Chapter 90: Second Brother Makes Money Again

Zhou Feng was momentarily stunned before replying slowly, “I’m from Qingzhou Prefecture. I only recently arrived in the capital.”

Han Yan’er raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Qingzhou Prefecture? I know that place. It’s a wonderful region.”

As she spoke, she fluttered her long eyelashes and carefully examined Zhou Feng. “That mole on your face is really in an unfortunate spot. If it weren’t there, your looks would probably rank quite highly in the capital.”

Zhou Feng lowered his head slightly. “This mole is something I was born with. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Han Yan’er chuckled, finding him even more interesting.

Just then, two more young ladies entered the shop. One was Minister Wu’s youngest daughter, the younger sister of Consort Wu, and the other was the legitimate daughter of Minister Zhang.

The two girls glanced at the perfumes in the shop before sneering coldly. “Where did this country bumpkin come from? Running to our capital to open a perfume shop?”

Zhou Feng had once seen Third Miss Wu from a distance when he was in the palace, so he immediately recognized her. A surge of hatred welled up in his heart.

His voice turned icy. “If you’re not here to buy perfume, please leave.”

Third Miss Wu froze for a moment before snapping, “How dare you tell me to leave? Do you have a death wish? Do you even know who I am? My elder sister is none other than Her Highness, the Noble Consort!”

Zhou Feng, of course, knew exactly who she was. He stared at her coldly, his hands trembling slightly. If not for his naturally composed temperament, he might have already lunged at her and torn her apart.

Han Yan’er, standing nearby, seemed to sense his anger. Stepping forward with large strides, she stood behind Third Miss Wu and raised an eyebrow. “Third Miss Wu, are you trying to bully others with your status?”

Third Miss Wu twisted her body arrogantly and smirked at Han Yan’er. “Oh, it’s the young lady of the Han family. Shouldn’t you be feeding your horses? What are you doing here?”

She then glanced around the shop in disdain and mocked, “A rough girl like you wouldn’t possibly understand perfumes, would you?”

Han Yan’er’s brow furrowed. Without hesitation, she pulled out the riding whip from her waist and lashed it heavily across Third Miss Wu’s face. “Horses don’t need feeding today, but they do need training!”

The whip landed squarely on Third Miss Wu’s cheek, sending a sharp sting through her skin. She let out a pained yelp. “How dare you?!”

Han Yan’er showed no mercy. She kicked Third Miss Wu hard, sending her stumbling backward. “Are you planning to run to your sister and complain? Do you not realize that everyone in the capital now knows she gave birth to a freak? She’s the disgrace of our Xuan Yue Kingdom!”

Third Miss Wu was kicked out of the shop, tumbling onto the street. Struggling to her feet, her once neatly styled hair was now in a complete mess. She glared fiercely at Han Yan’er and gritted her teeth. “You… you just wait!”

Miss Zhang, standing nearby, hurriedly advised, “General Han is in power right now. You’d better not offend her!”

Third Miss Wu gritted her teeth, seething with anger, and stomped her foot in frustration.

Just then, from the upper floor, a flowerpot suddenly came crashing down, landing squarely on Third Miss Wu’s head.

Before she could even react, there was a loud thud, and she collapsed, knocked unconscious by the impact.

Han Yan’er burst into laughter at the sight. “Serves her right! This is what they call divine retribution!”

She then turned to her servants and ordered, “Take her away and throw her to the side. I don’t want her in my sight!”

“But, Miss Han, this…” Miss Zhang hesitated, but Han Yan’er shot her a sharp glare, silencing her instantly.

The nearby servants promptly lifted the unconscious Third Miss Wu and dumped her on the roadside.

The street was bustling with people, and now, a noble young lady lay sprawled on the ground—an utter disgrace.

Miss Zhang wanted to call for help but, intimidated by Han Yan’er, dared not move.

With Third Miss Wu finally subdued, customers once again started trickling into Zhou’s shop.

The noble ladies and young misses of the capital had an appreciation for fine fragrances. They were utterly captivated by the perfumes, each purchasing a bottle.

Unlike in Cheng’an County, where a single bottle sold for fifteen taels of silver, here in the capital, it was priced at twenty taels.

For the wealthy sons and daughters of noble families, it was all about exclusivity—the more expensive something was, the more desirable it became, as it signified their status.

Thus, in just a single day, Zhou Feng managed to earn a full two hundred taels of silver—an amount that would be a fortune for an ordinary household.

Without delay, he wrote a letter to inform the Zhou family in Changliu Village about the business situation in the capital.

It wasn’t until half a month later that the Zhou family received his letter.

Madam Zhou held the letter in her hands, beaming. “Ruiyuan, your second brother says business in the capital is going well. In another half a month, he’ll return home to pick up more stock. Judging by the date on the letter, he should be back any day now.”

Zhou Ruiyuan emerged from the house, carrying a bowl of freshly brewed prenatal medicine. He set it in front of Du Wanchun, gently blowing on it to cool it down before replying, “That’s good. Once he returns, we can move into the new house.”

Du Wanchun took the medicine from his hands, then turned to Madam Zhou with a smile. “Mother, did Second Brother mention anything else?”

Madam Zhou continued reading, but as she reached the end of the letter, her expression darkened slightly. “He said that Consort Wu had a miscarriage and gave birth to a monstrous creature—neither male nor female.”

As she spoke, a hint of unease flickered across her face. “The emperor was furious and has now turned his favor to a newly arrived concubine, Consort Ru.”

Just as she finished speaking, Zhou Zhao, who had just entered the room, let out a satisfied chuckle. He stood up and said, “Serves her right. This is karma.”

Madam Zhou lowered the letter slowly, a faint but bitter smile appearing on her lips. “Yes, it’s truly retribution. As the saying goes, ‘Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.’ But the emperor hasn’t deposed her yet. I suppose her real suffering is still to come.”

Zhou Zhao poured himself a cup of water and downed it in one gulp. “Mother, don’t worry. The way she treated you back then, she’ll receive the same treatment sooner or later.”

Madam Zhou silently folded the letter and nodded in agreement.

Although Consort Wu was no longer as favored as before, her family still held power. It wouldn’t be easy to remove her just yet.

However, Madam Zhou firmly believed that one day, the truth about the wicked deeds that woman had committed would be exposed for all to see.