The Prime Minister’s Beloved Wife

In the afternoon, Bai Yu Yan was inspecting the dresses to be worn by mannequins which would be put on display. Due to the translucent roof that only allowed the reflected light to pass through, the dresses on display were protected from the direct sunlight and the whole room was cool unlike the scorching summer heat outside.

It was the second day since the opening of their shop. The end of the day was nearing but they hadn’t received even a single client. The servants were worried about it even if they didn’t show it on their face. Unlike the previous day when everyone’s attention was attracted by the new shop, today, Manager Gao had heard those same people were mocking the shop saying that even a crow didn’t seem to want to go there. Bai Yu Yan could see their initial enthusiasm was slowly fading away but she didn’t mind it at all. She had never expected a crowd of customers in the first place. A handful but loyal customers were what she was opting for.

The ring of the doorbell chime attracted everyone’s attention in the quiet shop. A young woman pushed the door and entered while appearing skeptical, “Madame, are you sure this is the shop we are looking for? This servant thinks we’ve got the wrong one.”

Manager Gao’s eyes briefly lit with expectation but hearing her words, he cautiously went forward to greet the guest with a smile. “Welcome, esteemed ladies!”

After the last time’s lesson from Bai Yu Yan which cost him his salary, Manager Gao had learned to behave appropriately to the customers rather than mindlessly offending them with impolite words. And Bai Yu Yan kept him for this very reason - his years of experience in adapting to the situations.

“Are you the manager of this shop? We would like to talk to the owner himself.” Following the young woman who seemed like a maid, two other women came inside.

As soon as the ladies entered through the door, Manager Gao could see that they were nobles of the capital. Without dawdling for a moment, he gestured to them, “This way please.”

Inside the display room, Bai Yu Yan was crouching down and pulling the dress of a mannequin left and right to see they were symmetrical on both sides. Hearing Manager Gao call her, she turned her head to look behind.

She saw two ladies and their maid were led inside by Manager Gao. One of them looked like she was in her early forties while the other seemed to be in her sixties. They were dressed in luxurious robes and gracefully carried themselves like the well-bred ladies of the noble house.

They felt the interior of the shop was completely different from the ordinary appearance of the outside. Their eyes momentarily stayed on Bai Yu Yan before the maid looked at Manager Gao. “I said we want to meet the owner of this shop. Where is he?”

“The Miss here, she is the owner of this shop.” Manager Gao pointed towards Bai Yu Yan with his chin.

Bai Yu Yan pushed herself up the ground and smiled towards the guests, “Welcome to Silver Closet. How can I be of help?”

The two ladies’ eyes flashed with a brief surprise. Firstly, it was their first time seeing a human-shaped mannequin perfectly standing in the beautiful dresses. And secondly, although they could see the young woman was also a noble lady, they thought she was a customer inspecting the dress. It was very rare for the ladies of noble houses to personally work outside. And even if they had properties (shops) under their name, it is entirely managed by someone else. So they hadn’t expected to meet a woman instead of a man.

The middle-aged woman amicably smiled at Bai Yu Yan. “Then, can we see the designer? I heard some of the dresses for the spring banquet were made from here. Is it true?”

“If you are talking about Consort Shu’s dress then it was indeed designed from here. I personally designed it.” Bai Yu Yan replied as she received the tea served by Xiao Fan and gestured to the ladies towards the resting couch.

The middle-aged woman was stunned by her words. She couldn’t believe that such a young lady could have the talent that became the talk of the town. Although not many people outside

knew about it, she had personally heard about it during her tea parties. So looking at the girl, who barely seemed nineteen years old, claiming to be the designer, she was having difficulty believing her.

“You are saying you designed the dress that Consort Shu and Madame Lu wore at the spring banquet?” The relatively calm old lady looked at Bai Yu Yan in suspicion. Her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to detect a hint of lie from her.

Bai Yu Yan nodded her head in affirmation, “I did.”

“And if I may ask which house the lady is from?” asked the older woman after settling on the couch. Although her discerning eyes had seen and judged many people throughout the years, she couldn’t quite see through the beautiful young lady elegantly sitting on the side. Her curiosity peaked thinking which family the lady belonged to.

Although she looked calm, inside Bai Yu Yan was a little embarrassed by how much attention she was receiving from the two ladies. Their curiosity regarding her identity was clearly displayed on their face. Still, they were her elders so she replied, “Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Bai Yu Yan, daughter-in-law of the Lu family.”

As soon as her words fell, the women couldn’t hide their astonishment. Fortunately, they knew the etiquette and realized that it was impolite to act in such a way. So they immediately composed themselves.

“So it’s Lady Lu. It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are from the Gu family. I am Matriarch Gu and this is my daughter-in-law, Madame Gu.”

The middle-aged woman nodded her head in greeting. Since the Gu family couldn’t attend the spring banquet because of some matters, they hadn’t known about Bai Yu Yan or her creation.

Bai Yu Yan’s brows lifted in surprise. She hadn’t expected to receive the guests from the General’s household. The old woman was the previous General’s mother while the middle-aged woman was his wife. If she remembered correctly, Madame Gu has two sons - Gu Sheng and Gu Jin, one was the General, and the other was one of the wealthiest merchants in the Xin kingdom.

After the pleasantries, Bai Yu Yan went straight to business and asked for their purpose of visit. The women inspected the dresses on mannequins and asked if she had made it. With patience, she repeatedly confirmed that it was her work, only then did they look convinced. Moreover, they understood that as the lady of the Lu family, she couldn’t be lying about it all.

Finally, they informed her that Matriarch Gu’s birthday was coming in a few days and they were holding a celebration on that day. Hence, Matriarch Gu needed an appropriate dress for that day. So when they heard the rumors that Consort Shu’s dressmaker had done a praiseworthy job at the spring banquet, they asked for her shop’s location and directly came here.

“So, Bai Yu Yan, will you make it?” asked Madame Gu with anticipation in her eyes. The more she looked at Bai Yu Yan, the more she found her pleasant to the eyes, unlike how the rumors had painted her to be. Even after knowing their identity, she was neither humble nor arrogant but only polite and patient.

Bai Yu Yan understood that Matriarch Gu’s birthday celebration was no small matter. They were people with both power and wealth and let alone the powerful noble families, even the royal family would be invited to it. The respectable general’s family was not pretentious and if the occasion was a minor one, they wouldn’t have personally come to make the request.

“Definitely, Madame Gu. That’s what I have opened this shop for.” She gave a friendly laugh and nodded her head.

Hearing the girl’s youthful laugh as she agreed to it, Matriarch Gu’s wrinkle deepened with a warm smile. It seems like she needs to have a real talk with the Empress Dowager. She thought why didn’t she bestow Bai Yu Yan’s marriage to any of her capable grandsons. This time, the Lu family had definitely found a gem.