Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Chapter 111 The Princess Consort's Thoughts

Not long after, a clever maid led Jiang Xiuzhi and Yue'er slowly into the courtyard where the Princess Consort resided. As soon as Jiang Xiuzhi stepped into the courtyard, a warm and friendly smile spread across her face. She quickly walked towards the Princess Consort and said in a sweet voice, "Princess Consort, I heard that you summoned me here. Is there anything you wish to do for me?"

The Princess Consort smiled slightly, gently gesturing for Jiang Xiuzhi to sit down, and then said softly, "Madam Wu, please sit down and speak. I've heard you mention a place called 'Hot Spring Massage' before, which is said to be even more effective than many medical clinics! To my shame, I've been suffering from a terrible headache and a dull ache in my lower back lately. I wonder if that place could be of any help to my ailments?" Since the Princess Consort didn't know Jiang Xiuzhi well, she spoke frankly and didn't hide her discomfort.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiuzhi immediately replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, what I said is true. That hot spring massage place is indeed quite effective. Although it will require long-term visits to completely cure the stubborn ailment, the first experience will definitely show obvious results. However, this place is currently in the trial operation phase, so you must make an appointment in advance if you wish to enjoy the service. Of course, if Your Highness wishes to become our member, you can visit anytime, anywhere without having to make an appointment."

After speaking, Jiang Xiuzhi saw the Princess Consort's puzzled expression, so she quickly nudged Yue'er forward and introduced her, "Princess Consort, this is Yue'er, the manager of Wutong Residence. Let her explain the details to you."

After receiving Jiang Xiuzhi's instructions, Yue'er dared not delay for a moment. She hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the Princess Consort, saying, "This commoner Yue'er greets the Princess Consort. May the Princess Consort live a thousand years!" After the Princess Consort nodded slightly in acknowledgment, Yue'er stood up and began to explain the business operations of Wutong Residence one by one.

She provided a detailed introduction to the various services offered by Wutongju, including but not limited to facials, body massages, and medicinal baths. Furthermore, Yue'er emphasized the skin problems and common ailments these services primarily addressed, and shared some practical daily skincare tips. However, out of caution, Yue'er didn't go into too much detail.

In fact, long before Xiao Lan left, she had meticulously prepared a complete set of one hundred customer questions and corresponding sales scripts for Yu'er and the others. In the past few days, Yue'er, along with Jiang Xiuzhi, had successfully recruited many members using these exquisite scripts. Now, seeing the Princess Consort listening with great interest, she couldn't help but feel secretly pleased. She quickly exchanged a glance with Jiang Xiuzhi beside her, and the two smiled knowingly.

Just then, Jiang Xiuzhi gracefully took out a beautifully bound booklet from her bosom and presented it to the Princess Consort with both hands. Her face remained adorned with a warm and charming smile as she said, “Princess Consort, this booklet details the various services offered by our Wutong Residence, as well as the numerous benefits of becoming a member. Why not join our Wutong Residence membership first? If in the future you are too busy to visit Wutong Residence in person, simply send a servant to inform us, and we will send someone to provide you with attentive and thoughtful medical services.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yue'er quickly added, "Yes, Princess Consort. If the ladies of the household are satisfied with our services, they can pay their membership fees today to officially join. Once you successfully join, I can immediately arrange for someone to come to your residence for treatment tomorrow. Moreover, if other people in the household also have needs, they can also use your membership."

Just then, Jiang Xiuzhi swiftly presented the membership handbook, which Xiao Lan had carefully prepared, to the Princess Consort. The Princess Consort took the handbook and began to carefully peruse it, nodding repeatedly in satisfaction as she read the terms and benefits.

Meanwhile, Madam Wu and Yue'er seized the opportunity to explain to the Princess Consort the various advantages of the membership system and the privileged services she would enjoy. With their enthusiastic recommendation, the Princess Consort readily decided to purchase a membership card worth a staggering two hundred thousand taels of silver.

After their conversation with the Princess Consort ended, Jiang Xiuzhi and Yue'er left the Prince's residence with satisfaction and boarded the carriage. As soon as they got in, their eyes fell on the heavy money box in their hands, their joy overflowing.

"Yue'er, we really owe you a huge thank you for reminding me! If you hadn't suggested bringing more booklets, we probably wouldn't have been able to cope today," Jiang Xiuzhi said gratefully to Yue'er. It turned out that before leaving home today, Jiang Xiuzhi had originally planned to bring only five booklets as usual, but the clever Yue'er had advised her to bring more just in case. So, in the end, they brought a total of twenty booklets to the Prince's residence.

Initially, Jiang Xiuzhi secretly thought that even selling half of these booklets would be a pretty good result. However, to her utter surprise, the ladies of noble families seemed to have a strong interest in this new thing, and there was even a competitive mentality among them. Sure enough, when someone bought a membership card for 100,000 taels of silver, another person immediately chose the 150,000 tael level; and before long, the twenty-odd booklets were almost sold out.

Just as only two booklets remained, an unexpected event occurred—news suddenly spread throughout the banquet that a young lady had gone missing. This sudden turn of events caused an uproar, with most of the guests dropping everything to help search for the missing lady.

Jiang Xiuzhi and Yue'er had been tirelessly promoting their membership booklets, so busy they hadn't even had time to eat. When they finally noticed the crowd had thinned out, they realized they were starving. Looking at their booklets, they found only two remained unsold. At that moment, they finally breathed a sigh of relief and could sit down and enjoy a proper meal.

After everyone returned, Jiang Xiuzhi keenly sensed something was amiss. A thought flashed through her mind, and she rose to approach a lady she knew well, wanting to find out what had happened. After some questioning, the lady lowered her voice and told her that Prince Qin and Consort Ye's niece had somehow been knocked unconscious and left together. Although the lady didn't mention whether their clothes were intact, a little thought was enough to guess that this was most likely another scandalous affair. Knowing the details, Jiang Xiuzhi returned to her seat and told Yue'er about it. The two continued eating, discussing the matter animatedly.

As they were talking, a young lady from a prominent family hurried over. She looked anxious and immediately asked Jiang Xiuzhi if she could get a membership card for her grandmother, who suffered from a leg ailment. Unfortunately, the young lady had left in a hurry and didn't have much money on her. Fortunately, she was quite familiar with Jiang Xiuzhi, so she immediately paid five hundred taels of silver as a deposit, promising to pay the rest as soon as possible.

Just as the matter concerning the young lady from the noble family was being dealt with, the Princess Consort's personal maid rushed over looking for Jiang Xiuzhi. It turned out that the Princess Consort was also quite interested in this membership system. After learning about the details, she paid the fees without hesitation and also took the last membership booklet for herself.

After a busy day, Jiang Xiuzhi and Yue'er carefully calculated that the deposits they had received and the money paid by the Princess Consort alone amounted to a staggering 500,000 taels of silver! This astonishing amount delighted the two of them, and they also felt that their hard work that day had not been in vain.

Jiang Xiuzhi felt a surge of joy at the thought of the large sums of money she had been receiving recently. She narrowed her eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, then turned to Yue'er beside her and asked with concern, "Yue'er, we've made quite a bit of money these past few days! Do you think I should transfer some people from the General's Mansion to help guard Wutong Residence? That way, we'll have better security."

Upon hearing this, Yue'er smiled faintly and shook her head gently, saying, "Don't worry, Madam, there's no need for such trouble. His Highness the Fifth Prince has already sent people over. The defenses at Wutong Residence are strong enough now, so there won't be any problems."

However, in reality, most of the huge sums of silver notes Yue'er received these past few days, paid by guests who had paid the full membership fee, had already been spent. It turned out that before Xiao Lan left, he had carefully selected and chosen many fine courtyards and shops, and had spoken with the relevant people, explaining his ideal price range. Therefore, whenever someone wanted to sell, Yue'er would buy them all without hesitation, and then arrange for someone to handle the corresponding property deeds. In this way, unknowingly, a considerable number of properties and shops in the capital had quietly become Xiao Lan's assets.

"That's good." Jiang Xiuzhi replied casually, then closed her lips tightly and said nothing more. However, at this moment, her inner world was in turmoil, her thoughts surging like a tidal wave.

Recalling her conversation with the Princess Consort, Jiang Xiuzhi couldn't help but ponder. Initially, the Princess Consort's conversation revolved around matters concerning children. Jiang Xiuzhi hadn't taken these words to heart, dismissing them as ordinary family chatter. But just as she was about to leave, the Princess Consort personally saw her off, and took the opportunity to pull her aside for a longer chat. This conversation, though seemingly casual, actually held a hidden meaning—the Princess Consort subtly hinted at her desire to invite her to tea, and specifically emphasized that Jiang Xiuzhi should bring her beloved daughter, Wu Yuyu, along.

Jiang Xiuzhi, being exceptionally intelligent, instantly discerned the true intention behind the Princess Consort's actions. It turned out that the Princess Consort was subtly trying to find a match for her daughter! Considering the Princess Consort's situation, she had two sons: the elder, Qin Shixun, was seventeen years old, and the younger, the ten-year-old Prince Qin Shijue. Therefore, the person she was looking for was clearly the older Qin Shixun.

In the past, even though Qin Shixun had a poor reputation, considering his noble status as the grandson of a princess, this marriage would have been considered a step up for the Wu family. However, those who attended the banquet had all heard about what had happened today. Worse still, Jiang Xiuzhi had even heard firsthand accounts of the matter from her friends—a so-called "on-site" description. After hearing it, her impression of Qin Shixun plummeted, and she felt no sympathy whatsoever.

However, since the Princess Consort had already spoken, she had no choice but to do her a favor. Faced with this situation, Jiang Xiuzhi became even more silent.

Just as Jiang Xiuzhi was racking her brains trying to figure out how to politely refuse the Princess Consort, a few days later, many rumors and gossips began to circulate in the capital.

The day after the banquet, rumors began to circulate that the heir of the Qin family had fallen in love with Ye Lanyi, the niece of Consort Ye, and had even resorted to force to take her virginity. What was even more infuriating was that after obtaining her, the heir of the Qin family showed no appreciation and had no intention of taking responsibility whatsoever.

For a time, everyone in the capital felt indignant on Ye Lanyi's behalf, and public opinion condemned the Qin prince who had abandoned her after starting a relationship. But who knew that one wave of trouble would be followed by another? Soon after, new news arrived. It was said that at the palace banquet held a few days ago, a woman had impersonated Young Master Lan, using her identity to swindle a large sum of money from many palace women and the families of court officials.

Once the news of this matter spread, it immediately enraged the emperor, who ordered the dispatch of a special envoy to thoroughly investigate the matter.