Chapter 96: Taking Advantage of a Disaster

Last time, Fei Yan told Jun Jun Zijin that she had seen Jun Jun Yiyi hiding something; she had secretly gone to look and found fifty thousand taels of silver notes. The huge, unexplained gap in Lady Wu's rotten accounts—turns out the silver was all in Jun Jun Yiyi's hands. Jun Jun Zijin had been pondering how to find an opportunity to swindle those 500,000 taels over. Well, here came the opportunity.

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin and her two servants, Yan'er immediately broke into a small run, rushed forward, and dropped to her knees before Jun Jun Zijin with a thud:

"Young Lady, please, I beg you, save my Young Lady. She is about to die."

Jun Jun Zijin's face darkened: "I am busy. Go fetch a Physician."

Yan'er had not completed the task Jun Jun Yiyi assigned her; how could she give up now? She was so anxious she was nearly crying:

"Young Lady, my Young Lady said there would be a heavy reward. I beg you, please go take a look."

"Oh? Then I suppose I can take a look. Lead the way," Jun Jun Zijin said, raising an eyebrow.

The moment Jun Jun Zijin entered Jun Jun Yiyi's courtyard, she smelled a stench of blood. Frowning, she walked into the room and saw Jun Jun Yiyi lying on the bed, her face deathly pale, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and a large pool of blood beneath her. Clearly, the situation was dire.

"Second Sister, as long as you are willing to help me, as an exchange condition, I will give you ten thousand taels of silver as a reward. How about that?" Jun Jun Yiyi forced a faint smile, her voice weak.

Jun Jun Zijin raised an eyebrow and took Jun Jun Yiyi's wrist:

"Over three months. Congratulations, the fetus is still there. It was just external trauma that disturbed the fetal qi. With proper nurturing, giving birth to a lively child won't be difficult. At that time, I, as your aunt, will be generous and give him a red envelope of ten taels of silver."

Jun Jun Zijin declared solemnly, as if those ten taels of silver could buy the entire Jingcheng.

Jun Jun Yiyi was nearly driven mad with anger; wasn't this just bringing Jun Jun Zijin here to mock her? But now that the other party wanted to mock her, she could only endure it. Thinking that she was truly pregnant and the fetus was still there, she could no longer care about anything else.

Before Jun Jun Yiyi had fully processed her anger, Jun Jun Zijin continued speaking:

"One ten thousand for taking the pulse, one hundred thousand for preserving the pregnancy."

Jun Jun Yiyi's nose nearly twisted from anger. Ten thousand just for taking a pulse? Too expensive! Besides, why would she want to preserve the pregnancy? She just wanted to get rid of the child.

"Second Sister, remove the child, cure me, and I will give you fifty thousand taels. How about that?" Money was no problem, as long as Jun Jun Zijin was willing to save her.

"The price is unfair. Let's talk again." Jun Jun Zijin remained unmoved.

"Preserving the pregnancy is only one hundred thousand; removing the child is much easier, right? Is fifty thousand taels too little? Then how much do you want? Eighty thousand?" Jun Jun Yiyi simply could not figure out how Jun Jun Zijin was calculating these accounts and asked tentatively.

"Too little." Jun Jun Zijin replied with two brief words.

"Second Sister, name your price." Jun Jun Yiyi was sweating profusely from the pain and felt she was about to die. She could no longer bother haggling with Jun Jun Zijin; life was more important than money. She gritted her teeth and said.

Jun Jun Zijin raised an eyebrow and said calmly:

"Preserving the pregnancy is one hundred thousand taels. If it is removing the child and then curing you... not much, just five hundred thousand."

The moment Jun Jun Zijin spoke, Jun Jun Yiyi knew Jun Jun Zijin was clearly just playing with her. She instantly flew into a rage and shouted angrily:

"You are taking advantage of a disaster! Do you know I have five hundred thousand taels of silver and are deliberately robbing me, aren't you?"

Jun Jun Zijin shrugged and admitted:

"You are right. I am taking advantage of a disaster. You came to me and begged me to cure you. If Eldest Sister thinks it is too expensive, then go find someone else. However, I see your blood is almost drained; you probably cannot wait for a Physician to arrive. Even if a Physician arrives, if you are left with permanent infertility or other aftereffects... Anyway, I am not the one in a hurry. If you want treatment, hurry up. If not, I am leaving. I still have to go out today."

"Second Sister, can we not negotiate?" Jun Jun Yiyi softened her voice. It was true that she herself had asked Jun Jun Zijin to cure her, and only Jun Jun Zijin could treat her, but this was far too expensive. Her status in the manor was awkward now; she was counting on these five hundred thousand taels of silver to secure her future. If she handed them all over, she would have no silver left. Yet she had to believe Jun Jun Zijin's words; if a woman could not bear children, she would have no hope for the rest of her life. She could not afford to gamble.

"No." Jun Jun Zijin refused coldly. Why didn't they negotiate when they ambushed and tried to kill her? Besides, she had promised the original owner to take good care of the Old Lady and help her take revenge. The Old Lady's body was recovering; Lady Wu must have been killed by Jun Jun Yiyi. Today, Jun Jun Yiyi had walked right into her trap. If Jun Jun Yiyi died just like this, it would be a bargain for her. Besides, building the hospital required a huge sum of silver; one million taels of silver was free money one should not refuse.

"You..." Jun Jun Yiyi bit her lips so hard her eyes nearly bulged out, but she had no other choice at that moment. She took several deep breaths before suppressing the anger in her heart.

"Very well, I agree. But you must guarantee that this matter remains absolutely confidential."

Jun Jun Zijin declared solemnly:

"That is natural; I have a strong sense of professional ethics. However, empty words carry no weight. When will the money reach my hands?" She might keep the secret, but that did not mean the mother and daughter of the Second House could keep it.

Jun Jun Yiyi gritted her teeth: "Cure me first, and I will immediately send someone to fetch the silver notes."

Jun Jun Zijin shook her head: "I do not trust you unless you have someone bring them right now." She was not in a hurry to save the person; as long as Jun Jun Yiyi was not completely dead, she could bring her back to life.

Jun Jun Yiyi was so angry her lungs felt like they would explode. First, Jun Jun Zijin had mocked her thoroughly; her blood was almost drained; she had begged like this, yet Jun Jun Zijin still insisted on seeing the silver notes before saving her. But she had no other option now. Helplessly, she called Yan'er over and whispered a few instructions.

Yan'er hurriedly left and returned a short while later with the silver notes. Only after Jun Jun Zijin received them and carefully verified they were correct did she begin the treatment.

After finishing with Jun Jun Yiyi, half an hour had passed. Jun Jun Zijin, who had unexpectedly gained five hundred thousand taels of silver, left the manor with her maid. Jun Jun Zijin, who had not gone shopping in several months, was stunned by the scene on the streets. She saw that nearly half the women in the streets and alleys were wearing the dresses she had designed, though those clothes were slightly too thin for this season.

This winter had come unusually early; it was barely the eleventh month, yet the cold wind was howling. Jun Jun Zijin stood outside the shop; a gust of cold wind blew, making her feel chilly. Her gaze swept over the passersby on the street, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. The women wearing the dresses she had designed, their small faces all red from the cold, still held their heads high and chests out, as if displaying their beauty in the cold wind. Jun Jun Zijin felt a wave of helplessness in her heart; these dresses were clearly summer and autumn styles, so why were people still wearing them in early winter?

She shook her head and stepped into the ready-made clothing shop she had never visited before. The shop was bustling with activity. Xiao He, with her sharp eyes, spotted her immediately, hurried over to welcome her, and her face was filled with smiles.

"Young Lady, you have finally come!" Xiao He said excitedly. "Our shop has been making a fortune these past few months; those Young Ladies are all rushing to buy our dresses!"