Chapter 296 Priceless Rouge

Chapter 296: Sky-High Rouge

How could she not know Ji Yuntang was here too?

Of all people to run into!

The moment Qiu Min saw Ji Yuntang, her heart clenched with fear. She tugged on Ji Qingqing's sleeve and whispered:

"Qingqing, maybe we shouldn't bother with this rouge. We can come back another time."

Ji Qingqing instantly flared up. She thought Qiu Min was acting like a typical coward, always hyping others up while tearing herself down.

Why should she have to leave just because Ji Yuntang showed up?

If she left, wouldn't that make her look like she was actually scared of Ji Yuntang?

She hated Ji Yuntang with a passion, and at this moment, there was no way she would back down.

Ji Qingqing turned to Pei Zhiyi and the shop girl. "I'm set on having that Xishi Rouge. Just name your price!"

The shop girl trembled. She first looked up at Pei Zhiyi, and seeing Pei Zhiyi's blank expression, she said weakly:

"The Xishi Rouge here at Peiyue Pavilion goes for one hundred taels of silver..."

Before she could finish, Ji Qingqing butted in, "I'll give you a hundred and twenty taels."

Pei Zhiyi didn't get why Ji Yuntang was making her go head-to-head with Ji Qingqing, but she figured her friend had a reason.

She trusted Ji Yuntang wouldn't let her get the short end of the stick.

Pei Zhiyi glanced at Ji Qingqing and said casually, "Adding ten or twenty taels at a time is too boring. I bid two hundred taels."

Ji Qingqing's fingers curled up. That glance felt like a direct challenge from Pei Zhiyi!

Her voice instantly turned cold. "Three hundred taels."

Pei Zhiyi casually held up five fingers. "Five hundred taels."

Ji Qingqing ground out, "Six hundred taels."

Right after that, Pei Zhiyi shot back, "A thousand taels!"

Qiu Min pleaded from the side, "Qingqing, maybe you should forget it. No matter how good that rouge is, a thousand taels is just too much!"

"A thousand taels can buy you ten jars!"

Hearing that, Ji Qingqing started to have second thoughts.

She did want the Xishi Rouge, but the current price had far exceeded the rouge's value, making her feel it wasn't worth it.

Catching the hesitation in Ji Qingqing's eyes, Ji Yuntang said, "What, are you chickening out now?"

"Aren't you the most spoiled second daughter of the Marquis of Yongning's household? Can't you even scrape together a thousand taels?"

"Won't people laugh their heads off? The second miss, spoiled rotten by the whole family, doesn't even have that kind of spending power."

Ji Yuntang then turned to Pei Zhiyi.

"Zhiyi, maybe you should just buy this rouge instead."

"Second Miss Ji puts on a big show, but her real commitment is just that much."

"Alright, I'll listen to you." Pei Zhiyi responded, whipping out her embroidered purse and pulling out a thousand-tael silver note.

Just then, an angry voice cut in, "Two thousand taels!"

Ji Qingqing gritted her teeth as she glared at Ji Yuntang.

"Who says I can't come up with the silver? I have my grandmother, father, mother, and three brothers spoiling me. What's a measly thousand taels to me?"

She then snapped at the shop girl, "Two thousand taels. Wrap it up."

The shop girl was dumbfounded. Is this how rich young ladies act?

She in a daze began wrapping the rouge for Ji Qingqing.

A smug look crossed Ji Qingqing's face.

See? In the end, the rouge is still hers, right?

Then, Pei Zhiyi's next sentence made Ji Qingqing's face fall.

"Hold on. Did I say I was done bidding?"

"I bid five thousand."

Her voice was slow and dripping with contempt, and how could Ji Qingqing tolerate that?

Who did she think she was to provoke her?

But at the thought of five thousand taels, Ji Qingqing felt a pang in her heart.

She had assumed Pei Zhiyi was from a small, humble family and that offering a thousand taels would be her limit.

But then the girl casually threw out five thousand taels like it was nothing, without blinking an eye.

Ji Qingqing's face instantly soured.

If two thousand taels had only made her hesitate, five thousand taels felt like it was cutting into her own flesh.

After all, she didn't have Ji Yuntang's good fortune—having a sworn brother who gave her a hundred thousand taels of allowance at once.

And her own monthly allowance was just five hundred taels—that really stung.

Five thousand taels was practically her entire year's allowance!

By now, the shop girl was scared stiff and started wrapping the rouge for Pei Zhiyi again.

Pei Zhiyi smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Oh my! So the great Second Miss Ji is nothing more than this!"

"I thought you were crazy about this rouge, but five thousand taels sends you running?"

"Next time, if you don't have the money, don't shoot your mouth off, or you might accidentally trip over your own words."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuntang shot Pei Zhiyi a knowing glance.

She's so sharp!

After just a few exchanges, Pei Zhiyi had already figured out Ji Qingqing's personality—she was the classic type who would rather suffer than lose face.

As long as someone provoked her, she would immediately take the bait.

Sure enough, Ji Qingqing's face flushed with anger, and in a fit of impulse, she blurted out, "Ten thousand taels!"

As soon as she said it, Ji Qingqing regretted it!

She wanted to slap herself twice!

But then, thinking that Pei Zhiyi might still raise the bid, she felt relieved.

Seeing Pei Zhiyi standing there unmoved, Ji Qingqing taunted:

"What's the matter, Miss Pei? Can't even come up with a mere ten thousand taels?"

"Looks like you're nothing special. If you don't have money, don't come to the Peiyue Pavilion anymore. You're just embarrassing yourself."

Pei Zhiyi exchanged a look with Ji Yuntang, raised an eyebrow, and said, "You're right. I really can't afford ten thousand taels."

"We in the General's Mansion are all ordinary folks who risk our lives on the battlefield. Unlike your Yongning Houfu, which is so loaded that throwing around ten thousand taels is as easy as drinking water."

"Since Second Miss Ji sincerely wants this Xishi Rouge, I'll reluctantly part with it. I'm not in a hurry anyway—I can just wait for the next batch!"

Ji Qingqing: "..."

Ji Qingqing: "!!!"

She was dumbstruck!

She never expected that after she made her bid, Pei Zhiyi simply stopped raising the price!

"Second Miss Ji, I have already wrapped up the Xishi Rouge for you. Will you be paying in cash or with a banknote for the ten thousand taels?"

It was only when the shop assistant handed her the wrapped rouge that Ji Qingqing belatedly realized she had just spent ten thousand taels on a jar of rouge the size of half an egg.

Wasn't this basically taking her for a fool?

Ji Qingqing regretted it. She simply couldn't come up with ten thousand taels at the moment.

What's more, if Lady Meng found out that she had spent ten thousand taels on a jar of rouge, she would be livid.

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