CHAPTER 517: CHAPTER 517 LET EVERYONE WITNESS THE IGNORANCE

The charming beauty approached Song Ci and her companions, and gracefully saluted.

"Madam Song, Commandery Princess Dongyang, greetings from Mei Niang."

Song Ci: "Mei Niang? Is your surname Wu?"

Wu Meiniang, indeed, as the name suggests, just looking at her alluring charm is enough to make one swoon.

Mei Niang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "My mother’s surname is Ji, and my husband’s surname is Shang. Madam and Princess may call me by the family name Shang or my given name."

Niu Pan’er inquired, "How do you know us?"

"I’ve had the fortune of witnessing the Commandery Princess’s grace on the street, and since she’s the only female general in the entire Great Qing, how could I not recognize her when she’s in the capital?" Mei Niang replied with a bright smile.

Song Ci raised an eyebrow.

Each profession has its specialty.

Which businessperson doesn’t employ tactful strategies? Who doesn’t have a little notebook recording the influential people of the capital? The smart and perceptive naturally take careful note.

And this Mei Niang clearly belongs to that category of intelligent and perceptive people.

"I heard this foreign trade shop opened just a few days ago, and its goods are both novel and interesting. But I must say, no novelty can surpass the beauty of the proprietress herself. Standing here in the hall, the jewelry and gemstones lose their colors!" Song Ci praised with a smile.

With such a figure and beauty, if she were in the entertainment industry, how could she not be popular?

Mei Niang: "..."

Is she teasing her?

Nanny couldn’t bear to watch, seeing that Madam’s old habit of being unable to move her feet when encountering beauty had surfaced again.

"Madam is indeed amusing. For Mei Niang to receive your praise is truly a fortune spanning three lifetimes," Mei Niang laughed. "It’s rare for Madam and the Princess to visit my humble shop. Why not come to the elegant room for tea? If you’d like to see some jewelry or small items, allow Mei Niang to introduce them to you personally."

Song Ci had no objections, and along with Niu Pan’er, followed Mei Niang into the elegant room.

The elegant room was arranged with a serene elegance, featuring upholstered sofas different from the contemporary style. On the antique shelves was a wind-up music box, tinkling with tunes.

Song Ci’s eyes twinkled as she cast a glance at Mei Niang—could she be a fellow traveler from the future?

She had not heard from Song Zhiyuan about Great Qing’s upcoming desire to open sea trade, but was the other side of the sea truly this modern?

This world—no, to be precise—what is this realm’s framework?

Curiosity.

Song Ci’s eyes shifted as she feigned surprise, pointing at the music box: "What kind of sorcery is this that it can sing and has little figurines spinning with it?"

Oh, how pretentious!

As soon as she finished speaking, the music box’s winding ran out, the music stopped, and the figures stopped spinning too.

Song Ci widened her eyes: "It even listens to commands!"

This naive display made everyone in the room cover their foreheads with resignation.

Music box: Such pretentious fool!

Mei Niang pursed her lips with a smile, picked up the music box, rewound it, and smilingly placed it back, saying: "This is called a music box. It contains mechanisms inside. Once wound, it will rotate and produce music."

"Did you make this, Mei Niang?"

"How could I have such talent? This originates from the Western Countries, made by masters there. These are common trinkets there, beloved by young girls."

Song Ci took the music box, pretending to inspect it out of curiosity, and asked: "I’ve heard that Westerners look very strange, and their language is incomprehensible. Have you seen them?"

Mei Niang shook her head: "The Western Countries are too far away. I get seasick on boats, so I haven’t seen them. The Shang family has shipping, and these are brought back by our merchant ships." Niu Pan’er: "The Shang family, are they the wealthy merchants of Quanzhou, known as the benevolent Shang Zhan?"

Mei Niang’s eyes curved: "The Commandery Princess flatters us; that indeed is Mei Niang’s father-in-law."