Spring flowers

Chapter 41 Princess Kang's Birthday Banquet

Wei Yishang caught up with him and bowed to the man in blue.

"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Yong."

She was wondering why the Prince of Yong, who was usually so sociable, had helped her now.

"No need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Ye Tanhua."

After speaking, the Prince of Yong got into his carriage, waved his hand, and dismissed his attendants.

As Wei Yishang watched the Prince of Yong's carriage depart, she pondered carefully: Why should she thank Ye Mingzhen? Could it be...?

She pondered the plot of the book carefully; it seemed a coup was about to happen, but she didn't know which prince would eventually ascend the throne.

A coup d'état? That's a massacre in the royal palace.

There is no kinship in the imperial family; for the sake of power, swords are wielded against even the closest of loved ones.

So, Ye Mingzhen sided with this eldest prince?
Wei Yishang couldn't help but feel a little worried.

The Emperor's will is currently unclear; if we choose the wrong master, the consequences could be dire.

She returned to the shop with trepidation, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.

"Miss! Someone's here!"

It was Cui'er. She brought a well-dressed young man. The young man looked a bit dull, but he seemed to be a well-bred and kind-hearted scion of a noble family.

The person who arrived was none other than Prince Xiaokang.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Wei Yishang calmly bowed.

“Miss Wei, you are a bit older than me, may I call you Fourth Sister?” Little Kang Wang was still the same as last time, wanting to be friends with Wei Yishang.

“Your Highness, I am just an illegitimate daughter from an ordinary official’s family. I am not worthy of being called ‘Your Highness’s Sister’,” Wei Yishang refused.

"But you're capable, I feel like you can protect me from the wind and rain," Xiao Kangwang said naively.

"Everyone's umbrella is their own; you can't rely on others." Wei Yishang asked Cui'er to set out a dessert.

"This is a Suhuang ball, have a taste."

These Suhuang balls have a crispy outer crust and a duck egg yolk filling, coated with honey powder, making them very sweet and delicious.

Xiao Kangwang took a bite and immediately gave it a thumbs up.

"Fourth sister, the pastries here are so delicious."

"Fine, since you want to call me that, then so be it." Seeing that he wouldn't change his way of addressing her, Wei Yishang went along with it.

Now is the peak season for business; all customers are welcome, so we shouldn't offend them unnecessarily.

"May I ask, Your Highness, what brings you here today?"

Seeing that he had been eating, Wei Yishang wanted to ask him the purpose of his visit.

“My mother heard that the clothes here are unusual, so she asked me to buy two pieces to take back and take a look.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Yishang realized that Princess Kang probably didn't really like it, but was just trying to find out and take the opportunity to join the other noble ladies in mocking her.

"Is your family having a banquet today?" Wei Yishang asked.

“Yes, how did you know? Fourth sister, you’re amazing.” Little Kangwang continued, “Today is Mother’s birthday, and many people have come.”

"understood."

Wei Yishang suddenly realized that this was a good opportunity for her clothing designs to go viral.

"I'll give you a few more items; take them back and show them to Princess Kang."

Wei Yishang instructed Cui'er to fetch the pills, and also had two boxes of Yuncheng Pills brought to her.

She wrapped the clothes up, handed them to Xiao Kangwang, and watched him leave.

"Miss, why did you choose those clothes?" Cui'er asked Wei Yishang.

"Princess Kang associates with prominent and noble ladies, and the styles of their clothes must be grand and elegant, so she chose grand styles. However, they are used to wearing those dignified colors in their daily lives, which are rather monotonous. Creative colors are more easily accepted."

Looking at all the designer clothes in the room, Cui'er already had some admiration for Wei Yishang, and now she admired her even more.

"Cui'er, I'll write a letter. Go and give it to Lord Ye."

Wei Yishang wanted to figure out what kind of person Ye Mingzhen was to the First Prince Yong, and how she could repay the favor she owed.

A few days later, rumors spread that Princess Kang had worn a Chun Chao Ji dress at her birthday banquet and looked stunning, prompting other noblewomen to follow suit. Orders to Wei Yishang's shop began to increase, while the existing stock gradually dwindled.

She set up a shed in the backyard, bought some weaving tools, and began hiring female workers.

Wei Yishang's compensation is among the highest in the industry, and the job description is clear, so many people come to apply.

The constant flow of people in the front hall boosted the morale of the textile workers in the backyard.

At this time, the story of the "Twelve Beauties of the Capital" about Chun Chao Ji's costumes was widely circulated in teahouses and taverns.

There was even a writer named "Dai Yu" whose novel "The Dream of the Red Chamber, Part One" began to circulate.

Every day, Wei Yishang would chat and laugh with the female workers in the backyard, spinning and weaving together, while leaving the affairs of the front hall to Granny An and Manager Liu.

Not only clothing, but also the "Yunyang Pill" is widely known.

This food won't give you diarrhea or make you hungry, but it will visibly make your figure more proportionate.

Free things can have amazing effects.

On this day, as soon as Xiang Sheng Ji opened its doors, the manager saw several employees looking out the door with worried expressions.

"You lot, get to work!" the shopkeeper snapped at them.

"Manager, everyone says that all the customers have gone to Chun Chao Ji, and there are far fewer people in our shop now."

The men were all listless.

"Spring Morning Chronicle is just a gimmick; it won't last long. Cheer up!"

Although that's what they say, the shopkeeper is well aware of how successful the business is over there.

He even dressed up as a woman to go see it.

Putting everything else aside, the price is really affordable.

Ordinary people find it excellent value for money when they buy it.

"We serve distinguished guests; who cares about those poor folks?" the shopkeeper consoled himself.

"However, their store has launched a home delivery service."

One of the guys said.

"What? Door-to-door service?"

The shopkeeper was puzzled: What is door-to-door service?

"It's like this: bring a bunch of suitable styles to the customer's home and let them choose. Apparently, each customer has points, and the door-to-door service is based on those points."

Another guy said.

The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. Wasn't this a strategy targeting high-spending customers?

It turns out that they weren't abandoning high-spending consumers; they simply had their own ways of coping.

"Shameless, despicable."

Although the shopkeeper said that, he was already a little confused.

Thinking that his shop was still the same as before, with its arrogant attitude and selective treatment of customers, the shopkeeper began to worry.

"I'll go and talk to the boss."

The shopkeeper took his water cup, left the shop, and headed towards a nearby teahouse.

His employer loved listening to music in the teahouse.

He was a round-faced boy with small eyes and rather thick lips. He wore a dark red brocade robe custom-made by Xiang Sheng Ji and carried a cinnabar dot.

"What's wrong?" the young man asked when he saw the shopkeeper rushing over.

Beside the boy sat two women, one playing the pipa, the other disheveled, revealing her snow-white neck, with one sleeve hanging down.

"Master, something terrible has happened." Seeing his master so calm, the shopkeeper was at a loss for words.

"You mean, Chun Chao Ji?" the young man asked the shopkeeper when he saw him stammering.

"Yes, what should we do?"

The shopkeeper looked on expectantly, hoping to hear the young man's good ideas.

(End of this chapter)