Chapter 1095 - 1097: The Husband Who Gained No Benefits Raises an Issue_1
Before Princess Huilan could decline, the lady with a thick layer of powder on her face called out, "Princess Huilan, choose me, choose me, look at my poor complexion, only on me can you truly see the effects!"
Another lady pointed at the pits on her face and said, "We have all seen the removal of spots, but if you choose me, let’s see if it can remove acne scars as well."
"I have a rash on my face; otherwise, choose me to see if it’s effective against rashes," said a tall and thin lady, whose skin was somewhat allergic. She was hiding it with a handkerchief earlier, but now she was not shy about showing it.
The crowd was vying with each other, each looking more desperate than the last—it was truly a once-in-a-century scene to behold.
Princess Huilan’s face went from green to white; she had spoken her mind, but it was clear that everyone still believed in Bai Ruozhu’s skin-whitening Jade Cream, and her words had merely given someone in the audience a chance to prove themselves.
"Princess, please say something, do you think I’m suitable?" the lady with the thick layer of powder on her face called out.
Princess Huilan frowned, everyone was asking her, how could she prove Bai Ruozhu was fraudulent without making a choice? But making a choice could easily offend someone; she truly had been outmaneuvered by Lady Li!
She secretly glanced at Madam Jin, the wife of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Finance, who was on good terms with her. How could she be at ease if she didn’t choose one of her own?
"Let’s go with Madam Jin," Princess Huilan pointed to Madam Jin not far away and said.
All eyes turned to Madam Jin, who immediately became nervous under their scrutiny, cursing her own bad luck for offending everyone at once.
The lady with the rash muttered discontentedly, "Isn’t Madam Jin’s skin already quite good? How can you see any obvious effects with her, Princess, your choice is too biased."
The others echoed her sentiment. Usually they wouldn’t dare to provoke Princess Huilan, but at this moment, nobody wanted to miss the chance to become more beautiful, and they were naturally dissatisfied with Princess Huilan’s unfair choice.
Grinding her teeth, Princess Huilan said, "Since you’re all dissatisfied, let Bai Ruozhu choose then; after all, she’s here to serve."
Bai Ruozhu laughed and said, "Being new to the Capital City and unfamiliar with all the ladies here, and of lower status too, how can it be proper for me to make the choice? Since the Princess is the fairest and has raised doubts, let the Princess make the choice herself."
She tossed the hot potato right back; no one would blame her, after all. If the Princess had already chosen someone, how dare she contradict the Princess?
Princess Huilan was extremely irritated at this point. "If I tell you to choose, you choose. What’s with all the nonsense!" she snapped, her voice rising sharply.
Everyone was startled by her sudden outburst and instantly fell silent.
Bai Ruozhu’s face showed a trace of fear as she said nervously, "Then I’ll choose Madam Jin as well."
Her tone was a mix of three parts grievance and seven parts cautiousness, obviously frightened by Princess Huilan. It was a "reluctant" choice, forced upon her by the Princess.
The crowd became even more disgruntled with Princess Huilan’s overbearing behavior, but since she was, after all, the aunt of the current Emperor, they couldn’t say much more. In the end, they allowed Madam Jin to lie on the recliner to receive the beauty treatment.
This time it was Fang Guizhi performing the treatment, with Bai Ruozhu explaining the process to the audience, including the involved acupuncture points and how the massage technique could promote facial blood circulation, etc. Seeing her so generous with her knowledge earned her more admiration from the crowd and made them feel even more that Princess Huilan was being unreasonable.
While Madam Jin had the Pure White Xuan Jade Ointment applied and there was a break, a few ladies mentioned they needed to use the restroom. As soon as they were at a distance from the table, one of them lowered her voice and asked, "Didn’t Princess Huilan take a liking to Bai Ruozhu at her residence’s banquet before? Why does it seem like she’s only targeting her today?"
The lady beside her covered her mouth and chuckled, "You believed that just because of appearances? I’ve never heard of Princess Huilan having any dealings with Bai Ruozhu before, isn’t it strange that they were so intimate upon first meeting?"
The others uttered a long, drawn-out "Oh," but someone still looked puzzled and asked, "Why would Princess Huilan want to trouble Bai Ruozhu? Did she offend the Princess?"
"Who knows, I see Bai Ruozhu as a clever girl, how could she be foolish enough to offend a Grand Princess?" another lady remarked.
"Isn’t it because Princess Huilan also wants to open a Beauty Pavilion, and is unhappy that Bai Ruozhu is stealing her business?" someone suddenly blurted out.
The ladies exchanged looks, finding the idea very likely, and although nothing more was said afterward, everyone knew that in business, people compared various options. Even if Princess Huilan opened a Beauty Pavilion, if it wasn’t as effective as the Bai Family’s, people would still choose to go to the Bai’s Beauty Pavilion.
When the ladies returned, the content of their discussion spread, and for a while, the aristocrats’ wives privately said that Princess Huilan was too petty, losing the dignity of the Royal Family. Moreover, since many aristocrat families were also involved in some business, if they were targeted just because of a small conflict with the Royal Family, then they wouldn’t be able to handle their affairs.
After all, it was too difficult to maintain a household on just a salary alone, who didn’t need some business of their own?
The time had come to wash off Madam Jin’s Pure White Xuan Jade Ointment, and indeed, her complexion had become much whiter and softer. She had been very nervous before, but now she couldn’t care less; as long as she became more beautiful, she was willing to take the other ladies’ complaints. After all, it was Princess Huilan’s instructions—later she would just have to properly apologize to them.
Princess Huilan watched Madam Jin’s face fill with ecstasy after she looked in the mirror, feeling incredibly furious inside. She knew Madam Jin couldn’t have been bought off by Bai Ruozhu, could the Pure White Xuan Jade Ointment truly have remarkable effects?
Her annoyance grew stronger, her gaze locked onto Madam Li’s Ink Jade Bottle as if trying to see through it.
Humph, she must obtain the formula for the Pure White Xuan Jade Ointment, then let’s see how long Bai Ruozhu could remain smug!
Bai Ruozhu had certainly noticed Princess Huilan’s gaze. She secretly snickered to herself; even if Princess Huilan managed to steal the Pure White Xuan Jade Ointment, so what? Could she decipher its components?
Later, everyone was mindful of Princess Huilan’s mood and didn’t ask her if she was convinced this time. The Flower Appreciation Banquet was nearly over, and people started to disperse. But before leaving, they all inquired about the opening of Bai Ruozhu’s Beauty Pavilion. Bai Ruozhu promised one by one to send them invitations and announced that on the opening day, three lucky guests would receive a free experience.
Princess Huilan shot Bai Ruozhu a fierce glare as she left and whispered fiercely, "Don’t think that no one can touch you just because you have the Empress Dowager as your backer."
Bai Ruozhu smiled at her and asked, "Is the Princess implying she’s more venerable than the Empress Dowager?"
Princess Huilan was taken aback, "Sharp-tongued."
"You flatter me, Princess," Bai Ruozhu replied without holding back.
Since Princess Huilan repeatedly provoked her, she didn’t need to be too polite to the Princess any longer!
Did an old princess really think she was the empress?