Chapter 99 That day at the restaurant, ...

Chapter 99 That day at the restaurant, ...

On the day at the restaurant, Zhao Rou wasn't particularly interested in Princess Cheng, but after Prince Cheng rejected her marriage proposal in front of the emperor, she regretted it more than once, regretting that she hadn't tried to meet with her that day.

In the days that followed, she wondered more than once what kind of woman she was. At this moment, Zhao Rou looked at the Princess Consort of Chengjun with an almost harsh and critical eye.

Her appearance was naturally beautiful.

Before meeting her today, Zhao Rou had even fantasized that this princess was a stunning beauty who could captivate men with just a glance.

By the standards of absolute beauty, the person before her seemed to fall short. But this discovery did not make Zhao Rou feel any better.

She felt even more distressed, because apart from her appearance, the temperament of the Princess Consort of Chengjun, as she had imagined, seemed to be quite different from her own.

She did not exhibit the inferiority complex or timidity that stemmed from her status, nor did she display the arrogance that often comes with a sudden rise to a high position.

On the contrary, she is bright and cheerful.

It was this brightness and cheerfulness that made me, with my unusual thoughts, feel like a rat secretly lurking in a ditch.

"This lady doesn't even ask who I am before giving way like this?" Seeing the woman take a step back, clearing a path to the backyard, Zhao Rou didn't step forward, but instead asked this question.

"Hmm?" Xiao Yan turned her head and looked at Miss Zhao with some doubt: "That is an old acquaintance of yours, but a stranger to me. I was just doing someone a favor, so please don't worry about it. It's just a small matter, and you don't need to leave your name for future reference. Go on, there's no need to be so polite."

"..." Zhao Rou, behind the veil, gritted her teeth. She used to be the one who made people scream and yell in anger, but she never expected that this time she would be the one who felt the pain in her heart.

This person isn't cheerful and outgoing at all; she's clearly brainless! Doesn't she even suspect that her appearance is too coincidental?

"Thank you, sister. I am from the Xuanwu Marquis's residence. I have never seen you before. May I ask who you are?" Zhao Rou knew it was inappropriate for her to introduce herself at this moment, but she just wanted to see how the person in front of her would react if she knew that she had once been one of the candidates for the Princess Consort.

“So it’s Miss Zhao from the Marquis of Xuanwu’s residence. My surname is Xiao, and my husband’s surname is Qin. I’m just a small business owner. It’s perfectly normal that you haven’t seen me before, Miss.” Xiao Yan smiled politely.

"......" Her husband's surname is Qin? They run a small business? This sounds like a deliberate attempt to evade the question.

With so many people by her side, including a pale-faced, beardless fat man who looked like a eunuch, all the stewards of the villa consciously avoided them. Anyone with eyes could tell that this was not the kind of grandeur a small business family could have. Was she treating them like fools? But upon closer inspection, she wasn't exactly lying.

But from her brief reply, Zhao Rou could fully understand that this Princess Consort of Cheng County truly did not care at all about her status as a merchant's daughter; otherwise, she would not have mentioned that her family was in business at this time.

No, if she cared about her status as a merchant, she would never have come to this brokerage firm in person today.

Zhao Rou suddenly remembered how she had analyzed things so logically to her two younger sisters a few days ago. Comparing that to her own current predicament and feeling resentful, she felt that a golden opportunity had been snatched away. So she came to find someone to compare herself to and nitpick at their mistakes.

That's utterly ridiculous! What do you mean by "the opportunity was stolen"? That opportunity never even existed.

Even though Xiao Yan Hui could see Zhao Rou's disdainful expression through the veil, she could sense that Zhao Rou had suddenly become very frustrated.

Ignoring the girl whose attitude kept changing, and before she could say anything more, Xiao Yan Hui seemed to suddenly remember something and said, "Oh, right, I want to buy from the shopkeeper, not the little maid. She won't pick out Miss's old acquaintances."

After saying that, she pointed to the backyard, lifted her foot, and went in first.

"Master, you're too lenient. The Marquis of Xuanwu's family clearly came here today looking for an opportunity to provoke us." After walking a few steps away, Mao'er said in a low voice, suppressing her anger.

Although what she said seemed harmless, and her expression couldn't be seen through the veil, the cat could still sense the disrespect for her master in her words and actions.

“The master doesn’t need to give her that face,” even Wang Mama, who had remained silent for most of the journey, said.

If her master hadn't given her a look, telling her to calm down, she, as the nanny who accompanied her master, would have stepped forward to block that Miss Zhao long ago, and wouldn't have allowed her to test her with such an aloof attitude.

"Alright, it's just a small matter, not worth getting upset about." To be honest, Xiao Yan initially thought that this Miss Zhao was here to buy a maid, after all, the young lady's attitude at the restaurant that day showed that she had no interest in getting involved in this matter.

Unexpectedly, Qin Ji's rejection of the marriage proposal sparked a different kind of thought in her. Hopefully, this is just an isolated case for her.

Although they had lowered their voices, Zhao Rou still vaguely heard some of it. Her face flushed crimson. It turned out that the criticism, scrutiny, and provocation she thought she had hidden so well were so clearly visible to others. Zhao Rou was extremely grateful that she had worn a veil today; no one had seen her true colors just now, nor had anyone witnessed her current disheveled state.

"Xiujuan, go and buy the person back." After saying this, Zhao Rou hurriedly left the brokerage as if her life depended on it.

"Oh dear!" To be honest, she was really unlucky today. She almost bumped into someone again while rushing out the door.

"Hey, why don't you watch where you're going?" The maid Xiuqiao glared at the woman who bumped into her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the woman on the other end apologized repeatedly.

At this moment, Zhao Rou just wanted to leave as soon as possible. She tugged at Xiu Qiao, signaling her to stop talking nonsense and hurry up and go.

"You just came from the brokerage shop? Are they selling former servants of the Zhou family today? I have an old acquaintance there..."

To Zhao Rou's surprise, the woman moved and blocked her path again. Although her tone was urgent, it was still very respectful and polite, but Zhao Rou only found her annoying.

Without uttering a word, she didn't even glance at the woman before turning and walking past her. She thought to herself how similar this scene was to when she had blocked someone's path earlier. Had she been just as annoying?

"So in such a hurry?" Watching the master and servant hurriedly leave, Su Jinyue, who had not received an answer, looked at the entrance of the brokerage firm with a slightly downcast face.

If the information is correct, then this is where Zhou family's old servants are being sold today. However... her current identity cannot withstand close scrutiny. This is a legitimate official brokerage firm, and if she wants to buy someone, all the formalities must be followed properly, and her identity as the buyer must be verified.

She was in such a hurry to buy someone that she rushed into the brokerage without thinking, but luckily she bumped into someone at the door, which brought her back to her senses.

Otherwise... she knew he was still looking for her, and even a couple of days ago she saw people from the manor asking about the place where she had lived for a while.

But she wouldn't go back. She wasn't made of wood; her heart could also ache. She didn't want to be that insignificant woman in the backyard, someone who could be summoned and dismissed at will.

Thinking of that person, thinking of their past, Su Jinyue felt her heart begin to ache again, and her nose felt sore.

They had their share of good times; after all, to put it bluntly, they were childhood sweethearts who grew up together, and Su Jinyue felt that she was the person who understood him best in the world.

He knows everything about himself—whether he's cold or warm, what he likes or dislikes, his taste preferences, his clothing preferences, his daily habits—but what's the use?

All her efforts, her heart and soul, earned her nothing more than going from being a close palace maid to a concubine who could be sacrificed at any time.

Even if he is still searching for me now, even if he still has some slight affection for me, that affection is far less than my true feelings.

Falling in love with him... it was just too unfair! Now that she'd left, Su Jinyue had no intention of going back. Besides, during the years she'd been away, Su Jinyue had also discovered that she didn't actually need to rely on him to live; she could live just as well on her own.

Now, romantic love is a thing of the past for her; her most important task is to find evidence to overturn her father's case.

Although that's what she was thinking, she felt her eyes getting hotter and hotter, and tears were about to fall.

Then Su Jinyue saw the two gatekeepers giving her suspicious looks.

Immediately, her sudden sadness subsided, and she quickly walked away from the entrance of the official residence to avoid attracting more attention from the people inside.

But he didn't leave. Instead, he secretly walked to the other side of the street, half-hidden behind a pile of clutter, keeping an eye on the entrance of the brokerage firm while continuing to rack his brains for something to do.

"It's very likely that Manager Li has kept the crucial account books from back then, but how can we find him, or even buy his services?"

......

At this moment, in the backyard of the brokerage firm, Qian Liang still had a smiling face as he introduced Xiao Yan to a row of people not far away.

The words that came out of her mouth were even more fluent than those of the brokerage manager: "Master, I just inquired and found out that the tall man over there wearing an old dark blue satin jacket with his head down is the former head manager of the Zhou family's South City Bank. His surname is Li, and he is said to be quite capable and highly regarded by the master."

And that slightly shorter, stouter one with a mustache, he's in charge of the farm's harvest. Don't let his appearance fool you; he's actually very experienced in farming... And this one, he's a master at bookkeeping... This servant has noted them all down. Would you like to ask about them one by one, Master?"

He spoke clearly and logically, indicating that he had quickly sorted out the information about these people.

Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction. This eunuch Qian Liang looked amiable, but when it came to getting things done, he was efficient and thoughtful, like a gentle rain nourishing the earth. It seemed to be a useful person for now.

She glanced at Granny Wang, who had been barely noticeable all day, and thought for a moment before saying, "Granny, you go with Eunuch Qian and start by talking to those shopkeepers to get a feel for their character and manner of speaking."