books44 Chapter 81 Amazing
Chapter 81 Amazing
On the other side, Xia Li, who successfully left with Yu Yang's help, expressed his gratitude: "It's fortunate that you secretly helped me, otherwise I might not have been able to leave."
Yu Yang said truthfully, "Actually, the main reason is that the servants of the Prince's mansion dare not offend you, and the guards dare not chase after you without the Prince's orders. Otherwise, how could I just barge into the Prince's mansion?"
"I haven't congratulated you yet, but your status has suddenly jumped to that of royalty." Yu Yang made a congratulatory gesture.
"Come on, being a prince is just a title. His actual power depends on the work the emperor assigns him."
“But you are a member of the royal family, and in terms of status, you are the emperor. No matter how great a subject is, he cannot be greater than the emperor. Even the prime minister is not as high as you in terms of status. Moreover, the Prince of Jin is quite favored by the emperor.”
"Forget it," Xia Li said, indicating she wasn't interested in these things. "Oh, by the way, is Zhao Jihua really engaged to the Third Prince?"
"It was just that I am a stunning beauty at a palace banquet when I was a child. The Empress just said it casually at the time."
“Oh,” Xia Li wasn’t worried about Zhao Jihua, because in her previous life, the Third Prince hadn’t married her. “Does this Prince Jin really intend to marry his daughter into the royal family? Aren’t they relatives?”
"You don't know this, do you?"
It turns out that the current Prince of Jin is not related to the Emperor by blood. The late Emperor and Empress had a very good relationship and had a son, Prince Xuanyuan Hao. The current Prince of Jin is Zhao Jing, Xuanyuan Hao's personal bodyguard. When Xuanyuan Hao was fighting on the frontier, he was betrayed by an internal traitor and unfortunately died. It was Zhao Jing who risked his life to bring Xuanyuan Hao's body back. In that battle, only Zhao Jing survived.
Upon learning the news, the Empress, grieving the loss of her beloved son, became delirious and began to regard Zhao Jing as her own son. For the late Emperor, it was also a devastating blow. Historically, the Prince of Jin had often been the emperor's chosen successor, and the late Emperor was no exception. Therefore, he lost not only his child with his beloved wife but also the opportunity to expand his territory. Under these multiple blows, and also to reward Zhao Jing, he made an absurd decision: to bestow the title of Prince of Jin upon his bodyguard, Zhao Jing, to replace the original Prince of Jin and serve under his tutelage.
There are many inconsistencies, and the hidden reasons behind them are beyond Xia Li's current ability to ascertain.
Fortunately, the former emperor wasn't completely muddle-headed. Although he bestowed the title of king, he didn't record it in the family genealogy, and while he granted him various honors, he only gave him a sinecure. In short, once Zhao Jing died, everything would be gone.
The current emperor has a very close relationship with him, and has given him unparalleled honors and an important position in the court.
But it still couldn't be inherited. What a joke! The royal family would never allow bloodlines to be mixed. So the Prince of Jin panicked; he wanted his daughter to marry into the royal family, which was the fastest and best way he could think of to ensure the continuation of his title.
Of course, he certainly wouldn't dare not aspire to the position of Prince of Jin; he would be content with just a hereditary title to protect his descendants.
"Doesn't he only have one daughter, Sister Zhao?"
Yu Yang's expression turned strange for a moment. "And his young son is training in the military."
Ali immediately understood; it seemed to be an illegitimate child. No wonder the Prince of Jin in his previous life wanted Sister Zhao to marry into the royal family so much.
"I heard you're going to the birthday banquet of the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Dongping?"
"It's just an excuse to leave the palace; I haven't decided whether I want to go or not."
"Go."
"Huh?" Xia Li asked, puzzled. "Is there anything fun about it?"
Yu Yang smiled and said, "No, it's just that the ten pieces of clothing you had the craftsmen rush to make are already finished."
Xia Li immediately guessed what he wanted to say: "The Dongping Marquis's Mansion is of high status, and there will definitely be many dignitaries and noble ladies attending. If we can use this banquet to promote Jin Yu Man Tang... the plan is feasible!"
After thinking for a while, Xia Li came to a conclusion, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"However, given your current strength, you probably don't have any presentable gifts. Fortunately, my family has a large collection of wine, and I've heard that the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Dongping is a great lover of wine. Why don't you come to Jin Yu Man Tang tomorrow morning to get some wine?"
"Won't this be a bad thing?"
"It's alright, my family has plenty of wine. Besides, I also have shares in Jin Yu Man Tang. If you make a fortune, I'll make money too."
"Okay, it's settled then. I'll come to get the wine from you tomorrow morning."
"it is good."
The following morning was the birthday banquet for Zhou Xianjing, the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Dongping.
Wen Wan and her daughter thought it would take a lot of effort, but Xia Li happily went instead.
It came to me without any effort at all.
Xia Li, however, was thinking of using this opportunity to give her store free publicity for its new clothing items. Previously, the store had always sourced its goods from other stores, and although the styles were trendy, they weren't unique enough to attract and build a base of high-end regular customers.
This banquet is an opportunity to launch the exclusive brand of Jin Yu Man Tang. If successful, Jin Yu Man Tang will surely reach new heights.
Two people with different intentions appeared one after the other at the magnificent and solemn gate of the Dongping Marquis's mansion. Their appearance was like two dazzling stars streaking across the sky, instantly attracting the attention of the surrounding crowd and eliciting a series of exclamations.
"Oh my, look! Who is this? She looks absolutely stunning in her outfit today!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"Oh my god~ It's so beautiful! I've never seen such a stunning outfit before." Another voice followed, filled with envy and surprise.
"Absolutely! The fabric, style, and color combination of this dress are all top-notch. It's so beautiful!" someone chimed in.
Xia Wanwan had just stood still when she heard these continuous exclamations of surprise. She secretly rejoiced, thinking:
Hmph! They're definitely praising me.
You see, the outfit she was wearing today was something she had painstakingly acquired at great expense. So, she proudly raised her head, straightened her chest, and smiled, eagerly awaiting someone to approach her and strike up a conversation. However, as time passed, not a single person came to her.
Xia Wanwan couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. She frowned slightly and turned around to look behind her.
You wouldn't believe it until you see it—and what you find is truly astonishing! Right now, Xia Li is slowly stepping down from the carriage from the back!
Today, she wore a flesh-colored, wide-sleeved dress. The color of the dress, ranging from light to dark, was as captivating and dazzling as a magnificent sunset. In particular, the lifelike lotus flower embroidered on the chest added a touch of ethereal beauty to the entire outfit. Exquisite embroidery, like scattered stars, dotted the hem of the skirt, making it even more gorgeous and unique.
Even more exquisite was the deep blue shawl, adorned with countless large and small, round and smooth pearls, like stars that had fallen from the night sky. The presence of these pearls not only instantly transformed the originally ethereal dress into an elegant and sophisticated piece, but also exuded a low-key luxury with a touch of understated elegance.
What made Xia Wanwan even more jealous was that this dress made Xia Li's original seven or eight points of beauty turn into twelve points.