Selling Exotic Spices

Lila finished speaking and hurriedly ran outside.

Cynthia Green was still unwilling to give up and tried to go inside to see Princess Mira, but she was blocked at the door.

Princess Mira heard the commotion downstairs, poked her head out, and snapped, "Who is it, yelling like that? Don’t you know any manners?"

Cynthia looked up and saw Princess Mira. She was so excited that she shouted, "Princess Mira, I have urgent news to tell you!"

Just as Cynthia finished speaking, with a sudden splash, a basin of water was dumped from the second floor, soaking her from head to toe.

Cynthia was stunned, frozen in place.

Princess Mira stood by the railing, holding the washbasin. She tossed it down, nearly hitting Cynthia on the head.

Princess Mira was in a terrible mood and cursed at the people on the first floor: "Are you all brainless? You can't even stop a beggar! Do you all have a death wish?!"

With Princess Mira furious, the servants realized they had to get rid of this crazy country maid who kept showing up.

So the servant grabbed Cynthia by the hair, kicked her hard, sending her flying, and shouted, "If you dare come back, I'll kill you next time!"

Cynthia, kicked so hard she rolled on the ground in pain, tears streaming down her face, muttered, "Princess Mira, I really have something important... I know Lily Evans' secret. Why won't you believe me? Why won't you see me...?"

Unfortunately, nobody heard Cynthia's words. The servants kept up their threatening stares, and Cynthia didn't dare approach again, afraid of another beating. Clutching her stomach, she limped off toward Jasper Cheng's courtyard, hoping to change clothes quickly before the old maids saw her and gave her another thrashing.

Unfortunately, nobody heard Cynthia's words. The servants kept up their menacing stares, and Cynthia didn't dare approach again, terrified of another beating. Clutching her stomach, she limped off toward Jasper Cheng's courtyard, desperate to change out of her drenched clothes before the old maids saw her and gave her another thrashing.

"Your Highness, I've found a buyer!" Lila shouted as soon as she entered.

Princess Mira rushed out. "Really? Where is he?"

Lila entered, and behind her appeared a tall man. Princess Mira stared at him, noticing his clothes were odd—luxurious but clearly foreign, and his looks were different from the locals.

"Where's he from?" Princess Mira scrutinized the odd stranger, asking Lila, "He looks like a barbarian from a foreign land."

Lila entered, and behind her loomed a towering figure. Princess Mira stared, her eyes narrowing at the stranger's peculiar attire—opulent yet unmistakably foreign, and his features were nothing like the locals.

Princess Mira immediately curled her lip in disdain. "I am a proud princess of Chu—how could I stoop to dealing with these foreign barbarians? Lila, throw him out at once!"

"Absolutely not!" Lila clung to Princess Mira's arm, whispering urgently, "Your Highness, the locals are all terrified the spice trade will be cut off, so nobody dares buy our spices. But foreigners aren't afraid—they're outsiders. Right now, our only option is to sell to them."

Princess Mira glared at the young man called William, her face still twisted with contempt. But after weighing her options—either swallow her pride and trade with the foreigner to quickly sell the spices and ransom her belongings, or let the spices rot in her hands and risk her royal brother's wrath—she hesitated, torn between humiliation and disaster.

In the end, Princess Mira swallowed her pride and resolved to talk business with the foreigner.

"Can you speak our language?" Princess Mira asked, her voice dripping with arrogance.

William replied, his Chinese painfully awkward and thickly accented, "I... come here do business. I speak some. Not very well."