Jing Xiao was also quite surprised by Xia Yanli's appearance.
But constrained by propriety, he had no choice but to suppress his anger and bow with clasped hands. "Greetings, Prince Yu. Might I ask what important matter brings Your Highness here? If you had any instructions, you could have sent someone to inform me—to trouble you to come in person, Jing Xiao feels deeply ashamed."
Listening to his flattering words, Jing Yun could not help but regard him more highly.
Xia Yanli wore a long robe of red with gold embroidery, waving a paper fan and walking with a swaggering gait, indescribably flamboyant and dazzling. He first smiled at Jing Xiao, then turned his gaze to Jing Yun, his narrow peach-blossom eyes narrowing. "Third Young Master, you may withdraw. This prince has important matters to discuss with the Sixth Miss."
Jing Xiao turned his head to look at Jing Yun in utter astonishment, clearly puzzled as to how the two of them could have any connection.
But from Jing Yun's cold expression, he could discern nothing. Constrained by Xia Yanli's personal command, he dared not disobey, and could only bow and withdraw.
After leaving the room, he did not linger long at the rice shop, and immediately led his servant back to the Residence of the Marquis of Anqi in a huff.
In the room, only Jing Yun and Xia Yanli remained.
The moment Jing Xiao left, Xia Yanli directly put on a sour face, sat down by the table, and slapped his paper fan heavily onto the table with a "smack."
Jing Yun's mind was full of question marks.
That Jing Xiao had come to make trouble for her, she could understand—after all, she had taken it upon herself to sell the family's goods. Her eldest brother was not in the capital, and Jing Xiao was temporarily acting as the head of the household. With her actions, Jing Xiao surely thought she was trying to seize the power in his hands.
But this Prince Yu coming to find her with a sour face—what was that about?
"The Sixth Miss is truly capable!"
The sudden mockery left Jing Yun even more bewildered. She furrowed her brows, tilted her head slightly, and stared at his face—like something fished out of a stinking ditch—and asked, "I do not understand what Prince Yu means. How have I offended you?"
Xia Yanli slammed the table. "You sold off rice at a low price without authorization—did you ask this prince? Did this prince permit you to do so?"
Jing Yun blinked and answered with a question of her own. "I was selling my own family's rice. Does that have anything to do with you, Prince Yu?"
Hearing this, Xia Yanli flew into a rage and pointed at her nose. "Do you know that the Jihong Rice Shop's revenue for this entire year belongs to this prince? You took it upon yourself to give away rice—will the Jihong Rice Shop still be able to sell its rice?"
Jing Yun was speechless. "…"
So that was the reason!
Facing the man's expression that looked as though he wanted to flay her alive, she calmly rose to her feet and explained, "I sincerely apologize. I did not know the Jihong Rice Shop was connected to you. However, yesterday I sent word to Crown Prince Brother. When he heard of it, not only did he not oppose my proposal, he even said he would transfer the Jihong Rice Shop's rice to our Jinrong Rice Shop and have us help with inventory clearance sales."
Upon hearing this, Xia Yanli's handsome face turned so dark it was nearly smoking. "What? He agreed?"
Jing Yun frowned, looking at him as though he were insane.
"Prince Yu, the autumn harvest is almost here. If we do not sell off the old rice, once the new rice hits the market, will the old rice still have a market? I understand you want to earn more money, but one must also consider market demand, no? Besides, my actions—aside from clearing inventory—were also to quickly recover capital. Otherwise, when the new rice arrives, we will have nowhere to store it and still need to raise silver to purchase the new rice. Are you sure hoarding it in the granary and selling it pound by pound is a good thing?"
Hearing her explanation, Xia Yanli's furious expression froze.
Jing Yun poured a cup of tea and placed it by his hand, then continued, "Low-margin high-volume sales is also a tactic. When you open a business, who doesn't want to earn more silver? Besides, this promotion I ran didn't lose money. Furthermore, the capital's rice supply is monopolized by our two rice shops. Whatever price we set is what goes. As long as our two shops coordinate properly, we can absolutely work together to make the business bigger and stronger. Why must you obsess over such a small profit?"
Xia Yanli picked up the tea and took a sip. The dark anger on his face visibly receded.
After savoring her words, he narrowed his peach-blossom eyes and looked at her suspiciously. "Who taught you this method? This prince actually didn't know the Sixth Miss had such talent for business!"
If she could, Jing Yun would have loved to roll her eyes at him.
Marketing tactics that were a dime a dozen in the twenty-first century were considered talent in their eyes…
Fine. Different eras. She wouldn't hold it against the ancients.
"Prince Yu, in just today alone, my rice shop has already sold out of rice. I believe tomorrow it will be Jihong Rice Shop's turn. You may go back and wait to count your silver."
A dismissal?
Xia Yanli's brow arched, and the way he looked at her gained a few more degrees of scrutiny.
"The Sixth Miss's conduct these past few days has repeatedly impressed this prince. This prince is quite curious—why has the Sixth Miss become a completely different person from before?"
Jing Yun's body stiffened involuntarily.
She had never expected that the first person to question her change would actually be this Prince Yu…
However, she quickly smoothed away her unnatural reaction, lowered her head slightly, and put on the appearance of someone nursing a broken heart. "People always change, especially after being deceived by someone they love… However much water was in your head before, that's how many tears will flow now…"
"But this prince hasn't seen the Sixth Miss genuinely shed a single tear." Xia Yanli pointed at the sumptuous meal on the table—chicken, duck, fish—and curled his lips in mockery. "The Sixth Miss has a good appetite. One would think her mood is excellent."
"…!" Jing Yun secretly gritted her back teeth.
Could she just throw this person out?
"Miss!" Xiangxing suddenly ran in. Seeing Xia Yanli in the room, she halted in shock, then quickly stepped forward and bowed. "This servant greets Prince Yu!"
Jing Yun saw how flustered she was and asked, "Weren't you outside helping? What's the rush?"
Xiangxing straightened up and pointed indignantly toward the door. "Miss, that Tang Yingying came to the rice shop and insists on seeing you! Manager Zhou found her a nuisance disrupting business and tried to drive her away, but she actually knelt outside and said she won't get up until she sees you! She's with child—this servant didn't dare let anyone touch her. If something happens to her belly, this servant worries it'll cause trouble for you, Miss!"
Jing Yun's expression turned cold.
She didn't need to guess—it had to be Du Yuanran who sent Tang Yingying!
Being saddled with such a rotten peach blossom, she really wanted to curse in the streets!
"Let her in!"
"But…"
"It's fine. I happen to have something to say to her too." Jing Yun waved her hand, signaling her to just do as told.
Xiangxing cautiously glanced at Xia Yanli. Seeing that he showed no intention of moving, she didn't understand what this Prince Yu was doing here, but given his status, she didn't dare offend him. She could only obey Jing Yun's words and withdrew.
Before long, Tang Yingying was led into the room by Xiangxing.
Seeing the man by the table, Tang Yingying was also startled.
One could hardly fault them for making a fuss—after all, an unmarried man and woman alone in the same room was already improper, let alone when the man was the famously philandering Prince Yu. Who wouldn't be taken aback at such a sight?
"Prince… Prince Yu… your humble concubine pays her respects to Prince Yu…" Recovering her senses, she stepped forward timidly to offer her greetings.
"Hm." Xia Yanli's peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly, granting her no more than a glance from the corner of his eye.
Jing Yun sat back down on the stool and, with an expressionless face, looked at Tang Yingying and asked directly, "I heard you were looking for me. What is it?"
Seeing that Xia Yanli hadn't told her to rise, Tang Yingying cautiously glanced at him and, once certain he wouldn't take offense, straightened up to face Jing Yun and whispered, "Sister Yun… I have something I wish to say to you in private…"
Jing Yun instinctively looked toward the man by the table.
He remained utterly still, showing no intention whatsoever of leaving.
Her gaze shifted subtly, and she offered a faint smile. "Concubine Tang, if you have something to say, please go ahead. His Highness Prince Yu is here on business for the rice shop; he won't interfere with our conversation."
Tang Yingying was even more astonished. Since when had Prince Yu and Jing Yun become so familiar with each other?
But astonishment aside, she hadn't forgotten the purpose of her visit, so she got straight to the point. "Sister Yun, Yingying is here to beg your forgiveness…" As she spoke, tears gushed forth as if a dam had burst, and in an instant she was weeping pitifully. "It was I who shamelessly seduced the General. Please don't be angry with the General, Sister. If you must blame someone, blame Yingying. I am at your mercy, to be dealt with however you see fit!"
Jing Yun knew Tang Yingying had come for Du Yuanran's sake and had guessed what she would say, but hearing it for real, the feeling of disgust still exceeded her expectations.
"Concubine Tang worries too much." Maintaining a composed smile, she said in a reflective tone, "As the saying goes, a well-fed and warmly-clad man thinks of lust. After all these years of status and position, it's only natural for General Du to desire the blessing of multiple wives. Besides, the pleasures of men and women are part of human nature. The fact that you two could connect so well shows you are both in excellent health—you have no hidden ailments, and General Du has none either."
"Cough… cough…"
The man by the table suddenly coughed violently, splattering a mouthful of tea onto the floor.
Jing Yun shot him an exasperated glance.
Just then, he happened to turn his head and look at her.
Their eyes met—hers full of disdain, silently scolding him for interrupting her speech.
As for Xia Yanli, he pressed his crimson lips tightly together, his cheeks taut—visibly struggling to hold back laughter. But it seemed hard to suppress, and at such a young age, he had already crinkled the corners of his eyes.
Watching the exchange between them, Tang Yingying was nearly dumbfounded.
Could Jing Yun be carrying on a secret affair with Prince Yu?
Seeing that Tang Yingying was staring at them, her tears having even stopped, Jing Yun straightened her posture and resumed her composed smile. "Concubine Tang, my marriage contract with General Du has already been voided. Though my father did promise General Du he could come and propose to me again, I now find that being single suits me just fine. This so-called repentance of yours is quite unnecessary—after all, I am not General Du's mother. Whom he marries or whom he takes as a concubine is his own freedom, and I have no right to interfere. So, after today, you need not trouble yourself over the matters between me and General Du."
After hearing her out, Tang Yingying suddenly knelt before her, tears once again bursting forth like a broken dam. "Jie Jie Jing Yun, everything you've said is clearly spoken in anger—it shows you're still upset… Jie Jie Jing Yun, I've already agreed with the General that once I give birth, the child will be adopted under your name and raised by you personally. Yingying has not a single word of complaint. I beg you, Jie Jie Jing Yun, please return to the General's side. The General cannot be without…"
"Enough!" Jing Yun could not help but snap.
"…" Tang Yingying raised her head, her fair and delicate face streaked with tears.
"Why should I raise your child? Did I dig up your ancestral grave in a past life, or do I owe you a debt from a past life? Am I incapable of bearing children? If I want a child, can't I bear one myself? An unwed legitimate daughter of the illustrious Residence of the Marquis of Anqi, raising a child for you two? If word got out, the world would laugh their teeth off! You may have no shame, but I still have mine!" Jing Yun said furiously, her face cold.
"Cough, cough… cough, cough…" The man by the table broke into violent coughing again, but this time it was not from choking on tea—clearly it was from choking on his own saliva.
Jing Yun directly rolled her eyes at him, then fixed her gaze on Tang Yingying and continued, "I don't care who told you to come today. From now on, be a proper concubine and focus on carrying your child. Don't come sidling up to me at every opportunity! And when you go back, tell Du Yuanran: this young lady has a cleanliness obsession—I find things used by others filthy!"
With that, she shot a glance at Xiangxing. "See the guest out!"
Xiangxing stepped forward and said coldly, "Concubine Tang, please leave!"
Tang Yingying did not move her knees. Suddenly, she pulled a dagger from her sleeve and held it across her own neck. Tears streaming down her face, she said with utter self-reproach, "Jie Jie Jing Yun, if you do not forgive me today, then I have no choice but to atone with my death!"
At the sight, Xiangxing was horrified. The hand that had been about to reach out to pull her back immediately withdrew, and she instinctively stepped back two paces.
Even Xia Yanli, who had been watching the spectacle from beside the table, could not help but look at her directly, his thick brows shooting up high.
Jing Yun's beautiful eyes narrowed sharply. She had not expected such an extreme move at all.
She drew a deep breath, then turned to Xia Yanli and asked, "Prince Yu, you saw all of that, did you not?"
Xia Yanli's gaze fell upon her, his naturally smiling lips curving in something between a smile and not. "Hm?"
Jing Yun spread her hands and shrugged. "You saw it—this young woman did absolutely nothing. This Concubine Tang of the Residence of the Fuyuan General, one moment she wants me to raise her child for her, the next she wants me to make nice with her man. I'm an unwed maiden—I don't know how I offended her, that she would press me so to do such things. It's truly shocking and unprecedented. I kept trying to persuade her, yet Concubine Tang would not appreciate it, and now she's threatening suicide. Prince Yu, tell me—what kind of world is this? I am, after all, a young lady of the Residence of the Marquis of Anqi. In broad daylight, to be threatened with death to go seduce a man—is there any justice left in this world?"
Xia Yanli, "…"
Xiangxing, "…"
Tang Yingying, "…"
The room instantly fell into dead silence.
Tang Yingying in particular—her face was white as wax, and the hand holding the dagger trembled uncontrollably, as though she had seen some monstrous ghost and been utterly terrified.
She had come to plead on Du Yuanran's behalf, to make peace with Jing Yun. Everything she said and did had been taught to her by her mother-in-law, all for the purpose of making Jing Yun forgive Du Yuanran, so that Du Yuanran could preserve his current wealth and glory.
But she had never in her wildest dreams imagined that her whole act of apology would be twisted by Jing Yun into something like this…
Jing Yun took in their expressions, finding it amusing but keeping a look of innocence, helplessness, and speechlessness on her face as she continued to Xia Yanli, "Prince Yu, fortunately you are here today. Otherwise, even if I jumped into the moat, I could never clear my name. If Aunt Tang dies here today, you must bear witness for me—her death has absolutely nothing to do with me."
Xia Yanli turned his handsome face away, his broad shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Jing Yun looked at Tang Yingying, who no longer knew how to react, and her stunningly beautiful face turned ice-cold as she said, "Aunt Tang, Prince Yu has witnessed everything you've said and done. If you wish to die, then go ahead."