Chapter 41: Perfectly Justified
Qin Baiwan was so angry his face turned red, yet he couldn't speak, his entire body was trembling uncontrollably!
Since he had achieved fame and fortune, it had been a very, very long time since he had lost his composure like this.
He didn't even dare to look up at his daughter’s expression. He had even once entertained the thought of marrying Fangdai to Qin Sicong, thinking of it now, it was enough to make his blood run cold.
A hypocritical villain like Qin Sicong, if Fangdai had become his wife, he would likely have devoured her until not even the bones remained!
Qin Sicong clearly knew that he, his adoptive father, was quite wary of the powerful and influential, for years, he had warned him repeatedly never to easily involve himself with anyone.
Yet, he never expected that the man’s selfish greed would ultimately triumph over years of teaching, placing the Qin family in grave danger.
As these thoughts swirled through Qin Baiwan's mind, he realized he had truly been far too trusting of this adopted son... If not for the "play" the Little County Princess of the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion had invited him to watch today, he feared he would still be kept in the dark, and perhaps... perhaps out of doting and trust, he would have eventually let the man have his way!
Yu Lingzhao took in Qin Baiwan’s loss of composure and Qin Fangdai’s deathly pale face. She glanced at Huayue, signaling her to pour fresh hot tea for the two of them.
"Take a sip, this tea is something I brought over from the Prince’s Mansion." Yu Lingzhao raised her hand, acting as if nothing had happened in the private room next door.
Perhaps affected by Yu Lingzhao’s calm and steady aura, the Qin father and daughter also clutched their teacups and slowly began to settle down.
"Tha—"
Qin Baiwan wanted to thank the Little County Princess, but seeing the way she looked up at him, he immediately fell silent again.
Yu Lingzhao smiled. "Drink your tea first. There is still one more of Jifang Garden’s signature pastries coming in a moment."
At this point, Qin Baiwan and Qin Fangdai finally understood that the Little County Princess had been reminding them all along.
The two of them looked at her with eyes full of gratitude. Seeing this, Yu Lingzhao raised an eyebrow at Yu Qizhi beside her; Yu Qizhi gave a nod that was almost imperceptible.
Only Yu Lingzhao understood this nod: it meant Yu Qizhi now fully believed in her "dream."
After another while, there was another knock at the door.
Huayue went forward, and sure enough, it was the waiter delivering the pastries. Huayue took them, arranged them one by one on the table, and stood dutifully behind the County Princess.
Only now did Yu Lingzhao speak, "I have invited Master Qin to watch a play. I wonder what kind of price Master Qin is willing to pay for this performance?"
Yu Lingzhao was confident that Qin Baiwan would make a sensible choice. To others, being associated with the powerful might be considered a good thing, but for Qin Baiwan, it was not.
Yet his adopted son had already gone against his wishes, and the person involved was even a Prince.
At this time, every single Prince was extremely dangerous. Emperor Jianyuan had no Crown Prince, and several Princes were exerting all their strength to perform well before him, the struggle for the throne was already glaringly obvious.
There were only two outcomes for participating in such a struggle: win, and one gains the merit of supporting the dragon with wealth and honor within reach, lose, and the whole family is buried with you.
Hearing the Little County Princess say these words, Qin Baiwan’s heart suddenly felt at ease. As long as she wanted something and he could afford to give it, the matter wouldn't be too difficult to handle.
"Qin Baiwan today leads his daughter to first kowtow and thank the Little County Princess for her kindness. Please, County Princess, accept a bow from this father and daughter!"
Qin Baiwan was a straightforward man. He pulled his daughter up and knelt directly before Yu Lingzhao, bowing deeply.
Yu Lingzhao accepted the gesture, partly because she deserved it, and partly because Qin Baiwan was thanking her with such sincerity.
"Master Qin, please rise. This bow cannot offset the news you just heard. You are a businessman, you should understand this principle."
Yu Lingzhao smiled faintly, her words carrying a hint of "looting a burning house."
*To profit from sb's misfortune.
Yu Qizhi watched his sister acting her part with such flair, the smile on his face hadn't faded once. If not for the mask blocking it, he would have surely given himself away.
Upon hearing the Little County Princess's words, Qin Baiwan’s heart skipped another beat.
That being said, despite her young age, this Little County Princess acted with remarkable shrewdness and experience, it was only at this point that he finally cast aside his dismissive thoughts.
Yu Lingzhao fixed her gaze on Qin Baiwan’s expression. Seeing the shift in his countenance, her lips quirked slightly, and she met his eyes with a hint of irony.
Qin Baiwan’s heart tightened as he belatedly realized that the person before him was the County Princess of the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion—a person of immense power.
"Regarding today’s matter, had the County Princess not informed me, this old man would still be kept in the dark. I am willing to repay the County Princess with half of my family fortune, I wonder what the County Princess thinks of this."
Hearing the hint of testing in Qin Baiwan’s words, the irony on Yu Lingzhao’s face deepened.
"Qin Baiwan, you certainly have some nerve. Are you gauging me by my young age and trying to hoodwink me?"
Qin Baiwan bowed repeatedly. "This old man would not dare."
"Not dare?" Yu Lingzhao sneered. "Then wouldn't it be better if you gave your entire fortune to this County Princess? Qin Sicong would have nothing left to plot for, and he wouldn't dare challenge the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion, would he?"
The atmosphere, which had been relatively harmonious, turned stiff the moment Yu Lingzhao’s expression darkened. The two guards behind her grew even more cold and imposing.
Qin Baiwan wiped the sweat from his brow; this Little County Princess truly did not care for saving anyone's face.
"Pray forgive me, County Princess. It was this old man who was rude."
"This County Princess gave you a chance, but you refused to talk properly." Yu Lingzhao looked toward Qin Fangdai.
"Miss Qin, it seems you are willing to become someone’s concubine?"
Qin Fangdai’s face turned pale, and Qin Baiwan’s expression became extremely strained. Yu Lingzhao, however, laughed, shook her head, and went back to drinking her tea, speaking no further.
Sometimes, it was best to let them think through the consequences themselves. A fortune of millions could not be hidden; it was only a matter of whether one handed it over willingly or had it snatched away.
Yu Lingzhao didn't deny her intention to 'loot a burning house' with perfect justification, but from another perspective, the Qin family had no power to choose at all.
If a Prince sets his sights on a woman as a Side Consort and she refuses, they could simply force her to be a lowly concubine—could Qin Baiwan really disagree then?
Where would he get the confidence to resist?
With the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion as a backer, those Princes would at least worry about Emperor Jianyuan’s suspicious nature.
A wealthy merchant without a background is nothing more than unclaimed meat left on the street; even a dog would want to take a bite.
When Yu Lingzhao’s cup of tea reached the bottom, she suddenly stood up.
"Let's go."
Qin Baiwan’s heart raced wildly as he knelt straight down. "County Princess, please stay!"
Yu Lingzhao remained standing, looking down at the kneeling Qin Baiwan from a height. She smiled faintly. "What do you think this County Princess wants from your Qin family? Even if I reported this directly to His Majesty, whether it's Qin Sicong or you, Qin Baiwan, what does your fate have to do with me?"
Qin Baiwan did not fear death, but he still had a daughter.
"Please appease your anger, County Princess. It was this lowly one who failed to recognize your good intentions. I am willing to offer thirty percent of the Qin family's annual net profit to beg the County Princess to protect the safety of the Qin family."
Jade: Due to my upcoming tests, I won't be able to update much, sorry~ Do follow the blog 😊 and you can contact me in the home page, just send a message ~~ Thank you!!
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