Don't Provoke the Black Lotus O [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 8

08: The General Store

Jiang Ci led Xi Lingxue back, and only after they had distanced themselves from the crowd did she whisper, “Was that poison really yours?”

She remembered that in the original story, Xi Lingxue didn’t know how to use poison and initially had no means to protect herself. Unlike now, where Gao Yi forcibly marked her, and Xi Lingxue retaliated by slashing his gland. Yao Qin humiliated her, and she slapped her so hard that her face swelled, and then made her nose bleed non-stop…

It was as if she had turned dark prematurely. Jiang Ci thought that even if she hadn’t intervened, Xi Lingxue would have found a way to extricate herself.

“Yes, I applied it to the token, and I concocted the poison myself.” Xi Lingxue admitted frankly. “If she hadn’t apologized, she would have bled non-stop until she passed out.”

Jiang Ci swallowed hard, a chill running down her spine. No wonder Xi Lingxue had dared to approach her for a “heart-to-heart talk” this morning, she had come prepared! Thankfully, the poison wasn’t used on her!

Xi Lingxue was probably telling her this deliberately as a warning to behave herself, right?

“…I swear on my conscience!” Jiang Ci raised her hand in an oath. “Gao Yi is Gao Yi, and I am me. I harbor no ill intentions towards you!”

Xi Lingxue smiled meaningfully, “If you behave, I naturally won’t harm you.”

“…That’s good, we’re on the same side, haha.” Jiang Ci forced a laugh, then tentatively asked, “So, who did you learn this poison from?”

Xi Lingxue gave her a faint glance.

Jiang Ci understood, she wasn’t willing to say.

Jin Yu chimed in, “Hey, thanks for earlier. I didn’t expect you to really help her highness deal with Yao Qin. Her aunt is Consort Yao, who is also your aunt by marriage!”

This “you” referred to Gao Yi. Jiang Ci smiled, not bothering to correct the detail, and went along, “What’s there to fear? I’m still the Marquis of Dingyuan! Can Consort Yao kill me? Besides, it was Yao Qin who bullied my wife first. Is it wrong for me to defend my wife?”

“Oh~~” Jin Yu glanced at Xi Lingxue and asked with a grin, “But isn’t Yao Qin also your wife?”

Jiang Ci: “I’ll divorce her when I get back!”

Xi Lingxue almost laughed at this, the woman really dared to say anything. “Divorcing her would be troublesome. It’s hard to explain to Consort Yao, so it’s better to just leave her be.”

Jiang Ci thought about it and agreed. After all, Yao Qin couldn’t cause much trouble in the Marquis’s residence.

At the fork in the road, Xi Lingxue let go of her hand, “We’ll part here. Jin Yu and I have some business to attend to.”

This had been agreed upon earlier. Jiang Ci said, “Oh… alright, then I’ll head back?”

“Okay.”

“Um… see you tonight?”

“See you tonight.”

Although she wanted to follow, Jiang Ci restrained herself. She reminded herself to be patient, trust needed to be built slowly, and feelings needed to be nurtured…

They went their separate ways, each heading in different directions.

Jin Yu looked back at Jiang Ci, feeling that her figure seemed somewhat lonely.

“Princess, do you think she might really be…” Jin Yu whispered, “When I was a child, I heard the elders in the village talk about the possibility of someone’s soul possessing another’s body!”

The previous Gao Yi was much like Yao Qin, looking down on servants and maids. Unlike now, where she spoke to Jin Yu without any airs. Jin Yu couldn’t even imagine such a change before.

Actually… this change was quite good.

Xi Lingxue fell into deep thought. Soul possession? But Gao Yi hadn’t died…

That day in the woodshed, she had only slapped her hard, and then this person changed.

“Let’s do this.” Xi Lingxue said, “We’ll find another doctor to see if there’s any… hidden injury in her head?”

Rationally speaking, it was easier to accept that she had a mental disorder than a soul swap.

Although she did have a fleeting thought… because when she looked into those eyes, she felt a strange sensation, as if a voice in her heart told her that this person wasn’t Gao Yi.

Xi Lingxue thought she must be too tired recently, otherwise, how could she have such an unrealistic idea?

In any case, if she could find out the reason for Gao Yi’s change, she would at least feel more at ease.

…

Huang Fu’s general store was in the East Market. The shop was small but had a decent income. However, since being placed under house arrest, Xi Lingxue had lost contact with Huang Fu and didn’t know what had happened to her.

When Xi Lingxue arrived at the store, she found it in complete disarray. Various items were scattered on the floor, shelves were toppled, and even the signboard had been smashed.

The princess and servant were both shocked.

Inside the store, a young zhongjun was squatting on the ground, sobbing as he tried to clean up the mess, not noticing the newcomers.

“Sister Huang Fu!” Jin Yu exclaimed, “…What happened here? Did someone bully you?!”

The store had clearly been vandalized!

Huang Fu was startled. When she saw the little girl and the person behind her, tears welled up again, “Jin Yu, Princess! I… how are you doing in the Marquis’s residence?”

She had been waiting for news from Xi Lingxue, but after repeatedly inquiring with the servants at the Marquis’s residence, she learned that Xi Lingxue had been placed under house arrest by Gao Yi. The Marquis’s residence was heavily guarded, and as a commoner, she could only worry helplessly, unable to do anything.

“Don’t worry, we’re fine, and your mother is well too.” Xi Lingxue helped her up. “Don’t hurt your hands, I’ll have someone clean this up. First, tell me what happened?”

Huang Fu bit her lip, her heartache and grievances no longer containable, “These past few days, people have been coming to cause trouble… At first, they were just nitpicking about the goods in the store, and I treated them well, even offering refunds for problematic items. But then it happened more and more frequently, and many customers were driven away…”

Xi Lingxue immediately sensed that something was amiss, “What was the problem?”

“It was the face masks…” Huang Fu explained, “A customer bought one and used it, but the next day, their face broke out in a rash… But at the time, I saw them try it on, and there was no issue. Besides, Princess, our face masks don’t contain any harsh ingredients, how could they…”

“And then today, that customer accused me of fraud and deceiving the public, and had people come to smash the store… Now the entire East Market thinks I’m a dishonest merchant, making money through shady means…”

“What?!” Jin Yu exclaimed, “That’s impossible! We’ve used the masks and had no issues. The recipe from the female hero couldn’t be wrong! How could they…”

“This matter feels off to me too.” Huang Fu said, “I’ve checked the ingredients of the masks and consulted doctors, all of whom said the materials were mild and wouldn’t cause rashes. But with this commotion, no matter what, I can’t stay in the East Market anymore.”

Jin Yu rolled up her sleeves, fuming, “Where is this person from? I’ll go see if it’s really that serious! Could it be a scam?”

Xi Lingxue asked, “Huang Fu, think carefully, have you offended anyone recently? Or had any arguments or conflicts?”

“I don’t think so…” Huang Fu looked bewildered, but after some thought, she suddenly remembered, “Oh, now that you mention it, about half a month ago, the owner of Ningxiang Pavilion wanted to buy out our recipes, and I refused…”

“Ningxiang Pavilion?”

This shop specialized in selling cosmetics, accessories, and the like, and was quite famous in the capital, frequented by many noble ladies.

Xi Lingxue asked, “What recipes did he want?”

Huang Fu replied, “…The soap, face masks, and glass.”

Xi Lingxue frowned slightly. Indeed, these three items were too novel, unique to their store, and naturally sold well. She had anticipated some envy, hence she only opened a small shop to test the waters. But she hadn’t expected trouble to arise so quickly, in less than half a year.

“Oh, I get it, it must be that Wang guy behind this!” Jin Yu finally had a moment of clarity, “He’s deliberately ruining your reputation so he can take over the store! That’s how it’s always written in the stories! Sister Huang Fu, don’t be afraid, this is the capital, under the Emperor’s feet. Let’s go sue him!”

Huang Fu sighed, “But… we have no evidence, and besides, he’s the owner of Ningxiang Pavilion!”

With Wang Shichang’s connections in the capital, how could Huang Fu, a commoner, possibly sue him?

Members of the royal family were not allowed to engage in business, so the princess couldn’t intervene. Although no one knew that she and Nanny Zhang were long-lost mother and daughter, if someone investigated and traced her background, it might implicate the princess.

Xi Lingxue naturally understood this logic. Even if she stepped in, it might not make a difference.

Everyone in the capital knew that Consort An came from a common background with no influence, and she was merely a princess in name only.