Chapter Sixty: Transaction

  "Resign?" The queen stood up in surprise: "Are you going to leave the palace?"

  "Yes." Xue Lengyu said: "Let's bid farewell to Niangniang and leave."

  The princess calmed down and sat down slowly: "Did the king allow you to leave?"

  "Yes." Xue Lengyu said: "The king does not allow it, Lengyu dare not take liberties."

  The princess's expression turned gloomy: "Since the king allows you, you naturally don't put me in your eyes."

  Xue Lengyu knew what the princess was concerned about, and smiled: "Princess, even if I leave the mansion, my promise to you will remain unchanged."

  The princess's eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope again, and she couldn't help but stare at Xue Lengyu: "Really."

  Xue Lengyu said bluntly: "Lengyu doesn't want to stay in the Wang Fu, only because she doesn't want to be the king's woman and lose her freedom. And Lengyu is willing to help the queen because she needs money. Now, even if she leaves the mansion, Lengyu still needs money, so the agreement between her and the queen is even more important."

  The princess thought for a moment and said with some reason. She slightly calmed down: "Why is the king willing to let you out of the mansion?"

  As for the banquet where Li Yan was present, Li Mu was indeed cold towards Xue Lengyu, but he also had some interest in her, and there was no reason to let her leave the mansion so easily.

  Xue Lengyu said, "Forcing someone to do something difficult is ultimately boring. Moreover, Shu Li Daren took pity on me and spoke a few words of affection, so the king magnanimously let me go free."

  "It's actually a rare departure from the norm." The queen couldn't help but feel slightly surprised. The young man standing beside Li Mu, who was always cold and detached, not only to Li Mu's other concubines but even to herself, had never shown any expression beyond mere courtesy. And yet, he was now speaking up for Xue Lengyu, a lowly servant. This was truly unexpected.

  The princess was only slightly surprised, and then she let it go. Yes, a woman like Xue Lengyu would make even herself, as a woman, glance sideways, not to mention men. She felt some relief that if Xue Lengyu really wanted to stay by Li Mu's side, she didn't know if one day she would regret bringing such a woman in.

  Not wanting to let the princess think too much about her emotional problems, Xue Lengyu said: "Your Highness, although I am now away from the mansion, our transaction can still continue, only in a different way. But I don't know if Your Highness is willing to listen to what I have to say."

  "It doesn't matter if we trade." The princess said: "You go ahead and say it."

  "Your Highness's requirements will not change, and you still want me to help you regain the king's favor. As for what I want, it is not much, just a fair exchange of services for compensation. So, I propose that we reach an agreement between us. I promise to fulfill all your requests, including helping you restore your slender figure. Additionally, I will formulate some skincare products for you, ensuring that while losing weight, your skin remains soft, white and radiant. Furthermore, I will help you devise a plan to rekindle the romance with the king. All these things, I will accomplish."

  "What should I do then?" The princess asked calmly.

  Xue Lengyu said, "I've left the Wang Fu and I must do something to make a living. After careful consideration, I realize that I'm not capable of doing physical labor. So, I plan to open a workshop selling cosmetics. Your Majesty only needs to pay normally when using my products and help me promote them after seeing obvious results."

  With the image of Mu Wang's queen as a spokesperson, what can't be sold? Xue Lengyu also thought it through, she only makes high-end products, even if the quantity is less, the packaging is exquisite, and each bottle sells for 10 or 8 taels of silver. Those noble ladies and young misses, as long as they can stay youthful forever, who would care about such a small amount of silver?

  "It's easy to say that one pays for what he gets." The princess said: "But how can I help you publicize?"

  Someone with her status can't show their face in public.

  "This is easier to handle." Xue Lengyu smiled and said: "After the princess regains the king's favor, there will certainly be countless wives of officials and nobles who come to visit and pay their respects. At that time, they will flatter the princess's beauty, and the princess only needs to say that it is because she used my product. Those ladies and young misses will remember it in their hearts and will naturally come to buy my things. In this way, the princess will be promoting for me."

  The princess thought carefully about Xue Lengyu's words, every word and sentence was something she had never heard before, and she needed to think about each one.

  Xue Lengyu smiled and waited for Wang Fei to think, with such a proposal, she really couldn't think of any reason why Wang Fei wouldn't agree.

  After a moment, the princess said: "Your proposal doesn't put me at a disadvantage. Are you afraid that after I gain the prince's favor, I'll go back on our agreement? At that time, you won't have any way to control me."

  Xue Lengyu smiled: "Your Majesty is being overly cautious, the two words 'transaction' weigh heavily on trust. Your Majesty seeks love, while I seek wealth; not only do we not conflict, but we can also benefit each other mutually. Even if Your Majesty receives favor, wouldn't you need to maintain your beauty? And what I require is merely a trifling effort from Your Majesty, so there's truly no reason for Your Majesty to go back on your word. When the day comes that Your Majesty and I are more familiar with each other, you will naturally understand that what I comprehend goes beyond this. And the help I can offer Your Majesty also goes beyond this."

  The princess burst out laughing: "Leng Yu, I've always known you're a fun and opinionated girl. Now that you're leaving the mansion, you're not as reserved with me as before. What you said is even more interesting than before. Don't worry, as long as I can regain the king's favor, what you did for me will be considered a great kindness. I won't let you down on those matters."

  "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness." Xue Lengyu bowed deeply to the queen. This time, it seemed that there was a certain guarantee for future business.

  The princess said: "Mei'er, bring one hundred taels of silver."

  "Yes." Mei'er responded, walked to the table, took a silver note from a small box, and handed it over to the princess.

  Xue Lengyu hastily said: "Your Highness, one does not accept rewards for no achievement. This money, at present Lengyu still cannot accept."

  "It's not for nothing." The queen said: "The recipe and exercise method you told me have benefited me a lot, so the fifty taels are payment for this. The other fifty taels are an advance from me to you, when you've made the cosmetics and sent them over, I'll deduct the money from here."

  Since that's the case, Xue Lengyu didn't push it anymore and accepted the money. He felt extremely regretful in his heart, thinking he shouldn't have taken those 100 taels of silver from Shu Li. Although Shu Li hadn't planned on paying him back, but if he had any integrity, he would have said something so firmly. Now, no matter what, he still wanted to return the 200 taels of silver, but once he returned that 200 taels of silver, he would be penniless again.

  Xue Lengyu took the money, and Wang Fei said: "After deducting this money, you can speak freely. It's not easy for a woman to do business outside, I won't let you suffer losses. Although I'm not extremely rich and noble, these small amounts of money are still affordable."

  Xue Lengyu slightly bowed: "It is indeed so, thank you, Your Majesty. Shu Li Daren is still waiting outside the courtyard, I will take my leave now, farewell, Your Majesty."

  The princess nodded, and Xue Lengyu retreated. This one farewell, finally, had to leave this place. Xue Lengyu's footsteps were indescribably light, as if he had finally put down a thousand-pound burden.

  Looking at Xue Lengyu's back, Lan'er didn't know whether she was disdainful or admiring, and said with a pout: "Your Ladyship, this Xue Lengyu is really different. He actually dares to negotiate with you like this and take your money. If it were someone else, they would be willing to lose money just to curry favor with Your Ladyship."

  The princess said, "I would rather she talk to me about money. At least with her kind of thinking, it won't harm us. If... if she really stays in the palace, I'm afraid that one day, the backyard of this palace will be her domain."

  The princess spoke seriously, and Lan'er couldn't help but say: "Your Highness, aren't you overestimating her?"

  The princess smiled slightly: "Overestimated? Lan'er, have you ever seen a woman who doesn't look down on the king? Xue Lengyu, she is different from us, and the king's mansion can't hold her."

  In fact, she envies such a free-spirited person in her heart, but the education she has received since birth has taught her how to make that kind of decision.

  The queen sighed softly in her heart. This queen's position was getting colder and lonelier by the day. Even with the love for Li Muo still in her heart, it was gradually unable to withstand the loneliness of a lifetime.