lovenovelstory Chapter 213 The Boss Lady Reaching the Pinnacle of Her Life
Chapter 213 The Boss Lady Reaching the Pinnacle of Her Life
Zhao Qingxue stopped and looked at her.
The proprietress looked her up and down, her gaze finally settling on her feet.
The embroidered shoes were moon-white, made of the finest material, and embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns. Though now covered in dust, their original elegance was still evident.
The proprietress shook her head.
"These shoes won't do," she said. "We'll be walking in them later, it would be such a waste to get them dirty."
She turned around and pulled out a pair of old cloth shoes from the corner of the back of the carriage.
The shoes were made of coarse cloth, the soles were worn thin, and there were several patches on the upper.
The proprietress threw her shoes on the ground in front of Zhao Qingxue.
"Put it on," she said.
Zhao Qingxue looked down at the old shoes.
The patches on the shoe upper were stitched crookedly, clearly done carelessly.
The soles were worn almost transparent, and in some places you could even see the coarse cloth underneath.
Her brows furrowed again.
Seeing her reaction, the proprietress felt a strange sense of pleasure welling up inside her.
Let her be arrogant!
Let her put on airs!
Don't we still have to listen to ourselves now?
"What?" The proprietress raised an eyebrow. "Is it dirty?"
She squatted down, picked up the old shoes, and waved them in her hand.
"These shoes are old, but clean. They're much more durable than your embroidered shoes." She stood up and tossed the shoes back in front of Zhao Qingxue. "Put these on."
Zhao Qingxue looked at her, then at the shoes.
Then, she squatted down.
The movements were slow and steady.
She took off her embroidered shoes, revealing her fair and slender feet.
Then, she picked up the old shoes and put them on.
The shoes were a little small, and my toes were squeezed together and turned slightly white.
The soles of the shoes are so thin that you can feel the shape of every pebble when you step on them.
Zhao Qingxue stood up and stepped on the ground.
The old shoes on her feet looked completely out of place with her moon-white casual clothes.
The proprietress felt even more pleased when she saw her like this.
"That's right," she said. "Remember this from now on: do whatever I tell you to do."
She paused, her gaze falling on Zhao Qingxue's face, and spoke slowly and deliberately:
"otherwise--"
She smiled but didn't continue.
But the threat was all too obvious.
Zhao Qingxue looked at her without saying a word.
She simply turned around, held onto the car door, and prepared to get in.
"Wait a minute," the proprietress said again.
Zhao Qingxue stopped and looked back at her.
The proprietress stepped forward and reached out to grab the jade belt around her waist.
The jade belt was moon-white, inlaid with several warm and lustrous jade pendants, and it was clearly very valuable.
The proprietress touched the jade belt with her fingers and shook her head.
"This thing is too conspicuous," she said. "Take it off."
Zhao Qingxue's brows finally furrowed slightly.
This jade belt is one of the tokens of the Li Yang royal family.
Empresses throughout history wore this jade belt when they ascended the throne to signify the continuation of the throne.
It is not just decoration, but also a symbol of status.
But the proprietress didn't know any of this.
All she knew was that it looked valuable and was too conspicuous.
Why should a prisoner wear such valuable things?
"Take it off," she repeated, her tone even more impatient.
Zhao Qingxue looked at her, at her impatient face, at her unbridled eyes.
Her hand slowly rose and landed on the buckle of the jade belt.
A soft "click" sounded.
The jade belt was untied and fell into her hand.
The proprietress snatched it away and weighed it in her hand.
"What a find!" she exclaimed in amazement. "This jade pendant must be worth a lot of money, right?"
She tied the jade belt around her waist and swayed her hips with a smug look on her face.
"It's nice," she said. "It looks good."
Zhao Qingxue looked at her as she tied her jade belt, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
But she didn't say anything.
He simply turned around, grabbed the door, and climbed into the carriage.
Sit down near the door.
The proprietress then got into the car and sat down opposite Zhao Qingxue.
She crossed her legs, clasped her arms around her chest, and brazenly sized up Zhao Qingxue.
From top to bottom, from bottom to top.
Finally, her gaze fell on Zhao Qingxue's hair.
Her hair was jet black, loosely tied up with only a white jade hairpin.
The hairpin was pure white, with a phoenix about to take flight carved at the top. A tiny ruby was inlaid in the phoenix's eye, which still gleamed faintly in the dimly lit carriage.
A glint of greed flashed in the proprietress's eyes.
"That hairpin is nice too," she said. "Take it off."
Zhao Qingxue's pupils contracted slightly.
That hairpin...
That was when she was eight years old, and her mother personally placed it in her hair.
The Empress Dowager said, "Qingxue, this is something I wore when I was young. From now on, it's yours."
At the age of fifteen, she participated in court politics for the first time and was reprimanded by a senior member of the imperial clan for "interfering in politics."
She retreated to her palace and sat there all night clutching the hairpin.
When I got up at dawn, there was no trace of hesitation in my eyes.
On the day he ascended the throne at the age of twenty, he was adorned with a crown and all the officials paid homage to him.
Her hands were hidden in her sleeves, her fingertips caressing the phoenix on the hairpin, her heart pounding like a drum.
This hairpin accompanied her for seventeen years.
From princess to empress, from naive to mature, from being looked down upon to becoming a powerful force in the Eastern Continent.
For seventeen years, it has never left my side.
At that moment, the proprietress asked her to take it off.
Zhao Qingxue looked at her, at her greedy face.
He didn't speak.
It didn't move.
The proprietress waited for a while, and when she saw that Zhao Qingxue didn't move, she frowned.
"What?" Her voice turned cold. "You can't bear to part with it?"
She stood up and walked towards Zhao Qingxue.
Zhao Qingxue subconsciously shrank back.
But the carriage is only so big, where could she shrink into?
The proprietress walked up to her and looked down at her.
Then, she reached out and grabbed the hairpin.
Pull hard.
Zhao Qingxue felt a sharp pain on her scalp as the hairpin had been pulled out by the proprietress.
Her long hair, no longer restrained, cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, with a few strands falling across her cheeks, making her stunningly beautiful face appear even paler.
The proprietress held the hairpin, examining it closely in her hand.
"How beautiful!" she exclaimed in amazement. "This phoenix is exquisitely carved. And is that ruby real?"
She stuck the hairpin into her hair and shook her head smugly.
"How is it?" She looked at Qin Mu. "Your Majesty, is it beautiful?"
Qin Mu leaned against the car wall, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment before sweeping over Zhao Qingxue's pale face.
He didn't speak, but the smile on his lips deepened.
He did not stop the proprietress's actions.
Because these actions could severely damage Zhao Qingxue's arrogance, how could he possibly stop her?
The proprietress was not discouraged when she saw that Qin Mu remained silent.
She sat down again, crossed her legs, and looked at Zhao Qingxue.
"Alright," she said, "that's fine."
She paused, then suddenly remembered something and added:
"By the way, don't call me 'Boss Lady' anymore. Call me—Sister Hong."
"Did you remember?"
Zhao Qingxue looked at her.
Seeing her with her jade belt around her waist, her hairpin in her hair, and a smug smile on her face.
Then, she lowered her eyes.
"I've got it," she said.
The sound was very soft and calm.
They were as calm as if what had just been taken away were nothing more than two insignificant things.
Sister Hong nodded in satisfaction.
"Good girl," she said.
Liu Bai's voice came from outside the carriage:
"Hold on tight."
Immediately, the carriage shuddered slightly and began to move slowly forward.
The wheels rolled over the bluestone pavement, making a dull "gurgling" sound.
Morning light streamed through the cracks in the car windows, casting dappled shadows inside the carriage.
Zhao Qingxue sat by the car door, her back ramrod straight.
Her long hair was loose, which made her stunningly beautiful face appear even paler.
She was wearing those old, small, and thin shoes, which squeezed her toes until they turned white.
The moon-white casual clothes were still covered with dust that had settled after standing by the window all night.
Her gaze fell on the scenery rushing past the car window, empty and blank.
No one knows what she's thinking.
Even she herself didn't know what she was thinking.
Hongjie sat opposite Zhao Qingxue, glancing at her every now and then, her eyes full of pride and satisfaction.
Yunluan sat at the very back, by the window, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her cold gaze sweeping across the carriage.
Her gaze lingered for a moment on the jade belt around Hong Jie's waist, and then for a moment on the hairpin in Hong Jie's hair.
Finally, it landed on Zhao Qingxue's face.
That stunningly beautiful face was devoid of any expression.
But Yunluan could see that something was quietly changing deep within those deep purple phoenix eyes.
The change was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible.
But it's right there.
Like a seed, buried in the deepest soil.
Waiting for the day it breaks through the soil.
Xiao Yu curled up in the corner, shrinking herself into a tiny ball.
Her gaze would occasionally drift furtively towards Zhao Qingxue.
Looking at that pale face, those empty eyes, and those small, thin old shoes on her feet.
A complex and indescribable emotion welled up in her heart.
I have sympathy.
There is fear.
There was also a strange, inexplicable... sense of relief.
I'm glad I'm not Empress Li Yang.
I'm glad I'm just a little fisherwoman.
I'm so glad I did last night...
Her face flushed again, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look any longer.
The carriage continued on its way.
The wheels rolled over the official road, raising clouds of dust.
As the morning light grew stronger, it streamed through the car windows, casting golden spots of light inside the carriage.
The carriage gradually disappeared into the distance.
The outline of the inn gradually disappeared into the morning mist.