Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 63
Summer was approaching, and Wen Zhuojin had ordered several summer outfits from a tailor shop.
“Miss Wen, the fabric used for these clothes is the cloud brocade you selected last time. It was transported from the southern state of Chu and is specifically reserved for the noble families in the palace. There are only a few bolts of it in total. Please take a look and see if you’re satisfied with the style and color.”
When Wen Zhuojin went to the tailor shop to pick up the clothes, the shopkeeper greeted her with a beaming smile.
Wen Zhuojin’s shops had been thriving recently, and she spent money lavishly. She had already spent thousands of taels of silver at this tailor shop, making her a major client. Naturally, the shopkeeper was extremely enthusiastic when he saw her.
Wen Zhuojin felt the fabric in her hands—it was light, soft, and delicate. She then examined the color and style, which matched what she had ordered: vibrant colors and a modern design.
Once the weather got a bit warmer, she could have her beautiful sister wear them.
They would definitely look stunning.
Wen Zhuojin was very pleased.
However, when she paid the remaining balance and looked at the bill, she realized how profitable the tailor business was.
Just ordering a season’s worth of clothes for her beautiful sister had already cost a significant amount of silver.
If she were to continue ordering in the future, it might be better to open her own tailor shop, overseeing everything from weaving the fabric to making the clothes, all managed by her own people.
Instead of relying on the shopkeeper’s word that the best fabric was indeed the best, who knew if it was truly reserved for the palace’s noble families or just for the maids?
Her beautiful sister naturally deserved the finest fabrics.
Her skin was too delicate, and inferior fabrics might cause discomfort or even pain.
“Shopkeeper, last time you said the floating light brocade was the best, and this time you’re saying the cloud brocade is the best. What’s the difference? Is there anything better than these? Please explain in detail.” Wen Zhuojin asked casually, engaging the shopkeeper in conversation to gather some information.
Wen Zhuojin already owned a clothing shop, though it wasn’t as large as this tailor shop.
Now that she had both money and connections, opening a shop like this wouldn’t be too difficult. The challenge lay in making it even better and more profitable.
After spending some time at the tailor shop, Wen Zhuojin headed to a famous jewelry store in Yunjing City.
She picked up the custom-made hair ornaments she had ordered and then went to a fragrant tea shop.
The person from Tianxuan Palace responsible for auditing the accounts would be waiting for her at the tea shop today.
She also had some matters to discuss with the auditor.
As a registered disciple of Tianxuan Palace, under its protection, she had to report any new business ventures to the palace.
Opening a tailor shop, from hiring people to sourcing materials, wasn’t something that could be done overnight.
When Wen Zhuojin arrived at the private room in the tea shop, she saw several people from Tianxuan Palace. Besides the auditor, there was also a familiar face—Xuan Zhen.
“Senior Sister, what brings you here today?” Wen Zhuojin asked with a smile as she entered the room and saw Xuan Zhen.
“I came to see you. You were quite impressive yesterday. I didn’t know you were so skilled at polo. Well done!” Xuan Zhen said, her face smiling, though her eyes lacked any real warmth. She seemed listless.
“It was all luck, nothing worth mentioning. Senior Sister, you don’t look too well. Are you worried about something, or are you feeling unwell? Let me light some calming incense and personally brew you some fragrant tea.” Wen Zhuojin said with concern.
Xuan Zhen was, after all, her superior and the link to Jiangxiao. It was important to maintain a good relationship with her.
Moreover, Xuan Zhen had given her the beginner’s guide to intimate arts.
She wondered if there were more advanced versions.
Xuan Zhen, who had been feeling troubled, was surprised that Wen Zhuojin could tell.
Wen Zhuojin had the maid bring in the tea set, dismissed the others, and personally prepared the incense and brewed the tea for Xuan Zhen.
Xuan Zhen rested her head on her hand, inhaling the soothing scent in the air, which slightly improved her mood.
As she watched Wen Zhuojin brew the tea, she found herself growing fonder of her.
“Senior Sister, if you have any worries, you can share them with me.” Wen Zhuojin said as she handed Xuan Zhen the first cup of fragrant tea.
“Well, how should I put this… Master has asked me to find someone. If I don’t find that person, I can’t return to see Master. But if I do find that person, Master’s attention will be entirely on them, and they won’t even glance at me! It makes me unhappy. It’s really frustrating. I wish that person would just disappear and never come back.” Xuan Zhen said after taking a sip of tea. Seeing Wen Zhuojin’s attentive expression, she decided to open up, her tone a mix of disappointment and resentment.
Xuan Zhen had sent someone back to inform Jiangxiao about the situation in the palace. Jiangxiao had sent a letter back, instructing her to work with the imperial guards to find the person as soon as possible, or else she shouldn’t return to Tianxuan Palace.
As Wen Zhuojin listened to Xuan Zhen’s words, her mind tangled into a mess. After sorting it out, she began to understand.
Xuan Zhen, Jiangxiao, and that person—it was indeed a complicated love triangle.
“But if that person were to die, Master would probably be even more heartbroken. Sigh!” Xuan Zhen took another sip of tea and lowered her head.
“Senior Sister, if you want to see Master, just go back. Since that person isn’t there, isn’t this your opportunity? Anyone can handle the task of finding that person; it doesn’t have to be you. You have more important matters to attend to. With Master’s magnanimity, they surely wouldn’t blame you. Senior Sister, why waste your time here?” Wen Zhuojin paused before speaking, offering some comfort to Xuan Zhen.
Xuan Zhen looked up at Wen Zhuojin, feeling that she had understood what she had just said and had hit the nail on the head.
Indeed, Wen Zhuojin also liked women.
“You’re right!” Xuan Zhen slapped the table.
Wen Zhuojin smiled and poured more tea for Xuan Zhen.
“I’ll go back to see Master today. As for the reason… Oh, right! There’s something else I came to discuss with you. You won the polo match yesterday and used incense to break the Northern Qiang’s strategy. You actually managed to create an incense that countered theirs. Where did you get the formula for the incense you used yesterday? Do you have any similar formulas for horses?” Xuan Zhen thought for a moment and found a reason, asking Wen Zhuojin eagerly.
“I came across it by chance in a miscellaneous book. The incense I made was the first attempt, and I didn’t expect it to work. It was truly a stroke of luck.” Wen Zhuojin said.
“It seems your skills in the art of incense are indeed exceptional. To create an incense based solely on a formula requires both skill and talent. To succeed on the first attempt—you truly are chosen by the heavens. The incense the Northern Qiang used yesterday, did you smell it beforehand? Do you know how to make it?” Xuan Zhen asked, her admiration for Wen Zhuojin’s incense-making abilities growing.
“That was a composite incense. I could identify some of the ingredients, but making it would be difficult. Many of the materials are likely unique to the Northern Qiang, and I haven’t seen them before.” Wen Zhuojin replied.
“That’s easy to fix. I’ll have someone send you a collection of Northern Qiang incense formulas along with the corresponding materials. Take a look and study them carefully. You should know that the Northern Qiang’s greatest strength lies in their horses. Recently, the court purchased several high-quality stallions from the Northern Qiang, but they are extremely fierce and difficult to tame. Not only have they injured several people, but they also haven’t been able to impregnate any mares. If you could create an incense formula to help these stallions mate with the mares and produce foals, it would be a great achievement.” Xuan Zhen said.
“…” Wen Zhuojin hadn’t expected that yesterday’s polo match would lead to such a matter.
Horses were highly valuable in Northern Jin, and the horse trade was strictly regulated by the court. Those involved in the business were all wealthy.
If she could secure this business, she could earn a lot more silver, and then she could buy anything her beautiful sister desired.
“Alright, I’ll do my best.” Wen Zhuojin said. Whether she could successfully create the incense was still uncertain, but she would worry about that later.
Xuan Zhen’s expression softened considerably. The warhorse breeding plan was a significant matter, and she could use this as a reason to return to Tianxuan Palace and see Master.
“How are things with your little lady?” Xuan Zhen asked with a smile, her mood lightened.
Wen Zhuojin pursed her lips, her face showing a hint of embarrassment, though the joy in her eyes was hard to conceal.
“How is it? Have you done anything from the intimate arts guide?” Xuan Zhen’s gossip-loving heart was piqued, and she nudged Wen Zhuojin.
“There’s been some progress, but… she doesn’t seem to like it much.” Wen Zhuojin said, not wanting to go into too much detail. However, since she finally had someone who understood her preferences and was willing to discuss these matters, she couldn’t help but share a little.
After their intimacy, her beautiful sister had been hurt. When she asked if she liked it, her face had turned stern.
Wen Zhuojin herself had been overjoyed, but she couldn’t sense the same emotions from her beautiful sister.
This morning, before leaving, her beautiful sister had applied medicine to her wounds, clearly showing concern.
But when she leaned in to kiss her and tried to apply the medicine herself, her beautiful sister had clearly resisted, avoiding her and urging her to go to the shop.
“If she doesn’t like it, it must be your fault. You need to put more thought into it. Every page of the guide has some details that aren’t just randomly drawn. You need to look carefully. Sometimes you need to…”
Xuan Zhen spoke with a guiding tone, discussing something quite intimate with an extremely proper expression.
“…” Wen Zhuojin listened attentively, though she couldn’t help feeling that something was off.
Was Xuan Zhen just theorizing without practical experience?
“Have you been practicing polo recently? Look at your hands—they’re covered in calluses. Even your skin feels rough.” Xuan Zhen asked Wen Zhuojin.
“Yes, that’s true. Senior Sister, you’re really observant!” Wen Zhuojin listened humbly, looking at her hands. She had to admit that Xuan Zhen’s observation was spot-on.
Playing polo required one hand to hold the mallet and the other to grip the reins. Both hands had become much rougher, and even the inner thighs had developed calluses.
No wonder she had noticed many red marks on her beautiful sister’s skin yesterday.
“Don’t you have hand cream in your shop? Use it to take care of your hands. Your hands are very important.” Xuan Zhen said, seeing Wen Zhuojin nodding in agreement.
“…” Wen Zhuojin’s expression turned slightly embarrassed.
Her hands hadn’t had much use yet.
“Senior Sister Xuan Zhen, your hands are so well-maintained. Do you have any secrets?” Wen Zhuojin asked in a low voice.
Xuan Zhen’s interest was piqued, and she enthusiastically shared her hand-care secrets.
Wen Zhuojin listened attentively and thanked Xuan Zhen sincerely.
Xuan Zhen stayed with Wen Zhuojin for a while, feeling as if she had found a kindred spirit. After the audit was completed, she left in high spirits, her steps light.
Once Xuan Zhen was gone, Wen Zhuojin let out a sigh of relief. She checked on the shop, made some arrangements, and then hurried back home.
After her conversation with Xuan Zhen, aside from the hand-care tips, Wen Zhuojin also reflected on herself.
Yesterday, she had been too reckless.
She needed to find an opportunity to serve her beautiful sister in a way that wouldn’t cause injury, allowing her to feel the same emotions and accept her affection.
As Wen Zhuojin plotted in her heart, she returned to the house, where Yan Qinglan had already been back for a while.
Yan Qinglan was lying listlessly on a soft pillow.
Now that her eyes could see clearly, Yan Qinglan had thought she could go out and handle a few matters today. However, after only a short time outside, her weak legs refused to cooperate.
The areas where Wen Zhuojin had applied medicine also hurt, especially when she walked.
Even the slightest friction of the fabric against her skin caused pain.
Even if she wanted to meet more people, it was impossible.
In the morning, when Wen Zhuojin had offered to apply the medicine, Yan Qinglan had been too embarrassed and had pushed her away.
She hadn’t used the medicine herself.
She hadn’t expected to be in such a state.
After applying the medicine Wen Zhuojin had left, she couldn’t help but feel some resentment toward Wen Zhuojin.
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