Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Me or Him—Who Will You Choose?
Ji Nishang walked into the embroidery workshop that Qu Fulan visited. Since she was a regular customer in the area, many embroideresses recognized her.
"What kind of clothes did that young lady in the soft fur brocade cape ask you to make?"
The person had just left not long ago, so the embroideresses naturally remembered. They replied, "She didn’t say what kind of clothes to make. She came in, looked at some of our completed embroidery, asked a few questions, and then left."
Ji Nishang frowned and pursued further, "What questions did she ask?"
The embroideress, seeing it was a familiar customer, didn’t hold back, "She asked how long it would take to complete the work after receiving the order, and about the pricing, among other things."
Ji Nishang, not hearing any useful answers, said, "If she comes again next time and makes some clothes, have someone inform me, and I will reward you generously."
It’s foolish not to take advantage of a good deal.
"Understood."
The winter hunt was to begin in a week, and before that, Qu Fulan had been busy rushing for the new business.
As for the Heir Pei, after being called away by the emperor last time, it seemed he was busy with some official duties and hadn’t been seen since.
But Madam Pei, she came to visit daily without fail, though she was really there for the food.
Qu Fulan said there was no need for her to come personally. She should send someone over to say what she wanted to eat, and it would be prepared and delivered to her.
However, Madam Pei insisted that delicious food should be eaten hot, and delaying even a little diminishes the taste.
Whenever Madam Pei visited, she would talk about some fresh matters. Women, after all, even those who like fighting, love gossip.
Qu Fulan learned from Madam Pei that the eldest princess initially did not have the hobby of keeping young men.
At that time, being naive and impulsive, she believed love was everything and devoted herself wholly to the Prince Consort, even to the point of humble flattery.
"Back then, we all felt something was amiss. Just a man, is it worth lowering oneself to please him? How does that saying go? Being too eager isn’t a trade, it’s foolishness. Didn’t this validate our words? That arrogant Prince Consort brought back another woman, saying he wanted to take her as a concubine, and asked the princess to help arrange things."
Qu Fulan hated hearing such stories as they easily stirred feelings of anger.
"And then what happened?"
"The princess was deeply hurt and despairing. She thought the Prince Consort was different from other men. She often praised his good conduct in front of us. The slap in the face came too suddenly, and after two days of silence, the princess executed that woman in front of the Prince Consort, and also sentenced him to fifty lashings. She stripped all the privileges of his family gained through office. The emperor had a good relationship with the princess, and when she pleaded, her demands were met within a day. That wretched Prince Consort was reduced to a mere existence, left alive so he could watch the princess keep young men one after another."
That sounded so satisfying. Truly, the princess exuded regal dignity. If it were another woman, she would have lived disgracefully.
Among the sisters now, Madam Pei believed men were for progeny, the princess thought men were for amusement, the husband of Princess Rui was impotent, so she scolded him daily. If not for the moral standards, she would have sought enjoyment outside long ago.
There’s no helping it; not everyone can have the rights of a princess.
As for Lady, she had so many spots on her face it led to her husband’s disdain. It was laughable; she hadn’t mocked him for one concubine after another. Isn’t he afraid a iron bar would turn into a needle?
When a few women gather together, they can say anything as dramatic as thunder rolling.
And it’s tough for Qu Fulan, a single maiden not yet married, being poisoned from initially being at a loss to becoming calm and composed. No matter how explicit their talk, she could remain unfazed.
They often gathered at the residence of the eldest princess since only there could they be unrestrained, not fearing offending elder relatives and without sister-in-law relations. It was a place exclusively for her, where she dictated everything.
Lately, the eldest princess was troubled by a pimple on her face and had refused to let any handsome man near her, for she couldn’t bear to be seen in an unideal state.
Princess Rui, on the other hand, complained of fatigue, her chest sagging somewhat, incomparable to younger ladies, no wonder the ghost in her house was always flirting with others, despicable!
And Lady felt like the sky was falling due to an increase in facial spots.
In truth, these women were just thirty-five or thirty-six years old. Ancient women married early, so their children had grown up, and they had become "middle-aged women" in others’ eyes.
Since Qu Fulan was knowledgeable in medicine, she returned home and made some ointment, planning to bring it to them next time.
After using it for a day or two, the effect was quite good. The pimple on the eldest princess’s face disappeared, and the spots on Lady’s face gradually lightened.
The group felt like they had discovered a treasure and asked her if she could make some cream—a kind to make one’s skin fairer and more tender.
Another business opportunity emerged for Qu Fulan.
On her way back, she diverted to visit the embroidery workshop.
As she passed by an embroidery workshop, she heard sounds of dispute from within.
"With this embroidery work, you’re offered quite a high price, yet you think it’s too little? Then go find someone else!" The shopkeeper finished speaking and called his assistants to chase the person away.
The woman, holding embroidery pieces in her hands, looked heartbroken and kept pleading, "Please, offer a bit more, I need the money urgently at home..."
"Who doesn’t need money urgently at home? If you don’t want to sell, just leave!"
The woman was rudely pushed out the door and fell in front of Qu Fulan’s carriage.
Qu Fulan had her maid go down to help the woman up.
Seeing she had stumbled into a noble’s carriage, the woman hurriedly wiped her tears, while apologizing and busying herself with picking up the embroidery that had fallen to the ground, looking very afraid.
Qu Fulan accidentally glanced and couldn’t help but feel amazed.
Although her needlework wasn’t particularly skilled, it didn’t prevent her from recognizing good embroidery work from others.
It’s like someone who can’t cook but can appreciate the taste of delicacies.
"Such bright and precise needlework. How much are you selling this embroidery for?" Qu Fulan lifted the curtain and asked.
The woman wore a confused expression but still softly stated an amount.
Qu Fulan raised her brows. In the embroidery workshops she visited in recent days, their needlework was inferior to the woman in front of her, and well-made pieces were also not cheap.
Yet this woman’s embroidery was priced so low.
After some understanding, Qu Fulan learned the reason: her family’s conditions were poor, with no connections to join an embroidery workshop, so she could only take on tasks at home to earn money, or make some embroidery to sell outside.
But those shop owners liked to exploit these low-status individuals, even though their embroidery skills were good, they kept the prices depressingly low.
"Here’s an idea, you do embroidery work for me, and I’ll pay you for it. How about that?"
Qu Fulan thought of this idea spontaneously. She couldn’t afford to run an embroidery workshop yet, but she could support one or two embroideresses.
Naturally, the woman was overjoyed by this favor.
Once the matter was settled, Qu Fulan felt especially good. Arriving at the doorstep, she heard a voice.
"What happened that makes you so happy?"
Qu Fulan looked over and saw it was the Heir Pei, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time.
Somes things were better left unthought, but once stray thoughts arose, they brought a slight feeling of unease.
Qu Fulan still calmly replied to his question, then asked, "Why did you come looking for me, Heir?"
Pei Ji’an approached Qu Fulan, stopping at a certain distance, slightly leaning close to her, "Tomorrow is the winter hunt. I came to ask, between me and Xiao Shiqing, who do you wish to see win?"
The underlying implication being, between me and him, who do you choose?