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

Chapter 222: Chapter 222: "Shall We Continue, Mrs. Hu?

"So, are we continuing the auction?" Ming Lingyi asked.

"But of course." Hu Yuwan gave her a deep look and said, "Since Boss Ming has already offered ten taels of gold, we’ll add another two. Twelve taels of gold."

Ming Lingyi’s expression didn’t change. "Fifteen taels."

In just one exchange, the two of them had driven the price of the Dongzhu Jewelry, originally worth three taels of gold, up by five times.

After the previous scene with Qin Lingzhi, the spectating crowd was once again captivated by the bidding war between Ming Lingyi and Hu Yuwan.

"Isn’t that Boss Ming from Ming’s Restaurant? Boss Ming is so generous!"

"This isn’t fifteen copper coins, or fifteen taels of silver—this is fifteen taels of gold!!!"

"Looks like Boss Ming is really a cut above the General Mansion’s wife!"

The shouts of the onlookers reached the ears of the four people involved in the bidding.

Qin Lingzhi was particularly incensed. She turned and yelled at the crowd, "Who dares to spout more nonsense? I’ll make you regret it!"

"Tsk, I used to think that young ladies from these prominent families were all gentle and polite. I even thought the recent rumors were a bit exaggerated. But seeing her today, how are the rumors an exaggeration? They clearly haven’t captured even a fraction of this Miss Qin’s ferocity!"

"Exactly! If any family were to marry a woman like that, their household would never know peace."

"She’s willing to strike a stranger now, so if she were at home, wouldn’t she beat up her in-laws at the slightest disagreement? A woman this vicious is like keeping a thug in the house! Unacceptable!"

Many were already displeased with Qin Lingzhi for cracking her whip earlier. Now, with so many people gathered, quite a few wanted to take advantage of the chaos to voice their complaints.

In that moment, Qin Lingzhi’s ears were filled with comments about herself.

Her hand holding the leather whip tightened and tightened, but this time, Qin Lingzhi did not lash out, because Hu Yuwan had already grabbed her wrist.

"Little Sister," Hu Yuwan hissed, "Do you want your reputation in the Capital City to be utterly unsalvageable after today?"

If Qin Lingzhi were to lash out again now, it would completely solidify her reputation as a cruel, shrewish woman.

Wouldn’t that make a mockery of what Hu Yuwan had said earlier about her being young and inexperienced?

Qin Lingzhi gritted her teeth. "But I can’t stand by while they slander me like this!"

"They’re just a few nobodies with loose tongues. Are they really worth your anger? If there’s someone you don’t want to see again, won’t the family help you take care of it? If you act yourself, here in public, you’ll just be giving them ammunition. Besides, you are the esteemed legitimate daughter of the Qin Family. Do you really need to stake your own reputation on these insignificant people?"

Hu Yuwan spoke these words in a lowered voice; she had no desire to keep cleaning up Qin Lingzhi’s messes.

Qin Lingzhi seemed to finally understand. "Then I want those people’s tongues gone!"

"Is that so difficult?" Seeing that she had finally calmed down, Hu Yuwan’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Tomorrow, your sister-in-law will help you vent the anger you’ve felt today."

After saying this, Hu Yuwan turned her gaze back toward Ming Lingyi.

Ming Lingyi’s previous, decisive bid had made her feel a little uneasy, but also a little puzzled.

"Boss Ming," Hu Yuwan said, "we’re bidding here, and as my little sister said, you can’t just make empty promises and expect us to believe you have the silver. Bidding like this is somewhat against the rules, isn’t it? Besides, it’s not that I look down on your... what is it, a restaurant? But do you, in fact, have that much money? Don’t let it turn out that you win today’s bid but can’t produce the gold. That would be difficult to explain to the Shopkeeper of Treasure Pearl Pavilion, wouldn’t it?"

She simply didn’t believe that Ming Lingyi could actually produce fifteen taels of gold to buy a single set of Dongzhu Jewelry.

Especially since it was a gift for someone else.

Even she couldn’t be as extravagant as Ming Lingyi.

Ming Lingyi replied, "If I can make the bid, I can naturally back it up. Otherwise, we could draw up a contract for the Shopkeeper right now, in black and white. If either of us fails to produce the gold, we must mortgage all properties under our name to the Treasure Pearl Pavilion, and slowly pay off the remaining gold."

This was exactly what Hu Yuwan had wanted to hear from Ming Lingyi. However, seeing Ming Lingyi say it with such confidence, her unease grew even stronger.

After the contract was signed under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Ming Lingyi looked at Hu Yuwan. "Mrs. Hu, it’s your turn to bid now. If you and Miss Qin don’t raise the price, then this set of Dongzhu Jewelry will be ours."

Hu Yuwan’s expression turned ugly.

She had hoped that Ming Lingyi was just putting on a brave front, but now, she hesitated.

"Sister-in-law?" Qin Lingzhi whispered from the side, "I still have quite a few silver taels and shops. Why don’t we...?"

There was no way Qin Lingzhi could accept losing to a merchant’s daughter and a country girl. No matter what, she had to scrape together the gold.

Hu Yuwan: "Sixteen taels."

"Twenty taels."

Hu Yuwan: "You!"

Ming Lingyi sat calmly in her seat. "Is there a problem?"

Hu Yuwan: "If you really spend twenty taels of gold on Dongzhu that are only worth three, don’t you think you’re getting a bad deal, Boss Ming? You’re a businessperson; I imagine you’re the best at weighing pros and cons. If you are willing to stop now, I am willing to take on your bid of twenty taels."

Ming Lingyi almost laughed when she heard this.

"Isn’t this an auction? How is it that I bid twenty taels, yet Mrs. Hu could be the one to get it? Is Mrs. Hu unwilling to offer a better price? If not, then I’ll be taking this set of Dongzhu."

Hu Yuwan: "...I can bid twenty taels of gold, and add a little something extra—one ingot of silver."

The price had now far exceeded her budget.

Even with Qin Lingzhi mentioning her shops and private savings, it was a drop in the bucket compared to twenty taels of gold. In the end, wouldn’t she be the one subsidizing this gold?

Hu Yuwan could no longer care what the gawking crowd thought of her. She was already starting to regret questioning whether Ming Lingyi had enough Silver Coin, otherwise, they wouldn’t have signed that contract, leaving her in a predicament she couldn’t back out of.

"Twenty-five taels." Ming Lingyi raised the bid without hesitation. After this bid, she returned Hu Yuwan’s gaze with a smile. "If Mrs. Hu can’t produce any more gold, I think it would be best for you to stop now. Otherwise, it would be bad to become a laughingstock."

’I suppose this is for Mrs. Hu’s own good,’ Ming Lingyi thought.

’Right now, it’s just embarrassing to not have the gold. But if she really keeps bidding against me, and I decide to be a little malicious and stop bidding, I’m afraid Hu Yuwan won’t even be able to cry when the time comes.’

But whether her "good intentions" were seen as such in Hu Yuwan’s eyes, no one could say for sure.