Volume 1, Chapter 57: Make way! This is a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager!

Shopkeeper Li’s demand of "settle the payment first" caused Xie Shu to cough twice.

This man was truly an old and crafty fox!

"Cough, cough—"

Xie Shu rubbed her throat, took another sip of water, and then continued with a sigh, "Shopkeeper Li knows as well as I do that the Changhe Bank is right next door. I could easily go and fetch the bank notes myself. It's just that... I truly cannot make the final decision on this! If something actually goes wrong, I fear the Empress Dowager’s wrath will fall upon us all, and we shall all suffer."

The news of the bitter altercation between the Marquis of Cheng’en’s wife and Xie Shu at the front gates of the marquisate was known to all the common folk in the capital, and the streets and alleys were buzzing with gossip about it. Although Shopkeeper Li had not witnessed it with his own eyes, upon seeing Xie Shu’s frail and pitiful demeanor, he ended up believing her story by a few points.

In particular, he was terribly afraid that if any trouble truly arose in the future, he would be made a scapegoat, which would be a loss far outweighing any gain.

While they were still negotiating, Lǜliǔ trotted into the room. First, she glanced at Shopkeeper Li, then she curtsied toward Xie Shu, leaned in close, and whispered, "Madam Heir, the people at the bank have already settled the matter."

Settled?

Upon hearing the word "settled," Shopkeeper Li assumed that Xie Shu had already retrieved the bank notes.

Weighing things in his mind, Shopkeeper Li’s thoughts began to stir.

The Marquis of Cheng’en’s household certainly had good fortune to have married such a goddess of wealth.

"Very well!" After much careful deliberation, Shopkeeper Li made up his mind and said, "Then I shall accompany Madam Heir and go verify the goods for the Marchioness myself!"

If he could use this opportunity to build a good relationship with Xie Shu, successfully complete this transaction, and establish a connection with the Changhe Bank, wouldn't his future business run even smoother? Financial transactions ultimately could not do without the management of a bank, especially for certain businesses that could not be brought out into the open.

"Then I must trouble Shopkeeper Li!" Upon hearing this, Xie Shu nodded repeatedly. "Rest assured, the marquisate will not shortchange you by a single penny!"

With this promise, Shopkeeper Li felt reassured. He asked Xie Shu to wait a moment longer while he personally gave orders to have the Buddha statue carefully packed.

The object was precious and could not be handled carelessly; the interior of the carriage had to be lined with several thick layers of soft cushions, and two nimble-handed attendants had to be chosen to accompany the delivery.

Xie Shu was not in a hurry and waited patiently.

However, the servant keeping watch at the entrance could wait no longer. Having prowled stealthily around the doorway of Cuiping Pavilion for quite a while, he finally poked his head out.

This man was Mǎ Chángguì, Nanny Liu’s son, who handled procurement duties in the outer courtyard of the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence and had lined his pockets handsomely through it. Consequently, he was fiercely loyal to Lady Li.

"Hey, hey, hey, Shopkeeper Li, where are you going?" Seeing that Shopkeeper Li was about to step out, Mǎ Chángguì hurried forward and grabbed him by the sleeve.

"Naturally, to deliver the goods to the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence." Shopkeeper Li recognized him as the outer courtyard steward who frequently ran errands for the Marchioness. Shopkeeper Li then stealthily tilted his chin toward Xie Shu’s direction and lowered his voice to ask, "Did the Marchioness send you here to keep an eye on things?"

Bolstered by Xie Shu’s earlier display of grievance, Shopkeeper Li felt even more certain upon seeing this man that the Marchioness probably did not trust the young Madam Heir at all, which was why she had specially sent someone to monitor her!

That being the case, he had all the more reason to make this trip.

He wanted to prevent any future fallout between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law from being blamed on Cuiping Pavilion.

Mǎ Chángguì had been strictly instructed by his mother to watch Xie Shu personally bring the Buddha statue back. But now, Shopkeeper Li was going along as well? This... his mother had never told him what to do in such a situation!

"I'm not keeping an eye on anyone; I was merely passing by, just passing by," Mǎ Chángguì stammered. Since Xie Shu was right behind him, how could he possibly tell the truth? He could only brush it off with a vague, evasive reply.

"Shopkeeper Li, why aren't we leaving yet?" Xie Shu stood beside the carriage and, catching sight of Mǎ Chángguì’s rather nervous expression, immediately interrupted their conversation with a urging prompt.

She certainly wasn't going to let this fellow ruin her plans! She had to wait until Shopkeeper Li arrived at the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence before giving him the chance to send word ahead.

"We're leaving, leaving right now," Shopkeeper Li hastily agreed, turning back to give his assent to Xie Shu.

Xie Shu’s gaze swept across Mǎ Chángguì’s face, and she could not help but trace a subtle curve at the corner of her lips, smiling as she said, "Let's go. Any later, and it will be dark."

Though bewildered, Mǎ Chángguì scratched his head and trotted along behind the two carriages all the way back to the marquisate.

Oh well, never mind. At least the goods were there, and the person was there.

He would just wait to report back afterward.

Yet throughout the journey, Mǎ Chángguì’s expression grew progressively worse.

This was because Lǜliǔ had chosen to walk right beside Shopkeeper Li’s carriage on foot. Whenever anyone came too close, she would raise her voice and shout, "Make way! Make way! This is a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager! If you bump into it, it is a capital crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations!"

"Clear out! Clear out! Is a birthday gift prepared by the Marquis of Cheng’en for the Empress Dowager something ordinary folks are allowed to gaze upon?" Seeing someone trying to step forward to watch the commotion, Lǜliǔ rolled up her sleeves and unleashed a torrent of scolding.

Along the entire route, she had lost count of how many times she had shouted and how many people she had scolded!

Virtually the entire East Market street had heard that the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence had ordered a birthday gift from Cuiping Pavilion for the Empress Dowager!

Occasionally, they crossed paths with the family members of high-ranking officials. Those aristocrats would shake their heads and whisper among themselves, "This Marquis of Cheng’en’s household is acting far too arrogant."

"They are relatives of the Empress Dowager, after all. This gift must surely be immensely precious!" one of them muttered quietly. "Let's just give way and avoid bringing trouble upon ourselves."

Mǎ Chángguì walked right beside Lǜliǔ, feeling so ashamed he nearly buried his face in his robes. He stepped forward repeatedly to dissuade her, pleading, "Good maiden, he wasn't even blocking the path. Please, stop shouting."

Hmph, how could she possibly stop shouting?

Lǜliǔ was acting under Xie Shu’s direct instructions to ensure that the entire capital knew the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence had prepared a birthday gift at Cuiping Pavilion!

Once everyone knew about it, let's see how Lady Li could continue to evade payment by claiming poverty.

Xie Shu sat comfortably inside the carriage, enjoying the show with a cheerful heart.

Shopkeeper Li, for his part, saw nothing wrong with it. Lǜliǔ’s shouting served two purposes: first, it ensured the safe passage of his delivery carriage, and second, it served as fantastic publicity for Cuiping Pavilion’s reputation. No matter how one looked at it, it was a win!

Only Mǎ Chángguì was burning with anxiety. How had things come to such a pass?

Coming simply to pick up an item had turned into a full-scale public spectacle! True, his mother had instructed him that if Xie Shu refused to pay, he should make a scene so everyone would come and watch the excitement.
Yet looking at the situation now, it seemed everyone was watching the Marquis of Cheng’en’s household make a fool of themselves!

Alas, he only prayed the Marquis never found out, otherwise those who ran errands would surely face severe punishment.

Throughout the trip, Mǎ Chángguì’s heart hammered frantically against his ribs. A growing sense of unease plagued him, and as they drew near the gates of the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence, he could no longer restrain himself. Darting around the carriage a couple of times, he abruptly yanked open the curtain of Cuiping Pavilion’s carriage and asked Shopkeeper Li, "Shopkeeper, has the Madam Heir paid the full amount yet?"

Shopkeeper Li glanced sideways at him and replied, "Once we reach the marquisate, it will be settled."

"Ah?"

That single sentence caused Mǎ Chángguì’s jaw to drop in horror. Only then did he realize something was terribly wrong!

"Oh, heavens above, a catastrophe is about to happen!"

With just one more turn, they would arrive at the front gates of the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence. Even if Mǎ Chángguì wanted to stop them, it was already too late.

With no other choice, Mǎ Chángguì turned and bolted in a panic, his legs flying so fast it seemed sparks would shoot from his heels. He sprinted into the Chenxiang Garden, gasping heavily for breath as he cried out, "Madam! Madam! This is terrible! That Shopkeeper Li has come to collect a debt!"

"Madam Heir? What is the meaning of this?" Lǜliǔ had just supported Xie Shu as she stepped out of the carriage when she caught sight of Mǎ Chángguì tearing away like a frightened rabbit.

Xie Shu stepped down onto the mounting block, cast a glance at the fleeing figure, and smiled. "He's gone to report the news."

Presumably, Lady Li had assumed she would throw a tantrum at Cuiping Pavilion and had therefore specially sent someone to watch her. Had Xie Shu shown extreme reluctance and made a scene, tomorrow the capital would undoubtedly be flooded with the rumor: *"The young Madam Heir of the Marquis of Cheng’en’s household, driven by selfish motives, refused even to pay for the Empress Dowager’s birthday gift."*

Conversely, had Xie Shu swallowed the bitter pill and paid the three thousand silver taels in full, Lady Li would have been even more smug and continued to scheme against the wealth in her hands.

Instead of either, it was far better to make a clean sweep of it and let Lady Li see clearly that she, Xie Shu, was no fool to be silently bullied! Furthermore, not a single penny of the Xie family's wealth would ever be squandered on the Marquis of Cheng’en’s household!