Chapter 394: Discovering the Imposter
Chapter 394: Discovering the Imposter
Chapter 394: Discovering the Imposter's Identity
In the blink of an eye, she disappeared from the room.
Hua Feixue sneered disdainfully. That little bastard seemed pretty scared of death, didn't he?
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the broken furniture in the room and suddenly remembered something important. She darted out to chase after Ji Yuntang.
But there was no sign of Ji Yuntang outside anymore.
Hua Feixue was furious. She had originally sought Ji Yuntang out about the theft from the Blood Rain Sect's treasury. She hadn't even gotten to ask about that matter, and he'd already slipped away?
Damn it, all because that little bastard was too cunning!
Qiu Zhu came up from downstairs and saw her standing at the top of the stairs. She was a bit confused but didn't think much of it.
"Miss Hua, I bought the brown sugar pastry you wanted."
Seeing her cold expression as she looked around, Qiu Zhu hesitantly asked, "Miss Hua, are you looking for someone?"
Hua Feixue snapped back to reality, fixed her veil, and curled her red lips slightly.
"No, I was just waiting for you to come back."
"I'm almost done eating. Let's go!"
She went downstairs, and as she was paying, a waiter came over with a tray.
"Miss Hua, our Fireworks Grill is running a promotion today—we're picking the most beautiful customer in the shop to give a big, sweet peach to. You've been lucky enough to be chosen. Please accept this peach."
Hua Feixue's fists clenched so hard her knuckles went white!
A promotion, my ass. She could guess without a doubt that this was sent by that little bastard Ji Yuntang.
She'd stomped on her peach, and now she was sending her another one.
Humiliation. Pure humiliation.
Hua Feixue was so mad she could've died.
She glanced at her uneven chest, and in the end, unable to resist the temptation, she accepted the peach and made an excuse about going to the restroom to step away for a bit.
"Wait here for me. I'm going to the bathroom."
Qiu Zhu and the waiter both stared wide-eyed—who takes a peach to the bathroom?
Once they were in the carriage, Qiu Zhu asked, "Miss Hua, are we heading back to the manor now?"
Hua Feixue was about to say yes, but then she changed her mind. She'd finally gotten out—why not do some more shopping and pick up a few things?
After all, she was spending Ji Qingfeng's money, not her own, so why feel bad?
"I'm running out of clothes. Let's go to Peiyue Pavilion and grab a few outfits."
"..."
After a full day of shopping, she'd bought a pile of clothes, jewelry, and makeup—all the latest styles.
Hua Feixue also made a point to stop by Ji Yuntang's Evening Makeup Pavilion. She'd originally just wanted to browse, but after Yaoniang's sales pitch, she ended up buying a skincare set and a box of hydrating masks.
All in all, she dropped twelve thousand taels of silver that day.
Qiu Zhu, loaded down with bags of clothes, said enviously, "Miss Hua, the Second Young Master is so good to you. Before, only the Second Miss in our manor used to get this kind of treatment."
"Is that so?" Hua Feixue raised an eyebrow, seeming to smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Ji Qingqing lived that kind of life for sixteen years in someone else's shoes. It's about time I got to enjoy it too!"
The "someone else" she meant was Ji Yuntang, but Qiu Zhu thought she was talking about herself.
Hua Feixue finally understood why Ji Qingqing was so desperate to kill Ji Yuntang!
That woman was cunning, bold, and had an endless bag of tricks to mess with people.
Ji Qingqing going up against her—she was doomed to get crushed.
Back at the Marquis Yongning Manor.
The moment Hua Feixue and Qiu Zhu walked in the gate, they ran right into Ji Qingqing.
Ji Qingqing seemed to have been waiting for her at the entrance. She held a blood-stained whip, wore an exquisite purple brocade dress, and had an arrogant, domineering air about her.
Hua Feixue was in a bad mood and didn't want to deal with her, so she turned to go.
"Hua Feixue, you stop right there!"
Unexpectedly, Ji Qingqing cracked her whip right at her feet, scaring Qiu Zhu and two servants into dropping to their knees.
"Second Miss, please calm down."
Ji Qingqing's eyes went red at the sight of what Qiu Zhu and the two servants were carrying!
She snapped, "Hua Feixue, who gave you permission to leave the manor?"
"And how dare you spend our manor's silver on all this stuff? Where do you get the nerve?"
Ji Qingqing finished her rant, but before she could even see Hua Feixue move, her collar was grabbed and she was yanked up.
"Hua Feixue, how dare you treat me like this!"
"This dress of mine is woven from floating-light brocade, adorned with one hundred and eight pearls. Can you even afford to replace it if you damage it?"
Hua Feixue held Ji Qingqing up like a chicken, completely unfazed.
A faint sneer curled her red lips. "I need your permission to leave? Who do you think you are?"
Ji Qingqing was startled by the look in Hua Feixue's eyes. She'd never seen such a terrifying expression—even scarier than Ji Yuntang's.
It was like, any second now, Hua Feixue would reach out and snap her neck.
Ji Qingqing's face went pale with fear, but she still mustered the courage to say, "Th-this is my home. You live in my home, so you have to listen to me..."
Hua Feixue looked at her, a half-smile on her lips. "Is that so? Is this really your home? Or are you the one living under someone else's roof?"
Her words sent a cold sweat down Ji Qingqing's spine.
Her first thought was—could Hua Feixue already know something?
Ji Qingqing's panicked expression didn't escape Hua Feixue's notice, and the mockery in her smile deepened, but she let go.
"Second Miss Ji, look at you, all scared. What I meant is, haven't you already been betrothed to the Crown Prince by the Emperor's decree?"
"Before long, you'll be the Crown Princess, and your home won't be Marquis Yongning's residence anymore—it'll be the Eastern Palace. Am I right?"
"So, as you currently reside in the Marquis's mansion, doesn't that basically mean you're living under someone else's roof?"
Ji Qingqing sighed in relief upon hearing this, a relieved smile breaking out on her face.
So that's all she meant—she didn't actually know her secret.
She frowned and glared at Hua Feixue, speaking disdainfully, "If you can't talk right, then just shut up—otherwise, you'll only make yourself look ridiculous."
"I'm the legitimate daughter of the Yongning Marquis's household. Even if I marry the Crown Prince someday, the Yongning Marquis's mansion will always be my home, and no one can change that!"
"Don't think that just because Second Brother has a thing for you, you can replace me in his heart!"
"I'm telling you, as long as I'm around, you'll never set foot in the Yongning Marquis's mansion!"
"Let's go!" With that, she turned on her heel and left with her maid without looking back.
Hua Feixue watched her retreating figure, a cold smile suddenly curling at the corners of her lips.
She muttered under her breath, "Is that so?"
"And what if I were to send you and Ji Yuntang a big gift? How would you deal with that?"
Three days later, at Prince Ye's mansion.
Ji Yuntang was in her room working on her medicine-making when suddenly Chen Hu rushed in to report.
"Your Highness, someone from Prince Qi's mansion has arrived, saying they have urgent matters to discuss with you."
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