My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

Pei Ji had never felt so helpless towards anyone before.

He knew that Wei Nanxun had forgotten what he had said, and might even have forgotten what happened between them that day.

He couldn't help but wonder if she was already quite skilled in such matters between men and women, otherwise how could someone forget such things? Her proficiency in changing his clothes and dressing him only deepened his suspicion.

Although he didn't know why, it made him feel incredibly stifled and irritable.

It was as if he had prepared 100,000 soldiers for battle, only to have the enemy stage an empty city ruse, leaving him to toil in vain for half a day.

Since she said it herself, that she would repay the kindness even if it meant working like a cow or a horse, then that's perfect, let's give her this opportunity to repay the kindness.

Unexpectedly, she was oblivious to his anger and continued to wash, change his clothes, and apply medicine to him every day as if nothing had happened, doing it so smoothly and naturally.

At this moment, he finally reached his breaking point.

He grabbed those mischievous hands and said in a suppressed voice, "Stop moving."

Wei Nanxun was no naive girl; she immediately realized what she had just encountered. Her face turned bright red, from her eyes to her neck, as red as a steamed river shrimp, almost as if it were about to bleed.

She didn't mean it; it's just that Pei Ji is extremely handsome and quiet, and being injured and lying in bed, he always gives people the illusion that he is not aggressive at all.

Sometimes she would even forget that there was a man in the house. Only when she applied medicine to him and saw his strong chest would she remember that he was a man.

But he was so fragile, his face was always pale and bloodless. Sometimes she was afraid that if she squeezed too hard, she would hurt him. When the two of them were together, she was more like the one bullying him.

But a man is a man; no matter how weak he is, his strength and muscles are incomparable to those of a woman.

"I...I didn't mean to..."

At this point, no amount of explanation would help.

Sure enough, Pei Ji didn't believe her at all, thinking she was a repeat offender. He snatched the cloth from her hand and said in a deep voice, "From now on, I will change my own dressings. I won't trouble Miss Guan."

Wei Nanxun was so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear into the ground. When she heard that he didn't need her to change the dressing, she felt saved.

He dropped his things and fled as if he were running away.

She ran too fast and almost bumped into Zhixia under the eaves when she went out.

"Sister, what's wrong with you? Your face is so red. Have you been working hard these past few days and gotten sick?"

Wei Nanxun pressed her palms against her burning cheeks, her mind filled with the bizarre scene from earlier. Her eyes reddened as she shook her head repeatedly, "No, I'm fine. It's just that the room is too stuffy, and I feel a bit hot. I'll be fine after resting in the room for a while."

Without waiting for her to reply, he covered his head and went into the next room.

"Wait, sister! You've gone to the wrong place, that's the kitchen."

Wei Nanxun wasn't looking where she was going and bumped her head on a bundle of firewood. Wood chips got into her hair, but she didn't have time to clean them up. She awkwardly backed out and then turned back into her house.

Is it really that hot and humid?

Zhixia glanced at her back, then at Pei Ji's room, and felt that something was off about the two of them.

-

Wei Nanxun went back to her room and splashed cold water on her face several times until she finally came to her senses. She spread out the notebook she had written in over the past few days and tried her best to forget what had just happened.

She thought for several days about how to make money.

Firstly, opening her own shop was unrealistic; she didn't have that much available capital, and the profits and losses were uncertain, so she wasn't confident she could recoup her investment. Secondly, she didn't know if Pei Yuyan's men would come back, and it wasn't suitable for her to be too public-facing.

After much thought, she realized that the things she could use to make money were her eyes and the memories in her mind.

They were in Pingzhen, which wasn't far from the capital, but it was surrounded by mountains, forming a basin. Many new things didn't update as quickly, and would always be a year or two behind.

The women here who want to buy the latest rouge colors, clothing, and jewelry patterns have to go all the way to the capital.

Then she could draw all the flower patterns and jewelry designs that were about to become popular in the capital and sell them to jewelry and clothing shops.

This was not a difficult task for Wei Nanxun, as she was Pei Yuyan's most beloved concubine in her previous life.

People in the palace are used to judging the situation. Putting aside everything else, in terms of food, clothing and daily necessities, she gets to choose first. From fabrics to ready-made clothes to gold and silver jewelry, pastries and decorations, everything is the best and most fashionable.

At that time, she was also thinking about pleasing Pei Yuyan. During the day, he was alone and had nothing to do in the house, so she put a lot of effort into these things.

She was the crown prince's favorite, and she was also very beautiful. In fact, many things became popular because of her.

For example, there was a time when she loved to draw wispy eyebrows and apply pale yellow makeup, which caused all the noble ladies in the capital to imitate her. At that time, applying pale yellow makeup was the most popular thing in the capital.

It just so happens that this is the day she entered the Eastern Palace in her previous life, and she remembers very clearly what new things will become fashionable next.

To avoid being noticed, she didn't need to paint too many at once to sell. She could collaborate with a shop on one item each month. Besides, she had seen so many good things from all over the country that her father didn't necessarily have to be popular in the capital. She could name a few, which would be enough to keep her busy for a while.

She has recently been selecting shops and products to collaborate with, and has tentatively chosen Sushan Ice Cream and a clothing pattern that will soon be popular in Beijing.

The crispy mountain was invented by merchants from Dunhuang in Northwest China. Her father recorded it in a book, specifying the method of making it and the ingredients. She had tried making it at home a few times before, and the result was almost the same as described in the book.

It's the height of summer now, and eating ice cream is something everyone enjoys, so it's probably a safe bet.

She picked up her pen and drew the flower pattern she envisioned on the paper, along with the method for making the crispy mountain. As she drew, the scene from before somehow came to mind.

She felt that the pen in her hand was no longer clean. Her hand holding the pen trembled, and the ink stained the entire paper.

Her face flushed red again.

That damned Ji Shouzhou, he's really ruined her life!

-

Wei Nanxun took this very seriously. Her painting skills weren't very good, and it took her three or four hours to be satisfied with just drawing that flower pattern.

The next morning, she and Zhixia took the blueprints and went to the largest clothing store and restaurant in town.

Zhixia was a regular customer of these shops. Many of the shop assistants knew that a new Guan family had come to the west of the city to find relatives in Pingzhen, but they had only ever seen Zhixia and rarely saw this frail young woman.

Although she wore a veil and her face was not visible, her graceful figure and swaying steps were enough to make anyone who saw her yearn for her and couldn't help but want to catch a glimpse of her true face.

Wei Nanxun first went to the clothing shop and met the extremely shrewd female shopkeeper. She had a very sharp eye and immediately praised the drawings that Wei Nanxun took out, and placed an order right away.

They even offered a high price of one or two taels of silver.

Zhixia's eyes lit up. She knew that one or two taels of silver, if saved carefully, would be enough for the sisters to live on for two or three months.

Just as she was about to pull her older sister aside to express her joy, Wei Nanxun calmly said, "I don't want a single penny."

This time, not only Zhixia was surprised, but even the shopkeeper was astonished: "Does Miss Guan think I offered too low a price?"

She genuinely liked the pattern and felt that the other party was using a feigned retreat to advance. She gritted her teeth and said, "I can add another half for you, but that's all I can do. Although I like it, Pingzhen is a small place, and not many families can afford such fine things. I don't know how long it will take to recoup my investment."

What she said was partly true and partly false. Pingzhen is close to the capital, and many high-ranking officials and nobles have their ancestral homes and estates nearby. There are naturally many wealthy people there, but whether they can sell well is indeed not guaranteed.

Wei Nanxun still smiled and shook his head: "I'm serious, Manager He, I don't want a single penny."

"That girl wants it?"

“I want a share of the profits. I will take 10% of every piece of clothing, dress, handkerchief, and sachet of this pattern that you sell.”

Shopkeeper He's shop has the best pattern makers in the whole town, and he also finds people to buy pattern designs, but he has never encountered anyone who wants a share of the profits.

"If you can't sell a single one, then all your efforts will have been in vain?"

Wei Nanxun nodded confidently: "On the contrary, if it sells well, I'll make a profit."

Seeing that Manager He was still hesitating, she gently folded the drawing paper: "If you don't accept it, then I will have to find someone else to cooperate with. But if you want it, I can guarantee that all the flower patterns will only be sold to your store in the future."

Zhixia was frantic with worry. Had her sister gone mad? This was incredibly profitable for the shopkeeper; he could get something for free without spending a penny.

Just as she was about to fold the drawing paper and put it back in her bag, Manager He reached out and took it: "I agree, then it's settled. From now on, I'll accept all your flower patterns, and you can change your mind anytime you want to change it to one or two taels of silver."

"No, I believe in myself, and I also believe in your judgment."

Both women were very satisfied with the conversation, and Manager He even personally escorted them to the shop entrance.

"I love dealing with smart people, especially a beautiful and intelligent woman like Miss Guan. I'll have them make dresses tomorrow so we can be among the first wave of ready-made clothes for early autumn. I guarantee they'll sell well."

"Then thank you very much, Manager He."

Wei Nanxun left with Zhixia, satisfied, but Zhixia was still puzzled on the way.

“Sister, those flower patterns are your hard work. If they don’t sell, all your efforts will be wasted. Even if they do sell well, how can we know if Manager He is a person who keeps his promises? We don’t know exactly how many were sold. She can just give us a random number.”

"Well, it seems like we didn't lose anything. At most, we wasted an evening. If things go wrong, I'll just draw something else and sell it to someone else. Okay, don't worry."

The difference between the two is that one is selling things, and the other is doing business.

She never wanted to be a painter who only drew flower patterns. Her painting skills were not as good as others, and her ideas would eventually run out. She wanted to try to accumulate wealth in this way.

Wei Nanxun knew that Zhixia had no interest in doing business, and she might not understand even if he explained it to her. Besides, this matter was inherently risky, so it was better to wait for the results before judging whether the decision was correct.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Wei Nanxun felt like someone was following her. She turned around abruptly, but there was nothing unusual about the bustling street.

"Sister, what are you looking for?"

"It's nothing, I misread it. Let's go to Fenglelou."

Fenglelou is the largest restaurant in Pingzhen, with a total of four floors, and it is also the highest place in the town besides the city gate.

Using the same method she had just discussed with Manager He, she gave the restaurant owner the recipe and instructions for making the crispy mountain.

Manager Qiu was a connoisseur, and the restaurant was a place where people from all over the country gathered. He had heard of the Su Shan, which was far away in the northern desert, but had never had the chance to try it.

Once I got her drawings, I immediately gave them to the kitchen staff.

Unlike clothing stores, restaurants, especially large ones like Fenglelou, have no shortage of ingredients. Soon, a chef made a crispy mountain out of ice. The first attempt was more authentic and tasted better than Wei Nanxun's homemade version.

Shopkeeper Qiu made the decision almost immediately, and had no objection to her taking a 10% cut of the profits: "The only drawback is that there are only a few months left in summer, and the demand for iced drinks will not be as great after that."

Logically, Wei Nanxun should have looked for another Northwest specialty dish in her father's books, but she smiled and said, "It's alright, we can wait until next year. The rarer something is, the more memorable it becomes."

Firstly, the dietary habits of the people in the west are different from theirs. She remembered that every time her father came back, he said that he was not used to the food and accommodation. In the early stages of cooperation, it was best to be cautious.

Secondly, she didn't want to bring out too many new things at once, which might arouse suspicion and concern from others.

She had instructed both sides not to reveal to anyone that it was her idea, otherwise future collaborations would have to be canceled.

After giving these instructions, she put her veil back on and prepared to go back.

She'd been out for almost half a day. Although, judging by the days, Pei Yuyan and Wei Mingzhao were already married and had no time for anything else, just in case, it wasn't advisable for her to wander around too much. She needed to hurry back.

But as soon as they reached the second-floor staircase, they bumped into a clumsy waiter carrying a teapot who rammed straight into them.

Seeing that the scalding hot teapot was about to spill on her, Wei Nanxun immediately shielded Zhixia and stepped aside.

However, the stairs were too narrow, which restricted her movement. She also accidentally stepped on the hem of her dress, twisted her ankle, and fell downwards.

"Sister!"

Wei Nanxun resignedly closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to come, when she felt someone supporting her back, and the veil she was wearing swayed gently, creating a white arc.

She met a pair of clear, clean eyes.

"Are you okay, miss?"

Before me stood a fair-skinned scholar, who looked quite young, dressed in a light blue cloth robe, exuding an air of scholarly refinement.

What made Wei Nanxun feel most comfortable was that the way he looked at her seemed to be full of amazement but without the slightest hint of frivolity, which was quite different from Pei Yuyan's feigned refinement.

"I'm fine, thank you, young master."

"It seems the young lady has sprained her ankle; perhaps I should take you home."

Sending her back would be a bit ambiguous, as they would also know where she lives. Wei Nanxun immediately became wary.

"No, no need. My sister is enough for me. Thank you, young master."

Wei Nanxun was like someone who had been bitten by a snake once and was afraid of ropes for ten years. Although this young man looked refined and had particularly clear eyes, she was now afraid of such a cultured person because of Pei Yuyan's experience.

Even though her sprained ankle was throbbing, she still pulled Zhixia along to leave.

But she had only taken a few steps when someone blocked her way again.

"Young lady, you're injured. Where are you in such a hurry to go? Why don't I take you home?"