Chapter 297 Shooting One’s Own Foot

Chapter 297: Shot Herself in the Foot

Ji Qingqing turned to leave, but there were too many people in Paiyue Pavilion, and she was too embarrassed to say she couldn't afford it, finding herself in a dilemma.

Ji Yuntang stood with her arms crossed against the counter, toying with a jar of lip rouge in her hand. She said lazily, "It seems that Second Miss Ji can't fork over ten thousand taels of silver!"

"But that's fine; you can write an IOU. A shop as big as Paiyue Pavilion should allow you to run a tab."

Hearing Ji Yuntang's voice, Ji Qingqing instantly got furious. She clenched her fists and suddenly realized—hadn't she chosen to bid against Pei Zhiyi all because of Ji Yuntang's words?

The more she interacted with Ji Yuntang, the more Ji Qingqing felt that Ji Yuntang was her nemesis. Every time she encountered Ji Yuntang, she inevitably lost her cool and did something unreasonable.

And the one who ended up punished and taking the fall was always her.

Ji Yuntang was the one standing at a height, watching her make a spectacle of herself.

With this in mind, Ji Qingqing could no longer hold back. She shoved the shop girl aside and glared at Ji Yuntang with hatred.

"You must have colluded with Pei Zhiyi to deliberately set me up! I do want this rouge, but its original price is only one hundred taels per jar. You just opened your mouth and demanded I pay ten thousand taels!"

"Ji Yuntang, what exactly are you plotting?"

Ji Yuntang glanced at her mockingly, looking at her as if she were a fool. She said, "Ridiculous! You came late and couldn't buy the rouge, so you wanted to snatch it from someone else. The idea of raising the price was all your own!"

"I, this Princess, did not participate nor lay a hand on you. I was just spectating the whole time, and yet you claim this Princess colluded with Miss Pei to swindle you?"

"What would I gain by swindling you? Don't tell me you think I own this Paiyue Pavilion too?"

Ji Qingqing's face flushed bright red. Realizing she couldn't outargue Ji Yuntang, she said directly, "Anyway, I'm not paying these ten thousand taels."

"I don't want this Xishi Rouge anymore either. If Miss Pei wants it, she can take it!"

Ji Qingqing turned to leave, but as she spun around, she bumped into someone.

That person was none other than Luo Sinian. Ji Qingqing was startled.

Recovering, she immediately put on an extremely aggrieved expression.

"This subject greets Prince Chen. Your Highness has arrived just in time. I wish to ask Your Highness to settle a matter for me."

Luo Sinian's eyes darkened slightly, a flash of murderous intent flickering in them. He asked coldly, "What matter?"

Ji Qingqing hadn't held much hope for Luo Sinian, because as everyone knew, Prince Chen was famously averse to interfering in others' affairs.

Besides, her impression of him was still based on the time when he had despised Ji Yuntang intensely.

Now, asking him to take her side seemed like the perfect plan.

With that thought, Ji Qingqing discreetly pinched her thigh hard where no one could see, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

She choked up, "Here's what happened: I heard that Paiyue Pavilion had released a new rouge that was excellent, so I immediately invited Miss Qiu to come buy it together."

"But unexpectedly, when we arrived, we found that there was only one jar of Xishi Rouge left, and it was in Miss Pei's hands."

"I discussed with her, asking if she could let me have it, or if I could pay more to buy it from her."

"But who knew she would collude with Princess Ye to set a trap for me? This tiny jar of rouge was bid up to ten thousand taels, forcing me to buy it."

"I refused, and they stopped me from leaving. So I strongly suspect that Princess Ye, Pei Zhiyi, and the shopkeeper of Paiyue Pavilion are colluding, deliberately swindling us ignorant girls. There must be many who have been cheated by them."

At this point, Ji Qingqing's voice had turned cold. She dropped to her knees with a thud.

"I beg Prince Chen to investigate the truth and give me and the many other victims a satisfactory explanation."

The crowd of onlookers packed around Paiyue Pavilion, forming a tight circle.

Ji Qingqing could already hear voices in the crowd beginning to curse Ji Yuntang and Pei Zhiyi.

She lowered her head, a flicker of triumph in her eyes.

As long as Luo Sinian listened to her today and took her side, she would win.

Not only that, but Ji Yuntang and Pei Zhiyi, who had cheated and swindled, might even land in prison.

At that thought, Ji Qingqing was ecstatic.

But her excitement clearly didn't last long before it was shattered by a voice.

A middle-aged man of dignified appearance, dressed in a black brocade robe, pushed through the crowd and came out from the back.

As soon as he saw Luo Sinian, he bowed respectfully.

"Young master, why didn't you let us know you were coming? Your subordinate could have personally welcomed you at the door."

Luo Sinian parted his thin lips, his expression as indifferent as ever.

"It's nothing. I was passing by Paiyue Pavilion and heard someone was causing trouble inside, so I came in to take a look."

"Uncle Zhou, don't mind me; go about your own affairs."

Ji Qingqing was completely stunned!

She had no idea Luo Sinian was the young owner of Paiyue Pavilion!

And she had just badmouthed the shop...

Ji Qingqing lowered her head even further, and if anyone looked closely, they could see her body trembling slightly.

Ji Yuntang was also shocked, as she had never heard that Luo Sinian was the young owner of Paiyue Pavilion.

Given his cold and aloof nature, opening a cosmetics shop and expanding it so successfully—

No matter how she looked at it, it just didn't seem to fit.

But this was clearly not the time to dwell on that.

Suffice it to say, Ji Qingqing had run into the wrong person by bumping into Luo Sinian, like hitting a stone wall.

What could be more awkward than screwing up right in front of the person in charge?

Luo Sinian then turned his head to look at Ji Qingqing, his deep eyes swirling with an unreadable emotion.

"You just said that Paiyue Pavilion, Princess Ye, and Miss Pei colluded to maliciously swindle you ignorant girls?"

Ji Qingqing's breath caught, and her hand trembled as cold sweat soaked through her back.

"No... Prince Chen, you misunderstand. That's not what I meant..."

Before she could finish, Luo Sinian cut her off bluntly.

"Are you implying that I'm deaf?"

Ji Qingqing's hands shook even harder.

"No... it's not that. I didn't know that the Peiyue Pavilion belongs to Prince Chen. I didn't mean anything I said."

"I was just upset because my sister and Miss Pei deliberately hiked up the price and made me buy that rouge. After all, ten thousand taels for a jar of rouge is an exorbitant price. I had no intention of offending Your Highness."

Luo Sinian's dark eyes narrowed dangerously. "Not only do you think I'm deaf, but you also think I'm blind?"

The implication was that he had arrived much earlier. He had seen and heard everything she did and said.

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