Chapter 106 First Come, First Served? This is the one I saw first.
Shen Guangnian stared at him for a moment, then suddenly laughed loudly, picked up the cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Good, Young Master Xiao is quite straightforward." He toned down some of his wickedness, and his eyes became more serious.
"Then let's be frank. What exactly does the young master want from me? And... why should I trust you and get involved in this mess?"
Xiao Jingheng looked him straight in the eye and spoke frankly:
"I will leave my palm print during the autumn hunt to give me a helping hand."
...
Just as Li Mo was pondering how to frame Su Xiaoyu in order to please Lin Wan'er and vent his anger, the triennial autumn imperial examination arrived in the blink of an eye.
With his future at stake, even if Li Mo had many ulterior motives, he had to put them aside for the time being and force himself to immerse himself in books and literature for one last gamble.
Outside the examination hall, crowds surged. Among the students taking the exam this year, besides Li Mo and Xiao Jingxuan, there was also the much-anticipated Shen Moyan.
Three days later, the gates of the examination hall slowly opened. Students who had endured three days of physical and mental torment walked out in twos and threes. Most of them looked haggard, with unfocused eyes, unsteady steps, and pale complexions, as if their souls had been taken away.
Xiao Jingxuan was no exception. His usually arrogant and domineering handsome face was now tense, and his usually smiling peach blossom eyes had lost some of their luster.
Clearly, this exam had taken a great deal of his effort.
Outside the examination hall, Liu and Xiao Lingxi had been eagerly waiting. As soon as Xiao Jingxuan came out, the servant immediately went up to him and carefully helped him into the carriage.
As soon as he touched the pillow in the carriage, Xiao Jingxuan's head lolled to the side and he fell into a deep sleep. He slept for three days and three nights.
Although Madam Liu was extremely anxious these past few days, wanting to know how her son had done on the exam, she refrained from asking too many questions.
That day, Xiao Lingxi took Zisu and Xiaoyu out of the mansion, intending to select some new fabrics for her mother and second brother, in case her second brother passed the imperial examination and could have new clothes made for him.
At this moment, inside the silk shop, Mother Shen, along with her two daughters-in-law, had been wandering around for nearly an hour, touching all the most expensive bolts of Yun brocade and commenting on them incessantly.
"This material is just so-so. Compared to the materials from Jiangnan, tsk tsk, the pattern is too vulgar and does not match my son's future status."
The shop assistant and the manager followed behind Shen's mother, unable to help but roll their eyes.
Finally, Madam Chen paused, pointed to a valuable piece of sky-blue brocade, and said to the shopkeeper:
"Wrap this one up for me."
Seeing that she had finally made her decision, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "Madam has excellent taste. This is a new arrival from our shop. It's a good deal, ten taels of silver in total."
Upon hearing this, Madam Shen's face darkened, and her voice suddenly rose: "Ten taels? Why don't you just rob me?!"
"Five taels at most! My son is the future top scholar in the imperial examination, destined to become a high-ranking official. Buying materials from you is giving you face!"
Sister-in-law Shen chimed in, "Mother, why bother arguing with them? I think three taels is enough. Once my brother-in-law becomes an official, will we be short of money?"
Sister-in-law Shen also picked up the fabric and deliberately nitpicked: "Oh dear, it seems like there are some loose threads here. This fabric has flaws, it's worth at most two ounces!"
The shopkeeper was so angry he almost fell over, but he still patiently explained, "Madam, ladies, this is truly the finest Yun brocade. The wholesale price is more than five taels of silver. Ten taels of silver is already a fair price."
"presumptuous!"
Like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, Ms. Shen slammed her hand on the counter, startling the customers nearby.
"You dare say my son's future official rank isn't worth a mere few taels of silver? Let me tell you, once my son parades through the streets on horseback, becoming famous throughout the land, your shabby shop won't even be able to curry favor with him! Giving you this opportunity now is a favor, so hurry up, two taels of silver, wrap it up for me!"
The shopkeeper naturally refused, and his attitude was firm.
"Gentlemen, our shop is a small business. If you really don't want to buy anything, please turn left as you leave. Goodbye."
These words were like stirring up a hornet's nest; Chen's mother immediately started throwing a tantrum, yelling at the other customers in the shop:
"Everyone, come and see! This big shop is bullying its customers, taking advantage of honest people like us from out of town. Do you know who my son is? He's the future top scholar! You're just jealous and look down on scholars!"
The two daughters-in-law chimed in, "Mother, don't get upset. Why bother arguing with such a clueless merchant?"
"That's right! Once my brother-in-law becomes a high-ranking official, we'll definitely impeach him and bring him to justice for his bullying and monopolistic practices!"
The shopkeeper had been running the shop for many years, and this was the first time he had ever encountered such a bizarre customer.
As more and more people gathered to watch, and it became clear that the women had tampered with the fabric at some point, pulling out a small thread from one spot.
The shopkeeper was also in a difficult position, and his face turned pale with anger at these people.
Just as the people around were pointing and whispering, and no one dared to step forward, a clear and slightly arrogant voice rang out:
"Perilla, this material looks alright to me. Wrap it up. It'll be ten taels at the original price."
Everyone looked over and saw Xiao Lingxi slowly walking out from the side.
Although she wasn't dressed particularly lavishly today, her overall demeanor and the quality of the fabric clearly indicated that she was either wealthy or of noble birth.
Zisu immediately stepped forward and took out an exquisite purse.
When Shen's mother saw that someone had snatched the prize, and that it was a young girl, she immediately became furious.
"Where did this little brat come from? Doesn't she know what first come, first served? I saw this fabric first!"
Xiao Lingxi didn't even bother to lift her eyelids, and said to the shopkeeper, "What? Is your shop's rule that whoever shouts the loudest and throws a tantrum gets all the stuff?"
The shopkeeper, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly said, "Miss, you are too kind. Of course, the highest bidder wins. You can pay first."
After saying that, he quickly gestured to the shop assistant to wrap up the fabric.
Mother Shen trembled with rage, pointing at Xiao Lingxi: "You...you dare! My son is Shen Moyan, soon to be the top scholar in the imperial examination! You dare offend me?"
Xiao Lingxi then looked at her properly, a cold smile curving his lips:
"Oh? So you're a family member of the 'future top scorer'."
Thinking that she was scared, Chen's mother snorted coldly, straightened her back, raised her chin, and waited for Xiao Lingxi to apologize to her.
"No wonder it's so 'different'!"
Seeing this, Sister-in-law Shen began to speak up in her defense: "Young lady, I see that you are dressed quite well, so your family must be well-off. We are new here and do not want to make things difficult for you. As long as you give up this fabric, kneel down and kowtow to your mother-in-law, and admit your mistake, we are not the kind of people who are unreasonable."
Upon hearing these insulting words, the shopkeeper couldn't help but speak up to remind them that the distinguished person before them was someone even ten top scholars couldn't reach.
As a result, Xiao Lingxi raised her hand to stop the shopkeeper's action.
She stepped forward, looking down at Chen's mother, and let out a cold laugh:
"Don't even mention that your son isn't the top scholar yet, even if he really is..."
She paused, looked Shen's mother up and down, and said with disdain, "A mere sixth-rank editor's family dares to be so arrogant and domineering under the heavens, engaging in forced buying and selling? The Shen family's style is truly an eye-opener."
"Zisu, pay the money, let's go. Even if we cut this fabric into pieces to make handkerchiefs for the maids in the courtyard, it's better than leaving it to some people and letting it bring bad luck."
After saying that, she left behind the stunned Shen family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, whose faces turned from red to green, and then from green to white, and strode away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com