“Your Highness, what are you doing?” Ji Kongqing scurried away with her head in her hands. “Where on earth did I offend you again?”
Without replying, Jiang Sui swung her sword through the air, the flashing blade slicing Ji Kongqing’s outer robe into shreds.
Dressed in her tattered and wretched-looking outfit, Ji Kongqing dodged frantically. Not knowing what was happening, she couldn’t help shouting, “Jiang Sui, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?”
“What did you call this palace?” Jiang Sui narrowed her eyes dangerously, her attacks growing even fiercer.
Remembering how she had been forced to kneel by Jiang Sui last time for the exact same thing, Ji Kongqing immediately clapped her hands over her mouth. “I didn’t say anything.”
Jiang Sui let out a cold laugh, continuing to chase Ji Kongqing all around the princess’s manor.
Eventually, Ji Kongqing scrambled up a tree, hugging the trunk and looking down at Jiang Sui. “Your Highness, what is wrong with you? Suddenly coming after me with a sword to hunt me down. Where did I offend you this time?”
Looking at Ji Kongqing, who was disheveled, ragged, and drenched in sweat up in the tree, Jiang Sui cast a cold glance at her. “What is the meaning of the things you sent over?”
“The things I sent over?” Ji Kongqing replayed the events in her mind. “You mean the soap, toothpaste, mosquito coils, and floral water I sent you?”
“How did that offend you? Is sending you gifts a crime now?” Ji Kongqing felt like crying.
“That stuff is called soap?” Jiang Sui raised an eyebrow. “What is up with that scent?”
Frowning, Ji Kongqing instantly understood. “I just thought that scent matched you well! I specially picked those flowers, and I only made two blocks of that particular fragrance, and I gave them both to you. Are you angry because of this?”
“You didn’t give any to anyone else?” The anger in Jiang Sui’s chest dissipated slightly.
“Mn,” Ji Kongqing nodded. “Only you have it. The others are all peppermint-scented.”
Only then did Jiang Sui’s mind settle, and her anger subsided, though she still issued a warning. “I will spare you this time, but you are not allowed to make soap with that scent ever again!”
“Understood, how would I dare,” Ji Kongqing pursed her lips, muttering under her breath, “If I knew you’d get mad over this, I wouldn’t have sent it to you. Hmph, treating good intentions like a donkey’s lung.”
“What was that?” Jiang Sui heard every single word.
“Nothing!” Ji Kongqing hadn’t realized Jiang Sui could hear her. “I just wanted to say, Your Highness, are you not angry anymore? Can I come down now?”
“Mn.” Jiang Sui sheathed her sword and took a few steps back.
Ji Kongqing tried climbing down, but to save her life earlier, she had scrambled up much too high. Every time she extended a leg, she couldn’t reach the lower branches.
With a mournful expression, looking at the ground three or four meters below, she felt like her acrophobia was about to act up. She could only look at Jiang Sui pleadingly. “Your Highness, please help me.”
Watching her tightly hug the tree branch in fear up above, Jiang Sui found it rather amusing. “However you climbed up, just climb down the same way.”
“I forgot how I climbed up,” Ji Kongqing hugged the trunk, panic written all over her face. “It was a matter of life and death back then, so I forgot to be scared. This tree is so high, I don’t even dare look down now.”
“Are you even a qianyuan? You have such a small backbone.” Amusement filled Jiang Sui’s eyes. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked up at Ji Kongqing with a teasing expression.
“Who says a qianyuan can’t be timid?” Ji Kongqing wore a tragic face. “I’m losing my grip. Your Highness, save me, I beg you.”
Jiang Sui chuckled softly, struck by a playful impulse. “Beg me one more time.”
“I’m begging you, Your Highness.” Ji Kongqing didn’t think begging was shameful; after all, preserving her life came first, and great women knew how to bend and stretch.
“Let go, I’ll catch you down here.” Jiang Sui handed her sword to Cuizhu, opened her arms, and motioned for Ji Kongqing to jump down.
Ji Kongqing hesitated for a moment, choosing to trust Jiang Sui over the alternative. Steeling her heart, she resolutely closed her eyes, let go of the tree, and jumped.
The moment she jumped, Ji Kongqing’s heart leapt into her throat.
Just when she thought Jiang Sui might break her word and let her crash to the ground, she felt an arm wrap around her waist. Opening her eyes, she found herself already caught in Jiang Sui’s embrace.
The woman’s profile was three-dimensional and striking, the arm holding her waist slender yet powerful.
Spinning around in mid-air with her in her arms, robes fluttering, Jiang Sui finally landed stably on her toes.
Ji Kongqing was dumbfounded. Hooking her arms around Jiang Sui’s neck after landing, she stared in complete shock. “Was that lightness skill just now?”
“Mn,” Jiang Sui nodded.
“So cool, Your Highness!” Ji Kongqing’s eyes sparkled. “Turns out lightness skill actually exists in ancient times! How high can you fly? How do you learn this? Can you teach me?”
Looking at Ji Kongqing, whose body was still pressed tightly against her own, Jiang Sui averted her gaze. “Weren’t you afraid of heights?”
“Oh, right,” Ji Kongqing deflated a bit. “Ah, well, I guess I’m destined not to learn it.”
Jiang Sui bit her lip. “Aren’t you going to let go?”
“Oh, oh!” Only then did Ji Kongqing realize she was still hugging Jiang Sui. Blushing with embarrassment, she covered her tattered clothes and scurried away at a jog.
Watching the consort’s flustered state, Cuizhu couldn’t help giggling from behind.
“Is it that funny?” A hint of a smile crept into Jiang Sui’s tone.
Cuizhu glanced at Jiang Sui’s expression and nodded. “The consort really is quite different.”
“How is she different?”
Cuizhu thought for a moment. “She doesn’t quite seem like a normal qianyuan, and she doesn’t put on airs. She’s gentle and polite, yet very lively at the same time.”
“And the consort has made Your Highness different too.” Cuizhu secretly peeked at Jiang Sui and added.
“Made this palace different?” Jiang Sui raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Your Highness usually pays great attention to decorum, but today you directly drew your sword to chase the consort all over the manor. With your formidable martial arts, you only managed to slice her outer robe.”
“And Your Highness has a cleanliness obsession, yet the consort was chased by you all the way and even hugged a tree for a good while, but Your Highness didn’t disdain her and even caught her when she came down.”
Hearing Cuizhu out, Jiang Sui’s expression stiffened slightly.
Sensing her abnormality, Cuizhu quickly dropped to her knees. “Pardon this slave, Your Highness, this slave spoke out of turn.”
Jiang Sui’s face cooled and her brows furrowed slightly. “It is nothing. Go prepare water, this palace wishes to bathe.”
“Yes,” Cuizhu acknowledged, hurrying off to arrange the bathwater.
On the other side, Ji Kongqing returned to her room, immediately stripped off the tattered outer robe, and changed into a fresh set.
Looking at the discarded robe, she sighed. “I didn’t have many clothes to begin with, and now a whole set is completely ruined. This truly adds frost to the snow for someone as financially strapped as me.”
“Consort,” Ruyi smiled as she folded up the ruined garment. “Was Your Highness just teasing you tonight?”
“Hmm?” Ji Kongqing was somewhat puzzled. “How can you tell?”
Ruyi covered her mouth with a chuckle. “Your Highness has been fighting on battlefields for years and has superb swordsmanship. How could every single sword strike miss your skin and only slice your outer robe?”
“That’s true!” Ji Kongqing suddenly realized, slapping her palm. “She was deliberately playing with me!”
Ji Kongqing was practically amused to anger by Jiang Sui. She had been chased until she was dripping with sweat, while Jiang Sui had watched her make a fool of herself looking completely unbothered.
No, she wouldn’t take this lying down!
Early the next morning, Ji Kongqing made a beeline for Jiang Sui’s courtyard. Seeing the guards stationed at the entrance, she announced, “I want to see Your Highness!”
When the guards went in to report, Jiang Sui had just woken up. She was brushing her teeth using the toothpaste Ji Kongqing had sent over. It really wasn’t as salty as tooth powder, and the salty taste carried a subtle peppermint freshness, leaving her mouth feeling cool after rinsing.
“Why is she here so early?” Jiang Sui rubbed the space between her brows and wiped her face clean. “Let her in.”
“Shall we dress your hair?” Meixiang asked.
“No need,” Jiang Sui nodded. “Just drape an outer robe over me, and let her in.”
“Consort, Her Highness says you may enter,” the guard announced upon coming back out.
Ji Kongqing jogged inside.
Draped in an outer robe, Jiang Sui’s makeup-free face looked exceptionally fair and clean, her black hair draped casually over her shoulders, looking both languid and beautiful.
Supporting her head with one hand, she massaged her temples with her knuckles, looking somewhat troubled by a headache.
Seeing her in this state upon entering, Ji Kongqing instantly forgot the accusations on the tip of her tongue, asking instead, “Your Highness, do you have a headache?”
Without answering, Jiang Sui lifted her eyelids and gazed indifferently at Ji Kongqing. “Why has the consort come so early? What is the matter?”
“Uh,” Ji Kongqing blinked, swallowing back her interrogation, and instead asked, “Does Your Highness want to start a new business venture?”
“Hmm?” Jiang Sui raised an eyebrow. “Speak your mind.”
“My soap, toothpaste, mosquito coils, and mosquito repellent water, we can take them out and sell them.”
Setting aside her distracting thoughts, Ji Kongqing smoothly laid out her blueprint to Jiang Sui.
“I heard that officials in Jiaming all have their own properties under their names. As the Eldest Princess, Your Highness surely has them too. You must have shops that sell daily necessities under your name, right?”
“Mn,” Jiang Sui frowned, recalling carefully. “It seems not. Shops like that do not yield high profits.”
Ji Kongqing instantly fell silent.
Seeing her dejected look, Jiang Sui couldn’t help laughing. Her slightly furrowed brows smoothed out, the corners of her lips curving upward, making her already striking features look even more vibrant and alluring.
Ji Kongqing was stunned for a moment before recovering. “What is Your Highness laughing at?”
“The shop you speak of, I can just have someone buy one. Tell me your ideas.” Jiang Sui made a decisive, wealthy-benefactor-style decision.
Ji Kongqing immediately regained her enthusiasm. “Your Highness is mighty! What I mean is, I can make two kinds of soap: one specifically for washing clothes, and the other for bathing.”
“These two can be scented with different floral essential oils, and we can even customize limited-edition signature scents for the kunze in the households of officials and merchants.”
“Toothpaste can be the same, we can make different flavors and offer specialized custom lines.”
“Just that?” Jiang Sui raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that too few categories?”
“Well, I can research other things, like shampoo for washing hair, shower gel for bathing, plus perfume, lipstick, facial masks, and so on.”
“And we can jack up the prices for customized versions. The inner quarters of ministers and merchants are never short on money, and we can fleece them to our heart’s content.”
“Mn, what you say makes sense,” Jiang Sui nodded. “But how will we let them know about it? And how do we get them to use it?”
“That is simple enough,” Ji Kongqing’s eyes lit up.
“I heard that the Princess of Shaowang often holds gatherings at her estate, inviting the wives of ministers to view flowers together. At that time, Your Highness can just gift a set of my homemade products to the Princess of Shaowang and let her help promote them during the gathering.”
“You certainly have a nimble mind.”
Jiang Sui rarely praised Ji Kongqing. Having used Ji Kongqing’s homemade items this morning, she actually had similar thoughts in mind; she hadn’t expected her thoughts to align with Ji Kongqing’s.
“Once the shop opens, what percentage of the profits do you plan to take?” Jiang Sui took a sip of tea.
“20 percent will do, I am contributing with my technology.” Ji Kongqing knew that shop operations relied entirely on Jiang Sui, so she didn’t ask for much. “Your Highness can give it to me once the shop breaks even.”
“Very good,” Jiang Sui nodded in agreement. “Later I will have someone draft the documentation to partner with the consort.”