Walking down the ancient street, I was in a very good mood.
Yunyi Workshop, with a white cloud carved on the lower left of the sign, Zhao Jiaqi watched people coming and going, her eyes curving into a smile.
"This ready-made clothing shop seems quite popular. I guess the clothes inside will be very good. Let's go in and take a look!"
Pinting raised her eyes and saw the obvious logo at a glance. She cleverly didn't point it out and chimed in, "Okay, I need to get a few new outfits made. I'll wear a different one every day for these half-month flower viewing banquets, dressing myself up beautifully to blind those people!"
Whether she would blind those people, she didn't know, but this ready-made clothing shop looked very popular, and it was estimated that the money earned would double. This was all thanks to Bailu; that person's taste and skill were truly excellent.
Five people in fine clothes entered the shop, immediately attracting the attention of the shop assistant, who had a unique ability to recognize people.
With great enthusiasm and a smiling face, he approached them and asked with a smile, "Esteemed ladies, do you need fabric or ready-made clothes? Our shop has all the named fabrics, and when it comes to making ready-made clothes, we are number one in the capital, even in Yun Kingdom. Why don't you take a look first before deciding?"
He chattered on and on, first advertising his shop and then not forcing them to buy, which didn't seem to be annoying.
Pinting waved her hand at the shop assistant, "We have just arrived in the capital and are not very familiar with it. Perhaps you could give us some recommendations to save us time!"
The shop assistant was slightly taken aback, and immediately began to explain, "The first floor is all ordinary fabrics, very common, suitable for ordinary people to wear."
"The second floor has some more expensive fabrics. After selecting good fabric, our embroiderers can come to your home to take measurements and make custom orders."
As he spoke, the group went up to the second floor.
The decoration on the upper floor was much better than on the first floor. Not only were tea, fruit platters, and pastries provided, but most of the people seen were from wealthy families.
Seeing that the distinguished guests remained silent, the shop assistant introduced the third floor to them: "Our third floor is on another level. Not only can we take measurements and make custom orders, but we can also design unique clothing based on the ladies' temperament. It will be absolutely one-of-a-kind, and the fabrics are extremely precious. The price is higher than on the second floor."
After listening, Zhao Jiaqi asked, "Is there a fourth floor?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the shop assistant's face stiffened, but he quickly recovered and did not hide anything from them, honestly stating, "Yes, only members can go to the fourth floor. So far, no one in our shop has been able to go to the fourth floor, except for our manager."
Members?
Zhao Jiaqi's willow eyebrows twitched imperceptibly. She wasn't too interested in these members, but she was interested in what was sold on the fourth floor.
"Are the fabrics sold to members even better than those on the third floor? How can we become members?"
This question stumped the shop assistant. He stammered, "This... I'm just a waiter, so I don't really know what kind of fabrics are sold. As for how to become a member, I'm really not sure. As far as I know, there hasn't been a single member in our shop so far, so... I don't know how to introduce it to the ladies!"
Zhao Jiaqi was very satisfied with the shop assistant. He answered every question, didn't brag, and didn't lie. He was a good shop assistant.
She did not hesitate to praise the shop assistant, but it made him shy, and he retreated a few steps.
This made Zhao Jiaqi laugh, "Don't be afraid, I just admire you very much. Come on, take us to the third floor."
The shop assistant smiled awkwardly, tugged at his clothes in embarrassment, and secretly wiped the sweat from his palms.
Lately, many distinguished guests had arrived in the capital, all dressed as if they had a lot of money. They were of lower status, so they naturally answered whatever the distinguished guests asked, not daring to neglect them in the slightest, for fear of losing this hard-won job.
On the third floor, even a custom-made outfit cost over five hundred taels, yet there was no shortage of buyers.
The buyers were all wealthy and noble. Each lady was accompanied by four or five maids, and two extra errand boys. This entourage was even more impressive than that of their Princess and the General's wife.
As soon as they were seated, maids brought tea. In winter, fresh grapes were rarely eaten, but they were provided here, and a bunch was generously served.
Grape shook her head with a "tsk tsk," picked one, and put it in her mouth to taste. "Mmm, very sweet. Grapes grown in greenhouses must be incredibly profitable."
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the grapes and ate one too. The juice was abundant, and it was fragrant and sweet, very delicious.
"Indeed!" she paused slightly and said, "But I want to eat strawberries more now. Sweet with a hint of sourness, refreshing."
Perhaps it was the journey that caused her stomach to heat up, so she wanted to eat something cold and slightly sour to clear her palate and relieve the heat.
However, this remark was overheard by a noble lady beside them, who glanced at them and sneered, "Strawberries are everywhere now. How can they be as expensive as grapes? If you can't afford them, just don't say such big words, lest you bite your tongue."
The five people had a bunch of question marks flashing above their heads!
They looked at each other, and finally, Zhao Jiaqi's gaze fell on Pinting, asking, "Who is this ugly hag?"
Pinting carefully identified her but didn't recognize her. She shook her head in confusion, "I really don't recognize her. Most of the court officials have changed now, and I'm even less familiar with the family members of the households."
By rights, having grown up in the capital, she was quite familiar with the family members of various households, but now that the emperor had changed, the court officials had also changed, so she really didn't recognize her.
Madam Qian, the wife of the Duke of Qi's mansion, heard herself being called an "ugly hag" and speaking so crudely and unreservedly, which made her lose face in front of the other ladies and young ladies.
Clutching her thick, bucket-like waist, her face as ugly as feces, she pointed at Zhao Jiaqi and cursed, "Where did this shrew come from, openly insulting a family member of a court official, and you still don't send someone to beat her to death!"
Her voice was quite loud, attracting the attention of everyone on the third floor, who all looked at them.
The five people immediately became the center of attention.
Pinting's mouth twitched. Beat them to death?
Even if they weren't royalty, just ordinary people, they wouldn't be beaten to death!
"You insulted us first, and we retaliated afterward. Why should we be beaten to death? Besides, aren't you afraid that the magistrate of the capital will arrest you for retribution if you kill us!"
Zhao Jiaqi sneered and said, "Sister-in-law, perhaps this magistrate of the capital is her family's business, or perhaps the magistrate will collude with her, and it wouldn't be surprising if they beat us commoners to death!"
Madam Qian snorted, clearly understanding the sarcasm in their words. "If you're afraid of death, kneel down, kowtow to me, and slap yourself ten times. If I'm in a good mood, I'll spare your lives!"
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the arrogant and imperious person. She didn't want to cause trouble.
She looked at Pinting and blinked twice, asking, "How would Huangfu Xi address me if he saw me?"
Pinting was stunned for a moment. Su Ya, standing nearby, immediately replied, "If I recall correctly, His Majesty would respectfully address Madam as 'sister-in-law'."
Pinting then understood and immediately chimed in, "Even the Regent's Consort does not kneel before His Majesty. Sister-in-law, you say, if you were to kneel before a wife of the Duke of Qi's mansion, wouldn't that mean that His Majesty would also have to kneel and pay his respects to the Duke of Qi?"
Su Ya dared not respond to this. Yaoyao and Jiaojiao dared not respond even more. Although they were consorts, their strength did not allow them to say such rebellious words.
Unlike Zhao Jiaqi and Pinting.
One was the daughter of a former imperial concubine and a beloved consort of the Dingbei Prince, and the other was the Regent's Consort, cherished by the Regent.
These two, regardless of their status or familiarity with the Emperor, were much stronger than the others.