Su Xian hurriedly tugged at Xu Jinxin's sleeve, signaling her to stop talking.
A look of surprise flashed through Xiao Yi's eyes.
Right to know?
What on earth was that?
Li Jin was also startled.
He hadn't expected his wife to be so reckless as to dare to speak to Xiao Yi like this!
Li Jin winked vigorously at Yingniang, wanting Yingniang to find a way to persuade Xu Jinxin to leave.
Yingniang stepped forward and tugged at Xu Jinxin's sleeve, but Xu Jinxin ignored her completely.
Just as Li Jin was about to step forward to speak up for his wife, he heard Xiao Yi speak.
"How long of a period does Madam Li think is appropriate?"
Xu Jinxin didn't expect Xiao Yi to kick the ball back into her court.
Xu Jinxin looked at Duoduo. Seeing Duoduo's bewildered expression, she gritted her teeth and held up one finger.
"One month?" Li Jin asked in surprise.
"No! One year!" Xu Jinxin said firmly.
One year would be enough time for her to open several branches.
By then, when all the accounts were added up, they should be able to break even, right?
Xiao Yi shook his head.
"No, that's too long!"
"Three months at most! Three months is enough time for you to find a way to win." Xiao Yi's tone seemed to carry a faint hint of a smile.
Xu Jinxin gritted her teeth, "Fine! Three months it is!"
"However, may we know what kind of business your newly opened shop does?"
The corners of Xiao Yi's lips curled up slightly.
"Jade!"
"Huh?" Xu Jinxin was dumbfounded.
These two businesses couldn't be compared at all.
As long as Xiao Yi's shop sold one piece of jade, the silver earned would be enough for them to sell grilled fish for a year!
"This is unfair!" Xu Jinxin immediately cried out.
"Your Highness, you are bullying the weak! Duoduo is your daughter, how can you trick her like this?"
"Jinxin, stop talking nonsense!" Li Jin hurriedly came over and pulled Xu Jinxin behind him.
"Your Highness, please forgive her. My wife is straightforward, but she has no bad intentions."
Xiao Yi nodded.
"She's right. I am indeed bullying the weak."
"The bet was agreed upon between Duoduo and me. She didn't raise any objections at the time, so the bet stands."
"Duoduo, do you want to back out?"
Xiao Yi asked Duoduo.
Duoduo also hadn't expected her father to be in the jade business.
She understood that it was her own lack of foresight.
However, she had no intention of breaking the agreement.
"Father, a move made is a move played. I will not back out!"
"Rest assured, once the three-month period is up, if I lose, I will fulfill my promise!"
Xiao Yi's expression softened as he nodded.
"Alright, hurry back and discuss how you can defeat me."
Duoduo nodded, bowed to Xiao Yi, and took her leave.
Xu Jinxin felt uncomfortable. She gave a perfunctory bow and left with Su Xian.
Xiao Yi turned his head to look at Li Jin, who smiled sheepishly.
The corners of Xiao Yi's lips curled up, "Your wife is quite a woman of genuine temperament."
Seeing that Xiao Yi had no intention of blaming him, Li Jin relaxed a bit.
"She's just that kind of person, everything shows on her face."
Xiao Yi nodded slightly, his expression turning serious.
"I have entrusted the jade shop to you. You cannot mess around just because your opponent is your own wife!"
Li Jin waved his hand.
"How could I? Precisely because it's her, my interest is even stronger."
"This time, I must make her admit defeat wholeheartedly!" Li Jin rubbed his hands together.
Xiao Yi nodded, "Alright, I'll trouble you from now on. I hope you won't disappoint me!"
Li Jin cupped his hands.
"Rest assured, Your Highness. I will definitely do my best!"
Li Jin knew what kind of situation Xiao Yi was facing.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned his own people and chosen him to manage it instead.
After all, he could never make Xiao Yi feel as reassured as his personal guards.
However, since he had decided to board the Prince of Pingyang's ship from the beginning, he had no intention of abandoning it halfway.
Li Jin took his leave, and Xiao Yi opened the official documents at hand by himself.
Yun Xiao knocked on the door and walked in.
"Your Highness!"
Xiao Yi didn't even lift his head, "Has Princess Consort Rui been found?"
Yun Xiao cupped his hands.
"Reporting to Your Highness, our men were a step too late. Princess Consort Rui was found by Prince Rui's men."
Xiao Yi looked up.
"Prince Rui found her first?"
Yun Xiao nodded, "Yes, but our men saw from a distance that Princess Consort Rui doesn't seem to be doing well."
"Prince Rui's men haven't even arrived in the capital yet, but the memorial requesting an imperial physician has already reached the capital."
Xiao Yi's right hand unconsciously stroked his left thumb.
It had long been empty there.
Xiao Yi withdrew his hand, as if he had just touched it casually.
"Have you found out what happened to Princess Consort Rui?"
"They say it's poisoning," Yun Xiao replied.
"Poisoning? How could she be poisoned? Was she poisoned by Fifth Brother?" Xiao Yi frowned.
To poison a woman from the inner courtyard, Fifth Brother's methods were too ruthless.
Yun Xiao shook his head, "It's said that Princess Consort Rui was bitten by a venomous snake while evading the Fifth Prince's men."
So it was a venomous snake.
"It's just a venomous snake, why would they need to send a memorial to request an imperial physician?"
"Our men found a doctor who treated Princess Consort Rui."
"That doctor said Princess Consort Rui is already several months pregnant. The poisoning is harmful to both the mother and the fetus."
"The doctor's suggestion was to abort the child and then take medicine to clear the heat and detoxify. That way, the mother wouldn't be in danger."
"However, due to Princess Consort Rui's long journey, her body was already weak."
"If the child is forcibly aborted, her life might also be at risk!"
"After hearing the doctors' diagnosis, Prince Rui immediately wrote a memorial and sent it by fast horse to beseech His Majesty to send an imperial physician to treat her."
Xiao Yi heard this and remained silent for a long while.
"Have our men wait outside the imperial palace to see which imperial physician Imperial Father ultimately sends over."
"Yes, this subordinate will arrange for men to go right away!"
Yun Xiao walked out quickly to make the arrangements.
Xiao Yi stared at a point in the void, deep in thought.
Among the five princes, Second Prince and Fifth Brother had the best relationship.
the Third Prince and Fourth Brother were slightly closer.
If the Third Prince knew about Fourth Brother's situation, he would definitely find a way to get someone to help.
What he could think of, the Third Prince could definitely think of too.
Therefore, the imperial physician sent out this time would definitely not be Second Prince's man.
However, Fifth Brother must be extremely anxious this time.
This was actually an opportunity to win him over!
Xiao Yi rubbed his fingers together.
No rush!
He didn't want to get his eyes pecked out by an eagle.
Flap, flap, a pigeon landed by the window.
Xiao Yi reached out his hand, and the pigeon automatically hopped into his palm, starting to peck at the corn kernels there.
Xiao Yi removed the bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg.
He released the pigeon and scattered some food for it.
Xiao Yi poured out the small slip of paper from inside the bamboo tube and unfolded it.
He read through the contents rapidly, and a smile appeared on his lips.
