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

Chapter 219: Chapter 219: "Then Let’s Bid.

Cai Jie’s expression changed. She had already felt the Shopkeeper’s asking price was too high, but if she had simply let Qin Lingzhi have her way, not only would she feel wronged and unwilling, but it would also be letting Qin Lingzhi trample all over Jiang Yuchuan’s reputation. After all, Qin Lingzhi knew perfectly well about her engagement to Jiang Yuchuan; she had been acting deliberately from the moment she walked in.

But what this Hu Erniangzi said was also the truth.

Her transaction with the Treasure Pearl Pavilion wasn’t complete yet. The jewelry didn’t belong to her.

If the Shopkeeper agreed to a bidding war, she had no grounds to stop it.

But...

Cai Jie couldn’t help but dig her nails viciously into her palm. ’The silver I have all comes from Jiang Yuchuan. I can’t possibly squander all these silver notes just to win a momentary spat, can I?’

’It’s not worth it.’ Likewise, she didn’t have enough silver on hand right now to compete with Qin Lingzhi out of pure spite.

Hu Yuwan watched Cai Jie with a calm and composed air, her chin slightly raised. She wasn’t as blunt as her young sister-in-law, but her entire presence radiated an aura of looking down on the other party, an air of utter contempt.

"If Miss Cai is unwilling, then let’s just forget it. You can withdraw; it’s fine. In any case, only we will know. The Shopkeeper won’t say a word either. Isn’t that right, Shopkeeper?" she asked.

At first glance, her words seemed quite considerate.

But upon closer inspection, Hu Yuwan’s methods were even more hateful than Qin Lingzhi’s.

Qin Lingzhi’s hatefulness was out in the open, like a drawn sword. Hu Yuwan’s, however, was a blade wrapped in honey, delivering a cold, silent stab.

Her contempt and mockery were all hidden beneath the blade’s edge.

What else could the Shopkeeper of Treasure Pearl Pavilion say? He could only force a dry laugh. "Mrs. Hu jests. Nothing that happens in my humble shop today will ever be known to outsiders..."

Hu Yuwan gave him a look that said, ’You know what’s good for you,’ then turned back to Cai Jie. "Miss Cai, what do you say?"

Cai Jie bit her lip. Of course she could feel the other woman’s malice. It looked like she was being given a choice, but in reality, it was just another way to humiliate her.

Her opponent knew she couldn’t afford to take the gamble, nor did she dare to, so she used this seemingly "fair" method to secretly pressure her into backing down on her own.

"Why is this lady in such a hurry?"

Just then, Ming Lingyi stepped forward.

She placed a hand on the back of Cai Jie’s and patted it gently in a soothing gesture.

"We never said we couldn’t afford it. Is the lady so confident that in a bidding war against Miss Cai, you would be the one to win?" Ming Lingyi said with a light chuckle.

That chuckle was clearly a retort to Hu Yuwan’s earlier scorn.

’Who will come out on top is still anyone’s guess. For this Hu Erniangzi to speak with such certainty now... if she ends up being slapped in the face later, I’d like to see just who will be the one losing face.’

It was as if Hu Yuwan had only just noticed Ming Lingyi. Her expression darkened slightly. "In that case, if you’re willing to bid, then let the bidding begin."

’When had she ever been provoked like this by some unknown woman?’ In Hu Yuwan’s eyes, both Ming Lingyi and Cai Jie should have known their place and retreated.

When Cai Jie heard Ming Lingyi’s words, she too felt a deep unease.

But in front of Qin Lingzhi and Hu Erniangzi, she was unwilling to show her fear. She merely glanced anxiously in Ming Lingyi’s direction.

Ming Lingyi turned her head, a more genuine warmth in her smile. "It’s fine. Actually, I came out today planning to give you a wedding gift anyway. After all, I’ve known Lord Jiang for a long time, and he’s helped me quite a bit. I never had a chance to thank him. So, for this set of Dongzhu, let me handle it."

Ming Lingyi had already devised a plan.

She wasn’t about to push Cai Jie into the line of fire just for a moment of indignation.

’As for the silver, I don’t have it, but that doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t.’

’Back then, Li Yun himself said he would give Jiang Yuchuan a grand gift for his wedding.’

’And now, hasn’t the perfect opportunity presented itself?’

’At most, I’m just helping Li Yun select a gift. What could possibly be wrong with that?’

The Shopkeeper glanced at Ming Lingyi, confirming that she wasn’t joking and was truly prepared to enter a bidding war with the two from the Qin Family. "Very well, then. Ladies, this way, please."

Ming Lingyi saw that the Shopkeeper intended to lead the four of them into a private room to the side, likely because of what Hu Yuwan had said earlier.

"Let’s just do it here," Ming Lingyi said. She looked at Hu Yuwan and continued, "I, for one, like to win fair and square, and if I lose, I can accept it graciously. So, Mrs. Hu’s earlier suggestion about saving face, where only the few of us would know... is quite unnecessary."

Hu Yuwan didn’t seem to expect Ming Lingyi to be so direct. Hearing this, her eyes shifted slightly.

Perhaps it was because Ming Lingyi appeared so calm and collected that a sliver of vigilance involuntarily rose in her heart.

However, before Hu Yuwan could even process her thoughts, Qin Lingzhi, who was beside her, had already jumped in impatiently.

"You really think you’re someone, don’t you?" Qin Lingzhi considered anyone associated with Cai Jie to be a country bumpkin, so when she looked at Ming Lingyi, she naturally paid her no mind. "Sister-in-law, if they want to humiliate themselves, then let’s oblige them!"

After saying this, without even waiting for Hu Yuwan’s reply, Qin Lingzhi raised her voice and shouted to the people around them, "All who are passing by today, come and see a bidding war at the Treasure Pearl Pavilion! A woman from the countryside actually dares to bid here in our Shangjing City! Come and see, everyone, come and see!"

The moment Qin Lingzhi opened her mouth, Hu Yuwan’s brow furrowed.

Setting aside whether they could even win the Dongzhu today, the fact that she was the first to lose her composure already put them at a disadvantage.

By rushing out so hastily, wasn’t Qin Lingzhi just making herself a laughingstock for the two women opposite them?

Ming Lingyi was indeed watching the show. Her original target had never been Hu Yuwan anyway.

When she had previously inquired about the Hu family, Ming Lingyi had stumbled upon Hu Yuwan’s name. Since she knew the woman was Qin Wenwu’s wife, how could she not ask Feng Shuyu for more details about her?

"Back then, he and I had cast aside the differences in our family status. Thanks to my parents’ open-mindedness, my marriage proceeded without much trouble. My Grandpa and my parents felt that if I, the daughter of a minor official, were to marry down into a merchant family, they would surely respect and revere me more, and I wouldn’t suffer any hardships." Ming Lingyi recalled Feng Shuyu’s words.

"Little did they know, those women of the Hu family were all a difficult lot. Having married into the Hu family, I naturally had to manage the accounts. One day, simply because a Manager Yang we were working with spoke too flippantly, clearly treating people differently based on their status, I had no choice but to be a bit firm and ended up driving him off. The next thing I knew, she went to my husband’s study to ’explain,’ saying something like, ’Sister-in-law is new here. As an official’s daughter, she’s naturally straightforward and doesn’t understand the nuances of business. Brother, you must be more patient with her.’

"Another time, I merely punished a lazy old servant, and she went before my parents-in-law and my then-husband, saying that while it was good I managed the household strictly, the servants were all whispering that I looked down on merchants due to my official family background, which was why I was so harsh and found fault in everything. She told everyone not to overthink it.

"Every word she said was supposedly in my defense, yet every sentence was a reminder to the family that my status was different, that I was ultimately not one of them. She would splash all this dirty water on me while wearing a mask of concern, leaving me no way to even defend myself. So, I’m telling you, if you ever run into those two, stay far away. Especially Hu Erniang. If she finds out you’re the owner of Ming’s Restaurant and are now working with my bookstore, she might even take her anger toward me out on you."

Hu Yuwan was a woman of countless schemes. She knew how to say pleasant things, but whether those nice words concealed honey or arsenic, only those who had tasted them would know.

Ming Lingyi had no desire to win fair and square in a private room, only to have Hu Yuwan twist the facts with a few words afterward. Wouldn’t that just force her into another "battle of wits" with Hu Yuwan? She had no interest in such troublesome matters. The best outcome, of course, was to have everyone witness this "bidding duel" between her and Hu Yuwan.

She refused to believe that Hu Yuwan could, under the watchful eyes of the public, spin her silver-tongued lies and make everyone believe her nonsense!