roccoschili Chapter 133 Sued in Court
Chapter 133 Sued in Court
The next day, Xue Ruoxue came to Qingzhu Courtyard to find Ye Mian and told him about Ye Wan's situation.
"What did you say? Ye Wan is being kept confined by the Yun family and can't leave the house? How dare the Yun family?"
"Their first wife didn't die, and she brought back a son. The first wife is also capable. Do you think their in-laws would like Ye Wan, who is always fooling around?"
Now is a critical moment, and Ye Wan is in trouble again and asking for help. Xue Ruoxue is naturally unhappy and tells Ye Mian about it, since she won't care anyway.
"It's all because her mother spoiled her. She's not born into a wealthy family, so why is she putting on airs?" Ye Mian complained, his face darkening.
Xue Ruoxue rolled her eyes. When something goes wrong, he blames others. She had told him before that she would take care of those two women, but back then he thought that the merchant family was trying to climb up to his Ye family and didn't take it seriously.
"You should think of a way to help Ye Wan with this," Ye Mian said to Xue Ruoxue.
“Husband, I have no idea what to do. I tried to persuade Ye Wan before, but she wouldn’t listen. Now that Chengzu is going to take the imperial examination, I’m too busy taking care of him to even have time to do so.”
Besides, I'm not an official's wife, why should the Yun family give me face?
Ye Mian couldn't find fault with Xue Ruoxue's reasoning.
"Then just ignore her."
Ye Mian is too busy managing his own affairs to care about Ye Wan.
“If we can’t handle it, there’s one more person who can,” Xue Ruoxue reminded.
"It's even more impossible to send Liu Yunshu." Ye Mian thought she was going to talk about Liu Yunshu.
“It’s not her, it’s my mother. My mother has been staying in the nunnery for two months. Her health must not be able to take it.”
Ye Mian analyzed it and said with satisfaction:
“Yes, the Emperor didn’t say how long it would take to send it. It’s normal for an old person to get sick. Madam, you are so wise.”
Xue Ruoxue smiled. The Ye family has been peaceful for too long; it's time for some excitement. The old woman has suffered this time; she'll surely cause a huge uproar when she returns.
"Is there any chance that Chengzu will become the top scholar? Ye Li'an is still alive and kicking."
She didn't come for Ye Wan this time. Ye Mian is still unable to get out of bed, so how can she make plans for her son? With only one month left, Xue Ruoxue was getting anxious.
"I've been trying to figure out a way to make sure Ye Li'an can't take the exam."
"Have you thought of anything?"
"Let him take on the task of bringing Mother back!"
"Will it hurt Mother?" Xue Ruoxue asked, understanding the situation.
"There's nothing we can do about it. If Ye Li'an isn't eliminated, Chengzu will have no chance. Our son is the Ye family's only hope."
Xue Ruoxue looked at him with a cold smile. Now that his own mother was willing to sacrifice herself, she wondered if he would choose to save his son if he and his son were to be in danger together.
"Okay, arrange this as soon as possible."
"There's something else I need to tell you. Yuanru is getting old, and it's time to find her a good family."
"Which family does my husband fancy?" She would agree if it were a good family, but she was afraid that he was in such a predicament that he would hesitate to act against them.
"Prince!"
"The Crown Prince?" The royal family was too far removed from Xue Ruoxue's life. She had never even considered it. She thought it would be good enough if her daughter could marry into a wealthy and powerful family as the principal wife.
“Yes! The Crown Princess has already been chosen. Isn’t Yuanru close to Princess Chang Le? After the Crown Prince’s wedding, he will definitely take in more women, even if they are not concubines, the rank of Liangdi would be good.”
"Okay!" Xue Ruoxue thought for a moment and agreed.
After Xue Ruoxue entered the Ye family, Liu Yunshu knew that the closer the imperial examination was to the date, the more anxious she became, and they must be plotting some conspiracy again.
As soon as Xue Ruoxue stepped out of the Ye family, she was spotted by two constables from Chang'an Prefecture.
"Are you Xue Ruoxue from Xue's Shop?"
"Yes, sir, what can I do for you?"
"The yamen has received a complaint against you. Come with us!"
Xue Ruoxue was stunned. She had not done anything illegal, so why was someone suing her?
Suppressing his unease, he smiled at the bailiff:
"Sir, may I ask who filed this complaint against me and what the matter is?"
Xue Ruoxue took out a silver ingot from her sleeve and quietly handed it over. The yamen runner accepted it without making a sound.
"We don't know either, come with us!"
The yamen runners accepted the money, but their attitude did not soften much.
Xue Ruoxue's heart skipped a beat, sensing that something was wrong, but she had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow the constables.
Throughout the journey, her mind raced, wondering who she might have offended, or who might have maliciously framed her in a business deal.
The atmosphere in the Chang'an Prefecture courtroom was solemn. Zheng Tianxing sat high on the desk, with a middle-aged man standing below him.
"Sir, we have brought Mr. Xue, the shopkeeper." The constable brought the man in and then withdrew.
Xue Ruoxue saw Manager Wu, who had traded a batch of cloth with her a few days ago, standing below the hall.
"Manager Wu, is that you? Why are you suing me?"
"Silence! What is the case? I will inquire about it in detail." Zheng Tianxing slammed his gavel.
Who is the plaintiff? What is the subject of this complaint?
Manager Wu replied, "Sir, I am from Hanzhong, my name is Wu Caifu, and I am in the tea business."
This time, I brought a batch of tea to the capital. I was thinking of starting a cloth business, but since I was new to the industry, I didn't dare to deal in cloth with high costs. Through an introduction, I found Manager Xue.
Upon meeting her, I realized that Manager Xue was a woman, and I did not look down on her. I suppose she is a thoughtful and capable person.
The journey from the capital to Hanzhong is quite long, so I wanted to buy more goods. Manager Xue showed me some good fabrics.
She repeatedly assured the commoner of the quality of the cloth, and the commoner immediately ordered three thousand taels of cloth.
Unexpectedly, halfway there, they discovered that a whole cart of goods was moldy and of poor quality. The commoner couldn't believe it and checked all the cloth, only to find that one cart was actually good.
"This humble subject only managed to buy one cartload of fine cloth with three thousand taels of silver. How am I supposed to do business like this? I beg you, Your Excellency, to do me justice!"
Xue Ruoxue was startled by what Manager Wu said. She had gone to check on the fabrics before handing them over to Manager Wu, and they were in good condition then.
"What's wrong with that?" he quickly explained.
"My lord, there must be some misunderstanding. I personally checked the warehouse before handing over the goods."
My cloth shop has been open for over ten years, and I have always operated with integrity. How could I possibly sell inferior fabric? Please, sir, investigate the truth."
"Bring me the moldy cloth so I can take a look."
The yamen runners brought two batches of food forward, and Zheng Tianxing examined them carefully; they were indeed all moldy.
"The fabric is prone to getting damp. Wu Fugui, did you get it wet on the way?"
"No, sir. There's too much fabric. I'd better hire a security escort to transport it back. You can call the escort in to ask him."
"Let the bodyguards in."
Five bodyguards entered from outside.
"My lord, I am in charge of this escort mission. Please feel free to ask me anything."
"Did these fabrics get wet along the way?"
"No, sir. The weather has been very nice these past few days, and it hasn't rained. We've taken precautions to keep these cloths dry at night, and Manager Wu has checked them carefully every time."