Flames of Ambition

32: Making fool of his self

Chapter 32: Making a Fool of Himself

"Jie-jie, Mei-mei..." Tears streamed down Fan Qingyou’s face as she looked at them. She appeared so pitiful that anyone who hadn’t witnessed the whole scene might have sympathized with her.

"This sister was wrong. Please return to our family. Sister Yaoli, I’m sorry for falling in love with the Crown Prince. You can slap me, scold me, or even beat me—just don’t blame them,” she cried and cried, but no one sympathized with her. Everyone had seen how she deliberately let herself fall.

No one sympathized, except for the Crown Prince and the Fan Family.

"You! How could you push your sister? She’s so kind and gentle, and she even wants the two of you to return to the Fan Family!" Feng Guan Xi suddenly shouted.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, it must be a misunderstanding. Miss Fan Qingyou fell before she even reached them. Everyone here saw it, right?” someone from the crowd said.

The people all nodded. They had seen the truth with their own eyes. They pitied the two sisters, now without backing, as they watched Fan Qingyou slander them.

Fan Qingyou immediately stood up and hid behind Fan Xuan Yan. Her head was lowered in apparent shame. She didn’t consider the people around her—only the Crown Prince and her father.

The Prime Minister stared coldly at the man who had spoken up.

“Are you saying my daughter deliberately fell and hurt herself just to frame these insignificant people?” Fan Xuan Yan asked coldly.

The man said nothing further, too afraid to offend the Prime Minister. But the damage had already been done. Fan Qingyou’s once gentle and kind image was shattered in the hearts of those watching.

Many vowed to warn their daughters not to befriend her again. If she could frame her own sisters, what might she do to outsiders? Naturally, no one wanted to invite trouble.

As the auction drew to a close, people began to line up to claim their items and pay the amounts they had previously bid. But the Crown Prince, wanting to be high-profile and show off, decided to act first.

Just like earlier, he assumed that ZUG Company had “given him face” by letting him win the Full Armor Thunder Attribute.

“I’d like to collect my armor first,” Feng Guan Xi said arrogantly. Shopkeeper Lan immediately brought the armor for him to see.

Feng Guan Xi handed him a jade token from the Cang Qian Bank, flashing a proud expression. That jade held 1 billion gold coins, so he didn’t even consider the possibility that something might be wrong. He thought he had only bid 3.6 million gold coins, so he expected to save a lot of money.

Whispers and admiration filled the room as people gossiped about the Crown Prince’s wealth, further elevating his image.

The shopkeeper accepted the jade and checked its contents. His brows furrowed.

“Your Highness, the content of your jade is insufficient to cover the amount you bid,” the shopkeeper carefully explained, not wanting to offend him.

“What do you mean it’s not enough? That jade contains 1 billion gold coins! That should be more than enough for my bid!” Feng Guan Xi snapped irritably.

“Brother, the Full Armor Thunder Attribute was auctioned using Big Gold Coins. Even if you have 1 billion gold coins, you’re still short 2.6 billion if you want to convert it into Big Gold Coins. The shopkeeper repeated the rule four times before the bidding started,” Feng Ming Li explained calmly.

The Crown Prince and the Fan Family all paled in horror.

By that time, those in the office had already begun to ridicule the Crown Prince in secret for being so careless and arrogant.

It was then that Feng Guan Xi remembered what had happened upstairs. He stared coldly at Fan Qingyou, who suddenly looked terrified. She realized that he had missed the announcement because he’d been too focused on comforting her.

Now it made sense—why everyone else had been bidding so conservatively when the auction started.

“We cannot give you the item unless you pay the full amount, Crown Prince. It is a rule in all Auction Houses across the Pingjing Country. Please don’t make things difficult for this old man, Your Highness,” Shopkeeper Lan said, trying to avoid the Crown Prince’s piercing gaze as sweat began to form on his forehead.

“What’s wrong, Big Brother? Don’t you have enough money? Then why did you bid so high?” Feng Ming Li said mockingly, his tone laced with sarcasm, and his smirk only deepened the Crown Prince’s humiliation.

“Are you going to claim it was the Auction House’s fault that you didn’t hear the announcement? Was something more important than listening to the rules?” he added, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Feng Guan Xi’s face darkened with rage.

“Brother, there are still many people waiting to collect their items. Would you mind giving way?” Feng Ming Li asked, maintaining his amused expression.

At that moment, the Crown Prince regretted everything. He should have backed off once ZUG Company raised their bid. He should have let them have the armor. But now, it was too late.

He had no choice but to instruct one of his subordinates to inform the Empress. After a while, another jade was delivered, containing 2.6 billion Big Gold Coins—just enough to cover his mistake.

And that was how the Crown Prince acquired the armor—through humiliation and at a massive cost.

Feng Zhengying smirked as he watched Feng Guan Xi’s silhouette disappear into the distance.

"I'm sure they suffered a huge loss over that armor. Who told them not to listen?" he said casually.

“You were right, Miss Fan. There really was entertainment to be found here,” Feng Ming Li added with a chuckle. The Crown Prince had been the last to claim his item.

And soon enough, what had happened spread all throughout the Capital. Now, Fan Qingyou and Feng Guan Xi were famous—but for all the wrong reasons.

They had become the talk of the city, their names whispered in every noble and commoner's home.

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1: Cang Qian (藏錢) -Hiding Money

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