"Momo, how do I wear this dress? It's too revealing," Feng Ruoyan said, unsure how to put on the garment, finding it too shameful.
"Men, you know, they like this hint of allure, this sense of the almost-there. Miss, you must remember to play hard to get. Men are all lowly creatures; the easier you are to obtain, the less they'll cherish you. A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine not as good as a secret lover, and a secret lover not as good as one who is unattainable. You must keep them constantly intrigued," Granny Zhang instructed Feng Ruoyan as if she were a madam in a brothel.
Feng Ruoyan, after all, was a legitimate daughter of the Feng Manor. Although Sun was incompetent and lacked manners, Feng Yuanping had been extremely strict in Feng Ruoyan's upbringing. She had been educated in the 'Three Obediences and Four Virtues' from childhood, rigorously trained to be a royal lady.
Hearing this advice for the first time, she truly couldn't accept it: "Momo, do I really have to..."
"Miss, your collar is too high."
Granny Zhang quickly pulled the collar down, helping to adjust the dress until it was sufficiently revealing, then nodded with satisfaction.
"This is much better. Miss, when the Third Prince arrives, you must remember what I told you earlier. I'll take my leave now."
After a few more admonitions, fearing an encounter with Chu Chenyi, Granny Zhang hurriedly departed.
Feng Ruoyan sat on the bed, reviewing Granny Zhang's instructions in her mind. A blush immediately spread across her face.
Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, Feng Ruoyan hastily pulled her dress lower, revealing her fair shoulders, and said in a soft, delicate tone, "Your Highness, why are you so late?"
"Side Consort, it is... it is your maidservant."
Hearing the maid's voice, Feng Ruoyan's face instantly turned grim. Her eyes blazed as she glared at the maid: "Useless thing! Didn't I tell you to invite His Highness? Why did you come back alone? Where is His Highness?"
The maid immediately knelt at Feng Ruoyan's feet, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy: "Side Consort, this servant knows her mistake, this servant knows her mistake. Please spare me!"
"Hurry and tell me, where is His Highness? Why hasn't he come!" Feng Ruoyan commanded angrily. Crying at a time like this was only adding to her vexation.
"It... it's the Crown Princess who went to His Highness's study. She hasn't come out yet."
The maid reported truthfully, trembling. After finishing, she couldn't help but shiver.
Feng Ruoyan clenched her fists, her fingernails painted with henna digging deeply into her flesh. Her eyes were full of fury. Liu Menghan, that wretch, scheming to seduce Chu Yanxi, utterly shameless.
Suddenly standing up, Feng Ruoyan was about to go find Chu Yanxi herself but was stopped by the maid.
"Side Consort, His Highness has ordered that no one is to approach the courtyard. Miss, you should not go. After all, His Highness and the Crown Princess are..."
*Slap!*
Enraged, Feng Ruoyan slapped the maid across the face, instantly swelling half of her cheek.
"You ungrateful wretch, you dare to stop me? You truly don't want to live!"
"Your Highness, please forgive me! It's really not advisable for you to go over now."
Only then did Feng Ruoyan realize that Chu Yanxi had truly consummated his marriage with Liu Menghan.
She had schemed and obstructed Chu Yanxi for so long, precisely to get pregnant before Liu Menghan. She had finally become pregnant, only to be framed by Liu Menghan and lose the child.
Now that they had consummated their marriage, the time left for her was even shorter. She had to speed up.
...
Feng Jin irritably tossed the calligraphy brush onto the table, balling up the crooked characters and the paper before throwing them out. The ground was covered with discarded paper from Feng Jin's failed attempts.
"Young Madam, perhaps we should find someone else to write it," Cai Qing said, placing the skin-nourishing water on the shelf. She glanced at the mess on the floor; this room had just been cleaned.
"Find someone," Feng Jin said. She looked at the ink stains on her clothes and had completely given up. Truly, she was not suited for such tasks; she shouldn't force herself any longer.
"It's not cleaned up yet. Won't it be open for business tomorrow?" Ling Muzhu walked in. He had specifically cleared a day to see if there was anything he could help with, only to find such a mess. It seemed he had arrived at an inopportune moment.
When Feng Jin saw Ling Muzhu, her eyes immediately lit up: "Write the signboard."
Ling Muzhu was somewhat bewildered, being pushed into the spotlight. He stood there, holding the brush, looking slightly dazed and at a loss.
"Young Master, the plaque hasn't been finished. Young Madam has been writing for a long time, and these are all the discarded papers," Cai Qing explained quietly from the side.
Ling Muzhu bent down, picked up a ball of paper, and unfolded it, bursting into laughter.
"What are you even writing? Can this be called calligraphy? If this were hung outside, you'd be laughed to death." Pointing at the scribbled mess on the paper, Ling Muzhu mocked Feng Jin without reservation.
Feng Jin glared fiercely at him: "If you dare say another word, be careful. I can make sure your mouth can never close again."
Ling Muzhu immediately covered his mouth in fright. He didn't want his mouth to be permanently open; that would be too uncomfortable.
"Hurry and write!"
"Write what?" Ling Muzhu asked innocently. He truly didn't know what to write.
"Just write 'Yu Yan Fang'." Feng Jin had thought about this name for a long time; it was elegant and meaningful.
Ling Muzhu picked up the brush and wrote with flowing strokes. In just a moment, the three characters '御颜坊' appeared on the paper, truly perfect.
"It's excellent. Cai Qing, find someone to make the signboard according to these three characters."
"Yes, Young Madam." Cai Qing took the paper and hurried out. Finally, the signboard could be made.
"You write a pair of couplets here, and these small signs..." Feng Jin instructed Ling Muzhu about all the tasks, while she leisurely acted as a hands-off manager.
Ling Muzhu, like a fool, buried his head in work, regretting his decision immensely. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have come. Wasn't it more pleasant to study at home?
"Young Madam, the shop assistants you asked me to find have all been found," Cai Qing said, stumbling over the new name Feng Jin had chosen. Once she got used to saying it, it wasn't so difficult to pronounce.
Feng Jin glanced at the women standing behind her, their faces dusty and unkempt. With their current appearance, no one would likely buy their skincare products. However, she had also inquired that other shops employed men to work. She felt it was awkward and not quite appropriate for men to sell cosmetics; after all, only women could truly understand what women wanted and needed.
"Cai Qing, take them to change their clothes first, and then apply makeup for them."
"Yes, Young Madam." Cai Qing nodded in agreement. "All of you, follow me."