Having gathered quite a few plums, Qi Daiyu was in rather good spirits as she returned to "Sky and Water Reflections." However, she found the place unusually quiet. Her management was lenient, with few strict rules, so her attendants were usually full of laughter and chatter, which she enjoyed being amidst.
This atmosphere... something was off.
It wasn't until she saw a row of eunuchs through the courtyard—ones who didn't belong to her establishment—that Qi Daiyu's heart gave a start.
The Emperor had come.
"Chief Steward Quan." Qi Daiyu walked up to Quan Fuhai and nodded to him.
"Oh, Noble Lady Hui, you flatter this servant." Quan Fuhai smiled, the creases on his face deepening.
Everyone in the palace showed three parts of respect to the Chief Eunuch by the Emperor's side.
Qi Daiyu glanced toward the door curtain of the main room. "Why has His Majesty come to 'Sky and Water Reflections' today?"
"His Majesty has been thinking of you, Noble Lady Hui!" Quan Fuhai only offered pleasantries and auspicious words. "His Majesty has been waiting for quite a while. Noble Lady Hui should go in quickly!"
It was truly odd. At this evening hour, which imperial consort wasn't properly waiting in her chambers, hoping for the Emperor's arrival? Yet this Noble Lady Hui was carefree enough to go out right at this time.
If Qi Daiyu knew what Quan Fuhai was thinking, she would surely have retorted: The Emperor not visiting the rear palace for ten days or half a month is common. How can the consorts possibly wait around every single day? Who could bear opening an empty blind box day after day?
Qi Daiyu moved slowly to the doorway, just as Hongtao, who had been serving tea, came out. Seeing her, Hongtao hurriedly said, "Mistress, His Majesty is on the terrace. This is the second time the tea has been replenished."
Which meant the Emperor had been there for at least half an hour.
"Understood. You may withdraw for now."
Qi Daiyu stepped inside. Instead of going up immediately, she first instructed Shiliu to go wash the plums and went to wash her own hands.
Only then did she carry the washed plums up to the terrace.
"Your concubine pays respects to Your Majesty." Qi Daiyu lifted her gaze.
Dusk was approaching, and lanterns had been lit on the terrace. Jiang Yuan was wearing an ivory-white casual robe woven with gold thread today. He reclined somewhat indolently on the terrace daybed, a book in his hand adding a scholarly air. He looked less like a dignified emperor and more like a graceful noble scion from a great family.
Placing the book on his chest, Jiang Yuan remained reclined as he looked at her. "Where have you been playing?"
Putao had been left behind and must have told him her whereabouts. Him asking now was clearly meant to tease.
Qi Daiyu thus approached, holding the plums. "To make Mid-Autumn lanterns, your concubine took some people to the lakeside to gather necessary materials. I happened to see a few plum trees and picked some plums. Would Your Majesty care to try one?"
Jiang Yuan made no move but assumed a waiting expression. Qi Daiyu had no choice but to walk over, sit beside him, and offer him a plum.
Jiang Yuan still didn't take it, watching her with leisurely amusement.
This man was definitely doing it on purpose!
She had to put down the plate and personally peel the plum.
Jiang Yuan watched her movements quietly. Her pink nails broke the skin, stained with purplish-red juice. Her hands were lovely—slender, long fingers with plump, rounded tips. Her nails weren't kept long, trimmed neatly. Whatever kind of polish she used, it wasn't the bright red favored by other consorts, but a soft pink color, looking fresh and delicate.
Most likely something she concocted herself again.
A flicker of amusement passed through Jiang Yuan's eyes.
As she peeled the plum, Qi Daiyu somehow remembered the New Year's banquet last year, when Jiang Yuan had her peel a kumquat. Back then, her nails had been stained with the kumquat juice's color, so much so that she didn't dare show her hands when offering thanks for her promotion.
Now her nails were stained with juice again.
A certain feeling inevitably rose within her. As she fed the peeled plum to Jiang Yuan's lips, she teased, "Last time, Your Majesty had your concubine peel a kumquat and later bestowed kumquats upon me. This time, Your Majesty has me peel a plum. Does that mean you'll bestow golden plums upon me?"
Plums were much larger than kumquats.
"Such a little miser." Jiang Yuan ultimately didn't actually let Qi Daiyu feed him, taking the plum himself. "Haven't you earned plenty lately?"
Qi Daiyu pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her hands.
Jiang Yuan was referring to the "Lotus Blossom Visage" business. Due to product pricing, Lotus Blossom Visage's sales were initially poor. It wasn't that wealthy young ladies didn't visit the shop, but items like the complexion cream required long-term use to show effects—something you couldn't judge by sight alone. Not knowing the quality, people assumed it was no different from other shops' products, yet the price was several times higher. No matter how rich, no one wanted to be a fool.
The "foundation liquid," however, showed immediate results upon application and sold a few units.
But this situation changed last month.
Her Majesty the Empress's "influence" had an extraordinary effect. Those noble ladies, hearing the news, initially sent people to buy out of a desire to curry favor with the Empress. After using the products for over a month, they discovered their skin had genuinely improved. These ladies also had social obligations—attending weddings, funerals, and banquets among relatives. When others saw them, they naturally inquired.
Word spread from one to another. Soon, "Lotus Blossom Visage" first gained popularity among the wealthiest and most noble circles in the capital.
Those slightly lower in status, wanting to please their superiors, naturally sought to learn their preferences. When they finally found out and sent people to "Lotus Blossom Visage," they discovered that month's stock was already sold out!
This shop actually practiced limited releases!
The ladies and noble misses who failed to purchase were filled with regret, resorting to all kinds of connections, even asking their husbands or fathers for help.
This involvement led to complications.
It was no longer just a competition among women over beauty.
It became a contest of prestige among families!
How could other families have channels to buy such excellent, expensive items, while yours couldn't? Did it mean your family was inferior?
Consequently, the threshold of "Lotus Blossom Visage" was nearly worn down by pleas to "increase production and quantity."
Increasing production was impossible—she couldn't work herself to death, could she?
The current output, requiring just four or five days of "transfer" each month, was just right.
However, while increasing quantity wasn't feasible, launching new products was.
It was time to introduce eyeshadow and lipstick.
But more products meant more work for Qi Daiyu. Perhaps pressure bred the desire to escape, as Qi Daiyu thought of a solution.
Why should she do all the transferring herself? Couldn't she pay extra for customization when shopping online? Order uniquely designed packaging outright, with materials and exterior designs decided by her. She could even, through a "co-branding" commercial collaboration, commission exclusive packaging. That way, she could directly purchase products with suitable materials and packaging in the future.
The only drawback was that she had to spend more money, and in both worlds at that. Customizing the appearance cost extra over there, and over here, to avoid arousing suspicion, she naturally had to produce a batch of outer packaging, which also required silver.
But to free up her hands, Qi Daiyu felt it was worth a try. She could always stop if it didn't work out. This experiment would start with eyeshadow and lipstick.
To stimulate consumption, the new products would have no purchase limits in their first month.
And it was precisely this 'no limits' policy that caused the eyeshadow and lipstick to sell like crazy!
People didn't even care if they were any good; they just knew that "Lotus Blossom Beauty" had released new items. They'd rush into the shop and shout, "My mistress wants five boxes! No, with over ten young ladies in our household, make it twenty boxes!"
"I was here first! Give my mistress ten!"
"My master is Marquis Wei! Let me go first!"
"What's so special about Marquis Wei? My master is a Duke!"
That's right, those buying rouge and powder at "Lotus Blossom Beauty" weren't the ladies and young misses themselves, but the servants of the high-ranking officials and nobles... This scene had become a peculiar sight in the capital.
In short, the reputation of "Lotus Blossom Beauty" was firmly established in the capital.
And Qi Daiyu, naturally, made a fortune.
A single lipstick was priced at ten taels of silver—it was practically highway robbery.
This was precisely the context for Jiang Yuan's earlier remark.
Qi Daiyu replied to Jiang Yuan, "Your concubine is earning silver for Your Majesty."
However much she earned, the Emperor earned just as much.
When she further considered that the Four Directions Bank was the Emperor's private asset, she dared not even imagine how wealthy his personal treasury must be.
"Oh? In that case, I really should reward you."
Qi Daiyu lowered her head with a light laugh, and her glance fell upon the book in Jiang Yuan's hands. Her smile faltered. "Your Majesty is reading this book?"
Jiang Yuan: "I picked it up casually from your bookshelf. I heard from your palace maid that you wrote it yourself, to lull the Eldest Princess to sleep during her nap. I didn't know my Graceful Lady Hui could also write books."
"It's merely for amusing a child, all in plain vernacular. I fear it might soil Your Majesty's eyes. Your concubine should put it away." Qi Daiyu reached out to take it, but her hand, just resting on the book, was covered by Jiang Yuan's larger one.
"Is Graceful Lady Hui afraid I'll read it?" His tone was unreadable. "Could there be something improper in this book?"
Qi Daiyu pursed her lips. What kind of book was it?
It was Journey to the West, but not the original classic. It was the script based on the animated series. One day, while teaching the Eldest Princess the song "One Master and Three Disciples" (that children's song that goes "White Dragon Horse, trotting westwards"), the princess asked who "Tang Sanzang" was, so Qi Daiyu began telling her the story of Journey to the West.
Unexpectedly, Shiliu and the others listening nearby also became enthralled. Qi Daiyu then thought she might as well transcribe it, so they could read it directly if they wished.
However, Qi Daiyu was cautious. She remembered that in her original world, some scholars believed Journey to the West contained satirical elements against imperial and feudal systems. Not daring to take chances, she transcribed the script of the animated version of Journey to the West. This version had many deletions and was more suitable for children.
Currently, she had only written up to the part where Tang Monk takes Sun Wukong as his disciple.
Qi Daiyu weighed her words carefully: "Your concubine fears Your Majesty might laugh. Others write books about gifted scholars and beautiful ladies, while your concubine only writes about a mischievous monkey."
"Heh." A chuckle escaped Jiang Yuan's throat. "A mischievous monkey who wreaks havoc in the Heavenly Palace? You certainly have quite the imagination."
He stroked Qi Daiyu's hand. "I've just read quite a bit. It's well-written. No wonder when I visited the Empress a few days ago, I heard the Eldest Princess muttering something about a 'Great Sage' and asking Li Lu to whittle her a stick to use as a golden-hooped staff."
Qi Daiyu: "..." So it was the Princess who had "betrayed" her. No wonder the Emperor was rummaging through her bookshelf for no apparent reason.
"If Your Majesty finds it inappropriate, your concubine will cease telling this story to the Princess."
Jiang Yuan: "It's fine. There's no harm in the Princess being a bit more lively."
Suddenly, he changed the subject. "I see in your story, there are elements of Buddhism, Taoism, and mortals. I know of the Tathagata Buddha and the Three Pure Ones. But the Emperor of the Great Tang in the East... I have never heard of him. Is he a character of your own creation?"
Well, that character did have a historical prototype, but where could Qi Daiyu find one here? She could only say he was made up. Yet, meeting the Emperor's gaze, she paused.
In the Emperor's eyes, there was curiosity and also... expectation.
Qi Daiyu blinked. "...Naturally, he is not conjured from thin air. The book says the Great Tang Emperor is 'majestic in appearance, awe-inspiring in might,' and the Great Tang itself is 'the foremost under heaven, as seen on the map of Hua and Yi.' And the only person your concubine knows who possesses such cultural and martial accomplishments is but one."
Who that one person was went without saying.
In an instant, Jiang Yuan burst into hearty laughter, so loud and bright that even Quan Fuhai and others in the courtyard downstairs could hear it.
It must be said, hearing Qi Daiyu's definitive answer, Jiang Yuan's heart was immensely satisfied.
While reading earlier, he had been thinking: such a stalwart and wise emperor in the book, whom even the King of Hell respectfully granted an extra twenty years of lifespan—who else could it be but him? Who else could Graceful Lady Hui be writing about?
Jiang Yuan looked at Qi Daiyu, his eyes unusually bright. This woman, who clearly held no place for him in her heart, why would she use him as the prototype in her book as well?
Could it be... love without her realizing it?
Considering this possibility, Jiang Yuan's expression became exceedingly tender. "Didn't you say you wanted golden plums? Those I don't have. However, I have brought you something else."
