HomeSheng Shi Di FeiChapter 5: Forced Trading

Chapter 5: Forced Trading

Before even entering, the commotion from inside the shop made Ye Li frown. Antique shops weren’t typically busy places – they were usually quiet and refined. Yet the voices from this shop could be heard clearly from outside.

Upon entering, they found the shop filled with various displays. The manager, dressed in luxurious silk clothing, was looking contemptuously at a young man in worn clothes. The young man appeared sickly and haggard. His otherwise handsome features appeared sallow and dry, and though his clothes were old, they were extremely clean and didn’t inspire disgust – rather, they gave off a subtle scholarly air. At the moment, the young man looked embarrassed and anxious, somewhat fidgeting as he spoke, “Manager, please look more carefully. This painting is truly an original work by Master Wu Zhikai from the previous dynasty.”

The manager glanced at the young man with disdain. “Looking at your impoverished appearance, how could you possess an original Wu… Wu Zhikai? This painting is a fake! However, our shop does accept imitations. Your copy isn’t bad – I’ll give you two hundred taels for it.”

The young man’s face flushed with anger. “You… you… Wu Zhikai was a master of the previous dynasty. Even his least valuable authentic work would be worth at least two thousand taels, possibly more with negotiation.” The manager was trying to purchase his family heirloom for one-tenth of its value. If he weren’t desperately in need of money, how could he bear to sell this painting? “This is outrageous! I won’t sell it!” The young man angrily rolled up the painting and turned to leave.

“Wait!” Seeing the young man about to leave, the manager’s eyes flashed with malice as he glared at him viciously. “I’m being generous by offering you two hundred taels! Don’t tell me this painting is stolen. Indeed, how could someone as poor as you own such a famous painting? Let’s take a trip to the authorities.”

“If you want to see the authorities, fine! I’m not afraid of you! How can you run a shop with such unreasonable practices?” the young man responded in fury.

The manager smiled contemptuously. “Reasonable? Do you know who owns this shop? Let me tell you – this is a business belonging to the Zhaoyi Consort’s family, and our Fourth Miss is about to become Prince Li’s wife. Who do you think the authorities will believe – me or a pauper like you?”

“You…”

“Young sir, I’ll take the painting. Two thousand taels,” Ye Li walked into the shop and said softly.

The two arguing parties were stunned. The young man recovered and looked at the elegant young woman before him. “You… you believe me?”

In truth, Ye Li wasn’t necessarily able to tell if the painting was genuine or fake, but she had drawn her conclusions from the reactions of the manager and the young man, as well as the flash of guilt that crossed the face of the art appraiser behind the counter. Besides, even if the painting were fake, she would buy it today!

The manager, seeing his deal interrupted by a mere girl, became furious. Noticing Ye Li’s clothing wasn’t made of expensive material and assuming she wasn’t from any significant background, he said menacingly, “Miss, you’d better not meddle in others’ affairs.”

Ye Li glanced at him and smiled faintly. “This gentleman won’t sell to you, and now I’m buying it. How is that meddling?” The manager snorted coldly, “Today, he’ll sell whether he wants to or not! Our Fourth Miss is getting married and needs some antiques and paintings for her dowry.”

Ye Li smiled coldly. “What a fine ‘must sell whether willing or not.’ Very well, I absolutely must buy it today. Qingshuang, pay him.”

Qingshuang quickly took out bank notes worth two thousand taels and stuffed them into the young man’s hands, smoothly taking the painting and saying, “Here’s your money, sir. Please leave quickly.”

The young man hesitated. “No, miss…” If he left, these two young ladies with the painting probably wouldn’t make it out of the shop. Although he desperately needed money, he couldn’t let these kinds of women come to harm. Seeing several shop assistants already blocking the door, he firmly shook his head. “I won’t sell the painting. Please return it to me, miss.”

Ye Li took the painting from Qingshuang, opened it to look, and nodded with satisfaction. “Perfect. I plan to give this ‘Clear River Moonlight View’ as a gift. Sir, just take the money and go. I want to see if there’s still any law and order here in the capital.”

“In that case, none of you are leaving!” the manager threatened.

Ye Li looked at him with amusement. “Surely you don’t dare to kill us?”

The manager’s expression stiffened as he said coldly, “Though I wouldn’t dare kill you, I can have you thrown in prison! Someone, get Madam’s calling card and take these three thieves to the authorities!”

“How dare you! Watch out or my miss will have your hands chopped off!” Qingshuang stepped in front of Ye Li, quickly subduing a shop assistant who tried to grab Ye Li and glared at the manager. “You dog of a servant, open your dog eyes and look carefully – this Shende Pavilion belongs to my young miss!”

Everyone was stunned again. The manager’s face paled slightly as he looked at Ye Li doubtfully. “You… you are…”

Ye Li looked at him steadily and said calmly, “My surname is Ye. I am the third.”

“Third Miss?” the manager exclaimed, his face immediately turning ugly.

Ye Li handed the painting scroll to Qingshuang and swept her gaze over the surrounding assistants, saying coldly, “Step back if you still want your jobs.” The assistants looked uncertainly between the manager and Ye Li before retreating to the sides.

The manager reacted quickly, hesitating only briefly before stepping forward with a fawning smile. “Third Miss, what brings you here?”

After leisurely walking around the shop, ignoring one assistant quietly slipping out the door, Ye Li turned back and asked, “The name ‘Shende Pavilion’ was personally suggested by my eldest uncle. What does ‘Shende’ mean? The manager probably doesn’t know. Master He, why don’t you explain?”

The art appraiser who had been hiding behind the counter came out trembling and said softly, “In… in response to Third Miss, the old master hoped that we who deal in antiques would emphasize moral conduct – careful speech, careful actions, careful virtue.”

“Well said. Then… what were you doing? Forcing you to buy genuine items as fakes?”

The manager argued, “Third Miss doesn’t understand business. We’re doing this for Shende Pavilion’s prosperity. Business isn’t easy these days.”

Ye Li smiled coldly. “Indeed, I may not understand business, but I know commerce relies fundamentally on trust. Without credibility, who would do business with you? Moreover… your business practices… Shende Pavilion’s accounts are showing quite dismal results.”

“I…”

Ye Li cut him off coldly. “No need to explain. You’re dismissed from now on. As for the previous accounts, the rest of you had better explain everything clearly. If you can prove you weren’t involved and wish to stay, I’ll reward each of you with fifty taels of silver. If things remain unclear, you can spend time in prison! We’ll see if your masters will bail you out!” The assistants began to hesitate – they’d all heard Third Miss was marrying Prince Ding. Now that the shop had returned to Third Miss’s hands, it would naturally become part of her dowry to Prince Ding’s household. If they confessed, they could still work at Prince Ding’s residence; if not, they’d go to prison. Moreover, fifty taels was no small sum – it equaled nearly two years of their wages.

Seeing the others wavering, the manager hurriedly called out, “Third Miss, I am Madam’s man – you have no right to dismiss me.”

Ye Li smiled faintly. “I apologize, but Shende Pavilion is mine. After you clarify the shop’s accounts, go back to wherever you came from. If you can’t explain clearly… even being Madam’s brother won’t help you. Could it be that all you Wang family members are in the habit of treating others’ possessions as your own?”

“You… you…” The manager’s face alternated between red and white.

Ye Li turned away from him to look at the young man standing there stunned. She had long known that Shende Pavilion’s manager had been replaced with Madam Wang’s youngest brother several years ago. “Sir, I apologize for the humiliation you suffered due to my poor management. Please forgive me.”

“No… it’s fine.” The young man waved his hands awkwardly, not having expected this refined and elegant young lady to be the shop’s owner. Though feeling it might be presumptuous, he couldn’t help but say, “Since Miss is Shende Pavilion’s owner, please… take good care of it. If… if I hadn’t met Miss today, I might have been wrongfully imprisoned. Given the manager’s conduct, this probably wasn’t the first time.”

Ye Li wasn’t angry and nodded with a smile. “Thank you for your advice, sir. I’ve just taken over the shop and will certainly enforce strict management. I see you’re quite attached to this painting. Please take it back with you – consider the money a loan, to be repaid at your convenience.”

The young man shook his head repeatedly, though indeed reluctant to part with this family heirloom. “I cannot accept charity. I only ask that Miss keep this ‘Clear River Moonlight View’ for two months. Within that time, I will certainly find a way to repay miss’s silver.”

Seeing his insistence, Ye Li smiled unconcernedly. “I’ll keep the painting here in the shop, and you may redeem it at any time. Qingshuang, add another hundred taels as an apology to this gentleman.”

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