Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 919 - 921: Embarrassing (1)

Chapter 919: Chapter 921: Embarrassing (1)

The weather in June, like the face of a child, changes on a whim—last night was still clear and bright with a gentle breeze, but at daybreak, a drizzle began to patter from the sky. Cai Wei got up, tidied up a little, and then joined Zhao Yun in the horse carriage, leaving King Qin’s Mansion and heading straight for Zhenbao Pavilion.

Upon arrival, they found that Huo Yuan was already there, pacing outside the counters on the first floor of Zhenbao Pavilion, scrutinizing the items displayed within.

The counters on the first floor of Zhenbao Pavilion mainly cater to middle-class women. The counters against the back wall sell gold and silver jewelry, including many set with gemstones, though none are particularly expensive. The stones used are small, as are the gold items; the counters on the east side sell jade, agate, rhino horn, and similar trinkets; and those on the west side are dedicated to more affordable decorations like the Head rope, velvet flowers, as well as hairpins and bracelets carved from wood and bamboo, seemingly targeting customers below the middle class.

By the time Cai Wei arrived, Huo Yuan had nearly finished looking through the goods on the first floor, estimating their prices with striking accuracy. Seeing Cai Wei, Huo Yuan greeted her with a graceful smile, "Good morning!"

Cai Wei smiled apologetically, "Big Brother Huo is even earlier, I should have been the first to arrive."

Manager Dong was already waiting there and came forward eagerly when he saw Cai Wei, "Miss, shall we take a look upstairs?"

Cai Wei indeed intended to; the items on the first floor were common, and if a young lady from a wealthy family came, she certainly wouldn’t be impressed. Surely, the second floor must have many exquisite items; otherwise, Zhenbao Pavilion couldn’t justify being the second largest silver building in the Capital!

Arriving on the second floor, Cai Wei was not disappointed. True to its designation as a boutique area, the second floor was on an entirely higher level in both décor and service compared to the first floor. The counters and chair furnishings on the first floor were all made of elm wood, while those on the second floor were crafted from sour branch wood, and the workmanship was clearly much more refined. As for the jewelry displayed in the counters, there was a world of difference compared to that on the first floor.

Each piece of ingeniously crafted jewelry, each bright and shining jewel, dazzled Cai Wei to the point of dizziness, and even Huo Yuan, who was always picky, couldn’t help but nod in approval.

Manager Dong said with pride, "The jewelry worn by Madam and Miss of Our Home are all crafted by our own artisans. Many ladies and misses from official families also order their jewelry specifically from Zhenbao Pavilion. Although Zhenbao Building doesn’t have the same reputation as Masterpiece Building, when it comes to our master’s craftsmanship, it’s absolutely no less than Masterpiece Building’s masters. It’s just that our items aren’t as high-end as those of Masterpiece Building."

"However, we do have several stunning pieces that are a true asset to our establishment."

As he spoke, Manager Dong sidestepped into the counter, took out a double-layered carved and color-painted rosewood jewelry box from a small hidden compartment below and placed it on the counter. He opened it layer by layer; inside were two sets of Zhenbao Pavilion’s signature jewelry not displayed in the counter and generally not shown to the public due to their extreme value!

"Miss, take a look at this set of jade Head Decorations. Even the Madams in the Palace would be worthy of wearing them," Manager Dong commented while pointing at a set of top-quality jade on the first layer.

Following his finger, indeed, there was a set of exquisite jade, completely green with not a single impurity. However, the design was slightly outdated, seemingly prepared for middle-aged and older noblewomen.

"And this set of Amethyst Jade Head Decorations, the newly married lady of Wuchang Duke saw it yesterday, she took a liking to it at first glance, but alas, she considered it too pricey to buy."

Turned out to be the jewelry that Du Wanqing had her eye on, Cai Wei couldn’t help but look a few times more. It was an eighteen-piece set of jade jewelry, all made of deep and light shades of purple jade, consisting of Royal Purple, Blue Purple, Red Purple, Pink Purple, Lavender. No matter which color, the quality of the jade was top-notch, and the carving was even more exquisite.