Chapter 2000
Lady 4
Liu Feng took a shower that evening and tried using a bar of soap.
The feeling and the effect left Liu Feng extremely satisfied.
Men in ancient times were quite particular about beauty.
During the Wei and Jin dynasties, men would apply cosmetics.
Nowadays, although men no longer wear makeup, they still pay attention to their appearance and often carry sachets with them.
Perfuming is not a woman's prerogative; it is also a common pastime for men.
After taking a shower, Liu Feng smelled pleasantly of himself.
The next day, he went to three friends to brag about it.
His three friends were envious and asked him for the soap.
Liu Feng: "Okay, I'll ask my third sister for it when I get back."
"Third sister?" Zhu Xiuping was surprised. Why was it him again?
First it was wool, then soap. The third sister has been quite the star lately; I wonder if it will affect the fourth sister.
Moreover, such a good thing should be used by the fourth sister.
Li Han thought of Liu Tong, wondering if Liu Tong had such a good thing.
Qi Yuanxi then directly asked Liu Feng, "Is there any more? Could you give me a few pieces?"
Liu Tong: "Uh, there's only one, but it's okay, I can ask my third sister for one. How many do you want?"
Zhu Xiuping: "I want two pieces."
One piece for myself, and one piece for my fourth sister.
Li Han: "I want two pieces too."
Give an extra piece to my second sister.
Qi Yuanxi: "Give me ten yuan."
Liu Feng: "You want this much?"
Qi Yuanxi: "My parents, brothers, and younger brothers and sisters, ten yuan is just enough to divide among them."
Li Han and Zhu Xiuping then remembered their families and quickly increased the number of their families as well.
Liu Feng: "Uh, I'll go ask my third sister if she has that many..."
Liu Tong: "No, no!"
Even if they had it, they wouldn't give it to him. He knew perfectly well that Li Han and Zhu Xiuping would use soap to curry favor with Liu Mei and Liu Tong.
She didn't get along with the two sisters, so she didn't want to give them anything for free.
Liu Feng: "Really not?"
Liu Tong: "Really, no. If they want it, let them buy it themselves. If they want it from me, they'll have to pay double."
Liu Feng: "Uh, then let's go buy it ourselves."
Liu Tong scoffed and told Liu Feng the address of Princess Yinghua's shop.
When the shop opened, Liu Dong led the three of them to the shop, but they couldn't even get through the door.
Princess Yinghua had previously given one bar of soap to each of the ladies in the harem, and also used the soap as a reward for a poetry gathering, which aroused everyone's curiosity.
The soap's reputation has spread throughout Beijing, and everyone who has used it says it's great.
Everyone is eagerly anticipating the shop's opening.
Sure enough, as soon as the shop door opened, everyone rushed into the shop.
This one costs ten yuan, that one costs twenty yuan, and some people even buy them for a hundred yuan at a time.
Fortunately, Princess Yinghua had anticipated this scene and prepared enough goods in advance to meet the needs of those who were rushing to buy.
Finally, the crowds dispersed, and a few people who had spent the day drinking tea in the teahouse entered the shop.
The waiter hurried forward to greet the four: "Sirs, our shop not only sells soap, but also skincare products and a variety of rouge and lipsticks. You can buy skincare products to take care of your faces, or you can buy rouge and lipsticks as gifts for your wives."
As she spoke, she introduced the effects of skincare products and lipsticks to them.
Li Han and Zhu Xiuping said together, "We'd like ten bars of soap and a set of rouge and lipstick."
The two exchanged a glance, knowing who they were buying rouge and lipstick for. Qi Yuanxi shook his head and bought ten sets of each item from the store.
Liu Feng also bought two sets to take home as a filial gift for his mother.
As for buying more to give to my sister?!
Forget it, his own sister doesn't like these things at all.
This tomboy has never liked wearing makeup since he was a child, and as for his two younger sisters, they don't share the same mother.
The direct line and the indirect line are naturally opposed. Although he was taught by his father to prioritize the interests of the family and treat each of his younger brothers and sisters equally, deep down he still felt a sense of distance from the people of the indirect line.
He clearly understood that only Zhao Shi and Liu Tong were his true partners in terms of shared interests.
Despite Liu Feng's apparent disdain for Liu Qiu, in his heart, Liu Qiu was far more important than his two half-sisters.
Liu Mei and Liu Tong were very happy to receive the gifts.
Both of them looked forward to the day they would marry the person they loved, without ever considering the practicalities of life.
The palace examination began, and Liu Feng and four others entered the palace to participate in the test.
No longer frozen, the group gave it their all, and their results were much better than last time.
In the end, Liu Feng became the top scholar, Qi Yuanxi became the third-ranked scholar, and the other three also made it into the second-ranked class.
The five people who rode horses through the streets attracted the most attention, mainly because they were young and good-looking.
It has captured the hearts of many young girls.
Beautiful women flocked to the door to propose marriage.
While Zhao and Qian were happy, they also sighed. Among these people, there were indeed girls from noble families, but they were all illegitimate daughters of high-ranking families.
The two could only carefully select a suitable daughter-in-law.
Zhu Xiuping and Li Hanqi Yuanxi, on the other hand, had a relatively smooth experience.
They were all sons of high-ranking families, and the girls who intended to marry them were all noble ladies, all legitimate daughters.
Qi Yuanxi even became the emperor's son-in-law.
Li Han was engaged to a girl from another duke's family, but he couldn't bear to part with the beautiful Liu Tong, so he asked his mother to go to the Liu family to propose marriage, wanting Liu Tong to be his concubine.
Lord Liu was furious. He prided himself on coming from a family of upright officials and would never allow his daughter to become someone's concubine. He directly rejected the wife of the Duke of Ningguo.
Lord Liu confined Liu Tong to her quarters, forbidding her from seeing Li Han again.
Liu Tong was devastated. She thought Li Han liked her and would marry her as his wife, but she never expected that Li Han only wanted her as a concubine.
Li Han didn't really like her; she was only attracted to her looks.
He has absolutely no respect for her!
Liu Tong cried miserably.
Liu Mei faintly heard Liu Tong crying, sighed, and looked towards the courtyard where Liu Tong lived.
What makes her different from others?
They all thought they had found their future home, but...
Liu Mei was more clear-headed than Liu Tong.
She could tell from Liu's attitude that Liu would never allow her son to marry a concubine's daughter, even if she was her own niece.
After that, she withdrew half of her feelings for Zhu Xiuping.
She still loved Zhu Xiuping and hoped that one day he could persuade his parents to marry her as his legal wife.
But she knew the chances were slim.
Today, Liu Tong was humiliated by the Duke of Ningguo's family; could it be her next?
Liu Mei looked towards Liu Tong's courtyard again, unable to suppress her jealousy: Liu Tong, that idiot! But she was quite envious of her carefree nature.
Liu Tong doesn't need to worry about what kind of family she will marry into in the future. As the legitimate daughter, the family she marries into will definitely be good.
With her carefree and heartless nature, she could live a good life no matter which family she marries!
Despite the family's disdain for Liu Dong's tomboyish personality and behavior, the sisters secretly envied him. (End of Chapter)