Chapter 86: Preparations

Su Lilu heard the news brought back by Liu Zhu and grinned from ear to ear. She settled peacefully in her courtyard to recover from her illness, and before she knew it, the Lantern Festival had arrived. Because both young ladies of the Su family were in poor health, and although the rumors outside had gradually faded, the masters of the household still felt uneasy, so the servants could only go about their duties with extra caution.

After sharing the reunion dinner with the others, Su Lilu returned to her own courtyard, listening as Yuxin reported on the progress of the Xuexiu shop’s decorations. "Miss, the carpenters have already started making the tables and chairs."

"Good. In the coming days, I'll have to trouble you to go out from time to time to keep an eye on things," Su Lilu said happily upon hearing that work had begun on Xuexiu, her heart filled with anticipation for its grand opening.

She found time to meet with Yun Yan Yi and went straight to the point. "Your Highness, I wish to ask for your help in finding a few reliable people. Each should only be responsible for their own tasks and need not concern themselves with anything else. This way, we can prevent them from communicating with one another and leaking the secret formula."

"These people can be trusted. Let them handle it," Yun Yan Yi replied, naming a few individuals. Su Lilu hesitated and asked, "Your Highness, though one may know someone’s face, it’s hard to know their heart. What if they harbor ill intentions..."

"What is there to fear? If they disobey, just kill them and I’ll send you others," Yun Yan Yi replied nonchalantly. Su Lilu stared at him in astonishment.

Her brows furrowed as she struggled, "That... That doesn’t seem quite right, does it?"

Yun Yan Yi raised an eyebrow. "When it came to Su Shan’er, you held her under the water without a second thought. Why are you so soft-hearted with others?"

Su Lilu was shocked. "How did you know about that?" She had never told him about the incident at the river.

"You needn’t worry about that. Just remember, if those people don’t obey, kill them. If they ruin my plans, I won’t let them off lightly," Yun Yan Yi said coldly.

Su Lilu watched him treat life and death as casually as buying goods, and sighed. "Truly, you are a prince—wielding great power, doing whatever you please."

"What are you thinking? Are you imagining me cruel?" Yun Yan Yi asked in a cold voice, seeing the reluctance in Su Lilu’s eyes as she remained silent.

Su Lilu quickly shook her head. "Not at all, Your Highness surely has your reasons. I won’t interfere." Even if she wanted to persuade him otherwise, he would never listen—why waste her breath?

Seeing Su Lilu so obedient, Yun Yan Yi finally revealed a hint of a smile. "Don’t worry, I won’t kill you so easily. But you never clean up your tracks after your little escapades, always letting me catch you red-handed. Su Lilu, you’d better make a good profit, or I’ll spread word of your deeds and see how you explain yourself."

Su Lilu almost wanted to bite him. Suddenly, an idea struck her and she replied smugly, "Prince Yi, if I deny it, who would know it was me? If you want to threaten me, you’d better consider the circumstances first."

"Really? Are you so sure no one would believe it?" Yun Yan Yi pressed. This time, Su Lilu felt a pang of panic. She had thought Yun Yan Yi was bluffing, but it seemed he really did have something on her, and she wasn’t sure anyone would believe her side of the story.

"I didn’t do it—no one would believe otherwise," she retorted stubbornly, though her heart was uneasy, glaring at Yun Yan Yi as he pressed her relentlessly.

Seeing her anger, Yun Yan Yi chuckled. "Miss Su, you are truly cunning—using others to do your bidding. Now, the reputation of the Su family’s young ladies is in tatters..." He looked her up and down with mocking eyes. "I wonder if anyone would still want to marry you now?"

Furious, Su Lilu laughed instead. "No need for Your Highness to worry. If no one will have me, I’ll just keep a man myself. I certainly won’t wrong myself."

She watched with satisfaction as Yun Yan Yi’s face darkened, humming to herself, "If no man wants me, once I have money, there’ll be plenty for me to choose from."

"Su Lilu, you’re outrageous—to even think such things," Yun Yan Yi fumed, wishing he could rid the world of the imaginary men she spoke of.

Yun Yan Yi fell silent, his face grim, while Su Lilu hummed a tune in triumph, her eyes and brows alight with laughter.

The people Yun Yan Yi had found soon produced the first batch of Xuexiu products. Su Lilu selected a group of prominent young ladies and sent people to deliver the items to each of them. The couriers politely relayed the message, "My mistress says these are for the esteemed ladies of your household to try. If you find them effective, please visit our shop often in the future."

The ladies, aware that the shop had the Empress’s approval, became intrigued and eagerly applied the products to their faces and hands. As the results became apparent, everyone started asking whether they had used Xuexiu’s goods.

Especially the Princess of Anping—Su Lilu had sent her a special delivery. After using it, her complexion became even more radiant, and she spoke highly of Su Lilu, prompting the other ladies to spread the word. Before long, Xuexiu and Su Lilu became the talk of the town.

The fifth day was an auspicious one. A few days beforehand, Su Lilu went to the Old Madam’s courtyard to request permission. "Grandmother, I would like to invite a few people to the manor for a small gathering on the fifth. Do you think that would be appropriate?"

The Old Madam gave her a curious look and pondered for a moment. Given the Su family’s recent reputation, this was a good opportunity to redeem themselves. She nodded. "Do as you see fit, just be sure to treat your guests well."

"Thank you, Grandmother," Su Lilu replied gratefully, and immediately sent out invitations—only to those young ladies who had tried the Xuexiu products.

The recipients replied promptly, promising to attend. With her plans set, Su Lilu began making preparations.

Yao Ruoshui, hearing that Su Lilu was hosting a small gathering with the Old Madam’s approval, could only let her proceed.

The long-awaited fifth day soon arrived. Su Lilu rose early, setting the small banquet in the flower hall. The kitchen had already prepared exquisite pastries. Sedan chairs from the Su family arrived one after another, and the young ladies, accompanied by their maids, entered the hall. Su Lilu hurried to greet them. "Sisters, you’re finally here—please come in!"

Thanks to the Xuexiu products, the young ladies all greeted Su Lilu with polite smiles. Su Lilu spared no effort, for her goal was to make Xuexiu’s name known far and wide.

Two tables were set in the flower hall. Su Lilu produced a box and, brimming with excitement, announced, "I invited you all today to share some good news. My shop, Xuexiu, will be opening in a few days, and I hope you will all support it."

Having found the products effective, the ladies nodded. "Of course we’ll visit. Thank you, Sister Lilu—the products are wonderful."

One young lady exclaimed excitedly, "That’s wonderful! I was just running out of what you gave me—now I won’t have to worry."

"Indeed," several others agreed, making Su Lilu even happier. She smiled and said, "Thank you all so much. Today, I have something else for you—another set of Xuexiu products, even more effective than the last. Please, give them a try."