Chapter 250: Chapter 250: Meticulous Care
A single phrase of willingness blocked Qu Fulan’s thousands of words.
She didn’t know what to say.
She didn’t know what charm she had to attract him.
But he was right, whether it’s worth it or not is up to him.
Unless his affection for her became a bother, something she repelled and resented, which she could overturn without hesitation.
But no, she didn’t dislike him, nor did she resist being with him.
It’s just that when he was good to her, she felt undeserving, because she couldn’t reciprocate.
At least not now, and as for the future, she had no idea.
Don’t overthink things you don’t know about, let it be, after all, overthinking is useless.
In the days that followed, Qu Fulan’s shop was renovated and named: Tingyu Workshop.
The so-called ’graceful and poised’ is the best state of the body, and her lingerie aims to showcase this effect.
A purely new shop with an entirely new product line, naturally, had no customer traffic.
Qu Fulan wasn’t in a hurry either.
Once a bullet is fired, you have to let it fly for a while.
It happened that the Grand Princess’s lingerie had arrived, and after putting on a well-fitted bra, she stood tall, and upon dressing up, immediately felt an air of pride and confidence.
The Grand Princess entered the palace and specifically swayed before Consort Zhang multiple times, promenading, the prominent areas were dazzling.
The women in the palace sometimes needed to wrap the chest layer upon layer to achieve a proud and upright effect. Tight wrapping prevented sagging and helped achieve the desired effect.
But that was too cumbersome, and the layers of fabric made it stifling. More importantly, if the Emperor was in a playful mood, would he patiently untie it layer by layer?
So, they occasionally wrapped up during competitions for beauty, but most of the time, they’d just wear a simple bellyband underneath.
That obviously didn’t compare to the effect of the Grand Princess wearing lingerie.
It could be said that Consort Zhang’s eyes couldn’t move away from the proud aspect of the Grand Princess.
Then she couldn’t help but scoff, wondering how many layers of fabric were wound underneath to achieve such an effect. Didn’t it feel constrictive?
Consort Zhang intentionally tried to embarrass the Grand Princess, having a maid spill tea on her clothes "accidentally," which required a change of outfits, surely dismantling the wrapped fabric inside, right?
After all, this was in the palace, and the Grand Princess would get assistance from palace maids, definitely exposing something.
Unless the Grand Princess carried extra fabric to wrap up outside, which would be time-consuming and labor-intensive. That would make for a good joke.
Or if she wasn’t wrapping fabric and just wore a bellyband inside, the contrast would be too stark, causing more laughter.
Yet the Grand Princess changed with normal speed, and surprisingly, there was no difference from the start?
Consort Zhang couldn’t remain calm.
How did she manage that?
Consort Zhang didn’t believe it was natural. Unless there was nothing there, anybody with something, it wouldn’t be so perky, would it?
One could say, during this palace visit, the Grand Princess strutted her stuff before Consort Zhang.
Then she wandered into the Empress’s palace.
Not to flaunt in front of the Empress, the Grand Princess had some sentiment with her. After all, before her brother ascended the throne, the Empress was the only legitimate wife, and the Grand Princess had a good relationship with her sister-in-law back then.
However, now both the Empress and the Emperor had aged. The Emperor could have three thousand beauties in his harem, each younger than the last. Even though the Empress still had charm, she couldn’t compare to the younger ones.
The Grand Princess directly gifted the Empress a small garment (lingerie).
The Empress wasn’t initially interested, but after hearing the Grand Princess explain its effects, and witnessing the results herself, she was naturally tempted.
It was said that in the following days, the Emperor frequently visited the Empress’s palace.
Consort Zhang was so enraged she was grinding her teeth. She again questioned the maid who had attended the Grand Princess changing, but that maid wasn’t close enough to serve her personally and only watched from afar.
The maid said, "I saw the Grand Princess seemed to pick up a black garment, not quite like a bellyband or a piece of clothing, just a few pieces of fabric put on, but I have no idea what it was."
"Useless thing!"
The Grand Princess didn’t intentionally promote Qu Fulan, not because she didn’t want to, because as a princess, she never had to worry about money, so why bother thinking so much? She just wanted to show off.
Then such matters uncontrollably spread among the circle of noblewomen.
Everyone praised the type of clothing the Grand Princess wore to the skies.
They said once you wear such clothing, women become girls again.
Some even claimed it could "turn decay into magic," turning unimpressive pieces of flesh into something wonderful.
More exaggerated claims said once put on, men would be unable to leave.
Anyway, people began inquiring about such treasures. Such good things couldn’t possibly be had by the Grand Princess alone.
Due to the Grand Princess’s arrogance, she was unapproachable for most.
Though Madam Pei was affable, she had limited mobility, rarely visiting others besides a few familiar friends, so naturally, others didn’t know she had such clothing too.
That left Lady and Princess Rui, who enjoyed socializing.
Seeing their appearance prompted questions, and such matters needn’t be concealed, especially with those who weren’t close, so they disclosed.
"It was ordered from a cousin at Pei Mansion, who has now opened a shop, located at... you can go and see."
Visiting was a certainty, so these ladies went to check one after another.
Unfortunately, Qu Fulan herself was invited into the palace by the Empress.
Meanwhile, the shop had tailors who could measure the clients and make garments on the spot, requiring an advance deposit and settling the rest upon delivery.
Qu Fulan was internally nervous going to the palace to meet the Empress for the first time.
Previously, during the winter hunt, the Empress wasn’t present due to illness, so she hadn’t seen the Empress nor did she know her temperament, and she went alone.
After all, the Grand Princess had already unconsciously promoted her. Depending on them for everything wouldn’t do, and she had no means to have the Princess or Madam Pei accompany her into the palace.
However, the carriage stopped at the palace gates, where she expected a word with the guards, only to hear a eunuch’s voice, "Greetings to Heir Pei."
"I heard the Empress ordered my cousin to the palace, and I feared her being shy and unfamiliar with rules might offend Her Majesty, so I came to offer advice. I hope you can grant this courtesy," Pei Ji’an said, casting a glance at his attendant, who promptly went up to present a pouch of money.
"Certainly, certainly, Young Master, please proceed," the eunuch said, laughing with his eyes nearly vanishing.
Even without the bribe, he wouldn’t dare stop the Princely Heir.
When Heir Pei lifted the curtain and came in, Qu Fulan, feeling somewhat nervous, inexplicably calmed down.