Yun Xi stared sharply at the shopkeeper on the ground, who looked extremely guilty, and coldly demanded,
"Where did you steal this deed? And why did you pawn it at the gambling house?"
"I advise you to tell the whole truth. Don't try to be slippery! Otherwise, you'll never step out of the prison for the rest of your life! My father will surely tell the jailers to take 'good care' of you!"
For greedy people, for the sake of wealth, they're willing to take risks and even risk their lives, just living for the moment. But when facing the long - term torture of time, even if they possess a great deal of wealth but have no freedom to squander it, it's undoubtedly the most painful!
Upon learning Yun Xi's identity, the shopkeeper didn't dare to hide anything and quickly told her the whole story.
It turned out that this shop was one of the dozen or so shops that Madam Jiang had given to Jiang Da. At that time, the old lady had ordered Steward Liu to take back the shop. Jiang Da had claimed that the deed was lost, and Steward Liu hadn't pressed the issue but simply returned to report.
The reason Steward Liu was so bold was, of course, because Madam Jiang had given her silent approval, while the old lady had been kept in the dark all along.
Jiang Da had owed gambling debts and was cornered by the gambling house. So he forced the shopkeeper to take the deed to the gambling house and temporarily exchange it for a thousand taels of silver notes, thinking he could redeem it later.
After Jiang Da was beaten and became disabled, he thought this debt would be written off. But unexpectedly, the gambling house was relentless. When they didn't receive the silver at the agreed - upon time, they came to the shop with the deed to take it over!
Moreover, because the shopkeeper didn't cooperate, they beat him up severely!
"The wrongdoer should be held accountable. Since it was Jiang Da who owed the silver, shouldn't Your Highness go after Jiang Da?"
Yun Xi didn't fully believe that the shopkeeper was as innocent as he claimed, but this was related to her mother's shop after all. For now, she could only choose to protect the shopkeeper and not give the shop away!
Hearing this, Qi Rong raised his eyebrows, as if he'd heard a big joke. He stood up with a half - smile, then paced over to the shopkeeper, stepped on his palm, and ground it hard. Immediately, the shopkeeper cried out in pain, his body struggling desperately, but he was firmly held down by two men and couldn't break free at all.
The shrill cries echoed in the room for a long time. The apprentices kneeling on the ground couldn't help shivering. Some even looked terrified and covered their ears with both hands.
But Qi Rong ignored it completely and continued his cruel torture until the shopkeeper fainted from the pain.
Yu Zhu tightly grasped Yun Xi's sleeve and nestled beside her in fear. Yun Xi also couldn't help frowning.
She felt that the coldness emanating from Qi Rong at this moment was even more intimidating than before. The sense of closeness she'd gradually developed towards Qi Rong vanished in an instant, as if she'd returned to the feeling when she first saw him at the hunting ground, making her shiver.
After the shopkeeper fainted, the shop fell into complete silence. But Qi Rong sat back on the chair as if nothing had happened and ordered someone to bring him a new pot of tea.
Qi Rong leaned lazily against the chair back, stared steadily at Yun Xi, and said,
"Just as you said, 'the wrongdoer should be held accountable'. Since it was he who borrowed the silver from the gambling house, of course, the person I'm looking for is him."
"No matter where he got this deed, since it's pawned in my hands, this shop now belongs to me!"
Qi Rong's attitude and his words made Yun Xi tremble with anger.
"Even if we don't count the land, just the antiques and jade ware stored in this shop are worth at least ten thousand taels! The shopkeeper only borrowed a thousand taels from the gambling house, but you want to take advantage for free. Is this how Your Highness makes money?"
"If this matter is reported to the yamen, what do you think Lord Liang, the Prefectural Magistrate of the Capital, will do?"
Liang Sheng, the Prefectural Magistrate of the Capital, was well - known in the capital for his integrity and fearlessness of power. He was a rare honest official.
So, if Yun Xi was determined to report this matter to the yamen, even though it might take some time, Qi Rong might not get the upper hand!
Looking at Yun Xi's stubborn little face, Qi Rong suddenly sneered and clapped his hands.
"Good, excellent."
Seeing the coldness in Qi Rong's eyes and his sinister smile, Yun Xi unconsciously swallowed.
She suddenly remembered that Qi Rong couldn't stand being threatened. And her actions just now were undoubtedly provoking him.
Given Qi Rong's cruelty and despicability, if she became his enemy like this, it didn't seem like a good thing. Instead, she might get into endless trouble in the future!
Thinking of this, Yun Xi gritted her teeth, changed her previous attitude, and immediately put on a friendly smile.
"Just now, I was just talking about the worst - case scenario. Of course, there's still room for negotiation."
"As long as Your Highness is willing to show mercy, I can pay off the silver the shopkeeper owes. Please return the deed of the shop to me. In this way, Your Highness won't suffer any losses. Isn't it a win - win situation?"
Yun Xi looked at Qi Rong expectantly, hoping that this matter could be resolved peacefully.
Qi Rong scrutinized Yun Xi for a long time. Until the smile on Yun Xi's face became stiff and almost disappeared, he finally said,
"You're becoming more and more like a businessman. You never do a losing deal."
Hearing Qi Rong's words, which didn't sound like a compliment at all, Yun Xi could only smile helplessly.
"Where, I'm far inferior to Your Highness!"
Previously, she didn't know that Qi Rong had a gambling house. No wonder he didn't have a solid foundation in the court but could donate a large sum of money during the fund - raising. So he was doing these unscrupulous businesses!
Qi Rong sneered. How could he not hear Yun Xi's veiled sarcasm?
He suddenly stood up, walked in front of Yun Xi, and his slender fingers clasped her delicate chin. Looking down at her from a high position, he parted his thin lips.
"If you want me to give up this shop, you can accompany me for one night. Maybe I'll be in a good mood and give you a few more shops."
Looking at Qi Rong's extremely handsome face so close, Yun Xi's breath caught in her throat. The smile on her face couldn't be maintained anymore. She immediately slapped his hand away in shock, shame, and anger.
Her eyes were blazing with anger as she glared at him.
"You're a prince after all. How could you say such a shameless thing?"
In front of everyone, even if he didn't care about his own reputation, he shouldn't have humiliated her like this!
Seeing Yun Xi's angry expression, Qi Rong burst into laughter, his tone mocking.
"I'm a prince, but I'm also a man."
Yun Xi was extremely angry, and Qi Rong's laughter was extremely harsh to her ears.
She couldn't hold back her anger any longer. She jumped up suddenly and rammed her head into Qi Rong's chin!
Qi Rong's laughter stopped abruptly. Immediately afterwards, blood flowed from the corner of his lips, and his mouth was instantly filled with a strong smell of blood.
He glared at Yun Xi, who was holding her head and crying out in pain. His eyes were cold, as if hiding a man - eating beast. Suddenly, he shouted an order.
"Smash everything in the shop! Leave nothing!"
In an instant, all the thugs rushed forward and smashed all the antiques, jade ware, and porcelain they could see into pieces!
Yun Xi stared in shock at the valuable antiques, jade ware, and porcelain in the shop, which finally turned into a pile of ruins. She felt like killing Qi Rong!
But Qi Rong threw the deed at Yun Xi's feet and sneered coldly.
"Since you cherish this shabby shop so much, I'll be kind enough to give it to you!"
Finally, Qi Rong reached out and pinched her pale little face hard, then walked away arrogantly!