Chapter 124: A Business Partner

Chapter 124

A Business Partner

The next day, Nie Shuang went to the palace to meet Princess An Le. Given the events of the previous day, she didn’t feel comfortable bringing her children to meet strangers, especially in the royal palace, where people’s intentions were often hard to read. If anything were to happen to her children, even the smallest mishap, she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

After a report was made, Nie Shuang waited for a while before a eunuch from the princess’s palace came to escort her in. Upon seeing her, Princess An Le immediately rushed over, happily grabbing her hands.

"Sister Nie! It’s so wonderful that you’re back! I’ve been following your news through Eunuch Wang. You’re truly amazing. Not only have you fought against local powerful figures, but you’ve also expanded your business. Now, everyone in the royal palace drinks only your tea. Throughout the whole of the Ye Region, Xiangyun’s tea is considered rare and valuable. And that tea ceremony—I heard they’re even planning to invite a teacher from the Huangjing Academy to teach it here."

Seeing the princess’s excited demeanor, Nie Shuang smiled warmly. After two years of not seeing each other, the princess had grown into a beautiful young woman, though a trace of her playful mischief remained.

"Your Highness, please have a seat and take your time speaking. I’m here to visit, and I’m in no rush to leave."

An Le smiled bashfully before looking around and asking curiously,

"What about my little nephews and niece? Didn’t you bring them with you?"

Nie Shuang shook her head.

"I didn’t know who we might encounter, so I was worried there could be people with ill intentions towards them."

The princess nodded in understanding but couldn’t hide her disappointment.

"Wang Dongpo told me they’re triplets and absolutely adorable. I was so excited to see them. In that case, can I follow you back to meet them?"

Nie Shuang chuckled at the young princess’s eagerness.

"Are you allowed to leave the palace?"

"Why not? While you weren’t in the capital, I snuck out dressed as a man and strolled through the city several times,"

An Le said proudly.

Nie Shuang thought for a moment. With Princess An Le’s noble status, she couldn’t risk anything happening to her. The house she had purchased was guarded by only a few trusted members from the protection agency, so it wasn’t suitable for hosting the princess. Since she was already planning to visit the Hou at the manor with the triplets, it would be better for the princess to meet them there.

"I’m taking the children to the Yong An Hou Manor this evening. You can meet them there if you like."

The princess frowned upon hearing this. Hadn’t Nie Shuang returned to resume her role as the Young Furen?

"Aren’t you staying at the Hou Manor, Sister Nie?"

Nie Shuang smiled and explained the situation.

"Actually, I’ve returned this time to open a tea house in the capital. I haven’t returned as the Hou Manor’s daughter-in-law."

She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should continue.

"Oh, I thought you and the General had reconciled. When you fled, the General canceled his marriage with Chen Yuelan and fled back to the border. He even told people that he had taken you to live with him in the northern frontier. Everyone still thinks you’re Yong An Hou’s daughter-in-law."

"In fact, in three months, there will be a wedding between Young Miss Chen and Song Ren. This hasn’t been widely announced yet, likely because the Hou and Master Chen are worried about facing further embarrassment if things change again."

An Le’s eyes widened upon hearing this.

"Song Ren? The General’s younger brother? Chen Yuelan is shameless. If she can’t marry the older brother, she goes after the younger one. What on earth is she planning?"

"I don’t care about any of that. It’s internal business for the Yong An Hou Manor. Whoever they want to marry into their household has nothing to do with me. My only concern is running my business well."

Hearing this, An Le lost interest in Chen Yuelan and turned her attention to the topic of business that Nie Shuang mentioned.

"Sister Nie, are you planning to open another tea house in the capital?"

"That’s right. Xiangyun Tea House will open a branch here. This time, Kang Wang is interested in investing as well. He even allowed us to use his tiger emblem alongside the auspicious cloud design as the store’s symbol."

Princess An Le’s eyes sparkled, and she spoke with a playful tone.

"Can I invest too? I don’t need any special symbols like Brother Wuqian. I just want to be part of the fun."

Nie Shuang laughed at the princess’s words, wondering when her business had become a source of amusement for the royal family.

"Are you sure, Your Highness? Business always comes with risks. What will you do if it doesn’t yield the profits you expect?"

"That’s no issue at all. I have plenty of personal wealth, and my allowances are quite generous. If anything goes wrong, Sister Nie, you can always come to me for more funds. But I’m confident that with your skill, any investment will bring great returns."

Hearing the reply, Nie Shuang began explaining her business plan. Although Princess An Le didn’t fully grasp all the details, she listened intently. She had never taken on any serious projects before, always living a carefree life. The thought of being part of Sister Nie’s impressive business venture excited her greatly. She started imagining a tea house filled with storytellers and wandering martial artists like those in the romantic novels she enjoyed, but in the end, all she heard was talk of numbers and operational planning. Nonetheless, An Le nodded as if she understood everything and confidently assured Nie Shuang.

"Whatever you need me to do, just say the word, and An Le will make sure it happens. As for profits, I don’t care. I’m just happy to be involved."

Nie Shuang laughed fondly.

"That won’t do. I need to inform Kang Wang first that we have an additional investor. After that, we’ll finalize the terms of the return on investment."The two continued chatting for a while longer before Nie Shuang excused herself to return home. That evening, she still had to take the triplets to visit the Yong An Hou Manor and inform the Hou about Princess An Le’s visit. It was shaping up to be a very busy day indeed.