Even before setting foot inside the shop, the sheer volume of the argument made Ye Li frown. Antique shops, of all places, should be sanctuaries of hushed elegance. Instead, the voices were loud enough to be heard clearly on the street.
Inside, the shop was a chaotic theatre. The Manager, a man draped in showy, luxurious silk, stood sneering down at a sickly, haggard young man. The young man's features were handsome, but his skin was sallow and dry. Though his clothing was worn, it was meticulously clean, lending him a subtle, desperate scholarly air. He was a portrait of anxious embarrassment.
"Manager, please look more carefully," the young man pleaded, his voice trembling slightly. "This painting is truly an original work by Master Wu Zhikai from the previous dynasty."
The Manager’s contempt was palpable, dripping from his voice like poison. "Look at you. Impoverished. How could a beggar like you possess an original Wu... Wu Zhikai? This painting is a fake!" He paused, a wicked smile spreading across his face. "However, our shop does accept imitations. Your copy isn't bad—I'll give you two hundred taels for it."
The young man's face burned crimson. "You… you… Wu Zhikai was a master! Even his least valuable authentic work would be worth at least two thousand taels, possibly more with negotiation!" He knew the Manager was trying to steal his family heirloom for a tenth of its worth. Only desperation had brought him here. "This is outrageous! I won’t sell it!" Angrily, he rolled up the scroll and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Seeing his prey escape, the Manager's eyes flashed with naked malice. He glared viciously. "I’m being generous! Don't tell me this painting is stolen. Indeed, how could someone as poor as you own such a famous piece? Let’s take a trip to the authorities."
The young man met his threat with rising fury. "If you want to see the authorities, fine! I’m not afraid of you! What kind of business runs on such utterly unreasonable practices?"
The Manager smiled—a shark’s smile. "Reasonable? Do you know who owns this shop? Let me tell you—this is a business belonging to the Zhaoyi Consort’s family. And our Fourth Miss is about to become Prince Li’s wife! Who do you think the authorities will believe—me, or a pauper like you?"
"You…" the young man choked.
"**Young sir, I’ll take the painting. Two thousand taels," Ye Li said, stepping calmly into the heart of the commotion. Her voice was soft, yet it cut through the din like ice.
The two arguing men froze. The young man was the first to recover, staring at the elegant young woman. "You… you believe me?"
Ye Li hadn't needed to inspect the painting. The Manager’s malice, the young man’s genuine distress, and, most tellingly, the flicker of guilt on the face of the art appraiser behind the counter—all told her what she needed to know. Genuine or fake, the Manager wanted it. And today, she would buy it.
The Manager, seeing his ruthless deal ruined by a seemingly insignificant girl, was enraged. He dismissed Ye Li's plain clothing and hissed menacingly, "Miss, you’d better not meddle in others’ affairs."
Ye Li merely glanced at him, her smile faint and cold. "This gentleman won’t sell to you. I am buying it. How is that meddling?"
The Manager snorted. "Today, he’ll sell whether he wants to or not! Our Fourth Miss is getting married and needs some antiques and paintings for her dowry!"
Ye Li’s smile vanished, replaced by an icy challenge. "**A fine 'must sell whether willing or not.' Very well. I absolutely must buy it today. Qingshuang, pay him."
Qingshuang was already moving. She swiftly produced bank notes worth two thousand taels, pressed them into the young man's hands, and smoothly took the painting. "Here's your money, sir. Please leave quickly."
The young man hesitated, looking not at the money, but at the shop assistants blocking the door. "No, miss…" Even in his need, he couldn't let these ladies face trouble on his behalf. "I won’t sell the painting. Please return it to me, miss."
Ye Li took the scroll from Qingshuang, unfurled it just enough to glance at the title—'Clear River Moonlight View'—and nodded with deep satisfaction. "Perfect. I plan to give this as a gift. Sir, just take the money and go. I want to see if there’s still any law and order left in this capital."
"In that case, none of you are leaving!" the Manager snarled, his eyes feral.
Ye Li looked at him with sheer amusement. "Surely you don’t dare to kill us?"
The Manager’s face tightened. "Though I wouldn’t dare kill you, I can have you thrown in prison! Someone, get Madam’s calling card and take these three thieves to the authorities!"
"How dare you! Watch out or my miss will have your hands chopped off!" Qingshuang, moving like a striking snake, subdued an assistant who dared to reach for Ye Li. She glared at the Manager. "You dog of a servant, open your dog eyes and look carefully—this Shende Pavilion belongs to my young miss!"
Silence crashed over the shop. The Manager’s face went instantly pale as he looked at Ye Li with panicked doubt. "You… you are…"
Ye Li met his gaze, her voice measured and lethal. "My surname is Ye. I am the third."
"Third Miss?" The Manager gasped, his face instantly turning a sickly, mottled grey.
Ye Li handed the painting back to Qingshuang and swept her gaze over the petrified assistants. "Step back if you still want your jobs." The assistants, terrified, immediately retreated, uncertainty replacing malice.
The Manager, a professional opportunist, swallowed hard and plastered on a fawning smile, rushing forward. "Third Miss, what a surprise! What brings you to your humble shop?"
Ye Li ignored him for a moment, slowly surveying the luxurious displays that hid so much rot. She turned to the trembling art appraiser hiding behind the counter. "The name 'Shende Pavilion' was personally suggested by my eldest uncle. What does 'Shende' mean? The Manager likely doesn’t know. Master He, why don’t you explain?"
The appraiser, Master He, trembled as he emerged. "In… in response to Third Miss, the old master hoped that we who deal in antiques would emphasize moral conduct—careful speech, careful actions, careful virtue!"
"Well said," Ye Li agreed, her voice turning sharp as a dagger. "Then… what were you doing just now? Forcing a man to sell a genuine piece as a fake?"
The Manager scrambled to argue. "Third Miss doesn't understand business. We’re doing this for Shende Pavilion’s prosperity! Business isn’t easy these days."
Ye Li’s cold smile returned. "Indeed, I may not understand business, but I know commerce relies fundamentally on trust. Without credibility, who would trade with you? Moreover… your practices… Shende Pavilion’s accounts are showing quite dismal results!"
"I…"
Ye Li cut him off with chilling finality. "No need to explain. You are dismissed from this moment on. As for the previous accounts, the rest of you had better explain everything clearly." Her gaze swept over the assistants again. "If you can prove you weren’t involved and wish to stay, I’ll reward each of you with fifty taels of silver. If things remain unclear, you can spend time in prison! We’ll see if your masters will bail you out!"
Fifty taels—nearly two years' wages—was a staggering bribe. The assistants exchanged nervous glances. They knew the shop was now Third Miss Ye Li's dowry to Prince Ding. Confession meant a future job and money; silence meant prison.
Seeing the wavering loyalty, the Manager desperately played his last card. "Third Miss, I am Madam’s man—you have no right to dismiss me!"
Ye Li’s smile was dismissive. "I apologize, but Shende Pavilion is mine. After you clarify the shop’s accounts, go back to wherever you came from. If you can’t explain clearly… even being Madam’s brother won’t help you. Could it be that all you Wang family members are in the habit of treating others’ possessions as your own?"
"You… you…" The Manager’s face flashed red and white with impotent rage and fear.
Ye Li ignored him completely, turning to the stunned young man. She bowed slightly. "Sir, I apologize for the humiliation you suffered due to my poor management. Please forgive me."
"No… it’s fine," the young man stammered, awkwardly waving his hands. He hadn't expected this young lady to be the shop’s owner. Though hesitant, he felt compelled to speak. "Since Miss is Shende Pavilion’s owner, please… take good care of it. If… if I hadn’t met Miss today, I might have been wrongfully imprisoned. Given the manager’s conduct, this probably wasn’t the first time."
Ye Li nodded, unoffended by the criticism. "Thank you for your advice, sir. I’ve just taken over and will enforce strict management. I see you’re quite attached to this painting. Please take it back with you—consider the money a loan, to be repaid at your convenience."
The young man shook his head repeatedly, though his eyes betrayed his reluctance to part with the heirloom. "I cannot accept charity. I only ask that Miss keep this ‘Clear River Moonlight View’ for two months. Within that time, I will certainly find a way to repay miss’s silver."
Seeing his firm pride, Ye Li smiled, unconcerned with the money. "I’ll keep the painting here in the shop, and you may redeem it at any time." She turned to Qingshuang. "Qingshuang, add another hundred taels as an apology to this gentleman."
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