The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan-Chapter 449: She married what kind of man (first update)

"Your Highness, we have rescued the person and placed them in a safe location," reported a voice respectfully.

Princess Jinyu adjusted her clothes, "Make sure you watch over them well, and report to me immediately if there’s any issue."

"Yes!"

-

Outside the inner chambers of the Khan Palace.

Youlan and three other maids were waiting at the door.

They had already prepared the washing items, just waiting for their master’s command.

However, there was no sound coming from the inner chambers for some time.

Peering through the window lattice, Youlan saw that the sun had already risen high, and it was almost 11 AM.

Ever since the Xuanyi Pavilion had opened, Li Xianyun had been waking up very early, but today seemed unusual.

In the early morning, the Khan had called for hot water to be brought in.

When he left this morning, he particularly instructed not to disturb the princess’s rest, and even sent Bater to deliver a message to the Xuanyi Pavilion, saying the princess would go there in the afternoon.

Youlan and the other maids clearly saw a long and fine scratch mark on the left side of the Khan’s neck, which had not been there the day before.

It didn’t take much thought to know what must have happened between the Khan and the princess last night.

"Youlan," came Li Xianyun’s hoarse voice from the inner chambers.

Hurriedly, Youlan pushed the door open and went inside.

The other maids waited respectfully outside the door.

Youlan approached the bed and lifted the curtains, seeing Li Xianyun struggling to sit up.

Her neckline was wide, revealing large swathes of her fair skin with faintly visible petal-like marks.

"Pour me some water," mentioned the princess.

Yelu Yan had kept her up until midnight, leaving her throat hoarse and dry.

"Yes."

Youlan gathered the bed curtains and hung them on the golden hooks before turning to pour water.

Li Xianyun pulled her neckline together and peered inside her clothing. Her ample chest was covered with pink petal marks.

She couldn’t help but sigh softly.

Yelu Yan’s vigor was such; he seemed determined to exhaust her to death every day.

For a man to be capable or not in that regard was truly a vexing matter.

Youlan brought over the water.

Li Xianyun took it, drank a few sips to moisten her throat, and handed the cup back to her.

"When did the Khan leave?" she asked.

Youlan fetched clothes from the wardrobe, "Just as before, he left after practicing his swordsmanship early in the morning."

Li Xianyun’s eyelashes fluttered, dense as brushes, casting a delicate shadow on her fair complexion.

Yelu Yan truly wasn’t human; even after last night’s exertions, he still practiced the sword and left that early?

His energy knew no bounds.

She sighed inwardly at the kind of man she had married.

After dressing and completing her morning routine, Li Xianyun had intended to dine in the main hall.

But feeling extremely sore and limp, she had no choice but to have her breakfast brought to the inner chamber.

Then she sat at her desk to compose a letter, before leading a retinue to the Xuanyi Pavilion to tend to patients.

Looking at the patients waiting in agony, Li Xianyun felt a pang of guilt; it was all Yelu Yan’s fault.

She could no longer spoil him, nor could she afford to be soft-hearted again, letting him coax and fool her over and over.

Since Li Xianyun had arrived late, by the time she finished examining all the critically ill patients, it was already mid-afternoon.

Seeing Wu Mu pacing outside the door, Li Xianyun walked out after seeing the last patient and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"To report to Your Highness, too many people have come to Xuanyi Pavilion for treatment, and the medicinal supplies are being used up quickly. In just a few days, half of our supplies have been consumed and won’t last for more days; we need to procure more medicine urgently."

Li Xianyun walked into the pharmacy with Wu Mu, and the thick scent of medicinal herbs greeted them.

The physicians and palace servants inside the pharmacy were busy dispensing medicine. Seeing Li Xianyun, they quickly knelt down and saluted.

Li Xianyun told them to continue with their work and then called Youlan to bring paper and a brush, which she laid out on the desk. She wrote down the names of several medicinal stores in Khitan script and handed the paper to Wu Mu.

"These are the medicinal stores that supply Xuanyi Pavilion. You take some people and negotiate with them. If they are interested in long-term cooperation, they can provide medicine regularly to Xuanyi Pavilion."

"But you must be vigilant. Once the medicinal supplies are brought in, you must personally inspect them. I will also reinspect them. Only through such thoroughness can we ensure there are no mistakes."

After all, this matter concerned the royal family. While one could benefit from their royal status, there was also a corresponding risk, which required utmost caution.

Wu Mu looked at Li Xianyun in disbelief, "Sister, do you mean to let me negotiate with these medicine stores?"

When there were no outsiders, Wu Mu addressed Li Xianyun as "Sister."

There were several instances where he didn’t call her Sister in private, and Li Xianyun had teased him about it.

Over time, it became his habit to call her "Sister."

Li Xianyun smiled and nodded.

"But, I am young and afraid I might not do a good job."

In some professions, the younger one is, the better, whereas in the medical profession, the older one is, the more esteemed.

Each shopkeeper of those stores was sly and crafty, needing to wield a thousand clever ploys, and they would certainly attempt to deceive him because of his youth.

Wu Mu truly lacked confidence.

Li Xianyun revealed a warm smile.

"Nobody is born excelling at something. Practice makes perfect. Soon, you’ll handle it with ease. Besides, isn’t your sister here to supervise? What’s to fear? At worst, we might be cheated out of some silver. If any store engages in swindling, we’ll simply cease to work with them next time."

"Rest assured, those stores would be eager to enter into long-term cooperation with us. They want to make money on one hand, and on the other hand, they want to leverage Xuanyi Pavilion’s reputation to sell more medicines. If you show a bit of hesitation about the terms of the cooperation, they will naturally lower their prices. But in pressuring them to reduce prices, we must be reasonable; we can’t let them operate at a loss, otherwise it may seem like Xuanyi Pavilion is taking advantage of its position to bully others."

Upon hearing this, Wu Mu felt reassured and happily responded, "Yes, I will do my utmost."

"That’s exactly what I need, your utmost effort. Only with your utmost effort can things be done well," Li Xianyun stood up. "Wu Mu, I’m leaving this to you. If there’s anything concerning Xuanyi Pavilion, have someone report to me."

She had many things to do and could not personally attend to every detail, so she needed to cultivate capable individuals to be her right-hand men.

Wu Mu was one of those she intended to nurture; if he truly had talent, she planned to entrust him with managing Xuanyi Pavilion in the future.

Li Xianyun, accompanied by Youlan and Bater, headed to West Market, wandering through the streets.

The variety of goods sold at Ruyi Square was too diverse, including pastries, milk tea, and candied fruit and raisins, which diluted the quality of each product.

There’s wisdom in focusing on one’s specialty. Only by concentrating on one endeavor can one excel in it.

In Li Xianyun’s plan, Ruyi Square would specialize in pastries.

She wanted to purchase two more storefronts.

One store would exclusively sell candied fruit, raisins, and nuts, while another would be dedicated to serving soups—cold rice porridge in the summer and milk tea in the winter.

Moreover, buying a storefront to sell candied fruits and raisins was a matter of urgency.

A few days ago, Zhuo Ma had reported that the workshop had an excess of candied fruits and raisins; selling them solely through Ruyi Square, Xingfang Restaurant, and Qingxiang Pavilion was not enough to move all the stock.

If the candied fruits and raisins were to remain unsold, the laborers in the workshop and the Drying Room would lose their livelihood.

According to Zhuo Ma, the laborers were all anxious and distressed, a sorrowful sight.

Li Xianyun’s visit was to address this issue.