"Momo, how do I wear this dress? It's too revealing."
Feng Ruoyan truly didn't know how to put on the dress; it was too embarrassing.
"Men, they just like that feeling of seeing a little, yet not all, a feeling of presence, yet absence. Miss, you must remember to play hard to get. Men are all cheapskates. The easier you make it for them to get you, the less they'll cherish you. A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as secret indulgence, and secret indulgence is not as good as being unable to get what you desire. You must always keep them feeling fresh."
At this moment, Madam Zhang was like an old madam of a brothel, imparting her experience to Feng Ruoyan.
Feng Ruoyan, after all, was a legitimate daughter of the Feng manor. Although Madam Sun was useless and ill-mannered, Feng Yuanping had educated Feng Ruoyan very strictly. From childhood, she had only received education on the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, and was trained strictly as a royal wife.
Hearing this for the first time, she really couldn't accept it: "Momo, do I really have to..."
"Miss, your collar is too high."
Madam Zhang quickly pulled the collar down, then helped her adjust the dress until it was very revealing. Only then did she nod with satisfaction.
"This is much better. Miss, when the Third Prince arrives later, you must remember what I told you earlier. I'll be going out now."
After a few more instructions, fearing she might run into Chu Chenyi, Madam Zhang hurriedly left.
Feng Ruoyan sat on the bed, reviewing Madam Zhang's teachings in her mind. Her face instantly turned a flush of crimson.
Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, Feng Ruoyan quickly pulled her clothes down further, revealing her fair shoulders, and said softly, "Your Highness, why are you so late?"
"Consort, it is... it is your servant."
Hearing the maid's voice, Feng Ruoyan's expression immediately turned gloomy. Her eyes, filled with fire, 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 and begging for forgiveness: "Consort, this servant knows her mistake, this servant knows her mistake! Consort, spare my life!"
"Quickly tell me, where is His Highness? Why hasn't he come?" Feng Ruoyan shouted angrily. Crying and whimpering at this moment was just annoying.
"It's... it's the Princess Consort who went to His Highness's study and hasn't come out yet."
The maid reported truthfully, trembling. After speaking, she couldn't help but shiver.
Feng Ruoyan's fists clenched, her fingernails, painted with red henna, dug deeply into her flesh. Her eyes were full of rage. Liu Menghan, that slut, trying so hard to seduce Chu Yanxi, truly shameless.
She suddenly stood up, wanting to find Chu Yanxi herself, but was stopped by the maid.
"Consort, His Highness has ordered that no one is allowed to approach the courtyard. Consort, it's best not to go. After all, His Highness and the Princess Consort are..."
*Slap!*
Feng Ruoyan, consumed by rage, directly slapped the maid across the face. Half of her face instantly swelled up.
"You ungrateful wretch, you dare to stop me? Do you really not want to live!"
"Consort, forgive me! It's really not suitable 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 tried so hard to delay Chu Yanxi for so long, all so she could get pregnant before Liu Menghan. She had finally gotten pregnant, only to be schemed against by Liu Menghan and lose the child.
Now that they had consummated their marriage, the time left for her was even less. She had to speed things up.
...
Feng Jin irritably threw the brush onto the desk, balling up the crookedly written characters along with the paper and tossing them away. The floor was littered with discarded paper from Feng Jin's failed attempts.
"Young Madam, why don't we find someone else to write it?"
Cai Qing placed the skin-nourishing water on a shelf, glancing at the mess on the floor. This room had just been cleaned.
"Find someone then."
Feng Jin looked at the ink stains on her body and had completely given up. As expected, she wasn't suited for these things; she shouldn't continue to trouble herself.
"It's not cleaned up yet. The shop opens tomorrow, isn't it?" Ling Muzhu walked in.
He had specifically taken a day off to see if there was anything he could help with, only to find such a mess. He had really come at the wrong time.
When Feng Jin saw Ling Muzhu, her eyes suddenly lit up: "Write out the signboard."
Ling Muzhu was somewhat bewildered, being forced into the task. He stood there holding the brush, looking a little dazed and flustered.
"Young Master, the plaque hasn't been written yet. Young Madam has been writing for a long time, and these are all the discarded papers," Cai Qing explained softly from the side.
Ling Muzhu bent down, picked up a crumpled piece of paper, opened it, and burst into laughter.
"What are these characters you've written? You call this calligraphy? If you hang this outside, you'll be laughed to death."
Pointing at the scribbles on the paper, Ling Muzhu mocked Feng Jin without restraint.
Feng Jin glared at him fiercely: "If you dare say another word, watch your mouth. I'll make sure it can never close again."
Ling Muzhu was so scared that he immediately covered his mouth. He didn't want to keep his mouth open; wouldn't that be unbearable?
"Write it quickly!"
"Write what?"
Ling Muzhu asked with a look of pure innocence. He truly didn't know what to write.
"Just write 'Yu Yan Fang'."
This was a name Feng Jin had thought of for a long time, 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, perfect.
"It's really good. Cai Qing, find someone to make the signboard based on these three characters."
"Yes, Young Madam." Cai Qing took the paper and hurried out. Finally, the signboard could be made.
"You write a couplet here, and also these small signs..."
Feng Jin explained all the tasks to Ling Muzhu, while she went off to leisurely be a hands-off manager.
Ling Muzhu, like a gullible fool, buried his head in work, regretting it deeply. If he had known this would happen, why would he have come? Wasn't it better to study at home?
"Young Madam, I've found the shop... the shop assistants you asked me to find."
Cai Qing stumbled over Feng Jin's newly coined name. Once she said it smoothly, it didn't sound so difficult to pronounce.
Feng Jin glanced at the women standing behind Cai Qing. They looked dusty and disheveled. With their appearance, no one would likely buy their skincare products.
However, she had also inquired that most of the staff in other shops were men. She felt it was awkward and inappropriate for men to sell cosmetics. After all, only women could understand better what women wanted and needed.
"Cai Qing, take them to change their clothes first, and then put on some makeup for them."
"Yes, Young Madam." Cai Qing nodded in agreement. "You all follow me."