The Princess's Notebook

On the way back home, passing by Guangzhai Temple, Shiqi Niang once again lifted the curtain and looked at the believers coming and going. Men, women, old and young, some in groups or alone, some in luxurious clothes and some in rags, but they all had a pious heart.

And where is her own heart?

Today's trip was not her wish, she was pushed forward by Wang Kang. She also did not want to ask Zhao Feiran about his intentions, she just wanted to live a good life.

It's not like she hadn't thought about the possibility that she might be blessed by God, but his resolute words and her own awkward posture caused her already shaky thoughts to collapse.

She should have made good money and supported her two concubines as she had planned before.

Looking for an ordinary husband.

Young Master Feng San is coming to marry her soon, so where can she find a husband on her own?
Holding her breath and concentrating, blocking out the noise from the outside world, Shiqi Niang's eyes dimmed. Yin Gui, who was watching from the side, was extremely worried.

"My lady, the Crown Prince will not really blame you. You should think more positively."

Shiqi Niang turned around and smiled at Yingui, "It's better if he gets angry."

Not only should she be angry, but she should be so angry that she should quickly choose a crown princess. Only then can she live a good life.

"What do you mean, young lady? His Royal Highness is angry, is there any benefit for the lady?"

"Of course there is no benefit, but there is no harm either. Well, don't worry, life is meant to be lived, not to be worried about. There is no need to worry about it all day long, and waste your happiness for nothing."

After hearing this, Yin Gui knew that his wife didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she changed the topic and started talking about Kai's affair.

"The young lady was not at home yesterday, so she may not know. Doctor Zhang, who often comes to see Aunt Shangguan, said that her condition has improved slightly. Now, she will definitely be able to see you get married and have children. There is still a lot of time."

"Really? Tell me exactly what happened. You said it was only three to five years before, but how long is it now?"

"..." Yin Gui was silent for a while, "Doctor Zhang just said that I feel better..."

Shiqi Niang was still happy. "If you can feel better today, you can feel better tomorrow. We have plenty of time. Oh, by the way, how much of the money I left for you last time is left after I gave it to Doctor Zhang for consultation?"

Yingui lowered her head in self-blame, "My wife, I only have half a dollar left. For the next dose of medicine... the silver is not enough..."

"Don't be like that. Although we are master and servant, we are actually no different from sisters. If you have lost the money, you can earn more money by writing novels. Why are you feeling sad and blaming yourself? You didn't spend it."

"Madam, let's...you're still laughing at me."

"Okay, raise your head, young lady. It's not good to look down. When we pass by Huitong Bookstore later, you keep an eye on it for me while I go talk to Shopkeeper Xu. Remember, this person was sent by my father, and he just said he was going to find some storybooks to read!"

Huitong Bookstore is located in a very convenient place. It is only a quarter of an hour's walk from the Imperial City, around a corner to Congmen Street.

The Huitong Bookstore was now much quieter because of the lack of the excitement of the literary gathering. The fences facing the street had flags swaying in the wind, and one or two young masters could be seen occasionally. Shiqi Niang got off the carriage and walked forward. Before she reached the door, the gatekeeper hurriedly came to meet her.

"Mr. Seventeen, you haven't been here for a while. Our shopkeeper misses you all the time."

As he spoke, he led Shiqi Niang through the hall, crossed the Feihong Corridor Bridge, and finally stepped into Longshengzhai, where Manager Xu usually met guests.

Longshengzhai, Seventeen has been here many times. He sat down without hesitation and poured himself tea.

After a while, Shopkeeper Xu walked in with a smile. He was wearing a plain, narrow-sleeved, round-necked robe that was fitted around his waist. He was tall and slender, and his face was as handsome as a jade. As soon as he entered, the luxurious and exquisite Longshengzhai was given a touch of the elegance of a scholar.

"Seventeenth Lady, what good day is today that makes me wait for you to come here... Are you here to see Xu? Is there something wrong?"

"I'm here..." What could she say? Wasn't she here for money? Why was she being so shy? "It's for money indeed. It's a bit difficult. May I ask the shopkeeper, how much money can I get from "The Marriage Life of the Little Eunuch" this month?"

Shopkeeper Xu had a smile on his lips, without a trace of money-mindedness, like a gentle breeze under the moon.

"About twenty taels."

“That’s a lot!!”

"You spend all day writing books. You don't know what the young ladies in Kyoto like now. Although your Little Eunuch has only three or four volumes, it is something they have never seen before. It is rare and novel. Twenty taels is not much. My place is small and I can't carve much. This delays Shiqi Niang from making money. It's my fault."

Shiqi Niang was delighted. "No, no, I have been able to live well these past few years thanks to you, Shopkeeper Xu..."

"Why are we being polite to each other, Seventeenth Lady? I know your family is in trouble, so I'll help you out if I can. You can use this twenty taels of silver first. If you need more, just come and find me. This is a long-term business between you and me, so don't worry about these things."

The young lady thanked him repeatedly, but halfway through her thanks, she suddenly realized something was wrong.

He wrote "The Marriage Life of the Eunuch" based on Zhao Feiran. If people knew about it, it would not be something he could get away with by just saying a few nice words and fooling around.

Then he hesitated and asked: "Boss, this "Little Eunuch", if I...if..."

"But it doesn't matter."

After thinking it over, Shiqi Niang didn't hide anything and decided to die together anyway.

"To be honest with you, I wrote "Little Eunuch" on a whim, but now... I'm sure you've heard about what happened yesterday. I really don't have any other ideas now."

Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Xu stood up to congratulate, "I congratulate Seventeenth Lady. After a few days, you will enter the East Palace and you won't have to worry about money. I hope you can support me in the future."

Seeing people misunderstanding her, Shiqi Niang explained repeatedly, "No, that's not the case. Yesterday, it was purely out of Your Highness's kindness, and it had nothing to do with anything else. I will be looking for a marriage in the future, so please be careful with your words, so as to avoid being misunderstood."

There was helplessness and excuses in her words, but there was no emotion that is unique to women.

Shopkeeper Xu saw it and immediately understood. He bowed and apologized again and turned to talk about business.

"Well, I have a long-term business here. If Shiqi Niang is willing, we can split it 50-50." In the previous book, because Manager Xu contributed money and effort, the two of them split the profits 70-30. Now that things have suddenly changed, Shiqi Niang stepped back in confusion, stared at Manager Xu, and finally nodded, unable to resist the desire for money.

Shopkeeper Xu moved the tea and snacks on the round table away, dipped one hand in water, and wrote while talking.

"If Seventeenth Lady is afraid of being exposed, she can write a few more volumes this month. When the whole book is out, I will send it to the capital, and all the bookstores under my control will print it. It will be everywhere in Daye. You don't need to worry about what happens in the future, I will take care of it, and you just need to collect the money. In addition, since you are not going to enter the East Palace, the other business is easy to deal with. In the future, if the ladies in my bookstore have any books they like that Daye doesn't have, I will make a list. If you are interested, we can write it. How do you think?"

This makes it a long-term deal.

Thinking of her current predicament, Shiqi Niang shyly asked, "Is it against the law? Is it against customs?"

"What are you thinking? I am just a bookshop owner with a few cents. I have no connection with the government. What I do is naturally legal. I am a good citizen!"

Once the plan came out, all that was left was for Shiqi Niang to agree. Shopkeeper Xu didn't want to disturb her thoughts, so he took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the water stains.

He was slow and gentle in his movements. In Kyoto alone, he managed two bookstores, one was Huitong Bookstore, which was famous for its literary gatherings, and the other was Huihai Bookstore outside Kinko-ji Temple. The family of the super-rich was extremely precious.

But unexpectedly, the young man he raised had the demeanor of a scholar.

The beauty of the clouds and the moon is elegant and graceful.

After a long time, Shiqi Niang nodded solemnly. Discussing the details and signing the contract, she left it alone.

Everything was settled, and the money issue was resolved, but before Shiqi Niang could even breathe a sigh of relief, another worry came to her mind.

The word had been spoken, the news had been spread. However, as a young lady who spent her days writing storybooks in her boudoir, where could she find a gentle and kind young man to be her husband?

Or maybe seeing that she was only happy for a moment and then frowned, Shopkeeper Xu asked, "What's the matter? Splitting the bill 50-50, do you regret it?"

"No. I was thinking, my sixteenth sister is about to make up her mind, what should I do?"

Shopkeeper Xu's expression changed several times and he looked at the young lady several times.

"Why worry about it? Your parents will take care of it. Besides, if you tell me, I can't help you."

After hearing this, Shiqi Niang suddenly had an idea, "Manager Xu, you are one of the few young men I know. Do you know any other young men?"

"You're crazy! You want to get engaged at this critical moment!"

"Your Highness has already said that there is nothing between him and me! I asked him in person today, otherwise I would not have said such a thing. I am also a good citizen who wants to live a good life."

……

Let’s talk about the hustle and bustle of Tianguang Hall.

After hearing the news from Xiao Qi, Zhao Feiran immediately stood up, not caring about the wounds on his body and yelling in anger. Only Zhao Ningran was so scared that he fell to the ground. After Zhao Feiran walked away like the wind, he stood up with the help of the young eunuch.

He shrank back timidly, holding the young eunuch's hand and not daring to let go, squeezing the young eunuch until he grimaced.

After a long while, Zhao Ningran said intermittently: "Tell me... Sixth Brother... Is Sixth Brother crazy?"

Zhao Ningran was young and didn't understand the intricacies of the situation. But within a few months, he was used as a pawn by the Empress and His Majesty.

The young eunuch was speechless, "Seventh Prince, how about you go inside and rest for a while?"

Zhao Ningran followed the hand of the eunuch and looked towards the Tianguang Hall with its door wide open. In the past, he had talked and laughed with his sixth brother here, and his sixth brother had given him snacks. But now, now, it was really terrifying.

He waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, please send me back to the Glass Palace."

As for his sixth brother and others, the Seventh Prince doesn't want to see them again for the time being.

The Sixth Brother mentioned by Xiao Qi was furious. He arrived at the Council Hall in a short while. Before he entered the inner hall, he heard the eunuch say that the emperor was in Zhengyang Palace, so he turned around and rushed to Zhengyang Palace.

The scorching sun in the afternoon was bright and blazing, mixed with the rising ground heat, it was hot and wet, sticking to the clothes and making me feel very irritated.

The ladies-in-waiting and maids of Zhengyang Palace were all delighted, laughing and talking. Suddenly, they saw Zhao Feiran coming fiercely, with a face as red as the bottom of a pot, and they were almost scared to death. Occasionally, one or two smart ones went in to report.

Before the Queen and His Majesty could react to the gossip in the palace, Zhao Feiran had already reached the door. He vaguely saw his father and mother talking together.

"Father, don't let that young lady be your bride!"

Seeing his nagging look, the queen seemed to see something very funny. She held His Majesty and asked softly, "Why? Don't you like it?"

"She's going to marry someone else. I'm the crown prince of a country, I have no shame..."

Before she could finish, the queen laughed loudly, one of her hands became unsteady and she couldn't hold the teacup, and the other hand fell on your majesty's arm and was slapped.

"Idiots! You are really a family of idiots."

His Majesty carefully reminded, "Atong, we are also a family."

Giving His Majesty a glare, the Queen restrained herself and said, "You two are a family, I am not."

Your Majesty, Zhao Feiran: ...

(End of this chapter)