Harem Daily Life

Chapter 657 Deja Vu

Xinlan didn't expect to see someone who looked somewhat like Queen Tao, and this person happened to be the concubine of Prince Yong's brother.

She looked at the carriage the other person was riding in and frowned. "Since you are a concubine, you shouldn't ride in a carriage that only concubines and above can ride. Never mind, you are my brother Prince Yong's person, it's not my turn to control you. Wenhui, let's go."

Wenhui didn't say much. She got on the carriage and asked the driver to leave. Lin Yuanyuan's face was burning. After a while, she got back on the carriage. She no longer had the joy of going to the tailor shop to make clothes.

Her maid Xiao Cui advised: "Auntie, don't underestimate yourself. As long as the prince likes you, are you worried that he won't be able to help you ascend to the throne and become a concubine?"

Lin Yuanyuan smiled bitterly: "I am of low status, how could I have such a blessing? Please stop teasing me."

Xiao Cui said unconcernedly, "The princess has a high status, but she's not favored. The prince only visits her courtyard a few times a month. Princess Qinghe has a high status, but she's only slightly better than the princess, and the prince doesn't visit often. If it weren't for the little princess keeping him by his side, I'm afraid the prince wouldn't go over time. Only you, my aunt, have the prince stay in our courtyard for several days in a row. Doesn't that mean the prince treats you differently?"

Lin Yuanyuan was silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you for your kind words. I hope I can have a good future. By the way, our departure from the palace today was arranged by the nanny beside the princess. Since I can't use this kind of carriage, why did the nanny arrange it this way? I'm afraid she didn't do it on purpose to make me break the rules and be laughed at."

Before Xiao Cui came to serve Lin Yuanyuan, she was just a servant in the outer courtyard. How could she know all these intricacies? She had no choice but to persuade her: "Since the princess didn't say anything, you shouldn't take it to heart. Let's not care what Princess Xinlan says. After all, she is her and you are you."

Lin Yuanyuan sighed and did not continue the topic, but her mind was lost in the look that Princess Xinlan had just given her.

She asked suspiciously, "Xiao Cui, I've never seen the princess before, but why does she feel like she's seen me before? Do I look like someone she knows?"

Not only Princess Xinlan had this look in her eyes, but if you think about it carefully, Prince Yong also had this look in his eyes. When the two of them were in love, Prince Yong would always look at her with a tender gaze, and when the love was deep, he would call out the word "yan".

Lin Yuanyuan rubbed her brows. Although she had always told herself that she was just bought by the princess to be a concubine and should not have any greed, Prince Yong was so outstanding that she tried hard to get close to him and occupy a small position in his heart.

Xiao Cui rubbed her head and said, "Auntie, although I arrived at Prince Yong's Mansion earlier than you, I haven't met any nobles, so how can I know who you look like? Well, don't think too much. The tailor shop is almost here, let's go down quickly. The nanny beside the princess has told us that we can only be out for two hours, so we have to finish our business quickly and return."

Lin Yuanyuan had no choice but to put her thoughts aside and get off the carriage.

The shop they had come to was the same ready-made clothing shop that Tao Yanyan had asked Manager Sun to open. The shop was filled with beautiful dresses of all styles, and there was also a section dedicated to custom-made clothing, where they could take measurements and have it made to the customer's measurements.

Lin Yuanyuan looked at such a luxurious shop, his palms full of sweat, and he felt a little uneasy like a country bumpkin.

Manager Sun looked at the carriage of Prince Yong's mansion parked outside the door from afar, and hurriedly put down his work to go out to greet it. Unexpectedly, the person who came was not Prince Yong's wife, nor was it Princess Qinghe in the mansion, but a stranger.

Shopkeeper Sun was stunned for a moment, looked at the visitor's face for a few seconds, then quickly lowered his head, not daring to neglect him. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I wonder which of you from Prince Yong's Palace you are? Are you here to make clothes today?"

Xiao Cui stepped forward and nodded, "My concubine Lin wants to make two sets of clothes. Let's take measurements first."

When Manager Sun heard it was a concubine, he glanced at the carriage parked on the road and said, "Yes, then please come this way, Concubine Lin."

Lin Yuanyuan didn't know anything about fabrics, let alone matching and styles. She said anxiously, "Please help me choose the right fabric, boss."

Manager Sun used her expertise to get several kinds of materials for her to try on her skin tone. Then she looked at the person in front of her carefully and frowned.

However, Manager Sun came from the palace, and the expression on his face disappeared in a second. He smiled and said, "Well, Aunt Lin looks friendly and not very old. She should choose some brighter colors."

After saying that, Manager Sun selected three colors of fabric for Lin Yuanyuan, picked out three styles of patterns, measured her size, and wrote an order.

Seeing the words "twenty taels" on the order form, Lin Yuanyuan hurriedly stopped him and asked, "Why are your items so expensive? These three sets of clothes cost twenty taels?" Princess Yong had only spent twenty taels on herself. How could one person cost as much as three sets of clothes?

Manager Sun said with a smile, "Madam Lin, you may not know this, but this is the price we usually charge in our shop. If you buy the dresses hanging outside, it's cheaper. Your three dresses will cost about two taels. But this is the price for custom orders."

Lin Yuanyuan felt a little regretful. She thought the ten taels of silver she brought with her were enough, but she didn't expect that she was still short of half.

Manager Sun seemed to see her embarrassment and said, "Empress Dowager Hui and Princess Yong are both regular customers of our shop. You don't have to pay first. You can pay them after the clothes are finished and delivered to their house. This is how we usually do it."

Xiao Cui quickly pulled Lin Yuanyuan's sleeve and whispered, "Auntie, don't worry about the money. Let's go back quickly."

Lin Yuanyuan was a little nervous, but since the shopkeeper said so, she had no choice but to let her go. Manager Sun respectfully escorted the person out the door, his face full of humility.

After getting on the carriage, Manager Sun couldn't help but remind her, "Madam Lin, although this is our first meeting, I feel you are quite friendly. I would like to remind you that if you go out again in the future, please wear a veil. You have a beautiful face, and wearing a veil will save you a lot of trouble."

Lin Yuanyuan was stunned. She lifted the curtain of the carriage and asked suspiciously, "Is the shopkeeper really just being friendly to me? Or is he seeing who I look like?"

Manager Sun coughed lightly and said, "I can't say it's exactly like her, only about three-quarters of the way there. To avoid any inconvenience, it would be best if Madam covered her face with a veil."

After the carriage from Prince Yong's mansion left, Manager Sun shook his head, wondering whether he should find an opportunity to tell the Empress that Prince Yong was looking for a concubine who looked like the Empress. How could he look for one who looked like the Empress?