"Tch! No wonder Cen Xi called you a dog. You really are a dog of a man, all that good looks you don't deserve."
Jun Xiaoqiao was so shocked by the scolding that her mouth dropped open. She thought of several things to say in response but felt they were inappropriate. Finally, she said something that Cen Xi often used to insult Shen Jinchen. She only wanted to test him, but she didn't expect such a strong reaction from him.
"Madam Yuan, you shouldn't make those unfounded jokes about the matter between me and A-Xi. If it weren't for the fact that you are Cen Xi's friend, you would probably be dead from that slap just now."
Shen Jinchen coldly straightened his clothes and said in a cold tone.
"So, I still owe it to that damned woman. That woman is cold-hearted and ruthless, but her taste in men is quite peculiar."
Jun Xiaoqiao suddenly smiled, recalling Cen Xi's attitude towards men over the past ten years, and she couldn't help but light a candle for him.
"Oh dear, Xiao Qiao, what time is it? Stop fooling around! Quickly send someone to fetch the medicine outside the city. If you're any later, many people in the city will die. Prime Minister Shen, don't stoop to her level. We have important business to attend to, important business to attend to!"
Governor Jun, watching the two bickering back and forth, was so anxious his lips were practically blistered. As the local official of Shangyang City, he held immense military and political power, supported by the people, and also relied upon by them. These past two days, he'd heard news of one person dying after another, his heart aching. Now, all he could think about was saving as many lives as possible, not letting any more time pass. Therefore, he was utterly speechless at their argument.
"I've heard that a group of people have secretly moved out from the foot of Qiyao Mountain. I'll go and investigate personally."
Shen Jinchen glanced impatiently at Jun Xiaoqiao, threw down those words, and left Governor Jun's study without looking back, taking Shang Se and Feng Qin with him, heading out of the mansion.
"This icy handsome man certainly has quite a temper. I wonder how Cen Xi will be able to handle him in the future."
Jun Xiaoqiao watched the departing figure, muttered something, and then took the two plaques and walked out of the mansion.
Now that they had left so readily, Governor Jun breathed a sigh of relief and plunged into his study to attend to his official duties.
Upon returning to the Yuan residence, Jun Xiaoqiao immediately handed a token to Cen Xi, saying:
"Well, I ran into your buddy at the Jun family home. He was discussing serious matters with my uncle. He's a really difficult person. I just teased him a little, and he insisted on marrying you, ignoring all the other women. Are you satisfied, or are you satisfied?"
"It's impossible for us to be together. Whether I'm satisfied or not is hard to say. Um, did you negotiate the price of your medicinal herbs with them?"
Cen Xi's focus was never on Shen Jinchen; all she wanted to know was how much their medicinal herbs could sell for.
"She really is a cold and indifferent woman. It's one thing for Yu Kuang to be blind, but I never thought that someone else in this world would be blind too. Oh dear! I really feel sorry for those who like you."
Jun Xiaoqiao curled her lips, her face full of sarcasm.
"Sigh, can't you say something useful? Matters between men and women are so superficial. We've all studied history. Behind every beautiful story lies a dark secret. During the Three Kingdoms period, everyone praised Liu Bei, the ruler of Shu, for his benevolence and morality, but I only remember one of his classic sayings: 'Women are like clothes, brothers are like limbs.'"
"In a man's eyes, women are really like clothes. If I don't want to wear one today, I can just change into another one. So don't give me that nonsense. I don't believe in love, I only believe in myself."
Cen Xi sighed, rolled her eyes at Jun Xiaoqiao, and then launched into a long rebuttal.
"You can't say that. You've heard the story of Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun, haven't you? What a beautiful tale! So many people love the timeless masterpiece 'The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate'."
Jun Xiaoqiao disapproved of her view on love the most. She saw everything in such a negative light, shutting herself off completely and not letting anyone set foot in her life. It was... well, what was it? Jun Xiaoqiao couldn't think of an adjective right now, but it was definitely not good. Since she wanted to discuss historical allusions with her today, she might as well do the same.
"Then you've probably forgotten Zhuo Wenjun's poem 'The Ballad of the White-Haired Woman'! A country scholar, who hooked up with a local tycoon, and even in his old age wanted to take a concubine, living off a woman so arrogantly and domineeringly, that's quite something. You still envy such a love? Well, you can envy it yourself, don't say it in front of me."
Cen Xi is deeply influenced by her parents when it comes to relationships. It's likely that she can only forget everything by drinking a bowl of Meng Po soup, so she is destined to be heartless and abandon love in this life.
Don't talk to her about classic love stories from ancient and modern times; she can analyze even the most beautiful tales with unique insights. Yu Kuang knew this better than anyone, which is why his confession came so late.
"You... I'm speechless. Fine, let's not talk about you and Shen Jinchen anymore. Let's go quickly. I'll take a group of people, and you take a group of people. We'll sneak out of the city and bring the medicinal herbs in. You have no idea how anxious my uncle is."
Jun Xiaoqiao was speechless after hearing her words and couldn't find any rebuttal, so she had no choice but to change the subject.
"Has the price been agreed upon? How much did your uncle give you?"
Cen Xi took the plaque and followed Jin Xiaoqiao out of the mansion.
"Now, money is needed everywhere in Shangyang City, so my shop is giving him a 20% discount for the sake of the common people."
Jun Xiaoqiao waved the wooden sign in her hand and walked out.
"What? Why don't you sell it at a higher price?"
Cen Xi looked on incredulously.
"Ha, he's really obsessed with money. He needs to spend money everywhere these days. What's wrong with me, as a junior, showing him some respect?"
Jun Xiaoqiao turned her head and rolled her eyes at her, asking in return.
"Sigh, he has no money, but others do. That Shen Gou, does he have a powerful backer like the Wen family? If we don't extort some money from him now, it won't be easy to get any more money out of him later. He's a very calculating person."
When Cen Xi thought back to the last time he tricked her so much that she couldn't even go home, and even offered herself up to be teased by him, she felt like she could choke on her own blood.
Thinking she could squeeze some money out of him this time, she never expected her sister to be so bad at business. If she had known this, she should have gone to Governor Jun's mansion to get the token. She would have definitely gotten her revenge tenfold for the grudge from last time.
"Oh, so you wanted revenge after all? Why didn't you say so earlier! To be honest, I don't like your lover either. It would have been nice to squeeze some money out of him, but unfortunately, I missed the opportunity."
As they spoke, the two arrived at the stables. Cen Xi and Jun Xiaoqiao each led out a horse and nimbly mounted it. Then Jun Xiaoqiao separated the people from Governor Jun's residence into two groups, one from her own men and the other from the group she was dressed in.
“My estates are located in the east and west of the city, respectively. I’ll go to the east, and you go to the west. We’ll meet at Junci’s residence after dark, how about that?”
Jun Xiaoqiao raised her riding whip and said with a raised eyebrow.
"Alright, see you tonight! The timing might be perfect, and we can discuss the price then. Xiao Qiliang and his gang are definitely keeping a close eye on things in the city right now, be careful!"
Cen Xi laughed heartily, gave a reminder, and then strode away.
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