Seeing his expression, Jingrou felt that he was indeed unaware of the situation. Her eyes were fixed on the shopkeeper's features, trying to find the slightest flaw.
Then she began, "But this servant told me this piece of cloth costs 50 taels, and he kept urging me to buy it!" Her voice was clear and melodious, revealing no emotion, but it made Ah Qiang's face grow even paler.
Ayu followed behind the shopkeeper anxiously, especially when she heard him address her as "County Princess." She was shocked; wasn't this her young master?
Since returning from Prince An's mansion, the shopkeeper had given them a good talking-to. Hearing what the shopkeeper said, A-Yu was even more alarmed. He knew he couldn't afford to offend this Princess Qixia, who was his real boss!
Later, several shop assistants seemed to be gossiping about the county princess, and he scolded them for it. Because of this, he was also isolated by several people, including A-Qiang. Of course, he remembered this incident very well!
I was the one who greeted this guest when he first came in. It turns out I was serving someone with such a special identity!
Instead, when he heard the young master say that Ah Qiang was going to sell the batch of cloth to her for fifty taels, he gasped.
How could Ah Qiang be so bold? Isn't this blatantly trying to scam people?
50 taels! That's a full 30 taels more than the original price, enough to cover several months' salary for me. How could he be so audacious!
It's obvious that the shopkeeper was unaware of this money; Ah Qiang must have falsified the accounts and put it all on his own!
No wonder he's been living such a lavish lifestyle lately, spending money so extravagantly, and even treating his friends to meals!
The shopkeeper knelt down with a thud, and before A-Yu could react, he immediately knelt down as well. His mind was still blank; the usually simple and honest man couldn't understand how A-Qiang could have such audacity.
"Your Highness, I truly knew nothing of this matter! How could Ah Qiang have such audacity..." He trembled. All of Ah Qiang's previous virtues, like his cleverness and intelligence, had now become nothing more than his cunning, treachery, and deception!
No wonder she only used sweet words and flattery in front of me before; it turns out she had other plans in mind!
His hair was starting to turn white, and Jingrou didn't want to scare him, especially after she learned that this matter had nothing to do with him.
At most, he'll be charged with negligence, since he didn't do it himself.
However, we can't help but put pressure on him... He did make a mistake in this matter, and being busy isn't the reason for his oversight. If he insists on bringing this up, then we can only say he's unfit for his position, unworthy of managing so many stores!
Jingrou remained silent, deliberately ignoring the shopkeeper.
The old woman stood beside Jingrou and said, "Your name is A-Qiang, right? Let me ask you, just how many people have you deceived, like you deceived my county princess!"
The shopkeeper glared angrily. He had initially thought the man was clever, but now it seemed he was harboring malicious intentions!
Having amassed so much wealth from the shop, he naturally had to put on a sweeter tone! At the same time, the shopkeeper was also heartbroken. Although he was usually busy, he absolutely valued the operation of the shop very much.
If Ah Qiang continues to cause trouble, the store's reputation will only decline, and then... it's uncertain whether it will be able to continue operating!
If the county magistrate hadn't exposed this, would he have continued doing it?
Honesty is the most important thing in doing business. If their fraudulent practices get out, where will customers come from? This will ruin their business and their livelihood!
Jingrou rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Today, she had only decided to go on a secret visit because he had a sudden whim.
If it were a normal situation, the accounts would definitely be kept perfectly clean.
He's been in this shop for several years, so he'll definitely handle the aftermath properly. That's why everything was peaceful when I arrived!
This shop has been open on this street for over 10 years. Even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse. If A-Qiang continues to deceive people, he may be discovered or exposed in a few years.
But having such parasites in the shop is ultimately a hidden danger. Even if it's not exposed now, it will definitely be exposed later. What will happen to my shop then? This is all my mother's dowry, my mother's hard work and dedication!
She even regretted not having someone secretly investigate when she went to those stores!
If that doesn't work, I'll have to have someone secretly investigate these shops to see if similar things have happened before, or if any of the shop assistants are dishonest or have shady dealings!
"I...I have an account book..." After saying this, Ah Qiang seemed to deflate, and his spirits sank.
If the ledgers were produced, his guilt would be confirmed, but the current situation is hardly better than not confirming his guilt at all…
If it were a guest who came to his door to criticize him, he might be able to defend himself, but now it was the host who came to him.
He signed a contract, even though he didn't come here to work as a prostitute.
But after all, a contract had been signed. Even if it were brought to the authorities, the master would beat him half to death and he would still not be able to bear the punishment, let alone someone with the background of Prince An in the capital!
How can he continue to make a living in the capital? He probably won't be able to find any decent work in the future.
Why am I so unlucky?
No, no, no, how could I have been so bewitched to do such a thing?
If he had only been caught by a customer in the store, he might have thought it was because he wasn't careful enough.
However, if this person is someone from the unapproachable Prince An's mansion, he will only resent himself for doing such a thing, because their powerful background leaves no room for wishful thinking.
The shopkeeper was furious and terrified. He even produced the account books, which clearly showed that he had deceived more than just this one customer; there were many others behind the scenes.
And Ah Qiang had no idea when it started. Just this kind of negligence alone was enough to make all his efforts in the shop over the past few decades go to waste!
I'm getting old, my hair is already gray, how did I end up like this?
Jingrou had someone go to Aqiang's residence as instructed and retrieve the ledger. In reality, it only contained two or three pages of entries, indicating that Aqiang hadn't yet expanded the operation significantly.
Ah Qiang is probably literate, but he doesn't know many characters, and he writes them in large characters. He counted seven or eight customers, and these seven or eight customers only mentioned their physical characteristics. As for their backgrounds, he knew nothing. So, at this point, finding these people was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Ah Qiang himself couldn't figure out who he had deceived back then.
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