The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

69. Kong Wenjie

Translator: Iris Guo

A’Chou was too shy to lie down in front of a man. She just pressed on the back of the chair with great strength, and felt that the chair was very solid. Then, she wrung the gear inward, and the back of the chair slowly pulled back. She was pleased but hesitated: “Sir, how much is it?”

The shopkeeper answered with a smile: “With such a flexible gear and good quality, it is worth at least three qian of silver ingots.”

“Three qian?” A’Chou was startled with eyes wide open. “For just a chair which was ignored by your customers?”

How hilarious! The salary of three months of laundry could only cover a chair!

Such a cheeky robbery!

“Miss, how could you say that? Although it’s the only one left, it’s very nice anyway! If you could find a single flaw in it, I’ll just give it to you as a gift without saying a word!” The shopkeeper suddenly turned hostile, “Moreover, the seat and back of the chair are made of Siamese rattan, which never rots! And its handle and bottom are made of superior beech, which is never seen in NingGuTa! Such a wonderful thing is naturally priceless.”

A’Chou knew nothing about the materials. She just didn’t think the chair was worth the price, so she curled her lips: “Still too expensive. I won’t buy it unless you cut the price.”

When the shopkeeper was about to argue, a bronzed palm was put on his shoulder. He was startled and intended to curse while turning around. However, when he saw the man behind him, he forced a smile on his previously angry face: “Officer…how can I help you?”

A’Chou looked behind the shopkeeper. As soon as she saw the man’s face, her heart skipped a beat: “How come you…”

Kong Wenjie didn’t look at A’Chou but squinted at the shopkeeper. He was one head taller, and he was wearing a suit of armor, so the shopkeeper felt overwhelmed and his smile looked extremely stiff and ridiculous. “Officer…what can I do for you?”

“This chair is not bad.” Kong Wenjie glanced at the deck chair near A’Chou and asked: “How much is it?”

There was no way the shopkeeper dared to charge Kong Wenjie. He smiled obsequiously: “Officer, if you like it, I’ll deliver it to your house. Consider it as a gift.”

A’Chou, who had been silent for a while, got anxious and hastened to grab the shopkeeper’s sleeve: “Sir, I’m here first. How could you sell the chair to others?”

“Did you pay?” The shopkeeper got rid of A’Chou’s hand impatiently while smiling at Kong Wenjie hurriedly: “Officer, the chair will be at your house very soon.”

NingGuTa was an unusual place in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Although it was remote, it never enjoyed the freedom gained from the long distance from the palace. On the contrary, NingGuTa was one of the major regions for exiled criminals, most of whom were previously high-rank officials, so the Emperor attached great importance to it. In NingGuTa, there were few inhabitants, but there were a lot of guards, even including the Imperial Guards assigned by the Emperor, and Kong Wenjie was one of them. He was more than qualified to be the Deputy County Governor of NingGuTa. The shopkeeper had known everything about the politics based on decades of experience.

Kong Wenjie glanced at the smiling shopkeeper, and then he looked at A’Chou, who was holding the handle of the deck chair and dared not say anything although she was mad. He said nothing but nodded to the shopkeeper and left.

The shopkeeper hastened to ask his assistant to carry the deck chair out. A’Chou looked at the chair on the assistant’s back, and knew that she would go home empty-handed today. Thus, she didn’t feel like talking nonsense with the shopkeeper and left in depression.