High-class Spring Joy

Zheji always looks people in the eye when he speaks, which gives him a very sincere feeling. In addition, Qingyuan thinks that a serious person like the Third Young Master is unlikely to raise unreliable subordinates.

Qingyuan mainly referenced Chen Sha and thought that Zheji was a slightly more intelligent version of Chen Sha, so she believed Zheji's words and really planned to embroider a purse for Chu Jingxian.

She got the fabric from the leftover half-piece, and after thinking about the pattern for a while, she finally decided to embroider green bamboo.

Indeed, no one dared to provoke Chu Jingxian, but rumors can never be silenced.

People in Bianjing all say that Chu Jingxian has willingly fallen into depravity. He comes from the Zhenguo Marquis's Mansion, a prestigious and powerful family, yet he resolutely chose to go into business.

Among the four classes of people—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—merchants were ranked last. He never paid attention to the criticisms and gossips of others. In just eight years, he expanded his business to the entire territory of Song State, covering all walks of life. With his own efforts, he saved the livelihoods of at least tens of thousands of displaced and impoverished people, and he also focused on providing livelihoods for the elderly, weak, women, and children.

Within eight years, the southeast suffered from floods, the northwest from war, and the southwest from famine. He exhausted his family fortune, donating millions of taels of silver alone, as well as countless quantities of rice, flour, and other grains, single-handedly saving the lives of countless people.

In Qingyuan's eyes, Chu Jingxian was like a straight and aloof green bamboo.

Chu Jingyu had told her to rest for half a month last time, and now Qingyuan doesn't have to serve him.

This time, without Chu Jingyu and Jiang Qingge, Qingyuan focused intently and completed the task smoothly. She finished the Guanyin Sending a Child picture in just four days and finished the purse in the remaining day.

Just as the time for leaving the manor every ten days arrived, Qingyuan took the Guanyin Sending a Child painting to Hongxiu Manor and received the remaining reward as she wished.

She calculated that it was 249 taels, and the missing tael... had been swindled away by Jie Ming.

Just as Qingyuan was about to ask if there were any new embroidery jobs, the shopkeeper smiled helplessly: "Oh dear, Miss Qingyuan, we have plenty of embroidery jobs, but each one costs less than one tael of silver. What we lack are high-priced embroidery jobs. With your embroidery skills, it would be such a waste to use them for those cheap jobs, wouldn't it?"

Qingyuan didn't think so. She was so short of money that she didn't care about the size of the job. As long as she could earn money, she would take it.

Just then, a woman's voice came from the second floor: "Miss Qingyuan, may I come upstairs for a moment?"

Qingyuan glanced up and saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing on the second floor, dressed in a bright red crabapple-patterned ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a pink fan in her hand and a shawl draped casually over her shoulders, like a raging fire.

At first glance, she is stunningly beautiful, captivating and alluring.

Even Qingyuan, a woman, couldn't take her eyes off her. The shopkeeper next to her explained, "Miss Qingyuan, you're very lucky. This is the owner of our Red Sleeve Manor."

Upon hearing this, Qingyuan was invited by the shopkeeper to a side room on the second floor.

The beautiful woman, who looked to be around thirty, poured her a cup of tea. Her every gesture was alluring: "Miss Qingyuan, my name is Hu Shisi Niang, you can just call me Shisi Niang. I see you seem a little short of money, but I have a method that might work. Would you be willing to try it?"

Qingyuan didn't drink the tea, but asked directly, "Please tell me, boss lady. If it's suitable, I would be more than happy to accept."

"One month from now, it will be the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday. Princess Jing'an has been racking her brains to find a satisfactory birthday gift for the Empress Dowager. She has decided to hold a spring outing banquet in half a month. Although it is called a spring outing banquet, it is actually a way to select a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager. At that time, all the young ladies in the capital will have to prepare an embroidered portrait. If Princess Jing'an selects one, the reward will definitely be substantial."

Hu Shisi Niang said.

"Why didn't I hear such news in the manor?" Qingyuan asked, somewhat unsure of the news's veracity.

After all, if it were really a major event like Princess Jing'an choosing a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager, it should have been known throughout the city long ago.

"Princess Jing'an wanted to give the Empress Dowager a surprise, so she used the spring outing banquet as an excuse."

That makes sense. Qingyuan probably understood what Hu Shisi Niang meant: "You want me to prepare a copy as well? Unfortunately... to be honest, Shisi Niang, I'm just a maid, and I'm afraid I'm not qualified."

"Oh, you're worrying too much. Princess Jing'an only held the spring outing banquet because she had no other choice. As long as we can find an embroidered portrait that pleases the Empress Dowager, her status is completely unimportant. With your embroidery skills, it would be a shame not to give it a try!"

-

After his birthday, Chu Jingyu visited Qingyuan's residence for the first time.

"What has she been doing these days?"

The servant explained, "Young master, I heard that Miss Qingyuan hasn't been going out much these days, mostly doing embroidery. Today she asked the matron for leave to go visit relatives."

"understood."

Chu Jingyu once again endured the discomfort and stepped into Qingyuan's residence. The room was so small, and she didn't know how she could stay inside all day doing embroidery without going out more than twice.

He told her to rest, and she actually forgot to even go see him.

Chu Jingyu's gaze fell on the embroidery basket again, wanting to see what she had embroidered this time. He flipped through it with his fingertips and sure enough, he saw a purse that had just been embroidered, with green bamboo embroidered on it.

That fabric doesn't look cheap at all.

His initial annoyance dissipated, and he actually quite liked the purse, unable to resist a smile.

She still loves making these little gadgets for him. How many has she made over the years? He can't even remember.

Oh well, there's just no way to deal with her.

Let her do what she wants; he can just take turns carrying her.

But when he recalled the scene when Qingyuan came to him wanting the painting of mandarin ducks playing in the water, Chu Jingyu put the purse back.

This time, I must make her deliver it to him personally.

Otherwise, it would seem like he's expecting too much from her, and where would that leave his pride?

-

"With your embroidery skills, it would be a real shame not to give it a try!"

"Status doesn't matter; what matters is pleasing the Empress Dowager!"

On her way back to the manor, Qingyuan's mind was filled with these two sentences.

The question is, how can I win over the Empress Dowager?

The pattern is not fixed, the style is not fixed, there are no restrictions, everything depends on the Empress Dowager's wishes, and this is the real problem.

Once back at her lodgings, Qingyuan collapsed onto the bed, utterly stumped and completely clueless.

"The Empress Dowager is a Buddhist and goes to Xiangguo Temple to pray for blessings every year, but... that's too broad a term. And the information we all know, the daughters of officials certainly know as well. To stand out, it's not as simple as just being good at embroidery."

That evening, Qingyuan let out a long sigh.

Hongdou, half-asleep beside her, said, "Sister... if all else fails, why don't we ask someone? The young master... the old lady, or the nanny? Ask someone who has met the Empress Dowager, or someone who has been to the palace. Maybe they'll know something..."

"That's true, but how easy is it to find someone who has been to the palace and met the Empress Dowager? In the entire Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, only the old lady has met her. I can't possibly go looking for the old lady."

Qingyuan had a terrible headache.

"Not necessarily... Third Young Master... Isn't the Third Young Master related to the Emperor...?"

Hongdou fell silent as she spoke.

Qingyuan immediately sat up upon hearing this. "That's right!"

The national treasury was repeatedly emptied, and it was always the Third Prince who generously donated money. The Third Prince and the Emperor were close friends despite their age difference, so he must have been a frequent visitor to the palace!