[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world":3,"chapter-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-96":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Phoenix Returns to Rule the World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2353220,4602,"Chapter 96: Taking Advantage of a Crisis","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-96",96,"\u003Cp>Last time, Yan'er told Jun Zijin that he had seen Jun Yiyi hiding something. He had secretly gone to check, and it was 500,000 taels in silver notes. With such a large, unexplained hole in the Wu family's bad accounts, it turned out the silver was all in Jun Yiyi's hands. Jun Zijin had been pondering how to find an opportunity to swindle that 500,000 taels away. And now, the opportunity had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Jun Zijin and her two servants, Yan'er immediately trotted forward and fell to her knees before Jun Zijin with a thud:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second Young Lady, please, save my young lady. She is dying.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zijin’s face sank: \"I am busy right now. Go and fetch a Physician.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having failed to complete the task Jun Yiyi had entrusted to her, Yan'er could not just give up, and she was so anxious she was nearly in tears:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second Young Lady, my young lady says there will be a generous reward. Please, I beg you to go and take a look.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh? In that case, I suppose I can take a look. Lead the way,\" Jun Zijin said, arching her brows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Jun Zijin entered Jun Yiyi’s courtyard, she smelled a stench of blood. She frowned and walked into the room, only to see 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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second Sister, as long as you are willing to help me. In exchange, I will give you 10,000 taels of silver as a reward, how about that?\" Jun Yiyi managed to squeeze out a faint smile, her voice weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zijin arched her brows and placed her hand on Jun Yiyi’s wrist:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over three months along. Congratulations, the fetus is still there. It was just external trauma that disturbed the fetal Qi. With proper care, it won't be difficult to give birth to a healthy, lively child. When that time comes, I, as the maternal aunt, will be generous and give him a 10-tael silver red envelope.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zijin announced this with great conviction, as if those 10 taels of silver could buy the entire Jingcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Yiyi was nearly driven mad with rage. Hadn't she brought Jun Zijin here to mock her? But now that the other party wanted to mock her, she had no choice but to endure it. Once she thought about the fact that she was truly pregnant and the fetus was still there, she couldn't care about anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Jun Yiyi could even process her anger, Jun Zijin continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"10,000 to take the pulse, 100,000 to secure the pregnancy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Yiyi was so angry her nose was almost crooked. 10,000 just to take a pulse? That was too expensive. Besides, why would she want to secure the pregnancy? She just wanted the child removed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second Sister, remove the child and cure me, and I will give you 50,000 taels, how about that?\" Money was not the issue, as long as Jun Zijin was willing to save her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The price is unfair. Let’s negotiate further,\" Jun Zijin remained unmoved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Securing the pregnancy is only 100,000, surely removing the child is much easier? Is 50,000 taels still too little? Then how much do you want? 80,000?\" Jun Yiyi could not fathom how Jun Zijin was calculating these accounts, and she asked tentatively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Too little,\" Jun Zijin said with two short words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second Sister, name your price.\" Jun Yiyi was sweating from the pain and felt as if she were about to die. She could no longer worry about haggling with Jun Zijin; her life was more important than money, she gritted her teeth and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zijin arched her brows and said unhurriedly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"100,000 taels to secure the pregnancy. If it is to remove the child and then cure you... it’s not much, just 500,000.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the words left Jun Zijin’s mouth, Jun Yiyi knew that Jun Zijin was clearly playing with her. She was instantly incensed and roared angrily:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are taking advantage of a crisis! You knew I had 500,000 taels of silver, didn't you? You’re deliberately robbing me, aren't you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zijin shrugged and admitted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re right. I am taking advantage of a crisis. You are the one who came to me and begged me to treat you. If you think it’s too expensive, Big Sister, then go find someone else. However, I see that you’ve nearly bled dry; I’m afraid you can’t wait for a Physician to arrive. Even if one did come, if you end up with a permanent condition like infertility... it’s not me who’s in a hurry anyway. If you want treatment, hurry up. If not, I’m leaving; I have to go out today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second Sister, can’t we negotiate?\" Jun Yiyi softened her voice. It was true that she had begged Jun Zijin for treatment, and this was something only Jun Zijin could treat for her. But this was too expensive. Her status in the Wang Fu was awkward, and she was counting on this 500,000 taels to support herself. If she gave it all away, she would have no silver left. Yet, she had to believe Jun Zijin’s words; if a woman could not bear children, she would have no hope for the rest of her life. She couldn't afford to gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" Jun Zijin refused coldly. Why didn't they negotiate when they tried to assassinate her? Besides, she had promised the original owner that she would take good care of the Old Lady and help her take revenge. The Old Lady’s health was recovering, and the Wu woman had definitely been killed by Jun Yiyi. Today, Jun Yiyi had walked right into her trap. If Jun Yiyi died just like this, it would be letting her off too easily. Furthermore, building a hospital required a large sum of silver; she wouldn't be a fool to turn down one million taels of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You...\" Jun Yiyi gritted her teeth so hard her eyes nearly popped out, but she had no other choice at this moment. She took several deep breaths to suppress the rage in her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine, I agree. But you must guarantee that this matter remains absolutely confidential.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zijin said with great conviction:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That goes without saying. I have a very strong professional code. However, empty words are no proof. When can I get my hands on this money?\" She might keep it secret, but that didn't mean the mother and daughter of the second branch would.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Yiyi gritted her teeth, \"Save me first, and I will immediately send someone to fetch the silver notes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zijin shook her head, \"I don't trust you. Unless you have someone bring them right now.\" She was not in a hurry to save her; as long as Jun Yiyi wasn't completely dead, she could bring her back to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Yiyi was so angry her lungs felt like they were about to explode. First, she had been mocked by Jun Zijin, and now that she had bled nearly dry and begged her like this, she still insisted on seeing the silver notes before agreeing to save her. But she had no other options at the moment. Helpless, she had to summon Yan'er and whisper a few instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan'er hurried away and returned shortly after with the silver notes. Only after Jun Zijin took the notes and carefully verified them did she begin the treatment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was half an hour later by the time she finished dealing with Jun Yiyi’s affairs. Having unexpectedly gained 500,000 taels of silver, Jun Zijin went out with her maid. Having not strolled through the streets for several months, Jun Zijin was stunned by the sight before her. She saw that nearly half of the women in the streets and alleys were wearing the dresses she had designed, though those clothes appeared a bit too thin for this time of year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, winter had come exceptionally early. It was only just November, and the cold wind was already howling. Jun Zijin stood outside the shop, and a gust of cold wind made her feel a chill. Her gaze swept over the pedestrians on the street, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. Those women wearing the dresses she had designed all had faces flushed red from the cold, yet they still held their heads high and chests out, as if showing off their beauty in the biting wind. Jun Zijin felt a sense of helplessness in her heart. These dresses were clearly summer and autumn styles; why were people still wearing them in early winter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shook her head and stepped into a clothing shop she had never visited before. The shop was bustling with activity. Xiao He had sharp eyes and spotted her immediately, hurrying over with a face full of smiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Lady, you’ve finally come!\" Xiao He said excitedly, \"Our shop has been making a fortune these past few months! All those young ladies are scrambling to buy our dresses!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1519,"2026-06-21T03:35:39.629Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","1501163cc837bb9b4cd2912aa188a2520a6a3f84b65151c6c47b2be38813c519","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-97","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-95",224,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-cover.jpg"]