Cangyuan had no idea what Cangzhu was thinking. After eating the candied fruit and drinking water, he managed to suppress the bitterness in his mouth.
"Then you should rest well. I have other things to do, so I'll leave first. If you need anything, just let them know, and they will do their best to meet your needs."
After chatting for a while, Qu Qingxi stood up and prepared to leave.
Cang Yuan simply nodded at Qu Qingxi, listening attentively to every word she said.
After returning from Cangyuan, Qu Qingxi looked at the weather outside and suddenly felt like going out for a walk.
Without further ado, Qu Qingxi, along with Qingdai and Zhang Xueliu, boarded a carriage and headed towards the street. Today, Qu Qingxi simply instructed Qingdai to choose a relatively inconspicuous carriage.
Qu Qingxi wanted to go out for a stroll, but she didn't want to be too high-profile, lest she cause any more trouble.
But being born in the capital, there are some things that you can't avoid just by wanting to.
Qu Qingxi walked into a clothing store, hoping to see if there were any nice clothes. Unexpectedly, she ran into an unexpected person there: Xu Ding's wife, Madam Xu.
Madam Xu was selecting fabrics with her maids when a sharp-eyed maid spotted Qu Qingxi and quickly informed Madam Xu. Madam Xu didn't react and continued looking at the fabrics in her hands.
As soon as Qu Qingxi entered the store, she unconsciously observed everyone inside and naturally noticed Madam Xu.
In fact, Madam Xu was anything but low-key. She wore clothes made of luxurious fabrics, adorned with exquisite pearl hairpins, and was surrounded by a large group of servants. Even the shopkeeper was all smiles as he surrounded Madam Xu.
Qu Qingxi simply lowered her head and smiled faintly, without saying anything. She casually picked up a piece of fabric from the side and began to examine it. Qu Qingxi didn't know what kind of fabric it was; the color wasn't very bright, but it felt very soft to the touch.
Just then, a young girl came over and, seeing Qu Qingxi touching the fabric, enthusiastically introduced it, "Madam, what you're holding is called Su Luo Sha, which is a very fashionable fabric right now. Although the color isn't bright, the fabric is soft and very comfortable to wear."
This young girl was also a embroiderer in this clothing store, but she had only been there for a short time. When the others saw Madam Xu come in, they all pushed her aside and ran to Madam Xu to curry favor with her.
"Are you an embroiderer here?" Qu Qingxi glanced at the young girl and asked casually.
"Yes."
"How much does this piece of cloth cost?"
"Madam, plain silk gauze costs one foot and one tael of silver."
"Do you like it?" Qu Qingxi turned to look at Qingdai and Zhang Xueliu.
"Madam, I also think it's very nice. The most important thing about clothes is comfort." Qingdai was also quite interested. Seeing that Qu Qingxi liked it, she also picked up a piece of plain silk gauze from the side.
Zhang Xueliu naturally noticed Madam Xu's presence. She lowered her head, simply smiled and nodded, but did not speak.
Madam Xu was unaware that Zhang Xueliu was an undercover agent sent by Xu Ding to the Prince of Nanqing's mansion. Moreover, Zhang Xueliu had unintentionally offended Madam Xu when she was at the Xu mansion before, so the two did not have a good relationship. Zhang Xueliu just wanted to keep a low profile and not have any conflicts with the Xu family here.
Qu Qingxi glanced at her without saying anything, then looked at the young embroiderer and said, "Wrap up both of these bolts of cloth for me."
"Alright." The embroiderer hadn't expected Qu Qingxi to buy so much, and without even haggling. She wanted to confirm again whether Qu Qingxi really wanted to buy so much, but she also noticed that although Qu Qingxi's clothes were simple and elegant, they were made of excellent material.
Moreover, the clothes worn by the two maids behind her were also quite nice; they must be the wives of some wealthy officials in the capital. They looked very rich, so there was no need to ask her if she really wanted to take so much.
Qingdai followed the embroiderer, paid the money, and then she and Zhang Xueliu each stood behind Qu Qingxi, carrying a bolt of cloth.
The clothes in this store are quite nice. After buying the plain silk gauze, Qu Qingxi looked at the other clothes hanging next to her, and their styles and designs were also very good.
"Who embroidered this dress?" Qu Qingxi asked, pointing to a light green dress in front of her.
"Madam, this piece was embroidered by me." The young embroiderer became even more enthusiastic when she saw that Qu Qingxi had bought two bolts of cloth without saying a word.
"You don't look very old, but the embroidery is quite good." Qu Qingxi noticed that the stitches on the clothes were very neat and fine; you really couldn't tell anything unless you looked closely.
Hearing Qu Qingxi praise her, the young embroiderer felt a little embarrassed, her face flushed slightly, and she said proudly, "Madam is too kind. Although I am young, only thirteen years old this year, I have been learning embroidery from my mother since I was six years old."
Upon hearing this, Qu Qingxi turned her head and glanced at the young embroiderer with slight surprise. She hadn't expected that the young embroiderer was only thirteen years old and had started learning embroidery at the age of six. It seemed that the young embroiderer's family situation was not very good.
"I think your embroidery skills are quite good. Why don't you make three sets of clothes for us?"
“Yes, Madam, please come upstairs with me to take your measurements.” When the young embroiderer heard that Qu Qingxi actually wanted her to make three dresses, her eyes lit up immediately. If the three plain silk dresses were made, she could get two taels of silver. Her monthly wages were less than one tael of silver.
Qu Qingxi and the other two followed them up to the second floor, took their measurements, and handed both bolts of cloth to the young embroiderer.
After taking the measurements, Qu Qingxi was about to lead Qingdai and Zhang Xueliu downstairs when she saw Madam Xu walking upstairs.
Both groups of people stood on the stairs, one on top and one on the bottom.
Before Madam Xu could speak, the clothing store owner beside her immediately glared at Qu Qingxi standing above, "Whose wife are you? Didn't you see Madam Xu was about to go up? How dare you block Madam Xu's way?"
Qu Qingxi didn't even glance at the ingratiating shopkeeper, but instead looked directly at Madam Xu.
In terms of status and rank, she was a princess, while Madam Xu was merely a second-rank noblewoman. It was one thing for her not to bow to her, but she actually stood there refusing to give way.
This wasn't Qu Qingxi being unreasonable. If the person in front of her didn't know her, she definitely wouldn't have said anything. But Madam Xu clearly knew her, yet she still did this, which meant she didn't respect her.
"Madam Xu, you have quite the airs! You actually dare to make the Princess make way for you?" Qingdai looked coldly at Madam Xu standing below.
She had served the prince for many years, and the prince had always been at odds with the Xu family. Now that Madam Xu had run into her hands again, if she dared to disrespect the princess, then she shouldn't blame her for being impolite.
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