Chapter 331 Bully, Teasing
At night, the two sisters slept in the same bed, as if they had returned to the days when they were young and squeezed together in the servants' quarters of the Yi family mansion.
But now, circumstances are vastly different, and so are our states of mind.
“Sister,” Shui Xiu whispered in the darkness, “Chi Yu and I…we…”
"I know."
Narcissus said gently, “I can see that you two are in love.”
Shui Xiu was a little embarrassed, but more so frank: "Yes, he treated me very well, respected me, and supported me in becoming a female official."
“We…we agreed that we would discuss marriage after I have served my full three-year term.”
She seemed to recall something, and her tone carried a hint of pride, "'Female officials are not allowed to discuss marriage within three years,' this rule was something you, elder sister, strongly advocated for back then."
"I will take the lead in protecting it."
Narcissus smiled silently in the darkness, a warm feeling welling up inside her.
She reached out and gently took her younger sister's hand: "Good, my Xiuer... I'm so happy for you."
Shui Xiu grasped her hand tightly in return: "Sister, you must take good care of yourself too."
"You look really good now. Although... although the Emperor..."
When the topic turned to that woman in the palace, she didn't know how to continue the conversation.
“He sent you to see me, I know.”
Narcissus said calmly, "Tell him I'm fine, really."
Shui Xiu hummed in agreement and said no more.
The two sisters lay quietly, listening to the faint, drawn-out sound of the water clock outside the window, a sound unique to winter nights in Suzhou.
The following day, Yuan Chiyu and Shui Xiu were to leave to continue their official duties of inspecting the canal transport.
Narcissus escorted them to the alley entrance.
"Take care, sister."
Shui Xiu was reluctant to leave.
Take care of yourself too.
"Do your job well, and also... cherish the people in front of you."
Shui Xian gave Yuan Chiyu a meaningful look.
Yuan Chiyu solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Rest assured, Fairy Lady."
The carriage rumbled away into the distance.
Inside the carriage, Shui Xiu gazed at the rapidly receding street scenes of Jiangnan outside the window and said softly, "Seeing my sister like this now, I suddenly feel that perhaps leaving the palace was really the right thing for her."
Yuan Chiyu sat down beside her and said in a low voice, "Yes, everyone has their own way of living... Your sister has found hers."
Not long after Shui Xiu and the other person left, "Tingyun" encountered a small problem.
That afternoon, there were few customers in the shop, and Shui Xian was cutting paper in the back room.
Suddenly, the curtain in front rustled, and a rather loud, somewhat slick voice rang out.
"Oh, so this is the newly opened 'Tingyun'? It's indeed elegant and unique, truly extraordinary!"
Narcissus put down her work and went outside.
There were three people standing in the shop.
The leader was a man around thirty-five years old, wearing a brand-new navy blue silk robe, with a red fox fur vest over it, and a large jade thumb ring on his finger.
The man had fair skin, slightly upturned eyes, and an air of deliberate ostentation and frivolity.
Two short-sleeved attendants followed behind him, their faces bulging with menacing features.
Narcissus recognized this person.
He was the owner of "Jinyunzhuang," the largest silk shop in Suzhou Prefecture, and his surname was Zhao and his given name was Heng.
Relying on his wealth and being a cousin of a certain clerk in the prefectural government, he was quite domineering in the local business community, and most ordinary merchants were unwilling to provoke him.
"What would you like to see, sir?"
Narcissus remained calm, her tone distant and polite.
Zhao Heng's eyes, however, seemed glued to Narcissus, scrutinizing her from head to toe, a flash of amazement, and... greed, in his eyes.
He had heard that a new, elegant little shop had opened on Tang Street, and the rumor was that the female owner was a very beautiful young widow.
Seeing it today, I can see that it truly lives up to its reputation.
Although the woman was simply dressed and without makeup, her overall demeanor and the graceful manners she exuded were far beyond what ordinary women in the marketplace could possess.
"You're the Fairy Maiden, right?"
Zhao Heng waved a gold-flecked folding fan and took two steps closer. A scent mixed with cosmetics and wine wafted towards him.
"I've long heard that the Fairy Lady is both beautiful and talented, and seeing her today, I can confirm it's true... hehe, she lives up to her reputation."
Narcissus frowned almost imperceptibly, took a half step back, and created some distance.
"If Young Master Zhao wishes to purchase embroidery patterns and stationery, please feel free to look at them."
She paused here, her tone growing colder.
"If there's nothing else, I have to take care of the shop, so I'll have to stay and not keep you company."
"Hey, don't rush."
Zhao Heng gestured with his fan to block the view, his gaze sweeping over the shelves. "These things are only good for fooling poor scholars and girls from modest families."
"It's such a pity that such a talented woman like you is stuck with such a small shop, exposed to the wind and sun."
He shook his head with feigned regret, then lowered his voice, temptingly saying, "Why not come with me, young master? You'll live a life of luxury, wearing gold and silver. Why bother with all this toil?"
Narcissus's eyes turned cold, her tone remained steady, but carried an icy chill.
"Young Master Zhao is too kind. I earn my living with my skills and I have nothing to be ashamed of."
"If you wish to discuss business, please follow the proper procedures... If you wish to discuss anything else, we regret that we cannot accommodate you. Please leave."
Zhao Heng hadn't expected this seemingly delicate woman to be so assertive. He was embarrassed after being directly humiliated.
But having been in the business world for many years, he knew he couldn't force her, especially since this woman had an extraordinary air about her and might have some connections.
He chuckled twice and pointed to an embroidery piece on the shelf with his fan: "Alright, let's talk business! I'll take this embroidery. How much?"
"Two taels of silver."
Narcissus deliberately inflated its price.
Zhao Heng gestured to his attendant to pay, took the embroidery, and then gave the narcissus a deep look before smiling enigmatically.
"The fairy maiden has a good temper."
"We...have a long future ahead of us." With that, he led his entourage and swaggered away.
Narcissus watched their departing figures, her brows furrowing slightly.
She knew that Zhao Heng wouldn't give up easily.
But she wasn't too afraid. The streets had their own rules, and she was now a law-abiding merchant. As long as she acted uprightly, the other party couldn't do anything to her openly.
However, it seems there will be more troubles ahead.
Before this trouble could truly arrive, another matter caught Narcissus's eye.
Among the embroiderers who frequently came to deliver goods was a woman named Lin, who was about thirty years old. Her skills were superb, especially in embroidering cats and butterflies.
vivid.
But Narcissus noticed that every time she came, she was always in a hurry, with a deep and unyielding sorrow between her brows.
After delivering the goods and receiving the money, he thanked them hastily and left in a hurry.
On two occasions, Narcissus even noticed tear stains on her eyes that she hadn't wiped away.
On this day, Madam Lin came to deliver another item: a round fan with two cats chasing butterflies. The embroidery was exquisite, with the two kittens looking adorable and the butterflies appearing as if they were about to take flight at any moment.
Shui Xian examined it carefully and praised, "Madam Lin's skills have become increasingly refined. I'll offer three taels of silver for this painting."
Madam Lin showed no joy, only repeatedly thanked him, accepted the silver with trembling fingers, and turned to leave.
"Lady Lin."
Narcissus stopped her and asked gently, "Is your family facing any difficulties? If I can help..."
Lin Niangzi stopped in her tracks, turned around to look at Shui Xian, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.
Some things, once pointed out, become unbearable.
Her lips trembled, and she suddenly burst into tears, crying out, "Fairy Maiden... Fairy Maiden, you are a kind person, I... I really have no other choice!"
Narcissus was startled and quickly helped her up: "Get up quickly, let's talk things out."
Lin Niangzi was helped to sit down on a chair. Before she could speak, tears streamed down her face as she began to sob intermittently.
It turned out that her husband had suddenly fallen ill last year and needed expensive medicine, which emptied the family's savings in an instant, leaving them short five taels of silver.
With nowhere else to turn, she was introduced to a shop called "Bianmin" under Jinyun Manor to borrow money.
"The IOU states a monthly interest rate of 2%, a loan amount of five taels of silver, and a loan term of one year."
Lin Niangzi cried and said, "I was in a hurry to get the money and didn't think it through. I just thought that 2% interest wasn't too high, so I signed the contract. But when they lent the money, they said there were some handling fees and paperwork fees. They deducted one tael first, so I only received four taels!"
Narcissus frowned.
“That’s not all,” Madam Lin’s tears flowed even more fiercely, “There was another line of small print at the bottom of the IOU, which said that interest follows principal. I can’t read, but I only heard them say ‘two percent monthly interest’ and thought it was settled monthly.”
"But after six months, when I had saved up some money and wanted to pay off some of the interest, they said that 'interest follows principal repayment' meant that I had to pay off the five taels of principal in one lump sum at the due date, plus the interest for the whole year, which would be one tael and two mace! But I only received four taels!"
Shui Xian was shocked and quickly calculated: the actual principal was four taels, but she would have to repay six taels and two mace at the end of the term, which meant that the actual annual interest rate was more than 50%!
This is only the publicly disclosed account.
Lin Niangzi wiped away her tears: "I was stunned at the time."
"But it's all in black and white, and I put my fingerprint on it. I had no choice but to take on any job I could find. My husband had just recovered a bit, so he also struggled to work."
"Over the past six months, we've been saving every penny and have already paid back eight taels of silver! I thought that was enough, but when I went to ask them a few days ago, they actually produced an account book and said that the eight taels we paid back before were all interest!"
"The principal of four taels and not a single coin has been touched! They even said that interest would compound, but now the debt, including the principal and interest, is almost twenty taels!"
By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably, "Twenty taels... Fairy Lady, even if our family works ourselves to death, we can never repay this debt in this lifetime!"
“They came to our house the day before yesterday to demand payment, saying that if we didn’t pay, they would use our house deed as collateral. But my dilapidated house isn’t worth twenty taels of silver! They…they’re trying to drive us to our deaths!”
As Narcissus listened, she felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet.
A monthly interest rate of 2% seems legal. However, after deducting handling fees, the actual principal is reduced.
By using vague terms, the interest calculation base is secretly changed to the nominal principal, and a lump sum payment is made at maturity, which in fact becomes a powerful compound interest.
Plus interest compounding...
The amount involved in each case was not large enough to immediately lead to a death or alarm the authorities.
But how many ordinary people like Lin Niangzi are being dragged into the abyss little by little?
She recalled the tax accounts of Jiangnan that she had seen in the palace, which always showed that tax collection was smooth and the people were prosperous.
The memorials submitted by local officials were mostly filled with praise for the emperor, describing favorable weather and abundant harvests, as well as bustling business.
Emperor Zhaoheng, far away in the Forbidden City, witnessed this scene of peace and prosperity.
But beneath this picture lies such meticulous and bloodthirsty exploitation!
Narcissus clenched her fists at her sides.
She couldn't just stand by and do nothing!
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