HRPM – Chapter 68 Winning Over the Fourth Prince (4)

Xiao Yu couldn’t help but look at Jin Luoluo in a new light.

He knew very well that a person’s worth is best judged by their opponents. If Zhu Jiu regarded Jin Luoluo as a formidable rival, then it could only mean she was no simple character—and certainly hadn’t risen to fame by mere luck.

A faint smile curved Xiao Yu’s lips. A charming, clever young woman, breathtakingly beautiful, yet utterly indifferent to her own looks—proud, bold, and straightforward. Her beauty alone was dazzling.

That alone would have made her captivating, yet she was a woman who constantly surprised people.

Most women were gentle and virtuous, refined in both appearance and temperament.

But she had carved out a powerful name for herself in the business world alone, with a sharp mind that rivaled any man’s. The name “Jin Luoluo” had already become a legend in Chuyun.

Perhaps she herself was a legend filled with countless secrets. A woman like that held a peculiar attraction for him.

A man who had always treated women as mere playthings was, for the first time, placing a woman on equal footing—genuinely wanting to understand her better.

“Your Highness, what you don’t know is that Jin Luoluo is aware her quality can’t match our Zhu family’s. So she puts great effort into clothing designs, creating all kinds of strange and unusual styles as selling points to attract customers. The common people crave novelty, so they flock to buy them, and that’s how she made her name. Now her momentum is overwhelming, and with her family being the richest in the land, she will surely bid high. How can I possibly compete with her?”

Seeing Xiao Yu fall into thought with a smile on his lips, Zhu Jiu assumed the prince was inclined to help him, and thus spoke even more harshly against Jin Luoluo.

Xiao Yu thought to himself: Do you take the people for fools, unable to tell good from bad? Reputation isn’t built on a few gimmicks.

It seemed Zhu Jiu’s business had been hit hard by Jin Luoluo, to the point that he was willing to spend heavily to bribe him.

But he, Xiao Yu, was no short-sighted, corrupt official.

His father had entrusted him with overseeing this bidding process as a test of both his ability and his integrity. Naturally, he would perform well and earn his father’s favor—after that, wealth and honor would come easily.

Xiao Yu’s expression darkened as he sternly rebuked him, “Zhu Jiu, do you take me for someone who accepts bribes? By daring to act this way, you have already violated my rules. I don’t care what methods you used in the past to win the Imperial Household contracts, but this time, if you wish to pass my scrutiny, it will depend on whether you truly have the ability.”