Fortunately, Li Zhizhi noticed the awkwardness in Pei Yanchuan’s expression and changed the subject, saying, “Master Pei, you just mentioned that this lamp won’t turn on its own?”
“Yes, yes,” Pei Yanchuan finally calmed his emotions and said, “The shopkeeper was deceiving you.”
The shopkeeper became anxious and said, “Master, this is absolutely not nonsense. When I lit the lamp just now, both of you saw it with your own eyes. The lamp did turn. How could it be fake? You haven’t seen a rotating lantern before, so don’t talk nonsense.”
Pei Yanchuan chuckled and said, “I have seen a rotating lantern, but I have never seen one turned by hand.”
He explained to the confused Li Zhizhi and Su Tangyu, “When the shopkeeper showed you the lamp, he had a hidden thread in his hand. By pulling it, the lamp would turn. A real rotating lantern can turn on its own, completely different from this.”
Su Tangyu exclaimed, “Then he dared to ask for twenty taels of silver? That’s really unscrupulous!”
The shopkeeper angrily retorted, “How is that possible? I run my business honestly, never resorting to deceit. If you don’t believe me, come and see for yourself. There won’t be any mistake.”
He spoke with determination and even handed the exquisite lamp to Li Zhizhi, acting as if it were made of genuine gold. Now uncertain, Li Zhizhi hesitated. Meanwhile, Su Tangyu, seeing the lamp offered in front of him, wanted to take a closer look. Suddenly, Li Zhizhi remembered something and warned, “Don’t take it!”
At the same time, Pei Yanchuan also shouted, “Don’t take it!”
But it was too late. With a crisp sound, whether the person handing it over slipped or the person receiving it failed to catch it, the exquisite palace lamp fell to the ground and broke.
Su Tangyu was startled and exclaimed, “I didn’t catch it.”
She meant that she didn’t catch the lantern at all, but the shopkeeper shouted, “You broke my lantern!”
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Su Tangyu was anxious and said, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t even touch your lantern.”
However, the shopkeeper insisted, “So many people saw it, it was you who dropped it!”
Several assistants in his shop also joined in, attracting the attention of other customers nearby. Li Zhizhi frowned, watching the shopkeeper’s feigned excitement, and understood that she and Su Tangyu had fallen into a trap.
First, they used a fake lantern to attract their attention. If they bought it, the shop would make a big profit. But just now, Pei Yanchuan exposed his trick. Even so, the shopkeeper pretended to let them inspect the goods. When Su Tangyu took it over, he deliberately dropped the lantern. This way, even if the lantern was fake, he could still claim it was real.
Because it was broken, it couldn’t be resold, so they had to pay compensation.
The shop had several assistants who surrounded the three of them, shouting that they wouldn’t be allowed to leave without paying. Su Tangyu said anxiously, “You guys are running a scam!”
The shopkeeper snorted and said, “Miss, don’t talk nonsense. Zhu has been running a shop on this street for more than ten years, and no one has ever called us a scam. If you don’t want to pay, let’s go to the officials and see how they judge.”
Su Tangyu encountered this kind of ruffian for the first time and was so angry that she could hardly speak. “Fine, let’s go to the officials!”
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“Wait a moment,” Li Zhizhi suddenly spoke, grabbing her and smiling at the shopkeeper, “How much do we have to compensate?”
“I originally thought you were two little girls, thinking of giving some leeway, but now,” the shopkeeper snorted, raised two fingers, and proudly said, “Twenty taels, not a penny less, or we’ll go to the authorities.”
“Alright,” Li Zhizhi readily agreed, “Twenty taels it is.”
Su Tangyu was surprised, “Zhizhi!”
“Miss Li!” Pei Yanchuan also exclaimed anxiously, “He’s just deceiving you! Don’t go back, I’ll help you—”
Li Zhizhi just slightly shook her head at the two, then smiled at the shopkeeper, “It’s just that I didn’t bring that much money with me today. Otherwise, would you come with me to my residence to get it?”
The shopkeeper, delighted, said, “Sure.”
However, being a shrewd person, he quickly added, “Only you go back to get it, and this young lady has to wait here.”
Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “If the shopkeeper trusts me so much, aren’t you afraid I won’t come back once I leave?”
The shopkeeper, self-satisfied, said, “Your friend is here. If you don’t come back, we’ll report to the authorities.”
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Li Zhizhi raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at Su Tangyu, and said, “Then let’s report to the authorities. Since the lantern was knocked over by her, why should I spend twenty taels for nothing?”
Having finished speaking, she made a gesture to leave. The shopkeeper indeed became anxious and said, “Aren’t you friends?”
Li Zhizhi chuckled and bent her eyes, saying, “Husband and wife are like birds of the same forest; friends can’t compare to the importance of money.”
Unexpectedly, she would say such words. The shopkeeper was immediately dumbfounded. Li Zhizhi then looked at Su Tangyu and sighed, “It seems our friendship can only end here. In the future, let’s each go our own way, never to meet again until we’re old and dead.”
She said it as if it were true, and even Su Tangyu was taken aback. Seeing that Li Zhizhi was about to leave again, how could the duck that was almost in the mouth fly away? The shopkeeper couldn’t bear it anymore and said, “Alright, I’ll go with you to get the money. Is that okay? Why are you so materialistic?”
He even started scolding Li Zhizhi. Li Zhizhi just smiled and didn’t say anything, leading him out. Pei Yanchuan also hurriedly followed, “Miss Li, I’ll accompany you!”
Li Zhizhi did not refuse. When they were about to leave, she cast a meaningful glance at Su Tangyu. Su Tangyu finally relaxed, nodded slightly, and watched the group leave the shop.
The East Market was very close to the Princess’s mansion, just two streets away. Li Zhizhi stopped in front of the Princess’s mansion, surprising the shopkeeper, who asked, “Is this the mansion?”
Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “Exactly.”
After saying that, she turned to the two guards standing at the gate and said, “Catch him!”
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Seeing that the situation was not good, the shopkeeper tried to run, but he was quickly tackled to the ground by two strong guards. Flapping like a fish, he looked pitiful. Li Zhizhi squatted down in front of him, smiling and asking, “That lantern is worth twenty taels. I wonder how much these two fingers of yours are worth?”
The shopkeeper, realizing that he was in deep trouble, hastily pleaded, “Miss, ancestors! Spare me, please! I didn’t recognize Mount Tai with my own eyes. Please don’t hold me accountable! As soon as he finished speaking, a silver ingot rolled down his cheek, landing in front of him, and he heard Li Zhizhi’s voice calmly saying, “Ten taels.”
Immediately after, another silver ingot rolled down, “Twenty taels.”
“Thirty taels.”
It continued until it reached fifty taels before stopping. The shopkeeper was trembling with fear, his heart pounding. Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “Fifty taels. I’ll buy your two fingers, how about that?”
The shopkeeper’s face turned pale, on the verge of tears. He hurriedly said, “I won’t sell. I won’t sell my fingers!”
“Well, it’s not up to you,” Li Zhizhi drew a knife from the waist of a guard and said with a smile, “When you cheated us before, you didn’t ask if we accepted it or not.”
“Sorry, sorry,” the sound of the unsheathing of the long knife was making everyone uncomfortable. The shopkeeper was almost about to wet himself, repeatedly pleading, “It was my fault, I misjudged and acted foolishly. Please spare me! I was just following orders. If you forgive me this time, I’ll be your servant in the future!”
This was truly unexpected. Li Zhizhi raised an eyebrow, recalling that when the shopkeeper quoted prices for them earlier, there was a messenger who rushed in from outside. Curious, she asked, “Who gave the orders?”
“It was our young master,” the shopkeeper cried, “It was all her orders. Otherwise, how could I dare to deceive you?!”
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Beside them, Pei Yanchuan couldn’t hold back and asked, “Who is your young master?”
“Yes, yes, Miss Rong’an County!”
Li Zhizhi suddenly realized, “So it’s her. What did she say?”
The shopkeeper, relieved that she didn’t wield the knife again, quickly said, “It’s the instructions of the county princess. She told me to give you a hard time, just like this.”
After questioning the shopkeeper, Li Zhizhi let him go. Originally, she had only intended to scare him and had no intention of actually chopping off his fingers. It was just a surprise that she gained unexpected information. At that time, Xiao Man must have been watching when she and Su Tangyu entered the antique shop, so she sent someone to communicate.
As the shopkeeper walked a few steps, he was suddenly tapped on the shoulder. Startled, he turned around with a pained expression, only to be met with a fist hitting his face. He cried out in pain as blood flowed from his nose, and his teeth almost flew out.
Pei Yanchuan smiled at him and said, “Open your eyes wide next time. If there’s another incident, I’ll knock out your teeth one by one.”
The shopkeeper, in pain, could only nod and fled away, looking as if he was being chased by ghosts.
Li Zhizhi and Pei Yanchuan returned to pick up Su Tangyu. The three of them walked on the street, and Pei Yanchuan felt like he had forgotten something. However, he couldn’t recall it immediately. It wasn’t until they turned onto another street that a voice called out, “Young Master!”
“Young Master!”
Pei Yanchuan looked up and saw his mother and sister-in-law standing on the side of the street, both staring at him. Lady Hou showed a friendly smile on her face but through gritted teeth, she said, “Brat, where are the things I asked you to bring?”
Pei Yanchuan only just realized, “Oh no, I left my things in that shady store!”
Fortunately, Li Zhizhi noticed the awkwardness in Pei Yanchuan’s expression and changed the subject, saying, “Master Pei, you just mentioned that this lamp won’t turn on its own?”
“Yes, yes,” Pei Yanchuan finally calmed his emotions and said, “The shopkeeper was deceiving you.”
The shopkeeper became anxious and said, “Master, this is absolutely not nonsense. When I lit the lamp just now, both of you saw it with your own eyes. The lamp did turn. How could it be fake? You haven’t seen a rotating lantern before, so don’t talk nonsense.”
Pei Yanchuan chuckled and said, “I have seen a rotating lantern, but I have never seen one turned by hand.”
He explained to the confused Li Zhizhi and Su Tangyu, “When the shopkeeper showed you the lamp, he had a hidden thread in his hand. By pulling it, the lamp would turn. A real rotating lantern can turn on its own, completely different from this.”
Su Tangyu exclaimed, “Then he dared to ask for twenty taels of silver? That’s really unscrupulous!”
The shopkeeper angrily retorted, “How is that possible? I run my business honestly, never resorting to deceit. If you don’t believe me, come and see for yourself. There won’t be any mistake.”
He spoke with determination and even handed the exquisite lamp to Li Zhizhi, acting as if it were made of genuine gold. Now uncertain, Li Zhizhi hesitated. Meanwhile, Su Tangyu, seeing the lamp offered in front of him, wanted to take a closer look. Suddenly, Li Zhizhi remembered something and warned, “Don’t take it!”
At the same time, Pei Yanchuan also shouted, “Don’t take it!”
But it was too late. With a crisp sound, whether the person handing it over slipped or the person receiving it failed to catch it, the exquisite palace lamp fell to the ground and broke.
Su Tangyu was startled and exclaimed, “I didn’t catch it.”
She meant that she didn’t catch the lantern at all, but the shopkeeper shouted, “You broke my lantern!”
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Su Tangyu was anxious and said, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t even touch your lantern.”
However, the shopkeeper insisted, “So many people saw it, it was you who dropped it!”
Several assistants in his shop also joined in, attracting the attention of other customers nearby. Li Zhizhi frowned, watching the shopkeeper’s feigned excitement, and understood that she and Su Tangyu had fallen into a trap.
First, they used a fake lantern to attract their attention. If they bought it, the shop would make a big profit. But just now, Pei Yanchuan exposed his trick. Even so, the shopkeeper pretended to let them inspect the goods. When Su Tangyu took it over, he deliberately dropped the lantern. This way, even if the lantern was fake, he could still claim it was real.
Because it was broken, it couldn’t be resold, so they had to pay compensation.
The shop had several assistants who surrounded the three of them, shouting that they wouldn’t be allowed to leave without paying. Su Tangyu said anxiously, “You guys are running a scam!”
The shopkeeper snorted and said, “Miss, don’t talk nonsense. Zhu has been running a shop on this street for more than ten years, and no one has ever called us a scam. If you don’t want to pay, let’s go to the officials and see how they judge.”
Su Tangyu encountered this kind of ruffian for the first time and was so angry that she could hardly speak. “Fine, let’s go to the officials!”
Advertisement
“Wait a moment,” Li Zhizhi suddenly spoke, grabbing her and smiling at the shopkeeper, “How much do we have to compensate?”
“I originally thought you were two little girls, thinking of giving some leeway, but now,” the shopkeeper snorted, raised two fingers, and proudly said, “Twenty taels, not a penny less, or we’ll go to the authorities.”
“Alright,” Li Zhizhi readily agreed, “Twenty taels it is.”
Su Tangyu was surprised, “Zhizhi!”
“Miss Li!” Pei Yanchuan also exclaimed anxiously, “He’s just deceiving you! Don’t go back, I’ll help you—”
Li Zhizhi just slightly shook her head at the two, then smiled at the shopkeeper, “It’s just that I didn’t bring that much money with me today. Otherwise, would you come with me to my residence to get it?”
The shopkeeper, delighted, said, “Sure.”
However, being a shrewd person, he quickly added, “Only you go back to get it, and this young lady has to wait here.”
Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “If the shopkeeper trusts me so much, aren’t you afraid I won’t come back once I leave?”
The shopkeeper, self-satisfied, said, “Your friend is here. If you don’t come back, we’ll report to the authorities.”
Advertisement
Li Zhizhi raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at Su Tangyu, and said, “Then let’s report to the authorities. Since the lantern was knocked over by her, why should I spend twenty taels for nothing?”
Having finished speaking, she made a gesture to leave. The shopkeeper indeed became anxious and said, “Aren’t you friends?”
Li Zhizhi chuckled and bent her eyes, saying, “Husband and wife are like birds of the same forest; friends can’t compare to the importance of money.”
Unexpectedly, she would say such words. The shopkeeper was immediately dumbfounded. Li Zhizhi then looked at Su Tangyu and sighed, “It seems our friendship can only end here. In the future, let’s each go our own way, never to meet again until we’re old and dead.”
She said it as if it were true, and even Su Tangyu was taken aback. Seeing that Li Zhizhi was about to leave again, how could the duck that was almost in the mouth fly away? The shopkeeper couldn’t bear it anymore and said, “Alright, I’ll go with you to get the money. Is that okay? Why are you so materialistic?”
He even started scolding Li Zhizhi. Li Zhizhi just smiled and didn’t say anything, leading him out. Pei Yanchuan also hurriedly followed, “Miss Li, I’ll accompany you!”
Li Zhizhi did not refuse. When they were about to leave, she cast a meaningful glance at Su Tangyu. Su Tangyu finally relaxed, nodded slightly, and watched the group leave the shop.
The East Market was very close to the Princess’s mansion, just two streets away. Li Zhizhi stopped in front of the Princess’s mansion, surprising the shopkeeper, who asked, “Is this the mansion?”
Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “Exactly.”
After saying that, she turned to the two guards standing at the gate and said, “Catch him!”
Advertisement
Seeing that the situation was not good, the shopkeeper tried to run, but he was quickly tackled to the ground by two strong guards. Flapping like a fish, he looked pitiful. Li Zhizhi squatted down in front of him, smiling and asking, “That lantern is worth twenty taels. I wonder how much these two fingers of yours are worth?”
The shopkeeper, realizing that he was in deep trouble, hastily pleaded, “Miss, ancestors! Spare me, please! I didn’t recognize Mount Tai with my own eyes. Please don’t hold me accountable! As soon as he finished speaking, a silver ingot rolled down his cheek, landing in front of him, and he heard Li Zhizhi’s voice calmly saying, “Ten taels.”
Immediately after, another silver ingot rolled down, “Twenty taels.”
“Thirty taels.”
It continued until it reached fifty taels before stopping. The shopkeeper was trembling with fear, his heart pounding. Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “Fifty taels. I’ll buy your two fingers, how about that?”
The shopkeeper’s face turned pale, on the verge of tears. He hurriedly said, “I won’t sell. I won’t sell my fingers!”
“Well, it’s not up to you,” Li Zhizhi drew a knife from the waist of a guard and said with a smile, “When you cheated us before, you didn’t ask if we accepted it or not.”
“Sorry, sorry,” the sound of the unsheathing of the long knife was making everyone uncomfortable. The shopkeeper was almost about to wet himself, repeatedly pleading, “It was my fault, I misjudged and acted foolishly. Please spare me! I was just following orders. If you forgive me this time, I’ll be your servant in the future!”
This was truly unexpected. Li Zhizhi raised an eyebrow, recalling that when the shopkeeper quoted prices for them earlier, there was a messenger who rushed in from outside. Curious, she asked, “Who gave the orders?”
“It was our young master,” the shopkeeper cried, “It was all her orders. Otherwise, how could I dare to deceive you?!”
Advertisement
Beside them, Pei Yanchuan couldn’t hold back and asked, “Who is your young master?”
“Yes, yes, Miss Rong’an County!”
Li Zhizhi suddenly realized, “So it’s her. What did she say?”
The shopkeeper, relieved that she didn’t wield the knife again, quickly said, “It’s the instructions of the county princess. She told me to give you a hard time, just like this.”
After questioning the shopkeeper, Li Zhizhi let him go. Originally, she had only intended to scare him and had no intention of actually chopping off his fingers. It was just a surprise that she gained unexpected information. At that time, Xiao Man must have been watching when she and Su Tangyu entered the antique shop, so she sent someone to communicate.
As the shopkeeper walked a few steps, he was suddenly tapped on the shoulder. Startled, he turned around with a pained expression, only to be met with a fist hitting his face. He cried out in pain as blood flowed from his nose, and his teeth almost flew out.
Pei Yanchuan smiled at him and said, “Open your eyes wide next time. If there’s another incident, I’ll knock out your teeth one by one.”
The shopkeeper, in pain, could only nod and fled away, looking as if he was being chased by ghosts.
Li Zhizhi and Pei Yanchuan returned to pick up Su Tangyu. The three of them walked on the street, and Pei Yanchuan felt like he had forgotten something. However, he couldn’t recall it immediately. It wasn’t until they turned onto another street that a voice called out, “Young Master!”
“Young Master!”
Pei Yanchuan looked up and saw his mother and sister-in-law standing on the side of the street, both staring at him. Lady Hou showed a friendly smile on her face but through gritted teeth, she said, “Brat, where are the things I asked you to bring?”
Pei Yanchuan only just realized, “Oh no, I left my things in that shady store!”
