Chapter 18 Does He Really Exist in Her Heart?
The next day, while Jiang Shiyao was still threading needles in the embroidery room, Shuangjiang arrived with the shopkeeper's wife.
On the embroidery frame is a Guanyin crown made from small pearls bought at Yubaolou last time.
"Greetings, Madam Jiang."
The shopkeeper, Madam Wen, entered with two maids.
The two maids each carried a tray, on which were the most fashionable ornaments in the capital at the moment.
Jiang Shiyao did not invite Wen Niangzi to the outer hall, but had Shuangjiang serve tea and snacks right there.
"Thank you for making this trip, madam, but this time I won't let you come for nothing."
Lady Wen had seen countless ladies and young misses from various households at the Jade Treasure Pavilion.
Yesterday, she noticed something wrong with the pearl at first glance and thought she had misjudged it.
After returning home, she finally understood what was going on; Jiang Niangzi must have switched the pearls back when she was unpacking them.
Such things are commonplace in grand mansions and mansions.
But none of that mattered to her; she was only concerned with making money.
"My lady, you're too kind. The excellent embroidery skills I saw yesterday are worth making two more trips."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on the embroidery frame again. "If I'm not mistaken, the pearls on these were all bought from Yubaolou last time."
"My wife has a wonderful idea; using pearls for embroidery has produced unexpected results."
Jiang Shiyao smiled and stood up to set up the embroidery frame.
Lady Wen was shocked.
The crown above is made of pearls, and the crown below is made of embroidered thread.
Two-sided image!
An idea formed in Wen Niangzi's mind.
If this double-sided design is used in jewelry, it appears as a gemstone from the front and embroidery from the back.
Such jewelry is one of a kind in all of Beijing!
"The shopkeeper's wife?"
Lady Wen came to her senses and said, "Lady Jiang is truly clever. Who would have thought of a double-sided image?"
Jiang Shiyao smiled and pursed her lips. "I only have time to think about these things when I have nothing else to do."
As she spoke, she turned her gaze to the tray in the maid's hands and changed the subject, "I'll let Fu'er choose for herself."
Lady Wen reluctantly looked away from the embroidery frame.
When Shuangjiang brought Fu'er in, she was slightly surprised, perhaps when she saw the jewelry.
Even when the Duke's most favored concubine, Consort Zheng, sent jewelry from Yubaolou, it wasn't this much.
Fu'er was childlike; she grabbed a rabbit pendant and wouldn't let go.
Lady Wen said, "There is a pair of these rabbit pendants. They can be attached to hair ribbons. The young lady is so lovely, and they would be just right to hang by her hair bun."
Children's hair is only styled in two buns, either wrapped with a hairband or adorned with a headdress.
Fu'er was only a concubine's daughter; wearing a crown would be too conspicuous and would also arouse Zhao's dissatisfaction.
Jiang Shiyao picked out five pairs of pendants for her daughter.
They have gold, jade, gemstones, and pearls.
It will be valuable even if it's put into a pawn shop later.
When Lady Wen saw that she hadn't chosen a headdress, she knew that Lady Wen was a person who knew her place.
He turned around and took a pair of white jade hairpins from the tray, which were not conspicuous.
"My lady is fair-skinned and beautiful. This jade hairpin, though simple, is made of rare and fine jade, and it is perfect for her."
Jiang Shiyao said, "Since the shopkeeper's wife has said so, let's keep it."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on a bracelet made of gold wire and inlaid with rubies.
"This bracelet is really beautiful."
With a smile, Madam Wen handed over the bracelet, saying, "Madam has excellent taste; this is a new product that our shop just released yesterday."
The headdress was simple, but the bracelet she chose was the most luxurious one.
He's someone who knows how to conceal his strengths.
Jiang Shiyao wore it on her hand; it was a bit heavy.
"Keep this one, and forget about the rest."
Lady Wen instructed her maid to put away the remaining jewelry.
She glanced at the embroidery frame again before slowly standing up. "If you need anything else, Madam, just send someone to Yubaolou to fetch you."
Jiang Shiyao smiled, "Of course, it's Frost's Descent, just seeing off the shopkeeper's wife."
Watching Wen Niangzi's departing figure, she touched the bracelet on her wrist.
Next time...
Next time, she's going to make money.
The two maids that Lady Wen brought with her were both embroiderers, so naturally she brought them along with the intention of secretly learning their skills.
However, after returning, the two tried many times but could not get the image to appear on both sides.
Looking at the pile of ruined jewelry, the newest one was barely acceptable.
But having already seen the good ones, how could this one possibly catch her eye?
Jiang Shiyao was entertaining Wen Niangzi in the embroidery room, deliberately letting her see it.
You can see it, but you can't steal it.
Only then can she take the initiative when negotiating the price later.
After Jiang Shiyao embroidered the image of Guanyin on both sides, she took it to Zhao Shi for inspection.
Zhao knew that she was good at embroidery; Granny Chang had praised her more than once in front of her back then.
When her eldest daughter got married, the mandarin duck fan she carried was embroidered by her.
Today, she gained a new appreciation for Jiang Shiyao's embroidery skills.
"It's a double-sided portrait!"
Zhao smiled and said, "I've long heard that the Empress Dowager is a devout Buddhist and goes to the imperial palace to practice Buddhism for a month every year."
"It is better to give gold and silver than to give Buddha."
She handed the unfinished embroidery to her mother with satisfaction, saying, "Not bad, you really put a lot of thought into it."
Then she changed the subject, "I heard that the manager of Yubaolou came a few days ago."
Jiang Shiyao immediately knelt down, understanding the situation.
Zhao's gaze swept over the jade hairpin in her hair, but it didn't catch her eye.
"Get up. Look at your stingy appearance. Xian'er has already given it to you. Do you think I'm afraid to take it back?"
She twirled the ring on her finger. "There was a misunderstanding in the old lady's courtyard, so we had to ask the shopkeeper's wife to come and determine if it was real or fake."
"I have so many pearls in this birthday gift. If I find any fakes mixed in, don't blame me for disregarding Xian'er's feelings."
Jiang Shiyao replied with trepidation, "This concubine dares not."
"All the pearls were purchased from Yubaolou, and the quantity and price are all recorded."
Seeing that the tapping was almost finished, Zhao said, "Alright, the Empress Dowager's birthday is approaching, hurry up and finish embroidering it."
"yes."
Jiang Shiyao returned to the courtyard with the embroidery, and the smile on her face finally faded.
Old Madam Zhou's birthday gifts had to go through Song Jiyun, who would only hand them over to other embroiderers or outside embroidery shops. Only after changing hands several times would she dare to tamper with them.
She personally handed over the birthday gifts for Madam Zhao, so naturally she couldn't tamper with them.
To make money from this, we need to find a different approach.
As Jiang Shiyao sat in front of the embroidery frame, a figure in vermilion robes suddenly strode in from the side doorway.
Jiang Shiyao turned around in surprise.
Zhou Congxian threw a book of notes in his hand in front of him.
"Is there anything you want to tell me?"
He didn't even have time to change out of his official robes.
Jiang Shiyao had no idea when she would regain such power to influence the court.
Upon seeing the contents of the note, she suddenly stood up!
"This is slander!!"
Song Yitang impeached the censor for having an affair with another man's concubine!
The other person didn't name names, but the document was already in front of her; what was there to misunderstand?
She wasn't sure if this would affect others, but for her, it was a dead end.
In her previous life, she was also falsely accused of adultery.
She hadn't even seen Zhou Congxian, so she had no way to refute his claims.
But now, Zhou Congxian was standing right in front of her.
Jiang Shiyao's hands trembled. "Has the young master come to interrogate me?"
Is it possible that in this life, he will personally drown himself in the pond?
Seeing her agitated state, Zhou Congxian blurted out, "Shouldn't I ask? If this memorial really reaches the imperial court, do you think you'd still be alive to waste your breath talking to me!"
"I'm asking you, when you said you'd take Fu'er to fly kites that day, was it really just about flying kites?!"
Jiang Shiyao pinched her palm, forcing herself to calm down.
She can't get hurt, otherwise Fu'er won't survive either!
“Last time at the White Horse Temple, I met Lord Liu, who recognized me as my brother’s sister.”
Zhou Congxian frowned. "White Horse Temple? Jiang Shiyao, how much more are you hiding from me?"
Jiang Shiyao looked up, "Wasn't it the Crown Prince who dragged me to the White Horse Temple? If you want to doubt someone, the Crown Prince should doubt himself first!"
Zhou Congxian gritted his teeth, "Then what's going on with this matter in this memorial?"
Jiang Shiyao said, "That day, after we finished flying the kite, I was eating wontons with Fu'er by the roadside when Lord Liu sat openly opposite me."
"He questioned the concubine about why she didn't acknowledge her brother, and he spoke up for her brother!"
"If Your Highness doesn't believe me, you can go ask at the wonton stall! Oh, and I also gave two bowls of wontons to two beggars by the roadside; you can go ask them there too!"
Jiang Shiyao couldn't help but tremble at the corners of her lips, the feeling of suffocation in the water from her previous life rushing back to her.
She and Fu'er had already died unjustly once.
Having finally been reborn, all she wanted was to struggle and escape!
Zhou Congxian knew that Jiang Shiyao had an older brother in her hometown, and it seemed that she sold herself into servitude because her brother and father were seriously ill.
My father didn't make it, and only my older brother was left in our hometown.
"What do you mean by not recognizing your brother? When did I ever stop you from acknowledging your family?"
Jiang Shiyao raised her reddened eyes, "Because my brother has been saving money to buy my freedom! He's waiting for me to come back!"
Zhou Congxian, "You...didn't you tell your brother?"
Jiang Shiyao's lips twitched slightly as she placed the note on the table.
“I have already explained it clearly. If you still don’t believe me, go and ask the person who was impeached.”
Her eyes were lowered slightly.
“My life is worthless, but I still have dignity. I don’t know if a secret rendezvous with a man can shake his will, but for him, it would be a catastrophe.”
Zhou Congxian's eyes turned slightly cold as he watched her avoid the topic.
"It is my fault that you suffer so much from being my concubine."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shiyao felt a barely perceptible tremor in her heart.
It looked as if something had cracked open.
After a moment, she raised the corners of her lips slightly, "Your Highness has misunderstood. It is an honor for me to become Your Highness's concubine. My brother is just a country bumpkin."
"Not worthy of your attention."
Zhou Congxian smiled instead of getting angry, his eyes already icy cold. "Good, very good."
Jiang Shiyao stopped looking at him and sat down in front of the embroidery frame. "I have already made it clear that the rumors of adultery are baseless. The handwriting on the letter is beautiful, and the young master knows who wrote it."
"The young master asked me simply to get an answer."
"I don't know if the answer will satisfy the prince, but I only ask for a clear explanation of my innocence."
Zhou Congxian strode out of the courtyard, his face full of anger.
"Give this letter to Song Yitang and hand it to him personally!"
Wei Xun took the note, looked at the prince's back, and scratched the back of his head.
Even the Crown Prince himself said that this person's methods of framing him were not sophisticated.
Why do I feel even angrier than before?
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