After saying this, the Prefect of the Capital quickly turned to Third Sister and apologized: "Third Sister, I'm sorry for today. I must have misread it just now."
"Is it any use for you to say these things now, sir?" Third Sister said, her voice trembling with tears, as she remained squatting amidst the mess on the ground, not even standing up.
"It's all the fault of those incompetent subordinates. They even missed your license during the inspection. I knew it! How could you be so careless? Don't worry, I'll give them a good scolding later." In just a few words, he shifted the blame onto his subordinates, while he himself was completely blameless.
After saying that, he turned and left. Now he just wanted to get away from this awkward and troublesome place as soon as possible. As for the Marquis of Ningyuan, he would deal with it later.
Seeing the Prefect of the Capital flee in disgrace, San Niang felt no emotion whatsoever. She simply stared blankly at the mess on the ground, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
However, she was also very clear in her heart that this was, after all, a government official, and she would inevitably have dealings with him in the future. Naturally, she could not offend him like this, so she could only swallow her anger.
Although she had Xu Yuehuai, Qi Guze, and the Duke of Zhenguo behind her, Third Sister didn't want to trouble them all the time.
Outside the shop, the Prefect of the Capital had only taken two steps and was about to leave the crowd when the Duke of Zhenguo coughed with an air of authority, startling him so much that he trembled and broke out in a cold sweat.
The Duke of Zhenguo's men quickly understood and two of them stopped the Prefect of Jingzhao, saying politely, "Please wait, sir. The Duke of Zhenguo has something to say to you."
The Prefect of the Capital sighed as he looked at the two people blocking his way. Although they spoke very politely, he couldn't refuse them. He then turned around and went back to the entrance of Third Sister's fried chicken shop.
Even a higher-ranking official can be incredibly domineering, let alone someone like the Duke of Zhenguo, who is far superior to him.
Even the Marquis of Ningyuan could kill him as easily as crushing an ant, let alone the Duke of Zhenguo, who held a high position and great power.
"My lord, is there anything else you need?" The Prefect of the Capital was very respectful, bowing respectfully as soon as he came up, his posture very humble, completely unlike his previous arrogant demeanor.
"You're quick to run away," the Duke of Zhenguo said, his imposing presence and cold smile sending a chill down one's spine. "Let me ask you, what are you going to do about the shop you vandalized by mistake? Are you just going to let Third Sister, a woman, take the blame for you?"
The Prefect of the Capital knew most likely it was about this matter, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. The losses of this shop were considerable, and it would naturally be painful for him to have to pay for them.
Now I should think back, I should have accepted the ten thousand taels of silver from Marquis Ningyuan. Now I not only didn't get the silver, but I also have to spend some money myself. Spending some money isn't a big deal, but I've offended the Duke of Zhenguo.
However, today's matter can only be resolved by paying money to avoid further trouble; otherwise, the Duke of Zhenguo certainly wouldn't let him off easily.
"This humble official will compensate you with silver." The Prefect of the Capital said, then turned to look at the smashed shop and the sad-looking Third Sister. He was filled with regret. He should have been more assertive back then. He didn't believe that Marquis Ningyuan would really kill him. But now it was no use saying these things.
“What’s the use of telling me? Go tell the shop owner,” the Duke of Zhenguo said with a frown.
Although the Prefect of the Capital was unwilling to accept it, he could only be humble. He walked behind Third Sister and said, "What happened today was all my fault. I beg you, Third Sister, to be magnanimous and forgive me this time. See how much silver you can give me to compensate. I will accept it without hesitation."
After thinking for a moment, Third Sister said, "Then you can pay me one hundred taels of silver. I won't cheat you. I will give you a detailed breakdown of the expenses, and I will record every penny spent."
Although she knew she couldn't offend such an official, she couldn't refuse the Duke of Zhenguo's request, so she could only ask for some money.
"Here is one hundred taels of silver. If it's not enough, just ask me for more." The Prefect of the Capital said, taking out the silver and handing it to Third Sister. Then he stood beside the Duke of Zhenguo, waiting for instructions.
The Duke of Zhenguo waved his hand, indicating that he could leave. The Prefect of Jingzhao, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, took the opportunity to slink away from the crowd and quickly disappeared from sight.
San Niang walked up to the Duke of Zhenguo, looked at him with gratitude, and kept thanking him, saying, "My lord, I really have to thank you today. If you hadn't come, I wouldn't know how to handle this situation, let alone get compensation."
"Actually, you should thank that person; it was he who sent someone to inform me," said the Duke of Zhenguo, before glancing at the Tianxiang Tower beside him.
Zhou Wan, who was standing to the side, quickly nodded and said, "Third Sister, it was the one who asked me to find the business license."
San Niang knew in her heart that it must have been Qi Guze who did it, and a warmth filled her heart. She first saw the Duke of Zhenguo off to his carriage, but the Duke of Zhenguo suddenly asked to see Qi Guze. San Niang then led the Duke of Zhenguo over. She couldn't get a word in edgewise about those matters, so she naturally didn't go up to see them. Meanwhile, there was still a mess waiting for her at the fried chicken shop.
Fortunately, we had Qi Guze and everyone's help this time, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to get through this difficult time so easily.
"Thank you all so much for today." Third Sister said, bowing to the people around her who had helped, to express her gratitude. Then she decided to tidy up the shop first.
Third Sister went over to look at the kitchen utensils that had been smashed on the ground. These were all things she had carefully selected, but now they were either bent or broken and could not be used anymore. She sighed and said, "These things are all useless and we have to buy new ones."
As she spoke, she continued to inspect the items and discovered that not only were most of the things unusable, but the entire shop also needed to be renovated.
"Zhou Wan, it seems my fried chicken shop won't be able to operate for a while." She said this as if her heart was bleeding, and she almost stumbled and fell. After all, this was Xu Yuehuai's heartfelt gift, but it had turned out like this in her hands. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Xu Yuehuai.
Zhou Wan quickly went over to help her up and asked, "Third Sister? Is it that badly damaged?"
Third Sister nodded and replied, "Yes, the pots and pans are all broken, and the signboard and walls are also destroyed. All of these need to be bought and renovated."
“It’s alright, just pretend the previous renovation wasn’t good, we can renovate it again. As for the fried chicken, you can use my kitchen for now, after all, we’re still family.” Zhou Wan’s mind worked quickly, and she immediately made such a suggestion.
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