Chapter 252 The Board
"Xie Qi..."
Shen Yuanzhu grabbed Xie Qi's sleeve, speechless with surprise.
The incident happened yesterday, and they're arresting people today?
Furthermore, the charges were announced and the person was taken away without any court hearing or trial, which was far too hasty.
Xie Qi grasped Shen Yuanzhu's hand in return and shook his head slightly.
The incident happened so suddenly that it wasn't until Ruan Fulan was dragged out of the guild hall that everyone seemed to come to their senses.
They looked at each other for a moment, then fell silent.
Although Ruan Fulan was quite famous in Guangzhou, she was not familiar with the capital.
Most of them were in Beijing for the first time to participate in the election, so it's really far-fetched to say that she killed someone and destroyed cloth.
Shen Yuanzhu tugged at Xie Qi's sleeve, when she heard someone in the room suddenly mutter, "I'm afraid they'll announce the confiscation of all their property in a couple of days."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuanzhu stiffened.
For some reason, she remembered what the other person had said: "You're so young to be doing business, but your parents are gone."
Sister Ruan has no parents, is unmarried, and presumably has no family lineage, so...
Shen Yuanzhu's hand trembled, and she stared blankly at Xie Qi.
Xie Qi's expression was also very unpleasant. He reached out and put his arm around Yuan Zhu, his face solemn.
"I'm not eating this..."
A young man threw his chopsticks on the table and turned to leave. His action prompted the others in the room to leave as well.
Back in her room, Shen Yuanzhu said, "I know a little about why the owners of those big shops in the capital have withdrawn one after another."
Xie Qi said, "Those in the capital should know the ways of Prince Jing or his men; perhaps someone has already suffered this loss before..."
The two exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with a hundred kinds of anger, but in the end, they could only feel powerless.
"Sister Ruan, she..."
Shen Yuanzhu clutched her chest, her eyes stinging with tears.
"Once I can get through to my father-in-law, I'll go and inquire about it."
She nodded blankly, then stood up.
Xie Qi asked nervously, "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to see Shen Yanhuai; I need to inform him about these matters."
After saying that, Shen Yuanzhu turned and went to the next room.
Her relationship with Shen Yanhuai cannot be simply defined as that of siblings or enemies.
Despite all the grudges and resentments, she never intended to cause Shen Yanhuai's family to be destroyed.
Shen Yuanzhu raised her hand and knocked on the door, and Shen Yuanqiong came out.
What are you doing here?
"I'm looking for Shen Yanhuai."
Shen Yuanqiong stood inside the door, blocking people from entering.
"Who is it..."
Ye Yunyi exclaimed, "Isn't this Master Shen from Xiecui Workshop? What brings you here, Master Shen?"
"Master Shen is good at hiding things. He built such a large shop without making a sound. I really underestimated you back then."
Shen Yuanzhu raised her eyes and said bluntly, "That's because you're blind and stupid."
"you……"
Ye Yunyi reached out her hand, about to say something, when Shen Yanhuai turned into the corridor.
Ye Yunyi dared not act rashly and changed her expression again.
"Yuanzhu, you're here just in time. I need to talk to you about something."
As Shen Yanhuai approached, he saw Ye Yunyi and Shen Yuanqiong standing by the door. His expression turned cold: "You two go back to your room first. Yuanzhu and I have something to say."
"Go to your room."
After saying that, Shen Yanhuai pushed open another door.
Seeing Xie Qi there, he said, "It's good that you two are here, so I don't have to come looking for you. Listen to me, this election is wrong."
Shen Yuanzhu was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Shen Yanhuai had the same idea as her.
Shen Yanhuai said, "I didn't understand before. After Baoling Company was killed and its cloth destroyed, instead of seeking an explanation from the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau and the Inner Court, they were the first to think about withdrawing from the competition. This is really illogical."
"But yesterday I thought again, perhaps the infighting among the dye shops in the capital is serious. The people dealing with Baolinghao have powerful backers in the capital that Baolinghao dares not offend, so they were forced to make concessions."
"But today, the person arrested is Ruan Fulan..."
Shen Yanhuai shook his head: "The news of the destruction of the Baoling sample cloth broke at the same time that the young master of the Liang family fell into the water. At that time, Ruan Fulan was in the courtyard."
As he spoke, he slightly twirled his fingers: "Perhaps the person behind the destruction of the Baoling sample cloth did not expect that such a mess would happen, with a playboy falling into the water, and drawing most of the people in the courtyard out."
"So when the officials came to arrest her today, they took advantage of the moment before everyone could react, covered Ruan Fulan's mouth, and took her away."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuanzhu's face turned pale. "Because if Sister Ruan speaks up in this kind of situation, we will all testify for her."
"Now that she has been taken away, which of us out-of-town merchants dares to step forward and clear Sister Ruan's name?"
Shen Yanhuai glanced at Shen Yuanzhu and gave a grim "hmm".
Xie Qi said, "The moment the officials arrived, they gagged the man, which shows they knew what had happened in the courtyard..."
After these words were spoken, all three fell silent.
Shen Yanhuai looked at Shen Yuanzhu and sighed, "I plan to make the dyeing formula for ice-tear cloth public."
Shen Yuanzhu asked in surprise, "Why? To protect yourself?"
Shen Yanhuai said, "Yes, ice-tear cloth has a new style, low cost, and is suitable for mass production. It is a good thing to make a profit."
"We've all come together, and the people behind us are only after profit. But as long as the dyeing method for ice-torn cloth cannot be monopolized, the Shen family's dyeing workshop will lose its value to those behind the scenes."
"As for the two of you, the sample cloth has been handed over, so you should make plans as soon as possible in order to escape."
After Shen Yanhuai finished speaking, he prepared to leave, but just as he reached the door, he suddenly turned back to look at Shen Yuanzhu.
"I know you have a relationship with Ruan Dongjia, but you must not act impulsively."
"I've inquired about it. Prince Jing has a concubine who recently entered his household. Her family is in the textile and dyeing business. Moreover, there are rumors in the capital that the people in Prince Jing's household are very adept at seizing wealth and property."
"We are just a small shopkeeper..."
Shen Yanhuai sighed, "It's better to behave yourself."
After saying that, he pushed open the door and was about to walk out when he heard a commotion downstairs.
Shen Yuanzhu is now somewhat afraid of this noise.
After hesitating for a moment, he stood on the corridor with Xie Qi to watch.
"Sir, sir, we dare not do it again."
Zhou Rui, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, no longer possessed the warmth he had shown when he first greeted them.
He stared at the manager of Fengrong Cloth Shop in Songjiang Prefecture and said, "Manager Xu, don't blame me for being ruthless, it's just that you haven't taken the authority of the government seriously."
"What kind of place is this Guild Hall and the Imperial Merchants' Competition? You think you can just come and go as you please?"
After saying that, Zhou Rui looked up at the crowd upstairs and downstairs, his tone icy: "Since you are all here, I will be frank. The selection of imperial merchants is no child's play. Playing tricks on the officials will get you punished."
Zhou Rui tilted his head and said, "Go, give him fifty lashes. If he's still alive, make him quit."
The young man who had dined with Shen Yuanqiong earlier stepped forward: "Sir, my father is getting old and is in a hurry to return to Songjiang Prefecture because he needs to prepare for my wedding."
“He can’t take fifty lashes, I’ll take them for him.”
Seeing the boy come out, Shen Yanhuai's hand tightened suddenly.
Shen Yuanzhu glanced at him sideways and whispered, "It's you?"
Was it Shen Yanhuai who informed Feng Rong Cloth Shop of the problems with his candidacy?
Shen Yanhuai closed his eyes and nodded gently.
Listening to the crackling sound of the wooden cane striking flesh, and the cries of the young man and the old man, Shen Yuanzhu slowly uttered, "Killing the chicken... to scare the monkey..."
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