Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 314 Towards the Golden Palace (18)

After being warned, Xue Lin stayed quietly in his courtyard for several days without coming out.

The steward who was taking care of him reported to Yan Zhen that Xue Lin was reviewing his lessons on time every day and was not slacking off in his studies. Apart from eating less than usual, there was nothing unusual about him.

Yan Zhen stopped paying attention to him; she had more important things to do—open the Golden Pavilion.

It took half a month from site selection to decoration, and "Jinyulou" opened its doors amidst the sound of firecrackers.

A few days before the opening, Yan Zhen hired a lion dance troupe to promote the event by beating drums and gongs all over the city. He promised that anyone who spent ten taels of silver at Jin Yu Lou on the opening day would receive a small gold bean.

Limited spots available, first come, first served.

This high-profile promotion instantly attracted a lot of attention. On the opening day, after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a large number of guests flocked to Jinyulou.

Jin Yu Lou has three floors. The first floor has ordinary gold ornaments, the second floor has more exquisite and valuable designs, and the third floor has private rooms used to entertain dignitaries.

Downstairs, the crowd was bustling and noisy, while Yan Zhen sat in a private room on the third floor, leisurely drinking tea.

A short while later, the butler came up.

He pushed open the door to the private room and walked in. His hat was askew, and his brocade clothes were wrinkled and crumpled. He looked exhausted and reeked of his class.

Yan Zhen poured him a cup of tea, which he took and drank in one gulp. He exclaimed, "As expected of the capital, there are far more wealthy people here than in Yinzhou. They buy gold like it's cabbage. There are so many waiters downstairs, but they can't keep up with the demand."

Yan Zhen smiled and said, "After all, it's under the emperor's nose."

She poured the housekeeper another cup of tea.

The butler glanced at her right leg, which was bandaged with a splint: "Manager, what if the person you're waiting for doesn't come today, dressed like this?"

Yan Zhen said confidently, "No, they will come. Please keep an eye on them and let me know as soon as they arrive."

Cheng Qingshuang loves to take advantage of these kinds of small things.

"it is good."

After resting for a while, the butler went downstairs to entertain the guests.

Yan Zhen continued to gaze at the distant scenery through the window, utterly bored.

Half an hour later, the steward came up and knocked on the door: "Manager, just as you expected, Madam Xie has arrived with her family."

Yan Zhen asked, "Which floor?"

"They're on the first floor now, but the girl next to Mrs. Xie is clamoring to go upstairs to pick out gold jewelry."

Yan Zhen understood, picked up the veil and put it on, then, dragging his "limping" leg which was in a splint, slowly walked up to the second floor to wait for the rabbit to come to him.

Before long, Cheng Qingshuang and Meng Zhenyue brought Xie Wanfang up.

The second floor not only sells various gold, silver and jade ornaments, but also large gold and jade items. Xie Wanfang immediately took a liking to a jade ruyi displayed on the counter.

The jade ruyi was carved from purple jade, and its entire surface was smooth and lustrous, without a single impurity. It was clearly a top-quality piece.

"Mother, Grandmother, I want this!" Xie Wanfang pointed at the jade ruyi and said, "I'll buy it and keep it as a keepsake. I'll add it to my dowry and display it in the bridal chamber at my wedding. It will definitely make me look good!"

Cheng Qingshuang glanced at Meng Zhenyue and said to Xie Wanfang with a smile, "You shameless little girl, how can an unmarried girl talk about dowry and wedding night all the time? You have no shame."

She seemed to be teasing Xie Wanfang, but her tone carried tacit approval and indulgence of Xie Wanfang's request for the jade ruyi.

Children are good at reading between the lines. Xie Wanfang noticed that her grandmother didn't object, so she immediately raised her head and said, "I call this being frank. I say what I want, unlike those rich girls who are all coy and hesitant. My father likes my personality very much."

After she finished speaking, she glanced meaningfully at Meng Zhenyue.

Meng Zhenyue merely frowned slightly, without saying anything.

Xie Wanfang called over a waiter, pointed to the jade ruyi, and asked, "How much is this? I'll take it."

The shop assistant smiled and said, "Miss, this jade ruyi is carved from South China Sea purple jade. It is used for protection and warding off evil spirits. The original price was three thousand taels of silver, but today's opening promotion price is only two thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight taels."

Upon hearing this, Meng Zhenyue's expression changed slightly.

Xie Wanfang's eyes lit up, and she turned to look at Meng Zhenyue: "Mother, I want this."

Meng Zhenyue pursed her lips, looking troubled: "It's too expensive. This jade ruyi is equivalent to four months of the family's expenses..."

"Oh dear! You're always like this!" Xie Wanfang interrupted her impatiently. "Didn't you say you brought sixty-eight loads of dowry with you when you married my father, tens of thousands of taels of silver notes? So much money, what's wrong with letting me spend some? You can't have children, so if you don't let me spend all this money, are you going to take it to your grave when you die?"

Meng Zhenyue was taken aback, and her expression darkened slightly.

The inability to have children was a hidden pain in her heart, and Xie Wanfang's words were like stabbing her in the back.

Seeing Meng Zhenyue's unpleasant expression, Cheng Qingshuang realized that Xie Wanfang had spoken without thinking and that her words had upset her.

She immediately pulled Xie Wanfang aside and gently scolded, "Fang'er, what nonsense are you spouting! How disrespectful! Is that how you talk to your elders? Apologize to your mother right now!"

Xie Wanfang belatedly realized that she had spoken too harshly.

This stepmother was gentle and easy to talk to, but that didn't mean she had no temper.

Thinking of this, Xie Wanfang readily apologized, "Mother, I'm sorry!"

As she spoke, she walked to Meng Zhenyue's side, grabbed her arm, and shook it back and forth: "That's not what I really meant, I just blurted it out, please don't hold it against me, okay?"

Cheng Qingshuang chimed in, "Yes, Xiaoyue, this child's biological mother was illiterate and died young. She didn't teach Fang'er any profound principles when she was alive. You are different from her. You are a young lady raised in a prestigious family. Don't take Fang'er seriously."

Having said all that, Meng Zhenyue, no matter how unhappy she was, couldn't say anything and could only give a soft reply.

Seeing that her attitude had softened, Xie Wanfang immediately pressed her advantage, saying, "That jade ruyi..."

"It's too expensive." Meng Zhenyue interrupted her. "Look at other things. We agreed that you can only buy one item worth less than fifty taels of silver at Jinyulou. Otherwise, by the end of the month, the public funds won't be available, and Xie Lang will be unhappy."

She laid out her bottom line, and Xie Wanfang had no choice but to give up, turning away reluctantly to look at other gold jewelry.

Yan Zhen, wearing a veiled hat and leaning against a pillar not far away, witnessed the whole process and felt a little complicated.

Both were used as bloodsuckers by the shameless Xie family, and both gave their all without receiving any respect. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether the original owner, Luo Yun, was more miserable, or whether Meng Zhenyue in front of her was more miserable.

After expressing his feelings, Yan Zhen gestured to the butler.

The butler, understanding the situation, approached Xie Wanfang with a smile. He first introduced himself, then praised Xie Wanfang for her lively and lovely appearance, saying he would introduce her to gold jewelry suitable for her age. He successfully led Xie Wanfang and Cheng Qingshuang to another counter.

Meng Zhenyue and her two maids stood there, waiting with helpless expressions.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Yan Zhen dragged his limp past Meng Zhenyue.

Perhaps because he was also lame, Yan Zhen's limping gait caught Meng Zhenyue's attention.

Yan Zhen noticed that her gaze was on him, and he stumbled, lost his balance, and "accidentally" fell towards Meng Zhenyue.