Chapter 60
**Chapter 60: The Price of Freedom**
Shen Wei felt her cheeks flush, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. “The beauty of the characters doesn’t matter! What’s important is the content!”
Ye Qiushuang skimmed through the proposal, her eyes darting across the pages. She had never seen such a clear business plan before—profit strategies, employee attire, promotional methods, and a thorough analysis of pros and cons were all laid out plainly.
On a hot summer day, the cool, refreshing desserts would surely attract customers.
“Rong Mama, take out the mint sago and the brown sugar jelly for Miss Ye to try,” Shen Wei instructed.
Rong Mama opened the food box. Inside, ice cubes kept two bowls of dessert chilled to perfection.
Ye Qiushuang looked at the beautifully presented desserts but hesitated to taste them, fearing they might be poisoned.
Shen Wei chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry, I haven’t poisoned them.”
With a small porcelain spoon, Ye Qiushuang took a cautious taste, and her eyes widened in surprise!
Delicious!
She had never encountered such unique treats before. Her mind began to race with possibilities; if this dessert became popular, it would undoubtedly capture a massive market, especially among female customers. This dessert could easily become a staple in every young lady’s household.
Ye Qiushuang felt a surge of excitement. Being a shopkeeper, running a business, and making money—that was the life she desired.
The Ye family always said that women should not engage in business, that it brought bad luck. Ye Qiushuang simply wanted to prove that women could earn money just like men.
Shen Wei gently encouraged her, “You could start as a shopkeeper for a month. If you decide to quit after that, you can always return to the Wangfu as a concubine.”
Ye Qiushuang clutched the proposal, not immediately agreeing. “Give me a day to think it over. Once I’ve made my decision, I’ll send someone to inform you.”
Shen Wei took out a key to the shop and placed it on the table. “This is the key to the dessert shop. You can go check it out today. I’m giving you the utmost freedom; you can open the shop without worry.”
The key lay on the table, but Ye Qiushuang didn’t reach for it right away.
She looked at Shen Wei with suspicion. “Where did you get the money to start a business?”
Shen Wei blinked, not hiding the truth. “From the Yan Wang.”
The Yan Wang was her treasure trove, the source of her entrepreneurial funds.
Ye Qiushuang frowned. “Your money comes from the Yan Wang. If you ever fall out of favor, won’t the shop lose its funding?”
Shen Wei leisurely sipped her tea. “Being in the Wangfu means competing for favor. If I’m competing, I’ll seek exclusive favor.”
As long as she was alive, she would strive to outshine others, to secure her position, and keep the Yan Wang firmly tied to her.
But men were unreliable.
Once she had grown her wings, she wouldn’t need the Yan Wang’s affection anymore; she could become her own support.
Ye Qiushuang gazed at Shen Wei for a long time, seeing a passionate light in her. She resembled a flower blooming fervently under the sun, vibrant and reaching for the sky.
“It’s getting late; I need to return to the Wangfu,” Shen Wei said, glancing out the window at the fading light.
She stood up to bid farewell to Ye Qiushuang.
Just as she stepped out, Ye Qiushuang rose and softly said, “If you have such a business mind, why do you want to enter the Wangfu as a concubine? Can you truly find freedom trapped in there for life?”
Ye Qiushuang felt it was a pity; with Shen Wei’s intellect, she had no need to become a concubine.
Shen Wei sighed and turned back, her tone filled with sentiment. “Freedom is relative. What confines me isn’t the walls of the Wangfu, but this era.
If I want freedom, I must enlighten the people, develop the seeds of capitalism, and research the spinning jenny and steam engine, igniting the flames of freedom and democracy to overthrow the decaying feudal dynasty... Can a weak woman like me achieve that?”
She couldn’t.
Shen Wei had no grand ambitions to change the world; she simply wanted to work hard, gather more resources, and improve her life.
Ye Qiushuang’s pretty face showed confusion.
What was a spinning jenny? What was feudalism?
She didn’t understand, but it sounded impressive.
...
After parting ways with Ye Qiushuang, Shen Wei hurried back to the Wangfu.
Entering through the back door, she walked through the lush garden, instructing as she went, “Rong Mama, when we return to the Liuli Pavilion, you and Caiping should pick the ripe peaches from the tree. Some should be peeled to make peach wine, and the rest cleaned and sent to the Wangye. If there are any leftovers, send them to Gonggong Fugui and Zhang Miaoyu.”
To win the Yan Wang’s heart, she needed to keep things fresh and interesting.
The Yan Wang enjoyed it when women put thought into pleasing him.
The peach tree in the Liuli Pavilion was the same one Shen Wei had planted when she lived in the Fangfei Courtyard. After being transplanted to the Liuli Pavilion and nurtured by Shen Wei, the tree thrived, and now, as July approached, it bore many large, ripe peaches.
“Don’t worry, my lady, I’ll take care of it right away,” Rong Mama replied eagerly.
As they passed through the garden on this hot summer day, Shen Wei suddenly spotted a group of women in the shade of a tree.
They were sitting in the coolness, working on their embroidery. These were the neglected concubines and secondary wives of the Wangfu, numbering over a dozen.
From across the shimmering lotus pond, Shen Wei took a distant glance. The concubines and secondary wives wore plain clothes, their expressions blank and eyes hollow.
Compared to the radiant Shen Wei, they seemed like a group of soulless, wandering corpses.
Rong Mama quietly informed Shen Wei, “It’s sweltering today, and they don’t have any ice in their rooms, so they have to come out to find a cool spot. Every summer, several concubines die from the heat, and we have to send out a roll of grass mats.”
These concubines and secondary wives were mostly daughters of merchants and farmers, lacking any family background. They were chosen for their beauty by the Wangfei.
After a brief period of glory, they withered away like ephemeral flowers.
Without maids to attend to them, their monthly silver was often withheld, and they lived in lonely, tomb-like courtyards, barely scraping by through weaving and embroidery.
Shen Wei looked at those pitiful concubines and secondary wives, most of them in their twenties, and sighed inwardly.
If there’s ever a chance in the future, she could find a way to help them. A group of women skilled in weaving and embroidery could potentially become her employees.
Back in the Liuli Pavilion, Shen Wei didn’t take a nap right away. Instead, she practiced Baduanjin (a form of qigong) in the pavilion for a while before returning to her study to continue practicing her calligraphy.
Her calligraphy skills had shown noticeable improvement.
As she gripped the brush, she began to ponder. She had already tried her hand at gardening, calligraphy, and horseback riding, with good results. Now, she needed to develop other skills.
What about—singing?
But Shen Wei hadn’t sung much before. She called in Cailian and Caiping. “I’ll sing a piece, and you can evaluate my singing skills, okay?”
Cailian and Caiping nodded eagerly.
The two maids had always thought Shen Wei’s voice was sweet and clear, as gentle as the spring waters of March. If she sang, her voice would surely be like a heavenly melody.
Clearing her throat, Shen Wei began to sing a segment from the Kunqu opera “Youyuan Jingmeng.” She had heard it sung daily by performers during her part-time job at the Kunqu theater back in the city.
With confidence, Shen Wei opened her mouth: “In this beautiful time and scenery, who enjoys the pleasures of life in whose courtyard~~”
Cailian and Caiping: ...
The two maids’ faces turned pale with horror!
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