Chapter 89: Flower Viewing Party

89. Chapter 89: Flower Viewing Party

"Qi Jiejie, you have no idea—those civil officials at court actually all went off to fight!"

"There is a Censor, said to have the skill of hitting a poplar from a hundred paces, and also a Ministerial Officer of the Ministry of War, who claims he can lift a cauldron with his strength!"

"The Imperial Brother, for this, even dispatched the Two Guard Imperial Troops northward to stir up trouble with the Rong tribe!"

"I truly didn't expect such things among scholars!"

"I thought all court officials were as frail as that top scholar!"

Princess Huanxi chattered away, and by the end she even dragged Zheng Si Que out to whip him.

When Princess Huanxi mentioned Zheng Si Que to Shen Yunyao, the top scholar was at the Hanlin Academy pretending to be an ostrich. Because two assistant lecturers of the Hanlin Academy had also gone north with those officials who begged for war.

Those two, who passed the imperial exam in the same year as him, had physiques that could easily crush Zheng Si Que.

Zheng Si Que, that top scholar, as Princess Huanxi said, was simply lucky.

"Scholar Zheng, there is nothing today; you may finish your duty early!"

In the early afternoon, the Ministerial Officer beside the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet came to deliver a message.

Zheng Si Que immediately left the duty room and hurried back.

Although no one said anything to him, he felt everyone's gaze on him, as if asking why someone so young lacked even a bit of courage.

In fact, no one gave him a second glance.

It was all just his paranoia.

The two fellow exam graduates who entered the Hanlin Academy with him mastered the Confucian Six Arts; though they couldn't claim mastery of everything, they were talents both literary and martial.

In contrast, Zheng Si Que, who devoted himself solely to reading the sages' texts, was far inferior.

Dayong, although it also practiced the imperial examination system,

but its selection was not the eight‑legged essay format; it was based on practical ability.

To many, being appointed after the palace exam and entering the Hanlin Academy signified great talent.

Yet no one knew that Zheng Si Que's admission to the Hanlin Academy was solely because his abilities only allowed him to linger there and slowly hone his skills.

As for his future?

In Emperor Xihe's mind, Zheng Si Que was at most a historian, occasionally reading the classics and histories to the emperor.

Plainly put, Zheng Si Que's starting point was his end point.

Only, whether Zheng Si Que or anyone else, none realized this.

Oh, if anyone might know a bit, it could only be Xie Zizheng.

Others hope their son‑in‑law will succeed, but Xie Zizheng does not.

On the contrary, this son‑in‑law has always been like that; marrying his daughter away prevents her from being bullied.

Parents' love for their children leads to far‑reaching plans.

For his precious young daughter, Xie Zizheng has also thought it through carefully.

Zheng Si Que returned home, saw Zheng Wangshi, his face grew a bit gloomy, and he entered the study without saying a word, which left Zheng Wangshi utterly baffled.

Exactly!

Zheng Si Que began to resent Zheng Wangshi.

He resented Zheng Wangshi for having focused solely on his studies, denying him the chance to learn other Six Arts skills.

Zheng Wangshi had no idea her son harbored such resentment toward her.

Zheng Si Que also forgot that, had he divided his attention to learn other skills, whether his talent could have secured a jinshi would have been uncertain.

…

At Qinyuan Ju, Shen Yunyao listened to Princess Huanxi ramble on and on, until the other party became hoarse and finally stopped the endless talk.

"How about some ice‑cold juice to soothe the throat!"

Shen Yunyao had Cuiyu bring over freshly squeezed pear juice and poured a glass for Princess Huanxi.

"Wow!"

"This one, delicious!"

Princess Huanxi stared in amazement at the pear juice that looked like ice water, "Qi Jiejie, how was this made?"

"How can pear juice be so crystal clear?"

The palace also has juice, but it's very cloudy, mixed with a lot of pulp.

"Well, that's a juicer!"

"Come, I'll take you to see; you can even juice a cup yourself!"

Shen Yunyao immediately took Princess Huanxi to see the specially made juicer.

The hand‑crafted juicer was exquisitely intricate.

Shen Yunyao had the fruit cut into small pieces, placed into the inlet, then turned the rotating handle; juice poured out quickly from the outlet, while the pulp fell from a separate outlet.

"Me, me!"

After watching Shen Yunyao's operation, Princess Huanxi instantly became interested.

She tried it herself, fiddled with it, and immediately grew fond of this simple little gadget.

"It was ready for you early!"

"There are six sets in total; even if you're giving them as gifts, it's enough."

"Qi Jiejie, I think we could also sell this juice in our shop!"

"No, don't sell the juice; we'll sell the machine!"

Shen Yunyao dismissed Princess Huanxi's suggestion without a second thought, "This thing is too labor‑intensive; how many people would we have to hire to keep up?"

"Also, juicing a cup requires a lot of fruit!"

It takes time and effort, and it's expensive!

This thing has no commercial development value!

If Qinyuan Ju is later turned into a club‑style venue, then this could serve as a special complimentary drink for them.

As for selling it now, let's just forget it!

"Seems that's the reasoning!"

Princess Huanxi personally gave it a try and ultimately approved Shen Yunyao's suggestion. Although they could hire people, doing it themselves is indeed quite troublesome.

Even if someone is interested in this juice, ordering a cup would require a terribly long wait; compared with making fruit smoothies, this is too laborious.

"But if we sell this juicer, others could buy it and maybe copy it, right?"

"That's unavoidable!"

Shen Yunyao smiled, "This kind of thing has little technical content to begin with; if we can make it, others can make it too."

"Even if we sell it, we won't make much money; anyway, it can't compare with fruit smoothies!"

Fruit smoothies are profitable now because they constitute a monopoly trade.

Capital has long proven that monopoly absolutely makes money.

"You, let's just stop this business!"

"Let's just give them away!"

Princess Huanxi, very curious, said, "In a few days, Qi Jiejie and I will hold a flower‑appreciation gathering here, inviting some ladies and missies from the manor to come and play. When the guests arrive, we'll give each a juicer!"

"Me hosting a flower‑appreciation gathering?"

Shen Yunyao was startled when she heard Princess Huanxi's words.

"Exactly!"

"In the past, every year at this time, the Empress's sister would hold a flower‑appreciation event at Qinyuan Ju. Now that Qinyuan Ju has been granted to you, Qi Jiejie, by the emperor's brother, you definitely have to host this event!"

"No, that's inappropriate!"

Shen Yunyao thought for a moment and shook her head quickly.

What is her status?

Holding a flower‑appreciation gathering in her name?

Don't joke around!

If she had already married Xie Zian, becoming the wife of the Imperial Uncle and the young lady of the Xie Family, then her hosting this event would make sense.

But now she is still just the seventh daughter of the Shen Family!

That fact won't change just because she moved into Qinyuan Ju.