The next day, Qin Zhaoyue had a leisurely time.
I slept until I naturally woke up, and no one came to disturb me. It was so pleasant until nightfall...
The elusive Yin Zhe reappeared, saying, "The noblewoman from the Northwest Frontier will arrive tomorrow. Tell His Highness in advance to get up early."
She knew how grumpy this guy was in the morning, so it was best to give him a heads-up.
Qin Zhaoyue leaned lazily to one side, always looking like she had no bones.
"Hey~~~ Aren't there third and fourth older sisters? Why do I, an idle person, need to step in?"
Her two older sisters both held official positions in the imperial court and received regular salaries. What about her?
"Your Highnesses are naturally in charge of the mission, so there's no need for you to worry about these trivial matters."
This is somewhat insulting, implying that the Sixth Princess is not of high enough status and is only fit to receive unimportant people.
However, Qin Zhaoyue seemed completely oblivious to the sarcasm in his words, remaining calm and unmoved.
"I can't get up."
"Alright, His Majesty's decree is that if we do not receive guests tomorrow, then please invite the Sixth Prince to court."
"Don't try to fool me with that. His Majesty is so busy with state affairs, he has no time to care about me."
The veiled woman curled her lips slightly. As the saying goes, no one knows a daughter better than her mother. She immediately took out an imperial edict from her sleeve.
Qin Zhaoyue's eyes widened like saucers. There really was an imperial edict?!
Undeterred, she unfolded the scroll and found only one sentence.
"Entertain the daughter of a nobleman from the borderlands, or get out of here and come to court."
Qin Zhaoyue: ……
Tsk, for a dignified empress, such impolite wording.
And another thing, is this trivial matter really worth writing an imperial edict for? What a waste of time.
"Fine, I'll go, okay?"
Rather than getting up at three in the morning, Qin Zhaoyue chose to do the reception work.
Yin Zhe sighed; she knew it.
"I suggest that Your Highness take this seriously, as His Majesty has prepared an excellent deal for you later."
Qin Zhaoyue's eyes lit up instantly, and she almost did a somersault.
"What kind of business? Is it...very profitable?"
Yin Zhe nodded reservedly, "It's not the right time yet."
Qin Zhaoyue spat, "I hate people like you who are full of riddles. Why can't you just lay everything out on the table?"
Yin Zhe wasn't angry. "I've delivered the message. As for how to do it... Your Highness can decide for yourself. Anyway, if you do it well, you'll definitely earn a lot."
Qin Zhaoyue wondered to herself, what kind of deal could it be?
Although she did not participate in politics, she could roughly guess that the treasury was probably not abundant.
Disaster relief is one aspect, but the subsequent reinforcement and reconstruction of dams will definitely be a considerable expense.
It's understandable that His Majesty would try to make money.
But why didn't she believe it when I offered to take her along and let her have a share?
Trying to pry open Yin Zhe's mouth is nothing short of a pipe dream, so Qin Zhaoyue can only wait and see.
The following day, at the second quarter of the hour of Yin (3:45 AM), in Xianyun County, which is near Fengjing.
The eastern horizon was just beginning to lighten with a crab-shell blue hue, and the green-tiled eaves were still shrouded in thick fog.
Two dim, gloomy lamps hung beneath the black lacquered plaque of the pharmacy, their shadows swirling with fine dust particles.
Manager Wang paced back and forth, clutching the invoice, a few specks of medicine dregs splattering onto the tips of his deerskin boots.
Be careful!
He suddenly stopped and watched as the workers piled several boxes of blood-staining herbs onto the cart.
The thick hemp rope made a teeth-grinding creaking sound as it cut into the wooden box, and the gray donkey tied to the side of the cart snorted, its iron paws scratching several white marks on the bluestone slab.
Shopkeeper Wang is kind-hearted; he doesn't charge his fellow villagers for medical treatment, and the medicines are also reasonably priced.
Many of those who encountered difficulties had outstanding debts, accumulating a thick stack of ledgers, yet he never seemed to collect the debts.
The pharmacies in the county weren't making much money, so they looked for another way.
Because of his good deeds, people from all around would send him good medicine.
He would process the older, better-quality medicinal herbs and sell them to Fengjing City from time to time.
The mist, carrying the bitter fragrance, drifted over the threshold. Besides Manager Wang and his servant, there were especially many villagers present today, for there was another important matter at hand.
"Hey, Old Chen, don't do it."
The villagers who were helping quickly stopped the limping old Chen from getting involved.
"It'll only be a short while, please have a seat first."
Old Chen felt ashamed, but he couldn't resist the warmth of his neighbors.
He wanted to lend a hand, but instead, the other person moved a bench for him, and he sat down on the side of the shop entrance.
Having gotten up too early, the youngest son, Liu Ge'er, tried hard to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Leaning against her father, her little head began to nod off.
Chen Yu stood to the side, carrying a huge package on her back, almost half her height.
Dewdrops from the eaves fell right in front of her. She looked down at the spreading watermarks, lost in thought.
The three family members remained silent, waiting quietly for the truck to be loaded.
A short while later, the servant clapped his hands and said, "Alright, manager, load everything onto the cart."
"Check it carefully, lest we break up halfway."
"Don't worry, I've checked it three times, there's absolutely nothing wrong."
Old Chen quickly got up, and Chen Yu, who was closest to him, subconsciously took a step closer and supported his arm.
After stopping, he bowed deeply to Manager Wang and said, "I'll trouble Manager Wang to take care of my daughter, Yu-jie, on this trip."
Shopkeeper Wang quickly took two steps forward and helped him up, saying, "It was just a coincidence, don't worry about it."
"Yes, Lao Wang, everyone has watched Yu Jie grow up, so you have to take good care of her."
"That's right. The autumn dew is heavy, so we can't let Sister Yu catch a cold. We must make sure she's safe and sound when she goes to the exam."
Another boy shouted, "Uncle Wang, if I find any good medicine on the mountain, I'll definitely send it to you whole, roots and all."
Shopkeeper Wang gave him a flick on the forehead, annoyed. "You brat, why are you getting involved?"
He clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, facing all four directions.
"Please rest assured, everyone. Even if things go wrong, I won't ruin my own reputation."
"Is it alright if I guarantee that Sister Yu will go to the examination hall healthy and in good spirits?"
"That makes more sense."
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