Chapter 294: Chapter 294
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Han Qiao asked someone to chop the pork into pieces and then put salt into the pot to stir-fry.
While the salt was frying, she added fragrant leaves, aniseed, and ca.s.sia.
“This is just for the sake of raising the fragrance. It won’t affect the taste much.”
“When the salt is hot, don’t be too hasty to put the pork in. Scoop it into the bucket and let it cool.”
“If the pork isn’t very dirty, don’t wash it. Clean up the blood on the pork before marinating it.”
“It’s best if the pork doesn’t get wet.”
Han Qiao explained it in detail and even demonstrated it personally. Then, she let the people who came to do it themselves personally.
Men did not do housework at home, but women got used to it very quickly.
It was not difficult to marinate pork.
They knew what to do at first glance, and then practice made perfect.
When it came to making sausages, the disadvantage began to show.
The pig’s small intestine was very thin, so they had to be careful when pouring the filling into it. If they used too much force, the skin would easily break.
Too light filling or too much filling would not work either.
“Making sausages requires seasoning.”
Some people like spicy food, while others like mild dishes.
However, no matter what the taste was, you had to prepare the ingredients well. Don’t chop the pork, just slice it. That way, it would be more fragrant.
Han Qiao had done quite a bit herself.
There were many people in the family, so there were more mouths to feed.
Han Qiao would also tell them how to make bacon and sausages.
She had never thought of earning much money from these two, but she would earn something.
And even if they learned it, not everyone would open a shop for these foods specifically. Some people would find it troublesome and would not do it, so they would go outside to buy them instead.
In short, as long as they worked hard, they would not starve to death.
Meanwhile, in the city…
In the Gong Prince Consort’s shop…
A few women had brought their maids to eat, and they all ordered the most expensive dishes in the restaurant.
After eating, they wanted to leave just like they used to before.
But today, they were stopped.
“You dirty slaves, get lost!”
“I’m sorry, our restaurant doesn’t allow you to pay later.”
Li Wenya looked angrily at the shop a.s.sistant who stopped her. She raised her eyebrows slightly, “What did you say?”
“Our manager said that no matter who comes to the restaurant to eat, they must pay. Even the Gong Prince, Consort Fei, the crown prince, and the rest of the royal family will receive the same treatment.”
Li Wenya was so angry that she laughed.
She had been eating in this restaurant for more than ten years and had never paid for it.
“Do you know who 1 am? I’m—”
“No matter who you are, please pay the bill. A total of 120 taels.”
The other women looked at Li Wenya with a strange gaze.
She was the daughter of a concubine in the royal court. Even though she was conferred the t.i.tle of princess, her rank was still much weaker than Li Mi, the daughter of the first wife.
Moreover, her mother was a secondary consort. She was not as rich as Consort Fei and did not have a good family background as well. She was jealous of them.
Li Wenya took a deep breath, “Just you wait.”
She asked the servant girl to pay.
She then went to the Gong Prince’s consort’s other shops, thinking that he could just take some things just like before. It wasn’t much, it wasn’t too expensive, and she didn’t have to pay.
She felt dignified and ent.i.tled.
But today, no matter which shop it was, they all said that the manager had instructed that no matter who it was, they were not allowed to owe money. They had to pay.
Li Wenya was so angry that she almost exploded.
She went straight back to the Imperial Residence and ran to the study, crying as she ran.
“Father!”
The Gong Prince doted on his daughter.
He loved his daughter despite all her flaws
Seeing her come back crying, his heart naturally ached, “What’s wrong?”
“Father, you must seek justice for your daughter!”
She cried and cried as she retold her experience at the restaurant and was stopped to pay. She also told her father how she went to the shop to take things and was also asked to pay.
If she didn’t pay, she would have to put the things back and she emphasized how the staff “threatened” to kick her out of the shop.
The Gong Prince’s expression only became colder as she spoke.
“So all these years, you’ve been freeloading at your mother’s shop?”
Li Wenya was stunned.
This response was different from what she had imagined.
“Father—”
“Alright, when you go to Consort Fei’s shop in the future, no matter what it is, you have to pay, even if you only take a needle.”
The Gong Prince asked Li Wenya to return.
He even personally went to Secondary Consort Wen’s side and accused her of not teaching her daughter well.
He accused her had teaching his daughter to be shallow and only knew how to be greedy. Now that she was like this in her maternal family, what about when she married in the future?
That was the Consort Fei’s dowry shop, how could they go there and take everything for free?
He then asked Secondary Consort Wen, “Have you been there before?”
Secondary Consort Wen panicked when she heard this.
“I… I-”
“How much did you take? Immediately send everything you stole back to Consort Fei. If you can’t return everything, you should reflect on yourself.”
The Gong Prince was so angry that he flicked his sleeves and left.
Secondary Consort Wen was so fl.u.s.tered that she was out of her wits. She quickly ordered people to pack the silver and personally went to Consort Fei’s courtyard.
Consort Fei accepted the silver notes and asked someone to bring the abacus and bill.
“Since the Secondary Consort sent the silver over, then let’s settle the score, lest you think I’m taking advantage of you.”
She didn’t know the details, but Consort Fei was shocked regardless.
The three of them had taken a total of 510,000 taels of silver from her.
And the silver that Secondary Consort Wen brought over was only thirty thousand silver.
Consort Fei sent them away like a beggar.
Consort Wen knelt down in panic. “Your Highness! Your-”
“Since you’re here to return the silver, you should know how much you’ve taken from me. I’m not calculative not because of you, but because of his highness.”
“You’re just a secondary consort, what right do you have to take the things from the first wife? Men, go and invite His Highness over.”
The Gong Prince learned of this on the way to his first wife’s courtyard.
He never dreamed that they would take so much.
Moreover, there were records of every single thing. He had seen many things on Secondary Consort Wen and Li Wenya.
“Your Highness, since Secondary Consort Wen wants to return the things she took, she should return it all, don’t you think so?” The Consort Fei held the thirty thousand silver and smiled coldly.
The Gong Prince’s face turned ashen.
“Go get it.”
She didn’t believe that Secondary Consort Wen didn’t have money.
Secondary Consort Wen ran back to get the silver notes in a panic.
She did have it, but after taking them out of her savings, she didn’t have much left.
The Gong Prince’s consort smiled and asked the Gong Prince, “Your Highness, you must be fair. Don’t let the concubine’s left hand come to my side and your right hand goes behind their backs. If that’s the case, 1 won’t agree.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t be so foolish.”
Prince Gong’s first wife did not care.
When the silver notes reached her hands, she didn’t give them to the Gong Prince. Instead, she took them to buy wasteland. The t.i.tle deed and house deed were all in Li Mi’s name.
This was the dowry for her daughter.
She even bought a big house for her daughter in the capital.
Secondary Consort Wen only found out about these things later.
However, there was nothing she could do. The distinction between wives and concubines was clear.
Li Wenya was also reprimanded and punished to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors.
In the blink of an eye, it was December.
The people Li Wenya sent out finally found out that the manager of those shops was the same person, Han Qiao.
A woman who had remarried.
A rumor suddenly began to spread in Chenzhou City.
The gossip talked about how that widowed woman brought her three daughters to marry a hunter. Although n.o.body mentioned their names, people could guess who they were.
It was very obvious.
Almost as soon as the rumor started, Zeng Asan caught the person who was spreading it.
Following the clues, he caught the mastermind.
Han Qiao took a deep breath, “Bring her along. 1’11 go see the Gong Prince’s
consort..”