A sense of foreboding welled up in her heart. Wang Manwen kicked the servant kneeling on the ground. "You! Go tell the master that I've been taken away by the people from the Prefectural Magistrate's Office."
The servant quickly got up and scurried out.
Wang Manwen calmly tidied her clothes before following the young servant to the door. Then she left the Su Mansion with the people from the Prefectural Magistrate's Office.
When Wang Manwen arrived at the Prefectural Magistrate's Office, Su Mingyu, wearing a bamboo hat, was already there.
Wang Manwen hardly even glanced at her and went straight to the magistrate. "Your Honor, what is the matter that you've summoned me here for?"
The magistrate's palms were sweaty. Where on earth did this Sinnan come from?
Not only did she dare to provoke the Su Mansion, but she also used the law to put pressure on him, forcing him to invite Wang Manwen here.
If he handled this well, it would be fine. But if he didn't, offending Su Zhengyi would mean he'd lose his official position.
Wang Manwen wasn't the least bit nervous. She didn't believe that a low - ranking magistrate could really do anything to her, the proper wife of a minister.
The magistrate nervously slapped the table. "Madam Su, this Miss Sinnan said that you smashed the items in her shop. Is it true?"
Wang Manwen didn't deny it. "I just accidentally damaged a few items."
"Then why didn't you compensate for them?" The magistrate looked at Wang Manwen, feeling very guilty. "Don't you know the details of the compensation?"
Wang Manwen sneered. "Your Honor, of course I'll compensate for what I should. But this Sinnan asks me to pay ten taels for a cup of tea. May I ask, Your Honor, have you ever seen a cup of tea worth ten taels?"
It was clearly unreasonable, and she didn't believe the magistrate would turn a blind eye and muddle through this matter.
The magistrate turned to Su Mingyu. "Miss Sinnan, is what Madam Su said true?"
Su Mingyu nodded. "Your Honor, that's right. That tea was a gift from a friend of mine and is very rare, so the price is a bit high."
Saying that, Su Mingyu asked Xia Mian to hand over the bill again. "It's just a cup of tea. Although our shop is small, we can still afford it. Since Madam Wang is so bothered about it, why not just give it to her for free?"
Su Mingyu's words were very generous. Her words gave people the impression that Wang Manwen, with such a large fortune and being the wife of a minister, was so petty about a cup of tea.
For a moment, when the onlookers outside looked at Wang Manwen, there was a hint of contempt in their eyes.
Wang Manwen felt extremely uncomfortable under their gazes. She darkened her face. "You're so glib - tongued. I can't argue with you. Your Honor, please judge this matter!"
The magistrate was so annoyed by Wang Manwen's stare that he said, "Well... since Miss Sinnan has waived the tea fee, what else is Madam Su dissatisfied with?"
Just as Wang Manwen was about to say something, Su Zhengyi walked in through the main door.
He didn't even look at Wang Manwen. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Su Mingyu.
When the magistrate saw Su Zhengyi coming, he quickly got off the high platform and flattered him. "I've seen Minister Su. Thank you for coming here to uphold justice despite your busy schedule."
Su Zhengyi gave the magistrate a disdainful look from the corner of his eye and then went up to the platform and sat down next to the magistrate. "I've heard about this matter. Although my wife was in the wrong, isn't it a bit too much for this young lady to ask for such an exorbitant price?"
The magistrate quickly nodded. "Yes, yes, yes. Just now, Miss Sinnan said that the tea matter would be waived. We can discuss the rest."
Su Zhengyi let out a soft snort from his nose. "I'm not here to interfere with your judgment, Your Honor. I'm just curious about where this small clothing shop got the capital to ask for a hundred taels at once."
"I'd like to ask Your Honor to investigate carefully where the money of this shop comes from. Don't let anyone dirty the cleanliness of the capital!"
Su Zhengyi's accusation was quite a heavy one.
Su Mingyu wasn't the least bit flustered. She stood there calmly, looking very imposing.
"Minister Su, if you want to investigate, I naturally won't stop you. But there's one thing."
"All the finished clothes I currently have were made from the cloth from Madam Wang's textile shop. If something is really found out, please don't bend the law for personal gain, Minister Su."
Su Mingyu's words were a clear warning to Su Zhengyi.
Anyway, neither of them was clean. If they really investigated, neither of them could escape.
Both Su Zhengyi and Wang Manwen understood this, so Su Zhengyi didn't dwell on this topic. "With the magistrate here, there's no need for me to interfere. I said I'm just here to take a look."
Saying that, Su Zhengyi slowly sipped a cup of tea, looking calm and composed, as if he wasn't worried about Wang Manwen at all.
"In that case, I'll investigate myself." Su Mingyu said casually, seemingly not nervous at all. "Actually, I've already asked the people from the Ministry of Works' textile department to take samples from Madam Wang's textile shop for inspection. I believe we'll get the answer soon."
Wang Manwen almost jumped up and pointed at Su Mingyu's nose and scolded. "What right do you have to inspect my textile shop!"
On what grounds? Su Mingyu sneered. "On the grounds that the cloth you provided before caused rashes on several girls' bodies."
"Later, those girls came to cause trouble for me. According to our country's law, I have the right to ask you, Madam Wang, for details."
There was a hint of mockery in Su Mingyu's voice. "But it seems that Madam Wang has always been reluctant to let my people visit your textile shop. I had no choice but to take this step."
Just as she was speaking, several black - clothed guards walked in.
The people behind them carried a large bucket in a box. As soon as the box was brought in, everyone couldn't help but cover their noses.
Because it smelled really bad.
But the leader of the black - clothed men didn't even change his expression. "This is what we saw when we went to Madam Su's textile shop for inspection after receiving a report. According to the people in the workshop, this stinky stuff in the bucket is used to dye clothes."
Su Mingyu covered her nose and let out a long, heart - broken sigh. "So those fabrics were dyed in such a filthy environment. No wonder those girls would itch after wearing them. It's so dirty and disgusting. It's really hard to believe."
Wang Manwen was stunned. This was indeed something from her workshop, but it was something she had already discarded.
Wang Manwen's face was pale, and her hands were tightly clenched. "We stopped using this bucket a long time ago. Which bastard who wants to frame me told you this! Let that person confront me!"
The leader of the black - clothed men just gave Wang Manwen a cold look. "Madam Su, are you questioning the fairness of our Ministry of Works?"
Wang Manwen turned to look at Su Zhengyi, as if hoping he would help her.
But Su Zhengyi didn't say a word the whole time. He just sipped his tea calmly.
Su Mingyu secretly gave her so - called father a thumbs - up.
If he dared to speak now, the Ministry of Works would dare to drag him into this as well. So ignoring it was the best thing to do.
It was a pity that her step - mother didn't understand this at all.
Seeing that Wang Manwen had nothing to say, the black - clothed man continued, "Considering the great impact of this incident, we're going to seal Madam Su's clothing workshop for a period of time."
"What?" Wang Manwen almost fainted from anger and could hardly stand steady.
She angrily pointed at the black - clothed man's nose and scolded, "Who do you think you are? How dare you seal my clothing workshop? Do you know who I am? You're just courting death!"
Saying that, Wang Manwen seemed to be looking for an explanation and turned to look at Su Zhengyi.
Before Su Zhengyi could speak, Su Mingyu clapped her hands.
"Madam Wang really lives up to being the wife of Minister Su. You're so overbearing."
"The Ministry of Works was ordered by the emperor to be in charge of national quality supervision. Madam Su, as just the wife of a minister, dares to openly challenge the direct subordinates of the emperor. You really have to be admired."
These words made Su Zhengyi unable to sit still. He quickly coughed lightly to stop Wang Manwen from speaking rashly. "Manwen, since the matter has been traced back to you, you should cooperate well."
Su Zhengyi walked to Wang Manwen's side from the high platform. "It's just a routine inspection. Let them do it. You've been tired lately. Let's go back and rest for a while."
"But... but..."
Wang Manwen was still reluctant to accept this. This clothing workshop was all her hard - work and the source of income for her entire family.
How could she let the Ministry of Works seal it?
Wang Manwen looked at Su Zhengyi with tears welling up in her eyes. "My lord... They're closing my clothing workshop just because of a bucket of water. Isn't that a bit too much?"
Su Zhengyi sternly glared at Wang Manwen. "It's just an investigation. Just correct what's wrong. As the wife of this minister, don't you even understand such basic laws?"
Wang Manwen thought that Su Zhengyi would speak up for her, but she didn't expect him to scold her instead.
Suddenly, Wang Manwen felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
She looked at Su Zhengyi in disbelief, with accusation and grievance in her voice. "The Ministry of Works can just seal it whenever they want. They don't even give you, the minister, any face. Why do you still care about the law..."
"Presumptuous!"
Before she could finish speaking, Su Zhengyi slapped her across the face. "The law has been respected by several generations of emperors. Do you, a woman, want to rebel?"
Su Zhengyi's face was ashen. He raised his hand and roared, "Come here. Take the madam back."
Before leaving, Su Zhengyi specifically apologized to the black - clothed man.
Just as he was about to walk out of the main door, Su Mingyu quickly called him. "Minister Su, your family still owes me a hundred... Oh, no, ninety taels of silver. When should I send someone to your mansion to collect it?"
Su Zhengyi turned around and stared at Su Mingyu coldly for a long time.
His gaze was so deep that it seemed as if he wanted to see through her bamboo hat.
Su Mingyu didn't back down at all. She stood there quietly looking back at Su Zhengyi, as if waiting for his answer.
His position in the court was among the top.
This small clothing shop owner dared to look at him so directly. It seemed that this girl named Sinnan had a complicated background.
After pondering for a moment, Su Zhengyi left a sentence. "I'll send someone to your shop." Then he left the main door of the Prefectural Magistrate's Office.
A hint of cruelty flashed in Su Mingyu's eyes. Su Zhengyi, don't be in a hurry. It'll be your turn soon.
Su Mingyu's lawsuit was extremely lively and almost shocked the entire capital.
Taking this opportunity, Su Mingyu said that she would take out fifty taels from Wang Manwen's compensation money as compensation for the sisters who were victims of the clothes from Wang Manwen's textile shop.
This instantly increased the popularity of Sinnan Pavilion among the young ladies in the capital.
When Gu Ruobai heard about this, he slightly raised the corner of his mouth, and there was an involuntary look of admiration in his eyes. She really lived up to being the girl he had taken a fancy to.
Su Mingyu didn't think it was a big deal. The most satisfying thing in the whole incident was the crisp sound when Su Zhengyi slapped Wang Manwen. It was just so wonderful.
"Was it the prince's order to directly seal the shop?"
Su Mingyu unexpectedly brewed a cup of tea for Gu Ruobai.
Gu Ruobai looked at her flattering him and squinted his eyes contentedly. "The people from the Ministry of Works are just more sensible."
Su Mingyu let out an "oh" and respectfully handed the tea to Gu Ruobai. "Can I trouble the prince with one more thing?"
Gu Ruobai was calm and collected. One sentence hit the point. "You want Madam Wang's textile shop to be closed forever?"
"No wonder the Prince of Ruixian is so smart. Since it's already been sealed, let it stay sealed. I'd like to see how Wang Manwen can still be so arrogant in the Su Mansion without the support of her natal family."
Seeing Su Mingyu's determined look, Gu Ruobai was very satisfied, but he still wanted to tease this girl. "If I help you, what benefits will you give me?"
This guy really knew how to take advantage of the situation.
Su Mingyu snatched back the teacup from Gu Ruobai's hand. "Didn't I already agree to help you train the troops?"
The tea that was about to reach his mouth was gone, but Gu Ruobai wasn't angry. He poured himself a cup. "I'm not asking you to train for free either."
Su Mingyu: ...
Fine!
Who asked her to need his help?
"Then may I ask what the prince wants me to do?"
Gu Ruobai looked at her gritted - teeth look and curled his lips. "Well, I haven't thought of it yet. How about you owe me one?"
Su Mingyu: ...
If she could, she really wanted to strangle this man. "You're a dignified prince. Is it fun to bully a little girl?"
Gu Ruobai sincerely nodded. "It is. You look quite interesting when you're angry."
Su Mingyu rolled her eyes and finally gritted her teeth and agreed to him. "Fine! I'll owe you."
Gu Ruobai raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Good girl~"
Su Mingyu forced a perfunctory smile and then was about to turn around and leave.
But the next second, her wrist was grabbed.
Su Mingyu turned around impatiently. "What? Do you have something else to say?"
Before Gu Ruobai could speak, Su Mingyu felt a coolness on her wrist. When she looked down, she saw that Gu Ruobai had put the jade bracelet back on her hand.
Su Mingyu stared at the bracelet. "What does this mean?"
Gu Ruobai's eyes were calm. "There's no reason to take back a gift that has been given. I've kept it for you for so long. It's time to return it to you."
Su Mingyu looked at the translucent and shiny bracelet in the moonlight. She originally wanted to say that she wouldn't take it back after returning it.
But the tenderness that Gu Ruobai inadvertently showed made her swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue. "Does this bracelet have any story?"