"You came?" Liu Rulan was very surprised.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Jiang Mingwei; it was just that she had watched Jiang Mingwei grow up since childhood and knew that she had read a lot of books, but when it came to women's work... it was almost appalling!
It was rare to see Jiang Mingwei so energetic and ready to manage the business, and she couldn't refuse, so she nodded stiffly after a long while.
Oh well, I can always ask my mentor to fix it later!
"Okay, Aunt Lan will wait for your good news."
Jiang Mingwei was extremely confident at this moment, puffing out her chest, "Don't worry, Auntie, I will definitely... Who?!"
Before she could finish speaking, she caught a glimpse of a figure sneaking out the back door, and she immediately shouted.
Liu Rulan narrowed her phoenix eyes and ordered the shop assistants to chase after him. A short while later, the two returned, escorting a shifty-eyed man.
Liu Rulan looked closely, and her pupils contracted.
"Wang Ma, how could it be you?"
Wang Ma was dejected. When he heard Liu Rulan calling him, he quickly drew out his voice and shouted that he was wronged!
Jiang Mingwei frowned slightly, "Does Aunt Lan know him?"
Liu Rulan nodded: "That's right, he's the cleaner in the clothing store. He almost died in the snow two years ago, but was saved by the shop and stayed here to clean. He's usually quite diligent, but I don't know why he's acting so suspiciously today."
"Manager Lan, Manager Lan, I'm innocent! I...I just wanted to go outside to relieve myself, I really didn't mean anything by it, please let me go!"
Wang Ma kept kowtowing to the ground, his face full of grievance.
"If you need to use the restroom, there is one in the backyard. Why go to the alley outside? I think... you're planning to go and inform the Zhou family!"
Jiang Mingwei snorted coldly and spoke without any mercy.
Upon hearing this, Liu Rulan was shocked and slammed her teacup down on the stone table.
"What? Is what Wei'er said true? You're from the Zhou family!"
Wang Ma was stunned, then shook his head, bursting into tears and repeatedly banging his head on the ground.
"Manager Lan, spare me! Miss, spare me! I didn't! I really didn't! My heart is entirely devoted to our clothing store, I have no other intentions! My loyalty is as clear as day!"
"Anyone can say nice things. You two search him, and the rest of you search his room to see if he's truly innocent!"
Jiang Mingwei snorted coldly and gave her instructions methodically, unaware of the approving look that Liu Rulan was giving her.
They found nothing on Wang Ma, but a short while later, the shop assistant came out of the house angrily carrying his bundle.
"Young Miss, Manager Lan, this was found in Wang Ma's shop. There were seven or eight silver ingots inside!"
Wang Ma stared wide-eyed, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, his eyes filled with despair, realizing he was finished.
Jiang Mingwei opened the package, took out the silver ingots, and arranged them one by one.
No more, no less, exactly eight pieces.
One ingot is ten taels, so that's eighty taels. If you're careful with your money, eighty taels is enough for an ordinary person to live on for three years.
"Aunt Lan is quite generous; she pays her shop assistants a lot of wages. They can save up eight silver ingots in just two years!"
Liu Rulan knew that Jiang Mingwei was deliberately being sarcastic, and she snorted angrily, raising her hand to slam the table.
"You good-for-nothing Wang Ma, you have room and board provided in the shop, and your monthly salary is three hundred coins. Even if you don't eat or drink, you still can't save up this much money in the past two years!"
"Tell me, did you steal from the store? No wonder I always felt the accounts didn't match! I kindly took him in, and you dared to steal from him? Guards, arrest him and report him to the authorities."
Upon hearing that the matter would be reported to the authorities, Wang Ma trembled violently and immediately kowtowed to the ground.
"Spare me! Spare me, Manager Lan! I didn't steal the silver from the shop! This silver is really mine! Spare me! Spare me!"
"Really? Then where did this silver come from?"
Wang Ma's eyes darted around, but he couldn't resist lying, saying, "This...this is what I won at the casino."
Jiang Mingwei chuckled and picked up the silver ingot to examine it closely.
"Aunt Lan, it seems we have to report this to the authorities! This silver is minted by the government and can be used for buying and selling, but not for gambling. If casinos can obtain this kind of silver ingot, then those casinos are doomed!"
Liu Rulan echoed her words, her tone soft and melancholic.
"Yes, it's a big taboo for casinos to use government silver. Both those who possess the silver and those who run the casinos will be beheaded!"
Upon hearing that he was to be beheaded, Wang Ma was so frightened that he almost wet himself. He dared not hide anything anymore, broke free from the servant beside him, and began to bang his head on the ground repeatedly.
"Manager Lan, spare me! Miss, spare me! I'll confess! I'll confess to everything! This silver wasn't won from the casino; it was given to me by your mother-in-law!"
As expected.
In fact, Jiang Mingwei had noticed Wang Ma as soon as she arrived in the backyard.
She hadn't been there for several years, and there were many unfamiliar faces in the shop, all of whom treated her with great respect. Only Wang Ma was acting furtively, observing her cautiously, his eyes filled with barely concealed guilt.
So even while discussing matters with Liu Rulan, she kept an eye on Wang Ma's movements.
Realizing he was trying to escape, they immediately caught him.
Liu Rulan was both angry and annoyed, and she got up and kicked Wang Ma hard in the chest.
"You traitor! I took pity on you and let you stay and clean, and you dare to betray me?"
Jiang Mingwei sat upright and said disdainfully, "It's not betrayal, but that Aunt Lan was plotted against from the very beginning."
Liu Rulan was taken aback. Of course!
The clothing store had only been in Zhou's hands for a year, and although business had declined somewhat, it was still profitable.
But ever since Wang Ma arrived, Zhou would rush over to stop her from doing almost anything she wanted to do.
Gradually, business got worse.
So all that—being ragged and nearly freezing to death in the snow—was all preordained!
Liu Rulan laughed in fury, her steps hurried: "How ridiculous! I was actually tricked by your mother-in-law without even knowing it!"
Jiang Mingwei lowered her eyes and remained silent.
It is evident that, apart from her outward arrogance and domineering nature, Zhou was no less filthy and secretive than any other woman in the inner quarters!
It seems best to be careful when dealing with her in the future.
Wang Ma cried uncontrollably, begging Jiang Mingwei and Liu Rulan to spare him.
Enraged by this scheme, Liu Rulan ordered the shop assistant to break his legs and throw him at the city gate to fend for himself.
After some reassurance, Jiang Mingwei also decided to leave and head to her next shop.
At the doorway, she seemed to have thought of something and asked, puzzled.
"Aunt Lan just told me that my mother-in-law is also thinking of selling the clothing store?"
"yes!"
Mentioning this matter, Liu Rulan became angry: "If I hadn't had half of the house and land deeds in my hands, she probably would have really succeeded!"
"Moreover, when the people came that day, she and the seller were extremely intimate, chatting and laughing freely, so they must have been planning this for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingwei felt a sudden tension in her heart!
"Aunt Lan, are you sure?"
Liu Rulan nodded firmly: "I was quite angry that day, so I remember it clearly! What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Jiang Mingwei pursed her lips slightly, and suddenly had an extremely bold guess...
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