There is a happy inn in the capital.

Princess Changning pointed with her slender finger: "Let's go take a look at this shop."

Li Shuchen followed Princess Changning's gaze and saw a clothing store.

Gu Ziying said, "Let's go."

Li Shuchen nodded, and the three of them had just reached the door when the shopkeeper greeted them with a smile.

They couldn't stop smiling. And rightly so; these women were dressed richly, beautiful, and possessed exceptional poise. With many servants, they were clearly VIPs.

The group entered the shop, and the three handed the umbrellas to the servants. Princess Changning then asked the shopkeeper to begin the introduction.

The shopkeeper led the group up to the second floor. Picking up a garment, he smiled and said, "This is a local specialty, made of silk woven from silkworm silk."

The shopkeeper could tell at a glance that they were from out of town.

Shopkeeper: "This silk feels cool and comfortable to wear."

Li Shuchen touched the fabric; it felt silky smooth and indeed quite nice.

Apart from Li Shuchen, who hadn't worn silk, both Gu Ziying and Princess Changning present possessed silk garments.

Although Li Shuchen had never worn clothing made of silk, she knew that mulberry silk had excellent UV protection and anti-aging effects.

It also has excellent moisturizing and breathable properties.

Li Shuchen was very interested and asked, "Shopkeeper, how much is this ready-made garment?"

"Each piece costs fifty taels of silver. Ladies, since this is your first time here, we can offer a discount of five taels of silver per piece."

That means a 10% discount. Li Shuchen had never bought silk before and didn't know the price range.

Princess Changning probably didn't know either; she was always playing and definitely hadn't paid attention to these things.

Princess Changning, with great generosity, said, "Shopkeeper, let me see all your styles."

The shopkeeper's eyebrows practically shot up to the sky as he replied, "This way, miss."

While the shopkeeper and Princess Changning were chatting, Li Shuchen approached Gu Ziying and whispered, "You haven't said anything. Is there something wrong with this silk?"

Gu Ziying whispered, "There's a problem; this silk is too cheap."

Is it cheap? Li Shuchen thinks it's quite expensive.

Well, she really is the only poor one. I'm so sad.

Gu Ziying continued, "The cheapest I bought in Weijing cost at least one hundred taels of silver, and some cost as much as one thousand taels of silver per piece."

Gu Ziying also touched the fabric: "The feel is right, it's definitely silk."

Li Shuchen thought for a moment and said, "Transporting goods from here to the capital will be costly, considering the time, losses, and hiring a security escort agency."

Gu Ziying nodded and said, "What you said makes sense."

After saying that, he turned around and picked out clothes.

Li Shuchen also wanted to buy some; buying them would be a great profit.

But she didn't have much money, and she needed to save it for business tomorrow.

After some careful selection, he chose four items, totaling one hundred and eighty taels of silver. Fortunately, no one knew how much money Li Shuchen had brought with him.

After paying the bill, Li Shuchen sat down to the side, waiting for Gu Ziying and Princess Changning. They had bought a lot, so it would take some time.

After a while, Gu Ziying came over with several items in her hands, and a maid behind her also carrying some, about ten items in total.

When Gu Ziying saw the clothes Li Shuchen had chosen, she realized that aside from the clothes for her family, she had essentially bought one for herself.

Thinking that her inn's business had just started to improve slightly, she turned back.

Li Shuchen was completely baffled as he watched Gu Ziying come and go.

Princess Changning: "Li Shuchen, have you made your choice?"

Princess Changning was followed by four people carrying clothes, but she herself had none. Seeing that her maid had at least twenty pieces of clothing, she was certain she had some.

One word: extravagant

Li Shuchen: "I've already paid the bill, and you've made your selections?"

Princess Changning: "Yes, I've finished choosing. You chose far too few."

Li Shuchen was also helpless; there was nothing she could do—she was poor right now.

Princess Changning said to Li Shuchen, "I'll give these to you; you can pick out two more."

Li Shuchen: "Thank you, Changning, but it's alright."

Li Shuchen felt that she had a good one now, and she would buy more when she had more money later.

Princess Changning suddenly remembered that she had only recovered for a little over a month, and the inn was only starting to do well, so she probably didn't have much money left.

So he said, "Why not? If you're my follower and don't dress as well as me, it'll be beneath my dignity. If word gets out, people will think I, Changning, have fallen on hard times."

Li Shuchen was speechless. Who was it that insisted on following her so shamelessly in the first place? Who was whose follower?

Gu Ziying brought over a piece of light green silk.

Gu Ziying: "I've finished choosing, I'm going to pay now."

The shopkeeper beamed, "This young lady, the total is four hundred and ninety-five taels of silver."

After paying, Gu Ziying handed the last piece of silk she had taken to Li Shuchen.

Gu Ziying: "Shu Chen, this is for you."

Li Shuchen was surprised: "Give it to me?"

Gu Ziying: "Yes, consider it a thank you for buying me such a beautiful oil-paper umbrella and for taking me out for a walk."

Gu Ziying spoke gently, but her tone left no room for refusal.

Li Shuchen had no choice but to accept it, saying, "Thank you, Ziying."

Princess Changning, upon hearing this, seemed unwilling to be outdone, and immediately went back to choose an orange-yellow silk dress with a somewhat playful style.

Princess Changning: "Shopkeeper, please settle the bill."

The shopkeeper grinned from ear to ear: "You've spent a total of nine hundred and forty-five taels of silver."

Then Princess Changning directly stuffed her dress into Li Shuchen's arms.

He quickly replied, "Thank you."

Li Shuchen was bewildered. He glanced at his clothes, then looked up at Princess Changning, and replied, "Thank you."

The three left the shop, ready to head home; they had made quite a haul on this trip.

Especially Li Shuchen, who suddenly had two more silk dresses. Is this the joy of having a rich female best friend?

This is so awesome! Her smile stretched all the way to her ears.

Passing by the oil-paper umbrella shop, I saw the umbrella owner behind the counter, flipping through his ledger, grinning from ear to ear.

Li Shuchen knew the umbrellas were selling well.

Many pedestrians on the street were carrying the oil-paper umbrellas she had sold; most were young men and women from wealthy families.

Gu Ziying looked at the oil-paper umbrella shop: "Shu Chen, you bought the oil-paper umbrella here, right?"

Li Shuchen: "Yes, their oil-paper umbrellas are really nice."

Gu Ziying nodded: "It's really nice, let's go back."

Li Shuchen: Okay

It was already late when she arrived at Xiaoyuan. After dinner, Li Shuchen went to bed early. She had no choice; she had to get up early the next day.

The next day, at the same time, in the same alley, with the same set of equipment.

Li Shuchen arrived at Liuli Pavilion, a jewelry store, fanning himself with a fan.

A young man who looked like a waiter stepped forward to greet you: "Sir, please come in. What would you like to see?"

Li Shuchen closed his fan and said, "Call your manager here."

A moment later, a middle-aged man walked over, looking somewhat sleepy, but he subtly glanced at Li Shuchen.

He then smiled and said, "Honored guest, please come upstairs."

Li Shuchen figured he must be Manager Xu.

Manager Xu poured Li Shuchen a cup of tea.

Shopkeeper Xu: "I wonder what brings you here, esteemed guest? What brings you here?"

The wealthy young man (Li Shuchen) closed his fan, placed it on the table, and replied, "I wouldn't call it seeking advice; I simply wanted to discuss a business deal with you."

Shopkeeper Xu: "Oh, I wonder what kind of business it is?"

Li Shuchen pulled a palm-sized, ornate, and exquisitely antique-style mirror from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards the shopkeeper.