Chuzheng, under the careful and meticulous care of Lv Zhu, washed and dressed.
Her original appearance was that of a youth with a gentle demeanor like water; now bolstered by Chuzhengâs icy facade, it gave others the impression that she was feigning coldness.
This faceâ¦
Chuzheng and the person in the bronze mirror stared wide-eyed at each other.
It truly marred her image of noble aloofness.
How could she look like this!
Chuzheng rummaged through the items on the table and removed some of the excessive hair ornaments, selecting a single hairpin to wear instead.
The simple hairstyle restored a bit of her air of distant coldness.
[Main Quest: Please spend fifty taels of silver within two hours.]
Slap!
The young lady suddenly slapped her palm on the dressing table, causing the bronze mirror to shake.
That⦠that really hurts!!!
âMissâ¦â Lv Zhu stood frozen in place, her eyes brimming with cautious concern.
The young girl collected her hand with composure, signaling Lv Zhu to bring over the coat.
Lv Zhu swallowed hard.
She truly felt that the young lady had completely changed.
In the past, the young lady was always tender and gentle; now her face was cold and expressionless, which frightened Lv Zhu.
The young lady had previously carried herself with the gentle and soft grace of a high-born lady.
But now, there was a sense of pride and sharpness faintly emanating from herâ¦
An aura she only saw in the scions of noble families.
Noâ¦
The young lady possessed a demeanor more imposing than those young scions.
The clothes of this era were layered upon layers, the wide sleeves floated, and the hems of the skirts were so exaggeratedly long they trailed on the ground.
As Lv Zhu stepped out, Chuzheng waved her sleeves.
It was like dancing⦠With such long skirts and sleeves, wouldnât she trip over while walking?
âMissâ¦â
As Lv Zhu stepped over the threshold, Chuzheng was just waving out her sleeve when she caught it expressionlessly, quickly retreating and assuming a calm and composed posture.
Lv Zhu looked perplexedly at Chuzheng, who stood in the room with a bearing that seemed to overlook kingdoms from above.
The young lady⦠Was she still okay?!
Why did she feel that something was off?
With her feet stepping lightly like lotus flowers breaking the surface, Lv Zhu approached: âMiss, are you feeling upset?â
âNo.â What do I have to be upset about? Nonsense!
âMissâ¦â Lv Zhu didnât believe at all; the young lady must be distressed.
She wracked her brain for a while until a lightbulb went off: âMiss, how about we go find Young Master Ye? He⦠he is engaged to you, and as long as he explains to Your Majesty in the palace, you wonât have to go yourself.â
Who are these Young Master Ye or Flower Master Ye.
I donât know them, wonât go!
I want to go on a spending spree!
Chuzheng walked out with her hands behind her back.
Thinking Chuzheng had listened, Lv Zhu quickly followed: âMiss, you canât walk like that.â
Chuzheng: ââ¦â You even control how I walk, I want to do this, what about it!
Chuzheng walked out of the room with hands behind her back, like a senior cadre.
As Lv Zhu nervously reminded her, Chuzheng turned her face, expressionless, and threatened: âIf you speak again, donât follow me.â
Lv Zhu sucked in a breath, her slightly reddened eyes appearing pitiful, yet she dared not speak another word for fear of being left behind by Chuzheng.
She was just a maid, and if her master didnât allow it, she would have to stay.
Prince Cheng Residence was bestowed by the former Emperor, located in the most valuable area of the Imperial Capital.
This indicated how much the former Emperor had valued Prince Cheng at that time.
But of course, those were glories of the past.
Now both the former Emperor and Prince Cheng were gone.
Without any close relatives left by Prince Cheng, the widows and orphans left behind had become thorns in other peopleâs sides.
Chuzheng could only lament over her pitiable self in her heart.
Above her was an Emperor who behaved oddly and unpredictably.
Below her were a stepmother and stepsister covetously watching.
Outside, there were also onlookers who had been offended by Prince Cheng before, ready to join the fray and kick them while they were down at any moment.
Iâm the pitiful one, no doubt about it.
Hugging myself.
So how should I spend the fifty taels of silver, then?
The original host could almost receive more than twenty taels of silver every three months⦠although now itâs already been deducted.
But if the original host couldnât even spend twenty taels in three months, and now I have twice as much, how am I supposed to spend it all!?
Such a dilemma.
The street where Chuzheng was located was the most prosperous in the Imperial Capital.
The surrounding crowd consisted of shouting vendors, bargaining women, children clamoring around candy makers, and the occasional luxurious carriages passing through the street.
Chuzheng walked into a shop that looked quite luxurious.
Only after entering did she realize it was a clothing store.
âMiss, welcome,â a flamboyantly dressed woman approached her, her fragrance overwhelming.
Chuzheng looked around indifferently.
The woman covered her mouth with a fan and laughed, âItâs your first time here, isnât it? Our Embroidered Brocade Pavilion doesnât usually cater to walk-in customers, but itâs not busy today, so you can have a look around.â
Lv Zhu frowned behind her.
Although the woman spoke with a smile, there was something about her tone that was uncomfortable.
It seemed like she was suggesting their Miss couldnât afford the wares.
To the womanâs attitude, Chuzheng remained largely unconcerned, âIs it very expensive?â
âOf course, it is,â the woman said, fanning herself with an air of arrogance.
Very expensive!
Good!
Very good!
Chuzheng, in high spirits, continued further inside.
The Embroidered Brocade Pavilion was a multi-level shop, with exquisite garments hung on racks in the middle, with menâs and womenâs styles on separate sides.
More could be found upstairs, where at that moment, several young ladies gathered, chatting and laughing noisily.
âYouâre in luck today, miss. Our shopkeeper is personally designing clothes. Would you like to go up and take a look?â
The womanâs words were beyond reproach, every word carried respect, but her attitude and behavior did not match her words.
Chuzheng casually picked out a dress, âHow much?â
âTwenty taels,â the woman replied. âThese are last yearâs styles, hence discounted. You may find they donât fit.â
Those who came to their Embroidered Brocade Pavilion made custom orders.
Who would buy these off-the-shelf?
Real quality garments were upstairs; these were hung here merely to oblige those who didnât know the etiquette, those entering the door.
Chuzheng signaled for Lv Zhu to take the dress, and then picked out another set worth thirty taels.
âIâll pay now.â
âMiss!â Lv Zhu exclaimed in shock, knowing well that these dresses wouldnât fit her mistress.
Chuzheng silenced Lv Zhu with a threatening glance.
Lv Zhu, holding the dresses, felt anxious and aggrieved.
Although she too was angry at the woman for looking down on them, this was no way to recklessly spend money.
Ever since the Prince passed away, they had never received any money in their quarter, and there would be many other things to spend money on in the future.
The womanâs expression became a bit strange, but as Chuzheng was willing to buy, she called the shop assistant over to settle Chuzhengâs bill.
[Congratulations Miss for completing the task, Fifty taels of silver have been credited to your account.]
[Main quest: Please purchase the Embroidered Brocade Pavilion.]
Just as Chuzheng finished paying, the Kingâs Account very considerately informed her of task completion and immediately issued a new quest.
[Miss, how can we let them look down on us! Weâve got plenty of money! Buy! We must buy!]
Chuzheng: ââ¦â No, I donât want to!
[No, you do want to!]
Chuzheng: ââ¦â
Damned thing!
Chuzheng took a deep breath,
a deep breath.
Then another deep breath.
âI want to see your shopkeeper.â Iâm buying the shop!!!