In just a short while, Helian Chaolu was already overwhelmed by the choices.
She never imagined that such a small rouge box could have so many exquisite designs.
I picked them up one by one and couldn't put them down.
She is indeed a daughter of the grasslands, but she loves both hunting attire and feminine makeup.
Frontier nobles faced severe restrictions, and their own smelting technology was even more limited.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible for even gold ingots to be imperfectly round, with pits and bumps that make them unappealing.
The hairpins and ornaments she wore were bought from merchants in the Central Plains at great expense.
These rouge boxes, whether luxurious or whimsical, only cost thirty or fifty taels of silver!
Each one costs three to five taels of gold; what's the difference between that and giving them away for free?
Helian Chaolu was filled with hatred. Those merchants dared to sell her a box of the most ordinary rouge for ten taels of gold!
I want this, I want that, and there's that, that, and that...
Buy, buy, buy!
Qin Zhaoyue was overjoyed to see the scene of people going on a shopping spree.
Try your best not to give yourself away, after all, this is just a small appetizer.
The style of the goods sold at Qizhen Pavilion is reflected in the store's name.
One is "strange", and the other is "precious".
What is considered unusual is that his family has something that other families don't.
Take rouge for example. Needless to say, the color is excellent, and we even hired a master perfumer with many years of experience.
One is to add a unique scent, and the other is to create a complex fragrance, emphasizing the changes in top and base notes.
Qin Zhaoyue provided the general direction, and then the shopkeeper handled the details.
In addition, all the rouge boxes in the store are independently designed, with the design rights purchased.
Helian Chaolu had limited knowledge and could only feel that it was exquisite and unparalleled, but she couldn't explain exactly why it was so good.
Selling it to her would be a bit like a cow chewing a peony, but who would turn down gold?
In her shopping spree mode, Helian Chaolu almost emptied the entire floor of the booth that was filled with women's trinkets, exclaiming how satisfying it was.
“Princess, the place you recommended is really great. I’ve never seen any of these things before.”
Qin Zhaoyue simply nodded reservedly, "This is only the first level; there are many more above."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go up there quickly."
He rushed to the stairwell with great enthusiasm, only to be politely stopped by the servant guarding the place. Upon asking, he learned that he needed a qualification to go upstairs.
The items on the first floor were relatively cheaper, and Helian Chaolu looked down on the men's belongings, not having yet saved up the minimum of ten thousand taels.
It's just spending money, what's so difficult about that?
Helian Chaolu immediately wanted to buy everything below, but Qin Zhaoyue stopped her.
He took out a jade identity token from his pocket and showed it to the servant.
The servant's eyes widened instantly, and he gasped.
He placed his hands on his abdomen, bowed deeply, and said, "Welcome, distinguished guest."
Each floor of the Qizhen Pavilion has a different design for the identity tokens, and the manager has provided training on this.
The esteemed guest before them held a token of the highest rank, unique in its own right.
The shopkeeper's introduction at the time consisted of only one sentence: "Whoever produces this token will have all the rules of Qizhen Pavilion become meaningless."
Qin Zhaoyue walked upstairs with her head held high, and Helian Chaolu followed closely behind, acting like a little fangirl.
The second-tier boutique items, starting at a thousand taels, are all of the same level as the gold filigree and gem-inlaid Kalavinka hairpin that Zheng Huiyin bought at a high price.
Seven of the booths featured women's items, and Helian Chaolu found each one to be better than her finest jewelry.
But then an embarrassing thing happened: she hadn't brought enough gold.
There were no large-scale money exchange bureaus in the Northwest Frontier, and there were no banknotes at all.
And with gold weighing her down, she couldn't possibly carry a suitcase with her at all times.
Just then, the thoughtful young lady Qin Zhaoyue keenly noticed the little girl's embarrassment.
"Take whatever you need. I can pay for it on your behalf. You can repay me with gold of equal value when you return to the inn."
As she spoke, she waved her hand and instructed her servant, "Put everything on the books from now on, and pay it all at once at the end."
"Yes!" the servant replied respectfully.
According to the shopkeeper, you can take everything without paying, let alone keep a record of it.
Helian Chaolu beamed with joy, "Really? Then I'll have to trouble you, Princess."
Qin Zhaoyue waved her hand, completely unconcerned.
Next, Helian Chaolu continued her shopping spree.
The second floor contains all the jewelry, the third floor contains complete sets of headdresses and ornaments, the fourth floor contains gemstones and jade artifacts, and so on up to the fifth floor.
There are only three exhibits, two of which are a gold-inlaid agate cup with an animal head and a nine-colored glass screen.
These two items are the only two valuable possessions that the Sixth Princess's household can boast about, both starting at 100,000 taels of silver.
Qin Zhaoyue set the rules as a blind auction, and the price listed was just the starting price.
However, no guests have obtained the identity tokens for the fifth floor yet, so there has been no auction.
Besides these two items, there was a newly hung calligraphy piece.
Helian Chaolu had high expectations, but... that's it?
The nine-colored glass screen was translucent and exquisite, but such a large item was difficult to transport back, and she had nowhere to put it.
The cup was carved from a single piece of rare red agate, with a gold animal head inlaid at the rim and gemstones embedded in its eyes.
It looks good, but it would cost 100,000 taels of silver. Helian Chaolu isn't that wasteful.
They bought so much stuff but it didn't even amount to 30,000 taels; it's not worth it.
As for the last piece of calligraphy, I glanced at it and then looked away.
"Princess, is there any more upstairs?"
Qin Zhaoyue patted the back of her hand. "No rush, let's take a look at this calligraphy first."
Helian Chaolu knew that anything placed here must be extraordinary, but she had absolutely no interest in it.
Out of politeness, I still went closer to take a look.
Hmm, it's well written. The visit is over, but I was a little surprised.
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