The cruel little princess

The lively and busy day passed quickly. After counting with the help of Zeng Bo and others, the shop made a total net profit of 385 taels and 6 coins of silver today! In addition, they received more than 50 orders for medicinal meals to be delivered from various households! Zeng Bo was shocked and speechless! He thought this was just a shop for little girls to kill time and have fun, but he didn’t expect it to be a golden hen that lays eggs! The money earned today was almost as much as the general’s salary for nearly a year before he was promoted! No wonder the young lady said that she would not have to worry about anything in the future with her in the capital! The young lady is really amazing!

After the cooks had finished cleaning up and the shop closed, everyone went back home, had a simple dinner, quickly washed up, and lay down on the bed, feeling tired, and fell into a sweet dream.

Shen Youyou didn't even know when His Royal Highness Prince Jin came and left, which showed that she was really tired! His Royal Highness Prince Jin stood blankly by the bed, greedily looking at her sleeping face. He had never seen such a beautiful woman. Her skin was as white as snow, with a hint of pink; her long eyelashes trembled slightly like butterfly wings, as if she would wake up at any time; her lips were slightly raised, as if she was having a sweet dream. His Royal Highness Prince Jin couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke her face, feeling the silky and delicate touch. He knew he shouldn't do this, but he couldn't control his love and desire for this woman. He sat quietly by the bed, watching her every move and every breath, his heart filled with tenderness and love. His whole body was longing for more!

But His Royal Highness Prince Jin quickly regained his composure. He suppressed his inner restlessness and went back to the outer room to lie down on the Arhat couch. Although he had taken the same spices from here as Shen Youyou, no matter how hard he tried, he could not fall asleep as quickly as he did here. Even when he was lying on the bed in the palace and lighting the spices, he would still stay awake until the middle of the night and still not feel sleepy. It was not until he ran here that he could fall asleep. Could it be that his cousin's words were true: "Home is where the heart is"? Only when she was with him could he feel at ease and fall asleep?

His Royal Highness Prince Jin fell asleep quickly, still puzzled.

Shen Youyou was busy with the shop during the day for several days in a row, and after returning home at night, she would count the accounts under the lamp. Every day, she would bring back large sums of silver and register them in the warehouse. In just a few days, she had more than five thousand taels! She planned to keep two thousand taels of silver to continue purchasing medicinal herbs and other raw materials, and save the rest and exchange them for silver notes. She would find a chance to give it to Uncle Zeng and ask him to send some silver to the people her father had been helping. After all, the Chinese New Year was about to come in a month, and it was a time when the family needed money. In addition, she saw that the weather had been bad these days, and it seemed that it would rain or snow. If that was true, the house would have to prepare more firewood and silver charcoal.

The next morning, the sky remained gloomy, and it looked as if snow would fall at any moment. Shen Youyou woke up early and looked out the window, feeling a little worried. She knew that if it snowed that morning, the roads would become muddy and difficult to travel. However, she decided to go out on horseback as planned, after all, she had many things she needed to attend to personally.

Just as she was about to go out, Zeng Bo walked in. Seeing Shen Youyou's expression, he said with concern: "Miss, the weather doesn't look good. I'm afraid it's going to rain or snow. Why don't you stay at home today? It's so cold. What if you catch a cold?"

Shen Youyou smiled and said to Uncle Zeng, "Uncle Zeng, you've arrived just in time! I was just looking for you!" Then, she turned and walked into the room, pulled out a stack of banknotes from a drawer, and carefully placed them on the table. "Uncle Zeng, here are three thousand taels of banknotes. Take them and exchange them for some silver. We need to buy more rice, flour, meat, and vegetables to send to the people in the village. We also need to buy more cotton cloth and cotton per person so they can make some cotton-padded clothes. Winter is coming, and we can't let anyone suffer the cold!" Shen Youyou said as she picked up a piece of paper densely written with quantities and requirements for various items.

Shen Youyou then took out a few more packets of herbs and handed them to Zeng Bo: "These are the herbs I prepared personally. You can arrange for someone to send them to the manor. Have them use a large pot to boil it into a potion. Each person drinks a bowl every day. It can prevent colds. It can cure diseases and strengthen the body if you are healthy!"

Just as Zeng Bo was about to refuse, Shen Youyou stuffed the banknote into his hand and said, "Miss, this is what you have worked so hard to earn. Please keep it for yourself! The expenses of our mansion are covered by our income. We cannot spend your money!" Zeng Bo wanted to return the banknote to Shen Youyou again.

"Okay, Uncle Zeng! Don't refuse anymore. My shop will continue to make money. You can spend this money first. I will ask you for it again when I am short of money!" Shen Youyou said as she walked towards the stable to find Taxue.

Zeng Bo, seeing he couldn't refuse, accepted the banknote. He burst into tears of gratitude: "It's really touching that the young lady cares so much about the people in the village. I will definitely do as you say and make sure everyone can have a warm winter."

Shen Youyou nodded and continued, "Uncle Zeng, I trust you to do the job, but you must ensure that everyone has enough food, clothing, and medicine. If there are any difficulties or problems, or if you are short of money, please tell me immediately."

Zeng Bo nodded repeatedly, promising to do his best. Shen Youyou looked at him, feeling incredibly reassured. She believed that as long as everyone worked together, this winter would be better than the previous one, and even better every year.

Uncle Zeng saw that his young lady still looked like she wanted to go out, and he felt helpless, but he still said, "Young lady, if you still want to go out, then take a carriage! That way, if it snows, you don't have to worry about it, at least there is a carriage to protect you from the wind and snow. I have asked someone to prepare the carriage, and it is waiting for you in the front yard now!"

Shen Youyou has always been someone who listens to advice and eats her fill. After hearing what Uncle Zeng said, she took Xiao Chuntao to the front yard to ride in a carriage. Uncle Li was driving the carriage today. When he saw Shen Youyou approaching, he immediately handed the hot water bottle he had been holding to her respectfully, saying, "Miss, it's really cold out here. Please warm your hands with this hot water bottle!"

Shen Youyou took the hot water bottle and boarded the carriage. As soon as she lifted the double-leaf cotton curtain, a warm breeze washed over her. The carriage had a specially hollowed-out compartment in the middle, housing a charcoal basin. In winter, the basin could be used for warmth; in summer, it could be replaced with an ice basin for cooling. Warm in winter and cool in summer—a truly thoughtful design! Furthermore, a carefully woven wire mesh cover was placed over the basin, ensuring ventilation and preventing any splattering of the silvery carbon from the jolting carriage.

The carriage trudged along the street smoothly, the wheels making a rhythmic clatter that seemed to compose a harmonious melody with the ground. It was still early, and the sky was overcast, hinting at an impending snowfall. Consequently, the streets were deserted, and most of the shops lining the streets were closed, as if the entire world were immersed in a tranquility.

Shen Youyou sat quietly in the carriage, listening to the clatter of horse hooves. Each crisp beat seemed to strike at her heartstrings, bringing an inexplicable sense of healing. She closed her eyes, relaxed, and savored this rare moment of peace and quiet. Her thoughts drifted away, as if she were in another world, far away from the hustle and bustle of the world.

Suddenly, a choking cry broke the silence. "Please! Someone please save my young lady! Please! Xiaolan kowtows to all the kindhearted people! Or can someone please call a doctor to take a look at her? Please!" The voice was filled with despair and helplessness, which made people feel pity.

Shen Youyou was startled awake. She felt the carriage stop and slowly opened her eyes. Through the window, she saw a woman lying in the middle of the street not far ahead, her life or death unknown. Her maid was kneeling beside her, crying and begging passersby for help.

The coachman, Uncle Li, looked troubled, not knowing what to do. The woman was lying across the street, blocking the carriage's path. If he took a detour, it might take some time; but if he drove straight through, he was worried about causing harm to the woman. He hesitated for a moment and decided to ask Shen Youyou in the carriage: "Miss, there is a woman lying in the middle of the street! What should we do?"

However, before Uncle Li could finish, Shen Youyou had already unhesitatingly opened the carriage curtain and jumped out. She quickly walked over to the woman and carefully examined her condition. She was pale as paper, her lips were purple, and her breathing was weak. She was clearly in a coma. None of the nearby pharmacies were open.

Shen Youyou's heart tightened, and she immediately ordered Uncle Li, "Quick, carry this girl to the carriage. We'll take her to our herbal medicine shop first." Uncle Li didn't hesitate and hurried forward to pick up the girl, carefully placing her in the carriage. The maid named Xiaolan also boarded the carriage. From Shen Youyou's earlier conversation, she understood that they were going to treat their young lady. Afterward, Shen Youyou returned to the carriage, urging Uncle Li to set off as soon as possible.

The carriage started again and galloped towards Shen Youyou's herbal medicine shop.