Pampered By All In Different Planes-Chapter 194 - Lucky Star Farmland Keeps Calm
Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Lucky Star Farmland Keeps Calm, Heirless Husband Busy Chasing Wife 54
Chapter 194 -194: Lucky Star Farmland Keeps Calm, Heirless Husband Busy Chasing Wife 54
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“Miss… everything in the residence is well, only…” the steward, Wang Bo, stealthily glanced at her, hesitating to speak.
Su Zhiruan sipped her tea, “Go on.”
“There have been some rumors about you in the streets recently,” Wang Bo carefully observed her expression. Seeing that Su Zhiruan showed no unusual emotion, he continued, “There are rumors that claim the young master and the young miss are… your children with the Crown Prince. It’s also said that your recent disappearance was due to both of you falling from a cliff, and that the children have been taken to the Imperial Palace, supposedly to prevent you from continuing to raise them…”
Su Zhiruan’s background had always been somewhat mysterious. The steward here was newly hired and not from the Su Family Village. Hearing these rumors, he also thought they were just gossip.
Wang Bo once again looked cautiously at Su Zhiruan’s expression, only to see that she was not angry, but rather appeared very calm.
“It’s not really rumors; most of it is true.” Su Zhiruan nodded openly in acknowledgment.
The old steward had never considered the possibility of the rumors being true. He exclaimed in surprise, “Ah,” and looked utterly shocked. “You mean to say, the young master and the young miss—are the Crown Prince’s children?”
“Yes, they are his. I did indeed fall from a cliff with the Crown Prince during those days I disappeared, and Zhezhi and Zheye were taken to the Imperial Palace,” Su Zhiruan observed as Wang Bo nearly fainted. She reflected on her statement to see if anything she said was inappropriate, and seeing only pure shock from him, she added, “However, the last part might be a rumor. Since I was able to bring Zhezhi and Zheye back, His Majesty and the Empress must still trust me to raise the children.”
Wang Bo’s mouth was agape, and he was so shocked that he even forgot his manners, standing there dumbfounded.
“So, at that time… when the Crown Prince invited you to discuss Imperial Merchant matters…” Wang Bo recalled the Crown Prince’s request for a meeting with Su Zhiruan, initially thinking it was for business matters.
Su Zhiruan fell silent for a moment, memories of that time surfacing in her mind—the hot springs, the swaying bed curtains, the long night…
“That meeting was indeed about Imperial Merchant matters,” Su Zhiruan made her expression serious, as she subtly changed the topic, “Anything else happened these days?”
“The shopkeeper at East Street and the shopkeeper from the jewelry store in West City came looking for you, wanting you to visit their stores,” Wang Bo recalled the words of these shopkeepers. “Also, the annual accounts from Keman Restaurant and Fugui Clothing Store have already been delivered to your study. Gifts and letters from Yuannan City, new silk materials, and account books from Jiangnan Prefecture, items from the Western Regions…”
After hearing this, Su Zhiruan felt a headache coming on. After expanding her business, she was even busier than the Emperor at year’s end, sometimes working nonstop for a month, “I understand, prepare the carriage first. I’ll start with East Street and West City jewelry store.”
“Yes,” Wang Bo went down to prepare the carriage.
She went to the backyard to see Zhezhi and Zheye, who seemed to have cried themselves to sleep. They were sleeping in disarray. Su Zhiruan covered them with blankets and then quietly left the backyard.
After getting into the carriage, she first visited the boutique at the corner of East Street in the Capital City.
Before, there had never been a boutique in the Capital City. Aware of this gap, she decided to open one that displayed a wide variety of exquisite items collected from various states and the Western Regions. If customers wanted to buy gifts, they could even have them wrapped on the spot.
Most of those wandering here were girls who enjoyed looking at this and that, and groups of friends often chose this place for a leisurely stroll.
Su Zhiruan’s carriage stopped at the side door, and the shopkeeper immediately came out to greet her, “Ruanruan! You’re finally here!”
The boutique’s shopkeeper, a cheerful uncle from next to Su Zhiruan’s family village, had a buoyant personality and was always cheerful. He also crafted simple, fine wood carvings. He was the perfect fit for the boutique, and after Su Zhiruan opened the store, she had invited the uncle to be the shopkeeper.
“I haven’t seen you in a long time, Uncle.” She smiled as she got out of the carriage, walking into the boutique with the uncle.
“Indeed, it’s been a long time,” the uncle sighed deeply, “Since you returned to the Capital City from Jiangnan Prefecture, I haven’t seen you. It’s been almost a year now.”
“How is the store doing?” Su Zhiruan entered through the side door and seeing the boutique crowded, she joked with a smile, “So many people, Uncle is doing quite well.”
With the compliment from her, Uncle felt joyful and scratched his head, “It’s alright, it’s alright.”
At that moment, an employee urgently came over, “Shopkeeper, there are clients in the back yard.”
“You go ahead, I’ll look around here,” Su Zhiruan waved her hand, “It’s all women here, I’ll go around and see if there’s anything I fancy.”
“Alright, Ruanruan, take your time to look.” Seeing her saying so, Uncle followed the employee to meet the clients.
Su Zhiruan walked into the store.
The boutique was large and stocked abundantly, most of the goods were rarities not commonly seen in the Capital City. Other merchants found it difficult to replicate such a store, especially with sourcing the merchandise being a big challenge. Like her, there were very few who could bring in unique items from different state offices, so Su Zhiruan’s store dominated uniquely in the Capital City.
As she idly examined a teacup, the whispering voices of three or four young girls reached her ears.
“Have you heard? It’s said that the Crown Prince is going to marry the Crown Princess Consort soon.”
“Who hasn’t heard? It was all the rage recently. The Crown Prince is not marrying a noble lady; it’s said he’s chosen a woman with a child.”
“What? With a child? You must have heard wrong. How could it be? With the Crown Prince being so precious, he didn’t choose the daughter of the Prime Minister but went for a woman with a child?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know, I just heard it too. They say that woman is a seductress, called Su something; definitely not good news. It’s said that the Prime Minister Residence’s legitimate daughter got so mad she smashed a case of vases, cursing all day long!”
“Forget it, if the Prime Minister Residence’s daughter hasn’t married the Crown Prince, we daughters of lesser officials shouldn’t even dream about it.”
…
Mingling in the crowd, after listening for a bit, Su Zhiruan realized they were most likely talking about her.
“You’re actually not angry.”
A female voice came from behind her.
Su Zhiruan turned around and saw, to her surprise, it was Erya from Su Village, the first person she had met in this world, “It’s actually you.”
“It’s me,” Erya had become much more composed, a serene air about her, “They must be talking about you, I didn’t expect you to not be angry.”
Su Zhiruan laughed, spreading her hands, “It’s okay, after all, not everyone gets to hear what others say behind their backs.”
Erya laughed too.
They had had their differences years ago, but as time passed and with gained experiences and growth, Erya had found her beloved, married, and was now a mother to two children.
The three or four girls chatting passed by and some other young girls, hearing the topic, joined in curiously.
