Chapter 271

Chapter 271 Who’s Your Master?

They watched Qu Moying enter the shop. Judging by her appearance and bearing, they could tell who she was.

Her eye disease was the most obvious sign.

The crowd gathered outside and switched the topic to Qu Moying. As they were talking, they suddenly saw Granny Miao and Yu Dong coming out. After wiping the table at the door, they put some pastries on it.

They also put some incense sticks and strings of paper money on the table. It seemed that they were going to worship heaven to dispel the bad luck. It was indeed an unlucky thing, and it was normal for the shop owner to do so. Many people would worship heaven after getting out of lawsuits. But the one who was involved in the lawsuit was a shop but not a human.

It was normal to see such things in the capital.

It was said that if one ate the pastries that were used to dispel the bad luck, one’s bad luck would also be dispelled. Therefore, many people stopped and waited for the pastries when they saw the scene.

Granny Miao and Yu Dong burned the paper and lit the incense sticks. Then they pointed at the pastries on the table with a smile and said to the passersby, “Guys, you can eat them now.”

Then, they stepped aside.

The onlookers picked up the pastries one by one.

Although Qu Mansion prepared many pastries, quite many people were watching. All the pastries were taken away in a short time.

Granny Miao tidied up the table with a smile. A busybody came over and asked, “Fourth Lady Qu just went inside. Is she going to take charge of this shop?”

Granny Miao looked garrulous, and she was indeed so. She answered the person quickly. “This shop was our ex-Madam’s dowry. Our Fourth Lady was in the village before. Now that she has come back, the shop should naturally be under her charge.”

Many people who were about to leave stopped.

“Your ex-Madam has passed away for a long time, right? Who was in charge of this shop before?” Someone else asked.

“Second Madam was in charge of it. Now, it is returned to our Fourth Lady.” Granny Miao continued to tidy up things without raising her head.

“So, that’s why you changed the shop name?” A passerby pointed at the shop name and asked.

“The shop was named ‘Yue’s Clothing Pavilion’ when the ex-Madam was alive. The ex-Madam was from Yue Family in the South. When she married into the capital, her shops’ names all started with ‘Yue’. Now that the shop was returned to our miss, she would naturally resume the original name. Otherwise, she would be unfilial and forgetting her origin.”

Granny Miao said righteously.

What she said was reasonable, and the passersby realized that this shop was renamed because it was under Second Madam Qu’s charge before. Thinking about it, they could know that Second Madam Qu had changed “Yue’s Clothing Pavilion” to another name because she wanted to have the shop for herself.

Someone immediately thought of the previous case of deception and asked, “So… did someone sell this shop on purpose?”

Granny Miao shook her head and replied in confusion, “I… I am just a servant. I don’t know about the case, but I know that the shop is now returned to our Fourth Lady, and it will be under our Fourth Lady’s charge in the future. It has nothing to do with the mansion.”

As a servant, she really didn’t know the details of this matter. No matter what questions they asked her, she could hardly answer any of them.

Seeing that she really did not know about the case, a passerby suddenly pointed to the shop next to Yue’s Clothing Pavilion and asked, “Is this shop also the ex-Second Madam Qu’s dowry? Why was its name changed? Could it be that this shop has not yet been returned to Fourth Lady Qu and has been occupied by others?”

It was easy to connect these things together. What Granny Miao had just said and the previous name of the shop all led to his question.

Hearing this passerby’s words, many people immediately looked at the shop adjacent to Yue’s Clothing Shop. It was still early, and the shop had not opened yet.

Granny Miao looked up at the shop next to Yue’s Clothing Pavilion. She was also very confused. She looked at the two shops’ names and muttered to herself with confusion, “Wasn’t that shop called ‘Yue’s Gold Pavilion’ before? Why did it change its name? Could it be that…it has a new owner now?”

Someone realized something and asked. “Isn’t that shop your mansion’s?”

“It doesn’t belong to our mansion. It is the dowry of the ex-Madam’s elder sister. But it had a different name a few days ago.” Granny Miao explained.

The ex-Second Madam Qu’s surname was Yue, and her elder sister’s surname was naturally Yue. The two shops looked similar, and their names both started with ‘Yue’. It was obvious that they belonged to the same mansion.

“Let your miss check it up. Perhaps this shop should also be hers, and someone took it from her.” Someone kindly reminded Granny Miao.

“Yes, this shop is similar to your mansion’s other shops. Perhaps the owner of this shop failed to keep the shop for her own children and others took it away from her. Its name was changed now. It seems to be the case.” Someone echoed.

“No way…” Granny Miao pointed at the shop by the side hesitantly. Her expression changed drastically. She suddenly went into Yue’s Clothing Pavilion without saying anything, leaving only Yu Dong to clean the ashes on the ground.

Looking at the two shops’ names, someone suddenly realized something and exclaimed, “Isn’t Fourth Lady Qu’s mother’s elder sister the wife of Earl Ling’an?”

“What?” Someone could not understand what it meant.

“She was the ex-Crown Princess’ mother.” Someone suggested in a low voice.

“So, this shop was the ex-Crown Princess’ mother’s dowry?” It was easy to connect these things together.

“Yes, it’s the ex-Crown Princess’ mother’s dowry. The ex-Crown Princess’ mother’s family doesn’t have many people. Is the owner of this shop changed?” Someone realized this and pointed at the name of the shop.

“How could it be? Right now, it is still the first branch, the branch the ex-Crown Princess was in, that is in charge of Earl Ling’an’s Mansion. I heard that the first branch adopted a son, and the title was given to him. Of course, these shops are also his. How can the owner of this shop change?” Someone said disapprovingly.

People in the capital talked about Earl Ling’an’s Mansion the most now. The ex-Crown Princess and Earl Ling’an had both passed away. It was said that the ex-Crown Princess’ younger sister also died. A concubine was desperate to file a lawsuit against Third Lady Ji before, and then, a son was adopted.

These things could not be considered trifles.

As they spoke, the shop next to Yue’s Clothing Pavilion opened. A manager walked out. He looked at the people outside and chased them away arrogantly. “Go away. Go away. Don’t affect our business.”

As he spoke, he pushed the crowd rudely, almost causing a few passersby to fall.

Looking at the arrogant manager, many people found him displeasing to the eye.

“Who is the owner of the shop?” Someone asked.

The manager glanced sideways at the passerby who asked the question. He snorted and raised his head arrogantly, “It’s none of your business. Does it have anything to do with you?”

He was just recruited as a manager, and Ji Youran let someone hire him. Naturally, he knew the owner of the shop was the Crown Prince’s Mansion’s Side Princess. How could ordinary people dare to talk about her? n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Who is your master?” Granny Miao came out from Yue’s Clothing Pavilion again, took two steps forward, and glared at the manager.

It seemed that Qu Moying, who was now in Yue’s Clothing Pavilion, was suspicious and had specially asked Granny Miao to ask the manager.

“It’s none of your business. Does it have anything to do with you?” Seeing that Granny Miao was just a maid, the manager became more and more impatient. As the manager of a gold shop, he felt that he was superior to others in status. Moreover, his master was Eastern Palace’s Princess Ji.

“Of course it does. This is our miss’s relative’s shop. Why is its name changed now?” Granny Miao pointed at the shop name. “Did your master take it away from others?”

The manager was pissed off. “How could my master take other people’s shop? My master’s status is extraordinary. She doesn’t need to take other’s shop. This shop belongs to our master.”

“You’re talking nonsense. This shop doesn’t belong to your master!” Granny Miao became even angrier.

Someone remembered what Granny Miao had just said. In addition, this shop had indeed changed its name. Looking at the manager’s domineering face, he couldn’t bear it and said, “This shop clearly doesn’t belong to your master. How did it become hers?”

“The owner of this shop must have changed.”

“I wonder what kind of master was so mean to…”

Everyone chimed in. The manager didn’t know who said these words. He pointed at the crowd with a livid face and asked, “Who said that? Come out.”

No one in the crowd came out, but there were still people speaking.

“Manager, who is the owner of the shop? Our master wants to meet her. Let your master come over.” Granny Miao took a step forward and stood in front of the manager.

Seeing that Granny Miao kept provoking him and even stood in front of him, the manager couldn’t hold back his anger any longer. He suddenly pushed her forcefully and scolded, “Who the hell are you? What are you talking about? Your lowly master wants to see my master? Who does she think she is?”

His action was so rude that Granny Miao lost her balance and fell backwards, causing the few people behind her to fall to the ground together. Immediately, the crowd began to curse the manager.

Someone helped the few people who fell to the ground up, and someone helped Granny Miao up.

Granny Miao stood up, gasping for breath and scolding the manager, “You… Which family are you from? How dare you… do such a thing?”

Some passersby couldn’t stand it and glared at the manager, “Which family is he from? The granny was just asking questions. How could he be so arrogant? Who gives him the power to do so?”

“Could it be that someone from Earl Ling’an’s Mansion’s second branch stole the first branch’s property?” Someone said.

Many people knew about the matter of Earl Ling’an’s Mansion. It was a big deal before. It was said that the issue was about the stepson. In the end, the title was given back to the first branch. Although the stepson was born in the second branch, he was now adopted by the first branch, and he had to call his parents from the second branch uncle and aunt.

“Your Second Madam actually dares to take the dowry of the Eldest Madam. It is really unreasonable. Now she felt guilty, but she is still so arrogant.” Granny Miao continued to speak more and more confidently.

“How dare she? She took the first branch’s Madam’s dowry. That belongs to the first branch, and it should be left to the first branch’s young master. The second branch’s Madam could not take it away.”

“Your master stole other’s dowry. How could she be so arrogant?”

“That’s right. He really thinks that his master is great. He is so self-righteous.” Hearing all those words, people all thought that the Ji Family’s second branch’s madam took away the first branch’s madam’s dowry. Moreover, because of the manager’s arrogant attitude, they were all filled with righteous indignation.

The current Earl Ling’an’s Mansion was no longer as powerful as it used to be. Many people knew that Earl Ling’an’s Mansion had declined…