With the arrival of autumn, a cool breeze gradually picked up, a chill quietly permeating every corner of the capital. Inside Jinyun Bookstore, a heater had been installed to combat the gradually cooling weather. The charcoal fire in the heater was blazing brightly, its orange-red flames dancing cheerfully, suffusing the entire bookstore with a cozy warmth that formed a stark contrast to the autumn chill outside.
Su Jinli, dressed in a lavender brocade robe, sat in the bookstore's accounting office, concentrating on checking the accounts. In front of her were piles of ledgers, and her slender fingers gently flipped the pages, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes picking up a pen to record. Her expression was so focused that it seemed as if the entire world was just the ledger in front of her.
At that moment, the bookstore door suddenly flung open, and a gust of cold wind, accompanied by the sound of noisy footsteps, rushed in. Su Jinli looked up in astonishment, only to see Lin Wanyue storming in with a group of servants. Lin Wanyue, dressed in a gorgeous pink silk dress, had a look of mixed anger and pride on her face. She held up a piece of paper and shouted, "Su Jinli! How dare you plagiarize my newly written 'Night Talks in the Boudoir'! Today, I will make you give me an explanation!"
"Oh?" Su Jinli raised her eyebrows slightly, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. She slowly stood up, walked gracefully to Lin Wanyue, and calmly took the manuscript from her. Su Jinli gently flipped open the manuscript, quickly skimming through a few pages. Then, her finger lingered on the sentence "Clouds break, the moon comes out, and the flowers play with shadows." She looked up at Lin Wanyue, her tone calm but with unquestionable determination: "Miss Lin, this doesn't seem to be your writing, right? This is clearly what I wrote at the poetry club last year. The noble ladies present at the time can all testify to this."
With that, Su Jinli turned and walked to a nearby bookshelf, expertly rummaging through a thick manuscript. She spread it out on the table, revealing dense handwriting and the signatures of thirty noble ladies. Pointing at the signatures, Su Jinli said, "Ms. Lin, look! This is the proof. If you don't believe me, feel free to ask these ladies."
Lin Wanyue's face instantly turned red and white. She was so angry that her whole body was shaking, her eyes were as big as copper bells. She suddenly turned around and rushed towards Jiang Yan, crying, "Jiang Lang, look at her... She is so unreasonable. She plagiarized my work and refused to admit it. You have to stand up for me!"
"How dare you!" Su Jinli slammed the account book down on the table, a resounding sound that echoed through the quiet bookstore like thunder. Her eyes revealed both authority and anger as she stared directly at Lin Wanyue and said coldly, "Miss Lin, please be respectful. This is evidence that you bribed the bookseller to pirate my work. What else do you have to say?"
Jiang Yan had been standing quietly by, witnessing all of this. At this moment, he silently walked over to Su Jinli, handed her a cup of tea that had already been brewed, and whispered, "Madam, calm down. Don't let your anger get to your health. It's not worth getting angry with someone like that." His voice was gentle and caring, like a spring breeze, gently caressing Su Jinli's heart.
Lin Wanyue watched Jiang Yan and Su Jinli being so affectionate, oblivious to the world around them. The jealousy and anger within her surged like a surging tide, uncontrollable. She screamed, turned, and fled in disgrace with her servants. Her shambling figure resembled a defeated rooster.
Su Jinli finally came to her senses, her eyes inadvertently falling on Jiang Yan's cuffs, where she saw a bright rouge mark. She raised her eyebrows slightly, a hint of suspicion flashed in her eyes, and asked with a slightly sour tone, "Where did this rouge mark come from?"
"Princess Shou'an got it while she was learning sugar painting." Jiang Yan was startled when he saw Su Jinli's eyes, and hurriedly explained in a panic, "If you don't believe me, Madam, you can smell it..." As he said that, he actually moved his sleeves closer to Su Jinli.
"Shut up!" Su Jinli's cheeks flushed slightly, and she feigned anger as she kicked him. However, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, and she felt sweet inside. She knew that Jiang Yan had always been devoted to her, but seeing the rouge mark, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh as he looked at Su Jinli. He reached out and gently took Su Jinli's hand, saying softly, "Madam, please don't be angry. You are the only one in my heart. There is no one else in this world who can catch my eye."
Su Jinli gently broke free from his hand and said angrily, "Who's angry? I just... I just don't like the sight of your dirty cuffs."
Jiang Yan smiled and said, "Yes, yes, it's all my fault for being careless. If you don't like it, I'll go back and change it."
Su Jinli looked at Jiang Yan's fawning expression and couldn't help but burst out laughing. She said, "Well, considering your sincerity, I'll forgive you this time. But don't do this again next time."
Jiang Yan nodded quickly and said, "Of course, of course. Madam, don't worry, I will be careful next time."
As they were talking, a bookshop clerk walked in and said, "Boss, Lin Wanyue just made such a scene, and many customers are talking about it. What should we do?"
Su Jinli frowned slightly, and after a moment's contemplation, she said, "That's fine. The innocent will be cleared. We have evidence proving she plagiarized. Go prepare some notices, clearly stating the whole story, and post them at the entrance of the bookstore and in conspicuous places throughout the capital, so everyone knows the truth."
The clerk responded and went out to prepare. Jiang Yan looked at Su Jinli with admiration in his eyes and said, "Madam, you are truly intelligent. This way, everyone will know Lin Wanyue's true identity and the bookstore will be cleared of all charges."
Su Jinli said, "Humph, she thinks she can slander me this way. She is simply wishful thinking. I will definitely not let her scheme succeed."
However, the situation did not end there. Lin Wanyue returned home, unsatisfied. She decided to ally with some of her literati friends and spread rumors among the capital's literary circles, claiming that Su Jinli was a habitual plagiarist and that many of the books sold by Jinyun Bookstore were also plagiarized. For a time, the capital's literary circles were in an uproar, and many people who were unaware of the truth began to question Jinyun Bookstore, affecting its business.
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