Chapter 327 Self-Preservation

However, although the painting was returned, Zhou Zhining was also imprisoned, and the mess on Yao Qingling's side was difficult to resolve.

Qingling has never directly admitted that the person in the painting is her, but everyone has seen the portrait, and the discussion has not stopped.

Who knows how long this gust of wind will last.

The shop had been closed for several days, and the people who couldn't buy cheap rice finally got anxious and gathered at the entrance of the rice shop, demanding that it open for business.

Xia Chan came to ask Qing Ling whether or not to open the door.

Qingling did not agree.

“But Miss, if we don’t open the door, I’m worried that the people will storm our shop. And if it goes on for too long, other shops will take away the old customers we’ve built up last year.”

In order to obtain the right to operate official rice, some rice merchants also followed Qingling's approach and sold rice at low prices.

Many of the unfavorable rumors about Yao Qingling were spread by those same people.

Once this phase is over and they gain control of the operation, they will raise rice prices recklessly, and there will be no one left to challenge them.

Yao Qingling's face was pale: "If it really comes to this, then there's nothing I can do. In the end, we're simply not as skilled as them."

Ultimately, Yao Qingling is facing a group of powerful and influential people. How is she supposed to fight against them?

A single painting had left her utterly distraught; she had overestimated herself, believing herself to be omnipotent.

But her original intention was just to open a shop to save her own life and make it a little better. But it gradually turned into saving more people's lives, and then she wanted more, to ensure that ordinary people and the lowly could also have food to eat.

“Miss…” Lou Yue looked at the dejected Qing Ling and didn’t know how to comfort her.

Yes, it's too difficult.

Swords and spears can kill, but there are also ways to kill without shedding blood.

Lou Yue said, "So Zhou Zhining can't jump around anymore, but why does Miss seem to have lost her fighting spirit? We weren't this negative when we were in prison."

She bit her lip, put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "Miss, you promised to open a restaurant for me. I've gone out to look at several shops these past few days, and a few of them look pretty good. I'm just waiting for you to give me the money."

"And then there are Xiao Pingfeng and his ilk. You promised them you'd make them all managers. Now that you're backing out, they won't agree to that."

Yao Qingling looked at Lou Yue's bright eyes and couldn't help but smile.

But the glint in his eyes vanished in an instant.

She asked, "If I open a restaurant, will people come?"

Lou Yue's cooking skills are undeniable, but when it comes to Yao Qingling, people come not for the food, but for Yao Qingling's painting.

Xia Chan frowned slightly and said, "Miss, actually there's no problem with Lou Yue opening a restaurant. Think about it, the restaurant needs renovations, and by the time a month or two has passed, people will already be talking about other things."

“There are so many people in the capital, and things happen every day. If we don’t respond to those questions, they’ll lose interest and move on to other things.”

Tao Ye glanced at Lou Yue and Xia Chan: "That's true, but in the major case of the Imperial Palace, the Emperor and Empress were the ones who benefited. After the matter was over, they pushed Miss out to bear the wrath of the powerful families."

“Our young lady has offended so many people and is being watched all the time. Even small things are blown out of proportion by those people.”

“Whatever we do, they’ll jump up and find fault with us. We can’t afford to open a shop and then have it go bankrupt and lose money, can we?”

"No amount of money can withstand such turmoil."

Lou Yue said, "Because of this, we can't do anything?"

Xia Chan added, "Even if Miss does nothing, how will she explain it to Sheng Dahe? He has an agreement with Miss. If Miss's shop can't handle his goods, who will he sell the things he brings from the south to? Knowing his temper, do you think he'll let Miss off the hook?"

The girls started arguing, each offering their own reasoning, and neither could gain the upper hand.

Yao Qingling did not intervene in their argument.

He Yin brought in the medicinal soup and served it to Qing Ling.

She glared at them, and they all quieted down.

Although Yao Qingling has recovered from her illness, the worries she has been dealing with have taken a toll on her liver.

They withdrew.

He Yin stayed by Qing Ling's side. She dipped some medicine residue in her saliva and wrote on the table: "Take care of yourself."

Qingling looked at those four words and gently tugged at the corner of her lips.

When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven.

She's just a woman struggling to survive in a bad world; why should she shoulder so much responsibility?

"I understand." She ate a candied fruit to suppress the bitterness in her mouth.

Prince Xin kept making small moves, either inviting Qingling to watch a play or inviting her to have tea.

He even invited Yao Qingling to banquets held in the homes of some powerful and influential people.

Qingling was naturally unwilling to go and made up an excuse to decline.

By attending the banquet with Prince Xin, wasn't she telling those powerful figures that Yao Qingling had used her beauty to curry favor with Prince Xin, thus confirming the rumors?

But Qingling can't keep refusing Prince Xin. If she angers him, he might do something even crazier than Zhou Zhining.

When Prince Chen held another poetry club banquet, Qingling received an invitation and went.

This time, there were even more dignitaries attending the banquet, as if they had suddenly all developed a love for poetry and painting.

This time, the banquet was organized by Prince Xin's Jin Mantang. Zhou Zhining was no longer the manager; the banquet was handled by one of Prince Xin's concubines.

She took over Zhou Zhining's position. This woman was a talented singer and dancer, and she made the banquet a vibrant and lively affair.

This is different from Chen Wang's previous preferences and style.

The performers were all invited from brothels, singing and dancing merrily, much like a vibrant spring.

But some people felt that this was the decadent music of the powerful and wealthy.

The painters wielded their brushes to depict the women's slender figures and graceful dance moves, and some art enthusiasts immediately wanted to collect them.

"Hey, that woman, why does she look so familiar?" Yao Qingling stared at a woman dressed in a green gauze dress, holding a peony and dancing barefoot.

The gauze dress was thin and short, revealing a section of the woman's belly, and her slender waist twisted flexibly like a snake.

Princess Chen said, "You recognized her? She's the daughter of the former Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. She was implicated in a crime and sent to a brothel. She was already a dancer, and she gradually gained fame after she went in. Now, many families invite her to dance when they hold banquets."

After Princess Chen finished speaking, she turned to another girl playing the zither, "This one is the same. Her ancestors were officials, but they declined because they had an unworthy descendant. She is an illegitimate daughter and was sold by her stepmother."

Princess Consort Chen said several in a row.

Not only were they famous courtesans, but some were also young ladies from officials' households. Because they liked playing the zither, flute, or dancing, they also went to show off.

Those beautiful women were all depicted exquisitely by the painter.

The artist's works were either bought and collected on the spot, or sold in the studio.

Yao Qingling listened and realized something.

She frowned slightly, looking at Princess Chen with gratitude.

"Your Highness, why...why are you helping me?"

Princess Chen held Qingling's hand and pressed it down, smiling kindly, "I've heard your story, and I've even invited you to host a banquet. When judging a person, you can't just listen to one side of the story; you also need to have spent time with that person."

"That's not your fault, so why are you bothered by it?"