Jiang Li paused and suddenly looked up at Commandery Princess Baoqing.
Taken aback by the intense gaze, Commandery Princess Baoqing blinked blankly. "Sister Jiang, do you have something to say to me?"
Jiang Li nodded slightly. Having thought it through, she voiced her idea. "I can see that Your Highness has a wide range of interests. I wonder if you would be interested in opening a treasure shop?"
Commandery Princess Baoqing considered this seriously.
"So far, I’ve mostly experienced the life of ordinary commoners," she mused. "I don’t think I’ve ever tried opening a treasure shop."
In Baoqing’s view, gold, silver, and jewels were too common in her daily life. Dealing with them for so long had actually made her lose interest in such things.
Jiang Li thought for a moment. Using her wide sleeves as cover, she secretly retrieved a luminous pearl from her system.
"This is a deep sea luminous pearl," she said. "I have two in my possession. I plan to give one to Your Highness and keep the other as the centerpiece for the shop. However, since I am still a member of the Yin family, I cannot open a business under my own name. I want to find someone trustworthy to be the public face of the shop."
Baoqing hadn’t completely made up her mind about opening a business, but after hearing Jiang Li’s reasoning and seeing the glowing pearl in her hand, she was thoroughly enchanted by it.
Besides, she liked Jiang Li a lot and was more than willing to lend her a hand.
"Alright, I’ll do it. We’ll open the treasure shop under my name," Baoqing agreed brightly. "This luminous pearl can be your capital investment, Sister Jiang. Once we start making money, you’ll definitely get your fair share."
Jiang Li could feel the genuine kindness radiating from the young girl. It seemed that on this trip, she hadn’t just secured the Eldest Princess as her backer; even Commandery Princess Baoqing had become a pillar of support for her future.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Baoqing waved her hand dismissively with a laugh. "No need to thank me, you’re too polite. Besides, I actually have no idea how to run a shop. Even if it’s in my name, you’ll still have to handle all the actual business matters, Sister Jiang."
"Of course," Jiang Li replied. "I own many storefronts with plenty of experienced staff for you to choose from. Over the next few days, I’ll be shutting down all the shops belonging to the Jiang family."
Hearing this, both the Eldest Princess and Commandery Princess Baoqing immediately understood her underlying meaning. It was clear that Jiang Li wanted the Yin family to think her businesses were operating at a loss.
And rightfully so—she couldn’t let the Yin family take advantage of her anymore.
The Eldest Princess’s heart ached even more for Jiang Li.
"There’s no need to go through all that trouble," she said. "I can just decree a divorce for you right now."
Jiang Li shook her head in refusal. "I will make the Yin family agree to let me go on their own. If Your Highness intervenes, I fear it might negatively affect your pristine reputation."
The Yin family excelled at manipulating public perception. In fact, Jiang Li had only agreed to marry into the family because she had been completely fooled by their stellar reputation.
Even in her past life, when the Yin family banished her to a rural estate, they had relentlessly smeared her name. They made outsiders believe she was so vicious and cruel that she deserved to be sent away. The public had even thought the Yin family was being merciful by merely banishing her to an estate.
Seeing Jiang Li so resolute, the Eldest Princess didn’t press the issue.
"If the Yin family dares to bully you, there’s no need to stay a moment longer," she declared. "Once you are divorced, you can have your pick of any unmarried young gentleman in the capital city. I will personally back you up."
Jiang Li’s cheeks burned at the suggestion. Between her past and present lives, she had never actually met a man who made her heart flutter.
She suspected she would never marry again in this life.
Shaking her head slightly, Jiang Li said, "I have no desire to remarry."
The Eldest Princess could understand Jiang Li’s mindset. After suffering through a marriage with the Yin family, it was completely normal for her to be averse to the idea of tying the knot again. However, the Eldest Princess herself lived a very comfortable life. She shared a deeply affectionate bond with the Prince Consort, and Baoqing never gave her any cause for worry. Consequently, she quite enjoyed playing matchmaker for others.
"Very well," the Eldest Princess conceded. "You can make your own decisions regarding your future. But if there is ever anything I can help with, do not hesitate to ask."
Jiang Li nodded in gratitude.
Afterward, Jiang Li accompanied Commandery Princess Baoqing to see the orchard she had planted. Not lingering much longer, she soon took her leave and departed from the Princess Mansion. She deliberately left the Emperor’s rewards behind at the mansion for the time being. She planned to retrieve them only after her divorce was finalized, lest the Yin family set their greedy sights on the treasures.
Instead of returning directly to the Yin family estate, Jiang Li went to meet Ren Dong, instructing her to find a suitable storefront for the new treasure shop.
Ren Dong had already followed Jiang Li’s earlier orders, closing down the majority of their businesses. Initially, she had been quite anxious about her lady’s precarious situation, but hearing that Jiang Li now had a concrete plan put her mind at ease.
"Rest assured, Miss. I will get it done perfectly," Ren Dong promised.
No sooner had Jiang Li stepped foot back into the Yin family estate than Yin Ranshuang came looking for her.
Yin Ranshuang’s injured foot hadn’t even fully healed yet, but she was already scheming about how to captivate Wei Zizhang’s heart. As a result, she wasted no time and came straight to Jiang Li.
Upon seeing Jiang Li, Yin Ranshuang put on a mask of utmost familiarity and affection. "Jiang Li, my foot injury has made it inconvenient for me to move around these past few days. I haven’t even had the chance to ask if you’ve been settling in comfortably?"
Hearing this, Jiang Li immediately knew Yin Ranshuang wanted something from her. It was incredibly easy to guess what it was—nothing more than gold and silver jewelry, or perhaps some expensive dress fabrics.
Maintaining her usual meek and submissive facade, Jiang Li deliberately avoided eye contact as she replied, "It’s been fine. The servants have all been very good to me."
She phrased it this way on purpose to plant seeds of suspicion in the Yin family’s minds regarding their own staff. In her past life, after marrying into the Yin family, Jiang Li had been incredibly lenient and generous with the estate’s servants. She treated them just like the servants back at the Jiang family, even paying out of her own pocket to ensure they had the best possible treatment.
But later, when the Yin family turned their backs on her, those very same servants were not only in a rush to sever all ties with her, but they also colluded to invent malicious stories to smear her name. It just went to show that in the Yin family, both the masters and the servants were completely ungrateful wretches.
If she could get the Yin family to discipline these servants themselves, Jiang Li wouldn’t even have to lift a finger.
Yin Ranshuang detected something off in that response. Could there really be servants in the Yin family who dared to give Jiang Li attitude? Logically speaking, that shouldn’t be the case. Nonetheless, Yin Ranshuang made a mental note of the issue, though she quickly pivoted to the real reason for her visit.
"We’re all family, so I won’t hide anything from you, Jiang Li. I know you’re tight on money right now, so I never intended to ask you for silver. I just wanted to borrow some of your jewelry and hair ornaments. As you know, I frequently have to go out and meet with Young Master Wei. If I manage to marry into Prince An’s Mansion, it will be a great boon for the Yin family, and you’ll get to share in the glory as well."
Jiang Li remained utterly unmoved by this speech. Had it not been for her past life’s experiences, she might have actually been fooled by Yin Ranshuang’s sweet talk. But now, she would never fall for it again. In fact, she was going to redirect the trouble right back at them.
"I... I originally could have lent them to you, Ranshuang. Never mind lending, I would have even given them to you. But... but a few days ago—never mind. I shouldn’t tell you about these things, lest you start worrying about me."
Jiang Li deliberately left her sentence hanging, forcing Yin Ranshuang to fill in the blanks herself.
Seeing Jiang Li act this way, Yin Ranshuang realized things weren’t that simple and suspected something significant had happened.
Feigning deep concern, Yin Ranshuang urged, "Jiang Li, if you’ve run into any trouble, you must tell us. The Yin family is your home, and we are your family."
Jiang Li lowered her eyes and wept silently, not saying a single word.
Yin Ranshuang started to get anxious. It wasn’t out of sympathy for Jiang Li, but rather because she didn’t want to drag this out any longer; to her, this was a complete waste of time.
Putting on a mask of righteous anger, Yin Ranshuang declared, "Don’t be sad, Jiang Li. I will definitely get to the bottom of this and find out exactly who has been bullying you!"