FID – Chapter 701

Chapter 701: You Should Drink Celestial Dew

“This comment isn’t quite right, Miss. If you’re saying that the princess should carry someone’s shoes, isn’t that like making her walk barefoot?”

Someone in the merchant group had just taken a sip of wine and almost spat it out.

The men and women who had just taken their seats glared angrily in this direction.

Liu Yusheng smiled faintly, entirely unaffected by their stares. “Also, I noticed a hint of disdain in your tone toward rural families. It seems you look down on country folk. But, the food that noble families eat is all grown by those same rural people. If you think associating with them will tarnish your status, then what food will you eat? You should drink celestial dew instead.”

“Pfft! Cough-cough-cough!” Several people choked at her words.

Lu Xiangjun’s face turned red and green from anger, while her companions sitting around her all lowered their heads, struggling to suppress their laughter. Their faces flushed as they held it in.

“Insolence! Do you even know who I am? Who do you think you are to speak to me like that?”

Liu Yusheng slowly ate the shrimp that the man next to her had just handed over, then smiled slightly at the furious woman. “Apologies. I’m just a country bumpkin. I won’t bother introducing myself, so as not to offend your noble ears.”

“You—!” Lu Xiangjun’s expression darkened, and she coldly eyed the group at that table. 

All of them were unfamiliar faces. One man even had his back to them, making it impossible to see his features, but he, too, seemed like a stranger.

In the capital, she knew all the elites at the top of the social ladder. If she didn’t recognize them, then these people were likely just part of the lower ranks, even if they were decently dressed.

Thinking this, she let out a sneer, stood up, and declared, “I’ve lost my appetite thanks to these nobodies. We’re leaving!”

She left first, and naturally, her companions had no reason to stay behind. They quickly followed after her.

Watching the scene unfold, Liu Yusheng merely smiled nonchalantly and asked the man beside her, “Do you think she’ll be able to swallow her anger?”

“If she can swallow it, she will. If she can’t… she’ll have to,” Feng Qingbai replied indifferently.

They paid no attention at all to the departure of that group.

However, the group walking out of the inn was far from being in a good mood.

“Xiangjun, we just left like that? If word gets out that we went to have a meal and ended up getting driven away in anger, where will you put your dignity, Miss Lu.”

“What were we supposed to do? Stay there and stew in anger while eating? I lost my appetite. If you’re not willing to leave, you can turn around and go back,” Lu Xiangjun said coldly, her gaze dark and frosty.

The people around her exchanged glances, then forced smiles. “Come on, don’t say that. We’ve always got your back. You left, so why would we stay behind? We came out today to keep you company, after all.”

“Exactly. Why don’t we find another place to eat?”

Lu Xiangjun shook her head. “No, I’ve lost my appetite. Let’s pick another time to meet. I’m heading home.”

With that, she boarded the Lu family’s carriage and left, leaving the others behind.

Sitting inside the carriage, she watched the swaying curtain at the front and slowly curled her lips into a cold smile.

That woman – however smug she was just now, she’d make her cry just as miserably later!

Liu Yusheng, meanwhile, had no idea she had just been targeted again. By the time Lu Xiangjun’s group arrived, they were already nearly finished with their meal. Not long after that group left, Liu Yusheng and her companions also settled the bill and departed from the inn.

“Nannan, I don’t think that Miss Lu from the Lu family is someone easy to deal with. The way the younger generation behaves reflects the family’s upbringing, and I’m afraid the Lu family may not be as glamorous as we imagined,” Qian Baihao said with a frown as they prepared to head to the Lu residence for their appointment.

In a truly prominent family, great emphasis was placed on the upbringing of the younger generation, with elders expected to lead by example. However, after witnessing Lu Xiangjun’s behavior, he began to harbor doubts about the Lu family.

There’s a saying among the common folk: ‘If the upper beam isn’t straight, the lower beams will be crooked.’ 

The younger generation often mirrors the ways of their elders. If the juniors were like this, could the seniors truly possess the flawless reputation the outside world attributes to them?

Feng Qingbai remained silent on the matter, but Liu Yusheng thought for a moment and said, “Since we’ve already made the appointment, let’s go as planned. No matter what happens, we shouldn’t give others the impression that merchants from Nanling aren’t trustworthy. As for cooperation, just because we negotiate doesn’t mean we’re obligated to follow through. The choice is mutual, and we have the right to decline.”

“Miss Liu is right. Besides, we’re here to discuss business with the Lu family. Other issues can be set aside for now,” agreed the other merchants, sharing a similar viewpoint.

So, the group headed straight to the Lu residence.

The Lu residence was located on Ziluo Lane, just two streets away from Prince Ting’s manor. It was the largest and most striking mansion in the area.

Two majestic stone lions stood proudly at the entrance, and above the grand vermillion gate hung a black ebony plaque with the words ‘Lu Manor’ inscribed on it.

The imposing aura of a wealthy and powerful household was palpable.

After being announced, Qian Baihao, as the leader of the merchant group, walked at the front.

Liu Yusheng and Feng Qingbai followed at the back. Since they were the youngest in the group, they looked like they were just tagging along without much significance.

At that moment, in the front hall of the Lu Manor, Lu Xiangjun was complaining to her grandfather. “Grandfather, I’m the eldest daughter of the Lu family, yet those people knew my identity and still humiliated me like that! They had no respect for our Lu family at all! If we don’t teach them a lesson, everyone will think the Lu family is easy to bully!”

In the seat of honor, an elderly man in his sixties was meticulously polishing an antique vase. Without lifting his head, he responded indifferently, “If that’s the case, how do you plan to teach them a lesson?”

“Those people were all unfamiliar faces. I’ve never seen them before, so they must just be the children of some lower-tier family in the city. I don’t plan to make things too difficult for them. Grandfather, if you could send a few guards from the manor to teach them a lesson and give them a beating, that should be enough—a small punishment as a warning.”

“Unfamiliar faces?” The elderly man paused his polishing and lifted his head, his eyes gleaming with sharpness. “Since they’re unfamiliar, did you bother to investigate their background? Are you certain they’re merely the offspring of minor city families?”

“They must be,” Lu Xiangjun replied confidently. “I know Grandfather suspects they might be part of the merchant group from Nanling. But since the King of Nanling has already found his fiancée, the merchants from the group would naturally be riding on his coattails. They’d all be staying at Prince Ting’s manor—why would they lower themselves to dine in a small inn?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a servant arrived, escorting the merchant group into the hall.

The old man immediately set down the vase and stood up, warmly greeting them with enthusiasm. “Ever since I received your message yesterday, I’ve been waiting for your visit. I’m so glad you’ve finally arrived! Honored guests, please, take your seats!”

Qian Baihao and the others exchanged pleasant conversation with the elderly man as they entered and took their seats

This left the young man and woman walking at the back in full view.

“It’s you!” Lu Xiangjun exclaimed in shock the moment she saw Liu Yusheng. She blurted out, “You’re part of the Nanling Merchant Guild? … You’re Liu Yusheng!”

There was only one young woman in the Nanling Merchant Guild, and after the recent incident involving her disappearance, the entire capital knew her name!

Liu Yusheng and Feng Qingbai quietly walked to the side and sat down at the seats furthest from the center. Only then did Liu Yusheng smile and nod toward Lu Xiangjun. “That’s right. I’m the so-called country girl from your words—the one who bewitched the King of Nanling and isn’t even worthy of carrying the princess’s shoes.”

Lu Xiangjun was dumbfounded, and panic flashed through her eyes. She had never expected that the person she’d insulted at the inn was none other than Liu Yusheng herself! Worse, Liu Yusheng had just openly repeated her words in front of her grandfather without holding anything back!