Reborn and returned, sisters swapped

Gu Jinyan had just returned home from the residence of the Princess Consort of Lin, and was feeling somewhat excited.

Thinking about how she had successfully secured the task of procuring medicinal herbs from the northern frontier assigned to her by the Princess Consort of Lin, a slight smile appeared on her lips, and a surge of warmth welled up in her heart.

As soon as she stepped into the house, she went to find her father, Gu Yuande, to discuss the matter.

In the main hall, Gu Yuande sat at the head of the table. Upon hearing the good news about his daughter, a look of joy immediately appeared on his face.

He laughed loudly, "Jinyan, you are truly a good daughter of your father! The fact that you were able to handle such a task shows that the Princess Consort trusts you."

"From now on, we must get along well with the people of the Prince Lin's residence. It's a tremendous joy for our Gu family to be able to cooperate with the Princess Lin!"

After saying that, Gu Yuande immediately instructed his servants: "Summon the clan elders and hold a clan meeting today to discuss the procurement of this medicinal herb from the northern frontier."

He seemed to have already foreseen the prosperous future, and he was beaming with pride and high spirits.

Before long, the family elders and relatives gathered in the main hall of the Gu family.

Gu Yuande sat at the head of the table. Seeing everyone gathered, he raised his voice and said, "This time, Jin Yan has secured an opportunity for our Gu family to cooperate with the Prince of Lin's Mansion and be responsible for the procurement of medicinal herbs in the northern frontier."

This is the first collaboration between the Gu Family Prince's Mansion and the Lin Prince's Mansion! If we handle this well, we won't have to worry about business in the future!

Upon hearing this, everyone cast admiring glances at Gu Jinyan, and many even stepped forward to offer their congratulations.

Gu Jinyan bowed humbly and responded with a smile. Although he was somewhat pleased with himself, he remained composed on the surface.

Seeing this, Quran, though smiling, felt a mix of emotions.

She gritted her teeth inwardly: "This Jin Yan actually managed to get into the circle of noble ladies in the capital and get close to the Princess Consort of Lin!"

I tried many times without success, yet she got the job so easily! A surge of jealousy welled up inside me.

On the other side, Gu Shichang also looked displeased and muttered under his breath, "What a surprise, I didn't expect this little girl to be able to turn things around!"

However, even with the Princess Consort as a benefactor, it's not guaranteed she'll go far. We'll see if she'll have such luck again!

For a moment, everyone in the room had their own thoughts; some were delighted, while others were filled with envy.

At this moment, Gu Shichang sneered and suggested, "Brother, it is good to entrust this matter to Jin Yan, but Jin Yan is still young and not very familiar with business matters. Why don't I take the lead to avoid any mistakes?"

He adopted the demeanor of an elder, his eyes sweeping over Gu Jinyan with a hint of disdain.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuande nodded slightly and fell into deep thought.

Just as he was about to speak, Gu Jinyan smiled gently, stepped forward, and said in a gentle yet firm tone, "Father, this business was personally entrusted to me by the Princess Consort of Lin."

If the business were suddenly handed over to someone else, the princess might become suspicious and dissatisfied, and then the deal might not go through.

Gu Yuande was taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded, finding it reasonable, and decided to entrust the matter to Gu Jinyan for full handling.

In the following days, Gu Jinyan was extremely busy.

She lit a lamp in her study and worked day and night to compile a list of medicinal herbs needed in northern Xinjiang.

She carefully studied the environment and climate conditions in northern Xinjiang and put cold-resistant and easy-to-store medicinal materials on the priority procurement list.

Several stewards in the manor assisted her in verifying the types, quantities, and prices of the medicinal herbs, carefully considering every detail and leaving no possible oversight unchecked.

"The climate in northern Xinjiang is cold and humid, so the commonly used medicinal materials must be cold-resistant, such as ginseng and deer antler. All of these must be prepared."

As she carefully calculated the quantities, she instructed the stewards accompanying her, "Also, prepare sufficient quantities of ephedra and saposhnikovia root, these herbs used to stop cold and treat wind."

Gu Jinyan donned a cloak and walked through the city streets with several attendants.

The air was slightly damp. She tightened her collar slightly, but her gaze swept over the pharmacies one by one, finally settling on a long-established herbal medicine shop on the street corner.

Several faded couplets hung on the door of the pharmacy, and several large herb baskets were placed in front of the door. A faint medicinal fragrance permeated the air, carrying a touch of antiquity and warmth.

As soon as she entered, she met the eyes of the shopkeeper behind the counter, whose face was covered in wrinkles. The two nodded to each other knowingly.

Gu Jinyan bowed slightly and said politely, "Shopkeeper, we need a batch of cold-resistant medicinal herbs, such as ginseng and deer antler. I wonder how much stock your shop has?"

The shopkeeper nodded slowly, a deep smile on his face: "Sir, you have good taste. We have stocked up on this batch of goods, but if you want to go to the Northern Frontier, you must choose the best quality. These medicinal herbs are cold-resistant and can be stored for a long time, so we can guarantee that."

As he spoke, he called to his assistants to bring out boxes of medicinal herbs and show them to them in detail.

Gu Jinyan carefully examined the color and texture of the medicinal herbs, his fingertips lightly touching the texture of the old ginseng, a satisfied gleam in his eyes.

She turned to the steward accompanying her and instructed, "This ginseng is good. Upgrade it to the next level and make the necessary arrangements."

The shopkeeper thanked him repeatedly and handed over a voucher as a token to establish future cooperation.

Next, she went to another pharmacy known for its herbs.

The shop was filled with medicinal herbs commonly used in northern Xinjiang, such as ephedra, notopterygium root, and asarum. The young shop assistant, who was busy cleaning the warehouse, hurriedly came to greet her when she entered.

Gu Jinyan raised his hand slightly to signal him not to rush, and walked to the shelf himself. He picked up a pinch of ephedra with his fingertips, smelled it carefully, and then rubbed it gently in his palm.

"This ephedra is dried well, and the storage is also very careful." She nodded slightly, then turned to the managers and said, "Remember, if you're transporting it to the northern frontier, learn from this company's storage methods."

Her every move captivated the staff and managers, while Gu Jinyan acted as if it were a natural expression, without feeling superfluous or restrained.

Over the next few days, Gu Jinyan visited all the medicinal herb shops in the city. At each shop, she inquired in detail about the origin and storage methods of the herbs, and even occasionally asked in a low voice about the harvest season.

The shopkeepers of every herbal medicine shop were secretly amazed by her professionalism and dedication, and couldn't help but feel more respect for her during their conversations.

She also made a mental note of each one, listing the best suppliers as potential candidates.

Once all the medicinal herbs were listed, she checked the specifications, quantity, and storage methods for each herb one by one, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.

At that moment, she was unaware of the focused and confident expression on her face.

After several days of travel, she looked a little tired, but a reassuring smile shone through her eyes.

After everything was arranged, Gu Jinyan personally presented the procurement plan to Princess Lin.

The princess carefully reviewed the document and, seeing that she had considered everything thoroughly, couldn't help but show her appreciation.

The princess looked up at Gu Jinyan and said gently, "Jinyan, this list is very well prepared. It's clear you put a lot of thought into it."

"I knew I had made the right choice in entrusting this task to you."

Gu Jinyan bowed slightly and replied humbly, "Your Highness is so kind to me, I will do my best to live up to your trust."

The princess nodded gently, her admiration for Gu Jinyan's talent growing ever stronger.

From then on, Princess Lin would occasionally entrust Gu Jinyan with some miscellaneous tasks, which allowed her to gradually gain a foothold in the circle of noblewomen in the capital, and her status and position would steadily improve as a result.

Meanwhile, within the family, Gu Yuande, seeing that his daughter was favored by the Princess Consort of Lin, became increasingly proud and devoted himself to supporting her.

At the same time, although Gu Lanci and Gu Shichang were jealous, they had to admit Gu Jinyan's outstanding performance.

This medicinal herb procurement not only allowed Gu Jinyan to show his talent, but also brought great prestige to the Gu family.