The shopkeeper listened and immediately took out a thick booklet, which depicted the appearance of the seeds, what they would look like when grown, and even clearly explained how to plant them!
He handed the booklet to Bai Lu and smiled, "My shop has been passed down from my father's generation. We are honest and fair. We will absolutely not deceive you just because you are outsiders. I won't ruin my reputation by trying to earn a little extra money from you, young lady, would I!"
What he said was true, but what if?
Business was all about scheming!
Bai Lu handed the booklet to Zhao Jiaqi and translated the shopkeeper's words.
Zhao Jiaqi smiled. She could tell if it was true or not at a glance.
The booklet had too many drawings and very thorough introductions. She indeed saw many precious plants within.
For example, purple cabbage, old cucumbers, and some tropical fruits, mixed in with some grain seeds!
The appearance of the seeds corresponded to the drawings in the booklet. The shopkeeper hadn't lied.
"Ask him if I can have all the seeds from this booklet. And ask if he'll give me the booklet too. If not, then I won't buy these seeds!"
When Bai Lu translated, the shopkeeper wasn't sure if he had heard correctly and asked again, "All of them? My... my shop has quite a lot of seeds. That will cost a considerable amount of money. Are you sure you want all of them?"
Bai Lu replied with certainty, "As long as the price is reasonable and you include the booklet, no matter how many seeds your shop has, we'll take it all!"
Fearing that the shopkeeper wouldn't believe her, Bai Lu added, "Our master is a wealthy landowner. We have plenty of land, but not much else!"
The shopkeeper thought, no matter how big a landowner they were, could they even plant seventy to eighty thousand catties of seeds?
However, that was none of his business. As long as he could sell the goods and make money, he would be content!
"Yes, yes, I have many more copies. If your lady wants them, I'll give them to you. However, all the seeds in my shop add up to at least tens of thousands of catties. As for the money..."
Seeing him skillfully count on his fingers, Bai Lu smiled, "We'll pay with bank notes, with no delay. But the seeds you sell must be of good quality. If there's anything else mixed in, I can guarantee that whether your shop has been open for many years or not, I will make it disappear within a day!"
The shopkeeper dared to guarantee this, "Absolutely no problem, you can rest assured about this!"
In fact, the shopkeeper didn't take Bai Lu's words to heart at all. His mind was filled with thoughts of his shop being completely cleared out, and the substantial profit he was about to make!
These people weren't just distinguished guests; they were clearly gods of wealth!
Bai Lu took out a five-thousand-tael bank note as a deposit and gave it to the shopkeeper, "You sort out the goods in the next two days. Specify the weight and price of each type of seed, and pack them properly, ensuring they are waterproof. Once that's done, deliver them directly to the army camp stationed outside the city and hand them over to Prince Dong. The remaining money will be settled on the spot!"
Outside the city!
The army camp!
Prince Dong?
Every time this woman spoke, he was baffled.
There was indeed a troop stationed outside Yang City, but he knew with certainty that there was only a deputy general in the camp, and no prince!
Besides, their country had no kings of different surnames or imperial princes, so where did this Prince Dong come from!
Seeing that Bai Lu didn't seem like she was lying, the shopkeeper sheepishly asked, "Madam, there is an army camp outside the city, but the deputy general inside is a relative of mine. I am very sure there is no Prince Dong inside. Is it possible that this Prince Dong's surname is Dong and his given name is Wang?"
If that were the case, it would be a grave offense!
Bai Lu shook her head, "The elite soldiers of Yun Kingdom are stationed outside the city, led by the Prince Dong of Yun Kingdom. I am not mistaken. Please arrange it as instructed, and remember you must deliver it within two days!"
With that, Bai Lu left the shop to catch up with her lady who was shopping ahead.
It took the shopkeeper a while to react. These people were from the royal family of Yun Kingdom, and they were traveling with the renowned God of War of Yun Kingdom!
At that moment, his mouth widened even further, and his heart pounded. It wasn't unreasonable for this woman to say that she could make his shop disappear in a day!
That statement was not false at all. Everyone in Zongsheng Kingdom knew that the Empress came from the royal family of Yun Kingdom!
The shopkeeper immediately closed his shop and led his assistants to the warehouse to count the goods. Any seeds with flaws were to be picked out.
Meanwhile, Zhao Jiaqi and her entourage were browsing the fabric stores!
Bai Lu, with her keen sense for business, bought some of each type of fabric that was good quality and had novel designs.
"Madam, if I were to make slight changes to these styles and then sell these clothes back here, do you think the designer would be infuriated!"
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the earnest Bai Lu and chuckled, "Whether the designer gets angry or not, I don't know. But doing that is just making a mountain out of a molehill!"
Bai Lu pouted and stomped her foot, complaining coquettishly, "Madam, you don't know how hard it is to find a good designer these days. I'm forced to do this!"
Zhao Jiaqi: "So, you want to innovate. I'll give you a suggestion!"
"What?"
"The social customs in Zongsheng Kingdom are open. You can be bolder in your clothing designs. For example, you could modify our ruqun to make them appear more curvaceous, or perhaps reveal a bit more cleavage, making them more sexy and alluring, truly eye-catching!"
"For instance, for the sleeves of the skirts, they could go from narrow to wide, with some ruffled edges at the cuffs, and so on. Although this design is bold, how will you know if it can succeed if you don't try!"
When Zhao Jiaqi said this, it wasn't just Bai Lu who was dumbfounded; even the people around them were bewildered!
Such a conservative lady actually had such... vulgar ideas! If they followed her description, it would be no different from exposing their chests and breasts!
Bai Lu finally recovered, and Zhao Jiaqi gave her another blow.
"You could also redesign the肚兜 (dùdōu, traditional Chinese bodice) and 亵裤 (xièkù, underwear). For example, wearing these items could make something less prominent become more so... understand?"
Bai Lu felt like crying but had no tears.
She understood, but her understanding was only superficial!
The key was, how could she make that... thing... go from flat to prominent?
Wasn't this making things difficult for her?
Did she have to visit a brothel to research this?
When the topic shifted, Fan Zehao and Gao Wenbin instinctively took a step back. Even Su Ya felt too embarrassed to listen, her face turning as red as the iron being heated on a stove!
After a round of sightseeing, they saw many novelties, ate many good things, and sold many good items. A certain person, content, returned to the army camp.
The next day, Zhao Jiaqi had a rare peaceful day, sitting in the tent writing and drawing. When Su Ya served her, she discovered that the madam was actually designing clothes!
From the drawings, the color combinations, the clothing styles, and the rendered illustrations were truly beautiful!
"Madam, is this the outfit you were talking about last night, with the exposed neckline?" Su Ya whispered mischievously.