Green Mountain-Chapter 652 - 509: Collecting Debts

The Silver Apricot Garden was quiet.

Chen Ji sat silently by the stone table, tapping his fingers on the tabletop. No one dared to interrupt his thoughts.

Xiao Man was a bit puzzled. Clearly, the Tianbao Pavilion and Gufu Building were the most profitable businesses, so why was the Young Master suddenly interested in a bookstore like the Baoxiang Bookstore?

What could a bookstore do?

At this moment, Chen Ji asked, "Where is the Baoxiang Bookstore located?"

The Shopkeeper of Gufu Building leaned forward and replied, "Reporting to the Young Master, it's at the Glass Factory. About eighty percent of the bookstores in the Imperial Capital are located at the Glass Factory."

Chen Ji inquired further, "Why can't the Baoxiang Bookstore compete with the Wenyuan Bookstore?"

The Shopkeeper replied again, "Reporting to the Young Master, the bookstore's revenue mainly divides into two kinds. One pertains to the annotations of the classics for the Imperial Examinations and the 'current prose examinations.' The Wenyuan Bookstore was opened by Xu Bin, a branch of the Xu Family, and they have connections with the Ministry of Personnel, so they always get the latest academic articles from the Academic Administrator, thus selling the best."

Chen Ji understood. This was about the business of predicting exam questions.

Confucian classics have endured for thousands of years, with countless annotated versions. Each Great Scholar has their own commentary. But these are not important. For scholars aspiring to pass the Imperial Examination, what's important is how the Academic Administrator annotates them.

If even a disagreement arose between the Supreme Sage and the Academic Administrator, the scholars would listen to the Academic Administrator, since the Supreme Sage doesn't handle the Imperial Examinations...

The Shopkeeper continued, "The second type is storybooks, which are the most lucrative. A single book sells for about one tael of silver, and just in the Imperial Capital alone, more than ten thousand copies can be sold. It's merely by luck that the Wenyuan Bookstore got into this business, originally led by the Wenchang Bookstore. However, for reasons unknown, that 'Mr. Shuhui,' Jiuli Jin Guang Sanren from the Four Dreams of Bianliang, gave his works exclusively to the Wenyuan Bookstore for printing, instantly capturing the whole capital's storybook market. Recently, that Jiuli Jin Guang Sanren wrote a new book, said to be about Li Changge..."

The Shopkeeper, upon saying this, subtly glanced at Chen Ji, realizing at last that Li Changge was sitting right in front of him.

Xiao Man bent over and whispered to Chen Ji, "Young Master, go find that Taoist and ask him to let the Baoxiang Bookstore print the storybooks. It's bound to make money. If he isn't willing, you can become a layman in the Buddhist Sect and make it so he can't write anymore."

Instead of answering, Chen Ji asked, "Even if the Baoxiang Bookstore doesn't have these two channels, it shouldn't be pushed out of business, right?"

The Shopkeeper of Gufu Building snorted, "The Shopkeeper of Baoxiang Bookstore, Chen Dong, is a bookworm who always fusses about how the Academic Administrator's annotations are wrong. He buries himself in annotating the Four Books and Five Classics with single-minded focus. But who cares about his annotations? Initially, some scholars listened to his ramblings, but gradually they avoided him."

After contemplating for a moment, Chen Ji got up to leave: "Xiao Man, I'm going to the Glass Factory."

Xiao Man called out to him from behind: "Young Master..."

Chen Ji turned to look at her: "What is it?"

Xiao Man lowered her head slightly, pinching the corner of her clothes with her fingers: "You promised earlier to let me manage these businesses."

Chen Ji acknowledged: "I've handed these over to you. If anyone doesn't obey, give them fifty taels for travel expenses and send them back to Lu State."

The Shopkeepers' expressions changed.

Once Chen Ji left through the door, the wooden door of Silver Apricot Garden closed with a clatter.

Xiao Man's face instantly lost its coy expression. She gathered her skirt and slowly sat on the stone bench: "Kneel."

The Shopkeepers exchanged glances, hesitating slightly.

Xiao Man smiled faintly: "The Young Master is the Young Master, and I am me. Now that these businesses are mine, it's up to me to decide who's competent and who's not. Back then, not long after Aunt left, Mrs. Liang sweet-talked the land deeds out of the Young Master's hands, then placed you all to replace Aunt's people. It's time to settle those accounts. I remember your means of driving away Aunt's people weren't very honorable."

As she spoke, she pointed with her small hand at the Gufu Building Shopkeeper: "Chen Xudong, Shopkeeper Chen, the Shopkeeper whom Aunt originally appointed at Gufu Building should have been Zhang Cheng, right? I heard you framed him with false accounts, then Mrs. Liang reported him to the authorities and confiscated his property? Should I continue? All of you here, one by one, will be beaten to death without injustice."

The Shopkeepers gritted their teeth and slowly knelt down.

Xiao Man looked teasingly at the row of Shopkeepers before her: "The Young Master is kind-hearted and generous, unwilling to entangle with you in these trivial matters... But that doesn't mean I, Yao Man, won't settle the score. Rolling your eyes and daring to say there's no money in the account, I see you all must have a death wish. If you lie to me again today, there won't be a nice option like being sent back to Lu State. You'd better keep company with the reeds by the Mountain and River Altar and the salt stewards."

The Gufu Building Shopkeeper, Chen Xudong, hurriedly said: "The silver on the account was indeed taken by Mrs. Liang!"

Xiao Man replied carelessly: "Oh, then how about the silver you've embezzled from the account over the years?"

Chen Xudong slightly recoiled: "I've never done such a thing."

The little monk looked into Chen Xudong's eyes, pressing his palms together: "Amitabha Buddha."

"Dare to lie, slap his face." Xiao Man instructed casually, "Chen Er Yin, you do it. If you don't, I'll have someone else hit you."

The Shopkeeper of the grain and oil shop, Chen Er Yin, knelt to the side, clenching his teeth as he turned and swung his palm towards Chen Xudong's face, making stars dance before Chen Xudong's eyes.

Furious, he glared at Chen Er Yin: "You son of a…"

Xiao Man slowly said, "Still defiant, keep hitting."

Chen Er Yin swung another slap, which split the corner of Chen Xudong's mouth.

Xiao Man stared directly at Chen Xudong: "Tell me, how much silver have you embezzled from the accounts over the years?"

Chen Xudong cried out for justice: "Miss Xiao Man, please be discerning. At most, these years I've taken some ingredients from the back kitchen to bring home, but I really haven't embezzled a single coin!"

The little monk clasped his hands together again: "Amitabha Buddha."

"You won't give up until you see the Yellow River," Xiao Man sneered. "Keep slapping. Don't stop until I say so."

The shopkeepers looked up in shock at the little monk, then at Xiao Man.

Xiao Man said indifferently, "If you don't hit yourself, when I, the Innate Official, take action, you'll regret it."

Chen Er Yin gritted his teeth and swung his arm again to slap Chen Xudong across the face. After more than thirty slaps, Chen Xudong's face swelled up so much that he couldn't open his eyes, and even Chen Er Yin's hand was swollen from hitting.

Yet Xiao Man didn't tell them to stop.

The steward of the manor looked pleadingly at the little monk: "Little master, you are a monk, please advise Miss Xiao Man."

The little monk, also feeling uneasy seeing Chen Xudong's pitiful state, turned his face slightly, unwilling to look more: "Xiao Man, stop hitting. If not, just kill him directly."

The steward's face changed dramatically; he thought the little monk would be a life-saving straw, but unexpectedly he turned out to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Chen Xudong quickly shouted: "I'll talk!"

Xiao Man still didn't say stop until Chen Xudong endured another ten slaps. Then she leisurely said, "All right, talk about how you've embezzled the funds from Gufu Building over the years."

Chen Xudong, speaking unclearly, said: "I arranged for my young brother-in-law to do vegetable and meat business. Each time I purchased from him, he'd return ten percent of the money to me."

Xiao Man smiled: "Only ten percent back?"

As she said this, she took out a few sheets of paper from her sleeve, written in elegant script: "Chen Xudong, one house in Outer City's Chongnan Fang with two courtyards, one house in East Defense with three courtyards, one house in Inner City's Huanghua Square with three courtyards. You maintain three concubines and two mistresses. You bought one hundred and twenty acres of land outside the capital, and lent over three thousand taels of silver usury... Shopkeeper Chen, this isn't an estate you can accumulate with just ten percent embezzlement."

Xiao Man continued reading the notes: "Over the years, Gufu Building has sold inferior liquor brewed in Langfang as Fenjiu from Xinghua Village, purchased a hundred jin of pork but logged it as a hundred fifty jin, bought old ewes and rams at the price of Hexi lamb... Shopkeeper Chen, do I need to continue? No wonder you couldn't compete with Bianyifang Restaurant, doing business like this, who would return?"

Chen Xudong banged his head on the ground: "Miss Xiao Man, spare me!"

Xiao Man tossed the sheet of paper in front of Chen Xudong: "You know that cheating the owner's family like this is enough for a beating to death, right? Even if I killed you now, your wife reporting to the authorities would be useless."

Chen Xudong panicked: "Miss Xiao Man, spare me!"

Xiao Man sneered: "Before sunset, bring the property deeds, land deeds, and all the silver in your household to buy your dog's life; otherwise, tonight I'll take you to drown in the reed marshes of the Mountain and River Altar, now get lost."

Chen Xudong scrambled to his feet and fled in panic.

Xiao Man turned her gaze to the shopkeeper of the grain and oil store, Chen Er Yin: "It's your turn now, do you need me to read what's on the paper for you?"

Chen Er Yin quickly shook his head: "No need, no need. I'll go home and check the accounts right away. Before sunset, I will definitely make up all the silver owed to the shop."

Xiao Man then turned her gaze to the others: "What about you guys?"

The other shopkeepers hurriedly said: "We'll do the same."

Xiao Man put on a smile: "Remember, this is money to buy your lives. I know exactly how much you all have; if you hand it all over, you'll keep your life whole. If you give only half, you'll only keep half your life... Now get out!"

Once the shopkeepers had all left, Xiao Man suddenly slumped her shoulders and patted her chest: "Finally done. I was worried I couldn't keep them in check."

The little monk asked curiously: "Why didn't you wait for Chen Ji to do this?"

Xiao Man glanced sidelong at him: "The young master is now focused solely on saving the Commandery Princess. I don't want him distracted by such trivial matters."

The little monk clasped his hands again: "Amitabha Buddha."

Xiao Man raised her eyebrows: "So what if I'm greedy for money? The young master is going to leave far away in the future. He promised to leave the family business to me. This business and money will be mine! The young master will need money on his journey away, right? Even if he leaves the Ning Dynasty, he'll need to live somehow. Once I get the silver, I'll exchange it for gold, and give him fifty percent for travel expenses when he leaves…"

The little monk clasped his hands together again: "Amitabha Buddha."

Xiao Man angrily retorted: "Fine, I'll give him eighty percent, no more! I need to keep twenty percent for business turnover!"

The little monk innocently said: "I meant no harm, Miss Xiao Man, why are you feeling guilty?"

Xiao Man stood up and pinched his waist: "Go make dinner!"

The little monk called after her: "Today I'd like to eat pot-stewed tofu and oil-fried wild rice shoots." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Go eat shit!"