Cheng Ying was summoned, and Liang Jiugong led the two to the Qianqing Palace.
Emperor Kangxi placed face cream, rouge, face powder, and other similar items in front of the two women.
Everything was placed in specially made boxes, mostly porcelain boxes. This was a habit that Youqing had developed unintentionally. She thought porcelain was beautiful and couldn't help but use it as a container.
Upon seeing the somewhat familiar porcelain box, a flicker of emotion crossed Cheng Ying's and Sang Zhu's eyes.
Kangxi said, "Open it and take a look."
The two opened the porcelain boxes, picked up the contents, and smelled them. They were familiar, all too familiar.
Both of them stared wide-eyed.
Although Youqing was making face cream and other things in front of them, they didn't write down the recipes, especially the face cream. Chengying felt that the powder cream looked somewhat familiar. Youqing had made it once before, but she didn't name it or use it much at the time.
Seeing their expressions, Kangxi became even more certain of his guess.
"You've served Consort Shu before, do these things look familiar?"
The two women looked at each other, neither daring to speak. They were familiar with each other, but they didn't quite understand what Kangxi meant by those words.
“In a small county town called Sanbo in Yunnan, there is a businesswoman named You Qing. She is the one who orchestrated all of this.”
Both of them looked surprised upon hearing this, but compared to Cheng Ying's complete surprise, Sang Zhu's surprise also carried a hint of understanding.
Kangxi glanced at the expressions of the two men, looked at Sangzhu, and said nothing more.
What are your thoughts?
The two exchanged a glance, and Cheng Ying spoke up: "Your Majesty, do you suspect that the Empress is not dead?"
Emperor Kangxi nodded.
When Sangzhu and Chengying came out of the Qianqing Palace, they both felt like they were in a dream. Although Sangzhu had guessed, she was not sure if her guess was correct. Now, seeing those familiar things only confirmed her guess.
It's a good thing that our master didn't die.
Back at Yongshou Palace, Chengying asked in a daze, "Why did Master choose this method to escape from the palace?"
Furthermore, she personally confirmed that her master had no breath left, and that her coffin had been left unburied for several days in front of everyone.
It all feels too fantastical.
Although Sangzhu didn't know the details, she knew that her mistress was a fairy who had descended to earth to undergo tribulation. She was uncomfortable living in the palace and had escaped. Surely, she had many divine friends to help her.
Chengying's question was destined to remain unanswered.
When it was basically confirmed that You Qing of Yunnan was You Qing, Kangxi's feelings were extremely complicated.
For an emperor, the escape of his concubines was hardly a glorious affair, and it certainly didn't bring him any good reputation.
He should have been angry, but the thought that she was not dead filled him with a sense of joy at having her back.
Having had it but not cherishing it, only realizing its importance after losing it, and now having it back—that feeling is indescribably bittersweet.
Kangxi now wishes he could fly to Sanbo County immediately, tie up Youqing, shrink her to a tiny size, and keep her in his pocket at all times so he could watch over her constantly.
He just couldn't go there right away.
Yunnan was the southernmost province of the Qing Dynasty, while the capital was in the north, thousands of miles apart. With so many things to do in the capital, he couldn't just leave whenever he wanted.
There's no way to bring them back from Yunnan this year, at least not this year.
That night, Kangxi did not sleep a wink. Just like the days when he first learned of Youqing's death, he thought a lot. He considered sending someone to bring Youqing back, but when he thought of her mysterious methods and how she was able to escape from the palace in full view of everyone, he was afraid that she would escape again and he would not be able to find her.
After careful consideration, Kangxi realized that Youqing had such great abilities, yet she chose to escape when he was not in the capital. He guessed that she was afraid that his anger would implicate the people around her. In this light, she was a person who valued relationships.
She values relationships and is kind; the worst thing is if she has no weaknesses whatsoever.
Emperor Kangxi summoned two secret guards and ordered them to keep an eye on things in Yunnan. If time allowed, he planned to personally visit Yunnan in early spring of the following year.
The Youqing skincare products business in Sanbo County is booming, with shops opening one after another, and shops also opening in the prefectural city and the county seat.
You Qing naturally made a fortune.
After a while, she received a notice from the Shen family that Shen Jia'an's eldest son, Shen Yuzhe, was getting married.
As the richest man in Sanbo County, Youqing couldn't miss this wedding banquet.
Youqing was quite interested in this; since arriving in the Qing Dynasty, she had never seen what a wedding was like!
"Lord Shen, congratulations! Congratulations!"
Shen Jia'an was overjoyed. His son's marriage meant that he would become a grandfather in a few years, marking a new stage in his life.
"Young Master You has arrived, please come in."
Shen Jia'an called for someone to quickly attend to Youqing, and then continued to busy himself with greeting the guests.
In ancient times, people valued a lively atmosphere; for weddings and funerals, the more people, the better.
Youqing followed the Shen family's butler to the guest seating area in the front yard, where everyone came over to greet her.
Although Youqing is just a businesswoman now, her business is big and she has a good relationship with Shen Jia'an, the county magistrate. This gives her a voice at this banquet, and many people are eager to curry favor with her.
"Young Master You has arrived."
A stranger spoke to Youqing, and Youqing politely replied, "You've come too."
"Young Master You is a promising young man; is he yet married?"
You Qingli is from out of town, and they don't know much about her situation.
“My parents took a concubine when they were alive. Now that they are both dead, I plan to venture out into the world. The concubine was frail, so I let her go back,” Youqing said with a smile.
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