Chapter 155: Direct

Jiang Xuening called Liu Yang in and, in a low voice, gave him some instructions.

Liu Yang was dumbfounded.

But Jiang Xuening just smiled faintly and said, “Even though someone might want to take a big gamble, I guess others won’t necessarily let her have her way. Just do as I say.”

After Lu Xian sold ten thousand silver stocks, the Ren family’s salt field immediately collapsed, and the price of the silver stocks plummeted like a cliff.

Eight hundred wen, seven hundred wen…

By the sixth day, it had dropped to zero, with only four hundred wen left.

Madam almost cried her eyes out in the mansion: “I told you earlier, what’s the point of a young lady like you meddling in these troublesome matters? You wouldn’t listen to advice when things went wrong. If you had earned enough, you should have sold those silver stocks earlier. How could it have come to this! Yue’er, your father is so upset because of you. Listen to your mother. The time to select a princess is coming soon. Don’t keep torturing yourself like this…”

Inside the room, You Yue sat there blankly.

She stared fixedly at the contracts and certificates of the silver stock transactions in front of her box. Days of sleeplessness had left her eyes bloodshot, giving her a somewhat terrifying appearance.

She ignored Madam’s words.

But she couldn’t help but ask her maidservants countless times, “Is there any news?”

The maid, who had been serving her, was also very anxious these days. Seeing You Yue’s strange behavior, she dared not go against her wishes and sent someone to inquire at the Shuxiang  Inn every half hour.

But no new news had come in yet.

The maid, trembling, spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito: “No, not yet.”

You Yue’s expression suddenly turned fierce. She stood up and slapped the maid across the face, scolding her, “It’s been over an hour, and still no word. What are they doing?”

The maid’s cheek immediately turned red.

The Lady of the House screamed, “Have you gone mad? What are you doing? How can the maid have anything to do with whether others return or not? You’ve really lost your mind, Yue’er. It’s just a few thousand taels of silver. Let it go. If you become the princess consort of Prince Linzi, wouldn’t wealth and glory be at your fingertips?”

You Yue had once aspired to this position, but now the Lady’s words sounded particularly harsh, further agitating her already troubled heart.

She sneered, “Is it that easy?”

The Lady was stunned.

You Yue continued fiercely, “All the noble ladies in the capital will be competing. There’s Xiao Shu above and Jiang Xuehui below! Other families are wealthy, but what about ours? If I can’t even keep this bit of silver, how can I present myself? Even if I compete, I’d just be a laughingstock!”

Seeing that the person sent to get news hadn’t returned yet, You Yue couldn’t wait any longer. Ignoring the Lady’s attempts to stop her, she locked the box containing the contracts and receipts and put the key in her own pocket. Then she shouted, “Prepare a carriage for me!”

The Lady asked, “Where are you going?”

You Yue didn’t look back as she said, “I’m going to the inn myself. Don’t try to keep the news from me!”

She had always been domineering in the household. Since being selected as a companion in Yangzhi Zhai, even her sister You Shuang was beneath her. The servants, though troubled, had no choice but to prepare the carriage, fearing her wrath.

The Lady’s calls went unheard.

As the carriage left the mansion, a tall young man on horseback stopped at the gate. Normally, You Yue would have questioned his identity, but now she was so obsessed that she just glanced at him and urged the coachman to drive to Shuxiang  Inn.

The price of Ren Salt Works shares had been plummeting for days, unstoppable by even nine oxen. Initially, many people came to watch the spectacle. But as the decline dragged on, it became routine, and people assumed the salt works was doomed, and those who bought shares had lost.

So You Yue thought there wouldn’t be many people today.

But as soon as she got off the carriage, she heard a buzz of voices from inside the inn.

“Who would have the guts to buy those 10,000 shares at such a time?”

“They’ve dropped to 300 wen, and no one wants them!”

“There’s a rumor from Sichuan that the salt works is being rebuilt. Ren Weizhi came up with the Zhuo Tong Well, which made other salt works envious. They’re forcing him to teach them how to drill Zhuo Tong Wells before they’ll help, otherwise, they’ll obstruct him. I think Ren Salt Works is worthless now, but the Zhuo Tong Well might still be worth something. Buying at 300 wen a share isn’t a bad deal!”

“But once that method is shared, it won’t be worth anything…”

“Yeah, who would dare?”

“Maybe someone with money to burn?”

When You Yue heard this, her heart skipped a beat. She completely forgot her usual composed demeanor and walked in, asking the speaker, “Someone bought Lu Xian’s 10,000 shares?”

The inn was full of burly men, but they were surprised to see a young woman. 

When they looked up, they saw that despite her delicate features, her expression was fierce, her red eyes glaring, teeth slightly clenched, which sent chills down their spines.

Seeing her well-dressed, they dared not be neglectful.

You Yue immediately responded, “Someone bought it, but we don’t know who is behind it. It just happened an hour ago. Not long ago, it was worth 15,000 taels of silver, but now it was sold for only 3,000 taels. Master Lu really lost a lot in this business.”

You Yue’s heart suddenly quickened.

A faint hope rose within her: as long as someone was willing to buy, the price of the silver stocks might stabilize, and it could even go up!

“Shopkeeper, prepare a private room upstairs.”

She had roughly calculated that, according to the usual practices of the Ren Saltworks, there should be definite news from the saltworks by the end of the day at the latest. No matter what, she couldn’t stay at home just listening; it was better to come and wait in person.

So, she frowned and spoke to the shopkeeper at the counter.

The shopkeeper was taken aback: “Miss, there are many people here today, and the private rooms upstairs are all taken.”

You Yue immediately frowned, noticing that there was clearly a private room upstairs with its door and windows open, looking empty. She sneered, “I am the legitimate daughter of the Lord of Qingyuan. You can’t even spare a private room for me?”

People fear officials, let alone merchants?

The shopkeeper also glanced at the empty private room but looked very troubled. “Miss, that private room upstairs was reserved by another lady a long time ago. Business relies on trust, I really can’t make the decision.”

You Yue scanned the surroundings and lifted her chin slightly, disdainfully saying, “The people coming here are all common traders. It is an honor for you that I am willing to come here! Just tell whoever reserved it to give it up, and I don’t think they will dare to complain.”

The faces of the surrounding “common traders” changed.

Even the shopkeeper’s face looked a bit unsightly.

At this moment, a clear, melodious laugh came from outside: “Why, does Miss Yue want to take even the private room I reserved?”

That voice…

You Yue’s expression suddenly changed, and her whole body tensed up.

Reluctantly, she turned her head and saw the face she loathed the most—Jiang Xuening!

Recently, the palace has been preparing to select a princess consort and to arrange marriages of alliance, so the palace attendants no longer needed to enter the palace. As a result, You Yue had not seen Jiang Xuening for several days.

When she saw her again, it was truly a breathtaking sight.

The weather was starting to warm up, and she wore a pleated dress in a shade of pale yellow. Her spring clothes were thin, accentuating her slender waist. Her black hair was as lush as a crow’s feathers, and her figure was perfectly proportioned. Her small, bright face had delicate and attractive features, with eyes that seemed to sparkle, making others feel inferior.

Behind her was someone familiar, none other than the heir apparent of the Yuan family, whom she had once encountered in the palace.

He exuded an air of nobility and charm, with a pair of captivating, mischievous eyes.

Standing next to Jiang Xuening, if one ignored the playful, teasing smile on his lips, they appeared to be a perfect match, extremely pleasing to the eye.

They entered the inn one after the other, and others did not realize they were acquainted.

You Yue, however, immediately cursed inwardly: “A lascivious man and a wanton woman!”

She had deep-seated animosity towards Jiang Xuening and had heard of Xiao Dingfei’s behavior upon his return to the capital, so she did not dare to act recklessly.

Today, however, Jiang Xuening was uncharacteristically friendly, smiling at her as if they had no grudges at all, and said, “It’s rare to meet in a place like this. I’m also friends with Fang Yin and am worried about her situation in Shu, so I came to wait for news. Since Miss You couldn’t find a private room, why not join me if you don’t mind?”

What had gotten into Jiang Xuening today?

This was the first thought that popped into You Yue’s mind.

She became vigilant and did not believe it at all. Instead, she lost interest in the private room and sneered, “Who doesn’t know that the second Miss Jiang has a thousand ways to harm people? I cannot afford to bear it.”

Jiang Xuening calculated that Liu Yang was currently at the Earl’s mansion trying to persuade the Lord of Qingyuan to seize the four thousand shares in You Yue’s hands, so she couldn’t let You Yue return and ruin things there.

With a quick turn of thought, she decided to use a goading tactic.

But just as she was about to speak, she caught sight of a figure entering from the doorway. The words she was about to say were immediately forgotten, and she felt a sense of being in another world.

He seemed to dislike wearing official robes, dressed in a simple and stiff dark blue long robe. Even when his gaze didn’t pass over people’s faces, it still carried a more solemn and contemplative air than most.

Cold as stone, silent as a cold pool.

His long, sword-like brows were slightly lowered, and a slender finger, rugged yet elegant, emerged from the wide sleeve, holding a scroll.

When he saw Jiang Xuening, he also noticed Xiao Dingfei standing close to her. His footsteps paused briefly, but he still walked in, followed by two officers.

The innkeeper was startled.

He hurried out from behind the counter, bowing and greeting, “Oh my, what brings you officers here in person?”

Common people rarely saw officials, so the innkeeper naturally didn’t recognize Zhang Zhe.

Zhang Zhe did not reveal his identity, but unrolled the scroll in his hand and asked the innkeeper to take a close look, “Have you seen this person in your inn recently?”

The innkeeper studied it carefully and shook his head, “If someone like this had come, I would definitely remember. I have no impression at all.”

Zhang Zhe’s brows furrowed slightly.

The two officers whispered something to him.

He remained silent, just put away the scroll, thanked the innkeeper, and walked towards the door.

At that moment, though the distance was not far, Jiang Xuening felt as if he were at the edge of the sky, leaving her somewhat disoriented. She thought: He clearly saw me, yet acted as if he didn’t recognize me.

You Yue remembered clearly that her initial conflict with Jiang Xuening was over a dispute involving Zhang Zhe. When she saw Zhang Zhe enter, she was first stunned, then instinctively looked at Jiang Xuening’s expression.

Seeing Zhang Zhe act as if he didn’t recognize Jiang Xuening, she immediately covered her mouth and laughed.

With a tone dripping with mockery and gloating, she said, “Tsk, I thought the second Miss Jiang and Lord Zhang were mutually in love, but it turns out it’s just one-sided infatuation, shamelessly pursuing him! No wonder, I heard that Lord Zhang is not a philanderer. How could he pay attention to some fickle and unfaithful woman!”

As she spoke, she looked pointedly at Xiao Dingfei, her disdain and insinuation evident.

A surge of inexplicable irritation surged within Jiang Xuening.

In front of everyone, she unhesitatingly slapped You Yue across the face!

“Slap!”

The crisp sound echoed.

The entire tea house downstairs fell silent instantly. Everyone stared at Jiang Xuening in shock and awe.

Xiao Dingfei, too, was taken aback, his face tensing up. He had never imagined that the beautiful woman he found so gentle and lovely could display such a chilling side, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

You Yue covered her face, stunned for a moment before screaming, “Jiang Xuening, you bitch!”

Jiang Xuening gave her a cold look but said nothing. She turned and walked straight out of the inn.

If she hadn’t seen Zhang Zhe, she might have been patient enough to deal with You Yue given the critical moment of their plans today. But Zhang Zhe’s brief appearance had thrown her thoughts into chaos.

She knew that leaving now would likely result in rumors spreading throughout the capital by tomorrow.

But—

She had already done things as extreme as secretly plotting to force Xiao Shu into a marriage alliance. A little gossip that neither endangered her life nor changed her mind was nothing to her.

Jiang Xuening didn’t care!

She hurriedly chased after Zhang Zhe, calling out to his back when she was close enough, “Lord Zhang!”

Zhang Zhe stopped and turned around.

The two officers with him looked back in surprise and, seeing Jiang Xuening, hesitated, their gazes shifting to Zhang Zhe.

Zhang Zhe remained silent.

Jiang Xuening didn’t care about the looks from others. It was as if the two officers didn’t exist. She straightened her back, stood before him, and without hiding her intentions, directly asked, “Did you receive what I sent on New Year’s Eve, Lord Zhang?”

The two constables were instantly shocked.

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