Then, she reached out and pulled Peony to sit on a chair, speaking gently.
"Silly child, do you know why your mother wants you to get married now? It's not because you've been distracted lately, nor is it because your mother wants to send you away. Why would your mother want you to leave!"
Upon hearing this, Peony felt much relieved and stared blankly at Qin Qing.
Qin Qing smiled upon seeing this.
“You’re already seventeen this year. If you don’t get married soon, you’ll be an old maid. I don’t want to waste your life! Huang Zhong may look big and burly, but he’s a very good person. He’s unmarried, holds an important position in the army, and is an orphan. If you marry him, you won’t even have to serve your in-laws. It’s hard to find a man like that these days. But if he ever mistreats you, you must tell me! I will never forgive him!”
After saying that, tears streamed down Peony's face. Qin Qing smiled and shook his head, speaking in a serious tone.
"In a few days, Mother will go and choose an auspicious date. Once you've finished embroidering your wedding dress, we'll have a grand and glorious wedding! We absolutely cannot let my daughter, Shaoyao, suffer!"
Half a month passed quickly, and the wedding of Shaoyao and Huang Zhong was set for five days later. Qin Qing also began to get busy, first decorating the courtyard, then preparing Shaoyao's dowry, including a canopy bed, camphor wood chest, dressing box, ancestral treasure bucket, and a whole bunch of other things, as well as some jewelry and auspicious copper coins...
Fortunately, Aunt Wang helped out, otherwise Qin Qing would have been swamped!
At this moment, Qin Qing and Granny Wang were standing in the jewelry store choosing beaded flowers for Shaoyao...
"Madam Wang, thank goodness you were there to help. Otherwise, it would have been incredibly embarrassing for me, as this is my first time marrying off my daughter and I know nothing about marriage!"
Aunt Wang smiled when she heard this.
"What are you saying? Huang Zhong is practically my child. His mother passed away early, and she's also my own sister. It's only right that I handle these things for him... We're family, so there's no need for me to help out! But..."
At this point, Aunt Wang turned her gaze to Qin Qing and sighed.
"But what about your marriage to my Ah Yan..."
Before she finished speaking, Qin Qing quickly picked up a jeweled hairpin from the side, her face beaming with joy.
"Madam, look, this hairpin is really beautiful, and its shape is quite unique. Why don't we buy this for Shaoyao?"
Interrupted, Madam Wang subconsciously shifted her gaze to the item in her hand. Among the scattered plum blossoms were plump, white pearls, the pure jade-like object appearing dignified and elegant. Strands of tassels flowed smoothly down, adding a touch of playfulness and stunning beauty to the beaded ornaments…
Madam Wang nodded, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
"It's really beautiful!"
Seeing that she had finally changed the subject, Qin Qing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
It wasn't that she didn't want to mention it, but more than half a month had passed since she last saw Wang Yan in the palace, and the two of them had no contact at all, as if they had never existed!
The stunning beauty and heart-fluttering feeling she experienced atop the city walls of Dingshan at dawn made it impossible for her to ignore the suppressed thoughts within her. But just as she was about to take the next step, she never saw that guy again.
Just then, the shop owner came over. He saw that she was wearing a dark green long dress, her hair was tied up in a bun, and although she was not wearing any makeup, she had an outstanding temperament! She was also holding a pearl flower in her hand and had a fawning smile on her face.
"This lady certainly has an exceptional eye! Has she taken a fancy to this jade hairpin? This is our shop's most outstanding jade hairpin! It was handcrafted by the best craftsmen, the beads are genuine pearls, and the decorations are all made of pure silver. It can be said to be our shop's prized possession!"
No matter how eloquently he spoke, and how proud and smug he seemed, Qin Qing only gave an "oh." Her indifferent attitude made the boss feel a little embarrassed, but he quickly realized that she was not a woman who was easily swayed!
"Just tell me how much it costs."
Upon hearing this, the shop owner's eyes lit up, and he held up five fingers with a mysterious expression.
"I can't believe it," said Madam Wang, who was standing to the side.
"Fifty taels?"
The shop owner chuckled upon hearing this.
"Madam is joking with me! This pearl hairpin costs fifty taels, which isn't even enough to buy the pearls on it... Let's be frank, it's five hundred taels!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang was startled and looked at him incredulously, seemingly unable to believe that he would dare to offer such an exorbitant price!
Seeing this, Qin Qing calmly reassured Madam Wang and then looked at the shop owner and spoke in a composed manner.
"One hundred taels..."
The shop owner was taken aback for a moment, then decisively refused.
"Madam, you're really good at haggling! How about this, I'll treat this as making friends, four hundred taels! That's the lowest price I can offer. If it's really not right, you can try looking elsewhere."
Qin Qing nodded, her expression extremely calm! She then pulled the old lady and prepared to leave.
This wasn't her playing mind games; she also had some rare and precious treasures in her space. If all else failed, she could just pick a few to give to Shaoyao as part of her dowry. Why spend money?
She wouldn't have come shopping to buy this if she didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble!
But as soon as she stepped out the door with her left foot, the shop owner couldn't hold back any longer.
"Madam, please wait! Ah... this shop is just a small business. Seeing that you really like this beaded flower, it seems we are destined to meet! How about this, if you add a little more, I will sell it to you. One hundred taels is really too little!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang looked at Qin Qing in surprise. Had she already guessed it? Was that why she was so calm?
Qin Qing snapped out of her daze upon hearing the sound, turned around, and held up two fingers.
"Two hundred taels! Considering how hard you worked just now, two hundred and ten taels! I won't take a single tael more!"
Upon hearing this, the shop owner couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly. So all that he had just said was only worth ten taels! After thinking for a moment, he sighed.
"Alright, alright! Two hundred and ten taels! Madam really knows how to haggle!"
After saying that, he asked the shop assistant next to him to wrap up the hairpin and hand it to Qin Qing, exchanging money for goods.
After Qin Qing took the beaded hairpin, she opened it and examined it carefully. Confirming there were no problems, she was about to turn and leave when she ran into someone...
It's true what they say, enemies always meet, because the person who came was none other than Ma Xinyue, the daughter of the Vice Minister, whom we haven't seen for a long time!
Qin Qing frowned upon seeing this, but was too lazy to pay attention to her. After arranging the beaded flowers, she helped the old lady to leave!
When Ma Xinyue first saw Qin Qing, her originally calm face immediately turned somewhat gloomy. After noticing her movements, she caught a glimpse of the beaded flower.
"Ice-like skin and jade-like emerald?"
Blocked by someone, Qin Qing stopped and looked at Ma Xinyue with impatience.
"A good dog doesn't block the way; any dog that blocks the way is not a good dog!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Xinyue's face darkened. Just as she was about to strike someone, she noticed Old Madam Wang standing to the side. She then suppressed her resentment and asked.
"Is that Ice-skinned Jadeite in your arms?"
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