Chapter 28: with translation of chapter title

Others also couldn't figure it out—could it be that Gu Jiu Ling came today just to deliver silver? Lin Wan Cai couldn't make sense of it, staring blankly at Gu Jiu Ling. Gu Jiu Ling tapped the banknote and laughed: "Pick it up!"

"This…" Lin Wan Cai's face changed; he wasn't a clueless fool, and he suspected that Gu Jiu Ling's money would be trouble if taken. Gu Jiu Ling laughed: "Why not take it? Take it to make up the shortfall!"

"Shortfall my foot!" Lin Wan Cai cursed to himself; the two shops left by the Du family were the most profitable, with yearly turnover of no less than two hundred thousand taels of silver, and most of the pocket money the lady gave to the eldest son, the second daughter, and the third son came from these two shops. If Gu Jiu Ling took them back, the mother and son four would have to tighten their belts. Lin Wan Cai stared at the banknote without moving and shouted: "I'm just a shop manager; this shortfall matter has to go through the lady, after all the shops belong to her!"

Gu Jiu Ling's eyes flickered; she had been waiting for exactly those words. She curled her lips into a smile, radiant enough to hold one's gaze. She tilted her ear slightly, as if she hadn't heard clearly, and laughed: "What did you say, Manager Lin?"

Lin Wan Cai, a full-grown man, had been blocked here by a little girl, and his anger had been building; he shouted loudly: "This shop belongs to the lady—I have no right to meddle in the accounts. If you want to do something, please go to the mansion and ask the lady!"

"Miss, have I made myself clear enough?"

Lin Wan Cai gave a cold smile, no longer bothering to save any face. Gu Jiu Ling smiled, utterly unruffled, rose slowly, looked at the onlooking customers, and laughed: "Everyone, be my witnesses—when you have a moment, everyone here today, I've bought out the entire Xiangxiang Tower for a meal later."

"After this is settled, go to Xiangxiang Tower to eat, tell the doormen you're the guests from here—not only am I treating you, I've also prepared little gifts for everyone who shows up."

The onlooking crowd grew even more excited—goodness, they'd seen plenty of spectacles in Shang Jing, but never had they heard of watching a show and getting fed and gifted. They immediately ran off spreading the word; seeing more and more people tightly surrounding the jewelry shop, even the shop's assistants couldn't chase them away. Lin Wan Cai watched the swelling black mass of people, his face twitched, and he hurriedly ordered someone to fetch the lady or the eldest son. Gu Jiu Ling cupped her fists toward the onlooking populace and said: "Everyone, you heard clearly just now—Manager Lin said this shop now has nothing to do with me, Gu Jiu Ling; it belongs to the lady, and all the shop's incomings and outgoings are managed by her!"

"Friends, I'm just a woman of modest standing, my voice is light—please help me listen and see if that's what he said."

"That's exactly what Manager Lin said—we all heard it loud and clear!"

"Exactly, we all heard it clearly!"

The agreeing voices rose and fell like the murky waves of a vast sea, one surge after another. "Good!"

Gu Jiu Ling clapped her hands, and the few people who had been hiding in the crowd slowly stepped forward. A fifteen- or sixteen-year-old pretty maiden, wearing mourning clothes, though sallow and thin, was a rare beauty in the making. Behind her followed several people, all dressed in rags, their faces gaunt to the extreme. Lin Wan Cai got a clear look at the woman's face, jumped in surprise, then glared at her venomously: "Lady Li?"

He finally realized he might have fallen into Gu Jiu Ling's trap. Gu Jiu Ling looked at the people kneeling in neat rows before her, especially the Li maiden before her, and said: "Since you're out of options and have come to my door, I'll certainly give you an explanation."

"But we've already come to this point—we've endured the suffering of ruined families and deaths; what's there to fear from others' threats? At worst, I'll stand up for you."

"Say whatever you have to say out in front of everyone!"

Li Qiao'er jerked her head up, fixed Lin Wan Cai with a death stare, and spat fiercely at him, looking as if she wanted to devour his flesh and drink his blood: "Lin Wan Cai! I, Li Qiao'er, share no sky with you!!"

You took a fancy to my looks, wanted me as a concubine, so you had my brother's leg broken, then tricked my father into borrowing money from your jewelry shop to treat his leg!

With interest compounding, he could never repay it, so you forced my father to sell me to you as a concubine!

"Utterly inhumane!! My father was ashamed to death, yesterday…… yesterday he hanged himself!! My elder brother also…… also jumped into the river…" Li Qiao'er wailed hysterically, nearly fainting. Several other families also cried out: "We originally had a few mu of orchards in the suburbs; the lady of the Lin household thought it nice, so she had Lin Wan Cai, that scoundrel, order people to burn the trees, forcing us to borrow the jewelry shop's advance money, and now we're utterly ruined!"

"And my family's boat was also turned over to Lin Wan Cai…" For a moment, the Zheng Ting echoed with sobs—a living hell on earth. Gu Jiu Ling's voice turned cold: "As a lady of the inner quarters, Lin Shi privately lent out advance money, yet the current emperor has repeatedly ordered that noble households' inner quarters must not casually engage in usury that harms the people!"

"Does the Lin family's jewelry shop actually intend to defy the imperial edict?"

Lin Wan Cai panicked and blurted: "These people are spouting bloody nonsense!"

Moreover, how does the jewelry shop's affair involve the lady?

Lin Wan Cai was genuinely flustered—after all, the lady didn't know some of these things, like how he had forced the Li Qiao'er family; if the lady found out, his life would be over. This time he desperately tried to protect Lin Xuexue, not expecting Gu Jiu Ling to laugh and say: "Manager Lin, are you talking out of your ass?"

"Who just said the jewelry shop's accounts are managed by the Lin family? If she's managing them, then the shop's advance money must be what the Lin family put out, right?"

Lin Wan Cai's forehead instantly beaded with cold sweat. He had wanted to suppress this matter, but outside the crowd was already packed three layers deep, three layers outside—clearly this couldn't be covered up. He hurriedly lowered his voice and forced a smile: "Miss, we can talk about the shop."

Gu Jiu Ling gave a light chuckle: "Why are you moving to the rear hall? Could it be that you're eyeing my beauty, plotting something improper?"

"Although I'm as lovely as a sinking fish, a falling goose, a hiding moon, a blushing flower, what's a mountain chicken doing trying to match a phoenix?"

Hahaha! The onlooking crowd burst into laughter. Lin Wan Cai's expression was so colorful it could open a paint shop. Gu Jiu Ling slowly took out the jade pendant Xiao Yin had given her and placed it in Jiu Yue's hand: "Jiu Yue, go to the Jinghao Yin's office and file a report—say the Lin family's jewelry shop privately lent advance money, driving people to their deaths; take Qiao'er maiden with you."

"Remember… go in the name of our prince!"

Gu Jiu Ling laughed, and Jiu Yue instantly understood—no one dared slight the name of Prince Rui Xiao Yin. She hurriedly supported the tear‑streaked Li Qiao'er as they went out. Lin Wan Cai turned ashen, fell to his knees with a thud, and pleaded: "Miss, miss, servant begs you, don't make a fuss—can we…?"

"The shop matter can be negotiated—I'll settle it for you, miss!"

Gu Jiu Ling opened her little incense fan adorned with pearls, gave it a flutter, and laughed: "You said this shop belongs to the Lin family, right? I don't want it—I'm just here to watch the show. Enjoy the show!"

"Miss, in life and deeds, don't go to extremes!"

Lin Wan Cai rose and stared coldly at Gu Jiu Ling. Gu Jiu Ling glanced at the onlooking crowd, lifted her head to look at Lin Wan Cai, and said: "What you should be doing now isn't threatening me, but thinking about how to keep whatever's on your neck safe."

"By the way, neither the Lin family nor the eldest son has come to shield you—do you think they'll sacrifice the pawn to save the chariot?"

Lin Wancai's face turned deathly pale. Gu Jiu Ling raised her slender white hand and lightly patted Lin Wancai's shoulder, smiling as she said, "If you don't want to take the blame, just say whatever you have to say—there might still be a sliver of hope. What do you think?"