Chapter 378: Did He Recognize Her?
Holding the tray that Yu Luo had forcefully shoved into his hands, the senior manager’s expression was truly remarkable!
He glanced down at the black iron dagger in his tray, then quickly looked up at the shopkeeper for help. However, the moment he met the shopkeeper’s gaze, he saw the man furiously blinking at him.
In an instant, the senior manager understood.
Of course, the shopkeeper was in a tough spot too…
Although the Minister of Revenue’s household was powerful, they already owed this very shop thirty thousand taels of silver, a debt that had yet to be repaid. And now, Madam Qin wanted to buy this twelve-thousand-eight-hundred-tael black iron dagger on credit? There was no way the shopkeeper would agree to that.
After all, if the real owner of the Golden Pavilion decided to audit the accounts, the shopkeeper would be in deep trouble. But at the same time, he couldn’t afford to offend Madam Qin either!
The senior manager’s hands trembled as he gripped the tray, his legs nearly giving out beneath him. He had no idea what to do.
“Even from downstairs, I could hear all the excitement up here. Fifth Brother, your popularity in the capital is still as impressive as ever. You can’t even take a casual stroll without running into people picking out gifts for you.”
Just as the senior manager was at a loss, a teasing voice echoed from the staircase.
At that moment, the shopkeeper, who had been panicking about how to resolve this mess, suddenly lit up with joy. He immediately stepped forward, eager to use this opportunity to shift the focus away from the ongoing dispute.
“Greetings, Fourth Prince! Greetings, Fifth Prince!”
Fifth Prince?!
Yu Luo’s eyes widened in shock as she turned to look at the two men ascending the stairs.
She had never expected that the “Fifth Prince” Qin Xueyue had been fawning over just moments ago was none other than A’Bai—the only friend the original Yu Luo had ever had!
“Greetings to Your Highnesses!”
While Yu Luo was still frozen in disbelief, Qin Xueyue and Yu Chuman had already rushed forward, bowing respectfully to the two princes.
The arrogant and domineering Qin Xueyue, who had been so insufferable just moments ago, had now transformed into the very picture of a demure and well-mannered noblewoman. There wasn’t even a trace of her earlier haughtiness.
Yu Luo was snapped back to reality by their voices. In that moment, she suddenly felt relieved.
She turned back to the shopkeeper and snatched her gold banknote right out of his hands!
Since Qin Xueyue was so eager to spend a fortune on this black iron dagger just to curry favor with A’Bai, why not let her?
After all, the one who would benefit in the end was still A’Bai.
Why should she waste her money on this? It was over ten thousand taels of silver, after all—not a small amount.
The shopkeeper hadn’t expected the money he had just received to be taken back so quickly. He was about to protest, perhaps even insist on selling the dagger to Yu Luo instead, but before he could speak, Yu Luo turned to him with a sly smile.
“Shopkeeper, it looks like Miss Qin is truly determined to gift this dagger to the Fifth Prince. Why should I play the villain and take it from her? I’ll let her have it and give her the chance to present it to His Highness.”
With that, she tucked her gold banknote into her sleeve and cheerfully prepared to leave.
Meanwhile, the two princes, who had been momentarily blocked from entering, had taken notice of the commotion.
Hearing Yu Luo’s words, the Fourth Prince turned to Qin Xueyue with an amused expression, his gaze filled with intrigue.
As for the Fifth Prince, he didn’t react to the words at all. Instead, he remained completely still, his entire body seemingly frozen in place.
His eyes, however, were glued to Yu Luo. His gaze was filled with shock and disbelief, as if he had just seen a ghost.
His stare was so intense that even Yu Luo could feel it.
However, she completely underestimated the depth of A’Bai’s connection to the original Yu Luo.
Even though she had deliberately not raised her voice, the moment she spoke, it seemed that the Fifth Prince had recognized her.
Realizing the situation, Yu Luo panicked.
She had to leave—immediately.
Just as she was about to slip past the Fourth Prince, a hand suddenly blocked her path.
Turning her head slightly, Yu Luo found herself face-to-face with a pair of teasing eyes. The man’s expression was playful, and his slightly roguish smile made it clear he had no intention of letting her go so easily.
“This young lady is quite amusing,” the Fourth Prince mused, his tone filled with curiosity. “Why are you in such a hurry to leave after seeing us? Are you hiding something?”
As he spoke, Yu Luo could feel the Fifth Prince’s stare growing even more intense—so much so that he might as well have been trying to burn a hole through her.
Could it be that even with her disguise, he had still recognized her?!
“Fourth Prince, this woman was acting extremely arrogantly just now. She knew we were picking a birthday gift for the Fifth Prince, yet she shamelessly tried to snatch the dagger away! I suspect she just wasn’t expecting Your Highnesses to appear so suddenly—now she’s afraid and trying to escape!”
“Ah, Yue’er, mind your manners before Their Highnesses,” Yu Chuman chided gently, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Perhaps this young lady truly has urgent matters to attend to.”
Yu Luo nearly laughed out loud at the mother-daughter duo’s well-rehearsed performance.
What an act.
“Oh? An interestingly bold young lady indeed,” the Fourth Prince said, now even more intrigued. “But I don’t recall seeing you before. Who might you be, daring to compete with Miss Qin over a gift for my brother?”
The Fourth Prince stepped in front of Yu Luo, clearly not planning to let her go so easily.
Yu Luo forced a polite smile. “I am from a humble family outside the capital, hardly worth mentioning, Your Highness. I would hate to disrupt Your Highnesses’ leisure. Please excuse me.”
As for Qin Xueyue and her mother? Yu Luo truly couldn’t be bothered to argue with people like them.
She still had the status of an exiled criminal, and drawing too much attention could cause trouble.
However, a little payback was certainly in order. Once they realized who they had provoked, they would regret ever crossing her.
“Come now, Fourth Brother, don’t frighten the young lady.”
Just as the Fourth Prince leaned in, lifting his folding fan as if he intended to tilt Yu Luo’s chin, a firm hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.
The Fifth Prince had finally spoken.
Yu Luo knew in that instant—he had recognized her.
Just from hearing her voice alone.
She had been too careless.
Before she could think of a way to escape, another familiar voice echoed through the shop.
“My, what a lively scene. The Golden Pavilion truly is a place of great fortune. To think both of my younger brothers would be here at the same time.”
Yu Luo’s breath hitched.
As she turned toward the staircase, a wave of shock crashed over her.
The man approaching from below had a familiar face—one she recognized instantly.
At that moment, Yu Luo felt like a bolt of lightning had struck her.
Why did this person have to be here too?!
But what was even more shocking was—why was Chi Jincheng with him?!
Now it all made sense.
She had always thought Chi Jincheng looked oddly familiar.
And now, after seeing this man, she finally understood why.
