Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Day two.

Before daybreak, the sound of bustling activity could be heard coming from the direction of the lobby.

Chen Shao got up from his quilt, walked to the window and looked towards the lobby, then asked Chan Yi who came in with a washbasin, "Why are those shopkeepers here so early?"

"It's not too early now," Chan Yi put the washbasin on the wooden rack, twisted the handkerchief and handed it to her, "I heard from Fu Jiu that many people came here in the middle of the night. The bustling noise we hear now is just the sound of them crowding in after Fu Jiu asked someone to open the door."

"Has Shuyu passed away?" Chen Shao asked.

"I'm still eating," Chan Yi replied as she helped her get dressed, "I'll be leaving after I finish eating."

"I'll take care of the rest myself. Go prepare the meal." Chen Shao took the belt from her hand. "Let's not go to the manor today. With so many people coming, it will be hard for Shuyu to handle it."

Chan Yi chuckled: "I knew that you wouldn't be able to go to the manor today."

Chen Shao didn't respond and continued to instruct her, "Tell Fu Jiu to arrange more yamen runners to follow the Yulin Guards to maintain order."

Then he asked, "The two people chosen by Wang Dangjia are still with Shuyu, right?"

Chan Yi nodded: "Follow."

"Tell them both as well," Chen Shao reminded, "Let them work harder today and make sure they protect Shuyu's safety."

Chan Yi responded with "OK", and when she saw that she had no other instructions, she turned around and left.

When Chen Shao got dressed and walked out to the main hall, Quan Shuyu and Chan Yi came in with food. Seeing her, Quan Shuyu blushed and said with a smile, "I feel relieved that you can stay in the prefect's mansion."

Chen Shao nodded: "If you need my cooperation in the future, just let me know. Don't be so reserved."

Quan Shuyu responded with a "yes", put the food on the table, said, "Sir, please take your time eating. I'll go over to take a look first", and then went to the lobby first.

After Chen Shao finished his breakfast, he took a short break and drank half a cup of tea, then went to the lobby.

The hall was filled with noise and no one could calm down to listen to Quan Shuyu's words. There were many yamen runners and imperial guards, but they were just a drop in the ocean among the shopkeepers who came.

Chen Shao listened outside the back door for a long while, hearing the intentional and unintentional noises of the shopkeepers, and the noise of them ignoring the warnings of the imperial guards and the yamen runners and constantly crowding forward. He could not help but coldly order Li Tianliu: "No need to discuss today, have them all kicked out, when they learn to be quiet, come back to discuss! If they still can't learn, then bring in a group of people who can be quiet!"

Without saying a word, Li Tianliu stepped forward and kicked open the back door. He strode to the desk, picked up the gavel and slammed it hard, and said in a solemn and murderous command: "All Yulin guards and yamen runners, listen up, Master Chen Liu has ordered that they be expelled from the prefectural government immediately. Anyone who dares not to obey will be killed without mercy!"

The noisy crowding of the shopkeepers came to an abrupt end as the Yulin Guards and yamen runners drew their swords. Then, under the wielding of swords by the Yulin Guards and yamen runners, they shouted and made a fuss as they squeezed out of the hall.

Soon, the lobby became quiet.

Seeing Chen Shao, Chan Yi and others walking into the lobby, Quan Shuyu, who had been holding on, couldn't help but feel tears in her eyes. Chan Yi quickly walked over and hugged her, "It's okay."

Quan Shuyu resisted the urge to cry, leaned back a little in Chan Yi's arms, then stood up and said to Chen Shao: "I overestimated myself, I thought..."

She thought that the shopkeepers had been very respectful to her some time ago, and if she asked them to come today, they would definitely listen to her instructions.

"It's not your fault, you don't need to blame yourself." After Chen Shao comforted her, he looked at the shopkeepers who had already walked away and slowly stated, "These shopkeepers used to rely on the Wen family, Zhu family, Gu family and the like for their living. The Wen family, Zhu family, Gu family and the like have been confiscated one after another, and their income, status and other aspects will definitely be affected. Although they don't say it openly, they all have some resentment towards me in their hearts. Now that we have to integrate the shops, some shops that have been poorly managed for many years will definitely be abandoned, or two or three shops will be integrated into one. No matter which one it is, at least half of the shopkeepers who came today will lose their original jobs. The resentment plus the fear of losing their jobs, taking advantage of the large number of people today to make a fuss is inevitable and foreseeable."

Quan Shuyu was ashamed: "I didn't foresee it."

"People grow up by falling one after another, and experience is accumulated by making mistakes one after another." Chen Shao gently counseled, "You didn't foresee it this time because you have never experienced something similar before. After experiencing it today, you will naturally be able to foresee it when you encounter such a thing in the future."

"Young Master, you are right." Chan Yi said confidently, "When I first started learning medicine, I could only recite from the book. If I deviated slightly from my master's teachings or the records in the medical books, I would not be able to do anything. Later, my master took me down the mountain to travel, and I saw a lot, and then I gradually achieved what I have today. If I can do it, you can do it too."

Quan Shuyu held her hand gratefully, but still felt uncomfortable when he asked, "How should we arrange the follow-up? Does the young master have any ideas?"

Chen Shao did not answer but asked: "What do you think?"

Quan Shuyu lowered her eyes slightly and did not speak for a long time. Chan Yi held her hand, squeezed it gently, and whispered: "Speak boldly, don't be afraid!"

After a long while, Quan Shuyu finally spoke: "I want to leave them alone for a few days."

Chen Shao asked: "Then what?"

"Then..." Quan Shuyu pondered for a moment and said uncertainly, "Then I want to call them separately to the prefectural government to discuss, such as the rice shop today, the cloth shop tomorrow, and the iron shop the day after tomorrow."

Chen Shao nodded: "Then let's arrange it this way."

Perhaps he was really frightened, Quan Shuyu held Chanyi's hand tightly and said uncertainly: "Sir, if you have a better way..."

Chen Shao interrupted her before she could finish her words: "I think the same as you."

Her words were so firm that Quan Shuyu's floating heart finally slowly calmed down.

After letting Chan Yi accompany Quan Shuyu back to Cheng Feng Courtyard to rest for a while, Chen Shao sat down at the desk with a cold face. While flipping through the rosters of various shops, he asked Fu Jiu: "You were in the lobby just now. Who kept pushing forward and who was fanning the flames? Do you remember?"

Fu Jiu shook her head, then nodded and said, "I don't remember anything else, but I remember a fat white guy who kept pushing forward and stretched out his hand to grab Quan Shuyu, and loudly asked why the young master was not here. I also heard a lot of people scolding Quan Shuyu, saying that she used to seduce the fourth young master Wen with her sex appeal, and now she is seducing the young master with her sex appeal, and that she is a foxy woman or something like that. There were too many people, and I looked around but couldn't find who was scolding her."

Li Tianliu asked: "Did she hear it?"

Fu Jiu nodded: "I heard it."

Li Tianliu glared at him: "She heard everything, but you didn't find the person who said these words?"

Fu Jiu scratched her head and said, "I will find it out next time."

Li Tianliu said with a sigh: "Next time?"

"Wait a couple of days," Chen Shao decided. "When they come to the prefect's residence to discuss the matter, you and Quan Shuyu will carefully identify the fat white man and the person who cursed. Once you recognize and identify them, you will each be beaten with three sticks and thrown out."

Fu Jiu readily agreed.

In a blink of an eye, it was the second day.

Perhaps because of yesterday's lesson, the shop owners who came today were all well-behaved. Even though Chen Shao hadn't come yet, they all spoke in low voices and didn't dare to make any noise.