Chapter 108 : The Eye for Money

Jiang Hua could hardly contain her rising anger.

After all… Xue Qingyin was not wrong.

She indeed had a private relationship with the Crown Prince.

Xue Qingyin kept calling her a “little slut,” which, of course, was unbearable for Jiang Hua.

Xue Qingyin said, “A person like this should just be killed.”

The Crown Princess, leaning against the bed, hissed, “Well said.”

Jiang Hua’s face darkened even more, and she took a deep breath, “The concubine has already met the Crown Princess. Why don’t we leave now?”

Xue Qingyin pointed at her and scolded, “The master hasn’t spoken, who are you to interrupt? I’m really starting to find you more and more strange.”

Jiang Hua: “…” She regretted it deeply.

Bringing the Princess of Wei to visit had already been enough to humiliate the Crown Princess. Why bring the concubine of the King of Xuan as well?

Xue Qingyin sneered and stopped scolding Jiang Hua.

She smiled and sat at the edge of the Crown Princess’s bed, speaking softly, “I wonder which family the Crown Princess is from? I haven’t mingled much in the capital, so I don’t recognize many people.”

The Crown Princess coughed, knowing Jiang Hua was staring at her.

She said lightly, “The Xiao family of Huainan.”

“So far? You’re not from the capital after all,” Xue Qingyin showed a disappointed expression.

Jiang Hua thought to herself, so she’s one of those who loves to flatter the powerful while looking down on the lowly.

But the Crown Princess couldn’t help but stare at Xue Qingyin’s beautiful and clear eyes.

Her eyes were very beautiful and clean.

The Crown Princess’s heart stirred, “Haven’t you heard of the name of the Xiao family of Huainan?”

Xue Qingyin shook her head.

The Crown Princess said, “The Xiao family… is known for farming and studying. My great-grandfather was a renowned scholar, my grandfather was also a scholar, and my father is somewhat famous. Even the Emperor once invited my father to serve in the court.”

Xue Qingyin’s eyes lit up, “So they are indeed quite impressive?”

The Crown Princess smiled, “Yes.”

Jiang Hua’s gaze grew colder. So what if their family background is impressive? Once you’re in the palace, if they want to grind you down, they will.

Could the Xiao family grow wings and come to the palace to save you?

Xue Qingyin said, “Huainan, you know, my family also has some ties there.”

The Crown Princess asked, “Really?” Each word she spoke was raspy, as she hadn’t spoken to anyone in such a normal way for a long time.

Xue Qingyin said, “My maternal family has some property in Huainan. Does that count as a connection?”

The Crown Princess held her chest and coughed, laughing as she did, “It counts.”

Jiang Hua was utterly speechless.

The concubine of the King of Xuan may be clever, but she was also quite foolish. How could she possibly connect herself to the Crown Princess? Doesn’t she realize how powerless the Crown Princess is in the Eastern Palace now?

Xue Qingyin asked again, “Does your family know any famous painters?”

The Crown Princess was silent for a moment and answered, “Does Cen Yong count? Does Ping Nanzi count?”

Xue Qingyin asked, “Who are these people?”

Jiang Hua: “…”

Even though the concubine of the King of Xuan wasn’t very cultured, Jiang Hua still knew who they were.

The Crown Princess smiled, “Cen Yong painted the Picture of the Flourishing World and March of the Troops, and Ping Nanzi painted Spring River, Flower Moon Night and Ten Thousand Buddhas Bowing Down…”

Xue Qingyin asked directly, “How much can these paintings sell for?”

The Crown Princess replied, “They are worth ten thousand gold.”

Xue Qingyin said, “They must be very skilled painters then…”

The Crown Princess smiled even more sincerely, “Yes.”

“Would the Crown Princess introduce them to me? I’d like to invite them to paint for my manor outside the city. The calligraphy at my manor was done by Liu Xiuyuan, so I think the painter should be someone top-notch.”

“Sure.”

“You are truly a kind person, Crown Princess.”

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became much more pleasant and even a bit warm.

Jiang Hua didn’t know what to say anymore.

This concubine of the King of Xuan was truly a spoiled, materialistic person who loved to show off.

“Rather than waiting for a good day, why don’t the Crown Princess write me a letter now? I’ll have someone deliver it to the two painters’ residences. Let’s finalize this matter tomorrow.” Xue Qingyin’s face showed impatience, clearly eager to make money.

Jiang Hua suddenly became alert and said, “No need to rush…”

Xue Qingyin sighed, “Don’t blame me for being impatient. But given the Crown Princess’s current condition, speaking is already a bit difficult. What if I come again tomorrow and you can’t hold on anymore?”

Jiang Hua: “…”

Jiang Hua said seriously, “The concubine worries too much. The Crown Princess should focus on her health and live a long life.”

Xue Qingyin said, “You’re talking nonsense. Just now, you were outside saying that women with such symptoms die all the time. You must be secretly wishing for the Crown Princess to die, right?”

Jiang Hua’s face changed drastically, and she knelt down, “How dare I!”

Xue Qingyin snorted lightly, “You’re an evil servant of the Eastern Palace.”

The Crown Princess said, “I’ll write a letter to you. But those two painters love to travel, so they might not be in the capital right now. If you can’t wait, you can go to the Lin family in the east of the city. They are on good terms with them and should know their whereabouts.”

“Oh, the Lin family in the east of the city? I know them. But they moved out of the east a long time ago. Doesn’t the Crown Princess know?” Xue Qingyin thought to herself, finally, we’re getting to the point.

The Crown Princess’s expression changed slightly: “They moved out?”

Xue Qingyin nodded: “Yes. The Lin family was once a major customer of my family’s tea shop. But for some reason, about a month ago, they stopped coming to our tea shop to order tea. The manager went to their house to inquire and found out they had moved. At the time, I had just taken over the family business and was worried people might think I couldn’t handle it, so I was afraid of losing customers. I even personally went to check.”

Of course, all of this was a lie.

However, the Crown Princess obtained the information she wanted.

The Crown Princess was surprised.

It turned out that this concubine had gone to the Lin family in the east of the city before coming here, but she couldn’t find them. Or rather, because they had moved, even if she found the new place, she wouldn’t be sure if it was the same Lin family she was looking for.

The Crown Princess felt a lump in her throat, almost moved to tears from joy.

But she held it back.

She had been trapped in the East Palace, day by day, suffering, almost losing track of time.

She had seen too many ugly and cruel faces.

The day that the Concubine of King Xuan received the sachet, she didn’t discard it, nor did she give up just because she couldn’t find the person.

In truth, all she needed to do was deliver the message.

The Crown Princess feared that if she involved the Concubine of King Xuan, the Crown Prince might misunderstand. If the two met today and she privately passed on those items to the Concubine of King Xuan…

If the Crown Prince then started watching the Concubine of King Xuan as well…

That would be troublesome.

“Are there any other people who know them? Or perhaps, do you know the names or appearances of the Lin family members? I’ll send someone to find them,” Xue Qingyin’s voice sounded again.

She added, “It would be best if this matter could be settled soon. To be honest, my tea shop plans to open next month, and I want to invite Father Emperor to visit.”

“The head of the Lin family is named Lin Bo. He has three sons, named Lin Wu, Lin Tong, and Lin Song. This man has many friends, and countless scholars and intellectuals are his close friends,” the Crown Princess said.

Xue Qingyin clapped her hands: “Then I must find him! If my maternal family can make friends with such a family, no one will dare to look down on my family’s merchant background anymore.”

The Crown Princess instructed someone to fetch writing materials and indeed wrote a letter to Xue Qingyin.

Of course, with Jianghua standing by, the content of the letter seemed perfectly ordinary.

Xue Qingyin took it and said, “Then I’ll be going.”

The Crown Princess smiled: “Alright.”

Jianghua inwardly thought, Finally, this ancestor is leaving!

Xue Qingyin walked a few steps but suddenly turned back: “Ah, by the way, did Princess Wei also come yesterday? Did you have a pleasant conversation with her?”

Jianghua silently rolled her eyes.

At this point, why does she still need to compare herself with Princess Wei?

The Crown Princess’s tone became slightly cold as she replied, “Princess Wei came here yesterday, but she left without even entering the door.”

Xue Qingyin said, “Tsk tsk, truly not as charming as I am.”

Jianghua: “…”

The Crown Princess nearly laughed out loud.

The Concubine of King Xuan was truly… truly too adorable.

Xue Qingyin then asked, “Did you reward her?”

The Crown Princess shook her head: “Perhaps the Crown Prince rewarded her.”

After speaking, she noticed Xue Qingyin was staring at her expectantly.

A thought crossed the Crown Princess’s mind: “Come here, I’ll reward you.”

Xue Qingyin happily walked over.

The Crown Princess took a pouch from under her pillow and placed it into Xue Qingyin’s hands.

Xue Qingyin asked, “Is this embroidered with gold thread?”

Jianghua bit her lip. She couldn’t take it anymore. This Concubine of King Xuan was obsessed with money.

The Crown Princess had a deep, unshakeable exhaustion and pain in her eyes.

She smiled and said, “Inside it is the glass bead the Crown Prince gave me when he proposed to me, it weighs over a thousand gold.”

At that moment, a palace servant arrived outside the door and whispered, “Prince Xuan is here.”

Xue Qingyin’s face flashed with surprise. Even Prince Xuan came to the palace?

She tightly gripped the pouch and said to the Crown Princess, “Then I’ll really be leaving now. Prince Xuan is here to pick me up.”

The Crown Princess looked at her and smiled, calm and relaxed: “Go ahead.”