Chapter 377: Even the Fifth Prince Wouldn’t Feel at Ease Accepting It
Hearing Qin Xueyue’s dismissive remark, the shopkeeper and the senior manager of the Golden Pavilion both stiffened.
“Miss Qin, you may not be aware, but this dagger appears black because it is forged with a black iron blade. The entire piece was designed to match its composition.”
As expected—only the blade itself was made of black iron.
Upon hearing this, Yu Luo immediately understood why this so-called black iron dagger was priced significantly lower than the actual market value.
Upon closer inspection, she could indeed see a fine seam where the blade was fused to the rest of the dagger. But with this kind of assembly, the weapon lost much of its appeal in her eyes.
Still, the craftsmanship was impressive. The artisans of this era were skilled enough to incorporate rare black iron into their work. Had the shopkeeper not pointed it out, most people wouldn’t have noticed the distinction.
“Black iron?! This is excellent. I’ve heard your uncle mention before that a black iron dagger could be worth tens of thousands of taels of gold. No wonder even just the blade alone can sell for over twelve thousand taels of silver. This must be quite a valuable piece.”
Yu Chuman, being from a military lineage, immediately grasped the significance of the dagger after the shopkeeper’s explanation.
Her eyes gleamed with desire as she turned to Qin Xueyue, clearly eager to purchase it.
Seeing her so excited, Yu Luo inwardly lit an incense stick for Chen Shi.
After all, while this mother was ready to spend tens of thousands of taels on a dagger just to curry favor with others, her own biological mother had been exiled to the barren wastelands. And as the esteemed Madam of the Minister’s household, Yu Chuman hadn’t even thought to send a single bit of aid to her suffering relative. Truly, what a caring family member.
“Really? In that case, Mother, why don’t we buy it? As a gift for His Highness, it’ll surely impress him!”
Encouraged by her mother, Qin Xueyue quickly urged her to finalize the purchase.
“But… this dagger was originally selected by this young lady first.”
The shop assistant, still hopeful about his commission, hesitated at the exchange between mother and daughter. But knowing what was at stake, he mustered his courage and timidly spoke up.
“It’s fine. If they want it, let them have it,” Yu Luo said with a smile. “Do you happen to have any daggers made entirely of black iron?”
The moment she spoke, the shopkeeper shot a sharp glare at the assistant, clearly displeased. To save the assistant from further reprimand, Yu Luo quickly interjected, giving him a way out.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she relinquished her claim, the expressions of the mother and daughter shifted awkwardly.
“We are esteemed guests of the Golden Pavilion! Are you blind? Didn’t you see that the manager himself is attending to us? If a dagger like this is to be sold, of course, it should go to us first! What, you think you’re doing us a favor by backing down? Hah, and you’re asking for a full black iron dagger? Tsk tsk tsk, do you even have the money for that?!”
Qin Xueyue’s arrogance was almost laughable.
Yu Luo had originally intended to buy a real black iron dagger while also giving the shop assistant a hand. But after this outburst, Qin Xueyue had practically begged for a change in plans.
Now, Yu Luo had no intention of letting it go, even if this dagger wasn’t the best.
“Miss, is this black iron dagger still not to your liking? The Golden Pavilion has nothing finer than this.”
Sensing the tense atmosphere and Yu Luo’s displeasure, the shopkeeper quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
After all, while Yu Luo was dressed plainly, her willingness to reject lower-priced items suggested she had substantial spending power.
Unlike the spoiled young lady from the Minister’s household, he couldn’t afford to dismiss her as just anyone. A businessman should never drive away a paying customer.
Hearing the shopkeeper’s words, Yu Luo raised an eyebrow.
“Is that so? Then I’ll take this dagger.”
As she reached for her gold banknotes, Qin Xueyue instantly lost her composure.
She lunged forward, snatching the tray from the senior manager’s hands, clutching the dagger protectively to her chest as she glared at Yu Luo.
“Didn’t you hear me? I said I’m buying this dagger! Who do you think you are?!”
Yu Luo merely smirked.
“Oh? So just because you say it’s yours, it automatically belongs to you?”
She turned her gaze to the shopkeeper, whose face was now full of unease, showing no intention of backing down.
This situation put the shopkeeper in a tough spot.
On one hand, he couldn’t afford to offend the Minister’s wife and daughter.
On the other hand, Yu Luo was clearly a wealthy customer.
As a merchant, he certainly didn’t want to lose business.
“Shopkeeper, are you telling me you base sales on status rather than who selects an item first?”
“Shopkeeper, we’re planning to present this dagger to the Fifth Prince. If you refuse to sell it to us, you won’t just be offending us—you’ll be offending him!”
At the mention of the Fifth Prince, the shopkeeper’s expression turned even more conflicted.
The Fifth Prince had only recently been brought back to the palace after living in obscurity for years. The Emperor doted on him, as he was the son of his most beloved woman, who had passed away recently. Out of guilt and affection, the Emperor lavished endless favors upon him.
Considering the Fifth Prince’s rising influence, the shopkeeper hesitated even more.
Yu Luo, however, simply watched the mother and daughter pair with amusement.
She had long since gotten used to the irritating sense of entitlement that seemed to run in their family’s bloodline.
Getting angry over them? Not even worth it.
While the shopkeeper remained caught in his dilemma, Yu Chuman added another layer of pressure.
“You seem like a reasonable man, Shopkeeper. We’ll take this dagger with us now and settle the payment in five days.”
As expected, her words made the shopkeeper’s face go completely pale.
At that moment, Yu Luo could no longer hold back her laughter.
“Oh, so Madam Qin doesn’t even have the money on hand? Here I thought you were about to settle the bill on the spot. If you don’t even have a mere hundred thousand taels of silver, why are you picking out gifts for the Fifth Prince? If he found out that the two of you had to tighten your belts just to buy him a present, wouldn’t he feel uneasy accepting it?”
Qin Xueyue and Yu Chuman’s faces turned bright red with humiliation.
The high-and-mighty demeanor they had maintained was instantly shattered, leaving them looking like furious cats with their fur bristling.
“You—how dare you—!”
“This is a 1,300-tael gold banknote. Shopkeeper, kindly wrap the dagger up for me.”
Without waiting for more nonsense, Yu Luo stepped forward and swiftly snatched the dagger from Qin Xueyue’s grasp. At the same time, she shoved the banknote into the shopkeeper’s hands, ensuring he had no chance to refuse the sale.
Turning around, she handed the dagger to the senior manager, signaling for it to be properly packaged.
