Shen Wei's face turned red, and she coughed awkwardly, "The beauty of the handwriting isn't important! What matters is the content!"
Ye Qiushuang quickly skimmed through the proposal, reading ten lines at a glance.
She had never seen such a clear business plan before. The methods of profit, employee attire, promotional strategies, and analysis of pros and cons were all clearly laid out.
The summer heat was intense, and the cool, refreshing desserts would surely attract customers.
"Nanny Rong, bring out the mint sago jelly and brown sugar cold cake for Miss Ye to try," Shen Wei instructed.
Nanny Rong opened the food box.
Inside, the desserts were kept cool by ice, maintaining their refreshing temperature.
Ye Qiushuang looked at the two beautifully presented desserts but hesitated to taste them, fearing they might be poisoned.
Shen Wei chuckled softly, "Don't worry, I didn't poison them."
Ye Qiushuang took a small spoonful and tasted it. Her eyes widened in surprise!
It was delicious!
Ye Qiushuang had never encountered such a unique dessert before. Her mind began to analyze keenly—if this dessert were to become popular, it would surely capture a vast market. Especially among female customers, this dessert would undoubtedly become a staple in their households.
Ye Qiushuang was deeply intrigued. Becoming a shopkeeper, running a business, and making money—this was the lifestyle she desired.
The Ye family always claimed that women shouldn't meddle in business, that it was unlucky for women to engage in commerce. Ye Qiushuang simply wanted to prove that women could earn money just like men.
Shen Wei coaxed gently, "You could start by managing the shop for a month. If you decide to give up after a month, you can still return to the prince's mansion as a concubine."
Ye Qiushuang gripped the proposal tightly, not immediately agreeing. "Let me think about it for a day. Once I've made up my mind, I'll send someone to inform you."
Shen Wei took out a key to the shop and placed it on the table. "This is the key to the dessert shop. You can go and inspect it today. I'm giving you complete freedom to run the shop as you see fit."
The key lay on the table, but Ye Qiushuang didn't reach for it right away.
She looked at Shen Wei suspiciously, "You... where did you get the money to start a business?"
Shen Wei blinked, not hiding the truth. "Prince Yan gave it to me."
Prince Yan was her gold mine, her financial backing for her entrepreneurial ventures.
Ye Qiushuang frowned, "Your money comes from Prince Yan. What if one day you fall out of favor? Wouldn't the shop lose its funding?"
Shen Wei sipped her tea leisurely, "As long as I'm in the prince's mansion, I will inevitably compete for favor. And since I'm competing, I will strive to be the sole favorite."
As long as she lived, she would fiercely compete to secure Prince Yan's favor and keep him firmly by her side.
But men were unreliable.
Once she had grown strong enough, she wouldn't need Prince Yan's favor anymore. She could become her own support.
Ye Qiushuang gazed at Shen Wei for a long time. In Shen Wei, she saw a radiant light. She was like a flower blooming vibrantly under the sun, full of life and vigor.
"It's getting late, I should return to the prince's mansion," Shen Wei said, glancing at the sky outside the window.
Shen Wei stood up and bid farewell to Ye Qiushuang.
Just as she stepped over the threshold, Ye Qiushuang rose to her feet and softly asked, "If you have such a good business sense, why did you enter the prince's mansion as a concubine? Trapped in the mansion for life, how can you ever be free?"
Ye Qiushuang felt it was a pity. With Shen Wei's intelligence, she didn't need to become a concubine in the prince's mansion.
Shen Wei sighed, turned around, and spoke with a tinge of emotion, "Freedom is relative. What confines me isn't the walls of the prince's mansion, but the era we live in."
If she wanted freedom, she would have to enlighten the people, nurture the seeds of capitalism, invent the spinning jenny and the steam engine, ignite the flames of liberty and democracy, and overthrow the decaying feudal dynasty... Could a weak woman achieve all that?
She couldn't.
Shen Wei didn't have grand ambitions to change the era. She only wanted to work hard, acquire more resources, and make her life a little better.
Ye Qiushuang's pretty face showed confusion.
What did she mean by freedom being relative? What era was she talking about?
She didn't understand, but Shen Wei looked deeply sad.
...
After parting with Ye Qiushuang, Shen Wei hurried back to the prince's mansion without delay.
Shen Wei entered the mansion through the back gate, passing through the lush garden. As she walked, she instructed, "Nanny Rong, when we return to the Glazed Pavilion, you and Cai Ping should pick the ripe peaches from the peach tree. Peel some to make peach wine, and wash the rest to send to Prince Yan. If there are any left, give some to Eunuch Fugui and Zhang Miaoyu."
To keep Prince Yan's heart, she needed to constantly bring him something new.
Prince Yan liked it when women put thought into pleasing him.
The peach tree in the Glazed Pavilion's courtyard had been planted when Shen Wei lived in the Fangfei Courtyard. After the tree was transplanted to the Glazed Pavilion, under Shen Wei's careful tending, it thrived. Now, as July approached, the tree was laden with large, red peaches.
"Don't worry, mistress. I'll take care of it as soon as we return," Nanny Rong replied cheerfully.
The summer heat was sweltering. As Shen Wei and Nanny Rong walked through the mansion's garden, they suddenly noticed a group of women under the shade of a tree in the distance.
They were sitting in the shade, doing embroidery. These were the neglected concubines and consorts of the mansion, about a dozen of them.
Across the shimmering lotus pond, Shen Wei glanced at them from afar. The consorts and concubines were dressed plainly, their faces expressionless and their eyes hollow.
Compared to the radiant Shen Wei, they seemed like soulless zombies.
Nanny Rong whispered to Shen Wei, "It's stifling hot, and their rooms don't have ice containers, so they have to go outside to find a cool spot. Every summer, several concubines die from the heat, wrapped in straw mats and carried out of the mansion."
These concubines and consorts were mostly daughters of merchants or farmers, with no influential family backgrounds. They had been chosen as concubines by the princess due to their striking looks.
They had enjoyed a brief period of glory before fading rapidly like ephemeral flowers.
Without maids to serve them and with their monthly allowances withheld, they lived in isolated, tomb-like courtyards, barely scraping by through weaving and embroidery.
Shen Wei looked at these pitiful concubines and consorts, most of them around twenty years old, and sighed inwardly.
If the opportunity arose in the future, she would try to help them. A group of women skilled in weaving and embroidery could potentially become her employees.
Shen Wei returned to the Glazed Pavilion. She didn't take a nap right away but instead practiced some Baduanjin exercises in the cool pavilion by the water. Afterward, she went to her study to continue practicing her calligraphy.
Her calligraphy had improved noticeably.
Shen Wei held the brush and began to think. She had already tried gardening, calligraphy, and horseback riding, all with good results. Now, she needed to develop other skills.
Perhaps—singing?
But Shen Wei hadn't sung much before. She called in Cai Lian and Cai Ping. "I'll sing a tune, and you two can tell me how I sound, alright?"
Cai Lian and Cai Ping nodded eagerly.
The two maids had always thought Shen Wei's voice was sweet and clear, as soft as the spring waters of March. If Shen Wei sang, her voice would surely be heavenly.
Shen Wei cleared her throat and began to sing a segment of the Kunqu opera "The Peony Pavilion," which she had often heard during her college days when she worked part-time at a Kunqu theater in the city.
Shen Wei confidently sang, "What a fine day, but to whom does this joy belong~ In whose courtyard does this delight reside~~"
Cai Lian and Cai Ping: ...
The two maids' faces showed sheer horror!
