"My lady, we are innocent!"
The shopkeepers kowtowed with frantic urgency. If they had known their businesses were now assigned to Her Ladyship, they would never have dared to disregard her or withhold their account books and the past year's earnings from the Fourth Miss, even if they had the courage of a leopard.
"Innocent?"
Nan Shiying's voice was laced with a subtle chill, her aura growing sharper and more formidable. The pressure she exerted made the shopkeepers' legs tremble, their bodies weakening to the point of collapse.
They babbled explanations in a frenzy, each desperate to speak first, fearing that a moment's delay would result in them being thrown to the dogs.
Their voices intertwined, a chaotic cacophony rising and falling.
"Silence! Whoever Her Ladyship permits to speak shall speak!"
Lü Wan stepped forward, pointing at their noses and scolding them loudly. The shopkeepers immediately fell silent, none daring to utter another word.
"You, you speak!"
Lü Wan pointed to one of the shopkeepers, motioning for him to begin.
"My lady, I am truly wronged. No one at the manor informed me that Huiling Zhai had been allocated to Your Ladyship. If I had known Huiling Zhai was included in Your Ladyship's dowry, I would not have dared to defy you, even if given a hundred thousand chances!"
The shopkeeper of Huiling Zhai spoke with utter trepidation, tears and snot streaming down his face. He seemed ready to bare his heart to prove his innocence.
Huiling Zhai was a fabric shop on Changling Street.
Its wares were the most fashionable of the time, catering to the upper-class ladies and noble daughters of the capital. Though foot traffic was not heavy, the high prices compensated; even cheaper fabrics cost two taels per chi.
Nan Shiying tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her eyes half-closed, remaining silent.
Her silence only amplified the shopkeeper's fear. Those brought into the Prince's manor rarely left unscathed; some were carried out, others reduced to puddles of flesh and bone. To leave intact was considered a miracle.
He felt unjustly accused, more wronged than Dou E. What if Her Ladyship refused to believe him?
The more he thought, the more terrified he became, and the more his fear turned to resentment.
Those damned people in the manor, those damned stewards, that damned Fourth Miss. The Fourth Miss had been so quick to take the money, and then during the audit, she'd spoken of diminished profits. What concern were profits to her? This was Her Ladyship's shop!
The thought of the silver he had delivered to the manor at the beginning of the year made him tremble with rage.
When gods fought, the lesser beings suffered.
Why did no one in the manor care about their lives?
"My lady, my lady, everything I say is the truth, Your Ladyship. If I have uttered a single falsehood, may lightning strike me down and leave me with no burial place!"
He raised three fingers towards the heavens, swearing an oath. His face contorted as if he were enduring unimaginable torment.
Seeing the shopkeeper of Huiling Zhai both explain and invoke dire curses, the other three shopkeepers grew uneasy. Fearing they would be left behind, they too began to swear their own oaths.
"My lady, it is as Shopkeeper Liu said, we truly had no knowledge. If there is any falsehood in my words, may I die a terrible death."
"...May my entire family die a terrible death."
"...May my entire lineage be annihilated."
The curses became increasingly severe. Lü Wan glanced at Nan Shiying, observing the four shopkeepers vying to outdo each other with their imprecations.
Under normal circumstances, had they known the shops belonged to Her Ladyship, even if they did not revere her, they would have feared the Prince's reputation and dared not court death so carelessly. However, since the Nan manor had included these shops in Her Ladyship's dowry, there was no reason for them not to have been informed, unless... unless the Nan manor never intended to give the properties to Her Ladyship.
Lü Wan recalled that Her Ladyship had married as a substitute for Nan Yuan'er. This meant that the Nan manor had intended from the outset for Her Ladyship to die on her wedding night. If Her Ladyship perished, her dowry would be returned to the Nan manor.
Nan Chaoyin's calculations were truly cunning!
Nan Shiying sat serenely on her elevated seat. Since the shopkeeper of Huiling Zhai had spoken, she had not uttered another word. Her fingers continued to tap the table, producing a soft "dada da" sound that echoed in the room. Each tap felt like a weight placed upon the shopkeepers' backs, pressing down until they could barely breathe.
"These treacherous and deceitful servants should be dragged away and beheaded!"
Ji Jinmo, dressed in his court attire, strode in. He had evidently heard something, for before he even entered, his chillingly murderous roar preceded him into the room.
His presence exuded an aura of battle, as if he had traversed mountains of corpses and hells of demons. Even seasoned soldiers felt their hearts pound in terror before such a Ji Jinmo, let alone these shopkeepers. With a series of "plop" sounds, they collapsed onto the ground, their bodies limp like four puddles of mud, unable to even utter a plea for mercy.