Chapter 1178: Chapter 1078: Bizarre Prices

After having breakfast.

Zhao Junyao rode out of the city with his entourage and met with several ministers of the Ministry of Works, heading together to the Wei River bank not far from Jinling City.

Even before departing from the Capital City, he had already instructed the Ministry of Works to send craftsmen with cement ahead.

Considering the timing, the people from the Ministry of Works should have arrived long ago.

In fact, if they were quick enough, the repair work on the Wei River bank might be more than halfway done.

As the Emperor.

Faced with a thousand-year-old problem about to be resolved, he naturally wanted to inspect it personally and witness it with his own eyes.

After he left.

Xia Ruqing stayed alone at the inn.

To ensure her safety, Zhao Junyao left most of the Hidden Guards with her.

After seeing Zhao Junyao off.

Xia Ruqing, having nothing to do, strolled around the inn and admired the Phoenix Tree Forest.

Approaching noon, the sun grew blistering, and the temperature rose, making the entire courtyard humid and hot.

Xia Ruqing was too lazy to go out.

She simply sent someone to buy some snacks and ordered a few cool home-cooked dishes for lunch.

After lunch, she fell asleep.

She woke up directly in the evening.

The evening glow cast a golden powder over the scenery outside the window, making each building and tree intricately detailed.

The orange-yellow light streamed through the window lattice, giving the simple interior setup a fresh coat of paint.

The originally simple and unadorned room unexpectedly had the charm of an old oil painting, an indescribable beauty.

Having just woken up, Xia Ruqing was like a lazy cat.

She lazily stretched on the bed, yawned, and stared blankly for a while before gradually coming to her senses and rising from the bed.

"Did the master send a message? When will he be back?" Xia Ruqing asked.

Her concern was not his whereabouts, but mainly because she was hungry and wanted to know when dinner would be.

"The maid doesn’t know!" Zi Su shook her head!

"But before Steward Li left, he said if the master hasn’t returned by the You Hour, the mistress should eat dinner on her own!"

Xia Ruqing nodded.

After washing and tidying herself, she stood up and wandered around the room, looking outside with a bit of longing.

"It’s still early, let’s go out for a stroll!"

Zi Su’s eyes lit up.

"Where does the mistress want to go? I’ll call someone to prepare the carriage!"

Xia Ruqing hurriedly stopped her.

"No need, let’s just walk around nearby!"

"Alright!" Zi Su responded, turning to fetch a gauze hat for her.

After getting ready, the mistress and servant walked out the door.

Since it wasn’t dark yet and the town had good security.

The streets outside were still lively.

On the main street, people bustled about; the two each took a stick of candied haws, eating and strolling leisurely.

Alongside were jewelry shops, rouge and powder shops, silk stores, ready-to-wear shops, and a variety of other stores.

Xia Ruqing picked and chose, entering a jewelry store called Zhenbao Pavilion.

The shop wasn’t large, and there weren’t many customers, but its signboard was unique and attractive. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Upon entering the shop.

She saw several young women and ladies selecting jewelry, attended to by female shop assistants.

After scanning the surroundings, she found the decor refreshingly elegant, with a subtle fragrance lingering in the air.

Xia Ruqing nodded in satisfaction.

Nice!

Though small, the shop offered a cozy and refined atmosphere.

Each piece of jewelry was neatly placed in delicate boxes, displayed on shelves with lids open for customers to observe and select.

The shop owner and the female assistants spoke softly and tenderly, their voices very pleasant, like a gentle spring breeze.

Xia Ruqing moved along the counter shelf from one side to the other.

Once again, she exclaimed.

"Really beautiful!"

A shop girl, finding a spare moment, came over to serve her, speaking softly.

"Just let me know what you’d like to buy, Madam, and I promise you’ll find something satisfactory!"

Xia Ruqing laughed upon hearing that.

"I’d like to look through once more, to see if there’s something I fancy!"

The shop girl smiled again.

"Please feel free, Madam!"

With that, she moved aside to attend to others without bothering Xia Ruqing, unlike some shop assistants from the 21st century who tend to follow customers.

Instead, she gave her the utmost freedom.

Xia Ruqing nodded, even more satisfied.

While admiring the store’s fresh elegance, she selected her favorite jewelry.

As the saying goes, no woman can resist the temptation of jewelry.

She picked and chose, dazzled yet unable to find a single piece she didn’t like; everything was beautiful, and she felt like taking everything home!

These weren’t terribly expensive, distinguished by their uniqueness.

Each piece was singular, novel, and ingenious, unlike palace jewelry, which was made following rules — the grander, the better.

Zi Su was also extremely excited.

"Mistress, I want to buy two pieces to take back so Zi Yue and the others can be thoroughly envious."

Xia Ruqing chuckled.

"You heartless girl, Zi Yue treats you like a dear sister, and you won’t bring her a couple of pieces?"

Zi Su smiled awkwardly.

"Mistress, you don’t know; the jewelry here is quite expensive, I might only manage to bring back one piece for her!"

Xia Ruqing found this both amusing and annoying.

"How expensive can they be?"

"The silver I usually reward you with isn’t enough?"

Her rewards were always Five Taels, and over the years, each maid must have over a hundred Taels of silver.

Surely, they wouldn’t be unable to afford these trifles.

"Mistress, indeed, you reward us generously, but we must live too! We can’t spend all our silver on these!"

"I can’t compare with you, Mistress!"

Xia Ruqing nodded helplessly at her forehead.

"Look at you sounding wronged, as if I’ve mistreated you!"

Zi Su stuck out her tongue awkwardly.

"No, no, you are the best Mistress in the world!"

"You’re a true sweetheart!"

Xia Ruqing chuckled without saying more.

And continued elsewhere selecting jewelry.

After half a Shi Chen, Xia Ruqing had chosen over a dozen pieces from the shelf.

Crape Myrtle and Plum Flower Hairpin, Twin Fish and Butterfly Hairpin, Beaded Flower Step Shake, Jade Fish Earrings, Cherry Blossom Agate Bracelet, and more — she didn’t let go of anything she liked.

Zi Su only chose two identical Crape Myrtle Hairpins.

Xia Ruqing teased her.

"If you like, pick two more, consider it a gift from me to you!"

Yet inside, she mused:

Zi Su, generally generous, why did she turn frugal upon arriving in Jiangnan?!

The materials used in these accessories aren’t costly, celebrated only for their novelty; why did she only choose two? Strange!

Zi Su appeared a bit embarrassed.

"Mistress... You... chose quite a lot, the maid..."

"I think... I might not have brought enough silver!"

"Ah?"

Xia Ruqing was utterly surprised.

"Going out, you didn’t bring silver?"

Usually, the master doesn’t carry silver.

Either the servants settle the bill or it’s sent to the residence to be directly obtained from the accounts office.

Xia Ruqing only brought Zi Su, so naturally, Zi Su would settle the bill.

She actually said she didn’t bring silver!!

"No, not not bringing it, perhaps not enough!" Zi Su was slightly embarrassed.