Regardless of whether she disliked or favored Zhe Jing, Ning Chen An could not lie for her. “First come, first served. These agarwood prayer beads were indeed bought by Miss Zhan.”
“Just now, Brother Chen An and I saw a red coral longevity tree on the second floor. Unfortunately, I am short of funds. Miss Wen might be interested,” Fu Rui said loudly as he walked downstairs with Ning Chen An. His words were directed at Wen Ru Yi, but his gaze was cast towards Zhan Fei Yu.
“Young Master Ning, Young Master Fu.” Wen Ru Yi had not expected to encounter the two men at the Duo Bao Pavilion. She greeted them with a gentle smile. “For the past two days, I have been worried about not finding a suitable birthday gift. Jing’er was also impulsive because of me.”
Zhe Jing then apologized to Zhan Fei Yu. “Jing’er is straightforward. I hope Miss Zhan can forgive me for the earlier offense. As an apology, everything Miss Zhan bought at Duo Bao Pavilion today will be on my tab.”
Fu Rui raised an eyebrow and deliberately nudged Ning Chen An with his elbow. He had said that the eldest daughter of the Wen family was not simple. Tsk, tsk, these words were beautifully spoken, and the apology was also meticulously made. It was just a little too meticulous.
Zhan Fei Yu’s birthday gift to Old Madam Chang was ultimately paid for by Wen Ru Yi. So, who was considered to have sent the gift?
Ning Chen An remained silent. He had said what he needed to say, and he would not speak of what he shouldn’t.
Zhe Jing was extremely annoyed, but with Ning Chen An present, she could only suppress her anger for the time being. She could only stare fiercely at Zhan Fei Yu, thinking that this wretched girl was deliberately making her look foolish!
“Although one should not accept favors without merit, since it is Miss Wen’s apology, I shall not decline.” To everyone’s surprise, Zhan Fei Yu accepted, and judging by her beaming smile, she seemed to have no inkling of Wen Ru Yi’s malicious intent.
Wen Ru Yi was also taken aback, a flicker of contempt flashing in her eyes.
“Shopkeeper.” Zhan Fei Yu looked at Shopkeeper Bing beside her. “You heard what Miss Wen just said. Pack up these six boxes of pearls for me. Also, bring out the other gemstones in the shop. I need to pick some out to match.”
Shopkeeper Bing had seen people take advantage of situations, but he had never seen anyone like Zhan Fei Yu. After a moment of愣, he immediately signaled the shop assistants to bring out all the jade in the shop.
Rubies, agates, lapis lazuli, emeralds, green jade, white jade, black jade, yellow jade, amber, coral… In less than half an hour, Zhan Fei Yu had picked out two boxes. In fact, there was no need to pick; she just needed to select those that were large and of good color.
Shopkeeper Bing tried his best to suppress the smile on his face. This was a big sale. It didn’t matter who paid, as long as the goods were sold.
“Oh, right, shopkeeper, does the shop have any rare books?” Zhan Fei Yu looked at the paintings hanging on the wall. Although they were works by famous artists, they were hung on the first floor wall, selling for at most a hundred taels of silver.
Still buying? This was going to cost the eldest daughter of the Wen family dearly. Shopkeeper Bing dared not look back at Wen Ru Yi’s expression and was extremely impressed by Zhan Fei Yu’s courage. These items were easy to take, but what if the Wen family sought revenge afterward?
However, upon thinking that Zhan Fei Yu dared to confront Zhe Jing directly, Shopkeeper Bing felt that he was worrying unnecessarily. “The calligraphy, paintings, and rare books are all on the second floor. I’ll have them brought down now.”
“You are not allowed to go!” Zhe Jing, unable to bear it any longer, finally erupted. She pointed angrily at Zhan Fei Yu with one hand. “Don’t push your luck! Are so many things still not enough to satisfy you? Are you afraid you won’t live to spend it!”
Even though Zhe Jing never lacked jewelry, seeing Zhan Fei Yu become so insatiable, Zhe Jing was truly enraged. Six boxes of pearls and two boxes of gemstones were still not enough. Was she trying to empty the Duo Bao Pavilion?
“Does Miss Wen not have money?” Zhan Fei Yu ignored the furious Zhe Jing and smiled at Wen Ru Yi, whose expression was also displeased. “Earlier, Miss Wen spoke so magnanimously. I didn’t expect Miss Wen to be putting on a brave face when she’s broke. That’s right, after all, Miss Wen is not Zeng Zi, who could always keep his word and follow through.”
Ning Chen An, Fu Rui, and even Wen Ru Yi were well-read. Naturally, they knew the anecdote of Zeng Zi killing a pig. Although this was Zhan Fei Yu being “greedy,” the words were spoken by Wen Ru Yi. If their reputation were to be ruined because of this, both of them would be equally culpable, and neither would gain anything.
“Although I was not careful enough with my words earlier, since these words have been spoken, no matter what Miss Zhan picks today, I will pay for it.” Wen Ru Yi’s face darkened, but with her excellent composure, she did not glare at Zhan Fei Yu. “Shopkeeper, I did not bring enough money today. Please record everything Miss Zhan buys, and I will have my steward settle the bill tomorrow.”
“So Miss Wen doesn’t mind me emptying the Duo Bao Pavilion?” Zhan Fei Yu smiled. This sounded like a joke, but judging by Zhan Fei Yu’s unconventional style of doing things, she might actually do it.
Wen Ru Yi’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, tightened forcefully. At this moment, it was not Ning Chen An who felt he had gone out without checking the almanac; Wen Ru Yi truly regretted her earlier words.
“Miss Zhe, it’s best if you don’t speak. This is between Miss Wen and me. If Miss Zhe interferes, I don’t mind letting A Nuan take action. Then you will lose face in front of Young Master Ning.” As soon as Zhan Fei Yu uttered this threat, Zhe Jing’s憋屈 face turned red.
When Zhe Jing came to Duo Bao Pavilion with Wen Ru Yi today, besides the two maids serving her, she also brought a coachman and a guard, Ah Da. However, Ah Da was no match for He Nuan, and He Sheng was also “lurking” outside.
Zhe Jing was not afraid of Zhan Fei Yu, but she was afraid of losing face in front of Ning Chen An again and again.
Fu Rui looked at Zhan Fei Yu with immense admiration. “It seems this Miss Zhan is adept at striking the snake at its seven inches. Tsk, tsk, in the entire capital, I haven’t seen anyone who could make Zhe Jing so miserable.”
Ning Chen An did not want to be this “seven inches,” but he could not help but look at Zhan Fei Yu with complex eyes. Regardless of her background, this girl was definitely a tough nut to crack, unyielding to both soft and hard tactics.
“My second uncle said that at the morning court today, the Censorate almost impeached Minister Liu and caused him to lose his official position. Although Minister Ma of the Ministry of Rites interceded for him, he was still fined a year’s salary by the Emperor,” Fu Rui said in a low voice. Ning family had no one in the court, so it was difficult for Chen An to get this information immediately.
Seeing Wen Ru Yi and Zhe Jing in trouble at this moment, Fu Rui suddenly felt that it was meaningless. Miss Zhan was the one who had defeated Minister Liu in the Dali Temple courtroom. Even a dignified third-rank official of the court had to retreat in defeat. What was Wen Ru Yi’s little bit of cunning and scheming?
“Miss Wen, don’t worry. I have also read the classics for a few years, so I won’t be so greedy. I was just told that Duo Bao Pavilion has collected quite a few rare books and ancient texts, so I became interested,” Zhan Fei Yu explained with a smile. Seeing several shop assistants carrying rare books and paintings down, she casually walked over.
Unlike her casual demeanor when picking jewelry and gemstones, Zhan Fei Yu was much more attentive now. The carelessness was gone, replaced by solemnity and seriousness.
“This indeed looks like a young lady from a scholarly family,” Fu Rui said in a low voice. At this moment, as Zhan Fei Yu took the scroll, her delicate eyebrows were filled with solemnity, and her movements when unrolling the painting were even gentler. This caution showed her attitude towards ancient paintings; it was not for the sake of affectation.
Ten thousand taels!
Shopkeeper Bing now looked at Zhan Fei Yu as if she were the God of Wealth. He shouldn’t have looked down on her before! Miss Wen and Miss Zhe didn’t even spend ten thousand taels at Duo Bao Pavilion in a year.
“These agarwood prayer beads are a birthday gift, so it’s not appropriate for Miss Wen to pay for them.” As Zhan Fei Yu spoke, He Nuan immediately handed over the thousand-tael bank note.
Wen Ru Yi was furious, but her expression was calm.
As for Zhe Jing, she wanted to act unruly, but she couldn’t outwit Zhan Fei Yu with her words. If she made a move, she would be the one beaten. Moreover, Ning Chen An had been held by Fu Rui and had not left. Zhe Jing could only glare at Zhan Fei Yu with a thousand cuts in her eyes.
After He Sheng came to send everything back to the carriage, Zhan Fei Yu politely bid farewell to Wen Ru Yi and Zhe Jing, and also greeted Ning Chen An and Fu Rui before heading towards Yu Feng Lou with He Nuan, “laden with spoils.”
In the carriage, watching Zhan Fei Yu’s carriage head towards Yu Feng Lou, Fu Rui’s usual flippant demeanor vanished, and a hint of worry appeared in his phoenix eyes. “The Zhe family is not like the Wen family. After causing such a scene today, isn’t she worried at all?”
Zhe Jing was being unreasonable, and the Zhe family would protect Zhe Jing regardless of right or wrong. However, at most, the Zhe family, including Zhe San Lang, would beat her up, causing only superficial injuries.
Moreover, these people in the capital were all astute. They could see that the Zhe family intended to spoil Zhe Jing and Zhe San Lang, so the Emperor was very tolerant of the Zhe family. Even if other families were beaten, they would not stir up trouble.
But the Wen family was different. They were said to be a family of officials, and those who incurred the wrath of the Wen family had no good end. The Wen family would not act, but once they did, they would likely kill someone.
Ning Chen An glanced at his friend and did not hide anything. “Previously, when she and Zhe Jing had their first conflict at Yu Feng Lou, the Zhe family sent Cheng Wu and his men to raid Yu Feng Lou at night…”
“No, Chen An, you actually know about the Zhe family’s movements, so you’ve been keeping an eye on the Zhe family?” Fu Rui asked with a very ambiguous smile, and was not surprised to receive a punch from his friend.
Ning Chen An had to pay attention to the Zhe family’s every move to avoid being cornered by Zhe Jing as soon as he went out. Since Zhan Fei Yu could make the raiding Zhe family retreat in defeat, the Wen family would have to deploy their hidden guards, otherwise, Zhan Fei Yu’s safety would not be a concern.
…
Following Zhe Jing’s setback with Zhan Fei Yu, the news of Wen Ru Yi spending ten thousand taels of wasted money at Duo Bao Pavilion spread throughout the capital’s aristocratic families within half an hour.
Zhan Fei Yu instantly became the most unprovocable existence in the capital. Especially with the living example of Minister Liu, who was fined a year’s salary, the elders of various families had to warn their incompetent juniors not to provoke this little ancestor.
Compared to her, Zhe Jing was nothing more than a minor inconvenience; their destructive power was not on the same level.
Shuntian Prefecture Yamen.
After nightfall, the rooms were still lit. Compared to the trembling jailer Lai San kneeling below, Prefect Bai, Assistant Prefect Sun, and others who were discussing official business looked serious, while the clerks sitting below quickly took notes.
“Tomorrow, Assistant Prefect Sun will go to the Five City Patrol Command. Our Shuntian Prefecture will accompany the Five City Patrol Command on their inspection to ensure the security of the capital before and after the New Year,” Prefect Bai instructed. He then asked Tongpan Lu to mention the streets in the capital that were most prone to incidents in the past three years. More personnel would be dispatched to these locations this year.
After a little more than half an hour, everyone else had left, as it was already close to the hour of Si. Only Assistant Prefect Sun remained.
With a bang, the teacup was placed heavily on the table. Assistant Prefect Sun looked coldly at Lai San, who flinched. “You are from our Shuntian Prefecture and you know the rules of the Yamen. Will you confess yourself, or will you go to the刑房?”
“My lord, I…” Lai San opened his mouth, his face ashen, devoid of any color.
After kneeling for almost an hour, even though there was a brazier in the room, a chill spread from his kneecaps to his entire body, making Lai San unable to speak coherently.
Assistant Prefect Sun was too lazy to listen to his sophistry. He casually flipped through the few confessions in his hand and threw them on the table. “The person guarding Yao Da Min that day was arranged by Captain Qing. Only you had contact with him alone on the day Yao Da Min committed suicide.”
Because Bai Zhao Hui was involved, the Yamen did not dare to be careless, fearing that Yao Da Min would be silenced. Therefore, three people were assigned to keep a close eye on Yao Da Min. Even when Yao Da Min was sleeping or relieving himself in the prison cell, these three had to keep their eyes wide open.
On the day Yao Da Min committed suicide, the constables arrested a dandy who was molesting a civilian woman in the street. After imprisoning the person, the Ai family immediately sent people to bribe the prison, fearing that their only descendant would suffer.
“The Ai family’s steward sent roasted wine, five catties of braised meat, and ten roasted chickens. At noon, there was a problem in the kitchen. The firewood in the stove somehow went out, burning a pot of undercooked rice. You all didn’t eat much at noon…”
On a cold day, the dim prison seemed particularly cold. Coupled with not eating enough, it was both cold and hungry. When the fragrant and delicious braised meat from the restaurant arrived, the jailers felt ravenous.
Lai San was the head jailer, but there were two head jailers in the Shuntian Prefecture prison. Lai San and another head jailer, Big Beard, had always been at odds, so he let the two jailers assigned to his shift go first to eat, and then bring some back for him.
Guarding Yao Da Min was a monotonous and boring task. Yao Da Min was silent as if he were mute. Even when he was subjected to torture, he would only howl a few times. Therefore, the two jailers did not think anything would happen if they left.
If they didn’t go, Big Beard’s group would not leave even a shred of meat. Moreover, it would take less than fifteen minutes to go and come back, and they were not leaving the prison.
Lai San looked up at Prefect Bai. “My lord, I have something to say, but I can only say it to you alone.”
Seeing this, Assistant Prefect Sun did not mind. After receiving Prefect Bai’s consent, he withdrew. Only Prefect Bai and Lai San, who was still kneeling, remained in the room.
Prefect Bai’s expression was always stern, and under the candlelight, it appeared even more cold and ruthless. “What do you have to say to this official?”
“I did indeed receive money, but I only told Yao Da Min the words ‘time has come.’” Lai San dared not conceal anything. For this sentence alone, he had received a hundred taels of silver, and Yao Da Min was already dead, with no evidence to the contrary. Lai San was not afraid of anyone investigating.
Prefect Bai’s face darkened, and his sharp gaze fixed on Lai San. “Why are you confessing?”
If Lai San had stubbornly refused to confess, Prefect Bai could not have done anything to him; at most, he would have been expelled from the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen.
With this hundred taels of silver, Lai San was not at a loss. He could do some small business or find a job, and a hundred taels would be enough for his family to live a good life for seven or eight years.
Lai San lowered his head and hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I found this bank note under the window of my bedroom when I went home at noon…”
Although he was just a jailer, Lai San had been a constable a few years ago. However, during a pursuit of a criminal, he fell off his horse, and his left foot became lame, so he could only become a jailer.
But Lai San did understand some tracking and investigation methods, and coupled with the fact that the person who did this was an amateur, Lai San had indeed followed the clues and found out.
“You mean you initially planned to just take the money and not do the job?” Prefect Bai did not doubt the truth of this statement.
Whether they were jailers or constables, some of them acted no differently from street ruffians. Of course, the biggest difference was that they would not break the law.
It was understandable that Lai San took the money and did not do the job, but Prefect Bai did not understand why he eventually told Yao Da Min those four words. Lai San had been working in the Shuntian Prefecture for almost ten years, and he knew very well what consequences those words would bring.
“Yes, my family has people at home during the day. Only during meals does the whole family go to the main hall. The person who left the bank note must have sneaked into the courtyard during this time,” Lai San confessed truthfully. After receiving Prefect Bai’s permission, he stood up, supporting his knees.