RPAGF Chapter 270 It Will Be Yours Sooner or Later
Chapter 270 It Will Be Yours Sooner or Later
Chapter 270, It Will Be Yours Sooner or Later
Just then, a group of soldiers parted the crowd and entered. The head constable clasped his hands and said, "Princess, His Highness the Crown Prince heard that someone was causing trouble here and specially sent me to investigate."
The people were in an uproar.
"His Royal Highness?"
"His Highness is here to support the Princess."
"That's right, the princess is the crown princess appointed by the emperor, and the wedding will definitely take place soon."
“Now that the princess has been framed, the crown prince is definitely not happy.”
Upon seeing this, the woman's legs went weak and she knelt down on the ground, saying, "I...I don't know anything."
"not me..."
"I do not know."
"Yes, someone gave me money to come..."
Wan Xinran breathed a sigh of relief. "Who was it? Who sent you?"
The woman shook her head repeatedly, "I...I don't know! It was...that person was masked, gave me a porcelain box, and told me to frame the owner of Jiaoyan Pavilion. He gave me five hundred taels of silver..."
"I really don't know anything else..."
"My God, someone is framing me."
"So that means the products from Jiaoyan Pavilion are all safe?"
"If I had been doubting it just now, what's there to be afraid of when this shop is owned by Princess Fufeng?"
“Yes, if something really goes wrong, we’ll go find the Crown Prince and the Princess.”
In the store...
"Oh dear, who is this? How annoying! Hey, miss, I'd like to take the lip rouge I just tried."
"Give me two bottles of the toner I just used, and wrap them up."
Customers continued shopping in the store.
"I would like to trouble you officers to take this troublemaking woman to the government office for a proper interrogation."
"This princess is very curious to know who is behind her instigating this."
"Princess, spare me! I really don't know!" The woman was terrified. "I really don't know! Don't arrest me!"
*
"Madam, something terrible has happened!!"
Chunhua rushed into the courtyard, where Madam Qi was enjoying tea with Qi Wanqing.
"What's wrong?" Madam Qi looked at her with displeasure.
Chunhua stepped forward and whispered in her ear...
"What?!" Madam Qi stood up in astonishment. "You mean, the Crown Prince actually sent someone to Jiaoyan Pavilion to support Tian Tian?!"
Chunhua nodded, "Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince sent the head constable of the government office to take that person away."
Madam Qi couldn't believe it. "She...she's not afraid that things will escalate and the shop will have to close down?"
Chunhua frowned, "She seems genuinely unafraid..."
In the capital, the biggest fear for a shop is having its reputation ruined.
So when something like this happens, the usual practice is to invite the person into the shop privately and then start investigating the truth.
But this Princess Fufeng doesn't play by the rules, once or twice.
She insisted on handling this matter right at the entrance of Jiaoyan Pavilion, in front of everyone.
Qi Wanqing, standing to the side, burst into tears upon hearing the Crown Prince personally support Tian Tian.
Madam Qi glanced at him and waved her hand, "You may leave now."
Chunhua had no choice but to leave first.
Madam Qi sat down next to Qi Wanqing and called out helplessly, "Qing'er."
Qi Wanqing angrily wiped away her tears, but more tears welled up like a spring. "Mother!!"
"Haven't you always said that I would be the future Crown Princess?"
Madam Qi moved her lips hesitantly. Yes, not only did she think so, but her husband and father-in-law also thought so.
But how could they have known that some Princess Fufeng would suddenly appear?!
She was also betrothed to the crown prince.
Even now, Madam Qi still believes that only her daughter, Qi Wanqing, is qualified to be the Crown Princess.
Madam Qi looked at her still sobbing daughter and said softly, "Qing'er, don't worry, Mother will definitely make your wish come true! The position of Crown Princess will be yours sooner or later."
Qi Wanqing raised her head, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes, "Really, Mother?"
Madam Qi stroked her daughter's cheek, "When have I ever lied to you?"
Once Tian Tian is disgraced, His Highness the Crown Prince will understand who is the most suitable candidate for Crown Princess.
Madam Qi stood up. "Qing'er, I have things to do. If you're tired, please rest well."
Qi Wanqing nodded happily, "Mother, I'll listen to you."
*
Thanks to that woman's antics, Jiaoyan Pavilion's business is booming.
After the first month, the Wan family and Tian Tian did the math together and were completely stunned.
"This is much more than... much more than what we made selling jewelry before." Wan Xinran looked at the ledger... she might not understand the other data, but the profit... she could see it at a glance.
Wan Jia's profits from Jiaoyan Pavilion accounted for only 30%, but the profits were more than those from the previous jewelry shop.
"Now I understand... why Father used to say that women's money is the easiest to earn..."
In the past, my family was in the gold and silver jewelry business. The exquisite hairpins, hair ornaments, and hair sticks, especially the latest styles, often caused the ladies who came to choose from them to fight each other.
But these things... can be melted down and redesigned.
These things that can be used on the face are things that are gone once they're used up and can't be reused.
The makeup products are fine; they last a long time even when I wear makeup every day.
The time it takes for each person to use skincare products varies.
Take face masks, for example. Some people use one a day, some use one every two days, and some even use three a day.
There are also lip rouges, available in a variety of colors.
What she has, I want to have too.
What she doesn't have, I must have even more.
With that in mind, how could business be bad?
Moreover, with the Crown Prince's support and rumors circulating that the Empress had a stake in Jiaoyan Pavilion, even more people came to patronize it.
Being able to use the same makeup products as the Empress made them feel that their faces looked more noble.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, Tian Tian has also launched a three-piece lip balm set.
This three-piece set contains three different colored lip rouges, each color of which was personally mixed by Empress Li.
The three-piece set also comes in versions for young girls, young women, and elegant ladies.
It sold out immediately upon release!!!
When Tian Tian and Wan Xinran delivered their share of the profits to the palace, Empress Li was stunned.
In just one month, her dividends amounted to nearly a million taels of silver.
"So many?!" Empress Li's hands trembled uncontrollably.
She'd never earned so much money in her entire life...
If this money were given to the Emperor, who knows how many roads could be built and how many canals could be dug...
"Sweetie, wait here for a while, Yao'er will be there soon."
The Empress stood up and presented the box that Tian Tian had brought. "You wait here for Yao'er."
She was preoccupied with finding Ling Jun and giving him the silver.
But he didn't forget to help his son.
"Um... Xinran, come with me." Not even a third wheel was left behind.
Although Wan Xinran didn't know why the Empress wanted her to follow along, she couldn't disobey the Empress's decree, so she obediently followed.
*
Not long after they left, Ling Yao arrived.
"Sweetie." The two had already been betrothed, so they no longer needed to be as discreet as before.
As soon as Ling Yao arrived, he couldn't help but grab Tian Tian's wrist.
"Sit down quickly." He helped Tian Tian sit down. "You must have had a hard time these past few days."
He was referring to the Jiaoyan Pavilion.
"It's not hard work, I'm used to it." Tian Tian looked at him. "But you, busy with national affairs, still have time to meddle in my affairs."
She was referring to the incident where the woman had caused trouble earlier.
"That matter... we don't know who instigated that woman. There's nothing we can do but lock her up for a few days to teach her a lesson." Ling Yao frowned slightly as he recalled that incident.
"It's nothing." Tian Tian raised her head and stroked his brow. "The person behind this must know my identity, so they must be extra careful."
Ling Yao grasped her hand. "If they knew your identity and still framed you like this, then they should be punished even more."
Tian Tian smiled and said, "The person behind this will eventually reveal their true colors, so there's no rush."
Ling Yao nodded, holding her hand tightly, unwilling to let go. "The Ministry of Rites has already set the wedding date."
"It will be on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month next year."
"Because you are to teach the people of the Ministry of Revenue how to farm..."
Tian Tian understood.
Ling Yao couldn't help but gently squeeze her palm. "I can't wait to marry you and bring you into the Eastern Palace..."
Tian Tian withdrew her hand impatiently. "What's the rush? I haven't had enough of staying outside the palace yet, I don't want to move into the palace so soon."
Ling Yao grabbed her hand again. "Don't worry, I've already told Father and Mother that even if you marry into the Eastern Palace, we won't force you to live there."
"You can still live in the Princess's Mansion."
"You can come back to the palace whenever you want... to be with me."
Tian Tian looked up in surprise, "The Emperor and Empress agreed?"
Would they agree to such a request?
Ling Yao nodded firmly, "I agree."
Tian Tian couldn't believe it. In modern times... where to stay and where to spend the New Year... these can become major issues that couples argue about.
In this day and age, how could they possibly allow her to live outside the palace?
"The Empress Dowager said that she likes the sweet girl outside the palace."
“If she had married you and then imprisoned you in the palace, she wouldn’t have had this idea in the first place.”
"Father always indulges Mother, so he listens to her."
Ling Yao leaned close to Tian Tian's ear and said, "From now on, I will be like Father, letting you have your way and listening to you."
Tian Tian pushed him away shyly, saying, "We'll talk about this later."
Ling Yao chuckled softly.
*
Empress Li, accompanied by Wan Xinran, arrived at Ling Jun's study.
"Your Majesty." Eunuch Yin was at the door, but Empress Li gestured for him not to announce her arrival.
Without Empress Li's reminder, Wan Xinran wisely did not follow them inside, and even deliberately walked away, with her back to the Imperial Study.
Empress Li came to the desk and placed the box heavily on Ling Jun's desk, pressing it down on the memorial.
Ling Jun seemed to only just notice her, and looked up... "The Empress has arrived?"
Empress Li snorted, "You knew I was coming all along, yet you still pretended."
She patted the box lightly. "Guess what's inside?"
Ling Jun glanced at the box. "Your daughter-in-law came to the palace to see you today. Did she give you this box?"
Because Empress Li was so pleased with Tian Tian, her future daughter-in-law, she was afraid that the two children would feel embarrassed in front of Tian Tian and Ling Yao, so she wouldn't address her that way.
But in front of Ling Jun, she always addressed Tian Tian as her daughter-in-law.
Empress Li rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, it was given to me by my daughter-in-law."
She slowly opened the box. "Look!!"
Jiaoyan Pavilion was the first business venture that his empress had ever undertaken, and Ling Jun had been sending people to keep an eye on it.
They naturally knew that Jiaoyan Pavilion was doing very well.
But he was still startled when a thick stack of silver notes popped out of the box.
"so much?!"
Empress Li raised an eyebrow mysteriously, "Ah Jun, guess how many taels of silver are here."
Ling Jun complied with her by stating a number, "Three hundred thousand taels?"
Empress Li shook her head, "Too little."
Ling Jun's pupils dilated slightly, and he announced another number, "Five hundred thousand taels?"
Empress Li shook her head.
"Too many?" Ling Jun asked.
Empress Li shook her head again, "Too little."
Still not enough? Ling Jun's brows twitched. "Eight hundred thousand taels?"
Empress Li nodded. "It's very close."
"Ninety-two hundred thousand taels!!" she announced the actual figure.
Ling Jun clicked his tongue, "Doing business like this... makes way more money than I, the emperor, am..."
After all, it's only been a month.
Even if he were emperor for a year, the taxes he collected might not be equivalent to Tian Tian's annual income.
Empress Li pushed the box towards him and said coyly, "Ah Jun, here you go."
Ling Jun understood what she meant, so he took her hand and led her around the desk.
"The Empress gave me all the money she earned for the first time?" He put his arm around Empress Li's waist and pressed her onto his lap.
Empress Li glanced at the doorway to make sure no one was there before shyly wrapping her arms around Ling Jun's neck.
"Hasn't His Majesty always been worried about money? With this money, His Majesty can finally get some things arranged..."
She rubbed her cheek against the Emperor's face. "With one less thing to worry about, Your Majesty can have one less thing to worry about."
Ling Jun chuckled softly and kissed Empress Li affectionately on the lips. "Thank you, my Empress."
After the two cuddled for a while, Empress Li remembered that Wan Xinran was waiting outside.
"The Ministry of Rites has set the date: the sixth day of the sixth lunar month," Ling Jun said reluctantly, holding her hand.
"So late?" Empress Li was eager to change her address.
Ling Jun said, "Next spring, spring plowing is the most important thing."
Empress Li sighed helplessly, "Alright, the people's welfare will come first."
"Now that the date has been set, Your Majesty, please issue the decree."
Ling Jun nodded and squeezed Empress Li's small hand with his large palm. "The first imperial edict of the year will announce to the world the arrival of Yao'er and Tian Tian."
Empress Li thought this was acceptable; the first imperial edict... would show that it was taken seriously.
*
Before we knew it, the New Year holidays had arrived.
The Emperor issued an edict summoning the entire household of the Princess of Fufeng to the palace for the New Year.
Tian Tian, Lu Tao, Liu San Niang, Tian Xiang, and Qin Youyou all had costumes bestowed by the palace, but Tian Jinghe was wearing his own new clothes.
However, Tian Tian and the others also brought their everyday clothes.
Tonight is a banquet hosted by the Emperor, and all the officials who have made great contributions to the court this year are among those invited.
So when the princess's carriage arrived at the palace gate, a large crowd had already gathered there.
"Princess." Upon seeing the insignia of the Princess of Fufeng's residence, the young palace maid at the gate scurried past Madam Qi, who was inspecting the carriage, and fawned over Tian Tian's carriage.
“Princess, His Highness the Crown Prince has already instructed that your carriage need not be inspected.”
"Come with me..."
Lady Qi watched as the princess's carriage walked around to the side and went straight to the palace, her chest heaving with anger!
Let you gloat a little longer!!!