Even if some academies guessed it was Jiang Li and were willing to meet her to give Yin Chengzhou a chance, her subtle hints quickly scared them off. She would deliberately mention that Yin Chengzhou couldn’t kick his gambling addiction and had been beaten half to death by Mr. Yin. After dropping these details, she would feign the role of a devoted family member solely concerned for Yin Chengzhou’s future. This made people feel she had no ill intentions and that her slip of the tongue wasn’t even intentional. After all, visiting academy after academy just to secure an education for him, what bad motives could Jiang Li possibly have?
When rejected, she never grew angry. Instead, she thanked them with a gentle smile, maintaining impeccable etiquette, and still presented the gifts prepared by the Yin Family.
Three days after she delivered the medicine to the Eldest Prince, the Eldest Princess sent a messenger to Jiang Li again.
After visiting another academy, Jiang Li pretended to dine at a local eatery and took the opportunity to slip out through a window. Ren Dong stood guard to ensure no one noticed her absence. Jiang Li used this window of time to visit the Princess Mansion and see the Eldest Prince.
The Eldest Prince looked even more energetic than during their last meeting, and the prominent birthmark on his left cheek had completely vanished. Seeing Jiang Li arrive, his face lit up with joy.
"Miss Jiang, you truly are a capable woman."
Jiang Li respectfully bowed to the Eldest Princess, Commandery Princess Baoqing, and the Eldest Prince. From the moment she walked in, she could tell that the people in the hall were looking at her differently. She understood the reason perfectly well—she had removed the Eldest Prince’s birthmark and solved a major source of anxiety for the Holy Emperor, so it was only natural for the Imperial Family to be grateful to her.
However, the way the Eldest Prince looked at her seemed to hold something more. Jiang Li didn’t take it to heart. She would cross that bridge when she came to it, and besides, she had the Eldest Princess backing her.
As soon as the Eldest Princess saw her, she brought up the matter of the birthmark. "Ali, your skills are far from ordinary. With such a great contribution, even requesting the Emperor to grant you the title of County Princess would be entirely feasible."
Jiang Li shook her head and declined. "I didn’t do this for empty titles."
She simply wanted a divorce. Even if she could request an imperial decree for a divorce, she wouldn’t do it. The reason was simple: Jiang Li didn’t want anyone to pity the Yin Family. She wanted to cement their reputation as a family that couldn’t tolerate a destitute daughter-in-law, rather than painting them as victims abandoned by a daughter-in-law who had risen in the world. Furthermore, she intended to bring about the Yin Family’s total annihilation—a complete downfall with no chance of ever turning things around.
"I have a presumptuous request. I hope Your Highnesses will keep the matter of my Beauty Pills a secret. I don’t wish for others to know. Furthermore, I only had those two Beauty Pills in my possession; I don’t have any more for the time being."
Jiang Li wasn’t sure if the system would give her more in the future, so it was better to keep it completely under wraps. She did want to figure out how to synthesize the Beauty Pill herself, but that would take time. She would probably only have the time to do so after leaving the Yin Family.
The Eldest Princess naturally understood Jiang Li’s underlying meaning—she didn’t want the Yin Family to find out. Naturally, she agreed. Wei Yunlie also agreed, though his gaze carried a profound depth when he looked at her.
Commandery Princess Baoqing seemed to have picked up on something and pulled Jiang Li away to go look at the fruit trees she had planted, using the opportunity to offer a gentle warning.
"Sister Jiang, I suspect the Eldest Prince has feelings for you. But even if he likes you and wants to marry you, it could only be as a concubine. My mother always said that sharing a man with other women is worse than never marrying at all. Of course, it all depends on what you want. If you happen to like him too, my mother and I can back you up. Even as a concubine, we won’t let you suffer any grievances."
Jiang Li shook her head without hesitation. "I have no feelings for the Eldest Prince, nor have I ever thought about clinging to him for status."
Hearing this answer, Commandery Princess Baoqing let out a soft sigh of relief. She had been worried that Jiang Li might entertain thoughts of marrying the Eldest Prince. Although he was the Emperor’s eldest son and highly likely to be crowned Crown Prince in the future, Baoqing genuinely considered Jiang Li a friend and didn’t want to see her dragged into that mess. The battle for the throne was never as simple as it appeared on the surface.
The two chatted for a while longer before Jiang Li brought up the Treasure Shop.
Hearing that the shop’s location had already been chosen and that it would open in just two days, Commandery Princess Baoqing’s eyes sparkled brightly. "This is my first time doing business. I really want to experience what it feels like. Sister Jiang, can I really do a good job?"
Jiang Li smiled comfortingly. "Rest assured, Princess. I will have someone arrange everything perfectly."
"I believe in your abilities, Sister Jiang," Commandery Princess Baoqing replied.
Two days later, the Treasure Shop officially opened.
Everyone in the Capital City knew that Commandery Princess Baoqing had opened a jewelry store. Wealthy households, the families of court officials, and the wives and daughters of noble families all fell over themselves to visit. Whether driven by curiosity or a desire to curry favor with the Eldest Princess, business was extraordinarily good on the very first day. As for the shop’s crowning jewel—the centerpiece treasure—several people offered exorbitant prices to buy it, but all were refused.
When Yin Ranshuang heard the news, she tried every possible way to squeeze into the Treasure Shop. Unfortunately, after seeing the price tags on the jewelry, she was forced to step back. She simply didn’t have the money.
The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Why could so many people in the Capital City afford these, but she couldn’t?
It seemed she needed to marry into Prince An’s Mansion as soon as possible. Once she did, let alone this kind of jewelry, she would be able to get her hands on anything she desired.
Jiang Li didn’t know that the opening of the Treasure Shop would push Yin Ranshuang to seal her own doom. Even if she had known, she wouldn’t have cared.
While ostensibly busy going out to find an academy for Yin Chengzhou, Jiang Li was actually strolling around the Capital City. Not only did she observe the business of various storefronts, but she also picked up some gossip.
For instance, someone had spotted the third son of Prince An’s Mansion frequenting the red-light district. Another person had seen a servant of the second son of Prince An’s Mansion buying medicine at a pharmacy—a drug rumored to cause long-term chronic illness. Meanwhile, others had noticed that as soon as Yin Chengzhou’s injuries had slightly healed, he was back to fooling around at the gambling dens. Furthermore, Jiang Xiuyuan of the Jiang family had been sabotaging Yin Hongcai, and the two had begun fighting both openly and in the shadows.
This was exactly the result Jiang Li wanted. It was best for them to be too busy to bother with her.
However, she still harbored some worries. What if the Yin Family adamantly refused to let her leave, no matter what? If that happened, she would just have to devise a way to ensure that her continued presence in the Yin Family would humiliate them. The Yin Family valued their reputation above all else; when the time came, they certainly wouldn’t keep her around.
Even if none of that worked, she still had a trump card up her sleeve. It was just a pity she couldn’t use it lightly.
Jiang Li remembered from her previous life that Yin Hezhou had secretly returned to the Capital City half a year later, bringing along his mistress and a pair of children. Terrified that news of him faking his death on the battlefield would leak out, the Yin Family had settled them in a courtyard outside the city.
Jiang Li only found out more than a decade later that Yin Hezhou hadn’t died back then. Coveting life and fearing death, Yin Hezhou had feigned his demise in battle. The Yin Family had known he was still alive, yet out of greed for glory and reputation, they had concealed the truth.
If this matter were ever exposed, the reputation the Yin Family so desperately craved would be completely obliterated, and Yin Hezhou would be guilty of a capital offense.