Chapter 133: Lifting a Stone to Smash One's Own Foot

She should get a proper taste of what it means to lift a stone and smash her own foot.

"You... you!"

"It seems the young lady can't produce a thousand taels of silver, Ji Bai. I'll take the clothes back for your family's young lady."

"Yes."

Ji Bai, without hesitation, stepped forward, reached out and grabbed at Meng Qinghe's shoulder, showing no pause at all because of any gender proprieties.

"What are you doing?" As the words fell, a figure rushed to Meng Qinghe's side; upon seeing that familiar face, Chi Nan Yi slightly raised an eyebrow.

The newcomer was Gao Feng, who serves the Crown Prince.

It seems Meng Qinghe now has a liaison with the Crown Prince; given her temperament, she probably longs to marry straight into the Crown Prince's Residence, and this return to the capital is surely to forge a connection with him as quickly as possible.

However, the Crown Prince has already developed an impotence, and coupled with the material I previously fed him, it would be impossible for the two to actually consummate anything.

At that moment, Mo Junheng, dressed in civilian clothes and holding a folding fan, slowly walked over.

Under his hat, Chi Nan Yi silently rolled his eyes.

Holding a fan in the dead of winter—what kind of big‑tailed wolf is this brat pretending to be here?

"Brother Junheng."

Hearing that address, Chi Nan Yi felt as if struck by lightning, nearly vomiting his leftover rice.

Can Meng Qinghe be any more disgusting?

"Qinghe, what happened?" Mo Junheng stepped forward; Meng Qinghe, eyes watery, looked at him as if grievously wronged: "Brother Junheng finally came; otherwise little He'er would have been bullied to death."

"What on earth is going on?"

Meng Qinghe nestled in Mo Junheng's arms, looking like a dependent bird: "Brother Junheng, this woman who appeared out of nowhere actually ordered the servant beside her to strip my clothes in public. Brother Junheng, He'er is so scared." As she spoke, she pressed herself further into his embrace.

Meng Qinghe didn't notice; the more she burrowed into Mo Junheng's chest, the closer the jeweled hairpin on her head came to his face. Mo Junheng kept stepping back, while Meng Qinghe kept leaning onto him.

The scene became downright comical for a moment.

Chi Nan Yi watched, unable to suppress a sly smile.

This Meng Qinghe, compared with her previous life, seems as if her intelligence has been lowered.

Mo Junheng steadied her, his complexion turning sour; he dislikes foolish women, especially those both foolish and ugly.

Earlier he thought Meng Qinghe's looks, while not stunning, were tolerable; but ever since he saw Chi Nan Yi at Mo Junyan's place, looking at Meng Qinghe again made him find her truly unpleasing to the eye.

"He'er, with so many eyes watching, our behavior shouldn't be too intimate; if word gets out, it will tarnish your maiden reputation. I don't mind; I could marry you, but you haven't come of age yet." Mo Junheng lowered his voice: "We'll talk after you come of age."

Marry me?

Hearing him, Meng Qinghe's face flushed with shyness, and she whispered, "I'll do whatever Brother Junheng says."

Watching the two whispering, Chi Nan Yi couldn't help but roll his eyes, disgusted by the pair.

Having earned Mo Junheng's approval, Meng Qinghe lifted her chin, arrogantly staring at Chi Nan Yi: "Brother Junheng, it's her! You quickly have someone deal with her!"

A flash of contempt and disgust crossed Mo Junheng's eyes; he withdrew his arm from Meng Qinghe's grasp, frowned at Chi Nan Yi: "So you bullied her?"

"Bully?" Chi Nan Yi smiled: "Young master, what does 'bully' mean? How could I have bullied her?"

"You had someone strip Miss's clothes!"

"Young lady, are you being reasonable? Whose clothes are you talking about? Clearly they're mine," she said, pointing at the silver notes in her hand. "You just said five hundred taels to sell me the Shu brocade garment you're wearing. Now you've taken the silver but refuse to fulfill the deal—how is that different from a robber's outright theft? In all my years, I've never seen anyone argue so twistedly, turning right and wrong upside down."

Seeing her lay out the whole matter, Meng Qinghe's expression became somewhat unnatural.

"I said I'd return the silver; I won't sell the clothes, but you keep pressing. I offered to buy the garment back, yet you raised the price on the spot, demanding a thousand taels."

"Silver money is settled; if you say you won't sell, then you don't," Chi Nan Yi sneered. "The reason I ask for a thousand taels is because it's worth it; I simply love this dress. Otherwise I wouldn't have spent five hundred taels on this ordinary fabric. You claim it's Shu brocade, but I've been to Shu and its brocade never looks like this. Even so, I'm willing to pay ten times its price, showing my affection exceeds its intrinsic value. Now you want to take the dress away, so I must assess its value in my heart—a thousand taels, non‑negotiable, or else I ask you to strip the clothes for me."

"You! You!"

Chi Nan Yi said to Mo Junheng, "Young master, I've clarified the whole chain of events; I don't know whether this thousand‑tael silver is to be paid by you or taken by her herself?"

Meng Qinghe's face turned ashen; she clenched her fists—she simply cannot produce a thousand taels now.

Mo Junheng dismissed it as her being angry, patting Meng Qinghe's shoulder: "Never mind, it's just a thousand taels." He waved his hand, and Gao Feng produced two silver notes from his bosom and handed them over.

"If this young master pays, then so be it."

Having earned five hundred taels for free, Chi Nan Yi was in high spirits.

"In that case, I'll sell the clothes to the young lady." She glanced at the mother and daughter still kneeling on the ground, and softly asked, "Are you willing to follow me?"

"Willing! We are willing!"

"Good, then you may come with me!"

The mother and daughter thanked them profusely, while Chi Nan Yi gave a half‑smile, looking at Meng Qinghe and Mo Junheng.

You wretched couple, welcome your retribution!

She turned and walked toward the city gate.

Mo Junheng watched her silhouette, his brows tightly knit.

This person... why do I feel I've seen her somewhere before?

"Brother Junheng..." Meng Qinghe twirled a handkerchief with her fingers, feigning coyness as she looked at him: "Brother Junheng, why do you have time to come today?"

"I heard the Meng household set up a porridge stall outside the city to aid disaster victims, so I naturally came to see. The Emperor places great importance on this, praising Minister Meng as a model for all officials. I originally thought it was the Minister's staff serving porridge, and was surprised to find you yourself here; I am truly taken aback," he said.

Meng Qinghe's eyes lit up at his words; the porridge stall had been up for so long, and she hadn't visited until today. She came personally because yesterday she happened to hear her father mention that during the morning court the Crown Prince said he would inspect outside the city, so she meticulously dressed herself, hoping to present her most beautiful self before the Crown Prince.

"I heard Father say Brother Junheng works day and night on the disaster‑relief matters; I wanted to ease his worries, so I asked my father to set up a porridge stall outside the city to aid the victims. If it can bring Brother Junheng even a little comfort, I would be satisfied."