How Can Someone Be So Foolish

Lila finished brewing the tea and was carrying it to the backyard when she saw Princess Mira standing at the back door, looking delighted.

"Your Highness, where's that William?" Lila asked curiously as she walked over.

"Haha, I closed a huge deal all by myself!" Princess Mira exclaimed with glee. "Lila, that foreign merchant just praised me for being a fantastic businesswoman!"

"Really? You closed the deal that fast!?" Lila could hardly believe it. She'd only been away brewing tea, and the Princess had already finished negotiations with that foreigner?

Seeing Lila's disbelief, Princess Mira looked rather smug. "It's done. He already took the spices away."

Princess Mira dragged Lila to the warehouse door. She pointed at the now empty warehouse and said, "Look, all the spices are sold!"

"What!?" Lila was dumbfounded and stared at Princess Mira. "Princess, what about the money for the spices?"

"Oh, William said he didn't bring any money. He left something valuable as collateral and went back to get the cash." Princess Mira pointed to a sack of Sichuan peppercorns in the corner. "See? That sack of peppercorns is worth twenty gold taels! Such a precious pledge."

Lila's face twisted into an expression even worse than crying. "Princess, you let him take everything without collecting a single coin!?"

Princess Mira looked at Lila strangely and said, "He said those spices used to be mine, but now they're his. What's so strange about him taking them? Besides, he even left behind a whole sack."

Lila stared at her princess, nearly in tears at her foolishness.

"Oh, right! As a businesswoman, I have to stick to my principles. Since he left collateral, I followed the rules and gave him a deposit—one thousand silver taels! Lila, am I not a genius at business?" Princess Mira was still brooding over being mocked for not understanding contracts before, so now she was eager to show off what she'd learned about collateral and deposits from William.

"Princess, you... not only let him take all those expensive spices without receiving a single coin, you even gave him a thousand silver taels..." Lila was so distraught by Princess Mira's foolishness that she nearly burst into tears. She thought to herself, 'She really shouldn't do business—she'll lose everything, even her underwear!'

"He's just gone home to fetch the money. He'll come back, pay up, and take his collateral away. That's how business works, Lila! You're just a maid, what do you know?" Princess Mira had no idea she'd been swindled and decided to wait for William at Suxin Pavilion.

Meanwhile, 'William's' spice caravan made a long detour through the back alleys and delivered the spices straight to Hunter Estate for storage. The spices were in perfect condition and ready for sale.

Once in the backyard, William shed his disguise, washed his face, and revealed his true identity—Eugene Jr.

Eugene Jr. entered the room, where Mark Hunter and his wife, Cynthia Wu, Belle, and Lily Evans were all gathered.

"So, did it go smoothly?" Lily Evans asked Eugene Jr. with a smile.

"It was easier than tricking a pig!" Eugene Jr. looked incredulous. "I've been in business for years, but I've never met anyone as clueless as Princess Mira! How can she do business at all—she's dumber than a pig."

So Eugene Jr., eyebrows raised and full of flair, told everyone how he had tricked Princess Mira. The group burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs at his vivid storytelling.

Wu Caiyun laughed so hard she could barely catch her breath: "Oh my, I always thought princesses were clever, but she's just so silly! Even the old grannies in our village are sharper when they go out to sell things!"