Chapter 100: Encountering a staged accident

After a while, Wang Zongxiu reluctantly reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of wound medicine.

"I only have this one bottle, and I haven't been able to bear using it."

Zhu Mingyue happily accepted it, "Thanks, we won't take it for nothing, we'll pay you back later."

"Forget it." Wang Zongxiu waved his hand. He wasn't that stingy. After taking the share of Mingyue Tower's profits, how many wound medicines couldn't he buy? Besides, he didn't want to go into business after finishing this deal, so he didn't need this stuff for the time being. He just didn't know why Zhu Mingyue knew that he carried this medicine with him.

"This matter should be done sooner rather than later. Tomorrow morning I will take my brothers to Weiyang County in the west. The caravan will pass through Rabbit Ridge near your village. You can take him there and wait for me."

Zhu Mingyue was a little nervous; "Are you sure you can get Brother Cui out of here?" If they get discovered, it'll be all over.

"Don't worry, I've made all the preparations." Wang Zongxiu yawned. "The journey is bumpy, I think you should worry about whether he can handle it."

Zhu Mingyue gripped the wound medicine bottle tightly: "You have to get my Brother Cui out of here alive."

Wang Zongxiu: ...

It was destined to be a sleepless night.

Before the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) had passed, Zhu Mingyue cooked a pot of fish soup, fed it to Cui Jian, and then changed him into the wound medicine she had just scavenged from Wang Zongxiu the day before, and changed him into a clean set of clothes.

After cleaning up, the smell of blood was finally less strong.

He An crouched silently in the Xie family's backyard. The small door to the backyard opened from the inside, and Zhu Mingyue popped her head out to look around.

He An quickly raised his hand and whispered, "Shopkeeper, it's me, there's no one else."

The two pulled the cart around the back mountain to the roadside of Rabbit Ridge, where the caravan was already waiting.

"Brother Cui, take care on your journey." Zhu Mingyue stuffed the remaining wound medicine into Cui Jian's chest: "There's not much left, use it sparingly on the road."

Cui Jian nodded and smiled at him: "Mingyue, I've had a lot of trouble these past few days. I'll definitely send you a message to let you know I'm safe once I'm out of there. Don't worry about me."

Wang Zongxiu separated the two: "Alright, it's getting late, we need to hurry on our way."

As Zhu Mingyue watched the carriage slowly move forward, she couldn't help but pray that they could leave the city safely.

The carriage moved slowly, passing through the city gates, where there weren't many people waiting to leave the city.

The guards were a few young men. Wang Zongxiu smiled and handed over the travel permit, allowing them to open the box for inspection.

Wang Zongxiu remained calm and slowly walked over to one of the guards. "Sir, we merchants earn our money through hard work. We can't just take what we shouldn't take."

The guard didn't even look at him. He suddenly lifted one of the wooden boxes, his body jerked, and then he quickly returned to normal, closing the box expressionlessly and nodding, "Good that it didn't poop."

Wang Zongxiu left the city with the newly stamped seal. Wu Feng caught up from the back of the group and said, "Boss, this road is difficult to travel. I'm worried that something might have happened to that person in the box. Do you think we should stop and rest for a while?"

Wang Zongxiu said impatiently, "What could possibly go wrong once we're out of the city? I think you're just trying to slack off." He had only met that Cui guy yesterday; he was very stubborn and didn't seem like the type to ask for a break.

Wu Feng scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat aggrieved: "Boss, Young Master Zhu entrusted the person to you, so can't you take care of him?"

Wang Zongxiu kicked Wu Feng in the butt: "Do I need you to say it?" He was furious with these brats. They hadn't even changed employers yet, and they were already siding with outsiders.

Each of them, knowing they would be working at Mingyue Tower, was even more eager than him to do so.

They didn't know who was being transported, but whoever it was, they were all very easygoing. As long as they weren't bad people, they didn't care about anything else.

Wang Zongxiu opened the box, and a faint salty smell wafted out. Cui Jian was lying next to a bunch of salted fish, seemingly lost in thought, his face looking rather pale.

The smell of salted fish was indeed unpleasant; even Wang Zongxiu himself couldn't stand it. He scratched his head and said, "Young Master Cui, please don't take offense. Putting you and salted fish together was a last resort."

Wang Zongxiu had been a merchant for many years, and he knew exactly what could and could not be transported, including the penalties for smuggling various goods.

The Li Dynasty strictly prohibited the smuggling of tea, coarse salt, and weapons, with the punishment increasing the severity the punishment the later the offense was committed.

In particular, smuggling coarse salt has resulted in imprisonment every year. However, unable to resist the enormous profits involved, some people have gradually started to have ulterior motives. If they can't transport salt, they can still transport salted goods made from smuggled salt, such as salted fish and salted duck.

The Li Dynasty issued a new decree specifically targeting this phenomenon, requiring the transportation of salted goods to be accompanied by the official seal of the salt bureau. If it was discovered that the salt used for pickling was not official salt, a fine would also be imposed.

Ganzhou, in particular, is rich in resources, producing abundant fish, shrimp, and mountain products, which made it a salt-washing site for many people who manufactured smuggled salt.

Wang Zongxiu chose to use this box of salted fish to cover up Cui Jian for two reasons: first, to mislead the guards; and second, because the punishment for smuggling salted goods was not as severe as that for smuggling salt, making it more feasible.

When a normal person opens a box and sees it full of contraband, they would never imagine that even bigger "contraband" is hidden underneath.

The city gate guards didn't earn much, and they usually took advantage of their positions to make some extra money while on duty. If Wang Zongxiu were transporting tea, salt, or weapons, the guards certainly wouldn't dare to do that. But since he was transporting salty goods, even if they caught him, the only outcome would be the confiscation of the goods and a fine. Wang Zongxiu was generous with his bribes, so the guards naturally pretended not to see anything and let him pass without hesitation.

"Oh, by the way, I just bribed the guards, it cost me ten taels of silver, you see..." Wang Zongxiu was still thinking about that bribe. It wasn't that he was stingy, but he had even bought several cartloads of goods at his own expense to get Cui Jian out, and now he was penniless. He was shameless, so he took the opportunity to ask about it.

Cui Jian: ...

He lowered his eyes as if thinking, and after a few seconds he said, "If you can trust me, I will have someone send the silver to Shangyang County in half a month."

Wang Zongxiu could tell that he was penniless, so he didn't hold it against him. Instead, he asked him with great interest about his family background.

...

“Shopkeeper, don’t worry,” He An waved his hand in front of Zhu Mingyue’s eyes, “I’ve already had someone inquire, and Brother Wang’s caravan left the city smoothly.”

Zhu Mingyue rested her chin on her hands, staring blankly at the Ji River outside the window. "Seven days have passed. If all goes well, they should be back by now."

He An: "Once we're out of the city, we'll be safe. Those government officials are still lingering in Shangyang County looking for someone!"

"Perhaps Brother Wang still needs to sell goods, so it won't be that quick."

Zhu Mingyue felt much more at ease after his words of comfort. There was no point in thinking about it anymore, so she changed the subject: "Has a suitable site been found in Guangyang County?"

He An perked up at this: "There are two suitable places, both on the banks of the Ji River, not near the dock, sparsely populated, but with beautiful scenery."

Zhu Mingyue: "It sounds even better than where we are."

He An nodded: "It's good, but this wasteland belongs to the government. I heard that others had their eyes on that land and wanted to buy it from the government, but in the end they were unsuccessful."

Zhu Mingyue's expression remained unchanged: "Have someone write a petition and submit it to the county government of Guangyang County, stating that Mingyuelou intends to expand its restaurant in Guangyang County to boost the market. If the government agrees, we will sign an official contract."

He An scratched his head: "What about these two plots of land?"

Zhu Mingyue reminded him, "Choose whichever area has better transportation."

As the two were talking, a commotion broke out downstairs.

Zhu Mingyue frowned: "What's going on?"

He An rubbed his temples, looking quite troubled: "This is the second time already."

"What's the meaning?"

He An confessed truthfully: "Someone came to our Mingyue Tower to cause trouble. The first time it happened, you, the manager, were worried about your benefactor's matter, so I took it upon myself to cover it up."

Zhu Mingyue didn't blame him. At that time, he was focused on Cui Jian's matter and didn't pay much attention to Mingyue Tower. He An must have noticed this, so he didn't bother him with the miscellaneous affairs of the restaurant.

"Let's go down and take a look."

The troublemaker was on the first floor. When Zhu Mingyue came downstairs, she saw that person throwing a tantrum at Guan Jing.

He was a thin young man, dressed in ill-fitting brocade robes, a stark contrast to Guan Jing. Guan Jing couldn't do anything about him, because whenever he reached out to shoo him away, the man would fall to the ground, rolling his eyes and spitting out saliva.

"I'm going to report you to the authorities! Last time I ate at your restaurant, I went back and vomited and had diarrhea, and I'm still not better! The food at Mingyue Restaurant must be stale." Not satisfied with his cursing, he spat on the ground, "Pah! Even a dog wouldn't eat that!"

Zhu Mingyue's head throbbed slightly. He was all too familiar with this scene. Unlike the shop in town where his rival had bribed him to dine and dash, this was a classic case of staged accident, even worse than dine and dash.

Eating and dashing might only cost you the price of a meal. But it damages the reputation of Mingyue Tower.

"Guan Jing, release him," Zhu Mingyue commanded loudly.

"Shopkeeper!" Guan Jing looked at the person on the ground, clearly very dissatisfied.

"Listen to me, let him go."

Guan Jing walked behind Zhu Mingyue, indignantly saying, "This guy is a scoundrel. I eat the food at our restaurant every day, and it's not dirty at all, it's very clean." Although he eats the staff meals every day, the taste is just as good as that of restaurants outside, and he has eaten there for so many days without any problems.

If employee meals are prepared in this manner, then the meals provided to customers are even less likely to be problematic.

"I know," Zhu Mingyue comforted him softly. He An oversaw all the purchasing for Mingyue Tower and would check on things from time to time, so the possibility of something going wrong was extremely small.

He walked up to the man alone and said, "I am the manager of Mingyue Tower. If you have any opinions about Mingyue Tower, why don't we find a place to talk about it in detail?"

The man lay on the ground, his eyes darting around, and said matter-of-factly, "I don't want to talk to you. People from Mingyue Tower are all bad."

He An was furious: "What the hell do you mean?"

Zhu Mingyue stopped He An and shook her head slightly at him.

It was midday, the busiest time at Mingyue Tower, and this person was deliberately causing trouble downstairs to attract attention.

If He Anruo got into a fight after being provoked a few times, it's easy to imagine that within a day, news would spread throughout Shangyang County that Mingyuelou's food was unclean and that they had assaulted customers who came to demand an explanation.

He An's fist, hidden in his sleeve, was clenched so tightly it was almost breaking. Fortunately, this wasn't the first time he'd encountered this situation, and he quickly regained his composure: "Since you're unwilling to talk to us, then tell us what your purpose is in coming here."

To stage a scene and then extort money? He An thought that must be exactly what he was thinking.

More and more people gathered around to watch the commotion; they were mostly customers who had come to Mingyuelou for dinner at this time.

The man seemed to feel embarrassed lying on the ground surrounded by onlookers, so he jumped up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and then raised his head high and shouted, "Pay me for my medicine!"

As He An's peripheral vision swept over the growing crowd of onlookers, he grew anxious. "How much..." He reached into his sleeve, ready to take out some money to send the crowd away.

He only managed to utter two words before Zhu Mingyue interrupted him, "You jest. Mingyue Restaurant uses only the freshest ingredients of the day, so how could they not be fresh? It's not appropriate to compensate for the medical expenses, is it?"

Money is absolutely out of the question. If we give it to them, wouldn't that be like admitting to the customers that our ingredients aren't fresh?

Zhu Mingyue smiled brightly, showing no anger whatsoever. His composure made the onlookers unconsciously lean towards him.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "I eat at Mingyuelou every day and I've never had any problems. Are you trying to blame them for something bad you ate on your own?"

"Bullshit!" the man retorted angrily. "I say it's Mingyue Tower, so it is Mingyue Tower!"

Zhu Mingyue calmly said, "Since that's the case, let's report it to the authorities. Let the government judge the matter, and if it's Mingyue Tower's fault, we'll naturally be happy to compensate them."

A flicker of panic crossed the man's face: "Report to the authorities? There's no need!"

"You're scared, aren't you!" someone in the crowd immediately mocked him.

"Who's afraid? I just heard that the manager of Mingyuelou has some connections with the government officials. Who knows if they're colluding with the government and bullying an ordinary citizen like me?"

No one else would dare say such a thing. If the government heard about collusion between officials and businessmen, they would be punished.

Zhu Mingyue's lips twitched slightly. She had found out everything about his private affairs, even his relationship with Li Zhengming. Wasn't this blatantly telling everyone that she had come with a purpose in trying to extort money?

It's a bit stupid, but he now has to solve this idiot's problem.

Mingyue Tower is currently enjoying a booming business, so it's normal to attract jealousy from petty people. However, if the problems aren't handled properly, it will definitely cause great damage to its reputation.

Inside the yamen, Zhu Mingyue and that rogue knelt together beneath the courtroom.

This was the first time Zhu Mingyue had ever knelt before a living person, and a sense of unease arose from having to submit to such outdated power.

Let's finish this quickly; he doesn't want to keep kneeling on the ground. Zhu Mingyue steadied herself and recounted the whole story.

"You are the manager of Mingyue Tower, so of course you won't admit that the ingredients in your restaurant aren't fresh."

The man was still shouting when the gavel suddenly rang out, silencing him immediately.

Zhu Mingyue: "Mingyuelou has signed contracts with vegetable vendors for purchasing, and there is evidence on the contracts to prove that all the ingredients used by Mingyuelou are fresh ingredients of the day."

He paused and continued, "Also, you said you want Mingyue Tower to compensate you for the medicine, but do you have any evidence of purchasing the medicine?"

The magistrate wasn't stupid. One side had complete evidence, while the other side had no basis and was full of loopholes. He could naturally see who was right and who was wrong.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, Zhu Mingyue left the yamen, rubbing her sore knees.

He An and Guan Jing quickly stepped forward to help him up: "Manager, that man came to extort money from our Mingyue Tower, why did the magistrate release him?" In their opinion, he should be imprisoned for ten days or half a month to be taught a lesson.

Zhu Mingyue shook his head. To be honest, he felt a strange unease, as if the matter had been resolved too smoothly.

Just as he expected, the Xie family was raided by government officials the following night.