Chapter 172: Within Auspicious Cloud Tower

Before he could even react, the study door was pushed open from the inside.

Yuwen Lingxi furrowed his brow and demanded, "What is going on?" Cloud Pavilion was where An Ming had established his foothold in Xijing. Outwardly, it was known as a House of Rare Treasures and a pawnshop, but behind the scenes, it served as the liaison point for the Rakshasa Hall in Xijing. This was hardly a secret among the major factions. Yuwen Lingxi was not at all surprised that Lian Yue would track him down there today. In his original plans, now that he had resumed his identity as Yuwen Lingxi, he had no intention of showing himself even if she came looking.

Given Lian Yue’s temperament, she shouldn't have caused a scene even if she failed to see An Ming, but now trouble had actually broken out—and right in his own territory. It would have been stranger if Yuwen Lingxi wasn't anxious.

Mu Shan let out a long, inward sigh. Whenever matters concerning Miss Yue were involved, his usually composed and calm Young Master invariably became overly invested; his concentration at such times fell short even of the Second Young Master's. "Miss Yue had a conflict with the Prime Minister's youngest daughter over a night-pearl. They are on the verge of coming to blows."

Hearing this, Yuwen Lingxi made to walk out, only to be stopped by Yuwen Ling霄, who had remained behind inside the study. "Elder Brother, please have mercy. If you go there in your current identity, I truly have no idea how I will manage for the next half month."

The grievance in Yuwen Ling霄's slightly plaintive voice forced Yuwen Lingxi to halt his steps. He turned around and retreated back into the study. It seemed An Ming would have to make another appearance after all.

Before long, the study door opened once more. The moment Yuwen Ling霄 stepped out into the sunlight, the bitter expression on his face was replaced by utter indifference. From this instant on, Yuwen Ling霄 was once again Yuwen Lingxi.

Yuwen Lingxi (Xiao) headed toward Cloud Pavilion opposite them. By now, his elder brother should probably be making his entrance.

Cloud Pavilion could be considered the largest trading hub in Xijing. No matter what rare treasures one possessed, a satisfactory price could be obtained here; similarly, as long as one could afford the steep price, any treasure displayed in the hall could be taken home.

Up on the second floor, Lian Yue and a woman wearing a bamboo hat were glaring daggers at each other. Standing between them was a pot-bellied, greasy-faced fat man clutching a fist-sized night-pearl, looking with a troubled expression at the two young ladies locked in such a tense stalemate over the gemstone.

Judging by their attire, both were young ladies of wealth and noble status, yet the aggressive stance they had struck was enough to make anyone keep a respectful distance.

The fat man used his plump hand to wipe the greasy sweat from his forehead, standing off to the side, trembling.

"I said, this pearl is mine. Why are you being so unreasonable?" No matter how one listened to the bamboo-hatted woman's voice, it carried a malicious undertone. Peering through the gauze of her bamboo hat at the delicate and lovely face of the woman opposite her, Zhen Bizhu felt jealousy surge uncontrollably within her.

Ever since her appearance was ruined by that detestable Eleventh Princess Qiao Yu, Zhen Bizhu grew unhinged at the sight of any beautiful woman. This was especially true now that she had finally chanced upon the night-pearl capable of restoring her looks. It was almost within her grasp, only for such an unreasonable person to pop up out of nowhere.

Naturally, the "unreasonable person" she referred to was none other than Lian Yue. When Lian Yue had come to Cloud Pavilion, her sole intention was to catch a glimpse of An Ming. Before she even got to see him, however, she had stumbled upon a scene of daylight robbery.

This woman in the bamboo hat was utterly shameless. A night-pearl of such large size and exceptional quality was easily worth a thousand taels of gold, yet this woman was only willing to offer two hundred taels—and in silver, at that. When the owner refused, she immediately resorted to threats of social standing.

Lian Yue's eyes were filled with mockery. Over the past couple of days, she had heard quite a bit about the Prime Minister's daughter. Initially, she had felt a twang of sympathy for Zhen Bizhu after hearing how Qiao Yu had disfigured her. Hearing about someone was truly different from seeing them in person; now, looking at her, Lian Yue felt nothing but schadenfreude.

"I stand by what I said. If you are willing to shell out a thousand taels of gold, I won't touch this pearl."

A thousand taels of gold—it wasn't as if the Prime Minister's estate couldn't afford it. Had it been done privately, Zhen Bizhu would have accepted it. Her appearance was worth far more than a thousand taels of gold. But in such a public place, if she agreed to this sum, meddlesome people would surely carry the news straight to the Emperor's ears. The Prime Minister's daughter spending a fortune on a single pearl—the consequences of such a report were easy to imagine.

Zhen Bizhu was not a complete fool. As the Prime Minister's most favored daughter, she had been raised by his side since childhood and possessed formidable tactical acumen. Although her judgment had been somewhat unhinged ever since that incident, she still retained basic common sense.

Even so, she refused to give up this pearl. She had already learned of the imperial edict betrothing Qiao Rong. A woman of Han Liuyan's caliber had actually been appointed as the Consort of the Sixth Prince by the Retired Emperor. Zhen Bizhu was unconvinced—deeply unconvinced. In her heart, her hatred for Qiao Yu, the culprit who had reduced her to this state, grew only more intense. She had heard that Qiao Yu had provoked a formidable opponent yesterday and was still bedridden; the thought was thoroughly gratifying.

That was why she had ventured out today. Never had she expected her luck to be so good that she would run into someone peddling the exact pink-tinged, translucent white night-pearl she had been searching for at Cloud Pavilion. Her heart had naturally overflowed with joy.

Yet this fat man was completely oblivious to the true value of the treasure in his hands. Upon hearing her offer of two hundred taels, he had already been tempted to sell it to her, only to have her good deed ruined by a meddler.

Not recognizing Lian Yue within Xijing's social circles, Zhen Bizhu assumed she was merely a merchant's daughter—the most troublesome kind of people. Consequently, she shifted her target back to the fat man. "If you have any sense, you can see that she has no intention of buying your pearl. Two hundred taels of gold is the highest price I can offer. Weigh it carefully in your mind, and don't throw away what is most precious to you just for momentary greed."

Lian Yue truly had no intention of purchasing the pearl, but neither did she wish to see this fat man taken advantage of. "Have no fear. I guarantee that even if you don't sell it to her, she won't dare do anything to you."

"This..." The fat man's bead-like eyes, squeezed into slits by the folds of fat on his face, rolled back and forth several times. Two hundred taels of gold was already a substantial sum. At first, he had thought this pearl would fetch at most a hundred or so taels. But judging from the implication of the young woman beside him, his pearl must be exceptionally precious—perhaps worth two thousand taels of gold.

He had practically risked his life to obtain this pearl. Even if he didn't sell it to this young lady, he could always sell it directly to Cloud Pavilion; they would surely offer a fair price.

Yet the Prime Minister was someone he could not afford to offend either. Although the young lady standing up for him spoke with absolute certainty, could she truly guarantee his safety? Having been through such ordeals, the fat man ultimately decided his life was paramount—though it would be even better if he could sell it for a higher price.

With this thought, the fat man patted his chubby belly and said sincerely to Lian Yue, "Many thanks for the young lady's righteousness. This pearl is of no use to me anyway. If the young lady truly fancies it, two hundred taels of gold is all I ask—the pearl is yours."

Zhen Bizhu nearly flew into a rage. She was convinced the fat man was only doing this because of that person's pretty face. A pearl of this caliber didn't even exist in the imperial palace; having finally encountered one, how could she let it slip away? "You fat piece of trash, have you grown tired of living? I was clearly the first to offer two hundred taels of gold! Do you not want your life anymore?"

With that, she turned to her guards and snapped, "What are you all standing around for? Why haven't you gone up and snatched it?"

The guards looked hesitant. Doing such a thing out in the open in broad daylight was entirely indefensible, especially inside Cloud Pavilion. However, the Prime Minister had instructed them that the young lady's commands were his commands. The guards exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of how to proceed.

Seeing that no one moved, Zhen Bizhu's hypersensitive mind immediately concluded that even they looked down on her, believing she could be bullied at will just because she had lost her blooming, moon-like beauty.

Her last shred of composure was ground away by her own sensitivity. Even beneath her bamboo hat, she felt as though everyone around her was casting mocking glances in her direction—especially the girl opposite her who kept thwarting her.

Was that exquisite beauty meant to mock her? Having grown somewhat deranged, the more Zhen Bizhu thought about it, the more convinced she became. Feeling she could rely on no one else, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Her target, however, was Lian Yue. That face was simply too glaringly offensive to look at.