The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 190 Hit the snake at the seven-inch mark (First Update)

Chapter 190: 190 Hit the snake at the seven-inch mark (First Update)

Li Xianyun looked at Yelu Qi, eyes curving into a smile.

Yelu Qi’s eyebrows slightly raised, although this woman was smiling, it didn’t reach her eyes, her enticing starry eyes shone brightly, clearly up to some mischief.

Sure enough, Li Xianyun covered her delicate white hand over her mouth, pretending to be surprised, and exclaimed loudly, "Ninth Prince, what are you doing here?!"

Her voice was not low, and many people around her heard it, turning their heads to look.

Rumors had it that the Ninth Prince was extremely handsome, spinning the daughters of noble families head over heels, some women even going to extremes for his sake.

The common people had only seen him from a distance during the Kurban festival, his figure indeed tall and poised, graceful and distinguished. They thought his appearance must be extraordinary, no doubt breathtaking and mesmerizing.

"The Ninth Prince, is it really the Ninth Prince?!"

"Go, let’s have a look."

"Opportunities like this don’t come by every day."

"Yes, let’s hurry, or we won’t be able to squeeze through later."

In a moment, passersby swarmed towards Yelu Qi, making him the center of attention.

Those close by knew what was going on, while those farther away, seeing the gathering crowd, joined out of curiosity.

Sometime later, Yelu Qi was surrounded by layers of people, packed so densely that not even water could seep through.

Li Xianyun, seizing the moment when Yelu Qi was taken aback, flicked her sleeve at him.

Yelu Qi only felt a fine powder assaulting him, causing a slight choking sensation.

He instinctively closed his eyes and covered his nose. By the time he opened his eyes to check, Li Xianyun had already squeezed her way out through the crowd.

Standing outside the crowd, she was just a small figure, looking at him triumphantly.

Yelu Qi’s eyebrows smoothed out, and a smile curled up at the corner of his mouth, taking all that had happened merely as Li Xianyun’s means of escaping, without reading too much into it.

Since childhood, he had always been the one doted on, never played by a woman like this, and of course, no woman dared to play tricks on him this way.

Feeling somewhat amused, he was not the slightest bit angry.

Perhaps it was because Li Xianyun was too beautiful, he was always lenient towards those with attractive appearances.

Within the crowd, there were those who had seen much of the world and recognized Yelu Qi.

"That’s the Ninth Prince. I was lucky to see him when the Grand Imperial Consort went on an excursion, and he even gave me a crispy cake to eat."

"I saw the Ninth Prince in a restaurant. There’s no mistake," another confirmed.

Seeing that he had been recognized, Yelu Qi could no longer simply walk away and had to manage the situation with a smile.

As the crowd grew larger, it became impossible for Yelu Qi to push his way out.

As some women seemed on the verge of touching Yelu Qi, the plain-clothes guards surrounded their master, glowered fiercely, and shouted, "Show some restraint!"

The guards were harsh, each one of them looking like a ferocious deity.

A man in the crowd spoke in a mocking tone, "It’s widely known that the Ninth Prince loves his people like his children; how can he allow his subordinates to be so aggressive? This is really unexpected."

His newly acquired concubine was standing on tiptoe, desperately peering inward, not even hearing what he had said, which left him feeling somewhat suffocated, raising his voice a bit more than usual.

Yelu Qi, valuing his reputation, couldn’t bear to see it tarnished and immediately chastised his guards, "Do not be rude!"

The plain-clothes guards quickly bowed, expressing their apologies, "Yes."

Having shaken off Yelu Qi, Li Xianyun, with Zhuo Ma and the rest of her entourage, swiftly rode towards Shitoutun.

Zhuo Ma looked at Li Xianyun with a smile, "Mistress, it’s the first time I’ve seen the Ninth Prince so flustered; it’s truly a breath of fresh air."

When the former Khan was alive, Yelu Qi had not spared any effort in slandering Yelu Yan in front of him.

Yelu Yan, far off in the military camp, had suffered his fair share of covert losses from Yelu Qi.

Yet, the world remained oblivious to Yelu Qi’s dark and shameless side, instead worshiping him as if he were a banished immortal—truly infuriating.

Li Xianyun turned to look at Zhuo Ma, her pleasant voice rising, "This is just the beginning, he will have more to suffer in the coming days."

Zhuo Ma’s eyes lit up, "Master, what did you do to the Ninth Prince just now?"

"I simply made some alterations to what he is most proud of—his appearance. For the next few days, he probably won’t dare show his face again, and we can have some peace."

Li Xianyun detested men who were excessively pretentious. He thinks he is handsome, doesn’t he? Then targeting his Achilles’ heel is the way to go—adding some color to his face to make him even more "handsome."

The group, laughing and talking, quickly arrived at the salt-alkali land to the west of Shitoutun.

When one is happy, it seems like everything you do goes smoothly.

After a few days’ absence, the salt-alkali land had undergone significant changes, with new Drying Rooms already constructed, and the grape-rack inside also completed, ready to be used in a few days.

The workshop had been completed as well.

Li Xianyun, accompanied by Tuotuo, inspected every room.

Inside the kitchen, the stoves and wooden racks were all in place, and in the other rooms, there were tables, stools, and cabinets as Li Xianyun had instructed.

Next, they could start buying apricots and peaches, while making candied apricot and peach slices.’

These tasks required the recruitment of many people—for purchasing fruits, making candied fruits, packaging them, transporting, and selling—each step needed capable personnel.

There were many issues to be concerned about.

Besides, a pressing issue needed Li Xianyun’s swift resolution.

Due to the snow disaster last winter, the Khitans were in a dire state; people barely managed to feed themselves, let alone have spare money to spend on luxuries like candied fruits.

Therefore, if she wanted to earn more money, they would have to sell the candied fruits and raisins to Houliang and Houtang through the Border Market.

Li Xianyun was considering going to the Border Market herself.

However, a trip to the frontier was a bother—requiring four or five days just for the round trip, and her status did not afford her the luxury of leaving at will.

One must consider the full implications of their actions; it’s always prudent to think things through.

After surveying the workshop, Li Xianyun called over Habu and several capable staff to organize the upcoming work.

She gave Habu a list, detailing the items to purchase. In addition, she gave him a hundred taels of silver, to cover the procurement costs and to pay the workers’ wages.

While buying supplies, they also needed to recruit workers.

They had to hire two individuals to purchase apricots and peaches, as the fruits needed to be fresh for making candied slices—the work of two would be sufficient for timely acquisitions.

Besides that, they had to recruit over twenty housewives accustomed to cooking to make the candied fruit. These women would not only make the candied fruit but also handle the packaging.

As for those involved in transportation and sales, there was no hurry to recruit them. They could be hired when necessary, which would save a considerable amount of costs.

Li Xianyun asked them to recruit people tomorrow morning and begin work in the afternoon. She would come again to teach them how to make the candied fruit.

Initially, she had thought of asking the Chief of the kitchen to teach them how to make the candied fruit, but fearing it might expose her identity, she decided it was better to do it herself.

After organizing the work, seeing that it was still early, Li Xianyun stayed behind to help with the grape purchases.

As Shart passed by with a basket full of shiny grapes, Li Xianyun called out to him.

Having not seen his benefactor for a few days, Shart was naturally all smiles upon seeing her again.

Li Xianyun looked at Shart and smiled, "When you saw me just now, why didn’t you come over?"

Shart scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, "I saw you were surrounded by people talking, and I was afraid of disturbing you, so I didn’t come over."