Volume 1, Chapter 56: Crown Princess Consort, this is hardly according to protocol!

"Crown Prince's Consort, are we really going to Cuiyin Workshop to pick up the items?"

The carriage moved forward slowly. Seeing Xie Shu taking a long detour earlier, Green Willow had assumed her mistress would head straight back to the Marquis of Chengen's residence.

The items sold at Cuiyin Workshop were exorbitantly expensive! She had no idea what Madame Li was scheming, insisting that her mistress be the one to retrieve them.

"If you ask me, we should just circle the streets a few times and head straight back to the Marquis of Chengen's residence." Green Willow had no wish to see her mistress played for a fool.

Xie Shu half-lifted the carriage curtain and glanced back. The figure of Zhou Xunli was no longer visible in front of the Brocade Splendor House.

"Since it is a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager, of course we must retrieve it." Xie Shu dropped the curtain, took a cup of tea from Green Willow, and took two sips. In her mind, she carefully replayed what Zhou Xunli had just said—the situation at the border must be growing increasingly critical.

"When we arrive at Cuiyin Workshop later, go directly to Changhe Pawnshop first and see if Steward Chen has sent any news back. Let us hope they arrive sooner." Xie Shu instructed Green Willow, "Go and return quickly, I shall wait for you."

"Whoa—" The driver tightened the reins and shouted, "Crown Prince's Consort, we have arrived."

Xie Shu took a deep breath, poured herself another cup of tea, and drained it in one gulp.

Although she rarely visited Cuiyin Workshop, she knew their rules. Did Madame Li want to take this opportunity to trap her?

Then she would naturally have to return the favor by giving Madame Li a grand gift of her own.

"Third Miss Xie, what brings you here with free time today?" Shopkeeper Li of Cuiyin Workshop glanced at the newcomer, half-bowed, and came forward to greet her with a heap of smiles.

Xie Shu had already coiled her hair into a matron's bun. She retrieved the token of the Marquis of Chengen's residence from her bosom and presented it to Shopkeeper Li. "Shopkeeper Li has addressed me wrongly. I am married now, and should be called the Crown Prince's Consort of the Marquis of Chengen's residence."

Shopkeeper Li then slapped his forehead in sudden realization and said, "Oh, look at my memory! Someone, come, serve tea to the Crown Prince's Consort at once!"

Taking the token, Shopkeeper Li hurriedly called for someone to fetch the items from the inner storeroom. "Go, bring out the white jade longevity Buddha statue ordered by the Marquis of Chengen's residence a few days ago!"

***

Collecting goods at Cuiyin Workshop required the household token as a voucher. When Mammy Liu came, she had not made things clear to Xie Shu, likely waiting to make a fool of her. However, Xie Shu did not come from a humble background, and Cuiyin Workshop was certainly not some place too precious for her to enter.

This Madame Li was truly short-sighted after all.

"Crown Prince's Consort, please sit and rest for a moment. There are many things in the storeroom, so it may take a little while to find." Shopkeeper Li invited Xie Shu into a side tea room, ordered a pot of fine tea to be served, and brought out several plates of delicate pastries.

After Xie Shu took her seat and tasted a piece of the pastry, Shopkeeper Li turned around, brought out a slip of paper from outside, and placed it respectfully on the table. "This is the slip for the eight hundred taels of deposit already paid by the Marquis of Chengen's residence, and the remaining balance is three thousand taels..."

"These pastries are quite good. Did you make them yourselves?" Xie Shu took a light bite of the pastry; she had already eaten two pieces in a row. Sweet without being greasy, they melted in the mouth and were exceptionally pleasant.

"Naturally. As long as the Crown Prince's Consort likes them, I shall have someone pack some more for you to take along later. These pastries are made with lotus seeds harvested in spring and stored in an ice cellar to achieve such a fresh texture."

Answering the question, Shopkeeper Li could not help but raise his eyes several times to observe Xie Shu's expression.

After chatting with her casually for a moment, seeing that Xie Shu showed no intention of picking up the deposit slip to inspect it, Shopkeeper Li grew slightly restless. He pointed his finger at the slip and spoke again, "Crown Prince's Consort, would you like to take a look first? The deposit has been paid, but to collect the goods, the remaining balance must be settled first."

Xie Shu slowly put down the pastry in her hand, drew a silk handkerchief from her sleeve, carefully wiped her hands, and then leisurely picked up the deposit slip. "Was this deposit paid personally by the Marchioness?"

"Yes, yes, indeed. When the Marchioness came that day, she originally had her eye on a cyan jade Buddha statue. But cyan jade is too common, so she specifically instructed us to commission a white jade Buddha statue instead." Shopkeeper Li guessed that Xie Shu had just married into the Marquis of Chengen's residence and might not know the details, so he recounted the scene of that day in full detail.

"Oh." Xie Shu nodded faintly and then returned the deposit slip to Shopkeeper Li. "Did she tell you who this Buddha statue is meant for?"

Shopkeeper Li shook his head. "She did not. She only said that we must be extremely cautious, ensuring there are not the slightest flaws or mistakes."

Things sent to the Empress Dowager naturally required a greater degree of caution and secrecy.

Otherwise, if enemies found a loophole, no one would be able to escape the consequences on the day of the birthday banquet!

Xie Shu, however, did not seem concerned. She chuckled softly, "This Buddha statue is a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager."

***

The single sentence was spoken lightly, but it struck the bottom of Shopkeeper Li's heart with the weight of Mount Tai.

"Then... does the Crown Prince's Consort mean—?" Shopkeeper Li could not immediately gauge Xie Shu's intentions. Having done business for many years, though patrons rarely brought up the recipient's name as Xie Shu had, there were still some who used the imperial name as a pretext to buy on credit.

That would make things rather difficult.

Seeing Shopkeeper Li's troubled expression, Xie Shu slapped her thigh and stood up. "Shopkeeper Li need not worry. I am merely a newlywed bride of the Marquis of Chengen's residence. Although I was given my mother-in-law's command to retrieve the items, I cannot make the final decisions."

"How about Shopkeeper Li brings the items out first, and we go together to the Marquis's residence? Once my mother-in-law has inspected the goods, the residence will certainly settle the balance." Xie Shu's words were entirely reasonable; she was not the mistress managing the household of the Marquis's residence, and the birthday gift for the Empress Dowager was certainly not something for her to arbitrate alone.

Shopkeeper Li hesitated for a moment. By rights, Cuiyin Workshop always assigned dedicated personnel to deliver such fragile and valuable goods directly to the client's door. But that was conditional upon the final balance being settled first...

"Crown Prince's Consort, why not inspect the goods yourself first? Rest assured, there will be no flaws with this item, otherwise it would smash our own signboard!" Shopkeeper Li urged, "It is simply that our shop has rules: until the final balance is settled, the item cannot be handed over to you."

"Then I have no other choice. The Marchioness insisted that I retrieve it today. If I fail to bring it back, I will surely face punishment. Yet if I bring it back and something is wrong with the item, I will face punishment all the same."

Xie Shu's expression remained calm, though a trace of bitterness welled up in the depths of her eyes. "Since this is, after all, a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager, I am only afraid that if something goes wrong in the future, it will implicate Cuiyin Workshop as well. What is to be done then?"

Hearing these words, Shopkeeper Li immediately guessed Xie Shu's intentions, and he waved his hands repeatedly. "Crown Prince's Consort, that simply does not conform to the rules!"

Xie Shu raised a hand to wipe the corner of her eye, saying with utmost sincerity, "Shopkeeper Li, listen to me first. It is not that this remaining balance cannot be settled by me."

"Then, shall the Crown Prince's Consort settle it first?" Shopkeeper Li was also a shrewd businessman; seizing the loophole in Xie Shu's words, he pressed on to collect the debt.