"Second Imperial Brother's Consort, I have brought the one hundred thousand taels of gold for the ointment. Have someone come over to count it."
Prince Qing pointed to several large chests placed on the ground.
Leng Ruo Li followed Prince Qing's gaze, her lips curling slightly upwards as she nodded.
"It's truly a pleasure doing business with Your Highness Prince Qing. This Princess Consort will have someone come over to count it immediately."
Heh heh! Since someone was sending her money, why wouldn't she be happy?
Leng Ruo Li's heart was already blooming with joy.
The butler nearby, upon hearing Leng Ruo Li's words, shrewdly ran off to summon the manor's accountant to tally the money for his Princess Consort.
Before long, the accountant hurried over. After exchanging greetings with the Cold King and his consort, he immediately set about counting the large chests of gold and jewelry brought by Prince Qing.
With everyone cooperating, the contents of these large chests were quickly tallied.
"Princess Consort, these large chests contain a total of fifty thousand taels of gold, plus a batch of jewelry and precious items valued at fifty thousand taels of gold."
The Cold King's manor accountant reported truthfully to Leng Ruo Li.
"Very well! As long as the total amount reaches one hundred thousand taels of gold, it is acceptable," Leng Ruo Li said with satisfaction.
After speaking, she smiled and took out a tube of ointment from her sleeve pocket, instructing the steward to give it to Prince Qing.
Enduring the pain and looking haggard, Prince Qing, upon seeing the ointment, quickly snatched it from the steward's hand and immediately took his leave of the Cold King and his consort.
"Second Imperial Brother, Second Imperial Sister-in-law, your Imperial Brother is feeling unwell today, so I shall take my leave."
Prince Qing cupped his hands towards the Cold King and his consort and then led his entourage away.
After Prince Qing left, Leng Ruo Li walked over to the large chests, her pupils suddenly emitting two beams of bright light.
"Ah hahaha..."
"I'm going to be rich!"
"I'm going to be rich!"
Leng Ruo Li was overjoyed looking at the gold, silver, and jewels before her.
Jun Mo Han, seeing his consort's greedy demeanor, was also amused.
He then heard Leng Ruo Li instructing people to move these large chests of gold and jewels back to their chambers.
...
Several nights later.
On a street in the bustling heart of the capital, a sudden fire broke out at the Moon Beauty Accessories store.
"Fire! Fire! The Moon Beauty Accessories store is on fire!"
"Quick, someone! Come quickly!"
Someone soon noticed the anomaly. Neighbors living nearby rushed to help extinguish the flames.
Meanwhile, in Zhou Baiyu's courtyard.
"Master, Master, something's wrong!"
"Our shop is on fire!"
A shop assistant from the Moon Beauty Accessories store rushed to knock on Zhou Baiyu's courtyard gate.
Hearing the shouts, Butler Zhou quickly opened the courtyard gate.
"Xiao Huai, what's happening outside?" Butler Zhou asked, looking confused.
"Butler Zhou, quickly go inside and tell Master that our Moon Beauty Accessories store is on fire!"
Xiao Huai said urgently, his feet almost bouncing with anxiety.
"What? Our accessories store is on fire? Heavens! This is serious! Wait a moment, I'll go and call the Master out right away."
Butler Zhou finished speaking and hurried off to inform Zhou Baiyu.
In the study, Zhou Baiyu, upon hearing the news from Butler Zhou, did not panic. He slowly put down the brush in his hand, stood up from his chair, tidied his clothes, and then walked over to open the door.
"Butler Zhou, there's no need to panic. If it burns, let it burn,"
Zhou Baiyu comforted Butler Zhou.
"But, that Moon Beauty Accessories store is yours..."
Butler Zhou didn't know what to say upon hearing Zhou Baiyu's words.
"It's fine, the items in that accessories store are not worth much. As long as no one is harmed, it's alright. I'll go and see shortly."
Zhou Baiyu said indifferently.
Then, he slowly walked out of the courtyard gate and headed towards the Moon Beauty Accessories store with Xiao Huai.
At the Cold King's manor, Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han also learned from their hidden guards that Zhou Baiyu's accessories store was on fire. The two of them hurried to the street to check the situation.
They saw Zhou Baiyu standing opposite the Moon Beauty Accessories store, gazing at the great fire engulfing his shop and the crowds busy putting it out. He stood there quietly, his thoughts unknown.
Leng Ruo Li, thinking he was heartbroken over the loss of his store, pulled Jun Mo Han and walked towards him.
"Uncle Yu, if the shop burns down, we can open another one. If the money is gone, it can be earned again. As long as people are safe, that's what matters."
Leng Ruo Li comforted him softly.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Baiyu turned around and smiled instantly.
"Haha, you underestimate Uncle Yu too much. The burning of this single accessories store is not enough to make Uncle Yu put it to heart."
Zhou Baiyu threw his head back and laughed heartily, his laughter unrestrained and exuding a sense of nonchalance.
Hearing his words, Leng Ruo Li realized she had been overly worried.
Little did she know, he didn't care about this shop at all. She couldn't guess how much wealth Zhou Baiyu actually possessed.
"Alright, Uncle Yu, it's my fault for not knowing you're a wealthy man."
Leng Ruo Li said, raising an eyebrow.
"Hahaha..."
"Although Uncle Yu doesn't possess wealth that could rival a nation, he can afford the loss of one shop,"
Zhou Baiyu said with a smile.
"Then, Uncle Yu, do you know who is responsible for tonight's incident?" At this moment, Leng Ruo Li changed the subject.
"Yes! You know her as well." Zhou Baiyu did not hide anything from Leng Ruo Li.
"Who is she?"
Upon hearing this, Leng Ruo Li's delicate eyebrows furrowed.
"This person is Prime Minister Qin," Zhou Baiyu said indifferently.
"Prime Minister Qin? You have no past enmity with him, so why did he burn your shop?" Leng Ruo Li asked, full of confusion.
After speaking, Zhou Baiyu raised his hand and touched the bridge of his nose, not wanting to tell Leng Ruo Li about the matter.
However, Jun Mo Han, standing beside them, exposed him.
"It's all because of you. A few days before the Empress Dowager's birthday, didn't you go to the Moon Beauty Accessories store with your two aunts, Madam Su, and Princess Qingling? You had an argument with Qin Xixue that day, and Shopkeeper Zhou saw it all. To vent your anger, Shopkeeper Zhou had his staff specifically recommend a set of accessories soaked in medicinal water to Qin Xixue at a cheap price. As a result, after Qin Xixue wore that set of jewelry, overnight, her hands and face were covered in red bumps... Later, when the doctor discovered it was due to the jewelry purchased that day, Qin Xixue held a grudge against Shopkeeper Zhou."
Jun Mo Han truthfully recounted the information he had investigated.
"Ah..."
Leng Ruo Li didn't know what to say after hearing this. Besides being touched, she also felt that Zhou Baiyu's actions were a bit foolish.
"Uncle Yu, actually, you didn't have to do this for me. That day, I didn't deal with Qin Xixue on the spot. First, it was because both my aunts and Madam Su were present, and I was afraid Qin Xixue would retaliate against them in secret. Second, I didn't want to let Qin Xixue ruin my mood for shopping, so I didn't bother with her." Leng Ruo Li explained.
"Heh heh, Li'er, your King truly cares about your matters. Actually, I had already anticipated tonight's events. A while ago, there were always two people lurking suspiciously outside my shop, so I guessed tonight's incident would happen. I had already transferred all the important items in the shop. The fire tonight won't burn many of my valuable belongings."
Zhou Baiyu said with a hint of amusement after hearing Jun Mo Han's words.