Qin Shuying’s retort was swift and sharp, leaving Madam Xu speechless once again. Madam Xu realized with frustration how difficult it was to gain the upper hand against Qin Shuying in any verbal exchange. Gncing at the Old Madam, she saw a look of approval on her face for Qin Shuying’s words, which only made her angrier. She opened her mouth to argue—
At that moment, Xiangqin entered and announced, “Old Madam, the Master has returned and sent word that he will come immediately to pay his respects.”
Madam Xu’s eyes lit up with hope. With Qin Yongtao here, surely this sharp-tongued girl wouldn’t be able to talk her way out of things. Overjoyed, Madam Xu anticipated that Qin Shuying would have to retreat alongside Madame Zou since it would be inappropriate for women to remain in the presence of a male head.
Moments ter, the room was cleared out, leaving Madam Xu alone. She clutched her handkerchief tightly, her knuckles turning white without her realizing it.
When Qin Yongtao entered, he first greeted the Old Madam respectfully before stepping out of the Xuantang Hall with Madam Xu.
“Master…” Madam Xu had barely started speaking when Qin Yongtao cut her off.
“There’s no need to say anything. I already know.”
Madam Xu was stunned. Qin Yongtao gnced at her with irritation. What has gotten into her tely? She’s becoming increasingly foolish. When he passed the departing young dies earlier, he had noticed Qin Shuying’s calm expression and immediately understood.
He couldn’t believe Qin Shuying had gotten hold of a recipe for red sugar. What shocked him even more was how, in just over a month, the sugar had become wildly popur, with prices soaring. It made him both envious and apprehensive.
At Yin Garden
Staring at the newly made red sugar before her, Qin Shuying’s mind wandered back to the past.
The Lu family had built their fortune on bck sugar. After her marriage, Qin Yaoyao began selling bck sugar during her spare time. What started as small-scale street vending gradually grew into a stall, then a shop, and eventually rge stores. By the time the family reached the capital, they had established three bck sugar shops. To support this growing business, Qin Shuying had constructed a warehouse on the outskirts of the city to store the sugar.
Last summer, an unprecedented storm swept through the capital, toppling the warehouse filled with bck sugar. After the storm, Qin Shuying began salvaging what she could, hoping to recover some of the losses.
As she cleared away debris, she discovered the sugar was buried under yers of mud. Though she had braced herself for this, the sight of the ruined sugar still sent a chill down her spine. This was the Lu family’s foundation, and the loss was devastating.
Driven by sheer determination, Qin Shuying plunged her hands into the mud, hoping for a miracle. When she finally pulled her hand back, she found a mixture of sugar and soil. On instinct, she tasted it and noticed something remarkable—the sugar hadn’t fully dissolved, its color had lightened to grayish-white, and its taste was refreshingly cool and sweet.
Her sharp business instincts kicked in. After handing over the cleanup to Mi Luo, she secretly collected a few scoops of the sugar-soil mixture and began experimenting on the estate. Even Mi Luo, her trusted confidante, was kept in the dark.
Through careful testing, Qin Shuying realized that the mud, combined with the storm’s elements, had created a unique reaction. After refining the process, she developed a method to remove the moisture from bck sugar, compact it into baskets, and cut deep grooves into the hardened sugar using specialized tools. She then covered the grooves with a specific type of filtered mud from a clear pond. This mud absorbed the bck sugar’s pigments and impurities, transforming the sugar into a superior product: red sugar.
When exposed to sunlight for a week, the mud hardened into a crust, which could be broken away to reveal clean, cool, and sweet red sugar beneath—of much higher quality than traditional cane sugar.
After two months of refining the process, Qin Shuying was confident she could produce red sugar on a rge scale. Eted by her discovery, she had pnned to share the secret with Lu Changxuan to solidify their family’s dominance in the sugar trade. However, fate intervened, and she was accused of adultery before she could reveal her findings.
Despite the setbacks, the heavens seemed to have granted her a second chance. Red sugar became her opportunity for a comeback.
Upon Mi Luo’s return, Qin Shuying entrusted her and her husband with the secret recipe, instructing them to produce red sugar in strict secrecy. Mi Luo, astounded by the new product, approached the venture with caution. Over the next three months, they constructed storage facilities and completed the bor-intensive preparations, unching the product just before year’s end.
Even with minimal marketing, the first batch of red sugar sold out in just half a month. The second batch followed the same trend, vanishing within days. Now, Mi Luo was racing to produce the third batch.
Red sugar had become a major obstacle to the Lu family’s bck sugar dominance—and Qin Shuying’s greatest advantage.
The next day, Qin Feifei returned to her maternal home.
Once again, Qin Shuying saw her in the Old Madam’s quarters.
During the New Year, Qin Feifei had naturally visited as well. At that time, the Sixth Prince, Qin Yongluo, Qin Kaile, and Qin Kaiyu had been unable to return to the capital, only sending New Year gifts in their stead.
Now, her belly was visibly swollen, and upon seeing Qin Shuying enter, a fsh of malice flickered in her eyes. However, it was quickly repced by a facade of warmth and affection. She said with a smile, "Grandmother, can you bear to see me bullied by Seventh Sister? Seventh Sister, come over here and tell everyone how you’ve been bullying me. Your business has crushed the Lu family’s trade to the point where their shops are practically deserted. I can't just let this slide."
Qin Shuying smiled calmly as she greeted the Old Madam and sat at her side. While massaging the Old Madam’s hands, she replied, "Third Sister, you’re expecting a child and should be focusing on resting. Business matters should be left to Brother-in-w. Why would he let you come here to plead for help? That’s not good for his reputation as an official. Moreover, isn’t Brother-in-w being inconsiderate? With you expecting, he should encourage you to rest and take care of yourself. All these trivial matters should be his responsibility.”
Qin Feifei’s face flushed with anger at Qin Shuying’s words, nearly fainting from the fury. Still, she remembered her purpose for coming and refrained from direct confrontation. Instead, she turned to the Old Madam, saying, “Grandmother, Seventh Sister’s sharp tongue really needs correcting. As her elder sister, I can’t even argue against her. I thought this would be a trivial favor, just the lift of her finger, yet she bmes me instead. The Lu family relies on their sugar business to survive, but now, they’re losing money and struggling to make ends meet. How are they supposed to live? Seventh Sister is cutting off the livelihoods of dozens in the Lu family! Such a cruel heart! If outsiders heard about this, how would they view the daughters of the Qin family?"
The Old Madam’s expression darkened instantly, her heart growing colder.
Is Xu’s family truly unable to stand seeing Qin Shuying survive? How has she raised her daughter to behave this way? Qin Feifei’s words painted such an ugly picture of Qin Shuying—if I weren’t here to protect her, would they consume her whole, bones and all? One Qin Yaoyao has already died an unclear death. Do they want Qin Shuying to share the same fate?
The Old Madam smmed her hand heavily on the table.
Qin Feifei, observing the Old Madam’s reaction, felt a surge of triumph. The Old Madam must be enraged by my words. Mother must have mishandled the situation. The Old Madam values family reputation and proper conduct above all else. As long as I hold onto that, she’ll surely turn against Qin Shuying. How could Mother fail at something so simple?
