Chapter 452 - Flower Tea and Skin Cosmetics (1/2)
However, which woman didn't like to be beautiful? This year, Lady Fang was nearing forty years of age. When Lady Fang came to the Imperial Palace to greet her, the older woman’s skin and complexion was even better than her own. It was hard for the empress not to sigh over this. Lady Fang was also perceptive and had brought a box of peach blossom tea that her goddaughter had made and given it to her.
After drinking this peach blossom tea, she discovered that it truly had an effect on her skin. The dark spots that had been left on her face after her pregnancy with her imperial son had lightened considerably. After putting on some powder on her face, they weren't visible anymore. Furthermore, when she was pregnant, she started to have constipation issues. This was a rather private issue for her, so she was ashamed to ask the imperial physicians to take a look at her. Unfortunately, it caused a lot of trouble for her. However, after drinking this peach blossom tea, her constipation had completely disappeared and she no longer had this problem!
Less than half a year had passed since she started drinking the tea. If she continued to consume this tea, she was certain that her skin would become much better than Lady Fang's. After all, she was younger than the other woman by almost a decade!
Lady Fang had also mentioned that this peach blossom tea recipe was something that her goddaughter had come up with when there was nothing better for her to do. Thus, was the so-called medicine that was able to give back youth and reverse aging actually this peach blossom tea? Then what was the point in her asking the emperor about this youth medication in such an impatient way? As long as Lady Fang had access to this peach blossom tea, she, as the empress, would naturally have access too.
She was quite aware of the value of this recipe that could improve one’s looks and complexion. However, as the high-and-mighty empress, the emperor's private purse (and warehouse) was under her management. Since the sales of the greenhouse grown vegetables had been blazingly popular, the emperor's private purse had become fuller with every passing day. Basically, this meant that the amount of money in her hands was also growing with every day. Was she really going to do such a shameful thing as fighting with her own official to snatch a recipe? Furthermore, this particular official was currently regarded with great importance by the emperor and had also saved her imperial son's life.
After thinking this far, the empress spoke to the emperor in a somewhat worried tone, “If this so-called youth regaining medicine does not exist, then what are the ulterior motives of the people spreading these rumors? Just how much do these people hate Yu Xiaocao to cause so much trouble for her?”
Even as the empress she could not resist the lure of this youth regaining medicine, so what did that mean for other people? Yu Xiaocao was only a tiny sixth-level agricultural official. She didn't have much foundation or backing in the capital and only had her godfather, who was only a third-level military official without much power. There were so many powerful and wealthy officials in the capital who could easily squash General Fang with no problems! If these people decided to move, then this lass would be in incredible danger!
Zhu Junfan had already investigated the source of these rumors as soon as the news came out. The secret guards under the lead of Chief Steward Su were not there for show. Su Ran also had a soft spot in his heart for this little lass. Thus, in regards to this little girl's affairs, as soon as something appeared, he was sensitive to it and made sure to investigate it thoroughly.
“Merely a small clown who is jealous of the little lass’s abilities!” Zhu Junfan was not impressed with Assistant Minister Li’s ability to manage and educate his children. He even now regarded the assistant minister himself with a bit of disgust. Thus, he directly stripped the man’s assistant minister title from the Ministry of Appointments, which was a very lucrative position, and gave him the title of the Minister of Imperial Stud. Although they were both third-ranked official positions, how could being an official in charge of horses compare to being an official in the Ministry of Appointments? This was all in the future though.
For the sake of his younger cousin, Zhu Junfan needed to keep a closer eye on his cousin’s sweetheart. Furthermore, from her contributions at the Imperial Plantations alone, he needed to make sure to protect this farming expert well!
“Fei’er, on another day, you should invite the little lass to the Imperial Palace and ask if she has any plans on opening a flower tea store. If people are able to buy the flower teas that can improve their appearances and nourish their bodies, then there wouldn't be such a fuss over all of this! Su Ran, you'll need to work a bit to suppress all of these rumors about the so-called youth renewal medication! Change the rumors such that the so-called youth renewal medication is only something that can slow down aging and improve the physical appearance of people. At the start of spring, this flower tea store will be open on the market! Empress, you should collaborate with her and receive 10% of the profits from the store!” Zhu Junfan believed that he was a good emperor as he had eliminated a lot of obstacles for his own official.
Su Ran was surprised for a moment and then immediately replied, “Yes, this subordinate will go do this now!”
The empress waited until Su Ran had left the room and then gave the emperor a chiding look, “Miss Yu was the one who invented the recipe for peach blossom tea. If she opens a store to sell this tea and I just get 10% of the profits for doing nothing, how is that appropriate?”
“How is it not appropriate? If you don't get involved in this business, then there will still be people who want to get a bite of this rich piece of meat! It’s not as if you’ll be doing nothing. By involving yourself, you're protecting her from other people who want to swoop and steal her work! Think of all of the trouble you’re saving her from!” Zhu Junfan stated this in a matter-of-fact manner.
The empress finally understood his reasoning and lightly chuckled, “Imperial Majesty, you are truly someone who appreciates the talented as you are protecting Miss Yu. I just don't know whether or not she appreciates the amount of care you put into her.”
Zhu Junfan also smiled and said, “Don't underestimate this little lass; she's not a stupid person. The 10% cut that I mentioned is only a small number. She herself may offer a cut of the profits to you that's even higher!”
Many of the merchants in the capital, in order to avoid encountering a lot of trouble, did their best to find a sponsor for their businesses. With someone powerful behind them, they could do their businesses without any worries of outside interference. In the capital, if you didn't have a powerful backer, it was hard to do anything. Let alone the empress, there were plenty of second-ranked and third-ranked officials who took thirty to forty percent of the business’s profits in order to be their sponsor.
Before long, another set of rumors spread throughout the capital. It was said that little Official Yu didn't have a youth regaining medicine recipe on her hands. In fact, she had inadvertently offended someone and that person was deliberately spreading malicious rumors about her. If she truly had such a recipe on her hands, then why didn't she use it on her own family?