A scumbag husband fakes his death to escape his marriage? I'll burn down his funeral hall and s

Chapter 654 You don't even deserve to be called an idiot!

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Zhang Mama's eyes as she leaned closer: "Princess, think about it. Once a woman becomes pregnant, her body becomes bloated and out of shape, and her appearance is not as good as before."

"How many men are truly loyal in love?"

"The young prince is in the prime of his life and cannot bear the loneliness."

She paused, then continued, "Why don't we arrange two more sensible and beautiful women to accompany the young prince? In time, the young prince's attention will naturally shift away from that haggard old woman."

"By then, even if she gives birth to a child, she'll just be a disfavored, resentful woman, completely at our mercy."

Lin Xingyao stopped in her tracks.

She turned around abruptly as if she had heard the funniest joke, pointed at Zhang Mama's nose, and shouted angrily, "Idiot! You idiot!"

"Don't you think my brother has enough women around him?"

Granny Zhang was so terrified by the scolding that she dared not utter another word.

Of all the women in the capital who coveted her brother, only Lin Xingyao did. She was even jealous that the young prince couldn't have a single woman by his side...

Lin Xingyao paced around the room a few times, and the anger in her eyes gradually faded.

She suddenly stopped, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"You're right, we can't let her die so easily."

Granny Zhang looked up, puzzled.

Lin Xingyao slowly sat back in her chair, leisurely tidying her sideburns.

"This woman is already on the verge of death during childbirth. What I want is not her life."

Her gaze fell on the window, as if she could already see the future.

"What I want is to remove the mother and keep the child."

Four words, light and airy, yet they sent a shiver down Zhang Mama's spine.

"What the princess means is..."

"Doesn't she want to have a baby? Then let her have a baby in peace." Lin Xingyao's smile grew even brighter.

“Send someone to ‘remind’ the Prince’s kitchen that pregnant women need to nourish themselves, and give her all kinds of ginseng, such as thousand-year-old ginseng and hundred-year-old lingzhi.”

"May the baby in her belly grow up to be healthy, chubby, and as big as possible."

"A large fetus leads to a difficult delivery. Isn't that perfectly logical?"

"At that time, the imperial physician will only say that she is weak and has a short life. Who would have thought that we tampered with her pregnancy-preserving medicine?"

She picked up another intact cup of tea from the table and gently blew on it.

“My brother has gained a legitimate son but lost his wife, and he is heartbroken. All I need to do is send Jiayou to his side when he is most heartbroken, so that he can see that there are still members of the Lin family in this world who truly care about him.”

"How can a dead man compete with me?"

Just as Granny Zhang was about to agree, a servant's respectful report came from outside the door.

"Princess, all the managers have arrived and are waiting in the side hall."

Lin Xingyao's sinister expression vanished instantly, and she regained her haughty princess demeanor.

"Ah."

She straightened her sleeves and, surrounded by servants, walked toward the side hall.

Inside the side hall, the owners of several silk shops, led by Liu Dehai, were restless, each with a worried expression, looking like wilted eggplants.

Upon seeing Lin Xingyao walk in gracefully, everyone quickly stood up and bowed.

"My boss."

Lin Xingyao sat down in the main seat, picked up the tea served by the maid, and without even lifting the lid, gave them a cold glance.

Liu Dehai was the first to lose his composure; he took a step forward, almost bursting into tears.

"Boss! We've been driven to the brink of collapse by Yunshang Pavilion! It's been days, and forget about business, not a single customer has even stepped foot inside! If this continues, we'll have to close down!"

Another shopkeeper chimed in, "Yes, boss, all that cloth piling up in our warehouse is going to get moldy!"

Liu Dehai's face turned even uglier. He gritted his teeth and continued, "Today, Chu Ruohan summoned several shopkeepers from our area in the capital. She said she was willing to buy the stockpiled cloth from us at the original price."

"But she has conditions!" Liu Dehai's voice was filled with despair. "She wants all the Shu brocade we produce from now on to be sourced from her Chu family's weaving factory, and the price will be set by her Chu family!"

"She's trying to lock up the entire market in the capital! From now on, the profits will be entirely up to her!"

Lin Xingyao tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest, asking expressionlessly, "Does anyone agree?"

Liu Dehai nodded dejectedly: "Manager Zhang and Manager Sun... they couldn't hold on any longer and agreed on the spot. The others are just watching and waiting."

"Boss, we can't just sit here and wait to die!" Liu Dehai said urgently, as if grasping at the last straw. "Why don't we start a price war? If she sells for five taels, we'll sell for four taels! I don't believe we can't beat her."

"idiot!"

Lin Xingyao slammed her teacup heavily onto the table.

You don't deserve to be called a fool!

Liu Dehai trembled from the scolding and swallowed back all the ideas he had in his mind.

Lin Xingyao stood up, looking down at him with a mocking sneer on her lips.

"What do you have to compete with her on price? If Chu Ruohan wants money, she has the resources of the Chu Family Chamber of Commerce and the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. If she wants shops, she has taken over the prime location on Zhuque Street."

"She wants a weaving factory; she has a weaving master like Granny Sun and a whole set of new Shu brocade formulas!"

What about you? What do you have?

Liu Dehai was speechless when asked the question, and his old face turned as red as a pig's liver.

"When we get back, tell Chu Ruohan that we agree." Lin Xingyao's voice returned to calm.

Liu Dehai looked up abruptly, his face full of disbelief: "Boss, this..."

“We’re here to make money, not to waste our breath arguing with her.” Lin Xingyao paced slowly, her tone chilling. “Since she wants to be the only one in power, then let her be.”

She stopped, turned her head, and said quietly, "Gu Junze has become suspicious about Chen Taimo's matter. A couple of days ago, he summoned all the jailers who had guarded Lin Wanjin in the prison for questioning."

"Now, the most important thing is to keep a low profile and not give anyone any leverage against us."

There was dead silence in the hall.

Liu Dehai and the others then realized that they had only seen the business in front of them, but had forgotten the deadly danger behind it.

A chill ran down their spines, and cold sweat poured down their backs.

"Yes, yes, I understand." Liu Dehai quickly bowed and replied.

"Also," Lin Xingyao continued, "don't come here unless it's absolutely necessary, lest others find out that I'm the owner behind all these shops..."

Lin Xingyao waved her hand, indicating that they could leave.

The crowd felt as if they had been granted a pardon and bowed as they withdrew.

To say I wasn't angry would be a lie.

She had been secretly plotting for so many years before she finally gained some influence in the silk industry in the capital.

Now, Gu Junze and Chu Ruohan have uprooted it so easily!

This retreat not only cost her money, but also broke one of her arms!

The Prince Yong's mansion is no longer reliable; she must rely on herself to quickly build up her own power...