Chapter 107 Back Door? Tsk tsk

Yao Qingling was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Congratulations."

That's all.

Lien Cheng-tai: "..."

That's it?

Isn't she happy for Zhan Xingzhuo?

Tao Weixian couldn't stand it anymore and said coldly, "Yao Qingling, you and Xing Zhuo were husband and wife, and he only went to Luozhou because of you. Your perfunctory attitude is too cold and heartless."

Qingling's smile carried a hint of coldness: "First, I have divorced him. From now on, we go our separate ways. There is no longer any connection between us as husband and wife."

"Secondly, he went to Luozhou not because of the commoner girl, but for Miss Zhou, and also to avoid danger for himself. If he hadn't gone to Luozhou, both the Duke's mansion and he himself would have been in trouble."

Zhan Xingzhuo was merely using a strategic retreat; don't pin the blame on her.

As she spoke, she chuckled and glanced at the three people in front of her.

"I find it strange that you all have such an example. With Zhan Xingzhuo as an example, how could you still dare to get involved with the remnants of the criminals? Isn't this just jumping into a pit?"

“If she were a commoner, she wouldn’t care about loyalty. As the old master said, ‘One who is near vermilion gets stained red, and one who is near ink gets stained black.’ Whether Miss Zhou is vermilion or black, you don’t know, but the court has already given the answer.”

"Prince Xin, I heard you were flogged; Young Master Tao, I heard you were also confined to your quarters?"

Prince Xin's sore spot was touched, and his face turned pale, with a red tinge on his cheekbones; Tao and Shao were the same.

Qingling felt a sense of satisfaction watching this, but she remained outwardly calm, feigning fear of getting into trouble, and said, "You may not be afraid, but I am terrified. I have no one to rely on, and when I encounter such troublesome people, I want to stay far away and only seek to protect myself. So please don't say that I have any connection with Zhan Xingzhuo."

"Sigh, if we hadn't divorced early, I wouldn't be running a shop here now. Instead, I would have been exiled to Luozhou to suffer."

"The weather is going to get hot. I heard that there are a lot of leeches and mosquitoes in the flooded areas. Although the epidemic has been controlled in those areas, it still breaks out from time to time. I'm not sure my body can handle it."

Prince Xin's face twitched slightly, perhaps imagining the appearance of leeches and the scene of mosquitoes blotting out the sun. Tao Weixian couldn't hold back any longer and angrily said, "How can you say that! Brother Xingzhuo was so good to you before. Yao Qingling, you're just a woman who only wants to take advantage of him and is unwilling to give anything in return. Humph, it's good that he divorced you. Marrying a treacherous person like you is an insult to his status!"

Yao Qingling sneered. Talking to this kind of person would be an insult to herself.

She glanced at Shao Wenchou, who had remained silent throughout, and raised her chin: "And you, do you have anything to say?"

If you're going to criticize, then criticize them all.

Fortunately, her business was doing well, so she didn't have to pay attention to their insults.

Shao Wen-Chu glanced at her and shook his head: "No."

Tao Weixian glared at him; it was that same old "don't offend anyone" attitude again. What was there for a woman with no power or influence to rely on to be cautious about?

Yao Qingling ignored the group and placed her hands on the railing, looking at the entire shop with a sense of "Look, this is the empire I have built."

Perhaps because of the money that was just given away, there were more and more customers downstairs, and it was almost packed with people; people were shoulder to shoulder, all rushing to buy things.

The counter staff were working at lightning speed, their fingers almost cramping, but their smiles were practically reaching their ears; the shop assistants were constantly restocking, filling the shelves with new items.

Yao Qingling's lips never curved into a smile; making money was what it meant to feel her blood and energy flowing smoothly.

To others, her appearance made her seem like she was obsessed with money.

Tao Weixian kept inhaling and exhaling, feeling that all the kindness Zhan Xingzhuo had shown her before had been wasted.

He thought to himself, "Thank goodness I didn't marry this kind of woman."

Completely unaware, they accepted bribes from local officials, embezzled funds meant for dike construction and disaster relief, and their smiles were utterly hideous.

She was also blinded by Zhan Xingzhuo's so-called doting on his wife, completely ignoring who he was doing it for.

Yao Qingling had seen enough and turned around, only to find the three people still there. At that moment, a figure appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Yao Qingling deliberately turned her head, slightly raised her eyebrows, and smiled broadly.

Lin Shiyuan calmly and slowly ascended the steps.

He wore an indigo robe with floating cloud patterns embroidered only at the hem, yet he looked noble and composed.

His brilliance is completely different from that of Prince Xin, Lian Chengtai.

Prince Xin was born into royalty, his nobility sculpted by royal aura, and he possessed an innate arrogance. However, due to his pampered upbringing, he only had the air of nobility but lacked spirit and vitality. He was like a finely sculpted clay doll, but because he lacked the tempering of intense fire, he could not become a celadon that people could praise.

Lin Shiyuan's noble air was mixed with a murderous aura, and he appeared with a sharp edge; his nobility came from the blade and his battle achievements, from the trials of bloodshed, which added to his domineering aura.

In addition, his tall and muscular physique, with every inch of muscle exuding power, gave him a very intimidating presence, revealing his domineering aura.

Qingling's lips curled up even more, and she said with a smile, "Where did you come from? I didn't even see you."

He's so conspicuous that even surrounded by people, he can be recognized at a glance.

Lin Shiyuan went up to the second floor and glanced at the three people indifferently.

Although he was not holding an official position at the moment, the aura he exuded made it seem as if the other three were inferior to him.

Prince Xin frowned in displeasure.

But once again, he witnessed Yao Qingling treating Lin Shiyuan with special regard.

She left them all hanging; and judging from her tone, the two of them were clearly very close.

Could it be that she has really taken a liking to Lin Shiyuan?

Lin Shiyuan replied to Yao Qingling, "There were too many people in front, so I entered through the back door."

The back door leads to the warehouse, where only workers are busy loading goods.

However, the workers carried the packages back and forth, getting quite dusty.

Lin Shiyuan didn't mind the dirty warehouse and casually dusted off the dust on his sleeves.

Prince Xin: Backdoor? Tsk tsk.

He subconsciously thought of the filth inside the doors of the powerful and wealthy, and how those men and women did all sorts of petty theft and other shady things—wasn't it all done through the back door?

Prince Xin sneered disdainfully, "Lin Shiyuan, how dare you say that?"

Lin Shiyuan turned to look at him and replied calmly, "Is there anything Prince Xin is embarrassed to say about what he did at the back gate?"

For Lin Shiyuan, the back gate was the place to launch a surprise attack on the battlefield; sending the vanguard to burn the supplies, deplete the enemy's fighting strength, and disrupt morale, and then attacking from the front to form an encirclement, would be twice as effective with half the effort.

King Xin: "..."

He thought those words were enough to leave him speechless, but Yao Qingling's words made him even more furious.

"Prince Xin, you're still here? I thought you had all left."

Tao and Shao were speechless.

Are they really that insignificant?

They said they didn't know each other when they met, and now they're acting like they don't see each other.

Yes, it must be because Zhan Xingzhuo kept her hidden away from everyone, which is why she had no impression of them.

Yao Qingling's ignoring of them was just a petty act, a deliberate attempt to provoke them.

Yao Qingling genuinely didn't care about them. She glanced at the shelf, called a shop assistant to pack some gift boxes and bring them over, and said to them with a smile, "I made you three spend money earlier, so how could I let you suffer a loss and leave empty-handed?"

"Here, these are pearls from the South China Sea. Although they cannot compare to tribute items, they are definitely top-quality and presentable. Take them home and keep them, or give them to your wives and concubines. They will surely love them. Remember to mention that you bought them from my 'Hui Ba Fang' shop."