Free Web NovelChapter 244: Chapter 244: Making a Move
’Selling them just brings more glory to their Liufang Bookstore, doesn’t it?’
Feng Shuyu wished there were more people like that. So what if Qiu Tao was up to his little tricks behind the scenes? The more of these second-hand dealers there were and the higher their success rate, the better. She could already picture how the official gazettes in her bookstore would soon be snatched up by eager customers.
That was an effect Qiu Tao could never achieve, no matter how many forgeries he produced.
Rarity creates value. The copies in Qiu Tao’s hands were all inferior goods. Who would want to collect second-rate items?
Just as Feng Shuyu was thinking this, a furious roar suddenly erupted from outside Liufang Bookstore—
"You, with the surname Feng! Get the hell out here!"
Feng Shuyu’s hands finally paused.
However, she was not about to obediently stand up and walk out.
Just from the sound of his voice, Feng Shuyu knew who it was.
"Go outside and see what’s happening. If things look bad, go report it to the authorities," Feng Shuyu instructed the person beside her.
Never mind Qiu Tao bellowing outside; even if he were kowtowing and begging her to come out, she wouldn’t grant him the courtesy. Besides, under these circumstances, why would she go out to meet a madman who only knew how to make a scene?
The bookstore’s manager quickly ran out. A crowd of onlookers had already gathered at the entrance.
After all, Qiu Tao hadn’t come alone. He had joined up with Yang Yi, and a large, rowdy crowd trailed behind them.
The manager of Liufang Bookstore was an amiable-looking old man. Seeing the situation, he couldn’t help but furrow his heavily wrinkled brow. "Ah, Manager Qiu. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit to our Liufang Bookstore? And bringing so many people... are you here to cause trouble?"
Qiu Tao sneered when he saw who it was. "Why did they send an old man like you out? Where’s your boss? Tell the one surnamed Feng to come out! I have some questions for her!"
Though the manager of Liufang Bookstore was old and usually had a kind and gentle demeanor, anyone who could run a bustling shop on Vermilion Bird Street for Feng Shuyu was no incompetent fool.
Hearing Qiu Tao’s words, Manager Xia’s eyes narrowed slightly. "My boss is not someone you can see just because you want to, Manager Qiu. Whether in the past or now, our boss has always been the master."
The meaning was clear: how could a master possibly come out to meet a servant?
Manager Xia’s words were just short of a direct slap to Qiu Tao’s face.
It took Qiu Tao a moment to process this, finally realizing the insult amidst the roaring laughter of the onlookers.
His face instantly flushed a dark, furious red.
Manager Xia stroked his beard and smiled, a sharp glint in his eyes. "If Manager Qiu wishes to discuss business, this old man will gladly accompany you. But if you’re here to make trouble..." He gestured with his sleeve toward the burly men behind Qiu Tao. Though the household servants from the General Mansion were in plain clothes, anyone could tell they were not ordinary men. "Vermilion Bird Street is a vital part of Shangjing City. To act like this, Manager Qiu, is a bit too brazen."
Qiu Tao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He suddenly pointed at the stacks of official gazettes inside the bookstore. "Your bookstore charges several silver for a single-page gazette! I can’t stand by and watch this kind of business. The gazettes from our bookstore are high-quality and affordable, yet your boss claims we’ll be sued by the government! If that isn’t slander and troublemaking, what is?!"
The more Qiu Tao spoke, the more he felt he was in the right. There was no reason to be intimidated by this old man in front of him.
"I came here today for an explanation! Those were Feng’s words, weren’t they? What, she’s just a woman, after all—all that long hair and no sense. Does she have the guts to say it but not admit it?" Qiu Tao shouted, trying to bait her out.
"How curious." Manager Xia clapped his hands, unfazed by the taunts. "Peddlers and hawkers buy and sell of their own free will. What has that to do with Liufang? As for the official gazettes you’ve forged, Manager Qiu..." He suddenly lowered his voice. "They bear the private seals of various lords, and even that of the Holy Emperor. Do you truly not understand the problem here? To say nothing of the others, just take Lord Gongsun of our own Jingzhao Mansion. You forged the lord’s private seal. Is that not a serious offense? My boss was merely offering a well-intentioned reminder, not slandering you."
The crowd of onlookers erupted in an uproar.
Forging the private seal of a Lord Governor certainly didn’t sound like a minor matter.
Manager Xia’s words were like a poison-tipped silver needle, striking right at Qiu Tao’s vital point.
"Slander!" The veins on Qiu Tao’s forehead bulged as he lurched half a step forward. "You, with the surname Xia! Today, either Feng Shuyu comes out and gives me an explanation, or..." He gave a sinister smile, then suddenly swung his arm and swept an inkstone from the outdoor counter to the ground.
Ink splattered like spilled blood, instantly staining a large patch of Manager Xia’s robes black.
"Or what?" The old man didn’t move an inch, merely sighing as he looked at the ink stain on his shoes. "A pity about that fine pine smoke ink."
Qiu Tao was utterly enraged by this calm demeanor. He took three steps back and roared at the men behind him, "What are you waiting for?! Smash it all for me—!"
The burly men lunged forward like ravenous wolves. The onlookers, clearly not expecting such a turn of events, cried out in alarm.
However, before the men could reach Manager Xia, a troop of officers arrived. Though they hadn’t yet physically blocked Qiu Tao’s men, their voices brought them to a halt.
"What do you think you’re doing! Jingzhao Mansion is conducting official business! All unauthorized personnel, stand back!"
An angry shout came from not far away, and the household servants from the General Mansion, brought by Yang Yi, all froze.
And the one leading them was none other than Ma Dali.
When Ming Lingyi and Ming Chengyu went to the Jingzhao Mansion to report the crime today, they had run into Ma Dali on duty. Hearing that they were going out to make an arrest, Ma Dali had eagerly volunteered.
He was already quite familiar with Ming Lingyi and had even chatted with her for a bit on the way. It was nothing serious; he just kept asking when the Ming Family Restaurant would be opening.
After the group went to Hongyun Bookstore and failed to catch their man, they followed a lead. Just as they turned onto Vermilion Bird Street, they saw a crowd of people running toward Liufang Bookstore.
Faintly, they could hear the voices of passersby—
"Hurry to Liufang Bookstore! I hear a fight broke out!"
"Something about those official gazettes, I think. Someone’s causing trouble for Liufang Bookstore. If we’re late, we’ll miss the show."
As soon as Ming Lingyi heard this, she had a bad feeling.
She just had a feeling that something had happened to Feng Shuyu.
The one causing trouble right now was probably Qiu Tao.
She mentioned it to Ma Dali, who immediately led his men and raced toward Liufang Bookstore.
Their timing was perfect.
Ma Dali spotted the leader, Qiu Tao, at a glance. The man must have lived well these past few years; his girth made him particularly conspicuous.
As the leader of the small squad, Ma Dali leaped forward and seized Qiu Tao before he even had a chance to react.
Although Yang Yi had been sent by Hu Yuwan to help Qiu Tao, he knew when to advance and when to retreat.
In a situation like this, he never would have imagined that simply coming to cause trouble for Liufang Bookstore would actually attract people from the Jingzhao Mansion.
Clashing head-on with government officials at a time like this would mean he had lost his mind.
Yang Yi had just signaled his men to retreat when, to his surprise, the newly arrived Ming Lingyi shouted, "These rioters, these criminals who threaten the peace of Shangjing City—don’t let a single one of them get away!"
Hearing this, Yang Yi nearly ground his teeth to dust.
’Criminals who threaten the peace of Shangjing City? What a heavy accusation!’
