A chance to cooperate

Most families had arrived, the wives of the families heads were invited while some brought their mother or daughter with them.

As expected when Agnes sisters family had been invited she arrived last along with her daughter in law.

Agnes showed a subtle irritation as she furrowed her brows at her sisters lateness and rude behaviour.

Even the ladies who lived further away had made the journey and arrived at the mansion before her sister who knew the way to the mansion and did not live too far away.

Clearly she had arrived last on purpose to put the focus on herself.

Ki gently held her grandmothers hand in order to comfort her, Agnes saw this and smiled at her granddaughter before speaking to the crowd of ladies. "You may find a seat once you enter the room and we will begin immediately."

Soon after followed a bunch of chatter among the noble ladies about different rumours that had begun to be spread around the three cities.

Ki however did not show much interest since they were mainly about who was in a relationship with who and who had done something shameful.

She sat quietly and maintained her image in front of the noble ladies and listened to them just in case they spoke to her.

The teapot was then brought to the table soon after and the tea was then poured into their cups.

Agnes let her daughter handle the rest since Elizabeth sat at the head of the table.

Elizabeth sat at the head of the table and spoke up to gain the attention of the ladies. "As you are probably aware I have not appeared in the noble gatherings for some time now since my debut and after my marriage. The reason I hosted this tea party is both for my families sake and my own, while the family and myself are usually quite closed off until recently besides on business matters we have decided to open up more to the noble circles again."

"Normally we would have kept to our businesses and trade but because my daughter and son will be growing up and will eventually be isolated from the outside world we felt it best that we begin to let them meet more people as they grow to prepare them for the world outside." Elizabeth explained politely. "Allow me to introduce myself to those who do not know me well, I am Elizabeth Bombyx the wife of the head of the family, at my side is my mother in law who was once the person who ran the family business on her own Agnes Bombyx. Finally there is my daughter Ki Bombyx who has been named as the successor to the family."

Ki placed her palm above her chest, lowered her eyelids as her head nodded towards the guests politely. "Greetings ladies, I am Ki Bombyx. I and my mother have prepared you all some tea that is not like what you usually drink. It is a new product of our family and will be used by us in our tea pavilion which is opening up in Wolfden city, the tea is called Mulberry Tea and it is has good medicinal properties which can stop inflammation, keep your skin clear from pigmentation and is good for the heart, liver and can be used to help weight loss. Of course like most medicines some can be harmful towards pregnant women so if any of you wish to try it then only take a few sips if you happen to be with child. There is also a limit to the amount consumed per day as the saying goes 'the dose makes the poison' meaning while medicines are helpful to the body if you consume too much it would instead have harmful effects."

Elizabeth asked her daughter. "Does the tea truly have that many beneficial effects?"

Agnes interrupted her daughter in law. "I had it checked with several known doctors and they said it is good to drink a cup now and again as it is good for your health but not to drink it too much of it. We have begun to research different types of medicinal teas and drinks so that Ki can open a tea pavilion in the future. There will be several medicinal teas on sale but will be limited to one per person when sold, the mulberry tea will be the families signature tea to be sold in our own tea pavilions."

Elizabeth nodded before taking a sip of the tea while closing her eyes in delight.

While some ladies were hesitant to try something new, a young lady from the Bifta family who accompanied her mother picked up her cup and tried it. "Hm.. it's mild, almost sweet and faintly herbal. Most medicine soups or drinks I usually drink are very bitter in taste but this is really nice."

Seeing that the young lady had expressed her liking for it some began to try tasting it, while one or two did not like sweet things they did not mind the taste because it was only a little sweet in taste and not overpowering.

Young lady Bifta spoke up again. "So is the family opening the tea pavilion soon and for what purpose?"

Elizabeth nodded upon seeing the young lady of the Bifta family being a little more courageous than the rest of her family in recent years. "In the past most noble gathering have been hosted in the family mansions in order to bring together the ladies of various families in order for them to have a place to interact. We hope that by opening the tea pavilion we can provide those people a place where they can go to meet up with a close friend or as a group without the need to organise their home, materials and servants to prepare for a noble gathering."

Young lady Bifta nodded upon hearing the explanation. "Do you hope to spread this business to other places after you open it in Wolfden city? What do you think would make us all want to host our meetings there?"

"The scenery will be peaceful and enjoyable for the ladies, there will be a selection of cakes, jams and teas to purchase and different products in different seasons like iced teas or fruit drinks that would be served during the summer." Elizabeth explained patiently. "We will be using the one we open in Wolfden city as a test to see how successful it becomes and once it is stable we will begin expanding into the bigger cities closer to the capital. We have already opened three small restaurants which are under name name of the mulberry tree so the tea pavilion will be a part of those businesses which are businesses in my daughters name which she will take over with when she grows up. I have also begun to open a clothing store that sells ready made clothes that are easy to clean and durable, these are suitable for work clothing, those practicing martial arts or more towards the common people."

Celene's eyes began to show hostility after hearing the family was expanding further, while she should be happy because her son would benefit she could not shake away the jealousy in her heart towards her sisters families growth and potential. "So you have targeted commoners for some of your business? What kind of money could you possibly get from them?"

Agnes glared at her sister but Elizabeth smiled while signalling her to calm down. "We are a family of merchants aunt, you should know this best. The commoners may not have much money but there are many of them. In order to make enough profits from any business that involves them needs cheap materials and mass production. If the businesses are handled well then the overall profits would not be as bad as other businesses targeted towards a richer group of people."

Seeing the wife of the family head was not so easy to bully young lady Bifta's eyes lit up while the madam of the Lenox family showed a look of regret. 'I have to tell my husband, it seems that the Bombyx family isn't so easily shaken as we initially thought.'

The lady of the Nix family who had been silent for some time spoke up. "Elizabeth I haven't seen you in some time and all of a sudden you drop this all on us so suddenly… can I talk to you further about this later after I talk to my husband? I am sure he would be interested in investing if you are looking for some extra help to expand."

The lady of the Seren family also added. "My family don't have much money but my family have nurtured many martial artists who are trustworthy. My family relies on their transportation through carriages to make money so we need to have our own guards, we usually work with other businesses but if you wish to I'd like to ask you to talk to my husband about cooperation."

Elizabeth smiled happily. "I knew I could count on the two of you."

Some of the other ladies who smelled a money making chance instantly felt regret that they didn't speak up sooner.

The wife of the city lord shook her head in disdain towards the discussions she did not understand and the other nobles who fawned over the Bombyx family.

Her ignorance towards the Bombyx family had led her to believe it was just an ordinary noble gathering so she did not recognise them for their true power.

The Bombyx family were no longer nobles but had several retainer families that had noble titles and an abundance of wealth and had their hands in many types of businesses.

The wife of the city lord did not know of this as someone of her position which showed her lack of compatibility for her position in power and she was also showed that she was used to others trying to gain her favour.

She should have the highest position and everyone's respect but today she was ignored, she was deeply upset.

She looked towards her daughter in law to see her daughter looking uninterested and bored not understanding the business talk. 'Hmph how useless you are, you are married into the family from a noble family unlike myself who had a lower status at first so you should know the things they are talking about.'

Little did she know that most noble families do not teach their daughters about business matters and their wife's only handle the household affairs, it was very rare for someone's wife to know much about their husbands business matters so the ladies of the Nix and Seren families had married into a good family which showed them respect.