This is also why Lin Qixia decided to ask her for help.
Although Cheng Yuerong seemed unreliable, she was willing to let Guan Yu buy her grain rather than compromise with Feng Changchao, so Lin Qixia felt that she must have some ideas of her own.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuerong replied smugly, "Of course, who am I, Cheng Yuerong?"
"I will not let that disgusting guy Feng Changchao manipulate me!"
“Our Cheng family made our fortune through the cloth business, but since my father has entrusted this grain shop business to me, I naturally have to do a good job.”
“When I first arrived in Lichong County, I learned from Guan Yu that the county magistrate controlled most of the grain sales channels in the area and forced us to sell disaster relief grain.”
"Later, they even collected grain taxes from the disaster-stricken people and then sold them to them at high prices."
“I naturally wouldn’t cooperate with him in doing something so disgusting, so I ordered Guan Yu to find other ways to sell grain and absolutely not to buy from Magistrate Feng.”
As she spoke, Cheng Yuerong grabbed a handful of rice from the wooden box in front of her and examined it closely.
This rice is plump and glossy, and its quality is on a completely different level from many local rice varieties.
Cheng Yuerong raised her eyes and gave Lin Qixia a deep look.
Regardless, Lin Qixia is indeed quite capable. Moreover, her selling prices are perfectly normal; there's been no price gouging whatsoever.
"Very good, so Miss Cheng is definitely willing to help me?" Lin Qixia asked her, seizing the opportunity.
A moment of embarrassment flashed across Cheng Yuerong's face. She rubbed her nose and said, "Well—this is a rather complicated matter. I think I need to go back and discuss it with my family."
They were, after all, a family of merchants.
It is already highly inappropriate for a merchant to sue a government official.
The risks involved in this action may be greater than she anticipated.
"So—Miss Cheng is going back on her word?" Lin Qixia raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a face full of disappointment.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuerong's eyes widened immediately, and she quickly denied it: "No way! I was just saying that your matter is rather difficult to handle."
Cheng Yuerong paused, then leaned closer to Lin Qixia and whispered, "Can't you ask for something else?"
Ultimately, she never promised Lin Qixia that she would do her a favor that could potentially cost her her life.
Lin Qixia firmly refused: "I'm sorry, I can't."
"You!" Cheng Yuerong was truly angered by Lin Qixia.
"Lin Qixia, you idiot! How could I be so unlucky as to run into you? If I had known, I wouldn't have asked you to help me deal with Feng Xiao. I could have handled him myself!"
"You're just asking for trouble, and you insist on dragging me along! What did I ever do to you?" She paced anxiously in circles.
Lin Qixia stood there, watching her struggle.
After a moment, Cheng Yuerong clenched her fist and said resolutely, "Okay! I agree to help you, but it can only be a small favor, and you can't reveal my identity!"
“No,” Lin Qixia said again.
Cheng Yuerong was now completely panicked. She stepped forward and grabbed Lin Qixia's collar: "This won't work, that won't work? What exactly do you want?"
"I need you to testify in court and help me identify Feng Changchao," Lin Qixia said calmly, looking directly into her wide eyes.
Cheng Yuerong stared at her for a long time, and then all the strength in her body seemed to be drained away.
She dejectedly let go of her, slid down against the wall, squatted on the ground, and said, "Okay, I'll testify against him for you later, alright?"
"But—are you really confident you can win this case, Lin Qixia?" Cheng Yuerong asked, looking up at her.
Lin Qixia's expression was very confident at this moment, "Of course I'm confident."
"Okay." Seeing her like this, Cheng Yuerong felt much more at ease.
She stood up and said goodbye to Lin Qixia: "It's getting late, I'll be going now."
"Take care, and don't bother seeing me off." Lin Qixia smiled, a smile even more relaxed than before, as she watched her leave.
Cheng Yuerong passed through the front hall of Xiahe Manor and encountered Huo Yanqing as she exited.
She was somewhat surprised that the boy had followed her out.
"I—" Huo Yanqing began.
The next second, Cheng Yuerong interrupted him: "Get out of the way!"
Huo Yanqing, "?"
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have fallen into that cunning woman Lin Qixia's trap!" Cheng Yuerong complained to him.
At this moment, she was clearly filled with regret, blaming herself for being blinded by the young man's good looks.
She now even suspects that this might be a honey trap deliberately set for her by Lin Qixia.
Otherwise, how could the daughter of the Cheng family, the most powerful merchant family in the Great Yin Dynasty, fall for such a low-level trick?
Cheng Yuerong walked past Huo Yanqing, huffing and puffing as she left.
Huo Yanqing, "..."
He had been holding back a lot of words to reject Cheng Yuerong, but now he couldn't say them. He stood there for a moment, feeling a little lost.
A light laugh rang out from not far away.
Huo Yanqing looked over and saw Lin Qixia leaning against a pillar by the door, watching the show as if it were none of her business.
He realized that he had been used by her, or even sold out by her.
Staring at her with a mocking gaze, Huo Yanqing felt extremely irritated, a chill running through her body. She slowly walked towards him.
"What are you doing?" Perhaps intimidated by Huo Yanqing's imposing manner, Lin Qixia stopped smiling and retreated step by step.
For a moment, I didn't notice that I tripped over the threshold behind me.
"Ah!" She fell backward and screamed.
Swoosh—
The next second, Huo Yanqing flashed and appeared beside her, pulling her into his arms.
Their eyes met. Lin Qixia, still shaken, looked into his dark eyes. Although he was angry, she saw an unreal, dazzling color in them at that moment.
He seemed more energetic than usual, and his eyes held a deep, mysterious allure that drew her in for a long while.
It wasn't until Huo Yanqing helped her straighten up that Lin Qixia came to her senses and, while fixing her hair, said to him apologetically, "Thank you, I'm sorry."
She had to apologize, because she had indeed used Cheng Yuerong against Huo Yanqing when she learned that Cheng Yuerong was interested in him, in order to prevent Cheng Yuerong from disobeying her arrangements.
During this time, in order to achieve his own goals, he even intentionally or unintentionally ignored Huo Yanqing's discomfort.
In some ways, she's pretty jerk.
Lin Qixia lowered her head, avoiding his gaze for a moment, and even felt guilty enough not to look into his eyes again.
call--
Suddenly, a night breeze blew through the hall. Lin Qixia was afraid of the cold, so she subconsciously wanted to shrink her body.
The next second, Huo Yanqing stood in front of her, right in the wind.
Lin Qixia suddenly looked up and met Huo Yanqing's eyes, which were unfathomable in the darkness of the night. His voice blew past her ear on the night wind: "You can use me, you can hurt me, but—I beg you, never push me to someone else again."
The boy's voice was deep, but his eyes held a barely perceptible trace of sorrow and grief.
He looked so frail and fragile, as if he would shatter if I touched him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
