A group of noble ladies performed a deep curtsy to the Seventh and Sixth Princesses upon their entrance.
Although royal princesses held a noble status, all present were daughters of prominent families from the capital. The Seventh Princess, confident in her own standing, understood the importance of "honoring the virtuous" and sought to build connections for the Second Prince.
"Your Highness, please take the honored seat," Miss Zhang quickly gestured for the two princesses to be seated.
The maids serving in the tea room brought out Biluochun, a favorite of the two princesses, which had been prepared in advance as the princesses attended banquets at the Zhang manor every year.
"Everyone, please do not be formal. Sit down and let's talk," the Seventh Princess, seated in the main seat, spoke first. Her gaze, filled with disdain, swept over the Sixth Princess, seated to her right. Even if she was an elder sister, so what?
Wen Ruyi, being the foremost among the noble ladies of the capital, and also a cousin to the Seventh Princess, naturally took the first seat on the lower tier in such a gathering. Miss Chen, her equal in status, moved back one seat upon seeing this, leaving the seat next to her for Zhe Jing.
The other noble ladies took their seats in order. Zhan Feiyu, unconcerned with the seating arrangement, sat in a chair near the door.
"The color of the rouge Your Highness is wearing today is so unique," Wen Ruyi said with a smile, her eyes fixed on the corner of the Seventh Princess's lips.
The other noble ladies also noticed at this moment that the Seventh Princess's rouge was a shade lighter than theirs. More importantly, the light pink hue exuded a delicate and moist radiance, unlike their own rouge which appeared heavy when applied thickly and unevenly when applied thinly.
Moreover, with the charcoal braziers burning in the rooms during winter, the dryness would make applying rouge uncomfortable. Speaking for too long would also lead to dry lips.
How could it be that the Seventh Princess's lips looked so moist, like a lotus in summer adorned with dew, appearing fresh and succulent?
"This is a formula developed by Meiren Zhuang before the New Year. It was sent to the palace first, and it is estimated that the Meiren Zhuang shops will sell it after the New Year," the Seventh Princess declared proudly, glancing again with pride at the Sixth Princess, who was holding her teacup and drinking tea by herself. "It's a pity that Sixth Imperial Sister does not care for dressing up. Otherwise, she could try this rouge."
Meiren Zhuang had only sent out thirty tubes of rouge in total, in two colors. In the palace, besides the Empress, Consort Min was the most favored. Therefore, the Empress had both colors, with four tubes remaining. The remaining sixteen tubes were distributed among the consorts and concubines of various ranks, with each receiving only one tube.
Consort Min was indeed favored, hence she had both colors. Consort Min kept the deep red rouge, and this light pink one was given to the Seventh Princess.
Upon hearing this, Zhan Feiyu couldn't help but look up at the main seat. It seemed the collaboration between Meiren Zhuang and the Prince Yu's manor was indeed profitable. With this rouge being sent to the palace for the consorts and concubines to use first, Zhan Feiyu could easily imagine how popular the Meiren Zhuang shops would be after the New Year.
Enjoying the admiration of the noble ladies, the Seventh Princess's gaze shifted and she noticed Zhan Feiyu looking at her. She hooked her lips and said casually, "If Miss Zhan likes it, this princess can ask Meiren Zhuang to reserve a couple of tubes for Miss Zhan."
Scarcity creates value! The top-tier cosmetics from Meiren Zhuang were not only expensive but also sold in limited quantities. More importantly, some items were only sold to Meiren Zhuang's established high-status clients. Others, even with double the money, could not buy them.
The Seventh Princess's words implied a subtle mockery of Zhan Feiyu's lowly status, suggesting she wouldn't be able to buy the new rouge that Meiren Zhuang was about to sell. The Seventh Princess, however, was willing to bestow a couple of tubes upon her.
Was the Seventh Princess here to avenge Miss Wen? The other noble ladies exchanged knowing glances, then either raised their teacups to drink or pretended not to notice the Seventh Princess provoking Zhan Feiyu, choosing to be mere spectators.
"Your Highness, you may not know, but Miss Zhan is arrogant and does not even regard us noble ladies of the capital with respect. Now that she has hitched herself to the Forbidden Dragon Guard, let alone rouge, perhaps Meiren Zhuang can be transferred to her name," Zhe Jing scoffed unceremoniously. This lowly girl, wasn't she usually so arrogant? Why was she silent now that the Seventh Princess was here?
Zhan Feiyu raised her eyebrows and retorted with a smile, "Miss Zhe, are you implying that the Forbidden Dragon Guard resorts to extortion?"
"I did not say that," Zhe Jing glared fiercely at Zhan Feiyu, not daring to truly slander the Forbidden Dragon Guard.
However, everyone in the capital knew that the Forbidden Dragon Guard was a formidable force. If the Forbidden Dragon Guard set their sights on Meiren Zhuang, even Prince Yu's manor might not be able to protect it.
"Rouge is a trivial matter. However, this princess has heard that Zhan girl has some connection to You Haoran's death," the Seventh Princess's voice rose slightly, her beautiful and noble face showing undisguised hostility.
"The Marquis's wife has been bedridden since the end of last year due to the tragic death of her only son. Zhan girl, perhaps you could go to the Wu'an Marquis's manor on my behalf and offer three sticks of incense before You Haoran's memorial tablet, to appease the Marquis's wife's maternal heart."
At the end of last year, Princess Rui had personally gone to Huai Shu Alley with the intention of taking Zhan girl away from the Forbidden Dragon Guard, but unfortunately, she returned empty-handed. Now, the Seventh Princess bringing up the old matter caused the noble ladies present to speculate that the Seventh Princess's actions were also aimed at leveraging the Wu'an Marquis's influence within the military.
Of course, the Seventh Princess's actions were also for the Second Prince. After all, the First Prince was skilled in martial arts and had led troops in battles in his early years, thus having some connections.
The Second Prince, on the other hand, excelled in literature. He had previously served in the Ministry of Personnel, and two years ago, the Emperor transferred him from the Ministry of Personnel to the Ministry of Rites, a rather insignificant department. The First Prince, who enjoyed wielding swords and spears, was transferred from the Ministry of War to the Ministry of Revenue, dealing with money and account books all day.
What puzzled the court officials even more was that the Fourth Prince, who had always been frail, was appointed to the Ministry of Personnel, the foremost of the six ministries. The Third Prince was entrusted by the Emperor with the important task of inspecting the border regions and did not return to the capital even for the New Year.
It was not just the court officials who could not discern which prince the Emperor favored more or whom he intended to establish as the crown prince. The princes themselves could not fathom the Emperor's intentions. They all felt they had a chance, yet also felt they had no chance, thus they could only rely on themselves.
The Second Prince was currently in the Ministry of Rites, far from real power. If he could gain the support of the Wu'an Marquis's manor, it would indeed be a great help.