The Lucky Heiress

Xiumei let out a sigh of relief and then asked Wei Ruo, “Miss, why didn’t you ask King Jing about the Ninth Prince?”

“Asking him probably wouldn’t do any good. Everyone talks about the Ninth Prince being sickly, eccentric, and cruel – I’ve heard it so many times that my ears have grown callouses,” she replied.

“But King Jing might know more about the Ninth Prince since he has had closer interactions with him. He might even know why the Emperor wants to arrange your marriage to the Ninth Prince,” Xiumei suggested.

“The Ninth Prince doesn’t really interact with outsiders. For most of the time after he was brought back and due to his bad health, he stays at his residence. King Jing’s knowledge about him may not surpass mine. Regardless of what the Emperor thinks, I decided it’s not worth poking into this matter with King Jing. It will be more loss than gain if he become suspicious,” she replied.

In the original story, the Emperor was a deeply thoughtful ruler who, after the death of the Empress, no longer trusted anyone around him, including his many princes.

That’s why hasn’t appointed a Crown Prince for so many years.

Unfortunately, in the original work, there was no character such as the Ninth Prince, so Wei Ruo is still in the dark about his existence.

Wei Ruo patted Xiumei’s arm, “Don’t worry, your miss here won’t be easily defeated. Even if I can’t change the fact of my impending marriage now, I won’t indulge in self-pity.”

“Yes, miss, I know you might stumble but you won’t stay down!” Xiumei responded.

Wei Ruo laughed, “Let’s go and check on my rouge and face powder shop. Let’s focus on making money instead of worrying about things we can’t figure out for now.”

She couldn’t change the fact of her arranged marriage for now but she didn’t want to waste time idly, so she continued her business as usual.

Even if she could not change the fate of marrying a man she didn’t want to, she would still do what she wanted to do and enjoy her life, earning some silver for herself.

Wei Ruo named her upcoming rouge and powder shop as the ‘Daiyue Residence’. She chose a rather remote location – not in the bustling central area, but in an inconspicuous corner at the far end of White Tiger Avenue.

The front was the shop, and there was a large yard at the back.

Wei Ruo spent 5,000 taels of silver purchasing it, which was a significant sum for her at this stage.

Wei Ruo liked this location for two reasons: First, although the shop was off the beaten path, it was a mandatory stop on the way to the central part of the White Tiger Avenue. Secondly, the shop had a large yard at the back, which Wei Ruo would use for manufacturing rouge and face powder, and accommodating Zhao Hai and his brothers.

The six villagers from Stone Village, including the Zhao brothers, had been busy here for a while now.

The products they were making included four types: moisturizing ointment, whitening cream, ‘Peach Blossom Rouge’, and ‘Bluebell Perfume’..

The moisturizing ointment was already on sale at Tongde Hall and was selling quite well. When Daiyue Residence opens, the moisturizing ointment could help to attract more customers and establish her brand reputation.

Coming to the yard, Wei Ruo noticed that the previously empty yard and houses on the east and west sides had been converted into production areas and warehouses for raw materials storage.

Upon seeing Wei Ruo’s arrival, Zhao Hai, who was busy chopping wood, rose to greet her.

“Miss!” Zhao Hai greeted energetically, his face filled with excitement.

“How has your brother been doing recently?” Wei Ruo inquired.

“Thanks to you, Miss, my brother’s health has been excellent. He’s about to take the imperial examination soon, so I arranged for him to study in peace in the room at the back,” Zhao Hai answered.

“Good, tell him to concentrate on preparing for the examinations for now. He doesn’t need to worry about anything else,” Wei Ruo said.

“Thank you, Miss, for your concern! I don’t know how to express my gratitude. If it wasn’t for you, Miss, I wouldn’t have been able to accompany my brother to the Capital City, and my brother wouldn’t have such a peaceful place for his studies,” Zhao Hai said with a grateful glance.

“I needed your help in the Capital City, so there’s no need for you to feel indebted,” she replied.

Wei Ruo then asked Zhao Hai about the progress of the workshop, both to understand the current state of affairs and to evaluate if Zhao Hai had managed the work properly.

“Miss, those are grinding mortars, used for grinding the materials – Afu takes care of that; those big boilers over there are used for boiling mixed liquids. The iron lid on top is used for collecting the steam that will become perfume – Dazhuang manages that part; and here is where materials are being prepared – it’s a rather meticulous task which is handled by Achang, who has previous experience as he used to be a pharmacist apprentice…”

Zhao was a simple man, but when he introduced the operations inside the workshop, he was clear, methodical and accurate.

Wei Ruo smiled, “Did you organize all of this?”

“Well…” Zhao Hai scratched his head.

“Your brother, wasn’t it?”

“You saw through us, Miss,” Zhao Hai shyly admitted.

“That’s okay, everyone excels at different things,” Wei Ruo said.

Although Zhao Hai was not very smart, he was dedicated and hard-working. When Wei Ruo designated him as manager, he was always the first to act and set an example, which earned him the respect of his subordinates.

Feeling shy, Zhao Hai lowered his eyes with a smile.

After walking around the workshop and confirming that everything was progressing according to her plan, she moved up to the front of the shop to check on the renovation progress.

The shop was divided into three areas by Wei Ruo:

The first was the customer resting area. Designed like a teahouse, it was cozy and private.

Her target customers were the noble families in the Capital City. To sell her high-priced items to them, she first needed to make them comfortable. They didn’t want to shop alongside unknown people. Therefore, providing them with a relaxed environment where they could enjoy the products was essential.

The next area was the display section. Although there weren’t many kinds of products in the shop, each one was of high quality. Therefore, an equally refined display was necessary. The display shelves were carefully designed, with product samples arranged next to the product’s description, explaining its origin and benefits.

The last area was for checking out, consisting of a cashier’s desk and a storage room. There wasn’t much special about that.

After leaving Daiyue Residence, Wei Ruo headed to Caiyun Room. She didn’t plan to directly open a fabric shop, but intended to first sell her fabrics in Caiyun Room.

Today, she was hoping to have a chance to talk with the owner of Caiyun Room. As soon as she stepped in, she heard a familiar voice…