allonlinenovel Chapter 358
Chapter 358
"Stop spouting nonsense! Do you think you can scare me with words like that? Do you know who my husband is? He is Prince Lanhuai, the current Emperor's biological uncle, not some bullshit prince who just popped up out of nowhere like yours!" Huo Yunzhi said with a smug look on her face."That does sound quite impressive," Li Zhiwei sighed in her heart, thinking that perhaps Xu Heming's name just wasn't resounding enough.
After all, who could argue with the fact that Prince Lanhuai was the Emperor's own uncle?
"Hmph, so now you know fear. Li Zhiwei, what are you so proud of? Sooner or later, I will get my revenge! You framed the Huo family, and there is no way I will just let this go," Huo Yunzhi said coldly.
"Is that so? Then I look forward to that day." Li Zhiwei looked mockingly at the overly confident Huo Yunzhi. It wasn't that she didn't believe her.
It was just that her words completely lacked credibility. Li Zhiwei had been in the capital for some time now and knew exactly who Prince Lanhuai was—nothing more than an idle prince.
Xu Heming, on the other hand, held immense power.
How could a mere Prince Lanhuai possibly compare?
Moreover, she was the official wife of Prince An, while the woman before her was merely a secondary consort. Setting that aside, her own father was the Vice Minister of Revenue, whereas Huo Yunzhi's entire family—except for herself—had been exiled.
Thinking of this, Li Zhiwei simply watched the person in front of her quietly. She was just running her mouth for the sake of it.
"Why are you here?" After her moment of arrogance, Huo Yunzhi finally remembered why she had come to the Qin Pavilion.
After all, just a moment ago, Changsheng had been about to take her back to the Prince Lanhuai's estate.
However, when she saw that the Qin Pavilion was actually open, she had abandoned everything else and rushed over, never expecting to run into Li Zhiwei here.
At this thought, Huo Yunzhi looked at Li Zhiwei with a guarded expression, a bad premonition rising in her heart.
Could it be that Li Zhiwei also wanted the Qin Pavilion?
That would absolutely not do.
"That is an interesting question, Third Miss Huo. If you can come, why can't I?" Li Zhiwei looked at the wary Huo Yunzhi, wondering inwardly: Did Huo Yunzhi want the Qin Pavilion?
Could it be that Prince Lanhuai's estate wanted the Qin Pavilion because of her?
"Li Zhiwei, I advise you to be smart and leave immediately. This Qin Pavilion is about to become my property." Huo Yunzhi looked at Li Zhiwei smugly, trying to drive her away with these words.
She would never let Li Zhiwei go to the Cheng family and ruin her plans.
After all, she had already invested four thousand taels of silver, a mountain, and a villa into securing this Qin Pavilion.
If the Qin Pavilion ultimately fell into Li Zhiwei's hands, she would die of frustration.
"Third Miss Huo, do you think I'll just believe you if you say the Qin Pavilion is yours? I could just as easily say that this Qin Pavilion is my property." Li Zhiwei looked at Huo Yunzhi with a half-smile, wondering how Huo Yunzhi would react if she knew the Qin Pavilion actually belonged to her.
Li Zhiwei gestured to Qin Minghao, who was standing nearby, signaling him to explain clearly to this Secondary Consort Huo whether or not the Qin Pavilion could possibly be her property.
"Madam, I have not received any news from the owner about a change in ownership. Please conduct yourself with dignity!" Having received Li Zhiwei's cue, Qin Minghao stood aside and spoke up.
"What does a lowly servant like you know about the masters' affairs?" Huo Yunzhi was furious.
She wondered if she had forgotten to check the almanac before leaving the house today; otherwise, why was everything going wrong?
"Third Miss Huo, there is no need for you to trouble yourself over my people," Li Zhiwei said, looking at Huo Yunzhi with a sweet smile, enunciating every word clearly.
"What do you mean by that!" Huo Yunzhi's eyes widened in disbelief. Was she hearing this right? The Qin Pavilion was Li Zhiwei's property?
Wasn't it the Cheng family's young lady's?
How could it be Li Zhiwei's?
If this was indeed Li Zhiwei's property, then the four thousand taels of silver she had lost today... As for the one thousand taels she had borrowed from the Jubao Pavilion, since she never intended to repay it, she didn't consider it her own loss.
But what about those two land deeds? Had she just given them away for nothing?
She had been tricked!
At this realization, Huo Yunzhi was consumed by fury.
"Secondary Consort, what are you doing here? His Highness is still waiting for you to return," Changsheng, who had caught up with her, looked at Huo Yunzhi with clear dissatisfaction.
He didn't understand how long this Secondary Consort Huo was going to keep causing trouble.
"Li Zhiwei, what you just said isn't true, right?" Huo Yunzhi looked at Li Zhiwei hopefully, desperately wanting to hear the answer she desired. How could the Qin Pavilion possibly belong to Li Zhiwei?
If the Qin Pavilion really was Li Zhiwei's, then she had been completely played by that Miss Cheng today.
Thinking of this, Huo Yunzhi's face darkened. She wanted nothing more than to storm right back and settle the score with Cheng Qingli.
"Secondary Consort, if you do not return now, do not blame this subordinate for being impolite!" Seeing Huo Yunzhi ignoring him, Changsheng's patience finally ran out.
He had dealt with many disobedient women for the prince, but someone as unruly as Huo Yunzhi was a first.
Huo Yunzhi suddenly remembered the two land deeds she had been swindled out of. Her brother had specifically instructed her to give them to the prince, and now, she had gambled them away.
With a sudden idea forming in her mind, Huo Yunzhi turned around and left.
"Miss, is there something wrong with her?" Qinghua asked with a frown as she watched Huo Yunzhi walk away.
"Don't mind her," Li Zhiwei shook her head. The woman was simply a lunatic.
However, she was genuinely curious about how Prince Lanhuai's estate managed to tolerate her.
"Miss, recently there have been people asking around about the owner behind the Qin Pavilion. Perhaps it has something to do with the madam who was just here?" Qin Minghao suddenly recalled the inquiries and reported to Li Zhiwei.
"Ignore them. There is nothing else for me to do here today, so you can head back first. If anything comes up, I will send someone to find you." After speaking, Li Zhiwei left with Qinghua and Qingyue.
The group walked along the bustling street.
"Does Miss want to go to the Treasure Pavilion to pick out some jewelry?" Qinghua suggested carefully.
"No, let's just stroll around here." Li Zhiwei thought to herself that if she wanted to open her shop, staffing was still an issue.
It seemed she needed to make a trip to the human broker.
"Qinghua, Qingyue, is there a broker nearby?" Li Zhiwei asked after some thought.
"Does Miss feel that we are short-handed?" Qinghua and Qingyue exchanged a glance, wondering if the Princess Consort was dissatisfied with their care.
"No, I want to open a shop near the Qin Pavilion and need some people with specific skills," Li Zhiwei told them honestly, seeing no need to hide it.
"Miss, wouldn't it be better to let His Highness arrange this?" Qinghua suggested thoughtfully.
"His Highness is already busy enough as it is. Let's not bother him with such trivial matters." Li Zhiwei thought to herself: this was her own business, so why should she ask Xu Heming to find people for her?
Since she had the money to open a shop, she certainly had enough to buy a few servants to run it.
The difficult part, however, was finding maids who were not only skilled but also clever and perceptive.
At this thought, Li Zhiwei sighed, thinking to herself: The hardest part of any endeavor is the beginning.