Chapter 549: They’re All My Shops_1

However, his mental state seemed very good, with an expression as stern as usual.

Only when his gaze swept over Wei Ruo, a subtle smile and gentleness appeared on his face.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chu Heng ordered the New Year’s gifts to be presented.

Upon viewing the gift list, Wei Mingting and Mrs. Yun both looked surprised.

Wei Mingting and Mrs. Yun glanced at each other, their eyes reflecting their astonishment.

The gift from King Yu seemed a bit extravagantly priced for a New Year’s gift.

Moreover, their daughter was a concubine, which made this gesture somewhat improper.

After pondering for a moment, Mrs. Yun thanked King Yu, “Your Highness is too kind.

Her face beamed with joy. Although it was unexpected, it was undoubtedly a good thing.

The fact that King Yu accompanied Wanwan home today and prepared such generous gifts for them sufficiently proved that Wanwan was living a good life in the King’s Residence.

After what happened last time, she was worried multiple times that Wanwan would be neglected, she even feared that she would commit suicide to preserve her reputation. Now it seemed that her worries were uncalled for.

“It’s only right. Your Excellency and your wife have raised such an outstanding daughter, it is my good fortune,” Chu Heng responded.

“Our daughter is fortunate to be able to serve His Highness,” Mrs. Yun responded.

Wei Qingwan blushed and lowered her head, her gaze towards Chu Heng now filled with tenderness.

Eventually, Wei Qingwan lifted her head and looked at Wei Ruo, who was seated across from her, “I suppose the gift my sister prepared must be even more magnificent than ours. We’re just setting the precedent.”

With that single sentence, Wei Ruo was drawn into the conversation, even though she had been leisurely sipping her tea with no intention of getting involved.

Wei Ruo looked at Wei Qingwan with a smile, not responding immediately.

Wei Qingwan sweetly continued, “Sister, don’t keep us in suspense. What magnificent gift have you prepared? Enlighten me.”

She still remembered that during their grandfather’s birthday, Wei Qingwan’s gift was more clever than generous as she wasn’t favored in the Wang Residence and didn’t have much silver to spare.

For items like calligraphy, jade, and porcelain, which their grandfather liked, Wei Qingwan could only afford the most ordinary. Hence, she chose to demonstrate her sincerity instead, only to be overshadowed by the gift Wei Ruo casually gave.

Wei Qingwan was indeed upset at the time, but given her circumstances, she had no means to retaliate.

Now, times have changed. Wei Qingwan’s status was different. With King Yu personally accompanying her home for the New Year and preparing extravagant gifts, Wei Qingwan felt that she could seize this opportunity to even the score, and perhaps even make Wei Ruo look bad in the process.

Wei Ruo gave a slight smile. She hadn’t originally planned on presenting her New Year’s gifts at this time, but since Wei Qingwan had brought it up, she had no choice but to present them now.

Wei Ruo gave Xiumei a meaningful look.

Xiumei immediately turned around and left the room. Following that, Wei Ruo turned to Wei Mingting and said, “I have prepared some small gifts for Father, I hope you won’t find them unworthy.”

“The gift represents the intention, no matter what it is. As long as it’s from Ruoruo, I won’t find it lowly,” Wei Mingting responded.

Shortly after, Xiumei directed the servants to carry in several boxes and place them in the center of the hall.

The items were all stored in plain wooden boxes, with no red cloth or decorations, simple and straightforward.

Xiumei ordered the servants to open all the boxes, revealing ten jars of thyme, a large box of stationery, and several boxes of fabric.

Chu Heng glanced at the center of the hall and recognized that these items were all popular commodities in the capital last year, some of which were limited-edition and required queuing to purchase.

Chu Heng himself wasn’t particularly interested in these things, but due to their popularity among some people in the capital, he couldn’t help but learn about them.

For instance, Old Master Lu was especially fond of thyme, so Chu Heng had specially sent some to him as a gift.

As for the fabrics, they seemed to be exclusively sold in the Caiyun Room. Previously, Shijing had purchased some to make clothes, even making a few sets for him, and had mentioned that this fabric might not be sold for long, as it might be selected as a tribute, and then ordinary people wouldn’t be able to afford it.

“Ruoruo is very thoughtful,” Wei Mingting looked at Wei Ruo, his face reflecting a more affectionate smile.

“Ruoruo has spent a lot on these gifts,” Mrs. Yun added.

“It’s nothing, I didn’t spend much money,” Wei Ruo replied.

With the current downturn in the market, some of her luxury goods, which were targeted at the aristocracy, were also not selling well. Offering them as gifts was an effective way to clear her inventory.

Hearing this, Chu Heng couldn’t help but say, “My sister is indeed magnanimous, according to my understanding, these items are not cheap.”

“Really? They are all from my own shop. I didn’t spend much money.” Wei Ruo responded.

From her own shop?

What did she mean?

Everyone present, Wei Mingting, Mrs. Yun, Wei Yichen, Chu Heng, and Wei Qingwan all expressed their confusion to varying degrees.

“Why does my sister speak such words? To my knowledge, this thyme comes from a small workshop, the stationery from the Four Treasure House, and the fabric is exclusively sold in the Caiyun Room.” Chu Heng said.

“It seems His Highness is quite knowledgeable about these items.” Wei Ruo replied.

“I am not a stubborn person. Since these items have been popular in the capital for a while, I have come to know of them.” Chu Heng answered.

“Baili Wine Shop and Four Treasure House are actually my shops, so naturally, I didn’t have to spend much money.” Wei Ruo answered.

What?

The Baili Wine Shop and Four Treasure House were owned by Wei Qingruo?

She? A married woman?

Usually, a woman’s property either comes as a dowry from her parents or as a gift from her husband or family.

The Wei family certainly hadn’t given Wei Ruo any such shops, so where did Wei Ruo get these two profitable businesses from?

“Ruoruo, stop joking, how can the Baili Wine Shop and the Four Treasure House be your shops?” Mrs. Yun couldn’t help but speak.

“I ought to apologize for keeping this a secret from you. I understand that it’s not proper for a young lady to be involved in such mundane affairs. It would tarnish the reputation of the Wei family if people knew, so these shops have been operating under the name of a friend. Now I don’t have to worry about that anymore. His Highness also isn’t concerned about my reputation, so I took them back into my hands,” Wei Ruo explained in a calm tone.

In the world Wei Ruo was currently in, the higher your status and power, the less you had to adhere to those tedious rules.

Especially when she wasn’t concerned about her reputation, things became much easier.

Hearing Wei Ruo’s words, everyone in the room was silent for a long time.

The impact of Wei Ruo’s nonchalant words was immense.

The shops she was talking about were no ordinary businesses, especially the Baili Wine Shop and Four Treasure House which had had dealings with almost everyone present.

Mrs. Yun’s expression became rather complicated. At first, she was shocked, then disbelief appeared, followed by anguish.

Meanwhile, Chu Heng went from surprise to thoughtfulness, his gaze fixed on Wei Ruo and not moving away for a long time.

Wei Qingwan bit her lip, hiding her clenched hand in her sleeve. Her nails were digging into her flesh.