makes walking difficult. If it drags on any longer, it might turn into paralysis, and the rest of the life will be spent lying in bed."
"After this incident, Nian Gengyao directly submitted a letter to resign from his position as Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, as well as other positions with real power. He was left with only a noble title and a nominal post, and he refused to see anyone who came to visit him."
"After Consort Hua learned about her family's situation, she spent many days in tears. When the Emperor visited, she either pleaded with him to send a physician to treat her brother, or she expressed her distress and concern for her family, wanting to go back and visit them."
"The Emperor hasn't come to the inner palace for quite some time; he's been avoiding her!"
......
Consort Xin recounted the events of the past few days in vivid detail, especially the matter concerning Nian Shilan. She couldn't hide the smile on her lips; she was clearly gloating.
Sun Miaoqing thought to herself, given Hua Pangpang's usually fierce nature, she wondered how many people were laughing at her behind her back.
The more others kick her when she's down, the more unhappy she becomes, and the more Big Fat Orange feels sorry for her and guilty.
Besides, she knew perfectly well whether Nian Gengyao was actually ill. She just didn't know what else the brother and sister were planning besides retiring gracefully...
As soon as Xinbaji left, An Lingrong was dressed in a sky-blue dress, with a jade headdress and two strings of pearls and coral beads hanging on each side of her hair bun.
She walked in with a smile, carrying the accounts, clearly preparing to explain the cosmetics shop to Sun Miaoqing.
"Lingrong greets her elder sister."
"You're here, come and sit down."
An Lingrong moved gracefully to sit opposite Sun Miaoqing, placed the accounts on the table, and pushed them towards her.
"Sister Sun is finally back. Here are the accounts for the cosmetics shop during this period. The initial preparations are almost complete, but because of the example of Honey Shop, I think we still need to prepare more goods."
"Otherwise, they'll sell out in no time, which will delay business. Besides, winter is coming soon, and many flowers are either withered or not vibrant enough to make pretty rouge."
"So I'm thinking of opening the shop next spring. Do you think that's feasible, Sister Sun?"
Sun Miaoqing flipped through the accounts and thought about it carefully. Just as An Lingrong had said, the amount of rouge prepared in front of her was not much.
Actually, it's quite an achievement to prepare so many things in just a few days. We only started planning when we were actually staying at the Old Summer Palace to escape the summer heat.
When winter arrives, only plum blossoms are available in Beijing. If other flowers are desired, the only option is the hot spring palace in Xiaotangshan, where they can be cultivated using geothermal energy. However, this is not only costly but also insufficient in quantity.
For this business to last, a stable supply of fresh flowers is essential.
Sun Miaoqing said, "Let's do as you say. Good things come to those who are noblewomen. Let them wait a little longer."
An Lingrong said with a smile, "These noblewomen are not short of money. Thanks to the wife of Prince Zhuang and several other noblewomen, their perfumes have already spread throughout the noblewomen's circles in the capital."
"So many people have gone to great lengths to get to me. Even before Hengzhiju opened, people kept coming to my door, all asking about perfumes."
"I had them pay a deposit of two hundred taels of silver per bottle, just to reserve a spot. Once it's made, I'll deliver it to their residence as soon as possible."
"Sister Sun, look at these! They've all been paid for. It's only been a few days and there are already nearly a hundred. And most of them are orders of several bottles, or even twelve bottles at a time!"
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