Three punches shattered the demonic soul, young hero, I'm an honest man!

Chapter 79 Highest Bid Wins? I'll Pay Five Times the Price! [Chapter 5 Updated]

Just as Zhou Yusheng was still shamelessly pestering Su Qiao'er.

As the sound of a carriage stopped, three figures stepped into the shop.

The one leading the group was a young man dressed in fine clothes.

He was around twenty years old, wearing a jade crown and with a beautiful jade pendant hanging from his waist.

His demeanor was certainly remarkable, but the lingering arrogance between his brows diminished his charm somewhat.

Zhou Yusheng glanced up casually, and his brows immediately furrowed.

Sun Hong, son of a junior official in the Ministry of War?

What is he here for?

Sun Hong glanced around the shop and immediately spotted the magnificent pine and crane longevity screen inside.

A hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

The embroidery is not yet finished, but the vigor of the pine tree and the agility of the crane have already vividly appeared on the brocade.

"Miss Su."

Sun Hong walked straight up to Su Qiao'er, his voice carrying an air of unquestionable authority.

"I'll take this screen."

Name your price.

Su Qiao'er stopped using the silver needles, raised her head, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on her delicate face.

"Young Master Sun, I am truly sorry."

"This pine and crane longevity screen was made for the birthday banquet of Zhang, the retired censor from the west of the city, and the production schedule was tight."

"Furthermore—a deposit has already been received, so it's really inconvenient to resell it."

Sun Hong raised an eyebrow, his face darkening.

"Miss Su, my father and Censor Zhang are colleagues."

"I really like this screen. Name your price, and I'll add more."

Sun Hong's tone became more forceful.

"Or are you saying you look down on me, Mr. Sun?"

His words already carried a hint of his father's official authority in the Ministry of War.

In this capital city, although the Assistant Minister of War is not a top-ranking official, he is still someone that ordinary people cannot easily offend.

She paused, her voice neither humble nor arrogant, still gentle yet firm.

"Young Master Sun, you flatter me."

"For a small shop to succeed, the most important thing is integrity."

"Since this gift has already been promised, there is no reason to go back on it. I hope you will understand, sir."

Su Qiao'er paused for a moment, then said, "If you truly love Suzhou embroidery, my shop also has other exquisite pieces available for you to choose from."

"Or you could tell me the design you'd like, and I can make it to your specifications. However, it might take a while."

Sun Hong frowned even more, about to speak again to put pressure on him.

A slightly flippant voice came from the side.

Zhou Yusheng, who had been watching the commotion, strolled over.

"I say, Young Master Sun, this kind of plundering and extortion is not the behavior of a gentleman."

"Sister Qiao'er's embroidery is made with painstaking effort in every stitch; it's very precious."

"Your little bit of loose change is probably not enough."

Sun Hong recognized Zhou Yusheng, and a hint of undisguised contempt and disdain flashed in his eyes.

"Who do we have here? It's Young Master Zhou."

"Your master has passed away, and the entire Zhou family is dressed in mourning. Yet you have such leisure to while away the time with the young ladies from the embroidery workshop."

"Truly, his filial piety moved Heaven."

Then Sun Hong pretended to realize something and said, "But then again, Mr. Li is indeed a bit old-fashioned."

"Constantly using those sacred texts to discipline you—anyone would find that annoying!"

"Now that he's gone, wouldn't Young Master Zhou be overjoyed and free?"

These words, ostensibly an attempt to "exonerate" Zhou Yusheng, were actually aimed at his sore spot, implying his lack of filial piety and righteousness.

To everyone's surprise, Zhou Yusheng didn't care at all when he heard this, and instead sneered.

"Young Master Sun is truly sharp-witted, even knowing the trivial matters of my Zhou family so clearly."

"It seems your father is indeed well-informed while working in the Ministry of War."

Zhou Yusheng shook his head, looking nonchalant.

"But at least you said something sensible!"

"That old man, it's good that he's gone!"

"All they talk about all day long is classical Chinese and a bunch of rules and regulations, buzzing in my ear like a fly, it's so annoying!"

"Now that he's gone, I can go wherever I want and do whatever I want!"

Upon hearing this, Su Qiao'er's eyebrows, which had been slightly furrowed due to Sun Hong's coercion, instantly stood up, and she glared angrily at Zhou Yusheng.

"Zhou Yusheng! Don't you know how Mr. Li has treated you?"

How could you say such a thing!

Zhou Yusheng curled his lip, unconcerned about Su Qiao'er's anger.

"The old man is gone, and I'm happy to have some peace and quiet. What's wrong with that?"

He then turned his gaze to Sun Hong, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes.

"However, I still advise Young Master Sun to worry more about his own family matters."

"Your father works in the Ministry of War; I imagine that the job of purchasing military equipment must be extremely lucrative."

"Be very careful, lest it turn out like last time when the Shence Prefecture raided the South City Armory and found something shady. Otherwise, it will be too late to cry."

With a hint of schadenfreude, Zhou Yusheng leisurely added, "I've heard that the General of the Guards in the Shence Army hates corrupt officials the most and is extremely ruthless."

"Young Master Sun, don't you think so?"

Upon hearing the words "Shence Mansion" and "General Wei," Sun Hong's expression indeed changed slightly.

A hint of fear and anger flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

He snorted coldly, "Sharp-tongued! Now that old fox Li Qingzhu isn't keeping an eye on him, Young Master Zhou is indeed becoming more and more unbearable."

Sun Hong then ignored Zhou Yusheng and turned to Su Qiao'er, his tone becoming more forceful and impatient.

"Miss Su, I'll increase the price by another 30%."

"I am determined to have this screen today!"

Sun Hong pressed closer, and Su Qiao'er frowned, torn between two options.

Seeing this, Zhou Yusheng was just about to speak up and stir things up again.

Just then, the light at the entrance of the embroidery workshop dimmed slightly.

A person walked in slowly.

The newcomer was dressed in an ordinary blue robe, with a gentle and peaceful demeanor, as if he were just a wealthy young man who happened to be passing by and enjoying the scenery.

The light came on again, and it was Pei Yun.

He walked straight toward the eye-catching pine and crane longevity screen.

He ignored the tense standoff between Sun Hong and Zhou Yusheng.

Pei Yun stood before the screen, his gaze fixed intently on it as he carefully observed.

After a moment, he nodded slightly, turned to Su Qiao'er who was holding her breath beside him, and spoke in a gentle and clear voice.

"Young lady, your Suzhou embroidery skills are truly exquisite."

"Upon closer inspection, each pine needle appears lifelike, and the crane feathers are light, agile, and vividly realistic."

"The entire embroidery piece is vivid and expressive, with a profound artistic conception."

Pei Yun paused for a moment, then exclaimed in admiration, "Even among the top embroiderers on duty in the palace, I doubt anyone could surpass you, Miss."

Pei Yun wasn't actually that interested in Suzhou embroidery; he had mostly learned about it from Yun Niang.

In her spare time, Yunniang also enjoyed doing needlework and often talked to him about the various stitches and color schemes of Suzhou embroidery.

Although he didn't pay much attention to it, he still absorbed some of the basics through observation and learning.

The words used to comment on Su Qiao'er's embroidery at this moment actually seemed quite appropriate.

Su Qiao'er was already anxious because of Sun Hong's coercion, and she was also very angry about Zhou Yusheng's shameless remarks.

Seeing that this young man in blue robes spoke eloquently and had immediately captured the essence of her embroidery, she realized that he was very proud of its most exquisite charm.

So Su Qiao'er temporarily put Sun Hong's threats aside and bowed gracefully to Pei Yun.

"You flatter me, sir."

"I have only learned some basic skills passed down from my ancestors to make a living. I am not worthy of such high praise from you, young master."

Su Qiao'er spoke sincerely, and the worry between her brows dissipated somewhat.

The two of them, through their question and answer, completely ignored Sun Hong and Zhou Yusheng, who had been at each other's throats earlier.

Sun Hong's expression grew increasingly grim, while Zhou Yusheng stared at Pei Yun, seemingly lost in thought.

Pei Yun smiled slightly, his gaze still lingering on the screen.

"You're too modest, young lady."

"6

"If the young lady is willing, I, Pei, am willing to provide this screen—"

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over Sun Hong, whose face had already turned somewhat pale.

"—Young Master Sun offered five times the price just now. Would you be willing to part with it, young lady?"

Upon hearing this, the embroidery workshop fell silent.

Zhou Yusheng's expression, which had been somewhat amused, froze instantly, and he gasped.

The way he looked at Pei Yun was as if he were looking at a monster.

Su Qiao'er was also so surprised that her mouth opened slightly, and she didn't know how to respond for a moment.

In fact, Sun Hong's previous offer was already fair, and even slightly higher than the market price.

Five times the price. — That's outrageous!

Sun Hong's face instantly turned ashen, then flushed red, as if he had been slapped hard in public.

He boasted that he came from an extraordinary family and was considered a prominent figure among the younger generation in Beijing.

Today, in this small embroidery workshop, he was repeatedly humiliated by Zhou Yusheng, this纨绔子弟 (playboy), and this young man in blue robes who appeared out of nowhere.

Especially the other party's nonchalant attitude and the price they offered, which far exceeded their own.

It was more like an invisible yet resounding slap that landed hard on his face.

Burning pain.