A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace Chapter 1374 - 1372: Eastern Market
Previously on A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace...
At that time, she never imagined she could one day become the sovereign of such a setting.
Her initial discomfort, that sense of unease, had been worn away by the passage of time.
Now she assumed the demeanor of a virtuous empress.
Managing the harem? She could do it well.
Balancing the relationships among the consorts, ensuring stability in the harem, she could also accomplish this, wasn’t the harem currently harmonious?
Even if someone stirred up trouble, she had plenty of ways to deal with them.
Soft-hearted, but not soft-handed.
She had turned into someone she previously did not recognize at all.
But fortunately, her heart remained!
She calmly took a sip of honey wine and sighed once more in her heart.
"Indeed, the environment can change a person!"
...
Fengyu Pavilion.
Today is the Double Ninth Festival, and the school is on holiday.
Yue Er felt quite bored.
In the past, there were Yilan and Yuwei to keep her company, now...
One was awaiting marriage, the other confined indoors to learn etiquette, both more constrained than the other.
Only she could still be considered free.
After all... neither father nor mother restricted her, and as for others, what status did they have?
Early in the morning, Yue Er began devising where to spend the day.
"Do the noble daughters in Capital City never go out?" She was somewhat curious.
Ying Luo immediately denied it.
"Of course not, being cooped up all the time would be suffocating!"
"I heard they go out occasionally, but with attendants and maids!"
"They usually visit jewelry shops, check out the Cloth Shops, or at least go to burn incense and pray!"
"Any legitimate excuse to go out has only these few options!"
Yue Er twitched her mouth.
"Alright!"
"Even if they go out, they flock to places where women gather, these people really don’t find it annoying!"
Ying Luo said nothing.
Yue Er thought for a while longer and then said.
"I want to leave the palace, ride a horse, and take nothing with me!"
"Prepare my clothes!"
Ying Luo dared not object, silently fetching three sets of the most common casual wear for her.
Yue Er picked the plainest one.
After changing, she directly took Ying Luo out with her.
...
Ying Luo could also ride, but her skills were mediocre, just enough to keep up with her mistress.
On the Double Ninth Festival.
The mistress and maid disguised themselves as men and arrived on Capital City Street.
Yue Er breathed in the fresh air outside the palace, and her spirits lifted instantly.
She patted the horse’s back at once.
"Let’s go, see what new curiosities the import store in the Eastern Market has!"
Ying Luo couldn’t speak in time, hurriedly urging her horse to catch up.
...
The import store was on a street in the eastern part of Capital City, where vendors sold various trinkets imported from abroad.
Yue Er loved to browse here most of the time.
She thought that those nested dolls in Yilan’s hands probably came from here.
With nothing to do today, it was a good time to shop around.
Her horse galloped, stopping quickly at the entrance of the Eastern Market.
Their horses were handed to the Palace Attendant accompanying them incognito, and they walked hand in hand into the alley.
This alley had all kinds of small shops on both sides.
Some specialized in selling tea drunk by foreigners, some sold utensils, and there were shops selling paintings, goods, jewelry, all-encompassing.
Yue Er and Ying Luo wandered around, finally stopping in front of a general store.
This general store had a certain charm, like it held some good things.
Almost without hesitation, Yue Er stepped towards it.
"Ah, welcome, sir, what would you like?"
The clerk warmly invited them in, then... left them alone.
The shop owner, hearing customers had arrived, emerged from somewhere and continued to introduce the store.
"Feel free to browse, though the shop’s items aren’t numerous, each one is of the finest quality!" he said, squinting with confidence.
The shopkeeper was short and stout, his belly protruding like he was nine months pregnant, the indigo silk robe struggled to wrap around him, as if ready to burst.
However, the expression on his face was all smiles, appearing very affable.
Yue Er faintly worried for him, then said.
"Alright! I love the finest quality!"
"Show me your most prized possession!"
The shopkeeper, seeing the young customer with such bold words, couldn’t help but scrutinize her again.
The youth before him might be dressed plainly, but the aura of wealth about her couldn’t be disguised.
Knowing that many truly wealthy people prefer subtlety, he treated her as a rich person and served her.
With that in mind, he instructed the shop boy to carefully bring out the store’s most expensive items.
As the red silk cloth was lifted, Yue Er curiously looked over.
On the sandalwood red lacquer tray lay a silver-carved small gourd, a chicken egg-sized purple stone, and a fist-sized, incredibly smooth Sapphire.
The last two were gemstones.
Though these were rare, what she had in her treasury was even rarer, so she wasn’t particularly interested, and her gaze quickly moved on.
She looked at the first silver gourd and asked.
"What’s special about this item?"
The shopkeeper smiled mysteriously.
"This young master might not know, this is known as snuff, made from dried tobacco leaves and hundreds of precious medicinal ingredients, inhaling it can refresh the mind and provide numerous health benefits!"
"Originally these were used by foreigners, and only high-ranking nobles could afford them. A total of ten arrived after traversing the seas, and this is the last one. If it weren’t for fate, I wouldn’t be willing to sell it!"
Yue Er curiously fiddled with the item, frowning slightly.
"If it’s so popular, why hasn’t anyone taken it?"
If someone really liked it, wouldn’t they buy both pieces back?
The shopkeeper just squinted and laughed.
"You misunderstand, sir, it’s not that no one wants it!!"
"Originally, a gentleman bought nine of the ten bottles, leaving only this one!"
"For some reason, that gentleman still hasn’t come to buy the last one, I’ve held it for him too long, can’t keep it anymore, so..."
"That’s why I’m presenting it!"
Yue Er nodded.
"It seems we are truly fated!"
"But..."
She frowned, still unclear about what this thing actually did?
Snuff? Good for health? What exactly is beneficial?
She immediately wanted the shopkeeper to try it out.
But the shopkeeper said.
"Sir, this item is too expensive, once opened, how could I sell it? I ask for your understanding!"
Yue Er directly slapped a silver note on the table.
"I say try it, so you try it!"
The shopkeeper took a glance, it was a note for five hundred taels, his knees turned weak on the spot, indeed a rich person.
He deftly picked up the silver gourd and demonstrated the use of snuff for Yue Er.
