The Tofu Queen: A Modern Woman's Ancient Kingdom Journey

The sales of bath powder that day took an interesting turn. The women who flocked to Jiang Huaiyu's stall had a new look in their eyes—not just admiration but a certain curiosity. Some bolder ones seemed on the verge of asking about the handsome young man who had helped her earlier. Yet the rush to secure their jars pushed such thoughts aside as they left with both satisfaction and a twinge of regret.

After sending Xiao Cao home to tidy up the house, Jiang Huaiyu folded her table and chairs and made her way to the tavern. Though Qin Ziqin carried an air of mystery that cautioned against close association, she owed him a debt of gratitude for earlier. Avoiding him would only seem suspicious.

Inside the bustling tavern, the attendant led her to a private room. As she opened the door, she saw Qin Ziqin, dressed in a robe adorned with crane embroidery, leisurely sipping wine.

"Does the little one have a name yet?" he asked, his tone less teasing than usual as he glanced at Sugar Bun. "I thought you'd have your maid take him home. I wouldn't have ordered wine otherwise."

Jiang Huaiyu gave a faint smile, her gaze landing on the slightly cloudy green ant wine in his cup. "You call that wine?"

Qin Ziqin froze, feeling unexpectedly judged. "…."

She pushed the cup aside without hesitation and sat down, pulling a dish of warm almond pudding closer to her. As she spooned it to Sugar Bun, she answered his question: "I named him Jiang Runjing."

The corners of Qin Ziqin's mouth lifted, intrigued, though he didn't pry further. Instead, he remarked with a chuckle, "You certainly make yourself at home. Barely seated and already eating."

"Why should I be polite to someone who owes me money?" she countered without looking up.

Qin Ziqin winced, raising a hand to his forehead in mock surrender. "I didn't know where to find you. Give me some face and forget the debt, will you?" He placed a fifty-tael banknote on the table with an exaggerated flourish.

"Thank you for your patronage. Please come again," Jiang Huaiyu replied, her expression calm as she deftly tucked the note into her sleeve.

Qin Ziqin stared, flabbergasted, before bursting into laughter. "You really are something else."

She didn't bother responding, focusing on feeding Sugar Bun instead. Her composed demeanor made it clear she was unbothered by his antics.

Once the baby's belly was full, his eyelids drooped as he drifted into a contented nap. Jiang Huaiyu finally turned her attention to Qin Ziqin. "Why did you ask me here?"

For a moment, Qin Ziqin's easygoing demeanor faded, replaced by a more serious air. Tapping his fingers on the table in thought, he eventually said, "I wanted to discuss expanding your bath powder business."

"Why?"

The question caught him off guard. He'd expected hesitation, perhaps even outright rejection—not curiosity.

"Why are you coming to me with this?" she pressed.

Jiang Huaiyu already knew his identity. When he had given her the token earlier, she recognized him as the infamous Qin Ziqin, Champion Marquis of the Qin family—a lineage of celebrated warriors who had given their lives for the kingdom. The family's glory, however, seemed to have ended with him.

His reputation was less than stellar. Tales of his incompetence and indulgence in luxury were widely known. People spoke of him as a disgrace, a nobleman who had squandered his family's honor. Yet Jiang Huaiyu wasn't one to blindly trust hearsay. A truly useless man wouldn't have survived the machinations of the court or attempts on his life.

Qin Ziqin's sharp, intelligent gaze didn't match the image of a drunken playboy.

"Because you're interesting," he said with a faint smile.

"Try again," she retorted, unimpressed.

His smile faltered, replaced by a rare moment of candor. "Because I need money."

Jiang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow. "Didn't look like it when you tossed fifty taels at me just now."

Qin Ziqin laughed, though the amusement didn't reach his eyes. He had been playing a delicate game for years—balancing the chaos of the borderlands and the treacherous politics of the capital. The Champion Marquis facade served a purpose: to reassure those in power that he was no threat. Yet maintaining that guise often left him isolated, fighting battles on multiple fronts.

"I've heard several nobles mention your bath powder in just the past few days," he explained. "Do you know what that means? It means they're already planning to take it from you. Right now, it's just small fry testing the waters with street thugs. Soon, it'll be the sharks. And they won't just steal your recipe—they'll leave you with nothing."

Jiang Huaiyu's smile faded as she considered his words. Her fingers traced the wood grain of the table absently before she chuckled bitterly. "I must be cursed. No matter where I go, people think I'm some kind of sweet pastry they can take a bite out of."

His warning was both genuine and self-serving. But she wasn't naive enough to think she could fight off powerful interests alone.

"Fine," she said at last, her smile returning. "I'll provide the recipe. But I keep sixty percent of the profits."

Her confidence stunned him, but Qin Ziqin quickly masked his surprise with a shrug. "I'm terrible at business. Sixty percent it is."

Jiang Huaiyu rocked Sugar Bun gently, her voice low. "You already prepared contracts, didn't you?"

With a smirk, Qin Ziqin pulled several documents from his robe, laying them on the table. He slid two toward her—the ones reflecting the agreed-upon terms.

"You even wrote one giving yourself seventy percent," she noted, rolling her eyes.

"I figured it couldn't hurt to try," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "But knowing you, I thought I'd be lucky to get fifty-fifty."

They signed the contracts, sealing their agreement. The terms were remarkably fair: Qin Ziqin would handle production and logistics, while Jiang Huaiyu would supply the formula and remain uninvolved in day-to-day operations.

Unlike the nobles who would have stripped her of all rights, Qin Ziqin was willing to treat her as a partner. Yet both knew the alliance was built on mutual caution.

Qin Ziqin wasn't just betting on bath powder; he was betting on Jiang Huaiyu's potential to create even more profitable innovations. Meanwhile, Jiang Huaiyu saw him as a temporary ally—someone useful until she could stand on her own.

Still, in a world where trust was scarce, their partnership was a rare balance of pragmatism and respect.