flstandardbreds Chapter 153 You want to owe me money? You’re dreaming!
Chapter 153 You want to owe me money? You’re dreaming!
"Who are you anyway? It was you who disobeyed the County Master and left on your own, so why are you now turning the tables on us?"
"This is all because you insisted on not leaving. The county lady cannot be blamed in any way."
The people expressed their sympathy for Yan Wanwan and were even more angry at the shamelessness of these merchants.
However, those merchants insisted that there was a problem with the quality of the houses in Nanping Mansion and pestered Yan Wanwan for compensation.
Upon hearing this, Yan Wanwan couldn't help but laugh and said, "You keep saying the quality is poor, but if I remember correctly, you built these houses with your own money! It's because you don't trust the stability of our Nanping Mansion's buildings."
When the businessmen heard this, they looked at each other, stammered, and were speechless.
But they found an unseen force and continued to challenge Yan Wanwan: "Even if we built it ourselves, the people who built it were from your Nanping Prefecture. If you hadn't cut corners during construction, how could the shop have collapsed so quickly?"
Yan Wanwan was so angry that she started laughing again. These people turned a deaf ear to her previous explanation and were quite good at talking nonsense. She didn't know how to respond to these words.
After a while, she raised her eyebrows and sneered, "You might as well think about it carefully. Who built this house?"
"Is there any need to think about this? Of course, you are from Nanping Prefecture."
Yan Wanwan's smile instantly faded, her expression stern. She pulled out a contract and said righteously, "We have the official contract here as proof. You thought the Nanping Prefecture construction team's price was too high, so you hired craftsmen from a neighboring village to build it yourself, and used materials from outside. This matter has nothing to do with our Nanping Prefecture."
The businessmen were suddenly speechless. The contract was like a loud slap in their faces.
How could they have forgotten about this? Now they have no excuse to cheat.
However, if they cannot get Yan Wanwan to compensate for the losses, won’t they be unable to complete their mission in Nanping Prefecture?
So, those merchants from other places decided to go all out and planned to...
"We don't care about these things. Anyway, the earth dragon happened in your Nanping Prefecture, so you have to pay compensation." These merchants reached a consensus and used their last "trick" - making unreasonable demands.
"Okay, okay! I'll compensate you."
Just when they were about to continue pestering, Yan Wanwan unexpectedly agreed.
"County Lady! How could you...?"
"County Master, why should we compensate them?"
"Yes, this is clearly their own fault. It has nothing to do with Nanping Prefecture or you. If they insist on making trouble, we can go to the higher-ups for justice, or even to His Majesty."
The people looked at her in disbelief, not understanding why the county lady agreed so readily, and were extremely angry.
Yan Wanwan raised her hand to stop them from saying the rest of their words, with a mysterious smile on her face.
The merchants here were stunned at first, and then secretly rejoiced. Since she agreed to pay compensation, they would definitely not let her go. Isn't it up to them to decide the value of the lost items?
But before they could be happy for long, Yan Wanwan smiled calmly and said, "What's there to argue about? It's just compensation. It's not like this county lady can't afford it."
One of the merchants, with a smug look on his face, shouted, "Humph, you should have known better. No matter what the rules are, just pay up!"
Yan Wanwan smiled slightly and clapped her hands. She took out a ten-liang silver ingot from her sleeve and threw it at them without hesitation.
"Here, it's just ten taels of silver. Is that worth you making such a fuss in front of this county lady?"
The man who caught the silver, whose originally smug expression froze instantly, his eyes widened like two copper bells, his face filled with disbelief. After a moment of stunned silence, he blurted out, "County Lady, what do you mean? This amount of silver isn't right!"
Yan Wanwan raised her eyebrows slightly, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes. She looked at him with a half-smile, her red lips parted, and she said slowly, "Haven't you repeatedly asked me to compensate you with silver? Here, I'm giving it to you. The rest, consider it a reward from me. Why don't you thank me quickly?"
When the man heard this, his face turned pale and red, and he waved his hands anxiously. The veins on his forehead bulged. He shouted, "County Lady, please stop teasing me. Any piece of my goods is a fine product, worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. How can you send us away with just ten taels of silver? We absolutely do not agree. You are just sending away beggars!"
Yan Wanwan exclaimed in exaggeration, her voice instantly rising, drawing the attention of passersby. A hint of sarcasm curled up the corner of her mouth as she said disdainfully, "With these junks of yours, I'd feel bad even if I gave you ten taels. You don't even think twice about yourself, using these things to fool this county lady."
This infuriated the man. His face flushed red, and veins bulged on his neck, like an angry bull. He shouted at the top of his voice, "County Lady Yan, please look carefully! All these in my shop are antiques, Hetian jade, and gold artifacts. Each one is a priceless treasure. I've been in this business for so many years, how could I fool people with fake goods? You are ignorant, but you can't just compensate me with such a small amount. You must pay the full price! If you don't pay enough today, don't even think about leaving!"
Yan Wanwan casually glanced at the remaining items in their hands, her lips curled up in impatience, and she stamped her feet lightly, raising her voice and saying, "Come on, aren't these all fakes? How much can they be worth? How dare you sell antiques like this? In my opinion, you should find a reliable appraiser first! Don't embarrass yourself here and use these fakes to cheat people."
One of them frowned, his eyes revealing a hint of ferocity. He stared at her closely and demanded, "County Lady Yan, what exactly do you mean by that? Are you relying on your status to cheat and deny your responsibilities?"
Yan Wanwan looked calm, and calmly lifted her hair from her temples, responding, "There's nothing special about it. If you insist that these are genuine, then find an authoritative person to authenticate them. Otherwise, I won't acknowledge them. Don't think I'm easy to bully."
"County Lady Yan, you're clearly playing dirty! You know full well that there's no treasure appraiser in Nanping Prefecture, yet you insist on asking for an appraisal. Aren't you deliberately trying to embarrass us? If you don't come up with an explanation today, we'll never let you go!"
The man became more and more excited as he spoke, his tone full of resentment. He took a step forward and pretended to rush forward.
Yan Wanwan's eyes suddenly lit up, and she loudly retorted, "Who said there isn't one? Isn't Grand Tutor Zhou the best candidate? He's an expert in appraising treasures. With him appraising, no one can get away with it!"
Everyone followed her gaze and saw Grand Tutor Zhou walking steadily towards the intersection in the distance.
At this moment, the people in the shop instantly panicked. They were originally aggressive, but now a trace of panic flashed in their eyes. Some people began to whisper to each other, while others unconsciously took a few steps back.
However, they soon feigned composure, trying to maintain a semblance of calm. One of them even said, "So what if it's Master Zhou? We have nothing to fear from our own shadows. These are all genuine goods!"