Transmigrated into the body of the vicious first wife of a fallen prime minister

After the first month of the lunar calendar, Qi He's old friends started sending people to deliver invitations one after another.

As the most pretentious playboy heiress in Ningcheng, a regular customer of various silk shops and jewelry stores, she hasn't shown up at teahouses and taverns for almost half a month this year. Is that reasonable?

Reasonable.

At least Qi He felt that she had something important to do.

For the past two weeks, the notoriously difficult and arrogant second young lady of the Qi family in Jinling has been diligently practicing swimming in the pond in the back garden without fail.

With that kind of energy, if it weren't for the gender mismatch, who wouldn't say that he was going to cross the Yangtze River to join the army?

I heard that the original pool has been sealed off, and no one except the nanny and maids is allowed to approach it.

The once lovely backyard has practically become Qi He's private domain.

Qi He swam two laps, then popped her head out of the water and leaned over the edge of the pool, asking the nanny, "How was it?"

The old woman gave a thumbs-up: "Second Miss is exceptionally talented. Others might not make the same progress as you even after three months of study!"

Qi He listened to the flattery and felt very pleased, thinking that swimming wasn't that hard to learn.

Her older brother has just bought her a house in Qingwu Town. She can move there in advance, practice more by the sea, and escaping the male lead will be a piece of cake.

The old woman praised again, "The second young lady has a slender figure and fair skin like jade. She looks like she stepped out of a painting in the water."

That's no exaggeration. Qi He has a slim waist and long legs, and her skin is almost translucent after being soaked in water.

When the old woman first saw her, she thought she was a spirit that had stepped out of a painting.

Qi He was so excited by what she heard that she couldn't help but suggest to her nanny that she wanted to try high diving.

There are also ready-made elevated platforms; you can just use artificial mountains.

As soon as Qi He stood on the stone platform atop the artificial hill and looked down, he froze, and all his smugness vanished instantly.

Good heavens, is this a height a person could jump from?!

Qi He turned pale with fright and scrambled down, temporarily abandoning her idea of ​​practicing diving. She obediently clung to the driftwood and continued splashing around in the pool.

She smugly splashed water, thinking of the stack of silver notes her elder brother had given her, and of the house in Qingwu Town...

She felt she could try to get closer to the male lead again.

It's not like she absolutely has to run away. If she does, her good days will be over.

"Ugh, what a difficult kid."

Qi He changed her clothes and left the back garden. Now that she was debt-free and carefree, she no longer had to socialize and deal with people all day long as before. Apart from worrying about her own life, she was somewhat idle.

Therefore, one should not be too complacent. One moment you are feeling carefree, and the next moment trouble will come looking for you.

A maid rushed in, holding several invitations in her hand: "Second Miss, Young Master Shen Yu has sent a message."

Shen Yu, her aunt's son, her cousin.

Both being good-for-nothing spendthrifts, they were kindred spirits, even though they didn't grow up together.

Because of their common enemy Qi Cheng, the two were quite close on weekdays, and Qi He didn't bother to be polite to him.

The maid read aloud, "Young Master said that the job of recruiting laborers for the construction project in Qingshan Stream was intercepted by that scoundrel Qi Cheng! He also said that the job was originally given to you by the eldest young master, so how did it end up in his hands? Young Master was so angry that he cursed a lot, and finally said... Young Master said that he is short of money and wants to borrow five hundred taels from you to tide him over."

Qi He raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and waved her hand: "Tell him, if we're not close, don't try to claim kinship!"

The maidservant pursed her lips and left.

Qi He cursed inwardly: This brat, he knows how to pick the right moment to cry poor.

Once everything was ready, the carriage that was to pick her up came to a smooth stop at the entrance of the alley.

Shang Jue got out of the car and lifted the curtain for her.

After not seeing him for more than half a month, Qi He felt that he seemed to have grown taller.

Seventeen or eighteen is the age when people grow taller rapidly.

"Shen Yu just sent someone to ask me for a loan," Shang Jue said as soon as he sat down, his tone indifferent.

"Oh, he contacted me too," Qi He said casually. "He asked how much he wanted to borrow?"

"Eight hundred taels."

This brat is a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong!

Qi He scoffed: "You borrowed it?"

"I have no money," Shang Jue said casually. "I've been broke since I spent thirteen taels and seven qian last time."

Qi He: "..."

It's just that I ate a meal with you, why are you still holding a grudge?

It's been almost half a month!

I've already increased your monthly pay, what else are you dissatisfied with!

You bastard!

Qi He coughed lightly: "We don't need to heed his message anymore. How did that job at Qingshan Stream end up in Qi Cheng's hands? Wasn't it originally your responsibility?"

Shang Jue's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he calmly said, "The shop's accounts were inaccurate, so it failed to be selected."

Are you kidding me?

Qi He thought to herself, "I've already read the original novel. In two months, all that land in Qingshanjian will be yours."

After the new prefect took over Jinling, in addition to supporting local businesses, the city also made great efforts to attract investment from outside the city. The whole of Jinling was determined to make Qingshanjian a major hub for the distribution of goods between the north and south.

Businesses of all sizes were eyeing that piece of land covetously.

Before the Great Jing Dynasty implemented a large-scale policy of prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, commercial development was extremely prosperous.

"That's enough," Qi He replied indifferently, offering a half-hearted encouragement, "We can compete again next time."

She had absolutely no interest in managing the shop.

Having toiled like oxen and horses in their past lives, and finally escaped that sea of ​​suffering, who would want to go back?

"There's a celebration banquet arranged by my uncle tonight, and we have two hours to prepare."

"A victory celebration banquet?"

Oh right, Qi Cheng finally managed to snatch this big job from her, so his father is naturally going to make a big fuss about it.

Shang Jue paused for a moment: "You don't have to go."

He paused for a moment as he said this.

Qi Cheng snatched this job from Qi He, and he's determined to make things difficult for her tonight.

But it seemed to have nothing to do with him, and Shang Jue regretted speaking so quickly.

"Go, why not go?" Qi He's eyes lit up.

How can we watch Qi Cheng's spectacle if we don't go?

As a loyal reader who has thoroughly read and analyzed the original work, she never tires of tonight's scene where the male lead publicly humiliates the cannon fodder.

Qi Cheng didn't receive the contract for the construction of Qingshanjian at all. It was just that the manager from Qingshanjian sent word that they would sign a contract with the Qi family in seven days, but he didn't specify whether it was Qi Cheng or Qi He.

Qi Cheng was getting along very well with the steward's daughter, and when the news reached the Qi family, Qi Cheng tacitly agreed that he was the one who got the job.

But Qi He knew perfectly well that the one who actually received the official document was Shang Jue.

In the original story, the prefect of Jinling had already received the news and knew that he was the eldest son of a merchant from the capital who had been living away from home, so he readily did him a favor.

The merchant's reputation was known to everyone in the court and among the common people, so it was perfectly normal for the prefect to want to establish a good relationship in advance.

I never expected that Qi Cheng would shamelessly claim this favor.

Although Qi He really wanted to complain that all those officials in the yamen were just for show, she thought that this novel about a rich family's son-in-law was all about having fun and didn't really have any logic to it, so she calmed down.

Thinking of the banquet that night, Qi He suddenly remembered the silver note she kept hidden away.

Since I got this money, I haven't been able to find a reason to show it off.

Now the opportunity has arrived.

After the first month of the lunar calendar, they moved back to the city from their old house in the suburbs.

Before the carriage headed to the restaurant Qi Cheng had chosen, Qi He hurriedly took Shang Jue back to her residence.

This house is located on Zhuque Street, the most bustling street in Ningcheng. It is quiet amidst the hustle and bustle, with three courtyards and three exits, surrounded by water on all sides. It was a gift from her grandfather when she came of age and was known in Jinling as "Qianjinlou" (Thousand Gold Building). It is said to be the most exquisite mansion in the city.

After getting engaged to Shang Jue, the two lived here.

Shang Jue was baffled by her sudden burst of enthusiasm.

After getting off the carriage, Qi He, contrary to her usual behavior, grabbed his wrist and walked enthusiastically into the house, her steps light and brisk.

Shang Jue's gaze fell on Qi He's hand that was gripping his wrist; the back of her hand was fair, and her palm was burning hot.

He didn't speak, his face remaining indifferent, his long eyelashes obscuring the boy's deep gaze.

Upon reaching the entrance of the main hall, Qi He realized that she had been too excited and hadn't noticed that she had grabbed the male lead's hand.

She got carried away.

Indeed, money makes people arrogant.

Qi He coughed lightly, casually released his grip, and pretended that nothing had happened.

She clapped her hands, and with two loud "slap, slap" sounds, a dozen or so maids and servants carrying boxes and bundles suddenly appeared from both sides of the main hall. The one leading them was none other than Granny Wang.

Business Strategies: "..."

"What do you want to do?"

Qi He swaggered into the armchair in the hall, crossing his legs.

From this angle, she has a slender waist, long legs, expressive eyes, and lips with a natural dusty rose color. Sinking into the chair, she looks like a soft cake coated in honey.

"Of course I'll attend the banquet." Qi He raised her chin slightly, saying arrogantly, "Tonight, I'm going to be the most dazzling person at the table!"

Well, she actually just wanted to show off.

Maids and servants filed in and began selecting clothes and hairpins for Qi He.

Once the two carved wooden doors opened, a bright dressing room was revealed, filled with silks, satins, pearls, and jade artifacts. The light reflected from a mutton-fat jade hairpin was almost blinding.

Qi He thought contentedly: I am so rich. How can I keep this to myself?

This is a cause for universal celebration!

Hahaha—

Thanks to her, Shang Jue was also forced to sit in a chair and fuss over.

He listened to Qi He's mouth, which hadn't stopped since she entered the room, nitpicking over which way to comb every strand of hair. A hint of impatience flashed in his eyes, and he cursed inwardly: Whoever marries this spendthrift is really unlucky.

Two hours later, Miss Qi was finally satisfied with her outfit, which screamed "I'm expensive" from head to toe.

She wore a gold filigree and jewel-encrusted hair ornament, a pair of ruby ​​earrings, a translucent jade bracelet on her wrist, a lotus-colored brocade jacket and skirt, and a fox fur cloak over it.

Her skin was snow-white, and the jewels made her even more radiant.

Even Shang Jue, who had always looked down on her, had to admit that if the Qi family fell, there would be plenty of people eager to have this good-for-nothing as a decorative vase.

Qi He looked at herself in the bronze mirror again and again, and couldn't help but exclaim, "I'm so beautiful! Whoever marries me must have had a stroke of good luck!"

Qi He's irresistible charm and a touch of girlish vanity were finally greatly satisfied at the victory celebration banquet.

At the entrance of Juxianlou, a carriage with red wheels and a canopy slowly drove up. A maid lifted the curtain and a beautiful woman with a slender waist and long legs stepped out.

Upon its arrival, it stole the spotlight from all the lanterns in front of the gate and also captured the attention of most of the business leaders at the banquet.

Qi He was extremely pleased with her remarkable appearance.

Although she felt a little smug inside, she still maintained the aloof and noble demeanor of the second young lady.

Many business leaders were already waiting at the entrance of Juxianlou. When they saw a woman who shone with the aura of a protagonist from head to toe, they immediately recognized her as Qi He, who was famous in Jinling.

Flattery poured forth: "Miss Qi, you are absolutely radiant today!"

"Truly a rising star of the new generation in Nanjing!"

"Second Miss, what is your opinion on the construction of the market town in Qingshan Stream?"

"I think the construction of that market town should be overseen by the Second Miss!"

......

When everyone had finished praising her, Qi He waved her hand and said calmly, "I'm not the main character today. I don't want to steal the spotlight, so please stop talking."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another carriage with a blue curtain stopped in front of Juxianlou. Qi Cheng lifted the curtain and shouted angrily, "Qi He!"

Qi He remained expressionless, tilting her head slightly: "Hmm, what's wrong? Does my cousin also want to praise me?"

The group of people in charge fell silent, looking embarrassed.

Qi Cheng felt a lump in his throat. Then, a graceful woman stepped down from behind him, took his arm, and chuckled softly, covering her mouth: "Cheng Lang, is this your cousin who married into a wealthy family?"