Chapter 337: Volume 1 Chapter 337  Does Prince Qi Work for the Empress?

Look, a bronze mirror that won't shatter even if you smash it.

Just like her, trapped in Prince Qi's residence, freedom is impossible.

She lacks the good luck that Rong Luoge has, and also lacks her courage and means.

Yun Shizhuang once despised Rong Luoge, but now, upon careful reflection, she gradually feels admiration for her.

Whether those loom machines and jacquard machines were the Empress's own inventions, she cannot verify, but she knows the Empress's cloth fills every street and alley; each time she walks the avenues, she sees the townspeople in fine garments and hears them extolling the Empress's virtue.

She is still stuck in the back courtyard battling Rong Dai, yet Rong Luoge has already built a reputation known throughout the world.

What does she have to compare with her?

By this moment, even if she is unwilling to admit it, she must concede that Rong Luoge truly is superior.

"Princess, the Prince has returned and is heading this way."

Yun Shizhuang frowned slightly: why is the Prince, who was fine, coming here?

Could it be a summons for punishment?

Yun Shizhuang is not afraid; if the person isn't the one she struck, even if the Prince summons punishment, he must go to the Grand Dowager.

Yun Shizhuang ordered the floor cleared, tidied her clothes, and went out to meet him.

Outside, dusk had already settled, with only a lingering streak of sunset on the horizon; Yun Shizhuang stood under the eave and soon saw Prince Qi, dressed in plain robes, stride in.

She forced a smile, stepped forward and said, "The Prince has returned."

In the end, even if she is unwilling, she remains the most ordinary woman in the mortal world, still forced to greet her husband with a smile—how tragic.

At that moment, she suddenly thought that if only she could have her own pursuits like Rong Luoge, that would be wonderful.

Prince Qi reached out to lift his princess, looked at her and said, "Why are you still out? Come inside and talk."

Yun Shizhuang watched Prince Qi, thinking this doesn't look like a summons for punishment; it seems the Prince still doesn't know about Rong Dai's beating.

She followed the Prince into the main hall, had tea served, then looked at him with a smile and asked, "Prince, what is it?"

Prince Qi nodded, regarded Yun Shizhuang thoughtfully, and said, "The Inner Court is preparing to open several more shops. I recall your princess has a few shops under her name; would you be willing to transfer them?"

Yun Shizhuang:?

She stared at her husband in shock; she understood each word he said, yet she couldn't grasp the whole sentence.

She wondered if she should transfer the shops to the Inner Court?

What a ridiculous proposition.

Yun Shizhuang suppressed her irritation, looked at the Prince, and tried to appear calm as she asked, "Prince, the Inner Court is a great household; could they really need a few more shops? May I ask what they're for? You know, these shops are my family's livelihood, and this year's expenses depend entirely on them."

Yun Shizhuang's statement wasn't entirely correct; she has other properties, but that doesn't mean she will just accept whatever the Prince says, so she naturally needs clarification.

Prince Qi looked at Yun Shizhuang and said, "Some things I shouldn't hide from you as your husband. The Inner Court has received a new batch of dyed cloth from the Empress's workshop, with floral patterns on linen; I heard the first batch is already out."

Yun Shizhuang still didn't get it—what does this have to do with her?

No, the Empress is dyeing patterns onto linen… ordinary folk wear fine linen garments, but linen clothing is plain and limited to a few colors.

If linen can be patterned, Yun Shizhuang's expression grew complicated. If the Empress's cloth, via Rong Luoge, is just for fame, she already has that fame; as long as she keeps producing the Empress's cloth without overstepping and getting caught, her life would be secure.

But now she's doing linen dyeing, which is time‑consuming, labor‑intensive, and yields little profit—she truly is exhausting herself for the common folk.

"Prince, just say whatever you want to say," Yun Shizhuang said softly, lowering her head slightly.

Prince Qi looked at his wife; in truth, they were not a harmonious couple and barely understood each other, but after all that had happened, he felt that having married her meant he should at least shoulder some husbandly responsibilities.

He wanted to try to slowly walk forward with the wife he had been married to for years.

"Here's the deal: once this batch of cloth actually appears, the people will surely love it. The Inner Court's shops have no space to store these linen pieces, so I'm looking to acquire a few more shops. Rest assured, selling these shops to the Inner Court won't cause you a loss. Moreover, I can give you two estates from my own holdings as compensation. How does that sound?"

Yun Shizhuang: …

How generous!

But this is the Prince doing something for the Empress, and Yun Shizhuang felt an indescribable feeling.

Although she wasn't close to her husband, she didn't want to see him still thinking of his former wife, so she looked up at Prince Qi, smiled, and asked, "You're finding shops for the Empress—does the Empress know?"

Prince Qi was startled, replying, "This has nothing to do with the Empress; it's an Inner Court matter." After saying that, he paused, then looked at his wife and said, "This linen affair was dyed by Grand Dowager Liu in the palace with the Empress's support. The Empress doesn't intend to claim credit, so the Inner Court is handling the sale of this batch of cloth."

Yun Shizhuang understood, looked at her husband in surprise, and asked, "Why is the Empress working so hard and busy?"

Not for fame or profit, yet she spends so much effort—who would do that?

Prince Qi fell silent; he too didn't know—Rong Luoge now is beyond his contemplation.

He looked at his wife softly and said, "Although I serve as an official in the Inner Court, the ones who usually deal with the Hou Gong are lower‑ranking officials."

Yun Shizhuang was taken aback, then realized her husband was explaining; she rarely felt uneasy, so she said, "For the sake of your face, for your task, I'll have someone give the deed to you."

Prince Qi smiled at Yun Shizhuang, "Between us, I won't even say thank you; rest assured I'll make up the loss after I finish this."

"I'm not in a hurry; take your time, Prince. Besides, there's another matter I need to tell you." Yun Shizhuang looked at her husband, "Consort Ming angered Mother Consort, was beaten ten times, and was moved to the side courtyard. Prince, shall you go see?"

Prince Qi was stunned—Consort Ming beat Rong Dai?

Why?

He looked at his wife, "A mother‑consort who strikes without cause is unlikely; what did Consort Ming do?"

This made Yun Shizhuang feel relieved; at least he didn't immediately side with Rong Dai, and she said with a sigh, "I can't bring this up myself; Prince, you should ask Mother; I have no face to say it."