Free Web NovelChapter 248: Chapter 248: Sold Off
"You ill-mannered wench!" Qin Shiqi wouldn’t strike Hu Yuwan in front of everyone, but he had no qualms about dealing with a maid. "Men! Drag this loose-tongued wench away from the Young Madam’s side and sell her off!"
At first, Hu Yuwan could endure Qin Shiqi’s rebukes without retorting. But now, hearing he was going to sell off her personal maid, she finally couldn’t hold back. Her brow furrowed, and she reached out to shield the maid behind her. "I’d like to see who dares!"
’If I can’t even protect my own maid in this mansion, how will I establish myself in the future? Who would dare to work for me?’
"Father, Ah He has grown up by my side since we were children. We are like sisters. I beg you, Father, for my sake, please don’t hold this against her," Hu Yuwan said, suppressing the disgust in her heart.
’Of course, she felt her maid had said nothing wrong. The people from Jingzhao Mansion were just taking her in for questioning; they hadn’t even convicted her of a crime yet. But her dear father-in-law, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to pin the blame on her.’
"I’m doing this for your own good. Your family background is not the best to begin with. If you keep such an ill-mannered maid by your side, she will surely drag you down in the future. It’s just a matter of selling off one maid. Afterward, I’ll have someone find a matron from the palace to come to the mansion and teach you properly." After saying this, Qin Shiqi raised his hand, and a servant boy immediately took the maid named Ah He away.
Hu Yuwan wanted to stop them, but the Patrol officers and Black Armor Guards at her side didn’t have the time to wait for her to dither.
Ah He’s arms were seized, and her wails echoed over the Qin Mansion.
’She never imagined that one indignant outburst would end up ruining her future.’
Hu Yuwan felt as if her spirit had been drained, but the thought of seeing Feng Shuyu again in the courtroom forced her to pull herself together.
The investigation into Qiu Tao’s forgery of private seals confirmed that Hu Yuwan was not involved.
However, she had failed to manage her household servants properly, nearly causing a disturbance on Vermilion Bird Street. This warranted a verbal reprimand.
Given that Feng Shuyu was unharmed and had no intention of pursuing the matter at this time, Hu Yuwan did not suffer any major punishment.
But she couldn’t get over the psychological blow. Being escorted to the courtroom and reprimanded in front of so many people... Hu Yuwan had never been so humiliated in her entire life.
BANG! The gavel finally fell, its sound seeming to strike the hearts of all the onlookers.
"Court dismissed!"
Amidst the Government Official’s shout, Qiu Tao was dragged away like a sack of mud. He had now woken from his stupor, his eyes filled with nothing but endless fear and regret.
Yang Yi and the others had only been acting under orders and had not previously participated in the forgery of the official gazette’s private seals, so they were also released on the spot.
Jingzhao Mansion still had much to do. With Qiu Tao having been severely punished, none of his accomplices at Hongyun Bookstore would escape.
Within a day, news of the incident had spread throughout all of Shangjing City.
When Ming Lingyi left Jingzhao Mansion, she suddenly realized it was long past lunchtime, and her stomach was completely empty.
"Come on, lunch is my treat today." Feng Shuyu hadn’t eaten either. Jingzhao Mansion had made the arrests swiftly, and the case was tried without any delay. She had followed the entire proceeding and had no time for lunch.
Ming Chengyu didn’t tag along. He had helped his sister write the petition, and now that she was going to have a meal with her good friend, he knew the two of them would have many private things to discuss. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to join.
Ming Chengyu made an excuse and left, soon leaving only Ming Lingyi and Feng Shuyu.
Before they boarded the carriage, Feng Shuyu caught a glimpse of Hu Yuwan in the distance.
Hu Yuwan was not in a good state. Her most capable maid had been sold off by Qin Shiqi today, and she herself had been implicated because of Qiu Tao. What was even more ridiculous was that Hongyun Bookstore was originally her brother’s business, yet in the end, the one hauled into court wasn’t her brother, but her.
’While Yang Yi and his men were certainly a factor, hadn’t her own family washed their hands of the matter a little too cleanly?’
Ming Lingyi noticed Feng Shuyu’s momentary hesitation and followed her gaze.
"Let’s go. She brought this on herself," Ming Lingyi said.
Feng Shuyu boarded the carriage after her. "I know."
"I thought you pitied her."
Feng Shuyu said, "How could I? Hongyun Bookstore has nothing to do with her. She got involved and ended up so disgraced entirely through her own actions. Besides, everyone has to take responsibility for their own behavior. If this hadn’t happened at Liufang Bookstore today, and if you hadn’t brought people with you, who knows what the men she arranged would have done to me? I know she has ill intentions toward me, so how could I possibly pity her now?"
"Then what were you thinking about?" Ming Lingyi asked, curious.
Feng Shuyu replied, "Her good days are probably over."
Ming Lingyi thought for a moment and recalled that Hu Yuwan was the Qin Family’s daughter-in-law.
’Considering Qin Shiqi’s tendency to blame everyone and everything but himself, even though Hu Yuwan got off lightly this time, she would probably face a harsh scolding from him once she returned home.’
Shaking her head, Ming Lingyi quickly put the matter out of her mind. After all, it had little to do with her.
"You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you?" Ming Lingyi asked, noticing the rather obvious dark circles under Feng Shuyu’s eyes.
Feng Shuyu nodded, then smiled at Ming Lingyi. "Busy is busy, but we’re also making a lot of Silver!"
After her divorce, she had long since lost interest in romantic notions. But during her years with the Hu family, she had fallen in love with making money.
It gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
She was happy doing what she loved, and earning money made her feel that she wasn’t inferior to anyone.
"I estimate that after today, our Guanwen Hall will dominate the market," Feng Shuyu said. "With Qiu Tao as a lesson, who would dare to forge prints in the future? It’s a crime punishable by death."
Forging the Emperor’s seal, as well as the private seals of many court officials—that was truly a serious matter.
If Qiu Tao hadn’t been so greedy and had only engraved the poems, he probably wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.
"Although our official gazette will still be sold in various shops around Shangjing City, our Liufang Bookstore has already made a name for itself. I imagine business will only get better from here," Feng Shuyu said. "In another five days, once things have calmed down a bit, my accountant will tally up the Silver. I’ll set aside those shares you mentioned then."
Ming Lingyi had previously said she wanted to give a share of the profits to the reviewers and the top three winners of the Ming’s Restaurant competition.
Feng Shuyu had no objections. They had indeed made a lot of Silver thanks to the talents of these people. Even if the individuals themselves didn’t care about the money, it was right for them to be thorough.
"I estimate everyone will get anywhere from dozens to a hundred taels of Silver," Feng Shuyu said, giving a rough estimate.
Ming Lingyi was a little surprised. "That much?"
Even for a court official, a few dozen taels could equal a year’s salary.
"And there will be more," Feng Shuyu said with a proud smile. "Once the collection is released, it will be even more."
Ming Lingyi put down her chopsticks and propped her head on her hand, unable to stop herself from smiling and nodding. "If that’s the case, I imagine even more people will want to be reviewers for Ming’s Restaurant."
Even now, many Doctors from the Imperial College were vying to be reviewers for the restaurant’s poetry competition. If word of this profit-sharing got out, then...
Ming Lingyi almost didn’t dare to imagine it.
