Chapter 334 Six-Horse Carriage

Prince Xin glanced at Bu Fang and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Is that so?"

He turned to look at the ruins again, soaked by the rain, like a beaten-down dead dog, unable to get up again.

He chuckled, a sinister glint in his eyes.

This is just a small punishment; the bigger one is yet to come.

...

The warehouse was burned down, but Hui Ba Fang and the rice shops were already open for business.

People were afraid of not being able to buy goods, and also afraid that Yao Qingling would raise prices to recoup funds, so they flocked to the shops and made large-scale purchases.

Soon, the shop's warehouse was empty.

The whole city was watching the spectacle.

Everyone thought that Yao Qingling would either have to close her shop again or find other sources of goods to replenish her stock as soon as possible.

However, all the large general stores in the capital have owners behind them, and those people will only kick Yao Qingling when she's down, wishing she would disappear as soon as possible.

"If only Boss Sheng's ship were back right now," Lou Yue said.

Xia Chan said, "When Boss Sheng came back and found his warehouse burned down like that, I think he lost all interest in doing business."

Lou Yue glanced at her: "If he doesn't do business, what can he do?"

Xia Chan glanced at Yao Qingling: "Take Miss to chop someone up."

Lou Yue: "I want to kill someone too. That's so evil!"

Even though several days have passed since the fire, Xia Chan and Lou Yue are still shaken and unable to shake off their hatred.

Qingling changed into her noblewoman's clothes; she was going to the palace to see the Empress today.

"You two go and keep an eye on things at the shop. Make sure there's no more trouble," Qingling instructed the two maids. "Taoye is out there running around trying to restock the stock. She'll be bringing several cartloads of goods to the shop today. You two work well with her and make sure everyone feels that Hui Bafang has the confidence and ability to continue operating."

"Yes, Miss, don't worry, Louyue and I will definitely handle it well." Xia Chan helped Qingling into the carriage and then instructed He Yin to keep a close eye on Qingling.

The palace may seem like the safest place, but it is also the most treacherous.

Countless lives were lost silently inside, never to leave the palace gates again.

Many women were also harmed inside, losing their innocence, either dying or being randomly assigned a husband.

The concubines in the palace were closely connected with the powerful families, and they hoped that the Empress would have as few enemies as possible.

He Yin nodded and gestured with her fingers to reassure them.

The carriage moved forward, and Yao Qingling sat inside, her eyes closed and her face expressionless.

He Yin glanced at her, rubbed her sweaty palms, and felt a great sense of responsibility.

But at this point, why is Miss still so calm?

Qingling wasn't actually calm; she was simply trying to figure out who was behind the fire as quickly as possible within the limited time available.

Besides retaliating against her, is there any other purpose behind it?

Zhou Zhining probably doesn't have the energy to cause any more trouble.

Prince Xin abandoned her, and I heard that she had lost her child and must be too weak to even get out of bed.

Zhan Xingzhuo wouldn't do that. Even if he wanted her to come back, he wouldn't cut off her path and force her to. That would only turn them from a resentful couple into enemies.

The most likely suspect is Prince Xin.

His Jinmantang and Huibafang are rivals. Prince Xin is greedy for money, but he also has enough power that he is not afraid of being held accountable even if he does something dirty.

Moreover, even Prefect Gao dared not offend him.

That makes sense.

But why is Prince Xin targeting her like this... isn't he trying to please her and win her favor?

He investigated Zhou Zhining, returned the painting, and resolved her crisis, so why did he have to resort to such drastic measures?

Take advantage of her moment of carelessness and deliver a crushing blow.

But why didn't he just burn down Hui Ba Fang, instead of burning down the dock warehouse?

Yao Qingling had someone she suspected, but she didn't understand what that person meant.

Only by understanding this person's thoughts can she decide what to do.

Just as she was trying to figure out what Prince Xin was thinking, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Qingling opened her eyes, and He Yin lifted the curtain. The coachman pointed ahead and said, "Miss, the Prince Xin's carriage is blocking the road."

Qingling looked up and saw a luxurious carriage parked in front of her.

The carriage was enormous, about three times the size of Qingling's carriage, and pulled by six horses. It was like a mobile house, a truly breathtaking sight.

Even the common people on the street were watching, having never seen such a huge carriage before.

Prince Xin's maid came to invite Yao Qingling to move.

The road was completely blocked by the carriage, so Yao Qingling had no choice but to go through.

They boarded Prince Xin's luxurious carriage.

Lifting the curtain, one could see Prince Xin sitting calmly, still making his signature fanning gesture.

Qingling concealed her disgust and forced a slight smile. She stepped forward, bowed, and greeted him, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Prince Xin gestured with his fan to the side next to him: "Come and sit down."

His tone was amiable and friendly, just like an easy-going prince.

However, he is not the Prince of Chen.

Even a friendly prince like Prince Chen retains a degree of authority, while Prince Xin deliberately pretends to be harmless and approachable.

This makes him seem utterly hypocritical.

Yao Qingling swallowed her disgust and said with a smile, "Your Highness is of great stature; how could I dare to sit on equal footing with you?"

She chose to sit in the chair on the left.

This was, in fact, the first time she had ever sat in a chair in a carriage. She looked up at the roof and only then noticed the exquisite craftsmanship of the carriage.

The ceiling of the carriage imitates the coffered ceiling of a pavilion, with intricate patterns that prevent it from looking monotonous and instead give it a lush and vibrant appearance.

Prince Xin had been paying close attention to Yao Qingling's changes. He slightly curled his lips and said, "I heard that Madam Yao's goods were stored in the dock warehouse. She must have suffered huge losses in that fire. How could she still have the mind to study my carriage?"

Qingling withdrew her gaze, gave a wry smile, and said, "The damage has already been done, and there's no use in me crying. I can only take it one step at a time, but if I have to spend every day in tears because of this, what will my subordinates think of me? I have to give them confidence."

Prince Xin raised an eyebrow, set his fan aside, and slowly poured himself a cup of tea: "Didn't Lady Yao ever think of coming to ask me for help?"

"You know that as long as you ask, I will do my best to help you."

Yao Qingling said, "Thank you, Your Highness. But it's not an insurmountable problem. If I were to ask Your Highness for help over something so trivial, how could Your Highness possibly respect me?"

One party wanted to give, while the other refused, and refused clearly. Naturally, this made the superior, King Xin, very unhappy.

He narrowed his eyes, blew away the foam on the tea, took a slow sip, and said in a cold tone, "If Madam Yao is afraid that I will find it troublesome, why isn't she afraid that Her Majesty the Empress will find it distasteful?"

Qingling secretly pinched the hem of her clothes.

He knew she was going to the palace to see the Empress just because she appeared on the street.

However, to enter the palace, one had to send a message and obtain permission before being led in by a nanny.

This shows that Prince Xin had access to information about the palace.

However, this is not surprising. There are spies everywhere in the palace. It would be strange if someone like Prince Xin didn't have spies in the palace.

Qingling said, "I promised Her Majesty the Empress that I would be her money bag. But the money bag leaked, so isn't it only right that I apologize to Her Majesty?"

She gave another bitter laugh, raising her eyes to look at Prince Xin: "I wonder where Your Highness is going in such a luxurious carriage?"

She added, "I must go to the palace as soon as possible to apologize to Your Majesty. I am afraid I will not have the leisure to enjoy myself with Your Highness. Please allow me to return."

“Lady Yao, we’re going the same way.” Prince Xin picked up his fan again and smiled at Qing Ling with amusement. “I also need to go to the palace to see my brother, the Emperor.”