Fang Tao helped Chen Jingshu down from the carriage.
She wore a veiled hat, which covered her red and swollen eyes from crying all night the previous day.
"Your Highness, we have arrived."
Chen Jingshu looked around the Linglong Pavilion. The pavilions and towers, the flying eaves and green tiles, the intertwined roots, the twists and turns, were exquisite and elegant, yet grand and majestic.
It is no different from that of the Moon Kingdom.
"Go in." Chen Jingshu walked into Linglong Pavilion, somewhat shocked.
Unexpectedly, the interior decoration of Linglong Pavilion in Yan Kingdom was exactly the same as that in Yue Kingdom.
Although Chen Jingshu covered her face, her clothes were even better than those of the families of the court officials.
She possesses a pleasant temperament and a refined demeanor.
Even so, the waiters at Linglong Pavilion remained unfazed and continued with their tasks in an orderly manner.
The first floor is the grandstand, the second, third and fourth floors are private rooms, and the fifth floor is the room of the owner behind Linglong Pavilion.
As the most powerful of the four kingdoms, the Moon Kingdom naturally had more wealthy people and officials.
In the Yan Kingdom, there were relatively more seats on the first-floor stands.
As a servant, this was Fang Tao's first time entering the Linglong Pavilion.
Although shocked by the scene before him, he quickly came to his senses.
Faced with their neglect, Fang Tao was afraid that her master would blame her for it.
He took the initiative to step forward and reprimand the servants of Linglong Pavilion.
"How dare you! Come and pay your respects to the Regent's Consort!"
The people in Linglong Pavilion all turned their heads to look at Fang Tao, and then sized up Chen Jingshu.
His eyes were full of mockery, and when he looked at Chen Jingshu, he seemed to be someone who had never seen the world.
"The Regent's Wife? When did the Regent get married?"
"Who knows? Maybe it's just some girl who has been in love with the Regent for many years and has become obsessed with him, which is why she calls herself the Regent's Consort."
“Look at that woman. Although her eyes are covered by a veil, judging from her figure, I would guess she is already middle-aged. She is quite old, yet she still dares to call herself the Regent’s Consort. She is truly shameless.”
——
The people in the stands were talking excitedly and bursting into laughter.
Everyone's eyes seemed to be filled with knives, and their tone was anything but friendly.
When had Chen Jingshu ever been ridiculed like this?
Her face flushed red, and her delicate features were filled with anger. "When did Linglong Pavilion become a place for you to run wild? Get out!"
Chen Jingshu's hands, clenched tightly in her sleeves, had been holding back for a long time.
In front of so many people, the slap never landed on Fang Tao's face.
Linglong Pavilion has never taken the four kingdoms seriously, so how could it possibly fear a mere woman like her?
If she offends Linglong Pavilion because of this, how will she ever be able to buy a "beauty" again?
Her tone was cold, but it contained a hint of anger. She stared at Fang Tao's back, and could only suppress her anger for the time being, deciding to deal with her later.
Fang Tao's breath hitched, she trembled with fear, her legs went weak, and she quickly left Linglong Pavilion.
She wiped her sweat with her gray cloth sleeve and swallowed hard, feeling a bit of lingering fear.
Chen Jingshu walked slowly toward the counter, her steps light and graceful, her demeanor gentle and kind, full of apology. "I'm sorry, the servants in my household don't know the proper etiquette. I hope Linglong Pavilion won't take offense."
"Madam, guests are always welcome. As long as they don't cause trouble at Linglong Pavilion, we won't take offense."
The waiter's demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant, which made Chen Jingshu's expression even more unpleasant.
She hadn't expected that even her low-key manner wouldn't be taken seriously by a mere handyman.
She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, and stared intently at the other person.
Xiao Er sensed Chen Jingshu's impending rage, but even so, he showed no fear whatsoever.
"I see that you don't really want to buy anything from Linglong Pavilion. The auction is about to begin. The people at Linglong Pavilion are all rough and don't know their own strength. I hope you will leave on your own."
The waiter's lips curled slightly, his voice was cold and indifferent, showing no regard for Chen Jingshu.
Chen Jingshu gritted her teeth, temporarily suppressing the two clusters of anger flickering in her eyes. She took a deep breath and said softly, "Shopkeeper, you're joking. Of course, we came to Linglong Pavilion to buy things."
She needed someone's help today, so of course she couldn't let them ask her to leave.
If I am asked to leave Linglong Pavilion today, how will I ever be able to enter Linglong Pavilion again in the future?
Moreover, it would damage Yan Shaoheng's reputation.
She could only swallow her anger.
"In that case, is this lady aware of the rules of Linglong Pavilion?"
In the past, if she liked something, she would have Yan Zhixiao or a eunuch or palace maid take a picture for her.
Even the rules of Linglong Pavilion were only heard about, so how could they know the rules of the auction?
Please elaborate.
"To bid on items from Linglong Pavilion, you must first pay a minimum deposit of three hundred taels of silver. Three hundred taels will only be enough for the first-floor viewing platform. Six hundred taels will be enough for the five private rooms on the second floor. One thousand taels will be enough for the three private rooms on the third floor. Three thousand taels will be enough for the two private rooms on the fourth floor. May I ask which floor this lady would like to go to?"
The Yan Kingdom's manpower and resources were in no way comparable to those of the Yue Kingdom. Even the wealthy and powerful could only watch the excitement from the ground floor and occasionally take pictures of some treasures.
Normally, the second floor is not full. Some officials who want to find treasures but do not want to attract attention have no choice but to spend a lot of money to go to the private rooms on the second floor.
Few people could get into the third floor, and the only room on the fourth floor, the one on the far left, was once occupied by Yan Shaoheng.
Even if they had the money to pay a deposit and went to the third or fourth floor, they could not leave Linglong Pavilion safely every time.
There's a rule on the third and fourth floors that you can't leave empty-handed.
Chen Jingshu took out a jade pendant from her sleeve. It was given to her by Yan Shaoheng after she arrived at the Hengwang Mansion.
He once said: With this jade pendant, the Prince Heng's mansion can dispose of the silver in Beiming Villa at will.
"How many floors could this jade pendant possibly go to?"
Everyone's gaze followed Chen Jingshu's words and fell on the jade pendant in her hand.
The jade pendant is entirely black, with the character "恒" (Heng) engraved on it.
Everyone in Yan knows that this is the jade pendant worn by King Heng, who is now the regent.
Upon seeing this jade pendant, the Regent himself will arrive.
The crowd sighed and knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Regent! Long live the Regent!"
The onlookers on the first and second floors all knelt on the ground, while only the waiter of Linglong Pavilion kept his eyes level with Chen Jingshu.
His eyes showed no fear, nor did he try to curry favor with her in the slightest because of the jade pendant in her hand.
Chen Jingshu looked at Linglong Pavilion, which didn't seem to care about Yan Shaoheng, and a hint of displeasure flashed through her mind.
"Get up."
"Thank you, Regent."
"Since Madam has the Regent's jade pendant, please come with me to the fourth floor."
Chen Jingshu followed the waiter and walked towards the leftmost private room on the fourth floor.
The audience buzzed with discussion: "Just who is that woman? How does she have the Regent's jade pendant?"
Some people's hearts were already pounding and their eyes were filled with fear; they had just laughed at her.
"Do you think she'll hold a grudge against us? We just said those things to her..."
“I didn’t say that. If anyone did, it was you. We didn’t say anything.”
Although they weren't as arrogant as those others, they hadn't shown Chen Jingshu any respect either, which made her feel a little scared.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
