The Yue Mei Ren Accessories shop was quite large this month. Leng Ruo Li made a rough estimation, and the shop’s area was about 120 square meters, divided into two floors with a loft on the second floor.
Leng Ruo Li’s gaze swept over the accessories displayed inside the shop, and she was shocked to find that the way they were displayed was surprisingly modern.
“Young man, when did your accessory shop open? I’ve never noticed it before,” Leng Ruo Li asked curiously.
“Replying to miss, our Yue Mei Ren Accessories shop opened two months ago. It’s not surprising that you didn’t notice it,” the young shop assistant replied patiently.
“Can you reveal who your boss is?” Leng Ruo Li tentatively asked again.
“Miss, I can only tell you that my boss’s surname is Zhou. I don’t know much about other matters,” the young shop assistant replied with a smile.
“Surname Zhou? Could it be him?”
Leng Ruo Li’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. She blinked her clear, deep, black and white eyes and murmured to herself.
“That’s right, miss, my boss’s surname is Zhou,” the young shop assistant answered affirmatively.
“Ruo Li, what’s wrong? Do you know the owner of this shop?” Madam An and Madam Jiang asked, very confused.
“No, I don’t,” Leng Ruo Li smiled and shook her head.
“Then I’ll go in and look at the jewelry.”
Madam An led the group into the shop to choose jewelry. After browsing for a while, they found that the styles of the jewelry here were very different from the jewelry they usually wore. Many of the designs and patterns were ones they had never seen before.
“Good heavens, the jewelry here is truly beautiful and unique! No wonder it attracts so many customers,” Madam Jiang exclaimed in surprise.
As Leng Ruo Li looked at the styles of the jewelry, her heart became uneasy. She actually saw letters and Arabic numerals on these accessories.
This shocked her greatly.
“Second cousin-in-law, why are you spacing out again? Why aren’t you choosing such beautiful jewelry?” Bai Yu Xuan said loudly.
Just as Leng Ruo Li was about to answer her, a disdainful voice came from behind her.
“Princess Qing Ling, is this the first time the Cold King’s consort has visited an accessory shop? It’s inevitable that she’d be stunned by such beautiful jewelry.” A woman stood behind Leng Ruo Li and spoke sarcastically.
Leng Ruo Li turned her head and saw Qin Xixue, the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Qin’s mansion, wearing a flowing bamboo-green dress, a white brocade bustier underneath, sleeves embroidered with delicate silver butterflies, a bamboo-green sash around her waist. She was tall with a graceful figure, her hair styled in a beautiful maiden’s coiffure, adorned with a peacock gold hairpin. She walked with her delicate face held high, like a proud peacock, taking small, measured steps as she passed Leng Ruo Li.
Behind her followed Ye Meiqian, the legitimate eldest daughter of Minister of Rites Ye Yiheng, and Shen Yuejia, the legitimate second daughter of Minister of Punishment Shen Zhiang. These two women were notorious troublemakers, adept at causing discord.
As expected, after Qin Xixue’s taunt, Ye Meiqian and Shen Yuejia chuckled behind their silk handkerchiefs.
“Sister Qin, you’ll make the Cold King’s consort unhappy by saying that.”
“Oh, really? But what I said is the truth,” Qin Xixue replied indifferently.
Madam An and Madam Jiang were very angry upon hearing Qin Xixue’s words.
“Miss Qin, what you said is too harsh! How do you know our Ruo Li has never visited an accessory shop?”
Madam An retorted indignantly on Leng Ruo Li’s behalf. This Qin Xixue was truly detestable, making their Ruo Li look bad in front of so many people.
“Madam of the Xia Family, everyone in the capital knows that the Cold King’s consort was a fool… oh, no, a person with a muddled mind, and was also abused by her concubine, unable to even secure enough food. How could she have had the money to buy accessories?” Qin Xixue mocked contemptuously and without regard.
She detested this fool Leng Ruo Li the most, for stealing her position as the Cold King’s consort. Everyone in the capital knew that Qin Xixue admired the Cold King, and she dared to marry the Cold King.
However, her father was also infuriating. Because he didn’t believe the Cold King would become the future Crown Prince, he forbade her from getting too close to the Cold King, wanting her to marry the future Crown Prince of the Tianwu Kingdom and become Empress in the future.
“Qin Xixue, although my second cousin-in-law hasn’t visited an accessory shop, I can tell you that any single piece of jewelry owned by my second cousin-in-law is worth more than all the jewelry on your vanity combined. Do you believe me? Furthermore, every set of jewelry my second cousin-in-law possesses was personally designed and crafted by the most renowned master goldsmith in the capital, arranged by my second cousin, His Highness the Cold King. You probably can’t imagine that, can you?” Bai Yu Xuan said, infuriating them.
Bai Yu Xuan already disliked this arrogant Qin Xixue. Relying on her father being the Prime Minister, she often bullied daughters of officials with lower ranks than her father. Then, she would act all prim and proper in front of the Emperor, Empress Dowager, Empress, and other concubines and noble ladies, which was truly disgusting.
But what was most hateful was that this disgusting woman dared to covet her second cousin. Her second cousin was the most outstanding prince among all their princes, and she didn't want this disgusting woman to ruin her second cousin.
Upon hearing Bai Yu Xuan’s words, Qin Xixue’s heart was filled with rage.
“So what? This proves nothing!”
“It’s true that it proves nothing, but it proves that my second cousin cares a lot about my second cousin-in-law. Hmph!”
“Also, you haven’t paid your respects to the Cold King’s consort. Did Prime Minister Qin teach you such disrespect for hierarchy?” Bai Yu Xuan said, seizing the advantage and refusing to back down.
“You… you…”
Furious, Qin Xixue swallowed the curse that was about to escape her lips because all the customers in the shop were looking in their direction. To leave a good impression on the onlookers, Qin Xixue pondered for a moment, then finally lowered her proud head and bowed to Leng Ruo Li.
“Qin Xixue pays her respects to the Cold King’s consort!”
Ye Meiqian and Shen Yuejia behind her, seeing Qin Xixue bow to Leng Ruo Li, also quickly bowed to Leng Ruo Li.
“Ye Meiqian pays her respects to the Cold King’s consort!”
“Shen Yuejia pays her respects to the Cold King’s consort!”
“Too quiet, my second cousin-in-law can’t hear you!” Bai Yu Xuan deliberately made things difficult for the three of them, enraging Qin Xixue and the others further.
Leng Ruo Li did not stop Bai Yu Xuan from troubling them.
However, after suppressing their resentment, they raised their voices and bowed to Leng Ruo Li again.
“Qin Xixue pays her respects to the Cold King’s consort!”
“Shen Yuejia pays her respects to the Cold King’s consort!”
Leng Ruo Li still pretended not to hear.
People like Qin Xixue truly needed to be taught a lesson. Otherwise, they would become more and more presumptuous.
“Oh, my apologies, my second cousin-in-law is still not satisfied with your bows. It seems you should continue bowing.”
After speaking, Bai Yu Xuan made a disgusting face at Qin Xixue.
Qin Xixue’s face turned black on the spot, furious. This Bai Yu Xuan was truly detestable. It was as if she had never provoked her, yet she constantly opposed her. It was truly perplexing.
“Alright, Princess, let’s go choose some jewelry over there.”
Leng Ruo Li quickly intervened to stop their confrontation, but she did not ask Qin Xixue to rise, because for a woman like Qin Xixue, she felt it was a waste of her glance even to look at her.