books44 Chapter 343
Chapter 343
Cheng Qingli rolled her eyes inwardly. Who would want to deal with you?However, at this moment, she really didn't want to waste words on her, so she just looked at her quietly.
She put on a posture that clearly said, "If you don't want to speak, you are more than welcome to leave."
"I heard that the Qin Pavilion is a property of the Cheng family. I wonder if Miss Cheng would be willing to part with it?" Huo Yunzhi asked when she noticed Cheng Qingli's slight impatience.
"You want the Qin Pavilion?" Cheng Qingli tapped her fingers lightly against the tabletop, staring straight at Huo Yunzhi. Yesterday, that old fogey Prince Lanhuai came to the manor just for the Qin Pavilion, and today, a side consort came, also wanting the Qin Pavilion.
Could it be that Prince Lanhuai hadn't told her that she had already given the Qin Pavilion to Li Zhiwei?
"Please, Miss Cheng, part with it. As long as you are willing, I am prepared to offer three thousand taels of silver." Huo Yunzhi put on an air as if she were offering a very high price.
Cheng Qingli, who originally thought Huo Yunzhi would offer a high price, almost laughed out of anger upon hearing this. Three thousand taels?
Did she look like someone who lacked three thousand taels of silver?
The income from her Qingyu Studio was quite substantial.
She truly looked down on three thousand taels.
Wasn't this equivalent to her just giving the Qin Pavilion away to her?
On what grounds?
Why should she give away her good things instead of keeping them for herself?
Cheng Qingli felt unhappy just thinking about it. This person was actually scheming for her property.
To think that she would set her sights on something even her own older sister wouldn't covet.
"If the side consort wants my Qin Pavilion, you need to show some sincerity." Cheng Qingli picked up her teacup and blew on it gently. Her words made it clear that Huo Yunzhi's current level of sincerity was far from enough.
Hearing this, Huo Yunzhi thought: Three thousand taels, and she still thinks it's too little?
This Miss Cheng has quite the appetite!
She had made inquiries; back then, Miss Cheng merely paid off a sum of money for the original owner, and they gave her this restaurant. This restaurant was practically obtained for free.
Now that she was willing to offer three thousand taels in silver notes, what was there for her to be dissatisfied about?
"Miss Cheng, I believe three thousand taels is not a small amount," Huo Yunzhi said with a cold face, looking at the insatiable Cheng Qingli with some displeasure. The more she looked, the more familiar that face seemed.
But she really had no impression of where she had seen her before.
At this moment, Cheng Qingli's refusal undoubtedly made her feel even more irritable.
Three thousand taels could already buy a four-courtyard estate in Li'an County, and that Qin Pavilion looked somewhat dilapidated anyway.
Huo Yunzhi believed that the price she offered was extremely high.
"Could it be that I look like someone who is short of three thousand taels of silver?" Cheng Qingli stood up, leaned close to Huo Yunzhi, and spoke with absolute sarcasm.
"You... what do you want?" Huo Yunzhi gritted her teeth. She absolutely had to acquire the Qin Pavilion; otherwise, what would she use to fight against Li Zhiwei, and what would she use to avenge her sister and brother?
"I don't want anything. The question is, what do you want? Since you want what is in my hands, shouldn't you show your sincerity? I am certainly not lacking in silver. Do you dare to go somewhere with me?"
A mocking smile hung on the corners of Cheng Qingli's lips.
She was just waiting for Huo Yunzhi to take the bait.
There was no way she would give up the Qin Pavilion.
However, since this woman dared to insult her, she had better be prepared for her counterattack.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Huo Yunzhi stood up abruptly without a second thought.
"Side Consort, we should hurry back to the manor," Fangcao tugged at Huo Yunzhi's sleeve with some concern, secretly thinking that this was bad.
She had heard rumors about the playful nature of this Second Miss Cheng.
In the capital, everyone was very tolerant of the Second Miss Cheng because of the Empress.
But the same might not be true for her own side consort.
Most importantly, when they left the house, the Princess Consort had explicitly instructed them not to cause trouble.
"If you're afraid, go back by yourself!" Huo Yunzhi said very impatiently. After speaking, she followed behind Cheng Qingli.
Fangcao had no choice but to follow, praying in her heart that nothing bad would happen.
Cheng Qingli led them to the entrance of Jubao Pavilion, the largest gambling house in the capital.
"Jubao Pavilion? What is this place?" Huo Yunzhi looked at Cheng Qingli in confusion.
"Here? It's a good place, naturally!" Cheng Qingli's lips curled up. This was naturally a gambling house, and moreover, she knew that the person behind this gambling house was her lofty imperial brother-in-law.
This gambling house never scammed the poor; the only ones they scammed were those guilty of unpardonable crimes.
She would occasionally come here to gamble a little, and her luck in gambling was actually quite good.
The reason she brought Huo Yunzhi here today was simply because the woman had insulted her with silver, so she had to return the favor one way or another.
"A gambling house?" Huo Yunzhi frowned. She didn't understand; the Cheng family was a prominent household in the capital after all, so how could a daughter of the Cheng family actually like visiting gambling houses?
"What, scared?" Cheng Qingli stood to the side and asked provocatively.
"Side Consort, let's just go back," Fangcao's face turned pale with fright when she heard it was a gambling house. This was not a place they should be.
If the Prince and Princess Consort found out, they would probably beat her to death.
After all, she was a servant born into the princely manor. If she failed to advise her master well, the ones who would suffer the most were servants like her.
"Who said I didn't dare to go? Is it true that as long as I go with you, you will give me the Qin Pavilion?" Huo Yunzhi looked at Cheng Qingli and asked.
"As long as you can win more than me today, I will give you the Qin Pavilion for free." A teasing smile hung on Cheng Qingli's lips.
After speaking, she walked straight into Jubao Pavilion.
"Side Consort, we really shouldn't go in here!" Fangcao was so anxious she was about to cry. Jubao Pavilion was the largest gambling house in the capital. If something really happened to the side consort inside, she wouldn't be able to live either.
"Cut the nonsense!" Although Huo Yunzhi didn't want to enter the gambling house, how could you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den?
Besides, Miss Cheng had rejected the three thousand taels. Being able to take the Qin Pavilion for free was naturally something she desperately wished for.
Thinking of this, Huo Yunzhi entered Jubao Pavilion with a smug look on her face.
"Greetings, Madam. May I ask what you would like to play?" Seeing Huo Yunzhi enter, a servant quickly approached and asked flatteringly.
At this time, Jubao Pavilion was a mix of all sorts of people. An unpleasant smell drifted to Huo Yunzhi's nose, and she fanned the air impatiently.
Only then did she look around for Cheng Qingli's figure.
"Madam, wherever you want to go, I can take you there," the servant smiled and said quickly, seeing that this brightly dressed madam seemed to be looking for something.
He wondered to himself: Could it be that some family's madam had come looking for someone at Jubao Pavilion?
Such things were not uncommon.
After all, some men got addicted to gambling here, and it was common for them not to return home for days.
Some young wives would come here to look for them.
On the other side, Cheng Qingli was looking down, saying something to the manager.
"Miss, our Jubao Pavilion is a legitimate gambling house," the shopkeeper said with a look of dissatisfaction.
He wondered in his heart: Could it be that their people had slipped up in front of the Second Miss Cheng at some point?