Ch 115: Serenity And Calm
Princess Luo Jia gracefully entered the garden, and two completely different scenes met her eyes.
On one side, it was bustling and lively.
On the other, it was desolate and cold, as if forgotten and neglected by everyone.
A gentle smile curved the Princess’s lips as she lightly stepped into the depths of the garden. Her voice held a perfectly appropriate curiosity and gentleness: “What’s going on? Why is everyone so lively?”
Hearing this, the Noble Ladies and Madams turned, their gazes focusing on the esteemed Princess.
One Noble Lady, dressed in brocade and holding an exquisite gift box, excitedly raised the Ningxiang Pills in her hand.
“Princess, you came at the right time! Do you know that Ningxiang Pavilion, the most popular shop in Jingdu today, was established by Princess Qing?”
“The Princess is generous and brought many Ningxiang Pills to give away. Even if you didn’t buy any this morning, you can get some now.”
“Ningxiang Pills?” Princess Luo Jia instantly turned her gaze to Meng Tingyue.
She knew of Princess Qing’s plans to open a shop, but she didn’t know what would be sold there.
If she remembered correctly, these Ningxiang Pills should have been made by her Crown Princess, but now they were sold at Princess Qing’s shop?
It seemed that the Crown Princess had switched to selling Ningxiang Paste instead of Ningxiang Pills for a reason.
Perhaps during the research process, the precious recipe was leaked, so the Crown Princess had no choice but to settle for Ningxiang Paste.
The Crown Princess is amazing; even her temporary replacement product is so good.
“Since it’s such a good thing, this Princess naturally has to try it.” Princess Luo Jia instructed the nimble maid servant beside her to quickly fetch a portion, while she herself moved gracefully to Meng Tingyue’s side.
She sat down naturally, shoulder to shoulder with Meng Tingyue, gently holding her arm and affectionately calling out, “Crown Princess.”
Meng Tingyue looked at her affectionate gesture. Although she found it amusing and helpless, she could only softly remind her, “Okay, okay, so many people are watching, you are the hostess of today’s banquet.”
Princess Luo Jia thought Meng Tingyue was urging her to start introducing the Ningxiang Paste.
She straightened her posture, her eyes sparkling with excitement, winking at Meng Tingyue as if to say, “Watch me!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she rose gracefully. With a gentle raise of her hand, the maids standing beside her entered in a stream, their trays steadily bearing small, exquisite, and colorful little copper boxes.
Everyone’s attention was involuntarily drawn to the treasures on those trays, their hearts filled with curiosity and anticipation.
“Is this the ‘scent’ the Princess called us here to try today?”
Hearing this, Princess Luo Jia nodded slightly. “That’s right, this is Ningxiang Paste sold at a shop called Ningxiang Pavilion in the West of the City.”
“Ningxiang Paste? Is it the one the Crown Princess said she opened?” Madam Zheng, having heard Meng Qingjiao and Meng Tingyue’s conversation, spoke slowly.
“That’s right, Crown Princess, please introduce the specific effects of this Ningxiang Paste to everyone.”
Meng Tingyue, having been addressed, gracefully rose to her feet. “The name Ningxiang Paste, the charm lies in the word ‘Ning’ (tranquil). In this paste, I have specially incorporated a small amount of herbal essence for calming the mind. The taste of the herbs is just right; it doesn’t overpower the fragrance of the paste itself, but complements it perfectly.”
Having said that, she elegantly extended her slender hand, lightly picked up a box of paste, and with a light twist of her finger, a delicate amount of the paste appeared on it.
She gently rubbed it with her fingertip and slowly spread it on her wrist. “Applying it to the skin instantly brings a coolness like a clear spring. Why don’t you all try it yourselves?”
Hearing this, everyone followed suit, taking the exquisite paste boxes from the maid servants’ trays.
They first brought it close to their noses and savored the faint fragrance, finding no trace of the bitterness of herbs, and a look of surprise and delight flashed in their eyes.
They followed Meng Tingyue’s actions, lightly dabbing the paste on their fingertips.
A woman softly spoke, her voice filled with curiosity: “It truly is so; the touch is cool like an ice spring. But is its calming effect really so magical?”
“The scent is captivating and quite to my liking,” another woman said, sniffing the remaining scent on her hand, a satisfied smile on her lips.
When she saw that they had all tried it, Meng Tingyue smiled slightly and patiently explained: “To experience its calming effect, you need to apply the paste precisely to the acupoint behind the eyebrow, only then can it exert its magical effect.”
After saying this, several Madams imitated Meng Tingyue’s movements carefully, afraid of missing any detail.
“The Crown Princess wasn’t exaggerating; it truly has a miraculous effect!” Madam Wu exclaimed in surprise, her words filled with an unbelievable joy, as if she had discovered a rare treasure.
Seeing the others looking at her, she explained calmly, “For the past two days, I’ve suffered from occasional headaches; my head felt as if it were shrouded in mist. Although I’ve been taking medicine on time, I still felt my thoughts were muddled and I couldn’t concentrate.”
“But after using the Ningxiang Paste given to me by the Crown Princess, my head has miraculously become much clearer.”
Not only her, but two other Madams also praised the paste’s effect on calming and clearing the mind.
A gentle smile curved Chen Luo’s lips. “Even if it doesn’t completely soothe the mind, I would be willing to buy several boxes just for the fresh and elegant scent.”
These words resonated with many present, who secretly nodded in agreement.
Meng Tingyue gently brushed past Chen Luo’s face, responding with a gentle smile.
They had only met once at Crane Wind Pavilion and hadn’t seen each other since.
Chen Luo must have spoken up for her because of Qiao Yanfeng.
Meanwhile, Meng Qingjiao’s gaze was fixed on those who had flocked to Meng Tingyue’s side because of Princess Luo Jia’s recommendation.
They all claimed they wanted to buy dozens of boxes, as if they wanted to empty Meng Tingyue’s shop.
When facing Meng Qingjiao, however, they suddenly became stingy, saying they only wanted to buy a few to try, the generosity they showed to Meng Tingyue completely gone.
Thinking of this, Meng Qingjiao’s resentment and imbalance reached their peak.
Ziqing kept talking to her, trying to calm her down.
Meng Qingjiao couldn’t calm down, so she vented her anger on Ziqing.
Ziqing was pinched, leaving several bruises that were concealed by her clothes.
At the end of the banquet, Meng Tingyue had received many orders.
A faint joy curved her lips; unlike Qingdian, her joy was not outwardly expressed.
Qingdian suggested, “Judging by this situation, we’re going to make a lot of money this time. Our stock is likely to be insufficient. Should we urge the artisans to work harder and rush out a batch of new products to cope with the demand?”
Meng Tingyue shook her head slightly and said calmly, “No need, just produce them at the usual pace.”
“Rushing things will inevitably lead to mistakes. Every item in our shop must be meticulously crafted and should not have any flaws.”
