Free Web NovelChapter 242: Chapter 242: Stolen
Feng Shuyu’s comment, "stolen," eventually reached Qiu Tao’s ears.
Qiu Tao’s business was doing exceptionally well today. Guanwen Hall had yet to distribute its prints of the latest prize-winning poems from Ming’s Restaurant to the various bookstores, but his Hongyun Bookstore had already printed them. Not only that, they had produced a large volume and were selling it cheaply. In the beginning, only Shuxiang House in the West Market placed an order. But gradually, after the market opened, Shuxiang House was flooded with customers wanting to buy the official gazette. The bookstores that had previously hesitated soon swallowed their pride. Many contacted him directly, wanting to stock his product.
After all, if Shuxiang House was the only one on the market selling this official gazette, wouldn’t they corner the entire market in Shangjing City?
The shopkeepers of the various bookstores each had their own plans. Most figured they would first make a quick profit with the cheaper version. At worst, when Guanwen Hall started selling, they could just stock their official gazette as well. As for which one the customers chose to buy, that was entirely up to them.
While on his way to personally deliver an order, Qiu Tao couldn’t help but sneer when he heard the rumor.
The man beside him, the one who had brought him the news, was someone Feng Shuyu would have surely recognized had she been there. He had previously been seen in her family’s restaurant.
"Boss Qiu, I just overheard this. I’m telling you so you can be prepared," the man next to Qiu Tao said. "We can’t have you, the great Boss Qiu, getting stomped on by some young lady. That would really be like capsizing a ship in a gutter."
Qiu Tao scoffed, "That’s impossible." He glanced at the man beside him—Hu Jin, a fish merchant in Shangjing City. His family ran a decent-sized business with several employees, but Hu Jin himself was fond of reading. He saw himself not as a merchant, but as a scholar. Since the circles of true scholars wouldn’t accept him, he liked to mingle with bookmakers, booksellers, and those who sold the Four Treasures of the Study, as if some of their literary air might rub off on him and make him a scholar by association.
Hu Jin said, "Well, as long as you know what you’re doing, Boss Qiu."
After saying this, Hu Jin couldn’t help but mutter, "That Liufang Bookstore is such a rip-off. Selling a single official gazette for that much... Do they really think silver rains from the sky in Shangjing City?!"
It wasn’t that he was particularly fond of the official gazette, but all the scholars in Shangjing City were buying it, so naturally, he had to get a copy too. After all, if everyone was buying it, it must be something good. Even if he couldn’t appreciate it, he could still display it at home to keep up appearances.
But the official gazette came out three times a month, and that added up to a considerable sum of silver.
Besides, for the price of the gazettes, he could buy many more books. When he compared them, it really wasn’t a good deal.
Qiu Tao might have said it was impossible for him to be bested by Feng Shuyu, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t furious.
His perfectly good business had been tainted by Feng Shuyu’s words, and some people were genuinely treating it as bad luck. Just as he arrived at the last bookstore on his delivery route, he ran into someone returning the official gazette printed by his Hongyun Bookstore.
The person had clearly heard Feng Shuyu’s comment about it possibly bringing disaster. They were very timid and insisted on returning it no matter what.
Qiu Tao overheard this from outside the shop. How could he not be angry?
The person returning the item said they would rather lose their silver than keep the gazette printed by his bookstore. It sounded as if Hongyun Bookstore’s official gazette was some kind of plague to be avoided at all costs.
After finishing his deliveries, Qiu Tao turned and headed straight for Vermilion Bird Street.
At the same time, he gestured for a clerk to come over and gave him a few quiet instructions.
The clerk from Hongyun Bookstore had worked at the shop for many years. Upon hearing the instructions, he asked timidly, "W-Will this really work?"
"Why wouldn’t it? If anything goes wrong, I’ll take the blame. Just tell the Young Lady what I said. She’ll understand," Qiu Tao said.
The "Young Lady" he spoke of was, of course, the second young lady of the Hu family.
He could have gone to his own boss, but Qiu Tao knew his boss had first gotten acquainted with the young lady from the Feng family at a bookstore. Now that he wanted to deal with that woman, Feng Shuyu, it was hard to say whose side his boss would take. Only his Young Lady truly appreciated his loyalty. Everything he was doing was for the Hu family’s business; she would surely help him.
When Hu Yuwan heard a servant report that someone was outside asking for her, she furrowed her brow.
’Who could be so thoughtless as to come looking for me at a time like this?’
Lately, because of the matter with Qin Lingzhi, her father-in-law had been throwing terrible tantrums at home.
As his daughter-in-law, she had naturally borne the brunt of it.
The final verdict from the Ministry of Justice regarding Qin Lingzhi was now known throughout Shangjing City. For malicious assault in public, with heinous intent and severe consequences, Qin Lingzhi was sentenced to three years in prison.
Not only that, but the palace had also sent someone to the Qin Mansion to reprimand Qin Shiqi.
The one sitting on the Dragon Throne believed that the Qin family’s lax discipline was what had led to Qin Lingzhi’s arrogance and tyranny.
He had to receive the imperial edict and be reprimanded in public. Qin Shiqi had been utterly humiliated.
Given all that, how could he possibly have been in a good mood these past few days?
When the head of the household was in a bad mood, how could those under him have an easy time?
Even Hu Yuwan had been living with her tail between her legs. It wasn’t that she was particularly afraid of Qin Shiqi, but being scolded in front of so many servants—where was she supposed to put her face?
"Who is it?"
"I heard they’re from the Hu family."
Hu Yuwan snapped, "Of all the times to be bothering me with matters from that side! Just say I’m not feeling well and won’t be seeing any guests!"
The little maid went out to relay the message.
But before the maid could leave the room, Hu Yuwan frowned again. "Forget it," she said. "Bring the person in. I’ll hear what it’s about first."
’What if there’s an issue with the Hu family business that they can’t resolve? As a married daughter, if I can help, I should.’
’After all, her status in the Qin Mansion was tied to whether her maiden family was still thriving or had become useless.’
The person sent by Qiu Tao was quickly led to the flower hall.
When Hu Yuwan entered, she saw an unfamiliar face, and her expression darkened.
"Who do you serve? Have you no manners?" Seeing the situation, Hu Yuwan’s little maid immediately spoke up for her mistress.
The clerk Qiu Tao had sent was indeed new, which was why he had been assigned to run errands.
At the maid’s words, he immediately trembled, dropped to his knees, and blurted out everything Qiu Tao had instructed him to say.
"Young Lady, this lowly one... this lowly one is a clerk from Hongyun Bookstore. Our Shopkeeper said... he wants... wants to borrow some men from you, Young Lady. He said... he said that boss with the surname Feng is stealing business from our bookstore, and he wants to teach that Feng a lesson..."
Hearing this, Hu Yuwan couldn’t help but inwardly curse Qiu Tao for being such a blockhead.
’How could he have someone deliver a message like that about me going to teach Feng Shuyu a lesson?’
