Five Years After My Death, the Mad Emperor Still Summons My Spirit

Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Making Trouble

Ming Lingyi and Cai Jie turned at the sound of the voice.

Ming Lingyi immediately recognized the woman in the lead, dressed in a striking red outfit.

Who else could it be but Qin Lingzhi, the very same one they had run into at Qinglong Temple?

At Qinglong Temple, Qin Lingzhi had been thoroughly infuriated by Jiang Yuchuan and Xu Qian. She was even forced to lower her head and apologize to Cai Jie, a moment of utter humiliation for her.

She had wanted to get even with Cai Jie afterward, but that day, the devil-may-care Xu Qian had declared in front of everyone that if anything happened to the "country girl" in Shangjing City from then on, he would hold Qin Lingzhi responsible.

Qin Lingzhi wanted to ignore such ridiculous words, but the temple had been full of the ladies and madams of Shangjing City that day. Recently, a number of rumors about her had been circulating in the Capital City—none of them good.

Because of this, when she tried to go and cause trouble for Cai Jie, her sister-in-law stopped her.

"If you go looking for trouble with that Miss Cai now, won’t you just be confirming all these rumors circulating in Shangjing City?"

No one knew who had started the rumors, but they claimed she was shrewish and arrogant, resorting to violence at the slightest disagreement. She was nothing like a proper lady, more like a coarse brute—cut from the same cloth as her father.

Qin Shiqi’s reputation in Shangjing City was, of course, far from sterling. Now, public opinion was practically equating Qin Lingzhi with her father. Considering the Qin Family was at fault in the matter of the marriage with the Xie family, it was doubtful anyone would dare to marry into the Qin Family anymore.

What family would want a daughter-in-law who might resort to violence at any moment, and perhaps even strike her own husband?

To make matters worse, these rumors spread so quickly and widely that Qin Lingzhi couldn’t even find their source.

After all, there had been far too many people offering incense at Qinglong Temple that day. And when she had tried to attack Jiang Yuchuan and Cai Jie, she had chosen to do so right at the entrance of the Great Hall, making it impossible not to be seen.

Qin Lingzhi had been feeling suffocated staying at home all this time. Coming out onto the streets today was a chance for her to get some air.

She never expected that just as she arrived at Treasure Pearl Pavilion, she would have the bad luck of running into Cai Jie.

Seeing the Shopkeeper’s quote and Cai Jie’s hesitation, Qin Lingzhi couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh.

"Shopkeeper, what could they possibly afford? Bring that set over here for me to see. I’ll take it all!" Qin Lingzhi knew she couldn’t physically attack Cai Jie now. ’So stealing what Cai Jie wants should be fine, right?’

She just couldn’t stand the sight of her. Any chance to see Cai Jie thwarted brought her joy.

When the Shopkeeper turned and saw Qin Lingzhi and Hu Erniangzi, his face immediately broke into a smile. Clearly, the two were frequent customers of Treasure Pearl Pavilion.

"Ah, it’s Miss Qin and Mrs. Hu," the Shopkeeper said. "However, this set is currently being viewed by Boss Ming and this young lady. Perhaps you two could wait a moment? Or you could browse the other items in our shop. We have many fine things."

Hearing this, Qin Lingzhi’s expression soured.

"What do you mean, ’make us wait’? What is my status, and what is theirs? Make *me* wait? Who here dares to make me wait?" Qin Lingzhi didn’t recognize Ming Lingyi, but she figured anyone associating with Cai Jie couldn’t be anyone important.

The Shopkeeper of Treasure Pearl Pavilion was helpless and could only force a laugh in Ming Lingyi and Cai Jie’s direction. "My apologies, ladies."

’I can’t afford to offend this young lady of the Qin Family.’

As he said this, the Shopkeeper was about to reach out and take the items from the table. But just then, Cai Jie, who had been hesitant before, suddenly placed her hand on one of the wooden boxes.

"Don’t be in such a hurry, Shopkeeper. I never said I wasn’t buying," Cai Jie said. "I’ll take all of these."

A flash of surprise crossed Ming Lingyi’s eyes.

’I thought that, given Cai Jie’s personality, she would probably let it go today and avoid a confrontation with Qin Lingzhi.’

’Just a moment ago, I was wondering if I should step in and help her secure the jewelry set. I didn’t expect Cai Jie to be more decisive than I’d imagined.’

As Cai Jie spoke, she took out a silver note.

The silver notes Jiang Yuchuan had given her were more than enough to cover the Shopkeeper’s asking price.

The Shopkeeper was taken aback by this turn of events.

He had seen Cai Jie’s hesitation earlier and assumed she wouldn’t be buying. He never expected her to produce a silver note so decisively.

This put him in a difficult position.

On one side were the customers who had seen the items first and could pay. On the other were the young lady and young madam of the Qin Family, whom his Treasure Pearl Pavilion could not afford to offend.

"What are you standing there stunned for? Do you think I, this young lady, won’t reward you properly?!" Seeing that Cai Jie actually dared to compete with her, Qin Lingzhi’s brow furrowed as she shot a menacing glare at the Shopkeeper. "Hurry up and bring them to me."

The Shopkeeper didn’t dare disobey, but now Cai Jie refused to yield. The situation reached a stalemate.

Seeing the Shopkeeper dithering, Qin Lingzhi’s temper flared. She strode forward and reached out to snatch the wooden box Cai Jie was holding down.

"Are you blind?! You dare to snatch something I’ve taken a fancy to? Who the hell do you think you are?!" She directed her words at Cai Jie but shot a vicious glare at the Shopkeeper. "It seems to me your Treasure Pearl Pavilion doesn’t want to do business in Shangjing anymore, does it?"

Cold sweat beaded on the Shopkeeper’s forehead. Caught in the middle and in a terrible bind, he could only bow to Ming Lingyi and Cai Jie with a pained expression. "Boss Ming, and you, miss, perhaps today you two could just..." He truly couldn’t afford to offend this Miss Qin. "Our little shop has many other fine items. Perhaps the two of you could take another look?"

When Cai Jie saw Qin Lingzhi approaching, she pressed down on the wooden box with even more force.

Qin Lingzhi, apparently not expecting Cai Jie to actually defy her, gave a tug but failed to pull the box from Cai Jie’s grasp.

Cai Jie didn’t look at Qin Lingzhi, though she could certainly feel the gaze boring into her, sharp enough to pierce.

She took a deep breath, and her voice, though not loud, was exceptionally clear. "Shopkeeper, business is conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. The silver note is here, the merchandise is in my hand—the deal is done. Or is it the rule of Treasure Pearl Pavilion to play favorites, where whoever is more vicious gets the goods?"

"You!" Qin Lingzhi’s face flushed red, choked by Cai Jie’s words. When had she ever been contradicted like this, especially by a "country girl" she despised so much?

The woman beside her, Hu Erniangzi, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lingzhi, calm down."

After saying this, Hu Erniangzi turned to Cai Jie. "This young lady speaks without reason. When we arrived, you had not yet completed the transaction with the Shopkeeper, correct? Shopkeeper, am I not right?"

The Shopkeeper gave a dry laugh. "Mrs. Hu speaks the truth."

Although Cai Jie had presented the silver note, with these two present, how could he dare to accept it?

’This isn’t a silver note; it’s a hot potato.’

"If that’s the case, then these items are still unspoken for. Since both my sister-in-law and this young lady want them, how about we do this: highest bidder wins. What do you say?" Hu Erniangzi looked at Cai Jie. Though she didn’t call her a "country girl" to her face, her gaze was blatantly condescending. Clearly, this Hu Erniangzi of the Hu family didn’t believe Cai Jie had the means to win the jewelry from them.