Chapter 249: Stunning Effect

"Miss Chi?" Jiang Wan Yue's gaze shifted from the ledger, and she exclaimed, "Is that the Chi family I know?" She had just returned from a shop in the south when she heard that Jingcheng had opened a rouge shop called Yunxiang Pavilion, and before she could get the details, she found her own shop already being squeezed out.

"Exactly." The steward lowered his voice, "Miss, I've inquired, and that Chi family truly is rather odd; the shop's decor and business model are both very strange."

"What do you mean?"

"The shop doesn't sell many items, but each price is astonishingly high. A small jar of Jade Face Cream sells for eight hundred taels of silver; a slightly larger jar of Beauty Skin Cream goes for a thousand taels. Our shop's Nourishing Face Cream costs only one or two taels per jar, so we'd need to sell eight hundred jars to match one of theirs. Most importantly, despite the high prices, the dignitaries of Jingcheng flock to Yunxiang Pavilion; within a morning, hundreds of jars are snapped up." The steward scratched his head, his face full of distress, "There's also something called a membership, which requires depositing tens of thousands of silver taels in the shop."

Listening to the steward's rambling, Jiang Wan Yue clenched the ledger tightly and said coldly, "That Yunxiang Pavilion is really something."

"Miss, what shall we do! If this continues, it won't be long before our shop has to close."

Jiang Wan Yue furrowed her brows and said gravely, "The shops in Jingcheng have been affected; what about shops elsewhere?"

"Other places are fine, but if Yunxiang Pavilion opens branches in other cities, we certainly won't be able to hold them off."

"What exactly does this Jade Face Cream do?"

"Miss Hui, it's indeed marvelous; after anyone applies this Jade Face Cream, their skin becomes delicate and fair, the face looks like a peeled egg, and facial scars fade away."

"So powerful? Can it be bought?" Listening to the steward's description, Jiang Wan Yue couldn't help but be moved: "If the effect is truly that miraculous, it's worth the price."

"Miss, that Jade Face Cream is indeed too popular; I couldn't get any."

"Never mind, send more people to seize it. By the way, did the Meng Family send anyone today, and what did they say?"

"Miss Meng sent a notice; three days later the Meng Residence will hold a Plum Appreciation Banquet and invites you. However, I heard today Miss Meng was embarrassed at Yunxiang Pavilion and was publicly ridiculed." The steward recounted that today Meng Qinghe failed to pay the membership fee. Jiang Wan Yue sneered, "She's from the countryside after all, can't appear in public."

"Miss, that's what I said."

"Buy a jar of Jade Face Cream and bring it back; I want to see whether it's really worth eight hundred taels." The Jiang family has been merchants for generations, and Jiang Wan Yue has been managing the family's business since childhood, following Lord Jiang. She knows how fierce the competition in rouge and cosmetics is in Jingcheng; the Jiang family's foothold there rests on a secret formula passed down from ancestors. Yet Yunxiang Pavilion, opened only a few days ago, has already stirred the city's fortunes, showing its owner is not a foe to be taken lightly.

"Chi… This Miss Chi is so mysterious; I'm even more curious."

In the early afternoon, the Jiang family's steward, holding two delicate porcelain jars, hurried to Jiang Wan Yue's courtyard.

"Miss, I've bought them!"

Jiang Wan Yue looked at the palm‑sized porcelain jar, her brows slightly raised.

"That little thing costs eight hundred taels?"

"Even a robbery wouldn't be this greedy."

Opening the jar, a faint fresh fragrance wafted out, like a mix of floral and fruit scent, instantly uplifting the mood.

Jiang Wan Yue felt a stir, took a bit of the cream and applied it to her face; at first she saw no change, only felt her skin become slightly finer. Looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror, seeing little difference, she sneered, "Is that all?"

As soon as the words left her lips, a sharp sting hit her face, and she seemed to feel something burrowing out of her skin. Jiang Wan Yue let out a terrified scream; looking again at the bronze mirror, her original face was covered by a layer of black sludge emitting a strong foul odor.

She couldn't stop dry heaving; the servant, seeing this, hurriedly fetched clean water, changing it three times before finally washing the sludge off her face.

When she lifted her face, the servant in the room was astonished to see her flawless, immaculate skin.

"Miss… your face…"

"My face…?" Looking at herself in the mirror, Jiang Wan Yue fell silent instantly; after a long moment she regained her senses, wondering, "Is this really my face?"

Glancing back at the porcelain jar on the table, she murmured, "Eight hundred taels—truly worth it."

She glanced at the notice on the table, eyes flicking, then hurriedly ordered the servant to prepare a carriage.

"I need to go to the Meng Residence."

Meng Qinghe was venting her discontent in the Jiang Clan's house.

"Mother, how can Meng Qingrong, a concubine's daughter, wield so much silver, while I, a legitimate daughter, cannot?"

Jiang looked at her own biological daughter before her, her face weary; despite usually being meticulous about upkeep, she now had a few silver threads in her hair.

"He'er, you've caused so much trouble; it's fortunate your father didn't break your leg. Now you want ten thousand taels—impossible." Jiang sighed, reached out to touch her face, and whispered, "Your father said, for the sake of your face, the Meng Family has already exhausted everything."

"Exhausted everything?"

"Her father really can spin tall tales."

Meng Qinghe was still unaware of the border fengshui map, assuming it was just an excuse from Meng Hui for not giving her silver.

At that moment, Cai Pin entered, announcing that the Jiang family's miss had arrived; Meng Qinghe's eyes lit up, and she said with a smile, "Mother, Sister Jiang must be here to find me; I'll go meet her first."

Jiang nodded weakly, feeling exhausted and drowsy these days; now she just wanted to sleep a bit more, so she let it be.

Meng Qinghe returned to the courtyard and from a distance saw Jiang Wan Yue standing there, her skin glowing white.

"Sister Jiang," Meng Qinghe hurried forward, "Why have you come?"

Jiang Wan Yue smiled, "The servant said you left me a notice; I thought we hadn't met for a long time, so I came by first to take a look."

Meng Qinghe's gaze kept falling on her face: "Sister Jiang's skin seems much improved."

"That's exactly what I wanted to tell you today," she said, handing over a new Jade Face Cream. Seeing the familiar porcelain jar, Meng Qinghe's complexion instantly darkened: "Sister Jiang, what does this mean?"

Jiang Wan Yue pointed at the jar of Jade Face Cream, "You just asked about my face, right? It's thanks to this…"

Meng Qinghe was startled by the words.

"Is the Jade Face Cream's effect really that astonishing?"

To prove her words, Jiang Wan Yue hurriedly had someone bring clean water, applied the Jade Face Cream to Meng Qinghe, and, as expected, after a short while, black sludge emerged from under the skin.