The cruel little princess

The early morning sunlight was like a veil, softly shining on the windows of the carriage.

The golden light seemed to be endowed with magical power, interweaving with the crystals inlaid on the window sills.

The crystal is like a dazzling gem, reflecting the sunlight into colorful colors, like a dreamy rainbow bridge, casting gorgeous and charming light and shadow inside the carriage.

As the New Year is approaching, the streets and alleys are bustling with people everywhere.

People's faces were filled with anticipation for the New Year, and laughter and joy were heard one after another.

The shops on both sides of the street are full of various New Year goods, and the sounds of hawking are endless.

In this crowded crowd, people who came out to buy New Year's goods were shoulder to shoulder, making the already narrow road even more congested.

An Er frowned slightly as he looked at the chaotic scene in front of him. He knew very well the importance of protecting the princess's safety.

So he quickly sent a few agile brothers to lead the way.

These brothers all had sharp eyes and serious expressions. They used their strong bodies to open up a narrow passage in the crowd, so that the carriage could move forward slowly and not be trapped in this vast sea of ​​people.

Inside the carriage, Shen Youyou lazily leaned against the soft pillow, feeling drowsy from the rocking of the carriage. Her head swayed slightly with the rocking of the carriage, as delicate as a flower in the wind.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, the driver's respectful and loud voice broke the silence, "Princess, we're at the herbal medicine shop!" This voice seemed to have a magical power, which made Shen Youyou wake up a little instantly.

Shen Youyou stretched lazily, and slowly stood up with the help of her personal maid Chuntao.

Her beautiful figure looked graceful in the carriage, and every move she made exuded elegance.

Surrounded by the shadowy guards, she walked towards the herbal medicine shop with light steps. Her delicate skirt swayed gently with her steps, like a blooming flower dancing in the wind.

As soon as Shen Youyou stepped into the herbal medicine shop, Princess Fukang at the post station received the news.

Princess Fukang was frowning at this time, her heart full of resentment.

In the competition in front of the palace two days ago, Qinglong Kingdom lost two out of three games. Such a result made her, who had always been proud and conceited, feel that she had lost face.

She had originally harbored a crush on Shen Zijin from the General's Mansion, and had wanted to take this opportunity to shamelessly go to the General's Mansion to find him, firstly to relieve her depression, and secondly to take the opportunity to get closer to him.

However, every time she went to the General's Mansion, she was ruthlessly stopped outside the door.

The gatekeeper always had various excuses, either saying that their young master was asking friends out for horse racing, or that he was asking friends out for dinner.

Although the servant's attitude was respectful, his words were like sharp knives that pierced Princess Fukang's heart. Every time she tried to reach her goal, she was left empty-handed, which made her angry and annoyed, but she could do nothing about it.

This approach was blocked, so Princess Fukang rolled her eyes and came up with another idea.

She knew that Shen Youyou was Shen Zijin's sister, and thought that perhaps she could persuade Shen Zijin through Shen Youyou.

So, she carefully prepared an invitation and sent someone to Prince Jin's Mansion to invite Shen Youyou, or directly request Princess Jin to go out for a small gathering.

But what she didn't expect was that every time someone she sent was turned away.

The servants in the palace always politely replied that Princess Jin had caught a cold that day and was recuperating at home, so it was inconvenient for her to see guests. This made Princess Fukang so angry that she stamped her feet, but she was helpless.

In desperation, Princess Fukang could only send her confidant to secretly guard the door of Prince Jin's mansion.

Those confidants were like ghosts, hiding in the dark, staring at the gate of Prince Jin's Mansion intently.

They were like hunters waiting for prey. As soon as they saw Shen Youyou go out, they would immediately come back to report the situation.

Princess Fukang was waiting to block Shen Youyou halfway and catch her off guard so as to achieve her goal.

Here, Shen Youyou walked into the shop with light lotus steps. She was wearing a lavender brocade long dress, the hem of which swayed in the wind, like a blooming violet.

Upon seeing this, Shopkeeper Wang hurried forward with a broad smile on his face, bowed respectfully, and greeted her warmly, "Miss, you're here."

It was noon, and the sunlight shone through the carved windows of the shop onto the ground, forming patches of golden light.

The medicinal meals that needed to be distributed in the morning were delivered on time, but the preparations for the medicinal meals at noon had not yet been fully started.

Therefore, the guys in the shop are in a short period of leisure at this moment, each busy with some finishing and preparatory chores, and it is not as busy and noisy as usual.

Shen Youyou nodded slightly, and after glancing around the shop, she gently raised her hand to signal the shopkeeper to gather everyone together.

Upon receiving the order, Shopkeeper Wang immediately raised his voice and shouted, "Everyone come here, the young lady has something to say."

Upon hearing this, everyone put down their work, closed the shop door slightly, and quickly and orderly stood in several rows. They straightened their backs and looked at Shen Youyou with serious expressions, wondering in their hearts whether the young lady had any important instructions.

However, to everyone's surprise, Shen Youyou opened her red lips slightly, and a pleasant voice rang out in the shop: "The New Year is approaching, everyone has worked hard this whole year.

It's time for us to close the shop and take a break! Now, I'll give everyone red envelopes!

Let's tidy up a bit today, and we'll be open for one more day tomorrow before closing the shop. We'll reopen on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year!

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other in surprise.

Huh? Tomorrow is only the 26th day of the 12th lunar month, and they're closing so early? Last year, they were open until almost New Year's Eve!

Everyone is still thinking about making more money before the New Year!

After all, the more you work, the more you earn. If you work a few more days, you will have more money in hand during the New Year.

But before anyone could speak, Shen Youyou had already started giving out red envelopes.

She took a stack of red envelopes from the secret guard beside her. These red envelopes were made of exquisite silk and thick oil paper, embroidered with auspicious patterns, and sparkled with gorgeous luster in the sun.

Red envelopes are distributed according to each person’s level of hard work.

As the core figure of the shop, the shopkeeper is responsible for the daily operation of the entire store, from purchasing ingredients, deploying personnel to dealing with all parties, taking care of everything, big or small.

Moreover, Shen Youyou had promised to give him half a percentage point of the shop's share, which came to four hundred and seventy-three taels.

Shen Youyou thought that the shopkeeper had worked hard and made great contributions, so she gave him a red envelope of five hundred taels.

The chefs had superb skills and their carefully prepared medicinal dishes were well-loved by customers, which won the shop a lot of reputation, so each chef received a red envelope of 100 taels.

And those guys are also busy on weekdays, moving and delivering goods, cleaning, and assisting the cooks. Although the work seems trivial, it is also indispensable.

So each of the guys can get a red envelope of 88 taels.

Everyone took the red envelope and felt that it was thin, and guessed that it should contain silver bills.

Everyone was surprised and delighted. In the shops in the capital, people would usually give out red envelopes of five or ten taels of silver at most during the Chinese New Year, which was considered a good New Year gift. No one expected the young lady to be so generous this time!

Everyone tried hard to suppress the urge to open the red envelopes immediately, but their eyes kept glancing at the red envelopes in their hands, quietly waiting for the lady to speak.

Shen Youyou looked at the uncontrollable joy in everyone's eyes, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, a hint of teasing flashed in her eyes, and she said with a smile: "Why don't you open it and take a look? Aren't you curious about how much was given out this year?"

There was a young man about eighteen or nineteen years old in the shop, with a chubby appearance. He was hired by the shopkeeper this year because he felt that he was too busy to handle the business.

He is a simple and honest person and works very hard. Although he has only worked for eight or nine months, he is serious and responsible in his work and is deeply loved by everyone.

When the young man heard Shen Youyou's words, he scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "Miss, I want to know!"

Shen Youyou smiled and nodded, her eyes full of gentleness: "If you want to know, open it and take a look! If you are not satisfied, come to me!"

After getting permission, the young man rubbed his hands excitedly, then carefully opened the red envelope and took out the thin silver note inside.

He took a closer look and his eyes widened immediately, his face full of shock, "Oh my God! Eighty-eight taels of silver!" He couldn't help but shout out.

This frightened him greatly. You know, this was more than his annual salary! The young man was stunned for a moment, thinking that the lady was going to fire him!

What's the best thing to do?! He has parents to take care of, and children to support...oh, he hasn't even married or had any children yet! No children...

But he felt that he was still very honest, doing his job well and not being lazy!

The working atmosphere here is also great! The shopkeeper is very kind and the other guys treat him like a brother!

He wants to continue working here!