Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 461 - 461 462 Maybe Its an Impersonator_1

Chapter 461: Chapter 462 Maybe It’s an Impersonator_1 Chapter 461: Chapter 462 Maybe It’s an Impersonator_1 She had not taken this woman seriously when she made a scene previously, thinking she was just a spoiled young lady acting on a whim, and that scolding her would dissuade her from coming back due to loss of face. After all, Yu Ze had made no secret of his disinterest in her, so Muniang had not given the incident much thought after it passed. She never expected to be outwitted by this girl on that account.

Seeing Muniang’s face grow increasingly sour, Housekeeper Li dared not speak further, knowing she was angry.

Muniang said coldly, “I will go myself!” With that, she turned and left the house.

Upon exiting Mei Garden, her carriage was already waiting outside, and the coachman brought her a footstool as she came out, “Lady, where to?”

“Qinghua City.”

The coachman was startled, “Going all of a sudden?”

Muniang gave a slight nod and boarded the carriage.

The coachman did not ask further, thinking Lady Muniang had urgent business. Besides, it was still early, and there would be time to make the round trip before nightfall. He climbed onto the carriage, cracked the whip, and galloped away.

Jin Renjie was already waiting at the Governor’s for Qiao Muniang, certain she would come. No merchant would readily give up their business, not even a woman.

When he first learned that Qiao Muniang, a woman, was doing business, Jin Renjie was greatly surprised. While the customs of the Daqian Dynasty were relatively open, he had not seen a woman engage in business. Such a woman was indeed extraordinary. However, recalling her “impolite” treatment of Jin Yuanyuan, he couldn’t feel any fondness for her.

Still, Lord Jin thought to himself, in the end, she’s just a peasant woman. Even if she has earned some silver, it can’t hide her inherent lowliness. Otherwise, why would she be so lacking in manners?

“Lord, Mrs. Yu Qiao has arrived and asks to see you at the gate.”

Clearing his throat, Lord Jin said, “Let her in.”

Jin Yuanyuan quickly spoke up, “Father, you must stand up for me and teach her a lesson to back off, so she doesn’t keep clinging to Yu!”

Lord Jin said sternly, “Father knows what to do. Aren’t you going to leave? This kind of woman flaunts herself everywhere without status. Are you the same?”

His tone carried deep disdain for Muniang. Initially, he had thought Qiao Muniang to be a heroic woman, but now he categorised her as a disreputable woman flaunting herself in public.

Jin Yuanyuan hurriedly acknowledged and scurried to the inner room, yet she stealthily watched from behind the screen.

Upon entering, Muniang carefully surveyed her surroundings. Her keen eyes didn’t miss much; could she fail to notice someone hiding behind the screen? She thought it must be Jin Yuanyuan—who else would engage in such nonsense?

“Lord Jin,” Muniang bowed politely, but with neither servility nor haughtiness, as if her gesture was merely a gentleman’s courtesy without a trace of abasement.

Lord Jin had never expected to find such a ravishing beauty; when Jin Yuanyuan had talked about how Yu Ze stood firmly by his wife’s side, he had even thought Yu might be the sort of man who lived off his wife, reluctant to leave because of her wealth, and had imagined Muniang to be ugly in his mind.

But unexpectedly, she was so attractive, and moreover, her bearing was certainly not mediocre. No wonder that man didn’t fancy his daughter. Of course, these were thoughts Lord Jin would only entertain internally, showing none of this unwillingness to admit on his face.

“So, you are Qiao Muniang?” Lord Jin addressed Muniang directly by name, clearly not inclined to treat her as Yu Ze’s wife.

Muniang’s eyebrows furrowed imperceptibly, before she said, “Indeed, yesterday I specially sent someone to apply for government documentation, but…”

“My daughter personally paid a visit a few days ago—surely you haven’t forgotten,” Lord Jin said bluntly, interrupting Muniang and assuming an air of superiority.

Muniang clenched her teeth slightly, then continued, “How could I forget? My husband and I had rescued your daughter before, and she came to thank us in person, injured our servant, insulted me, and even said she wanted to marry my husband. I was taken aback at the time. Could a lady of noble birth really act like this?”

Jin Renjie almost choked on his tea, his voice harsh as he exclaimed, “What do you mean by that? Are you trying to insult my daughter?!”

Muniang hurriedly put on a frightened expression, “I wouldn’t dare. At that time, I thought to myself, such a coarse woman, even cruder than a villager, surely could not be the noble daughter of your household. Perhaps she was an imposter, out to tarnish your daughter’s reputation and besmirch you, Governor. Am I blind? Could a lady of noble birth behave in such a manner? Hence, to do you justice, I took it upon myself to teach that fake a good lesson, scolding her harshly, as if airing your grievances for you.”

Muniang’s patently fabricated narrative left Jin Renjie speechless. He knew full well Qiao Muniang was speaking deliberately so, yet he could not well contradict her without admitting that this uncouth “imposter” was his daughter—wouldn’t that be slapping his own face?

What imposter? Qiao Muniang clearly knew it was Jin Yuanyuan, and now she was using her words to pressure him!

Jin Renjie was so furious his face reddened and his neck swelled, and seeing Muniang’s feigned innocence, he felt a fierce urge to strangle her.

Jin Yuanyuan couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out, yelling, “Qiao Muniang, it’s you who are crude! How dare you say such things about me; what right does a lowly village girl like you have to make up stories about me? Just look at you!”

Yet Muniang smiled with profound meaning, as if she was enjoying the show. Jin Yuanyuan’s outburst had fully exposed herself. Now it was clear to any discerning eye who the shrew was. She still had the audacity to claim the status of a noble daughter—were all daughters of noble families so arrogant and domineering?

Lord Jin instantly lost all face, shooting Jin Yuanyuan a glare: “Get inside! Don’t come out and make a scene!”

Jin Yuanyuan was pitifully aggrieved, “Father, she insulted me…”

“Foolish thing! Get in there!” Jin Renjie had had enough. It served his daughter right to have been bullied like that before—Qiao Muniang was sharp-tongued and full of tricks; he found her hard to deal with himself, let alone his brainless daughter.

With her eyes welling up, Jin Yuanyuan ran out, crying.

Muniang helplessly shook her head. Could the girl come up with anything new, apart from this act? Always crying!

Having made such a spectacle of himself, Lord Jin was no longer interested in matching wits with Muniang. He said sternly, “You know why you are summoned here today. I’ll say it once—both your store’s permits are in my hands. Without my approval, you can have mountains of gold and silver, but you won’t be able to get a foothold in Qinghua City!”