Chapter 61
Lu Yanran did hear that "sister-in-law" from earlier.
Chun'an could easily understand the intention behind her words, but she found the flippant tone very unpleasant!
After many days, Lin Yi finally met the woman who had repeatedly tried to harm him. However, he did not want to argue with her. It was not that he would not seek revenge, but that the time had not yet come. With the palace banquet approaching, Lin Yi just wanted to buy his clothes and leave. He would take revenge on her properly when he had some free time.
But Lu Yanran's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had just noticed it, and she said first, "Boss lady, I want this dress. It goes perfectly with my new ruby headdress. Just name your price!" After saying that, she glanced at Lin Yi triumphantly and said in a soft, gentle tone, "Sister Qiu won't try to take it from me, will she?"
The atmosphere inside the store froze instantly.
The proprietress said hesitantly, "Miss, Miss Qiu has already taken a liking to this dress. How about... I pick out another good one for you? I don't have much else in this shop, but I have plenty of clothes, and I guarantee there will be one that matches your style!"
Lu Yanran covered her face in surprise and said, "Sister, you've taken a liking to it too? What should we do? Alas, it's not that I necessarily want to compete with you, but my father specifically instructed me to wear a well-fitting and comfortable outfit to the palace banquet. As you know, my father is a high-ranking official, used to being an official, and his word is law at home. If he knew what happened today, he would probably resent me for being wronged."
Not to mention how Minister Lu would know what happened here today. If he really did know, wouldn't he advise her to be more magnanimous and befriend Miss Qiu?
These words were clearly meant for the proprietress, using the name of the Minister's Mansion to make her assess the situation and decide who to sell the dress to.
Chun'an's eyes were practically rolling out of their sockets. Lu Yanran was exactly the type of person she hated the most, yet she still had the audacity to run into her.
The proprietress was even more perplexed upon hearing that Lin Yi was from the Minister's household. She couldn't afford to offend either the Minister's daughter or the daughter of the Imperial Physician. Although she secretly favored that the young lady from the Qiu family get the dress first, she couldn't say so openly. This Minister's daughter was clearly someone not to be trifled with, while the young lady from the Qiu family seemed easier to talk to. So, she cast a hopeful glance at Lin Yi, hoping he would offer her the dress first, promising to find her an even better one!
Lin Yi was not the type to fight for things. Normally, she would have given in, but Lu Yanran first tripped up the clinic and then instigated Zhao Binglin to kidnap her. Lin Yi had a lot of anger stuck in her chest and was unwilling to back down no matter what.
Ignoring the landlady's pleading gaze, she calmly met Lu Yanran's eyes, her tone flat yet powerful: "What if I don't allow it?"
"If you, sister, are unwilling to do this for me... then there's nothing I can do. How about we let the shopkeeper decide who should buy this dress, or we can have an auction and let the highest bidder win?"
While she appeared to have proposed two solutions, she was actually determined to get her hands on the dress.
Lin Yi was about to choose the latter in a fit of pique when Chun An quickly grabbed her hand.
Lin Yi turned his head in confusion, only to see Princess Chun'an's big eyes darting around, as if she had already come up with a solution.
Chun'an took a step forward while holding her hand, naturally inserting himself between the two who were on the verge of a fight. He smiled at Lu Yanran and said, "So it's Miss Lu. It's true that seeing is believing. Consider this dress our acquaintance gift. However, I'm new to Mingzhou City and short of money, so you'll have to pay for it yourself."
The person with Qiu Qingye was quite perceptive, unlike Qiu Qingye who was so annoying. Lu Yanran couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. Seeing that Chun'an was dressed elegantly but not ostentatiously, she was probably someone of status. It's better to make friends than to form ties with strangers than to force them to stay together. At least she seemed pleasing to the eye, so she happily agreed, "Of course, that's great. I must thank this young lady for making things happen."
Lu Yanran genuinely liked this dress, and after saying that, she reached out to take it.
"Wait a minute." Chun'an took the initiative to press down on the clothes on the hanger, his fingertips gently stroking the cuffs. He suddenly said to the proprietress, "Didn't you just say there was a flaw in the sleeve? How can the daughter of a high-ranking official be dressed in the slightest imperfection? Hurry up and mend it properly, and send someone to the high-ranking official's residence. Do you expect the young lady to come and pick it up herself?"
Although the proprietress didn't understand what he meant, she had long been skilled at reading people's expressions and agreed with him after hearing his words.
Lu Yanran, unsuspecting, gracefully walked away, her skirt trailing behind her. Before leaving, she glanced at Lin Yi, her eyes filled with provocation and smugness. In contrast, her farewell to Chun An seemed rather eager.
After Lu Yanran walked away, Chun'an simply told Lin Yi to wait where he was, and then left without looking back. A short while later, he returned to the shop, carrying two large peaches.
Lin Yi asked, puzzled, "You suddenly want to eat peaches?"
Chun'an smiled mysteriously, "Just you wait and see."
After saying that, she quickly spread the orange-red dress out on the counter, turned up the collar, and rubbed it with a peach.
Although this kind of fuzzy peach is delicious, it has too many fine hairs. If you accidentally brush against it, it will cause itching for a long time. It is also difficult to wash with water. You have to wash it repeatedly with salt water before eating it.
Chun'an rubbed the fabric haphazardly, and the downy fur ended up on her collar. Lin Yi felt an unbearable itch on her neck just looking at it. The princess, not satisfied, then rubbed it onto her cuffs and the hem of her skirt.
After applying the ointment, he clapped his hands in disgust, his face beaming with the satisfaction of having gotten his revenge.
The two bystanders were left dumbfounded.
The proprietress reacted first and tried to snatch the clothes back, saying, "You can't do this!"
Chun'an had practiced martial arts for several years and easily dodged the attack. "Boss lady, you must not complain to her in private, and you must not let it slip. If the Minister's Mansion asks about it later, just say that I supervised the alteration of this dress, and that it only passed through my hands after it was altered. You know nothing else."
Seeing her determination, the proprietress grew anxious: "Oh dear! What are you doing, young lady? Are you determined to make an enemy of the Minister's family?"
"You can't offend the people from the Minister's mansion, but I don't care about them. Not to mention the Minister's daughter, even if her father came, he would have to address me as 'Your Highness the Princess.' You can put your mind at ease and do as I say."
The proprietress kept bowing and scraping, almost kneeling and kowtowing: "I understand... Please rest assured, Your Highness!"
It's not that the proprietress was timid. You see, even a princess without a fiefdom in Anguo was a second-rank official, while a minister was only a third-rank official. In Mingzhou, where rank mattered immensely, even a half-rank difference meant a significant loss of influence. She only regretted not checking the almanac before opening today; if she had known she would encounter these powerful figures fighting, she would never have opened the shop.
"No need for formalities." The princess waved her hand and casually pointed behind her. "Go and bring out the best brocade garments from your shop. They must be befit her status. Not to mention that her surname is Qiu, and she is the young mistress of the Marquis of Yong'an's mansion. Didn't I just say that she is my sister-in-law? If she is even slightly inferior to that Minister's daughter..."
Princess Chun'an didn't continue speaking but instead grinned. Her smile was undeniably innocent and beautiful, but that naiveté, tinged with a hint of threat, became somewhat cruel given the disparity in their social status. The proprietress, startled, broke out in a cold sweat. "Nothing less, nothing less! I'll immediately rummage through my best clothes and let Miss Qiu choose!" she exclaimed, then hurriedly ran off to find clothes, fearing punishment for being slow.
The young mistress is also the sister-in-law's... the relationships sound complicated. The proprietress couldn't figure out the intricacies of the situation; she only knew that none of these people were people she could afford to offend.
After everyone around him had left, Lin Yi looked at Chun An with a hint of helplessness: "Why did you do this?"
"Why bother saying anything... Aren't you angry? What kind of good person are you if you're angry?" Chun'an retorted.
Lin Yi sighed softly: "I don't mean to be a good person, nor am I hypocritically saying that what you did was wrong. It's just that this is too easy on her."
This was somewhat unexpected. Chun'an stared at her for a long time, and seeing that she didn't seem to be lying, he asked, "Did you have a grudge against her before?"
Lin nodded and then shook her head, but fortunately she told her about her past grievances with Lu Yanran.
Hearing this, Chun'an slammed his fist on the table: "Hmph, you're so good to me, yet she bullies me!"
"Listen to me, this matter can't be left like this." Chun'an was getting angrier and angrier the more he thought about it.
Lin Yi calmly reached out and touched the fabrics the proprietress had just brought over. They were silky smooth and slightly cool to the touch, made of the finest silkworm silk. "Of course, I can't just let it go like this. If I hadn't been lucky enough, I would have fallen for her trick."
Lin Yi still feels a chill when she thinks about it now. And Lu Yanran, after doing that kind of thing, actually had the nerve to swagger over and try to take her clothes. Did she really think that just because she didn't show her power, she was a pushover?
Chun'an asked with great interest, "So, you already have an idea?"
"It's not really a good idea, it's just using the princess's flowers to offer as a sacrifice? She'd better wear that dress to a palace banquet, otherwise she'll embarrass herself in a big way."
What's the point of wearing it in private? It might itch a few times, then she'd take it off, and after a bath, everything would be back to normal, causing no real harm to Lu Yanran. But if she were to wear this embellished dress on the eve of a palace banquet, in front of the Emperor and all the ministers and nobles, she couldn't even scratch it. Scratching it would be considered a breach of etiquette in front of the Emperor, resulting in a reprimand at best, and worse, her reputation would be ruined, making her unsuitable for marriage. For someone as concerned with her image as Lu Yanran, this would be a truly devastating blow.
Chun'an immediately agreed: "Let's do it that way! I didn't expect you to be so wicked—revenge is the best revenge, I like that."
"However, we need to plan more meticulously. This dress... never mind, leave it to me!"
Lin Yi was a little confused. He was not only surprised that the princess had included him in "us" after only meeting Lu Yanran once, but also surprised that she wanted to do something else.
...
"I told you you don't need to worry about it. You can trust me to handle things. I guarantee I'll get revenge for you. As payment, you'll have to take me on a tour of all the streets of Mingzhou City later!"
Lin Yi shook his head and chuckled. This Chun'an really has the heart of a child.
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