After Master Liang left, the tense atmosphere in the grand hall visibly relaxed.
Master Liu, the owner of the wonton shop, huddled in the corner. Seeing that Steward Xu, his biggest backer, had been dragged away, and Master Liang had not even mentioned him, he began to cherish a glimmer of false hope. Taking advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was scattered, he quietly tucked his neck in, pressed himself against the wall, and inched step by step toward the door.
"Master Liu, hold your steps."
He had just shuffled to the door when a clerk from the Riverside Restaurant blocked his path.
Master Liu froze on the spot and turned around with an awkward, sheepish smile.
The biggest commotion was over, and everyone was now relaxing, enjoying the tea and pastries Master Liang had brought as a gesture of apology. At the sight of this, they all turned their gazes over, watching the leftover straggler who tried to slip away with great amusement.
Qi Xuan had also taken a seat at a table laden with tea and refreshments.
"What, Master Liu, were you planning to leave without saying goodbye? Just now, Uncle Liang personally stated that Steward Xu had been abusing his power for personal gain. Master Liu, if my memory serves me right, the only relative Steward Xu has in Huzhou city is you, his in-law, isn't that so?"
"If you still insist that this matter has nothing to do with you, that it was all Steward Xu acting on his own, or that the Food and Wine Guild has wronged you, that's perfectly fine. As we said earlier, reporting this to the local yamen for a full investigation is the fairest course of action. Master Liu, would you like to head to the county office?"
Master Liu knew full well there was no way he could slip through the cracks today, and his biggest backer Steward Xu had been publicly driven out of the grain shop, cast aside as a scapegoat.
Glancing around at the crowd, whose eyes held either mockery or plain curiosity to watch a show, he who had always prided himself on his status now felt nothing but a buffoon on a opera stage, there for everyone's entertainment.
The last bit of strength he had been using to prop himself up drained away, and he dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, casting all sense of dignity aside. His face crumpled into a miserable, tearful expression as he begged, "I was wrong, I was such a fool to let greed cloud my mind! Young Master Qi, please show mercy and spare me!"
The whispers of the people around him grew louder and clearer in his ears, his face burning with humiliation. A reckless, angry resolve of "might as well go all the way" suddenly surged through him. "I was just listening to nonsense others spouted, that's how I got confused for a moment."
At this point, he seemed to suddenly think of something, his voice turning frantic and almost incoherent. "Right, exactly! There are plenty of others who hold grudges against the Shuangmu Cake Shop. Old Zhao, who runs the food stall at the morning market, rants all day long, saying the new widow Shopkeeper Lin doesn't know the rules, that she's stealing everyone's business and messing up the guild's order. I heard him say it so many times, that's why I got resentful too, I just wanted to teach her a little lesson, make her know her place..."
As he spoke, he craned his neck and looked around in a flustered hurry, searching the crowd, but Stallholder Zhao was nowhere to be seen. "It's the truth! Young Master Qi, you can ask anyone else. That Old Zhao must be feeling too guilty to show up today, knowing things have blown up. He's the biggest busybody who never misses a good show!"
The surrounding crowd started chattering again when they heard him drag the Zhao family food stall into the mess.
"Old Zhao?"
"Hey, now that you mention it, I really haven't seen him around today..."
"To miss a spectacle this big? That's really strange."
"Master Liu just reminded me. A few days back, I did hear Old Zhao muttering a few snide remarks about the Shuangmu Cake Shop at his stall."
"I know! I know the whole story!" A voice suddenly rose above the rest. "Have you all forgotten? Stallholder Zhao's daughter Second Madam Zhao married Brother Ma, who used to be the gatekeeper at the prefecture school. They used to live on the same lane as Shopkeeper Lin."
"Oh—right, now I remember. Second Madam Zhao, jealous of how well Shopkeeper Lin's food stall was doing, even secretly copied her pastry recipes to sell at Old Zhao's stall!"
"Not just that! That Brother Ma is an even worse scoundrel. He went around spreading rumors that the courtyard Shopkeeper Lin lived in was cursed, that the pastries she made brought bad luck. And what happened? Those pastries didn't bring anyone bad luck at all—Fifth Young Master Han, who bought some, even ended up passing the provincial imperial exam as a top scorer!"
"Brother Ma's dirty little tricks got exposed, and he got kicked out of the prefecture school. I bet Old Zhao is still holding that grudge, simmering with resentment over it!"
"So it's all this old, trivial grudge from ages past. He's too useless to do anything himself, and his daughter and son-in-law lost all their face and their jobs, so he's been hiding in the shadows fanning the flames, goading other people to be his pawns?"
Lin Wu, standing off to the side, listened and felt a sense of sudden realization mixed with quiet melancholy. It turned out that after going around in such a big circle, the whole mess was tied up with her own old past. The complexity of human hearts, the long, tangled threads of old grievances, sometimes left one utterly speechless.
Qi Xuan listened as the confession drifted further and further off track, and closed his eyes for a moment, helpless. This matter really just kept dragging on and on with no end.
"Go, invite Stallholder Zhao to come here."
When Stallholder Zhao arrived, he immediately burst into tears and vehemently denied everything.
"This is a terrible injustice! I just chatted with a few familiar stall owners and made a few casual remarks! I never told Master Liu to go do any of those things. He's the one with the crooked mind, what does that have to do with me? You can't punish me just based on a few idle words, can you?"
His words were slippery and evasive. Inciting trouble through casual words was the hardest thing to produce evidence for. He had indeed never directly ordered Master Liu to pressure the grain shop, at most he had just added fuel to the fire and pushed things along.
Qi Xuan took a deep breath and said in a solemn, steady voice, "Chatting casually on the street might be something no one would bother to pursue. But as a merchant registered with the Food and Wine Guild, gathering to badmouth and slander fellow business owners is a clear violation of guild rules. For now, we will give you all this one warning. If any act that damages a peer's reputation like this happens again, once it is verified, it will be strictly punished in accordance with guild regulations. The harshest penalty will be permanent expulsion from the guild, never to be readmitted. I hope all of you will put your energy into running your businesses properly, and not ruin your own futures."
Stallholder Zhao's face alternated between pale and flushed, and he hung his head, muttering a subdued acknowledgement.
Qi Xuan then turned to Master Liu. "You acted out of personal resentment, goaded your in-law to abuse his authority, and deliberately suppressed a fellow business owner. This is not an act you were forced to do, nor is it a normal business dispute. You took the initiative to do evil, scheming to use another person as a knife to harm others. How could our guild possibly tolerate someone with such a warped, malicious mind?"
Master Liu's face drained of all color, and he hurriedly tried to argue, "But—but the cake shop didn't even suffer any real loss! They just ran out of rice flour for a few days, their business was still going as usual! Why do you have to punish me so harshly alone? Those rice flour shop owners were just fined, my Liu's Wonton Shop is a decades-old established business, I've been part of this guild for over ten years, even if I've done no great work, I've put in plenty of effort!"
Qi Xuan cut him off. "The difference lies in the two words 'took the initiative'. The rice flour shop owners were coerced, they were accomplices acting under duress. You planned and schemed every step, you are the mastermind. Guild rules judge punishment based on the motive of the act, not how much damage was caused in the end, and certainly not how many years a shop has been open. If we follow your logic, does that mean old, established shops can rely on their seniority to act wickedly without facing severe consequences? Then our Food and Wine Guild's rules would be nothing but a worthless piece of paper that lets long-standing evildoers get away with everything."
He stood up and made the announcement. "Effective immediately, Liu's Wonton Shop is expelled from the Huzhou Food and Wine Guild. All preferential benefits and priority purchasing rights within the guild are completely revoked."
With that, he turned and left, not giving Master Liu any chance to argue further.
Under the stares of everyone around him, Master Liu fell completely silent, and slumped down to the floor in utter despair.
Stallholder Zhao, who had originally thought he was being unfairly dragged into this and given a light warning, now saw the fate that had befallen Master Liu, and a wave of fear washed over him. He secretly congratulated himself on dodging a far worse outcome.
By midday, this long, complicated drama finally came to an end. The crowd of onlookers dispersed, heading home fully satisfied with the show they had just watched, and the grand hall of the Riverside Restaurant finally fell quiet.
In the tearoom at the back of the restaurant, Lin Wu thanked Qi Xuan with deep, solemn gratitude. "Today's matter twisted and turned through so many unexpected complications. I could not have resolved it without Shopkeeper Qi stepping in to mediate and putting in so much time and effort. I am truly endlessly grateful to you."
Qi Xuan waved his hand. "There is no need for such formalities, Shopkeeper Lin. These shops all fall under the jurisdiction of the Food and Beverage Guild. The fact that someone within the guild colluded with outsiders to bully fellow merchants is ultimately a sign of my poor management. This round of handling the situation is simply mending the fold after the sheep have gone astray, a duty that falls to me. As for the Grain Guild side..."
He let out a soft chuckle. "That is an old leftover account left behind by Brother Guanting. Shopkeeper Lin, you are simply the one caught up in misfortune through no fault of your own."
Lin Wu shook her head. "You are far too polite, Shopkeeper Qi. For this matter to be resolved in such a way is already the best possible outcome. We were also fortunate that Master Liang arrived in time today..."
Qi Xuan lifted the teapot and poured more tea into the teacups. "Uncle Liang is naturally a shrewd man. Steward Xu is a ready-made scapegoat. If all the charges are piled onto his head, the Grain Guild and Liang Fourth Son will be completely cleared of any blame. Even if this case was formally brought to the local yamen today and investigated to the very end, the inquiry would at most conclude that Steward Xu abused his power for personal gain, and he would never give up Liang Fourth Son to the authorities."
Lin Wu nodded, not at all surprised by this. In the market streets, where interests are all tangled up, cutting off a tail to survive is the normal state of affairs.
Qi Xuan raised his eyes and smiled. "So it seems this long-standing old account will have to wait for Brother Guanting to return from the capital, so that he can go settle the score with Liang Fourth Son in person. As for you, Shopkeeper Lin, who was innocently dragged through all this trouble, you were more or less affected because of him. When the time comes, the two of you can shut the door and sort things out slowly between yourselves. The trouble my Food and Beverage Guild is facing has temporarily come to an end for now."
Lin Wu let out a laugh upon hearing this. "These accounts are impossible to sort out clearly. Take Stallholder Zhao, for example. He and I have old grievances between us. If you trace it all carefully, this whole mess is not entirely Young Master Shen's fault."
"That is exactly why these are such muddled accounts. But after this incident, it has made clear just how extraordinary Shopkeeper Lin's abilities are. Your skill in guiding and controlling public rumors is incredibly refined. Though it is a different path from Brother Guanting's style of stirring up storms and waves, your knack for using the force of others to your own ends achieves equally marvelous results."
Lin Wu, who was just lifting her teacup, paused her movement slightly. "Oh?"
There was a meaningful tone in Qi Xuan's voice. "It seems Shopkeeper Lin may not be aware, but the capital where Brother Guanting is staying at the moment has also been thrown into quite a stir by a flurry of spreading rumors recently."
Just how lively the rumors in the capital are remains unknown for now, but the disturbance in Huzhou, even though Master Liang moved swiftly to suppress it, still lingers with residual heat and has not truly calmed down.
Even though Stallholder Zhao denied everything, the fact that he, bearing an old grudge against the Two Woods Cake Shop, had secretly spread malicious tales about the shop, was thoroughly spread all across Huzhou after this whole ruckus.
The businesses of Stallholder Zhao and Master Liu took a nosedive, plummeting sharply, so deserted that only flies were left lingering around their stalls and shops.
In contrast, the Two Woods Cake Shop, far from seeing its reputation drop after this incident, saw its fame rise and its business grow increasingly prosperous. After all, everyone was saying, a shop that could make the Grain Guild secretly move to suppress it, and make one food stall and one old established food shop act so wary and desperate, how delicious must the food there be?
"Let me tell you, Brother Ma and Old Zhao are truly two peas in a pod. They are exactly the same. They have no skills of their own, and all they do is whisper behind people's backs, stir up trouble and fan the flames!"
"I won't dare buy food from his stall anymore. What if I say something that rubs him the wrong way, and he bears a grudge against me, then goes around spreading nasty rumors about me? What am I supposed to do then?"
"It's more than that! That man has a ridiculously petty temper. He's been holding onto old scores for years, going out of his way to play dirty tricks. When you run a food business, the most important things are a clean heart and clean hands. With such a vengeful and underhanded character, who knows if he'll slip something that shouldn't be there into your food? Just thinking about it sends a chill down my spine!"
"That's exactly the truth! None of us have the good luck Shopkeeper Lin has, to run into helpful noble patrons every time and escape danger unscathed."
"Speaking of which, do all of you really believe that Little Xu, or what we used to call Steward Xu, came up with the idea to suppress the cake shop entirely on his own? What deep friendship could he possibly have with the Liu family that would make him take such a huge risk? If this matter blew up, it would be a total catastrophe for him. He's not stupid, he knows that perfectly well."
"Hey, you must have just arrived in Huzhou not long ago. That Steward Xu is obviously just a scapegoat. Behind all this, nine times out of ten, it was Fourth Young Master Liang's doing. Who in the entire Huzhou prefectural city doesn't know that Fourth Young Master Liang saw that Young Master Shen's family was not in Huzhou, so he dared to target the cake shop that Young Master Shen is looking after?"
"Exactly! The young master at Shopkeeper Lin's place is Young Master Shen's formal junior fellow apprentice. That relationship is no shallow one. He can't get at Young Master Shen, so he picks the easy-to-bully cake shop and the kid to vent his anger on. Tsk tsk, that's not exactly an open and upright way to behave."
"The Grain Guild... ugh, they did something wrong but don't dare own up to it, pushing a steward out to take all the blame. Their conduct isn't exactly honorable either."
"Ah, all these tangled grievances and schemes between the big and powerful folks, how could us ordinary common people ever hope to understand all the twists and turns? It's just so unfair that Shopkeeper Lin, who was just minding her own business running a small shop, had to get caught up in all this trouble for no reason."
Even though Master Liang acted decisively, pushing all the blame onto Steward Xu and barely managing to preserve the dignity of the Grain Guild and the Liang family, the ordinary people of Huzhou city all knew exactly what was really going on in their hearts.
Back at the Liang residence, Master Liang was nowhere near as calm and composed as he had been at the Rivershore Restaurant.
Before he even had anyone go call for him, Liang Fourth Son had already stormed over in a fury on his own.
"Father! Why on earth did you expel Little Xu from the Grain Guild? It was just..."
"On earth?" Before he could finish, Master Liang spun around, so furious he actually laughed. "How dare you say 'on earth' to me? The mess you made yourself, don't you have any idea what you did?"
He pointed at Liang Fourth Son's nose, his voice trembling with rage. "Just for the sake of a widow's cake stall on the street, just because of that petty, disgraceful old grudge of yours! You actually used such despicable tactics to cut off her supply of goods! Do you have any idea that you almost offended the entire Food and Beverage Guild?"
"Today, that young fellow Qi Xuan still abided by the rules a bit, gave me face, and kept this matter under wraps. But you think that's the end of it?"
Master Liang was overcome with bitter regret. "Go outside and listen. Right now, go out onto the streets, go to the teahouses and listen. Hear what the whole city of Huzhou is saying about you, Liang Fourth Son, about our Liang family. That you're brainless, that you bully people with your family's power, that you do wrong but don't dare own up to it... the reputation of the Grain Guild has almost been completely ruined by you, you fool!"
Even after being scolded so harshly, Liang Fourth Son still stuck his neck out, refusing to be convinced. "Let them say what they want! I'm not scared of them! I just can't stand the smug look on Shen Guanting's face. I can't touch him, so what's wrong with going after a tiny little cake shop that he's looking after?"
"You can't stand it? If you can't stand it, go pass the imperial examinations, bring honor to our ancestors! If you can't stand it, go make the Liang family's business bigger than the Shen family's! Picking on a widow who sells cakes, and you think you're in the right? You think you have something to be proud of?" Master Liang was so angry his whole body was shaking, and he slammed his palm hard on the table.
"I'm telling you, the reason Qi Xuan held back for now today is all because he showed respect for my old face! But once Shen Guanting gets the news in the capital, he's going to be seething with anger. When he comes back, with his unforgiving, vengeful temper, just you wait and see if he doesn't deal with you! I want to see what you'll do then!"
And Shen Guanting, who was being talked about just then, had already received bits and pieces of the news over in the capital.
As he listened to Shen Qi's report, Shen Guanting's expression gradually darkened, and the usual carefree smile on his face vanished completely.
Shen Qi could not help but mutter a curse under his breath. "That Fourth Young Master Liang is such a brainless fool, always pulling these underhanded, despicable tricks that are not fit to see the light of day. I just wonder how Shopkeeper Lin is holding up right now. I hope we don't get back to find the shop has already closed down for good."
Shen Guanting leaned back in his chair and raised a hand to rub at the space between his brows.
After a moment, he spoke slowly. His voice did not carry much obvious emotion, yet there was unshakable certainty in it. "She will be fine."
He opened his eyes and looked out the window at the gray, overcast sky of the capital, as if he could see the fluttering sign of the Shuangmu Cake Shop drifting in the wind.
"Not to mention the protection both the Shen and Qi families have extended to her," his voice sounded a little distant, "Shopkeeper Lin herself is more than capable of handling this matter properly."
These petty, trivial troubles, in his eyes, were nothing compared to the hardships Lin Wu had gone through before. She was far more resilient and clear-sighted than most people realized, and she knew perfectly well how to carve out a place for herself in this world.
But even so...
He let out a nearly inaudible sigh. It was so faint, yet it settled heavily in the bottom of his heart.
"At the end of the day, I am the one who brought this trouble down on her."
He got to his feet and walked over to the window. "Wrap up all the matters here in the capital as soon as possible. We will head back to Huzhou early."
Shen Qi's eyes lit up, and he instantly brimmed with energy. "Yes, sir! Young Master Shen, I've been dying to get back already! I feel completely out of place in this capital, everywhere is just full of foul, murky mess. And besides, it hasn't even been that long since we left Huzhou, yet Fourth Young Master Liang already dares to act so boldly! It's exactly what they say: when the tiger's away, the monkeys will run wild. Once you're back, we'll see how many more days he can keep jumping around like that!"
