To show off that spending two thousand taels of silver was one thing, but demanding four thousand taels in compensation for being aggressive was another. Especially since Miss Jin, while not lacking in silver, had only brought five thousand taels with her to Huaian Prefecture, which wasn't even enough to cover the damages.
The shop assistants at Jin Yu Zhai earned only twenty taels a year. It would take an assistant two hundred years to save four thousand taels. No matter how wealthy Miss Jin was, parting with five thousand taels would still sting. Seeing Zhan Feiyu's smiling face only fueled her anger.
"You cheap girl, how dare you smile!" Jin Baozhen, her voice sharp and furious, used her height to slap at Zhan Feiyu's face.
Her skin was dark, and she detested fair-skinned young girls the most. Zhan Feiyu, in particular, had not only fair skin but also large eyes, hitting all of Jin Baozhen's most hated points. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bought the two-thousand-tael items out of competitive vanity in the first place.
Zhan Feiyu stood still. The plump shopkeeper and others thought she was scared stiff. But just as Jin Baozhen's hand reached Zhan Feiyu's face.
"Ah!" With a cry, Jin Baozhen yanked her hand back, her face pale with fright. Her fingers had almost been lost.
Waving the dagger in her hand, Zhan Feiyu smiled innocently, "A three-hundred-tael dagger, they say it can slice iron like mud. What a pity..."
"You dare..." Before she could finish her threat, seeing Zhan Feiyu point the sharp dagger at her, Jin Baozhen retreated in fear, but she didn't step on the brocade boxes on the ground.
"Ah!" Another scream. Everyone saw Jin Baozhen stumble and fall to the ground. It was estimated that her backside had been pricked by the wooden boxes, causing her to turn ashen-faced and remain motionless for a long time.
Zhan Feiyu winked at He Nuan beside her. Ah Nuan had learned bad habits, secretly playing tricks.
The plump shopkeeper looked at the scene unfolding with a speechless expression. What was all this?
The middle-aged beauty's expression also turned cold. She walked over and looked down at Zhan Feiyu, reprimanding her, "At such a young age, your heart is so malicious and cruel. Is this your upbringing and etiquette? Whose daughter are you?"
The young Jin Guixuan disdainfully pulled the fallen Jin Baozhen up. Even though he disliked his elder sister losing face, the Jin family would not tolerate being insulted by an outsider.
"Auntie," the moment the rustic address was uttered, Zhan Feiyu was not surprised to receive a glare from the beautiful woman. She didn't care and continued, "You adults are bullying the weak, taking advantage of the strong, being unrighteous despite wealth, and acting like tyrants. And you talk to me about etiquette? Auntie, no wonder you wear face powder when you go out. Your skin is truly thick!"
The plump shopkeeper suppressed a laugh and shot a warning glance at the two shop assistants beside him. When gods fight, mortals suffer! They should stay far away and not be caught in the crossfire.
"What a sharp tongue!" The beautiful woman laughed in anger, pointing at the dagger in Zhan Feiyu's hand, "Even if my niece was at fault first, you drew a knife and injured someone afterward. If Baozhen hadn't retracted her hand so quickly, all five of her fingers would have been sliced off by you!"
This was not an idle threat. No one expected Zhan Feiyu to draw a knife. Any noble lady who valued her status would not personally discipline someone; it was too demeaning. A mere glance would suffice for the attending maids and servants to act.
Even those who were less particular would only resort to actions like Jin Baozhen's. But for a delicate and adorable young girl like Zhan Feiyu to draw a knife at the slightest disagreement, that was different.
Facing the beautiful woman's accusation, Zhan Feiyu grinned shamelessly, "The one who provokes first is the one who suffers. It's their own fault for not being skilled enough."
"You slut, I'll kill you!" Jin Baozhen had never suffered such humiliation at home. She shrieked madly. If Jin Guixuan hadn't grabbed her arm, she would have rushed forward to fight Zhan Feiyu.
"According to the Great Qing Law, murder is punishable by death," Zhan Feiyu said lightly, enraging Jin Baozhen to the point of madness again.
Picking up the box containing the dagger from the ground, Zhan Feiyu looked at the plump shopkeeper hiding to the side, "I'll come back to patronize you when you have good merchandise next time. I won't disturb you with the aftermath."
"Miss..." The plump shopkeeper dared not let Zhan Feiyu leave like this. This was four thousand taels in compensation.
"Aunt, they are in cahoots. They must have seen our expressions and deliberately tried to extort us!" Jin Baozhen glared fiercely at the plump shopkeeper, "I only touched them slightly, and these boxes all fell to the ground. Are you made of tofu?"
Although doing business required amiability for profit, one could not tolerate such slander. If word got out, Jin Yu Zhai would have to close its doors. The plump shopkeeper's face darkened, "Miss, please speak cautiously. Jin Yu Zhai has been in Huaian Prefecture for three generations and has always been honest with everyone. Miss, you broke something, and even if it went to court, you would still have to pay!"
"Fine, let's go. Am I afraid of going to court? Chu..." Before Jin Baozhen could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by the beautiful woman.
Looking at Zhan Feiyu, who was minding her own business, and the shopkeeper, who was taking a strong stance, the beautiful woman said coldly, "The items were broken due to the fault of all three of you. It's unreasonable to make Baozhen pay alone. Since it's four thousand taels, we will compensate fifteen hundred taels!"
The beautiful woman adopted a condescending attitude, as if they were taking a huge loss by paying fifteen hundred taels.
"I won't pay. If we have to go to court, then let's go to court," Zhan Feiyu spoke first, not forgetting Jin Baozhen's slip of the tongue with "Chu" just now. Did she know Prefect Chu? Such arrogant and overbearing behavior was not typical of an official family, but more like merchants, especially since they could produce bank notes worth several thousand taels at a moment's notice.
Jin? Zhan Feiyu was not familiar with the noble families of the Great Qing Dynasty, let alone the powerful local clans. However, she had some impression of the surname Jin. Previously, when the new salt production involved salt merchants, Zhan Feiyu recalled that among the four major salt merchants, there was a Jin surname. She just didn't know if the three people in front of her were from the Jin family.
The plump shopkeeper was also firm. Jin Yu Zhai was a century-old shop, and as the largest antique shop in Huaian Prefecture, it certainly had some connections with the yamen. Moreover, the shopkeeper was in the right.
"In that case, we can only go to the yamen," the plump shopkeeper said coldly, beckoning two shop assistants over. "Pack up the items, and we'll go to the yamen!"
Jin Baozhen, enduring the pain in her backside, gave Zhan Feiyu a malicious smile, "You wait to eat prison food!"
On her first day in Huaian Prefecture, due to the incident at Xinglong Inn's courtyard, Zhan Feiyu had already made a day trip to the prefectural yamen. She wasn't afraid at all and grinned, "Miss Jin, you'd better worry about yourself. You're already old, and if you spend a few days in prison, you'll only be an old maid in the Jin family from now on."
Even though the Great Qing Dynasty allowed women to study and go out, Neo-Confucianism was still the orthodox ideology. When Prefect Zhang's only daughter, Zhang Guantong, wanted to study at an academy, Madam Zhang threatened to commit suicide, hindering her.
If Jin Baozhen truly went to court, regardless of the reason, it would harm her reputation. Families that valued strict rules would never consider her as a candidate for a daughter-in-law.
"You'd better worry about yourself!" Jin Baozhen, confident of victory, smiled smugly, anticipating Zhan Feiyu's miserable fate.
Normally, ordinary litigation cases would be handled by Investigator Sun, and the plump shopkeeper had some acquaintance with Investigator Sun. He glanced at Jin Baozhen and the other two getting into the carriage and quietly confided in Zhan Feiyu, "Miss, you don't need to worry. Just tell the truth when you get to the yamen."
"Thank you for the advice, shopkeeper. I've noted it," Zhan Feiyu nodded, then changed the subject, "How about I pick out two more items later? Can you give me a discount?"
Speaking of which, Zhan Feiyu was also an innocent victim. Who would willingly go to the yamen, especially a young lady? Zhan Feiyu going through this was considered giving face to the plump shopkeeper. After all, although the conflict started because of Zhan Feiyu, the stack of boxes was in the shopkeeper's hands, and Jin Baozhen was the one who pushed. It was perfectly reasonable for Zhan Feiyu not to go to the yamen.
The plump shopkeeper was surprised that Zhan Feiyu was still thinking about bargaining at this moment. He gritted his teeth and agreed, "Alright, when you come back, if you like anything, this old man won't make a single tael of profit selling it to you."
...
A moment later, the Huaian Prefecture Prison.
Zhan Feiyu looked at the dim prison, emanating a foul odor, and asked, "Aren't I a witness? Why am I being sent to prison?"
"Shut up!" the jailer roared, tapping the cell door warningly with his saber. "Get inside, all of you. If you talk any more nonsense, don't blame me for being rude!"
"Oh, why are there two young ladies arrested?" Wang Er chuckled, his lecherous gaze appraising Zhan Feiyu and He Nuan, finally settling on He Nuan.
Huaian Prefecture had good public security. If a woman committed a crime, she would generally be caned in court or fined with silver. If it were a major case involving a female prisoner, there was a separate cell next to the prison, and the yamen had specialized matrons responsible for custody.
The matron in charge of the female prisoners, Liu Po, was a solitary but upright person. If Zhan Feiyu, who was imprisoned without reason, were sent to Liu Po, she would definitely find the constable and ask for a clear explanation. Therefore, she could only be temporarily held here.
"Open the cell door," the jailer waved his hand at Wang Er.
Several jailers immediately understood. These two were brought in by Assistant Prefect Wu. Well, they didn't know how these two had offended Lord Wu.
Zhan Feiyu and He Nuan walked in. The cell door slammed shut and was locked again. Several jailers strode away.
Zhan Feiyu looked at the straw on the ground, estimating it was fresh straw from the autumn harvest. Seeing that it was still clean, Zhan Feiyu sat down with a plop. "If I hadn't met Prefect Chu, I would suspect he had a grudge against my teacher. Isn't this just personal revenge?"
"That Miss Jin has connections in the yamen, and her position is probably not low," He Nuan, despite knowing about corrupt officials, had never seen such malicious retaliation.
Miss Jin and the other two had left in the carriage first. Zhan Feiyu and the plump shopkeeper had walked. Jin Yu Zhai was only three streets away from the Huaian Prefecture Yamen, a walk of less than fifteen minutes.
But as soon as they reached the yamen gate, the plump shopkeeper learned from a constable that Investigator Sun had taken leave. Before the plump shopkeeper could ask further questions, four fierce yamen runners approached. Without a word, they were about to escort Zhan Feiyu into the prison.
Seeing their ferocious and unreasonable demeanor, if Zhan Feiyu dared to resist, the four yamen runners could have killed her on the spot.
"Since we are here, let us accept it," Zhan Feiyu smiled indifferently. With the temptation of five hundred thousand taels of silver, the court would surely send people soon.
As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. The Liu family, imperial merchants, should not be underestimated. Ten thousand taels of silver is not a small amount. Moreover, Prefect Chu's relationship with the Liu family must be quite good, and it would be difficult to collect the silver then. Officials are best at playing the blame game.
Zhan Feiyu looked at the dim prison and couldn't help but smile. As the saying goes, it's easy to invite Buddha but hard to send him away. Once she was in prison, Prefect Chu would not be able to play both sides or favor the Liu family.
"When Ah Sheng arrives, tell him to bribe the jailer and bring my books in," Zhan Feiyu instructed He Nuan.
"Miss, do you plan to stay long?" He Nuan looked at Zhan Feiyu in surprise. When she was sent by Master Qi, Miss's living conditions, although not luxurious, were similar to those of ordinary wealthy young ladies. But this prison?
It wasn't that He Nuan couldn't endure hardship, but she truly couldn't bear to see Zhan Feiyu suffer. The prison had no place to sleep, no blankets, only rough straw to sleep on. As for food, it was even worse: either coarse and throat-scraping or stale and spoiled.
He Nuan had wanted to leave Huaian Prefecture as soon as possible because she could only eat vegetarian food at the inn. But now, even clean vegetarian food was gone.
"I estimate it will be about half a month," Zhan Feiyu calculated the time. Seeing He Nuan frown, she smiled, "Don't worry. Staying here is at least quiet, saving the Liu family from coming to bother us again."
Earlier, Liu Hejin had visited late at night. Although it was fruitless, the fifty thousand taels of silver involved would surely prompt action from the Liu family. Staying at Xinglong Inn would undoubtedly be a constant disturbance. Zhan Feiyu felt that the prison was better, at least it was quiet, and with enough money, she wouldn't lack food or drink.
After Zhan Feiyu and He Nuan were taken away by the yamen runners, the plump shopkeeper became a little flustered. However, he couldn't find Investigator Sun. The plump shopkeeper slipped a ten-tael silver ingot into Wang Er's hand, "That young lady, although from out of town, is not short of money. She spent four thousand taels at my shop earlier."
Wang Er was stunned for a moment. Four thousand taels? He suddenly felt that the ten taels he had just received in his pocket were not as appealing. The young lady looked no different from his niece, just fairer and prettier. She spent four thousand taels in one go.
"Please trouble the constable to make some arrangements," the plump shopkeeper decided to go all out and slipped another hundred-tael bank note to Wang Er.
"Alright, don't worry. They only ordered to keep the young lady locked up, not to torture her," Wang Er accepted the bank note, but this bank note was not for him alone. He also had to get some blankets and food for Zhan Feiyu, and the remaining jailers would share it.
After the plump shopkeeper left, Wang Er immediately found the jailer and handed over the hundred-tael silver note, "Ma Laotou, many people have come to Huaian Prefecture these past few days. Could that young lady inside have a significant background?"
Because of Liu Hefeng's funeral, the outsiders in Huaian Prefecture filled all the restaurants and inns. Latercomers had to pay to stay in people's homes. Although most of those who interacted with the Liu family were merchants, there were also some sons of officials. For example, Qiu Dingsi and Zhang Changsong, their fathers found it inconvenient to appear due to their status, so they sent their children to Huaian Prefecture for the memorial service.
The jailer nodded understandingly. They were just pawns. When orders came from above, they could only obey. If anything went wrong, they, the small figures, would be pushed out to take the blame.