Forced buying and selling in the imperial capital

  Coercive buying and selling

  Before entering the door, the noise in the store made Ye Li frown. The antique shop was not a place where people came and went, it was usually quiet and elegant, but the sound in this store could be heard clearly before entering.

  As soon as he entered the door, the shop was indeed filled with treasures. The shopkeeper, dressed in a luxurious brocade, looked at a young man with worn-out clothes with a face full of disdain. The young man's face was pale and haggard, his complexion sallow and dry, but his features were still quite handsome. Although his clothes were old, they were clean and didn't look dirty, giving off a faint air of refinement. At this moment, however, the young man looked embarrassed and anxious, with a hint of unease, "Shopkeeper, take another closer look. This painting is indeed a genuine work by Wu Zikai of the previous dynasty."

  The shopkeeper looked at the man with a face of disdain and said, "Looking at your poor appearance, how could you possibly have a genuine Wu... Wu Zhi's masterpiece? This painting is clearly a fake! However, our store also collects imitations. Your imitation is not bad, I'll give you two hundred taels for it."

  The man's face turned red with anger, "You...you..." Wu Zhi-kai was a master of the previous dynasty, and an authentic work would be worth at least 2,000 taels, if not more. This shopkeeper actually wanted to buy his family heirloom for one-tenth of its value. If he wasn't really in need of money, how could he bear to sell this painting so cheaply? "How dare you! I won't sell it!" The man angrily rolled up the scroll and turned to leave.

  "Wait!" The shopkeeper's eyes flashed with malice as he glared at the man, "The 200 taels I gave you were just to save face! This painting couldn't have been stolen by you, could it? It figures, looking at your shabby appearance, how could you possibly own such a famous painting? Let's take a trip to the government office!"

  "You're just a shopkeeper, how can you be so unreasonable! I'm afraid you won't make it!" the man exclaimed in anger.

  The shopkeeper sneered, "Reason? Do you know whose family this store belongs to? Let me tell you, this is the business of the Imperial Concubine's household. Our Fourth Miss is about to become the Princess of Li Wei. Tell me, would the officials believe me or a poor scholar like you?"

  "You..."

  "This young master, I'll take this painting for 2,000 taels." Ye Li said softly as she walked into the store.

  The two people who were still arguing suddenly froze. The man reacted and saw the elegant woman in front of him, saying: "You... do you believe me?"

  Actually, Ye Li may not be able to tell whether the painting is genuine or fake. It's just that from the reactions of the shopkeeper and the man, as well as the fleeting look of guilt on the face of the appraiser behind the counter, she drew her conclusion. Besides, even if the painting were fake, she would have bought it today anyway!

  The shopkeeper was furious when he saw that the deal had been disrupted by a young girl. He looked at Ye Li's clothes and saw that they were not expensive, so she must not be from a wealthy family. He said in a sinister tone: "Miss, it's best if you don't interfere with other people's business." Ye Li glanced at him and smiled lightly: "This gentleman didn't want to sell to you, but now I've bought it. How is that interfering?" The shopkeeper snorted coldly: "Today, whether we buy or not, we must buy! Our family's fourth miss is getting married and we need some antiques and paintings as dowry."

  Ye Li sneered, "Good one, even if you don't want to sell, you have to sell. It just so happens that I must buy it today. Qingfeng, give me the money."

  Qing Frost's quick hands took out two thousand taels of silver tickets and stuffed them into the man's hand, taking the painting with a smile: "Young master, here is your money, hurry up and leave."

  The man hesitated and said, "No way, two girls..." If he left, the two girls holding the painting would probably not be able to leave the store. Although he urgently needed money, he couldn't harm the two kind-hearted women. Looking at several partners who had already blocked the door, the man firmly shook his head and said, "I won't sell this painting anymore, please return it to me, girls."

  Ye Li took the painting from Qingfeng's hand, opened it and looked at it with a satisfied nod and smiled: "Just right, this 'Clear River Looking at the Moon' is what I want to give as a gift. Sir, take your money and leave. I'd like to see if there's still any justice under the emperor's feet."

  "In that case, none of you will leave!" The shopkeeper threatened.

  Ye Li looked at him with a smile, "Don't tell me you dare to kill us?"

  The shopkeeper's face was stiff, and he said coldly, "Although I don't dare to kill you, I can take you to the government office to sit in prison! Come on, bring Madame's name card, and take these three thieves to the government office!"

  "How dare you! Be careful, or I'll chop off your paws!" Qingfeng stepped in front of Yueli and knocked down one of the men who was trying to grab her. Glaring at the shopkeeper, she shouted: "You dog slave, open your eyes wide and take a good look - this Shen De Xuan is my family's young mistress'!"

  Everyone was stunned again, and the shopkeeper's face turned slightly pale, looking at Ye Lian with some suspicion, "You... you are..."

  Ye Li looked at him steadily and said calmly: "My surname is Ye, given name San."

  "Third Miss?" The shopkeeper exclaimed in a loud voice, his face suddenly turning ugly.

  Ye Li handed the painting to Qingfeng, glanced at the surrounding partners and said in a cold voice: "Don't you want to leave? Don't you want to do it?" The partners looked at each other, then at Ye Li, who retreated to one side.

  The shopkeeper's reaction was not slow, and after hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward with a smile and said: "Third Miss, how did you come?"

  Leisurely walking around the store, Ye Li finally turned back and pretended not to see a shop assistant sneaking out of the door. He asked: "The name Shendexuan was personally proposed by my elder uncle. What is Shende? The shopkeeper must not know, Master He, you tell me."

  The appraiser, Fu, who was hiding behind the counter, came out with a trembling voice and said: "Third Miss, Uncle wants us to focus on moral integrity when dealing with antiques, be cautious in speech, action, and virtue."

  "Well said, then... what are you doing? Passing off counterfeit goods as genuine?"

  The shopkeeper argued strongly: "Third Miss doesn't understand business, we are also for the sake of Shende Hall's business. It's not easy to do business these days."

  Ye Li sneered, "I indeed don't know how to do business, but I also know that the key to doing business is a single word: trust. Moreover, I know that without trust, one cannot establish themselves. Without credibility, who would do business with you? And what's more...the state of Shen De Xuan's accounts is now utterly dismal."

  "I..."

  Ye Li interrupted him coldly, "You don't need to explain. From now on, you don't have to do anything. As for what happened with the previous accounts, I want the rest of you to give me a clear explanation. If it's clear and has nothing to do with you, those who are willing to stay can stay, and I'll reward each of you with 50 taels of silver. If it's still unclear, then go to the big prison and wait there! Let's see if your master will come to bail you out!" The several apprentices all hesitated, they had heard that Third Miss was going to marry Duke Ding. Now that this shop had returned to Third Miss' hands, it would naturally be brought to Duke Ding's mansion as part of her dowry. If they spoke up, they could still go to Duke Ding's mansion; if not, they would have to go to prison. Moreover, 50 taels of silver was no small amount, almost equivalent to two years' worth of their wages.

  The shopkeeper, seeing the crowd wavering, hastily stepped forward and shouted: "Third Miss, I am the madam's person, you have no right to drive me away."

  Ye Li smiled shallowly, "Sorry, this Shendexuan is mine. After settling the accounts in the store clearly, you can go wherever you came from. If it's not clear... even if you're the husband's younger brother, it won't work. I wonder if all of you Wang family people are used to taking others' things and treating them as your own?"

  "You... you..." The shopkeeper's face turned red and white by turns.

  Ye Li no longer looked at her and turned to face the young nobleman who was standing still. She had long known that the shopkeeper of Shen De Xuan had been replaced by Wang's youngest brother a few years ago. "This young master, I'm afraid you've been humiliated because of my lack of restraint, please forgive me."

  "No... nothing, never mind." The young man awkwardly waved his hand, he also didn't expect that this elegant and refined girl would be the owner of this shop. After thinking for a moment, although feeling a bit meddlesome, the young man couldn't help but say: "Since you are the owner of Shendexuan, please... take care of yourself more. In case..." If it wasn't for meeting this girl today, he was afraid that he would have been wrongly thrown into prison. Looking at the shopkeeper's behavior, this probably wasn't the first time either.

  Ye Li didn't get angry, nodded and smiled: "Thank you for reminding me, young master. After I took over this shop, I will definitely manage it strictly. I see that you are quite reluctant to part with this painting, so why don't you take it back first? Consider the silver as a loan from me, and you can return it whenever it's convenient."

  The man shook his head repeatedly, but in his heart, he was also reluctant to part with this family heirloom painting. He said, "No work, no pay. I only ask the young lady to temporarily keep 'Clear River and Moonlit Night' for two months, and within these two months, I will definitely find a way to return the silver coins to the young lady."

  Ye Li saw that he was determined, and smiled indifferently: "I'll put this painting in the store, young master can come to redeem it at any time. Qingfeng, add another 100 taels as compensation for this young master."