Traveling through time and space

"You bad girl, how could your father bear to let you go? No matter how many children you have, you are the eldest princess of our Qingyang. Miss Yin, I am almost the same age as your father. If you are really willing..." Well, this is the beginning of the confession.

"Father is not old, and he is the Son of Heaven. Long live him." Judging from their expressions, they both seemed to have something to say. "Alright, Yuanyuan is no longer in the way. Eunuch Shen, please escort Yuanyuan out personally."

"Yes, I will escort the princess." Eunuch Shen understood what he meant. As soon as he walked out of the gate of Zhi'en Hall, a group of people came over. It was indeed a group of people, and they should be the ladies in the palace.

"My concubine greets the legitimate princess." There were several people who needed to pay their respects to Su Yuanyuan. They were all dressed in fancy clothes. Su Yuanyuan couldn't recognize who was who, but she recognized Concubine An; she was among them.

"No need to formalize," Su Yuanyuan hurried away, leaving the mess to Eunuch Shen to deal with. "Too many women, it's really scary." Su Yuanyuan shook her head. "The palace should be lively again."

"Yes, getting married is a big deal. I heard that the Ministry of Rites has almost made all the necessary preparations." Xiao Xiangzi talked about some unimportant things he knew.

"Thank you, Xiao Xiangzi," Su Yuanyuan said, turning around as she stood at the palace gate. "Yulin, go directly to Laixitang on Luohong Street and Yongxiang Grocery Store on Kuqin Street." Su Yuanyuan always felt that she had to go and take a look herself. She couldn't just believe everything others said. Su Yuanyuan had been thinking about this for the past few days. If these two shops really weren't doing well, should they really close? What would they do after closing? Should they really be sold or start another business? Or should they be rented out? After all, this was the wish left by her grandmother. She couldn't run it herself. She had too much to do. "Madam Shang, why did you hesitate to speak in the palace?" Su Yuanyuan thought of this. "Madam Shang, we're in the car, be careful," Su Yuanyuan suppressed a smile, looking at Madam Shang who suddenly stood up and almost hit her head.

"While the princess was attending the banquet, I went to find Mrs. Lin, with whom I used to get along well. She now works for Concubine Rou at Huiyuxuan. She said that Nanny Song, the housekeeper at Huiyuxuan, has a cousin who works at Princess Xian's residence. A few days ago, Nanny Song's cousin sent a letter to Nanny Song saying that since the death of General Fang, Prince Xian has been very impatient with his wife, and there are constant quarrels in the main courtyard. Nanny Song's cousin has been working in the main courtyard for many years, often serving as a servant for Princess Xian, and his life is not easy. Her cousin asked Nanny Song to think of a way to find him a new job. Nanny Song complained to Mrs. Lin that day, but she was helpless."

"It seems that the biggest impact of General Fang's departure is on Sixth Brother."

"Yes, the Sixth Prince used to have a father-in-law who was a general, and he felt at ease." Does Su Yuanyuan think the Sixth Prince would do this?

"Yes, that's why the Sixth Prince's Mansion has been feeling uneasy these days."

"Hey, that's someone else's business, none of our business." Su Yuanyuan opened the curtains and found herself on the street. "Yulin, stop the car. Madam Shang, there's a candied haws stall over there. Go buy some. I'm craving some." The car stopped at the side of the road. Madam Shang got out and bought some, then returned to the car. "Life's too hard. I need some sweets to sweeten my mouth." She ate the candied haws with great satisfaction, continuing to look out the window at the scenery.

"Princess, Laixi Hall is just ahead." Yulin reminded.

"Okay, stop at a distance." Su Yuanyuan didn't want to be too conspicuous if she went over, otherwise it would tell others and how would they find out about their trickery. The group got out of the car, "Dongmei, Madam Shang will accompany you, and the others will follow at a distance." Before getting out of the car, Su Yuanyuan took off her jewelry and changed into an ordinary coat. She walked leisurely on the street, jumping and skipping, "What a little person, so frivolous, always looking for fun."

"Miss, that's too much. Young ladies from ordinary families wouldn't walk like this." Su Yuanyuan was happy when she went out, taking shaky steps. Nanny Shang reminded her in a low voice. Su Yuanyuan forgot that here, a girl of fifteen or sixteen is not a child anymore, but a lady from a noble family. She quickly suppressed her desire to go wild and walked seriously.

"Dongmei, Madam Shang, it's a rare occasion for you to come out. If you like anything, just buy it and I'll pay for it." Su Yuanyuan was in a really good mood, and a bit more generous. "I didn't eat enough at the palace banquet just now. There's a restaurant across the street. Let's go get something." Su Yuanyuan saw a small restaurant called Tongshifang across from Laixi Hall. From the second floor, she could see everything going on at Laixi Hall. She turned back to check on Yulin and the others following behind her, waved them in, and let them in. It was past peak dining time at the restaurant, and there were only three customers on the first floor.

"Miss, what do you want? There's an empty seat right here."

"I want to sit upstairs. The view is great," Su Yuanyuan said, going straight to the second floor. "What are the special dishes?" Su Yuanyuan chose a seat where she could see the table across from her. "A shorter one would be best. We're hungry."

"Girl, we have beef fresh from the pot, and some side dishes and snacks."

"Okay, pick out two of the best dishes and send one over there." Su Yuanyuan sat down and said, staring at Lai Xi Tang across the street. Watching the customers coming in and out, this shop didn't look like it was empty. "Waiter, does Lai Xi Tang across the street always have so many customers every day?"

The waiter put down the tray he was holding and looked across at Su Yuanyuan. Dongmei nodded and took out ten taels of silver. "Little brother, this is for our meal. The rest is the reward from our girl."

"Girl, I will tell you everything I know. I'm not busy right now anyway, so feel free to ask anything you want to know."

"How long have you been here?"

"About five years ago, when the younger one was eleven years old,"

"How's the business of Laixitang across the street these days?"

"Everything is pretty good. You can describe it as a bustling crowd. Although Zhang Debiao looks honest, he is actually a shrewd and capable man. He has made Laixitang more and more prosperous in the past few years."

"Do you know who the owner of Laixitang is? Have you ever met them?"

"Boss? After the old lady of the Marquis of Xiaoyong's mansion passed away, only the former housekeeper, Su Quandan, often came over. I haven't seen anyone else. We can see everything going on over there clearly. Once, I even saw Zhang Debiao giving money to Su Quandan."

"Does that guy named Su Quandan come here often?"

"Yes, we see each other every month." After hearing his words, Su Yuanyuan had another voice in her heart. These two people colluded with each other and cheated her of her money. It seems that this is also an explanation.

"Girl, you ask so many questions, who are you?"

"Our girl heard from the pawnshop that this shop is ready to be sold. Our girl wanted to take a look first to avoid being cheated," Shang Momo replied.

"I haven't heard that it's going to be sold. Zhang Debiao was drinking in the store at noon today. He has made a lot of money over the years, but he did say that he might say goodbye to his boss and leave the capital in a few days. He said he wants to retire and return to his hometown. He wants to take his family back to Sifengzhou. I heard that his son went back early and set up the family business, bought fields, a yard, and a shop, and he will open a jewelry store when he returns." The envious look on the waiter's face is really sympathetic.

It seemed her suspicions had been confirmed. She blamed herself for trusting them too much over the years. They were just too bold. Did they not care about the princess's status, or did they think she would forget? Su Yuanyuan was blaming herself when she noticed a familiar face in her sight: Lord Su Yuhuan. He had actually entered the capital. "Yulin, go get Lord Su," Su Yuanyuan called to Yulin, who was sitting next to her; he knew Lord Su.

"Okay, thank you. Go and do your work. I'll call you if there's anything." Su Yuanyuan asked the waiter to go back. The waiter stood up and took his leave. Su Yuanyuan waved her hand. Nanny Shang and Dongmei got up and went to that table. Su Yuanyuan was thinking quickly in her mind about how to properly handle this matter. Yulin brought him up, and Su Yuanyuan motioned him to sit down directly.

"Your humble servant greets the princess."

"Uncle, you don't have to be so polite when you're away from home. When did you arrive in Beijing?"

"Your humble servant," Su Yuanyuan shook her head, "was ordered to come to the capital to report on my duties. I only arrived yesterday. I had intended to go to the princess's residence to pay my respects after entering the palace tomorrow."

"Have all the disaster victims in Liupu been resettled? I heard from my father that some have been relocated. Has the people's land been affected? I'm afraid the food supply this year has been greatly affected."

Old Su nodded and said, "I'd like to take the opportunity to earn some money for Liupu's winter allowance. They're having a hard time right now."

"Father is a good emperor who works hard and loves his people. He will not let his people suffer from hunger or cold." Su Yuanyuan did not want to talk too much about political affairs, so she changed the subject and pointed at the person opposite.

"Across the street is my grandmother's property. The housekeeper has always said the shop isn't making any money, but I came to see it myself today, and it's not what they said."

"So someone is deceiving his superiors and subordinates?"

"Whether Su Quandan is hiding something from his subordinates or not, I don't know, but it's certain that he is. When my grandmother was alive, they used the same excuse: the shop isn't making any money, but the sons are making a ton of money. Su Quandan and this manager are both making a ton of money. Uncle, what do you think we should do?"

"Princess, please don't call me your cousin. It's better to call me by my name. If others knew about this, I would be dead." It was obvious that he was feeling very uncomfortable.

"Okay, I'll grant you that. Yuanyuan will call you Old Su. It's a bit impolite to call you by your name. After all, you are the elder of the Su family. What do you think I should do?" Su Yuanyuan was in a dilemma.

"Are these all from the Su family?"

"Yes, after Grandmother passed away, the Cai family made a fuss and wanted to divide up Grandmother's property. They are also Grandmother's sons. This princess didn't want to argue with them, nor did she care about that little bit of silver. Besides, it was true. They were the sons who had accompanied Grandmother for thirty years. Everything else was divided among them, and they only kept two shops in their hands as a souvenir. The one across from me is one of them, but this princess didn't expect that the housekeeper of the mansion was colluding with the managers of the shops. It seems that it has been going on for more than a year or two. When Grandmother was alive, they kept saying that the shops were not making any money and the silver they paid each year was very little."

"So what does the princess want to do with this shop?"

"It's definitely closed. This princess can't keep raising these termites forever. But I haven't figured out what to do next. Should I rent it out or run it myself?" Su Yuanyuan thought about it.

"Princess, don't you want to make a living?"

Su Yuanyuan shook her head. "The two I just mentioned should be working for the Su family. They have been working there for decades, but they are still not in the same mind with the Su family. The point is that this princess has no one to use." Su Yuanyuan shook her head in pain. How could she have the energy to do this? If she wanted to open her own shop, it would take a lot of work. Otherwise, Su Yuanyuan would just sell her recipes and soy sauce to others all at once. However, there was one thing that she had to pay attention to. She had to get some people of her own so that she would have someone to send.