Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 489 She is Full of Surprises

"Manager Chai... So Lord Lou is here too!"

As soon as Wang Yingluo entered, she greeted Manager Chai and Lou Zixi with a cheerful tone.

"Miss Wang graces us with her presence, truly an honor we failed to anticipate."

"Why the formality with me? Whether it’s you, Manager Chai, or Lord Lou, both are Ah Ying’s close confidants. If it weren’t for your dedicated efforts on behalf of Your Majesty and me, how could we have produced bamboo paper, high-proof sorghum wine, and the movable-type printing so quickly?"

Wang Yingluo said with a smile, allowing both to sit on an equal footing with her.

Manager Chai bowed respectfully, "I am unworthy, utterly unworthy. With your exalted status, I dare not sit as your equal."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yingluo felt somewhat proud; in reality, though officially titleless, she knew many spoke ill of her behind her back. Yet, this could not change the fact that her status had become exalted.

Yet, she favored Manager Chai and was keenly aware of his capabilities; thus, she said, "Manager Chai, you’re too modest. If Ah Ying didn’t trust and admire you, why would he frequently visit to communicate and exchange ideas with you?"

"But your status..."

Lou Zixi spoke up at the right moment, "Brother, Miss Wang is straightforward and unpretentious, untainted by worldly bias. Her belief in equality for all has deeply inspired Zixi; you need not treat Miss Wang as an ordinary woman."

Manager Chai’s face showed sudden realization, mixed with awe and emotion, he subconsciously murmured, "Equality for all..."

"What a profound concept of equality for all, Miss Wang! You truly are a valiant woman of intellect, indeed at a completely different level from ordinary women! I admire you! I truly admire you! No wonder Your Majesty holds you in such high regard!"

Hidden in the back room, Jun Yuyan’s face turned green as he quickly looked towards Murong Jiu.

Murong Jiu stretched out her hand and pinched him on the waist; however, Jun Yuyan, instead of fearing it, grinned because the Empress had just pinched him gently without really being angry.

Manager Chai really had a way with words, fully aware that his relationship with Wang Yingluo was merely for show, usually wanting nothing but to keep his distance. Yet Manager Chai, unfortunately, always brought up the most inconvenient topics.

Murong Jiu pressed her lips into a light smile, her eyes twinkling with fragments of light.

Given how much Jun Yuyan valued her, she wouldn’t feel even slightly upset.

In fact, the coordinated responses of Manager Chai and Lou Zixi were meant to make Wang Yingluo less suspicious, inflating her ego even further.

Wang Yingluo was indeed intelligent, but she had one fatal flaw — arrogance.

She felt a sense of superiority that placed her above others, related to her background.

The era was progressing gradually. In the dynasties before Great Yan, the common people were even more ignorant, and perhaps, in Wang Yingluo’s era, all the "ancients" of Great Yan seemed backward and ignorant in their eyes.

This was not hard to understand.

Moreover, with just a few ideas, Wang Yingluo could advance Great Yan by decades or even hundreds of years; it was natural for her to feel proud and superior, believing herself unmatched.

However, Wang Yingluo had an excellent memory and was certainly not stupid. If Lou Zixi and Manager Chai trusted her too readily, she would begin to suspect their motives.

After all, up to this point, Wang Yingluo had not used her abilities on anyone else but Jun Yuyan, having only modified his memories.

Therefore, it was essential to convince Wang Yingluo that both Lou Zixi and Manager Chai were truly impressed by her talent and personal charm, so she would be more trusting of them in the future, creating more benefits.

As expected, Wang Yingluo’s voice sounded more cheerful and excited when she heard every word from Lou Zixi and Manager Chai.

Their tone contained no trace of flattery, a common rhetoric in official circles. Lou Zixi, who hadn’t been in office for long, had already learned the essence from his father-in-law, and Manager Chai, needless to say, dealt with the Merchant Convoy daily. Both of them could compliment the crafty old foxes of the officialdom without giving themselves away, let alone a Wang Yingluo.

No matter how much future wisdom Wang Yingluo possessed, from her behavior and temperament, it was clear she had only the experience of a young person, not that of a cunning fox.

Seeing the appreciative gaze from the two, Wang Yingluo felt even more proud. She commented on the bamboo paper, mentioning that straw and wheat stalks could also be used for papermaking. Besides the wealthy and nobles who could afford silk and fabric, ordinary citizens still used bamboo strips and grass leaves for toileting. Straw paper, being cheaper to produce, could also be mass-produced and sold to ordinary households.

Despite its humble price, straw paper was much more convenient than bamboo strips, and would eventually become a household item for millions.

Over time, these small sales would accumulate into a substantial fortune.

Indeed, there was some truth in this. Manager Chai immediately began praising Wang Yingluo incessantly.

Wang Yingluo’s smile widened as she remembered her impoverished childhood in the mountains. While other areas were already prosperous, she had to use straw paper until she was in middle school.

It wasn’t that toilet paper didn’t exist then, as books were only a few cents, but toilet paper was too luxurious for poor mountainous families. It wasn’t until she boarded away for middle school that she learned not everyone used straw paper.

At that time, she began to feel inferior, hiding the coarse yellow straw paper deep in her schoolbag, preferring to use old homework papers with writings instead of taking out the straw paper.

It was then that she felt the disparity between people and vowed to work hard and rise above others.

And indeed, she did. Through diligent study and work, she continually absorbed knowledge, moved to the big city, and gained more insights. She tried to change herself, shedding her country girl shell, persistently undergoing minor cosmetic and aesthetic treatments, unfortunately starting with a poor foundation. Although she transformed her fate and outshone all her peers from middle and high school, driving luxury cars and carrying designer brands, she still felt inferior because of her appearance.

Now it was different. Not only had she become over a decade younger, turning from her thirties to eighteen, but she also possessed the fair beauty she never had in her previous life. Now, with historical figures admiring and appreciating her, she felt immense satisfaction internally.

She thought, she really was outstanding. She enabled the people of Great Yan to have toilet paper centuries, even millenniums, ahead of time.

Perhaps when Great Yan grew wealthier, even more people could enjoy softer toilet paper.

All this was her achievement!

At that moment, Manager Chai had someone bring over the freshly brewed sorghum wine for Wang Yingluo to taste.

The soul inside Wang Yingluo was over thirty years old and naturally had tasted many kinds of liquor. With just a sip, she knew the brew was indeed good, but since she knew little about wines, she couldn’t comment much and turned the conversation back to grape wine.

"Grape wine might be more popular among women," she said, "Manager Chai, with all the capable people under your command, perhaps you could try brewing grape wine when the grapes are ripe."

Upon hearing this, Manager Chai’s eyes lit up. He immediately fetched pen and paper, noting down the process of making grape wine.

Murong Jiu, having listened to this, was quite eager. She knew that Manager Chai would definitely be the first to bring her a sample once it was brewed.

She found the sorghum wine too spicy and wasn’t accustomed to it, but grape wine sounded nice.

Wang Yingluo truly was full of "surprises" indeed.