Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 56: A New Beginning

“Actually… I don’t have you…” Ji Meiqing retorted with great difficulty, but unfortunately Li Shi still didn’t understand and looked at her with an ambiguous expression.

After arguing for a long time... Ji Meiqing finally admitted defeat. She stopped explaining and just listened quietly.

“Lu Yu is a good boy, honest and protective of you. You’re almost of marriageable age, but there’s still no news. It would be best to find a matchmaker to help you find someone.”

"Hmm..." She nodded, not listening at all, her hands moving non-stop, and soon a jar of unfinished wine came out.

After completing her task, she stood up, looked at Madam Li, and smiled, "I've almost finished my business. The rest is up to you."

"...Hmm?" Li watched her leave, puzzled. As the door closed, Li Ming, who hadn't spoken yet, finally spoke up to remind her, "Mother, this is someone else's business after all. What does it have to do with us? Don't overstep your bounds."

Li then shut her mouth. She looked in the direction of the door in horror, thinking about what she had just said, and a chill ran down her spine again.

She spoke those words because of her close relationship with her, forgetting her own methods and scheming. They had no idea what Ji Meiqing was thinking; they were all completely bewildered.

No one knows what she's thinking.

Ji Meiqing left the house, changed her clothes, and borrowed a fast horse to enter the city. She went straight to the porcelain kiln, the sound of hooves echoing as she entered the city, leaving behind a trail of dust.

She headed straight for the porcelain kiln. There were few people on the road, and she arrived at her destination after a brisk ride.

Ji Meiqing put the horse under a tree to the side and made a note of it. Then she walked over, but was stopped at the door.

"Who is coming?"

She said calmly, "My name is Ji Meiqing. I wonder if Master Guan is still here."

"Ji Meiqing? Miss Ji..." They realized what was happening and immediately made way for her to enter. Ji Meiqing swaggered in.

"Miss Ji, please wait a moment, this servant will go and inform them."

She left without saying a word. The area in front of the kiln was calm, but the smell in the air grew stronger the closer you got.

Two chairs were placed in the hall. Ji Meiqing sat there, and soon a maid brought her tea. Ji Meiqing took the tea and examined it for a moment, and then the owner of the porcelain kiln came over.

"Miss Ji, it is an honor to have you here. Please forgive my negligence." He spoke in an official tone as soon as he arrived, and then asked, "I wonder how the princess is doing?"

"The princess is well, but I have a business matter I'd like to discuss with the master today." She replied, then took something out of her clothes.

Ji Meiqing opened it, placed it in front of him, and then explained, "I would like to ask your esteemed family to help make a set of such tea utensils. The price can be determined based on the sales performance."

"This?" The shop owner hesitated as he looked at the painting in her hand. It depicted various tea sets with intricate patterns. He worried that he wouldn't be able to recreate it.

Ji Meiqing secretly observed his expression and, seeing that he seemed somewhat troubled, said, "If these patterns and designs cannot be made, I can ask the princess for help. I've heard that the painters in the Imperial Painting Workshop are quite skilled; perhaps that will work."

"It's nothing. There's no need for you to trouble the princess with such a small matter." He smiled and put away the painting from Ji Meiqing's hand.

"This set absolutely cannot have any problems. I can pay a deposit, but the balance will be paid after the auction, on a 50/50 basis."

"What if the auction price is very low?"

“If it’s less than five hundred taels, I’ll make up the difference myself. What do you think?” Ji Meiqing said with a smile.

Boss Guan hesitated, unsure whether to believe her. It was just the high profits…

"If you're still worried, how about we go to the princess and have her vouch for me? What do you think?"

"So, what do you think?" Ji Meiqing asked again, and seeing that his expression had softened, she said slowly, "As for the princess, I believe you won't have any problems."

“Alright then, let’s go to the princess’s place.” He chose the latter, and Ji Meiqing had no objection, so she followed him to the post station.

Upon hearing that Ji Meiqing had arrived, the princess immediately came out of her room, wearing a veiled hat. Her body was still covered in perfumed powder, making her smell overpowering.

"What brings you here?" She slowly descended the stairs, looking at Ji Meiqing and the people behind her. "You don't have any requests this time, do you?"

"I have come here today only to ask the princess to be our witness."

"Oh?" Xunhua became interested. "What kind of certificate?"

"I'm here today because I have a business deal to discuss with this boss. However, I'll pay a deposit first, and then we'll split the remaining balance 50/50 with him using the proceeds from the auction."

Xunhua thought for a moment, "That's a good idea."

“Yes,” Ji Meiqing raised an eyebrow and said, “Please, Princess, be our witness.”

"Okay." She agreed. Xunhua sat down on the chair next to her, and a maid brought her a glass of water. Ji Meiqing looked at her like this.

She turned to look at the shop owner and said with a smile, "I wonder if this will put Mr. Guan at ease."

"In that case, that's excellent. Miss Ji's request will be fulfilled in just three days."

The two reached an agreement, but Xunhua suddenly interjected, "I want to participate in your project too. Name your price."

“Since the princess can come, that’s perfect.” Her smile widened. “Regarding funding, it’s not that the princess doesn’t need to worry, it’s just that some aspects involve the government… so…”

"Anyone above the fourth rank is out of the question. Unless it's during the early years of my father's reign, I have no way to handle it. The rest is up to you."

Her nonchalant attitude and quick agreement surprised Ji Meiqing somewhat, but with her joining, doing business this way would be much more convenient. Having a powerful backer would make resolving any future issues much easier.

“In that case, if anything happens in the future, when you come to Kyoto to find me with this token, someone will bring you here.” Xun Hua took out a black token from her sleeve and placed it on the table.

Ji Meiqing stared at the token, then took it in a daze. The token felt heavy and had a cold, icy texture.

The solid tokens were of a much higher grade than the ones I'd seen on TV before.

Seeing her like this, Xun Hua couldn't help but chuckle twice and casually asked, "What's wrong? Haven't you ever seen a token like this before?"

"No..." she denied immediately, "Thank you for your kindness, Princess. I will certainly live up to your expectations."

"I was just doing what I could to help."