20demayo Chapter 529 Who doesn't know how to smash things?
Chapter 529 Who doesn't know how to smash things?
Chen Lin helped resolve the troubles at Liuxiang Pavilion, while Wangchuan arrived at the Jingzhao Yin Mansion at lightning speed.
There just so happens that a yamen runner in the Jingzhao Yin's office bought Liuxiang Pavilion's pearl cream for his wife, so he knows Wangchuan.
After ascertaining Wangchuan's purpose, he hurriedly led his men into the yamen.
The four who chased after them were a step too late and could only watch helplessly as they guarded the entrance of the Jingzhao Prefecture government office. If a large number of constables came out, they would slip away.
As for my companions still in Liuxiang Pavilion, well, I'm sorry, it's better to sacrifice my fellow Daoists than myself.
Not long after, Wangchuan indeed followed a large group of constables out of the Jingzhao Yin Mansion.
"It's over. The Prefectural Magistrate's Office is going to Liuxiang Pavilion to arrest them. We can't go back and walk right into their trap!"
"Brother Leopard and the others are still over there. Shouldn't we hurry back and tell them to escape?"
"Oh dear, it's too late. If you want to be loyal, go by yourself. I'm not going back. Anyway, the shop is already smashed and the commission is in my hands. There's nothing more for me to do."
The big man had barely finished speaking when he vanished without a trace.
The remaining three looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then scattered and fled.
What loyalty or brotherhood? They're all just bandits who turned to outlaws. If they really cared about loyalty, they would have been caught long ago.
When the constables arrived at Liuxiang Pavilion, they found eight strong men trapped like rice dumplings.
The leading constable swallowed hard and turned to ask Wangchuan.
"Is this what you mean by an urgent situation? The thieves are about to endanger the lives of the shopkeeper and the staff?"
All he saw was a bunch of tightly bound rice dumplings. The calm and collected shopkeeper looked nothing like someone in mortal danger.
Wangchuan scratched his head. How did things turn out like this after he'd only been gone for a short while?! What on earth happened?
Ah Niu was hiding his strength from me? Impossible, Ah Niu isn't that kind of person~
It wasn't until he saw Manager Chen standing near the door that Wangchuan suddenly realized what was going on.
It turns out that another group of reinforcements that I brought myself arrived first!
"Manager Chen, thank you so much for your help. If it weren't for you, our manager and the staff would probably all be injured!"
These words were a thank you to Chen Lin, and also a way of indirectly explaining things to the constables.
Seeing the shop smashed to pieces, the constable, a regular customer, felt a toothache. How much real money had been lost! These people are utterly shameless!
Judging from their clothes and appearance, these people don't seem to be servants of a wealthy family; they're probably hired thugs.
If the person behind this cannot be found, and Liuxiang Pavilion cannot find the culprit to compensate for the losses, it will be a devastating blow to Liuxiang Pavilion.
The constables had smashed everything they could, and some of them were feeling a bit nauseous. Taking this person away was easy for them, but whether the case would proceed smoothly afterward depended on their superiors.
The constables were not unaware that the owner behind Liuxiang Pavilion was a sixth-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy. In the capital, businesses were more or less inseparable from the government; without connections, one could not do business.
This is an unspoken rule that has existed since ancient times, so the constables are wondering who this person who smashed the shop is.
If someone doesn't give face to a sixth-rank official, then they must be someone of even greater stature.
Has it reached the point where their prefectural governor cannot be offended?
The constables took away all the people who were already tied up, and Wenbin was naturally unaware of their suspicions.
He also knew that the person behind this must have considerable influence.
However, they are not pushovers either; if all else fails, they can ask their in-law, Prime Minister Liu, for support.
Moreover, Eunuch Chen and the Second Prince are now close to them, so even if they don't exactly have a strong backing, they can at least speak up for them.
Wenbin's idea was quite good, but if he knew that the person behind this had a roundabout relationship with Prime Minister Liu, I wonder what he would think.
After arranging for his men to smash up the shop, Liu De went straight back to the palace. He wasn't worried that these people would break their promises, so he paid the money in full at once.
He didn't have much time to wander around outside; he also needed to bring the things he had bought that day back to the palace to report to the Imperial Concubine.
Of course, he did not show up at Liuxiang Pavilion.
It was her deputy who went to make the purchases, only instructing her to buy everything, and not to be missing anything compared to the other concubines' palaces.
The deputy was a very honest man, afraid that he might have overlooked something and ruined the job.
I simply bought out all the goods in Liuxiang Pavilion. It's only because I had enough money that I could have done this.
This deputy's shady dealings led to Liu De later having the shop vandalized by his men.
If we're talking about the actual total losses of Liuxiang Pavilion, then it must have amounted to at least a hundred taels of silver.
Haha, selling two more bottles of premium perfume will make up for today's losses!
I don't know how to calculate the cost-effectiveness of Liu De spending 600 taels of silver to hire people to smash up the shop.
In any case, Manager Wenbin would never admit that his shop had only lost one hundred taels.
This is the prestigious Liuxiang Pavilion! The cheapest item here costs two qian of silver!
Moreover, the shop has plenty of high-end goods worth over a hundred taels each, so how come they didn't lose a large number of high-end goods today?
After the constables left, Chen Lin, seeing that there was nothing else to do, bid farewell and returned to his own quarters to continue overseeing the renovations.
Wenbin didn't let the guys clean up the mess. Instead, he told Aniu to go to the back storage room and bring out all the expired samples and empty trial bottles that were usually used for customers.
Ah Niu didn't know why Wenbin was doing this, so he just obediently went about his work.
Several large boxes were brought out, and the quick-witted shop assistant already understood what the shopkeeper meant.
"Shopkeeper, have you smashed them all?"
"Okay, let's begin. Spread the smashing out a bit, you guys divide it up, and once you're done, you're on holiday!"
"Get to work, get to work, then we'll have a holiday!"
"Hahaha, okay, let's smash it together!"
"Don't rush, don't rush, put the door back on first before you smash it!"
By the way, there are many passersby outside; we can't let anyone see this "insurance fraud" incident.
Wangchuan stopped the excited crowd and reminded them.
"Oh, Brother Wangchuan is so thoughtful and meticulous. We should install the door panels first."
"Yes, yes, when you smash it later, smash it into smaller pieces. It's best to use a cotton cloth as a pad to avoid making too much noise."
"Okay, okay, let's do it!"
With the collective wisdom and efforts of the team, a pile of expired samples and empty trial bottles were smashed to pieces.
Even if real robbers came, they might not be able to smash it to pieces like this, making it impossible to recognize its original appearance.
"Alright, that's settled then! Everyone's worked hard today, come over and collect your monthly pay and go home."
"Oh, let's talk about it at the end of the month. It's getting late, shopkeeper. We don't have time to waste. Our families are waiting for us to eat!"
After saying that, the men filed out, which was quite a feat for these big young men to squeeze through such a narrow door crack.
Fortunately, there wasn't a fat guy in Liuxiang Pavilion. Oh, no, Ah Niu couldn't squeeze out.