Hearing the sound behind her, Song Zhiyu didn't stop walking.
Since he loves to put on a show of wealth even when he's not, she doesn't mind obliging him.
Moreover, Song Zhiyu could somewhat guess what Chen's mother was thinking; she had really gone to great lengths to bring her and Qin Xu together.
She hadn't even thoroughly investigated Qin Xu's character, had no idea what his personality was like, and was even less aware of the Qin family's background, yet she directly invited people over to try and match them up, completely disregarding her own opinion.
Song Zhiyu scoffed coldly; she wouldn't be so casual with Shen Jinshu.
It's true what they say: comparing goods makes you want to throw them away, and comparing people makes you miserable.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Song Zhiyu stepped into the Treasure Pavilion without looking back and began selecting items inside.
The Qin family didn't have much money, so she chose jewelry that Qin Xu could barely afford, but which still hurt him to pay for.
After this ordeal, the Qin family will probably have to live on vegetarian food for the next month.
Hmm, she found it interesting just thinking about it. Let's see if the Qin family still dares to mess with her.
But the most interesting part is clearly yet to come.
Shen Jinshu was stopped outside the Treasure Pavilion. The guard pointed to the sign next to him and said in a serious tone, "The Shen family members are not allowed to enter. If you want to enter, you need to pay an entrance fee of three thousand taels."
Shen Jinshu made a fool of herself; she had forgotten that she had long been removed from the Treasure Pavilion's list. She hadn't thought of that in her haste.
She stared intently at Song Zhiyu's slender back, listening to the whispers around her, biting her lower lip until it turned white.
If it weren't for Song Zhiyu, she wouldn't have been in such a predicament.
If she hadn't stepped into the Treasure Pavilion, today's joke would have become the talk of the town, and her carefully cultivated reputation would have been ruined.
But with an entrance fee of three thousand taels, Treasure Pavilion is really treating her like a sucker.
While Shen Jinshu was still hesitating, Song Zhiyu had already picked out several pieces of jewelry. She watched the interesting scene outside the door with great interest, her smile enigmatic.
How could I not make money off Shen Jinshu? I not only wanted to make money, but I wanted to make a fortune.
Qin Xu slowly moved closer to Song Zhiyu's side, praised her, and then carefully said, "These three pieces of jewelry are really beautiful and suit you very well, but aren't they a bit too similar?"
"Really? Didn't you still think it looked good?" Song Zhiyu seemed oblivious to his implied meaning, her fair and delicate face beaming with a smile.
"How about I pick one out for you? I have a pretty good eye." Qin Xu was momentarily captivated by Song Zhiyu's radiant smile, but he didn't forget that his wallet was getting thinner and thinner, so he offered as a compromise.
Song Zhiyu looked up at him and didn't refuse, "Sure, you choose."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xu breathed a slight sigh of relief and began to carefully select items, comparing prices as he went.
Song Zhiyu had finished choosing and casually leaned against the edge of the cabinet, idly swinging the jade pendant at her waist.
She wondered how the investigation into Zhou Xingzhi's case was going; it seemed like she hadn't received a letter from him for three days.
As she was pondering, Qin Yu quietly walked up to her and, under the guise of striking up a conversation, said, "My brother is such a meticulous person. He knows you like orchids, so the jewelry he chooses is all related to orchids."
There aren't many men who care about your preferences like this anymore. If I could meet one someday, what a blessing that would be!
Song Zhiyu finally couldn't help but glance at her sideways, her expression somewhat indescribable. "You will definitely be blessed to meet a man as good as your brother in the future."
She wouldn't even want this good fortune given to her for free.
It's more like bad luck.
Do you really think she can't see that the Qin family and the Marquis's mansion have ulterior motives towards her?
"Yes...yes." Qin Yu's face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly recovered and wanted to continue praising her brother to Song Zhiyu.
But Song Zhiyu ignored her and just smiled at the woman in brocade who walked in from outside the door.
"Isn't this the beautiful Su that Prince Li just acquired? Seeing her today, she truly is an absolute beauty." Song Zhiyu deliberately raised her voice to ensure that Shen Jinshu could hear her clearly.
Su Ying seemed to have just seen Song Zhiyu, a hint of confusion on her pretty face, "Does this young lady know me?"
“I don’t know her, but that young lady should know you. She is the future Princess Consort of Li.” Song Zhiyu turned to look at Shen Jinshu, only to see that her face was even paler than before.
"So it's Miss Shen. I've heard of Miss Shen's name before. However, when I was in the Prince's mansion, Miss Shen was punished by the Empress Dowager and confined to her quarters, so I didn't have a chance to meet her."
Su Ying suddenly realized something, raised her handkerchief to gently cover the smile on her lips, seemingly unintentionally revealing Shen Jinshu's shortcomings in front of the crowd.
Now things are really messed up. What Shen Jinshu tried so hard to hide was completely exposed by Su Yingquan, who didn't give her any face at all.
After a long while, Su Ying covered her mouth in shock, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Shen Jinshu's pale face and said with great remorse, "Miss Shen, I am just being blunt. You are kind and generous, so you shouldn't hold it against me, right?"
"Of course not. As His Highness's newly acquired concubine, she must be very favored by him. With you by His Highness's side, I feel very at ease." The last two words seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, with a hint of gritted teeth.
Shen Jinshu hated Su Ying for provoking her, but considering the occasion and in order to maintain her good reputation, she had to put on this dignified and generous appearance.
Hearing this, Su Ying breathed a long sigh of relief, her face beaming. "It's good that Miss Shen doesn't blame me. His Highness often says that I'm naive and can't keep secrets. He also said that I would suffer sooner or later because of this. Fortunately, His Highness has protected me."
As soon as she finished speaking, she exclaimed in surprise again, and changed her way of addressing Shen Jinshu, "Why doesn't Sister Shen come in? Do you prefer to stand outside?"
"His Highness just promised to buy me some jewelry, and I happened to run into Sister Shen today. I'm taking the liberty of offering this piece, and I hope Sister Shen won't find it offensive."
This is the essence of killing someone by destroying their spirit.
Shen Jinshu's already pale face was now completely devoid of color. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her whole body seemed about to collapse.
Noticing that everyone's eyes were on her, Shen Jinshu hesitated, about to offer an explanation, when she heard Song Zhiyu's clear and melodious voice softly ring out, "Miss Su probably doesn't know, but eldest sister has been removed from the Treasure Pavilion's list because she offended Miss Yun of the Treasure Pavilion before."
Now, she needs to pay an entrance fee of three thousand taels to enter the Treasure Pavilion.
Song Zhiyu's "well-intentioned" explanation completely shattered the good reputation that Shen Jinshu had painstakingly built up, leaving it impossible to piece back together.
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