Chapter 247
**Chapter 245: Dan Tai Yin Xue**
Donating money for the southern flood victims and finding short-term jobs for the homeless.
Through charity, she opened the door to collaboration with the royal family, gilding her shop with a layer of gold.
The Empress Dowager beamed with delight, repeatedly praising, “Excellent! Though you are a woman, you possess a heart that seeks to relieve suffering. Come, someone, bring forth a brush for Ye Zhanggui.”
Mama Qian presented the prepared brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
The Empress Dowager, hailing from a prestigious family, was naturally well-versed in the arts. With a flourish, she wrote the characters: “Zhi Cheng Zhi Shan, Zhong Yi Wei Guo” (Sincerity and Kindness, Loyalty and Righteousness for the Nation).
Mama Qian handed the Empress Dowager’s inscription to Ye Qiushuang.
Holding the scroll, Ye Qiushuang knelt again in gratitude. Clutching the Empress Dowager’s handwritten gift, she returned to her seat, her heart racing with excitement.
Once back at the shop, following Shen Wei’s instructions, she would frame the Empress Dowager’s inscription and hang it prominently on the central wall. She would also make several copies to display in all the branches of Da Qing Guo.
From that moment on, Shen Wei’s shop would officially be linked to the royal family, riding the winds of royal favor straight to the top.
At the banquet, Shen Wei was in high spirits, savoring a sip of green plum tea. As long as she followed her business expansion plan, focusing on textiles and grain, and developing various industries, within ten years, she would surely become the wealthiest merchant in Da Qing, rich enough to rival nations.
With money in hand, she feared nothing.
After presenting her congratulatory gift, Ye Qiushuang quietly returned to her seat. As the wine flowed, the atmosphere of the birthday banquet grew warm and harmonious.
It was time to relax, and the musicians entered to perform songs and dances.
Shen Wei, holding her celadon tea cup, cast a casual glance at the modestly dressed Shu Fei, Lu Xuan, who hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol tonight. From her demeanor, it seemed she had no intention of announcing her pregnancy.
Could it be that she planned to wait until the pregnancy was stable before revealing the news?
Shen Wei took another sip of tea, relieved that she had prepared for this. Just as she was about to send Cai Lian to fetch Doctor Mo, a delicate fragrance wafted through the air.
Looking up, Shen Wei saw a graceful young girl in a light purple veil entering the inner hall, cradling a guqin (a traditional Chinese string instrument).
Shen Wei had already reviewed the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet arrangements with the Ministry of Rites. According to the plan, after the guests presented their gifts, the musicians should have performed. Why was there suddenly a young girl?
Shen Wei ground her teeth in frustration.
The Ministry of Rites was indeed complicated; besides the royal family, several powerful clans were involved, and they had audaciously altered the Empress Dowager’s birthday schedule.
The palace lanterns glowed brightly, casting a soft light as the elegantly dressed girl approached, bowing to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
A eunuch brought over a stool, and the girl in the purple skirt gracefully took her seat. Her slender fingers glided over the strings, producing a beautiful melody that flowed through the hall.
The music was ethereal, the intricate notes lingering in the rafters. It was a sound so enchanting, it felt like celestial music.
Not only was the music beautiful, but the girl’s figure was as graceful as a willow. Even with the purple veil, her striking features were evident.
After a moment of enjoying the lovely melody, Cai Ping approached to pour tea and whispered quickly to Shen Wei, “My lady, that’s Dan Tai Yin Xue from the second branch of the Dan Tai family. She’s eighteen, skilled in the arts, and quite beautiful.”
The tea was sweet, and Shen Wei took a sip, her mind racing.
So, the Dan Tai family had given up on the foolish Empress and was preparing to send a new contender into the palace to vie for favor.
Eighteen-year-old Dan Tai Yin Xue, with both beauty and talent, likely wasn’t lacking in intelligence either. Li Yuanjing, wanting to extract every ounce of value from the Dan Tai family, would probably welcome the newcomer, temporarily pacifying them.
Shen Wei didn’t care whom Li Yuanjing wanted to sleep with or take as a concubine.
What concerned her was the potential threat posed by Dan Tai Yin Xue.
Having learned from past mistakes, the Dan Tai family would surely send a more astute candidate than the Empress. Shen Wei needed to crush Dan Tai Yin Xue before she could rise.
Thoughts raced through Shen Wei’s mind, and she deliberately rubbed her temples, instructing Cai Ping, “I’m feeling a bit dizzy. Bring me the detoxifying medicine.”
Cai Ping understood immediately, “I’ll take care of it right away.”
In the hall, Dan Tai Yin Xue finished her piece.
The Empress Dowager nodded lightly, offering a lukewarm compliment, “Not bad at all. Well done.”
Dan Tai Yin Xue removed her purple veil, revealing a fair and lovely face. Her skin was as smooth as cream, her eyes like peach blossoms, with a hint of red at her brow—she was truly striking.
A noblewoman in attendance recognized her and exclaimed, “Isn’t that Dan Tai Yin Xue? What is she doing here?”
Once the first beauty of Yanjing City, Mei Fei Liu Ruyan had since married, allowing Dan Tai Yin Xue’s reputation to gradually rise.
Dan Tai Yin Xue slightly bent her knees, her beautiful eyes gazing at the Emperor behind the beaded curtain, softly saying, “I am Dan Tai Yin Xue, humbly requesting the Emperor’s peace and the Empress Dowager’s well-being. I have admired the Emperor’s noble demeanor and the Empress Dowager’s kindness from my secluded quarters, seeking no reward.”
The elderly matriarch of the Dan Tai family, leaning on her cane, trembled as she stood up respectfully, saying, “My granddaughter has long admired the Emperor and vowed in her chamber to marry no one but him. With the Empress unwell and unable to attend to the Emperor, if the Emperor does not mind, I would be willing to send my granddaughter to serve him in the palace.”
Dan Tai Yin Xue’s cheeks flushed, and she shyly glanced at the Emperor behind the curtain before quickly lowering her head.
A girl’s heart is hard to conceal.
Everyone present had their own thoughts.
Lu Xuan observed coldly, discreetly sizing up Dan Tai Yin Xue, contemplating how to suppress her. Mei Fei Liu Ruyan calmly sipped her tea, her expression indifferent.
The plump Zhang Miaoyu munched on fruit, her big eyes fixed on the candied fruits on Shen Wei’s table, pondering how to subtly ask for a plate.
Zhang Miaoyu didn’t care about the Dan Tai girl at all. After all, no matter how beautiful a girl was, once she entered the palace, she would soon be the same as the rest—except for Shen Wei, of course.
Lan Pin was seething with anger. What was the Dan Tai family up to? One Empress wasn’t enough; they were sending another newcomer into the palace?
Seeing Dan Tai Yin Xue’s flirtatious demeanor, Lan Pin felt like she was being roasted alive, wishing she could leap up and tear Dan Tai Yin Xue’s face apart.
Silence enveloped the room.
At the esteemed head table, Li Yuanjing’s gaze was dark and brooding. The Dan Tai family was still scheming; with the Empress fallen, they dared to send a newcomer into the palace, hoping to maintain the facade of their family’s prosperity.
The Dan Tai family, though weakened, still had some value left to extract. Li Yuanjing decided to allow Dan Tai Yin Xue to enter the palace for now.
Just as he was about to bestow a title upon Dan Tai Yin Xue, he suddenly heard a muffled, suppressed cough—it was Shen Wei’s voice. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Shen Wei, not far away, weakly mimicking “Xi Zi Holding Heart,” her face clouded with worry.
A palace maid brought over a bowl of warm detoxifying medicine.
Shen Wei frowned, forcing herself to swallow the bitter concoction in small sips—she looked like a delicate cabbage in the wind, fragile, pitiful, and helpless.
Li Yuanjing: ...
Suddenly, he felt a pang of guilt.
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