Chapter 95

Chapter 95

It was unclear whether Madam Zhou had learned about Second Madam Li's debt of five hundred taels of silver to Jiang Chun for redeeming herself, or if Li was simply afraid of being scolded once Zhou found out.

In any case, that very afternoon when Zhou returned, Li sent five hundred taels of silver and a pair of floral hairpins to Jiang Chun via a maid.

The floral hairpins were exquisitely crafted, with perfectly round and flawless pearls, indicating their superior quality.

This was clearly a token of gratitude to Jiang Chun for paying the money to redeem Song Shiying from the brothel.

Whether Li's gratitude was sincere or forced, a thank-you gift was given, and that was what mattered.

Jiang Chun examined them with great delight and then had Gui Zhi help her pin them onto her head.

As a simple country girl, how could she resist showing off such fine items?

It made perfect sense. Very reasonable.

Since Li had returned the redemption money, Jiang Chun didn't delay. From the eight hundred and sixty-three taels she had obtained from selling items to a pawnshop, she took eight hundred taels. She also retrieved the six hundred taels from selling the ambergris, amounting to one thousand nine hundred taels, which she delivered to Zhong Wenjin in person.

This was Jiang Chun's first visit to Qingzhu Courtyard. As soon as she turned past the ceremonial gate, she saw large clusters of bamboo planted on either side of the first courtyard.

When the wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled softly.

As it was November, with vegetation withering, these two clusters of bamboo were the only green in the courtyard.

Seeing Zhong Wenjin, Jiang Chun couldn't help but praise the bamboo.

Zhong Wenjin smiled as she led Jiang Chun to the main courtyard of the second courtyard, saying, "My husband loves bamboo, but I find it rather common. I actually prefer the osmanthus trees in your courtyard, Sister-in-law.

I was even planning to dig up the bamboo cluster on the west side next spring and plant an osmanthus tree there. I just don't know if my husband will fight me over it when he returns."

Jiang Chun offered a mischievous suggestion, "Why don't you secretly dig it up while he's at the office? By the time he's back, it'll be a done deal. Would he really fight with you over a few bamboo plants?"

Zhong Wenjin clapped her hands and praised, "Sister-in-law, you're full of clever ideas! I'll do just that."

Jiang Chun covered her mouth and giggled.

The layout of the main room in Qingsong Courtyard was quite similar to Dangui Courtyard. Some of the furniture had been returned by the Ministry of Household, while the missing pieces had been purchased by Madame Zhuang to fill in.

Jiang Chun didn't beat around the bush. After sitting down, she took the banknotes out of her purse and placed them on the high table between them.

With a smile, she said, "I promised Second Sister-in-law that I would invest in your business. However, Second Aunt only returned the redemption money for Third Sister today, so it's been delayed until now."

Zhong Wenjin didn't stand on ceremony. She picked up the banknotes and examined them one by one. Upon seeing that there were one thousand nine hundred taels, her face lit up.

With these banknotes as startup capital, she could officially begin her trading business.

If she didn't start soon, her life would become difficult.

After arriving in the capital, she realized that money was needed everywhere.

Although the Song family covered the costs of food, clothing, shelter, and travel, there were still many expenses that required silver.

Leaving aside other miscellaneous costs, just the customary tips for servants in wealthy and noble households were enough to cause her a headache.

Unless you did everything yourself without using any servants, as long as you used servants outside of your own courtyard, you had to tip them.

Even the servants within your own courtyard needed occasional gifts of money or goods; otherwise, they would talk behind your back and become less attentive in their duties.

I have only a few taels of loose silver left in my hands. If I were still in the mountain village, this amount would be enough for a year's expenses.

But after just a few days in the Imperial City, between gifts and tips, there's not much left.

Unfortunately, Song Shirui has just been transferred to the Jinyi Guard, and it's not yet the time for salaries to be issued, so I can't rely on him.

Zhong Wenjin can only think of ways to earn money herself. If she doesn't earn money soon, she'll lose all her dignity as Second Mistress.

This 1,900 taels of silver notes from Big Sister-in-law is truly a timely help.

She carefully placed the silver notes into her pouch, holding it tightly, her eyes glistening with tears. She said, "Big Sister-in-law, rest assured, I will definitely earn money for both of us and I will not let your investment go to waste."

Jiang Chun smiled and said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you can earn, then earn; if not, it's fine. If you become too stressed and end up getting sick, it would be counterproductive."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wenjin felt much more relaxed and a smile appeared on her face. "Big Sister-in-law, don't worry. I may not be good at other things, but I do have some skills in business."

In modern times, she had already invested in a bubble tea shop during college, accumulating her first fortune. After graduation, she started her own business.

Before she came here, she already owned 20 to 30 chain stores and could barely be considered a qualified young entrepreneur.

Living in ancient times, if she were still that village girl in the mountain village, it would be very difficult to start a business.

But now she is the wife of Song Shirui, the Second Mistress of the Song family, and the sister-in-law of the Crown Prince.

At the very least, no unscrupulous people would dare to trip her up.

Of course, this isn't absolute. The political rivals of the Crown Prince and families who have conflicts with the Song family, such as the Cheng family, might still try to cause trouble for her.

But overall, it's much more convenient than before.

Zhong Wenjin was very grateful to Jiang Chun, her big sister-in-law. She secretly rummaged through her system warehouse and, under the pretext of going to freshen up, brought back a bundle of preserved eggs.

As soon as Jiang Chun saw them, she exclaimed, "Crystal preserved eggs?"

Zhong Wenjin was surprised and said, "Big Sister-in-law knows about these?"

Big Sister-in-law's hometown is in Shandong, while my hometown is in Jiangsu Province. Could my crystal preserved eggs really be that famous, even in the countryside of a neighboring province?

Jiang Chun pretended not to know that the preserved eggs were Zhong Wenjin's handiwork and smiled. "I do know about them. My uncle has an old friend from Jiangsu Province who gifted him a basket of crystal preserved eggs, and he shared quite a few with us.

I didn't care much, but my husband loves these crystal preserved eggs. Every few days, he asks me to make preserved egg porridge for him. Most of the crystal preserved eggs in our house have ended up in his stomach.

Unfortunately, there are no crystal preserved eggs sold in Hongye County. Otherwise, I would have bought him two large baskets to eat to his heart's content."

Upon hearing that her brother-in-law Song Shian loved eating crystal preserved eggs, Zhong Wenjin immediately smiled and said, "There's no need to buy them. These crystal preserved eggs are actually something I made in my spare time to supplement our household income. If Big Brother likes them, I'll make more and send them over to you."

Jiang Chun made a show of surprise. "Ah, you made these crystal preserved eggs, Second Sister-in-law? You are so ingenious!"

Zhong Wenjin said a little embarrassedly, "I just made them for fun, and it hit the mark by accident."

"Making something for fun and producing such a rare item, if you were to seriously make something, wouldn't it amaze everyone?"

Jiang Chun teased and didn't hold back, smiling. "My husband indeed loves eating these, so I won't be shy with you, Second Sister-in-law.

But I won't eat your food for free. In a few days, I plan to prepare some braised meat to give away. I'll send a portion over to you."

Thinking for a moment, she then asked with a smile, "I wonder what parts of the braised meat Second Sister-in-law likes? Pig head? Pork trotters? Pork heart? Pork liver? Pork lungs? Or pork intestines?"

With each item Jiang Chun mentioned, Zhong Wenjin's eyes shone.

After she finished speaking, Zhong Wenjin boldly said, "I love all of those. Can I have a small piece of each?"

Jiang Chun scolded with a laugh, "I told you to choose one, but you want every single one. I've never seen such a rude sister-in-law as you."

Of course, this was a joke.

Zhong Wenjin grinned and said, "I’m only this bold with you, Big Sis, because we’re close. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t dare."

Thinking about the braised meat, she remembered something else and stood up, saying, "Big Sis, wait a moment. I’ll bring you something special."

Zhong Wenjin left for a moment and then returned, holding a small cloth bag.

She opened the cloth bag and placed it in front of Jiang Chun.

Jiang Chun looked down and almost shouted, "Wow!"

Chili peppers!

It was chili peppers!

Chili peppers!

It had been ages since she last had chili peppers. She had been dreaming about spicy food.

In modern times, she had diverse tastes, and she didn’t need spice in every meal.

But since arriving in the ancient world and not having chili peppers, she found herself craving them.

She knew that befriending Zhong Wenjin, who has the Pinduoduo Mall system, was a good decision. See, in just a short time, she had even pulled out the big gun—chili peppers.

But she pretended to be clueless. "Second Sister-in-law, this thing is so bright red, it looks very festive. What’s it used for?"

Zhong Wenjin explained, "This is a foreign spice called chili peppers. It’s similar to our Zanthoxylum ailanthoides, but it’s spicier and more fragrant."

"A foreign spice?" Jiang Chun exclaimed, wide-eyed, and quickly waved her hands, "Foreign spices are very expensive. I can’t accept it. Second Sister-in-law, you should sell it at a spice shop."

Zhong Wenjin tightened the drawstring of the cloth bag and handed it to Gui Zhi.

She then glanced at Jiang Chun and said, "I’m not selling it. Spice shop owners don’t know its value, and I wouldn’t get much money for it anyway. It’s better to give it to you for braised meat."

She had so many modern items to sell; there was no need to bother with chili peppers, which could be grown from seeds next year.

Of course, she could also extract the seeds and sell only the chili shells.

But that work was time-consuming and laborious. With that time, she could sell easier and more profitable items.

Like glass mirrors and clocks.

Jiang Chun pretended to be troubled. "Is it really okay? If my husband finds out I accepted this foreign spice, he'll definitely scold me."

Zhong Wenjin joked, "If Big Brother dares to scold you, Big Sis, then you should confiscate his preserved egg porridge and eat it yourself. Let’s see if he gets anxious!"

Jiang Chun had already wanted the chili peppers and was only pretending to refuse. Hearing this, she immediately took the opportunity to agree. "Second Sister-in-law, what a great idea!"

*

Jiang Chun, without the help of the maids, happily returned to Dangui Courtyard, holding the cloth bag of preserved eggs in her left hand and the cloth bag of chili peppers in her right.

Gui Zhi and Gui Ye followed behind, exchanging glances.

They simply didn’t know what to say.

Their mistress handed over 1,900 taels, which she had painstakingly saved, to Second Lady, in exchange for a bag of worthless crystal eggs and another bag of foreign spices that even the spice shops refused.

And yet, she looked as if she had gotten a great bargain, with a grin that was about to reach her ears.

Second Lady, who came from a mountain village, usually only went into the mountains to dig up some medicinal herbs and mountain goods to sell in town. Had she ever done any proper business?

She was far less capable than the First Lady, who at least went to the town market every day to sell meat from her meat stall, engaging in real business transactions.

If Second Lady ended up losing all of the 1,900 taels, let's see if she can still laugh then!

Unfortunately, as maids, they were too insignificant to speak up, and having served the First Lady for only a short time, they weren’t trusted enough to voice their concerns, not even if they wanted to.

Jiang Chun had no idea what the two senior maids were thinking. Happy, she put away the crystal eggs and the spices. Seeing that it was still early in the day, she sent someone to inform Manager Liu that she was going out for a while.

Now, she only had less than 100 taels left in her hands. If she and Song Shi'an encountered any urgent need for money, they would be in trouble.

She didn’t want to borrow money from her mother-in-law, Madame Zhuang. When Song Shirui borrowed money from her for an official position, Zhong Wenjin had been on the receiving end of quite a bit of sarcasm.

Although her system storage still contained many good items, she couldn’t pawn anything again so soon after her last transaction.

Fortunately, she still had 21.6 jin of pepper in her system storage, which she could sell at the spice shop.

She had previously sold pepper to Baohe Hall of Hongye County, where Dr. Cao had offered 38 taels per jin.

Jiang Chun had also asked about the price of pepper in the Imperial City when she inquired about the price of ambergris at a spice shop.

The price in the Imperial City was slightly higher than in Hongye County, but not by much, about 40 taels per jin.

Jiang Chun decided to sell 20 jin, keeping 1 jin and 6 liang for herself.

Twenty jin of pepper would bring her 800 taels.

Her recently depleted purse would soon be filled again.

Thanks to the check-in system, without this system by her side, she would probably be figuring out how to restart the pig slaughtering and meat selling business, just like the original owner.

She reached into the large chest that only she could touch, using it as a cover to transfer the pepper from the system storage into a burlap bag.

Then, she removed the bag from the chest.

Afterward, she walked to the second gate and, taking the carriage arranged by Manager Liu, headed to the West Market.

Of course, following Madame Zhuang’s reminder, Jiang Chun brought along a few guards for show.

Skilled martial artists willing to serve as bodyguards were rare. The guards Madame Zhuang bought on short notice were only slightly stronger but had no martial skills at all.

If something happened and they had to fight, they would be unable to protect her, and Jiang Chun suspected she would have to protect them instead.

Fortunately, it was broad daylight, and it was unlikely that any bandits would cause trouble.

As the carriage entered the West Market, she wouldn’t miss the opportunity to check in.

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Yanjing City Bank," received 2 taels of gold.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Yanjing City Pawnshop," received a pair of red sandalwood chairs, one snuff bottle, and two bolts of brocade.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Yanjing City Blacksmith," received 4 iron axes, 4 iron pots, and 30 iron skewers.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Yanjing City Medical Hall," received 3 jin of astragalus, 6 jin of star anise, and 4 jin of dried tangerine peel.]

[Ding! "Yanjing City Pharmacy" check-in successful, obtained 1 catty of bird's nest, 3 catties of licorice, and 6 catties of grass fruit.]

[Ding! "Yanjing City Jewelry Store" check-in successful, obtained 2 ebony canes, 6 agarwood bead strings, and 2 waist pendants.]

[Ding! "Yanjing City Bookstore" check-in successful, obtained 22 reams of white cotton paper, 10 wolf hair brushes, and 2 clay inkstones.]

[Ding! "Yanjing City Fabric Store" check-in successful, obtained 12 pieces of horizontal silk, 8 pieces of fine ramie fabric, and 16 pieces of red fox fur.]

[Ding! "Yanjing City Spice Store" check-in successful, obtained 5 catties of pepper, 8 boxes of sandalwood incense, and 4 catties of cinnamon.]

Jiang Chun raised her eyebrows, surprised to have obtained another 5 catties of pepper?

She decisively reached into the cloth bag of pepper and added the 5 catties into it.

Considering that the next sale would have to be after a long interval, it was better to sell this new batch of 5 catties together.

There was no helping it; her status as the Song family’s Eldest Madam was too conspicuous. Even if she went to another spice shop, she would still be recognized.

That said, she did change spice shops this time and did not go to the Zhao Family Spice Shop where she had sold the dragon's breath incense previously.

The process of selling the pepper was uneventful. The shop had a clear price, openly purchasing pepper at forty taels per catty, almost the same price as Zhao Family Spice Shop.

Therefore, she didn’t haggle and directly sold the twenty-five catties of pepper.

Forty taels per catty, twenty-five catties of pepper amounted to exactly one thousand taels of silver.

Jiang Chun was overjoyed.

The feeling of quick money was just too thrilling. She wished she could get her hands on another ten million catties of pepper.

Since she had left late, it was nearing the time for dinner. Jiang Chun decided not to drop by the Jiang family on her way back and directed the carriage straight back to the Song family’s residence.

Anyway, she had plenty of time. It would be the same to visit Jiang He and Zheng Kun another day.

*

As soon as she returned to the Song family, she was summoned to the main courtyard by Madame Zhuang.

Jiang Chun thought that her mother-in-law was angry about her outing and was going to scold her.

However, Madame Zhuang took out an invitation card and handed it to her, saying, “The Princess Xinchang sent a steward with this invitation. The Princess invites you to her residence for drinks tomorrow.”

Jiang Chun received the card, quickly scanned its contents, and then handed it back to Madame Zhuang, exclaiming, “Why are you giving this to me, Mother? I only know a few characters; how could I possibly understand this?”

She then asked, “Is the Princess inviting our entire family's women, or just me alone?”

Madame Zhuang looked puzzled and said, “Just you alone. Since when did you become acquainted with Princess Xinchang? How did you manage to earn the face for her to invite you alone for drinks?”

Jiang Chun immediately shook her head and said, “I only saw her once at the Chrysanthemum Viewing Banquet at the Marquis of Jinxiang's residence. We can’t be considered to have much of a relationship.”

In fact, Jiang Chun had expected that Princess Xinchang would summon her soon. After all, she had made a statement at the Chrysanthemum Viewing Banquet.

The esteemed Princess wouldn’t go back on her word, right?

Moreover, Jiang Chun was clear about the purpose of the princess's summons. She simply wanted to inquire about the private life of Song Shian, her “idol,” through her.

In modern terms, the princess was definitely a stalker fan.

However, as the old emperor’s full sister, her pursuit of a celebrity was harmless. Since Jiang Chun was new and lacked connections in the capital, if she could provide information about Song Shian to curry favor with Princess Xinchang, it would be a worthwhile trade.

Song Shian himself probably wouldn’t say much either.

After all, if the Crown Prince’s faction can win over Princess Xinchang, it would greatly benefit the stability of Crown Prince Li Xinghang’s position as heir.

It’s a win-win situation.

Madame Zhuang fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

But Jiang Chun exclaimed, "Ah, this is clearly a banquet with hidden dangers. I’m clumsy and not good with words. If I offend the Grand Princess during the banquet, I’m afraid I might not return alive.

So, Mother, won’t you reward me with some valuable jewelry to wear? At least let me be presentable for my last moments."

Madame Zhuang gave her a sideways glance and scolded, "Watch your mouth. If you're tired of living, don't slander Princess Xinchang."

You really dare to say anything, aren’t you afraid the spirits might take your life for such blasphemy?

Jiang Chun persisted, "I’m going to the Grand Princess’s banquet. Don’t you want me to dress appropriately so that the Grand Princess won’t think you’re mistreating your daughter-in-law?"

Madame Zhuang was utterly speechless.

She had served as Mother Zhou Shi’s daughter-in-law for half her life and had never made such an outrageous request as asking for things.

Yet, this daughter-in-law, Jiang Chun, has only been in the family for a short time and has already asked for things more than once.

Her face is thicker than the city walls.

But Madame Zhuang couldn’t refuse, otherwise, Jiang Chun might actually show up at the Grand Princess’s mansion looking shabby.

She turned to Shanhu and instructed, "Shanhu, bring me the gold-inlaid ruby and pearl three-tailed phoenix hairpin."

The name alone suggests its immense value.

Jiang Chun immediately beamed with joy. "Thank you, Mother. You are so generous. Having a mother-in-law like you is the blessing I cultivated in my previous life."

Madame Zhuang snorted coldly, "I must have committed many sins in my previous life to deserve a daughter-in-law like you."

Far from being angry, Jiang Chun laughed heartily, saying, "It's fate, Mother. You should accept it. At least I’m tall, have long legs, and a pretty face. Your future grandchildren will definitely be tall and good-looking."

Madame Zhuang had to admit, "Your only merit is indeed your appearance."

At first, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now she suspected her eldest son was willing to stay as a son-in-law by marriage in the Jiang family because he was enchanted by her beauty.

Otherwise, with his intelligence and fully recovered health, how could he not have found a way to rid himself of his humble wife?

It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that he didn’t want to?

Shanhu brought over a brocade box and presented it to Jiang Chun.

Jiang Chun opened the lid and was almost blinded by the dazzling gold, rubies, and pearls inside.

While the gold was standard, the rubies and pearls used in the phoenix hairpin were of the highest quality.

Clearly, it was priceless.

Was Madame Zhuang really willing to part with such a precious piece of jewelry?

Jiang Chun asked cautiously, "This phoenix hairpin is a gift for your daughter-in-law to keep, not just borrowed for the occasion, right?"

Madam Zhuang: “……”

Speechless, she replied, "Is the Song family in such dire straits that we need to borrow hairpins and rotate wearing them? Wouldn't that just make us a ridicule!"

The implication being that the phoenix hairpin was bestowed upon Jiang Chun.

Jiang Chun breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Of course not, the Song family has substantial wealth and wouldn't stoop to that."

She saw nothing amiss with these noble ladies putting on airs and caring about appearances. If they didn't, how could she benefit from their pretensions?

She hoped they would act even more pretentiously. It was like a wolf slipping into a flock of sheep, falling into a sea of good fortune.

This was the ideal chance to capitalize on the situation, wasn’t it?