Chapter 5

Note: The names are retained in traditional Chinese characters as the RAWs I’m translating from are in traditional Chinese and it also makes it easier for me when I’m translating. The new vocabulary terms on the other hand are in simplified Chinese.Characters Shown / Mentioned in this Chapter:

葉璃璃兒 – Ye LiLi er – Main Female Protagonist – first di daughter of the Ye family, but the third child in the family.

清霜 – Qing Shuang – Ye Li‘s yatou

定王定國王墨修堯 – Ding w.a.n.gDing guow.a.n.g Mo Xiu Yao – Imperial Prince Ding of the highest rank

黎王 墨俊黎 – Li w.a.n.g Mo Jun Li – Imperial Prince Li

Ye Family Members:

王氏 – w.a.n.g shi – the current main wife of Ye Shangshu and current zhumu of the household

葉昭儀 (大小姐) – Ye Zhao Yi (Da xiaojie) – Ye Li‘s eldest sister

Bold - Names of people, placesItalic - Chinese terms in pinyinUnderline - UnknownBlue - definition brackets

Fu Imperial Capital

Chapter 5: To Use Force in Buying and Selling

She hadn’t even entered yet, but the shop’s noisy racket caused Ye Li to frown. An antique store wasn’t supposed to be a place for people to be coming and going, it would generally be quiet and refined, but the voices in the store can be heard clearly before a person even got to go inside.

Once she entered, the shop unexpectedly exhibited a full view of glittering jewels and there was a shopkeeper dressed in brocade from head to toe for the sake of using his wealth to intimidate people and who was looking with a face full of disdain at a young man dressed in old-fashioned clothing. That boy had a wan and sallow complexion, and looked sickly. His appearance that could still be considered handsome looked sallow and his skin appeared to be dry and rough and although the clothes he was wearing was old-fashioned, they were washed thoroughly and cleanly that looking at it wouldn’t make one feel disgusted with it, instead it somewhat gave off a faint temperament of a scholar.

At the moment, that boy nevertheless looked embarra.s.sed and anxious, also looked as though he was panting unstably, “Shopkeeper, take another look at it more clearly. This painting really is an authentic work of Wu Zhi Kai xiansheng[1]  ah.”

The shopkeeper looked askance at the young man with disgust and said, “Looking at your poor and sickly-looking face, how can you have Wu…Wu Zhi Kai‘s authentic work? This painting is clearly a counterfeit! However, this shop also accepts imitations and seeing as this painting imitation of yours is also not bad, I can give you two hundred taels for it.”

The boy’s face reddened in anger, “You….you….” Wu Zhi Kai was a big, influential family from the previous dynasty, an authentic work even if it weren’t among the best in quality could at least get two thousand taels, if it were raised even more it could still go higher. This shopkeeper actually wanted to use a tenth of its value to buy the treasure left behind by his jiazu[2]. If it weren’t for really needing the money, how could he even bear to just sell this painting like that? “Preposterous! I’m not selling it!” The boy indignantly rolled up the painting, preparing to leave.

“Wait!” When the shopkeeper saw that the boy wanted to leave, his eyes flashed a trace of ruthlessness as he fiercely stared down the boy and said, “This old gentleman giving you two hundred taels was giving you face! With these words could it be that you stole this? Makes sense, seeing this poor scholarly look of yours how could you have this kind of painting, let’s take a trip to the authorities.”

“If you want to see the authorities then let’s go see the authorities, you think I’m afraid of you? You as a shopkeeper are actually being so unreasonable!” the boy said extremely angrily.

The shopkeeper gave a contemptuous smile, “Reason? Do you perhaps know which family our shop belongs to? I’ll tell you, this is the business belonging to the family of Zhao Yi niangniang[3] from the palace, our fu‘s[4] fourth guniang[5] is quickly about to become Li w.a.n.gfei[6]. Tell me do you think the authorities will believe me or believe a poor scholar like you?”

“You….”

“This gongzi[7], I want this painting of yours. Two thousand taels.” Ye Li said softly as she entered the store.

The two people currently in a dispute were immediately distracted, the boy reacted by looking over at the exquisite, serene and elegant female standing in front of them and couldn’t help but say, “You….you believe me?”

In fact, Ye Li may not be able to tell if this painting was real or fact, it’s just that based on the reactions of the shopkeeper and the boy, as well as the flash of guilt in the face of the painting expert at the front desk quickly led her to such conclusion. Not to mention, even if this painting were fake, she’d still buy it today!

The shopkeeper seeing that the business that was nearly in his hands was unexpectedly disrupted by a silly little girl, he couldn’t help but get indignant. Seeing that the material for Ye Li‘s clothing was not at all famous and valuable, he presumed that she wasn’t anyone of extraordinary status, he chillingly sneered, saying, “Guniang best not meddle in others’ business.”

Ye Li swept a glance at him and gave a faint smile, saying, “This gongzi refused to sell it to you. Now I’m buying it. How does that count as meddling in others’ business?”

The shopkeeper coldly humphed and said, “Selling today will definitely be sold, not selling must still be sold! For our family’s fourth xiaojie‘s[8] big wedding, was just about to look for some antique calligraphy and paintings for yaxiang[9].”

Ye Li smiled coldly, “What a good ‘not selling must still be sold’. Just right, this guniang simply must buy it. Qing Shuang, pay for it.”

Qing Shuang was quick-witted to take out two thousand taels’ worth of banknotes to stuff them into the boy’s hands, easily taking the painting and said with a smile, “Gongzi, we’ve given you money. Quickly go now.”

The boy hesitated and said, “This won’t do, you two guniang….” If he were to leave, was only afraid that these two guniang holding the painting won’t be able to leave the shop. Although he himself urgently needed the money, but he still can’t bring harm to these two young women with good intentions. Seeing a number of henchmen already moving over to block the doorway, the boy firmly shook his head and said, “This painting, I won’t be selling it. Guniang, give the painting back to me.”

Ye Li took the painting over from Qing Shuang‘s hands and opened it up to take a good look and with satisfaction nodded with a smile, saying, “Just right, this work of “Qingjiang Full Moon Figure[a]” this guniang wants to take this to send to someone. Gongzi, taking the money and going is what’s right. I would like to see if there still exists the law of the land under the foot of the Son of Heaven.”

“Since it is like this, all of you can’t leave!” The shopkeeper said threateningly.

Ye Li looked at him amused, “Could it be that you would even dare to kill us?”

The shopkeeper’s expression stiffened and said in an eerily cold way, “Although I don’t dare kill you people, but I can take you to the authorities to be imprisoned! Someone come, asking in the furen‘s[10] name, grab these three thieves and take them to the authorities!”

“Impudent! Be careful this guniang will chop off your claws!” Qing Shuang blocked Ye Li by standing in front, taking the preemptive strike to knock down the cohort wanting to make a grab for Ye Li, angrily glaring at the shopkeeper and said, “You dog nucai[11] get your dog eyes wide open and look clearly, this Shen De Xuan[12] belongs to our family’s xiaojie!”

Everyone was once again surprised, the shopkeeper’s complexion turning somewhat whiter and looking at Ye Li somewhat skeptically, “You….you are…”

Ye Li looked at him firmly and said indifferently, “My surname is Ye. I’m the third in the family.”

“Third xiaojie?” The shopkeeper called out gradually losing his voice, his complexion suddenly looking terrible.

Ye Li handed the painting in her hands over to Qing Shuang, sweeping a glance over the henchmen surrounding them and said with a cold voice, “Still not retreating, don’t want to work anymore?” The henchmen looked worriedly at the shopkeeper, then looked at Ye Li again before retreating to the side.

The shopkeeper’s reaction wasn’t slow, only hesitated for a bit then came forward smiling apologetically and said, “Third xiaojie, how is it that you’ve come?”

Leisurely walking around the store, Ye Li only then turned around, acting as though she didn’t see one of the henchmen secretly slipping out the door. She asked, “The name for Shen De Xuan was personally picked out by my da jiu[13]. Why ‘Shen De[14]‘? Shopkeeper presumably doesn’t know. He shifu[15], you come and say it.”

The painting expert hiding behind the sales counter came out trembling with fear and said in a low voice, “Replying…replying to third xiaojie, jiu laoye[16] had hoped that in handling antiques we would pay attention to morality and conduct, speak cautiously, behave cautiously, and be virtuously cautious.”

“Well said, then…what are you people doing? Pretending that a genuine product is counterfeit in order to forcibly buy it?”

The shopkeeper quibbled, “Third xiaojie doesn’t understand what it means to do business, we are just trying to make business for Shen De Xuan. The business nowadays hadn’t been good.”

Ye Li smiled coldly and said, “I indeed can’t do business, but I at least know that the importance of engaging in trade is in the word ‘trust’. I know even more so that if people have no trust in a person then that person has no standing, for someone who is untrustworthy, who would want to do business with you? Furthermore…the way you do business is…now the reputation of this Shen De Xuan is veiled with a sheet of dismality ah.”

“I…”

Ye Li looked at him calculatingly and said coldly, “You don’t need to explain. Starting from now on, you don’t need to work here anymore. As for what was going on with the account before, you other people best give me a clear explanation. Clear, if it had nothing to do with you people then those who are willing to stay can stay. I will also be awarding everyone fifty taels of silver. If it is still not clear, you people can go stay in prison. I’ll see whether or not your master will come to get you out!” Most of the henchmen started to hesitate, they have already heard that third xiaojie was to be married to Ding w.a.n.g. Now this shop had gone back to being in third xiaojie‘s hands and naturally will be used as dowry for going into the Ding w.a.n.g fu. If they talked they could still go into the Ding w.a.n.g fu, if they don’t talk then they would have to go to prison. Not to mention, fifty taels of silver wasn’t a small amount, it was almost worth two years’ worth of wages.

The shopkeeper saw that everyone was swayed, and promptly stepped forward to shout out, “Third xiaojie, I am one of the furen‘s people, you have no right to drive me out.”

Ye Li shallowly smiled, “My apologies, this Shen De Xuan is mine. Explain clearly this shop’s account then you can go back to wherever you came from. If you can’t explain it clearly…you being the furen‘s own blood-related younger brother is of no use. It couldn’t be that you as a person of the w.a.n.g family like to take other people’s things and got accustomed to using it and so started treating it as though it were really yours?”

“You…you…” The shopkeeper’s face suddenly turned red before suddenly turning white.

Ye Li didn’t look anymore and turned around to look at the young gongzi standing in a trance. She had already known all along that this Shen De Xuan‘s shopkeeper had been changed to w.a.n.g shi‘s youngest brother years before, “This gongzi, allowing gongzi to suffer such humiliation, it was I who was unable to restrain them, I still ask for your forgiveness.”

“No…it is of no, no concern.” The youth had some restraint to wave his hands, he hadn’t though that this gentle, refined, serene, and elegant guniang was unexpectedly the owner of this shop. Thinking for a bit, although he felt that it was somewhat meddlesome, the youth couldn’t hold back from saying, “Since guniang is the owner of this Shen De Xuan, I still ask…to trouble over this some more is what’s right. Just in case…” If today he hadn’t encountered this guniang, only feared that he himself would’ve been wronged and sent to jail just like that. Seeing the shopkeeper’s conduct, was only afraid that this wasn’t the first time.

Ye Li didn’t get angry and nodded with a smile, saying, “A lot of thanks to gongzi for the reminder, this little girl also has just recently taken over this store. From now on, I will be sure to discipline sternly. I see that gongzi is rather reluctant to part with this painting, this painting gongzi take it back first, consider the taels of silver as something I’m lending to gongzi, you can just pay back later on when it’s convenient.”

The boy shook his head again and again, indeed somewhat reluctant on the inside to part with this painting that had been pa.s.sed through his family’s generations, and said, “Not putting in the work is undeserving of good fortune. I only ask that guniang have this “Qingjiang Full Moon Figure” kept temporarily on hold for two months, within two months zaixia[17] will definitely think of a way to pay back guniang‘s taels of silver.”

Ye Li seeing him so determined like this, laughed without a care and said, “I’ll leave this painting in the store then, gongzi can come at anytime to redeem it. Qing Shuang, add an additional one hundred taels to give to this gongzi as a form of apology.”

Glossary:Xiansheng (先生 – mister / teacher)Jiazu (家祖 – polite term for paternal grandfather)Niangniang (娘娘 – term meaning ‘mother’ but is used when addressing the empress, concubine, female royal, etc. by someone of lower rank)Fu (府 – official residence / family residence compound / household / term for family and home put together)Guniang ( 姑娘 – young lady / girl)w.a.n.gfei (王妃 – consort princess / wife of an imperial prince or “王 – w.a.n.g“)Gongzi (公子 – son of n.o.bility / young man)Xiaojie (小姐 – Young miss / lady)Yaxiang (壓箱 – a prepared set of items for the bride-to-be to use)Furen (夫人 – lady or madam of the house / wife)Nucai (奴才 – slave)Shen De Xuan (慎 – careful / cautious 德 – virtue / morality / ethics- 軒 – pavilion with a view / curtained carriage)Da jiu (大舅 – eldest maternal uncle)Shen De (慎 – careful / cautious德 – virtue / goodness / morality)Shifu (師傅 – qualified worker / expert / master)Jiu laoye (舅 – maternal uncle 老爺 – master / lord of the household)Zaixia (在下 – this lowly self / humble way of addressing one’s self)More Info:a) The t.i.tle of the painting used here is 《清江望月圖》- qingjiangw.a.n.gyuetu. ‘Qingjiang’ is the name of a river in Hubei.