Glass

Could it really be such a coincidence that Jiang Nuan had happened to seek out Gu Qingfeng?

While Chi Hengji was still speculating, Gu Qingfeng had already come up to him.

"Boy, you're in luck. I have a prescription here that can treat your illness."

Gu Qingfeng waved the prescription in his hand as he spoke.

"Mm, that's good."

Chi Hengji nodded.

"Wait, something's not right!" Gu Qingfeng studied Chi Hengji closely, trying to find a trace of delighted surprise on his face, but he remained utterly calm.

"Don't tell me you already knew?"

Otherwise, it made no sense!

"Not only did I know, I also know that the Ninth Princess, Jiang Nuan, gave you that prescription."

Chi Hengji said it outright.

"Huh? The Ninth Princess? That little girl is actually a princess? I never would have guessed! But if you knew about this, could you also hear..."

Upon learning Jiang Nuan's identity, Gu Qingfeng was surprised for a moment, but he quickly turned his attention to why Chi Hengji knew about this.

Jiang Nuan certainly hadn't told him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths to find someone to play a Divine Healer.

Taking the thoughts he had heard into account, Gu Qingfeng reasonably guessed that Chi Hengji could probably hear them too.

"Yes."

Chi Hengji made no attempt to hide it and admitted it directly.

Then, remembering that Gu Qingfeng had poured all his intelligence into medicine, he added a warning:

"You absolutely must not mention the contents of her thoughts in front of her, or you won't be able to breathe. Once you give up the idea of saying them aloud, that breathless feeling will disappear."

Gu Qingfeng: ?!

Something that miraculous actually happened? What if I wanted to try it?

Had Chi Hengji said nothing, it would have been fine. Now that he had mentioned it, Gu Qingfeng was tempted instead.

Seeing his reaction, Chi Hengji said nothing more. He had given all the warnings he needed to.

Then, realizing that he had been talking to Gu Qingfeng for so long without seeing his disciple, he grew puzzled. As far as he remembered, Gu Qingfeng had always been with his disciple and had never gone out alone.

With that thought, he asked.

"Divine Physician Gu, why did you come to the Capital City alone this time? Didn't your disciple come with you?"

At this question, Gu Qingfeng flushed and gave two dry coughs. Could he admit that he had sneaked out to prove himself?

At that very moment in Divine Physician Valley, a certain middle-aged man stared at his master's empty room and felt a headache coming on.

Unwilling to answer that question, Gu Qingfeng hastily changed the subject.

"Why are you asking so many questions, boy? Do you still want your illness treated or not?"

Understanding that Gu Qingfeng's words concealed something he couldn't disclose, Chi Hengji stopped pressing the matter.

"Then I'm sorry for the trouble, Divine Physician Gu."

Chi Hengji invited him into the Chancellor's Residence, and Gu Qingfeng began studying how to carry out the treatment.

Meanwhile, Jiang Nuan headed straight for the shop in the eastern part of the city, where she found An Yan bustling back and forth.

An Yan spotted Jiang Nuan in the crowd at a glance.

She picked up a handkerchief from beside her, wiped her hands, and walked over to Jiang Nuan.

"Nuan, you're here! Would you like me to show you around the shop?"

An Yan had worked remarkably quickly. The shop had already undergone a complete transformation, and she couldn't wait to show Jiang Nuan what she had accomplished.

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you, Sister? Why don't I just look around on my own?"

Having just seen how busy An Yan was, she felt bad about taking up more of her time.

"Not at all. Everything that needed me has already been taken care of. I was only lending a hand because they were swamped. It makes no difference now whether I'm there or not."

After explaining, An Yan took Jiang Nuan by the hand and led her into the shop.

The spacious shop had now been divided into two sections, one for jewelry and the other for fabrics and ready-made clothing.

Jiang Nuan looked around. The jewelry was completely different from before. The old pieces had looked stodgy and dated, while these were much more novel. Clearly, new artisans had been brought in.

Some fabrics and ready-made garments had already been put on display, and their unusual designs drew people inside one after another.

When they learned that the shop hadn't opened yet, several visitors looked disappointed.

But a shop assistant soon approached them and handed out small cards.

"Dear customers, our shop will open in three days. These are our discount cards. Bring them with you then, and you'll receive ten percent off."

Hearing this, the visitors felt that a ten-percent discount would save them quite a bit of money and immediately promised to return in three days to support the shop.

And this happened more than once.

An Yan had already heard Jiang Nuan explain those marketing methods. By now, quite a few people in the neighboring streets had received something called a flyer.

Worried that some people might not be able to read, they had also made a point of explaining that anyone who brought the flyer to the shop in three days could collect one egg, limited to one per person.

By now, practically everyone nearby knew that a jewelry shop and a ready-made clothing shop were about to open here.

Seeing the results, Jiang Nuan couldn't help marveling at how capable her sister was. She had only offered an idea, yet An Yan had carried it out so well.

But as she looked toward the jewelry section, Jiang Nuan felt as though she had overlooked something.

The jewelry was laid out on red cloth for customers to choose from, with nothing covering it.

!!!

Jiang Nuan remembered. In modern times, jewelry in gold shops was displayed inside tempered glass!

Glass wasn't expensive to manufacture, so its price wasn't high either.

However, Jiang Nuan had no intention of using glass for jewelry displays.

After all, glass was only inexpensive in modern times. In ancient times, it had another name: liuli.

This was still a novelty imported from the West, and demand in the Capital City had always outstripped supply. Some officials even collected objects made of glass.

If she made glass and sold it to those officials, wouldn't she be able to earn a fortune?

[I've decided. I'm going to find people to make a batch of glass and squeeze a hefty sum out of those officials!]

Jiang Nuan's inner voice was utterly resolute.

Glass? Her little sister even knew how to make that?

An Yan was astonished. She knew very well how expensive glass was. Back at the Minister's Residence, her father had spent a fortune on a glass object and boasted about it for ages.

He had even scolded her harshly when she touched it out of curiosity, while An Yuxue could hold it and examine it however she pleased without any trouble.

Remembering those distressing incidents at the Minister's Residence, An Yan's spirits sank for a moment. But she soon rallied. There was no need to wear herself out worrying over people who didn't matter.

She had more important things to do now.

"Sister, I just remembered that I have a sheet of instructions for making glass. Could you find a few artisans later so we can make a batch to sell?"

Jiang Nuan was already well practiced at being a hands-off boss. She supplied the methods and ideas, then left the rest for others to carry out. Making glass this time would be no different.

An Yan was the first person she thought of.

Before her shop had even found its footing, An Yan had been assigned yet another task. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Perhaps she could find herself an assistant?