6 Princes Have to Pay When They Make Purchases

We'll still be friends after I get married," Ye Li said. "Does that mean you won't consider me your friend once you're married"Meng Mu Ting, lacking the demeanor of a lady from a noble family, leaned...The Emperor's Capital Ode 6: Prince, You Must Pay for Purchases

6. Prince, Buying Things Requires Payment

"Haha... Xi Yao, your fiancée is quite interesting."

Outside of Shende Hall, an imposing and simple carriage had stopped at some point without anyone noticing. Although the person inside could not see what was happening, their hearing was exceptionally sharp, allowing them to hear everything that was transpiring clearly within Shende Hall.

The man inside the carriage wore a crimson brocade robe, with arched eyebrows and an handsome appearance that stood out from the crowd. He leaned lazily against the carriage, smirking at the composed man across from him.

"Feng Zhirao, are you too idle" The man in simple attire sat upright in a wheelchair, his gaze coolly fixed on the laughing man before him. Despite being seated in the wheelchair, he kept his back straight as if nothing could break his composure. His handsome face exuded an aura of refinement, but the clear eyes made those who met them feel an inexplicable chill. When he turned to look at the brocade-clad man, a rather猙獰的傷痕毫無遮掩地出現在他的左臉上，頓時破壞了他原本溫文爾雅的形象，讓人不敢直視。

With a swish of his hand fan, Feng Zhirao fanned leisurely and said: "Isn't it too idle The old man doesn’t let me leave the city. However, I shouldn't be bored recently since Prince Li Wei and Prince Ding will both be getting married within a month. This emperor is so partial; Ye Ying is known as the most beautiful woman in the capital, while Ye Li is famously known as an 'unremarkable thousand gold.' Xi Yao, do you really want to marry her Isn't this emperor just making things difficult for you" It was one thing that she was unremarkable, but also having her engagement broken off by Mo Jingli, it seems the royal family wants to trample on Prince Ding’s face.

The plain-clothed man was none other than the current Prince of Ding, Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao gave a faint smile as he heard a delicate voice from outside his carriage, which was clear yet not weak at all: "Since the sovereign orders his subject to die, the subject has no choice but to comply; how much more so for an imperial marriage decree Besides, you yourself have said that Miss Ye San is quite intriguing."

Phoenix Zhiyao frowned and looked at him with a worried expression. "This concerns your whole life’s happiness. To marry a princess is not like taking a concubine; are you sure about it"

"What difference does it make if I am unsure However... my appearance might be too much of an imposition for the other party."

Phoenix Zhiyao fell silent. Indeed, what did it matter whether he was sure or not The emperor’s decree could not be disobeyed; otherwise, only disaster would follow for Prince Ding and his family. Moreover, Mo Xiuyao was already twenty-five years old—it was high time that he got married. But among the city's prominent families’ daughters who wouldn’t stay away from him like a venomous snake Now... all she could hope for was that this Miss Ye was indeed a good woman. However, would the emperor assign a fine wife to Mo Xiuyao

Before he had time to send off the young man selling paintings, a handsome man and beautiful lady entered from outside. The shop manager seemed as if he had seen an angel in human form, repeatedly shouting: "Ying... Ying, Prince Wang, save me..."

The beautiful couple entering was none other than the renowned Liwang Mo Jingli and Ye Ying. Glancing at the handsome man beside her, Ye Ying gracefully walked over to Ye Li’s side and sweetly said, "Third sister, what are you doing Has my uncle done something wrong that angered you Please take into account his seniority and let it go." With just a few light words, she pinned Ye Li in a position of disrespect towards her elders. When Mo Jingli heard this, he frowned at Ye Li. Looking at Ye Ying with half-smiling eyes, Ye Li said coolly, "Fourth sister, you must have mistaken someone for me. My maternal grandfather’s family only has two uncles; right now, there is only my second uncle in the capital city. Moreover, although Xinde軒 was a dowry from my mother, my uncles wouldn’t be worried enough to personally take on the role of shop manager. This person is merely an underling at home, how could Fourth Sister think it’s Third Sister’s elder" Ye Ying blushed red and was even more infuriated in her heart. If she didn’t understand Ye Li’s meaning, that would make her a fool. In Ye Li’s eyes, their Wang family relatives were not considered relatives; naturally, they wouldn’t recognize the Wang elders as elders either. So, if her uncle was managing Xinde軒, to Ye Li, he was just one of her servants. The woman who usually appeared mild and unassertive actually dared to humiliate her in front of Prince Liwang!

Clamping down on her cherry lips, Ye Ying forced a smile and said, "Third sister is being funny; my uncle only managed Xinde軒 because it was left untended before. How could he be Third Sister’s servant

Ye Li nodded and said with a knowing smile, "So that's it. It was my sister who misunderstood then. From now on, there's no need to bother her brother-in-law for this matter; I'll take care of it myself. In a moment, would you mind accompanying me to the Ye Manor to make an exchange before my father and grandmother"

The shop manager and Ye Ying both changed expressions. The shop manager naturally wanted this lucrative position. Although Lady Wang's eldest daughter is now a Concubine Zhaoyi in the palace, the Wang family’s foundation was still too shallow; otherwise, their legitimate daughter wouldn’t have married into the Ye Manor as a concubine. Even though they had seen improvement over these years, there were only a few officials serving in court. As this shop manager is Lady Wang's cousin, he originally led an idle life at home and could not enjoy such a comfortable life managing the Shende Hall now. Meanwhile, Ye Ying was also aware of how much money her mother earned from this Shende Hall each year; she herself would simply take whatever rare antique she liked directly. As a result, she had a rather splendid reputation among the young ladies in the capital city. If she lost control over Shende Hall, it wouldn't be so easy for her in the future.

Ye Li didn’t care about what these two were thinking and said with a smile while pulling Ye Ying along, "Let's not worry about that now; what does Fourth Sister want to do at the Shende Hall"

The expression on Ye Ying’s face froze for a moment as she hesitated before saying, "Princely Consort Li is interested in an觀音像in our store and wants to present it to the Empress Dowager… I came along to accompany him."

Ye Li's smile remained unchanged; she was still calm and composed, showing no signs of resentment or sadness over the man who had called off their engagement. In fact, her smile seemed even more friendly as she turned to Prince Li with a side glance and said, "So it’s His Royal Highness Princely Consort Li, I have the pleasure of meeting you. But… why did Fourth Sister invite Your Royal Highness personally Wouldn’t it be simpler if we just delivered it straight to your residence"

Ye Ying frowned as she looked at Ye Li, wondering whether she still harbored hopes of pleasing Princely Consort Li. Prince Li stood by with his hands behind his back; he watched the slight disdain in Ye Li's eyes and clearly thought that Ye Li was trying to curry favor with him. He heard Ye Li continue to say with a smile, "Since Your Royal Highness has come, Mr. He, please pack up the觀音像and give it to Your Royal Highness. By the way… would you like to pay in silver or banknotes" Everyone was taken aback for a moment; Prince Li’s face turned unpleasant as he stared at Ye Li and asked, "What do you mean"

Ye Li frowned and said with an expression of confusion, "Isn’t Your Royal Highness buying the觀音像 However, since Fourth Sister's fiancé is also making a gift to the Empress Dowager… Mr. He, how about giving him a 20% discount for good luck"

Old Master He had already carefully removed the Guanyin statue from over there. Ye Li glanced at it and saw that it was a white jade Guanyin statue. Even just a distant glance conveyed the compassionate appearance of Guanyin, which clearly showed that both the quality of the jade and its craftsmanship were top-notch. She didn’t expect the Zhen Dexuan Hall to have such treasures; if she hadn’t come today, she would have been at a great loss.

"Young Miss, it’s all packed up. The total is 510 taels." Old Master He could tell what Third Young Miss wanted. Originally, he had come with the Xu family as part of their dowry to the Ye household; now that Third Young Miss was in charge of the Zhen Dexuan Hall, naturally, she would favor her own little master. Ye Li was quite satisfied with Old Master He’s cooperation and nodded as she smiled at Mo Jingli, saying, "Take off a hundred taels from the total, leaving us with 500 taels. How does Your Highness feel about that"

"Third Sister! You…" Ye Ying looked somewhat uneasy as she glanced at Mo Jingli and plaintively called out to Ye Li.

Ye Li sneered inwardly. Over the years, Lady Wang had secretly taken so much silver and items; now that Ye Ying held a higher position, she actually wanted to take things from the shop without paying for them in an attempt to curry favor with Mo Jingli. Did she really think Ye Li was such a fool

Qingshuang didn’t look up to Ye Ying’s pretense of weakness and said with a smile, "Fourth Young Miss, what is it Our young miss has already offered a discount for the sake of Prince Liwang being her future fourth uncle-in-law. If we were at another place, there wouldn’t have been such a discount. Or… I know. It’s probably because Your Highness doesn’t carry enough silver on him."

Ye Li smiled lightly and said, "That’s fine. Of course, I trust Your Highness. The items can be taken first by Your Highness; we’ll send the invoice to the manor later along with someone who will collect the payment. How does Your Highness feel about that" Mo Jingli had a bad expression as he could do nothing but agree in order not to appear greedy or disrespectful if he refused. Coldly snorting, Mo Jingli nodded in agreement. He seemed reluctant to stay any longer and pulled Ye Ying out of the shop without even acknowledging Wang’s call.

Ye Li smiled contentedly and gestured to Old Master He with a smile, saying, "Your Highness is indeed straightforward. Old Master He, have someone deliver the invoice to the manor later; also check if there were any previous accounts that haven’t been settled and clear them all for Your Highness. A grand prince’s residence like his won’t be short of our small payment."

Upon hearing this, Mo Jingli, who had just stepped out the door, turned pale with anger and paused briefly before dragging Ye Ying away without looking back.o Consort Noblewoman exuding an air of arrogance even when she was still in her teens, as though everyone else wasn’t worthy enough to be noticed by her. He could not fathom where such an attitude cam...