Lin Wanrong hurriedly pulled Miss Xiao, "Is this little girl confused? Now that there is a written document personally drawn up by Tao Dongcheng, just take control of the Tao family. What's the point of arguing? Even if the Xiao family is fraudulent, you Tao people have to accept it. Tao Dongcheng has done so many wrong things. If I cheat him once, do you have the guts to bite me?"
Tao Yu said, "My son Dongcheng was accidentally indisposed yesterday and is currently recuperating at home. When he recovers, we can confront each other."
Recuperating? Afraid it's recuperating on some young girl's belly. Lin Wanrong recalled his own masterpiece and couldn't help but smile.
Miss Xiao hummed, "Lord Tao, I am just an ordinary woman, and you are a court-appointed official. Naturally, you understand more about laws and regulations than I do."
She took out a contract from her bosom, the same one Tao Dongcheng signed and sealed at the Qingyu Building. "This document is the one signed and sealed by Young Master Tao at the Qingyu Building, with his signature and seal. There is also the personal signature of Grand Academician Xu Wei, to prove that he personally notarized it. This document is clear evidence, and the facts are there. Does Lord Tao intend to deny it?"
"Daring Miss Xiao Yuruo, how dare you deceive me? Grand Academician Xu is a wise minister in the current court, with an esteemed position. How can you, a simple woman, know him? Perhaps you forged this seal." Tao Yu arrogantly said.
"Bold!" A tall figure approached, pointing at Tao Yu and shouted angrily, "You, a petty official, dare to doubt Grand Academician Xu Wei's seal? Have your eyes grown to the sky?"
"Who are you?" Tao Yu, seeing the tall and strong figure with sharp eyes, quickly exclaimed.
The tall figure took out a golden token from his waist and waved it in front of him. "I am a top-ranked guard in the palace, entrusted with the task of protecting Grand Academician Xu Wei. This seal on the document is personally provided by Grand Academician Xu Wei. He is worried that someone might deceive, so he specifically instructed me to clarify this matter in Jinling. Are you, this petty official, pretending not to recognize it?"
The tall guard, accustomed to the nobility in the palace, viewed the Suzhou weaver as a minor official. Even if he had no official position, those close to the emperor were considered powerful. Accusing Tao Yu of being a petty official, Tao Yu dared not speak.
Miss Xiao didn't waste words with Tao Yu either. She handed the document to Lin Wanrong, who shook it in front of everyone, making a crisp sound. "Fathers and elders, take a good look. This is the personally signed and sealed document by Tao Dongcheng, transferring the Tao family's fabric shop to our Xiao family. Our Miss, kind and virtuous, didn't want to deliberately trouble the Tao family, so we gave them a day to move. Who would have thought that the Tao family would be so arrogant today? Not only did they beat the representative sent by our Xiao family, but they also want to confiscate this document. They even deny the document personally signed and sealed by themselves? Lord Tao may be an official, but I would like to ask all the fathers and elders here, can officials bully us kind-hearted commoners at will? Today, they bully the Xiao family. Will they bully the Zhang family, Li family tomorrow? Isn't there a place for reason in this world?"
Lin Wanrong's last few words were provocative, clearly intending to sow discord in the harmonious relationship between officials and the common people. The crowd immediately erupted with shouts of "Release him, release him." Soon, the voices resonated and grew stronger.
Miss Xiao noticed a few people in the crowd who seemed familiar, like servants from the Xiao family's residence. She even saw Xiao Feng and the two guards, who were the most enthusiastic among the crowd. Lin Wanrong signaled to her with a slight smile – indeed, this was the plan.
Seeing the crowd getting agitated, Tao Yu couldn't help but change his expression. He stepped back a few steps and shouted loudly, "Close the gate—"
"Governor Luo of Jiangsu arrives—" A long cry woke up everyone in the crowd. A sedan chair swayed in from a distance.
Lin Wanrong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This old fox Luo Min always showed up at critical moments, probably to scare us off. No need to say, this old guy must have been hiding in some dark corner watching the show. When he saw Miss Xiao debate Tao Yu into silence, he appeared to take advantage of the situation.
It was said that when Governor Luo arrived, the crowd quieted down. Lin Wanrong signaled, and Si De led the group of hired individuals to withdraw.
Luo Min, with a big belly, got off the sedan chair and pretended to look around seriously, with a stern face. "I am on official business outside the city, passing by here, but seeing the gathering of people, I wonder what happened? Why is it so noisy here?"
"Subordinate Tao Yu, pays respects to Governor, sir." Tao Yu saw that the Governor had come personally and quickly stepped forward to bow. He secretly colluded with Cheng De, but he also understood that offending Luo Min, a Governor, was not something a small Suzhou weaver could afford.
"Oh, Lord Tao, you are also here? When did you return from Suzhou? Why did the government not receive any news?" Luo Min spoke with an official tone. A court-appointed official leaving without proper authorization was a serious offense. If Luo Min reported it, Tao Yu could be in big trouble.
Tao Yu respectfully said, "Subordinate returned to Jinling urgently due to family matters. Because the situation was urgent, there was no time to request leave. I was just about to go to the Governor's mansion to report, but I didn't expect to encounter Governor here."
Luo Min exclaimed, "Oh, so that's the case. Lord Tao has urgent family matters, which is understandable. This office won't pursue it. However, with so many people gathering in front of your mansion today, what exactly happened? Why is it so noisy here?"
"This, it's just some trivial matters among the common people. Subordinate has already handled it, and I dare not trouble the Governor." Tao Yu said respectfully.
"What do you mean by trivial matters among the common people? Lord Tao, you speak lightly." Miss Xiao sneered, walked forward gracefully, and bowed respectfully to Luo Min. "I am Miss Xiao Yuruo. I have seen Governor Luo. I ask the Governor to arbitrate for my Xiao family and restore justice to us."
Luo Min looked at Tao Yu and said, "Miss Xiao, why would you say such a thing? You are the descendant of the Xiao Guild Elder. Who would dare to bully you? Perhaps there is some misunderstanding in the middle?"
Xiao Yuruo presented the document with both hands and said respectfully, "The seal on this document was personally provided by Grand Academician Xu Wei, and the gambling agreement was personally notarized by Grand Academician Xu. Grand Academician Xu even specially appointed Palace Guard Gao Qiu to come to Jinling to testify to this matter. Please investigate thoroughly, sir."
Gao Qiu clasped his fists and said, "Reporting to Governor Luo, the matter of this gambling agreement was witnessed by Grand Academician Xu himself, and he provided his signature as evidence. I came specifically for this purpose."
Luo Min nodded, glanced at the seal, and exclaimed, "It is indeed personally provided by Mr. Wen Chang."
After reading the contents of the document, he frowned, pulled Tao Yu aside, and whispered, "Lord Tao, is this really your son's handprint?"
Tao Yu gritted his teeth and nodded, "Yes."
Luo Min sighed, "Lord Tao, not to criticize you, but your son was indeed reckless this time. How could the Tao family easily gamble away their shop? Signing and sealing it with his own handwriting, making it ironclad evidence?"
Tao Yu sighed heavily. Tao Dongcheng was usually clever and capable, and he always trusted him. However, he couldn't understand why he ended up entangled with the Xiao family this time.
Luo Min continued to play the role of a concerned adviser, "Lord Tao, we are both officials in the same province, and we share the bond of colleagues. If it were any other time, I would certainly help you suppress this matter. However, the problem lies in the fact that your son offended not just anyone but Grand Academician Xu Wei. Even if I tear up this document now, Grand Academician Xu would still be aware. We all know the status of Grand Academician Xu. To speak bluntly, even if we join forces, it's not enough to match the strength of Grand Academician Xu's little finger. How can I help you?"
With narrow eyes, Luo Min appeared genuinely distressed, seemingly sincerely considering the well-being of the Tao family. Tao Yu remained silent with a despondent expression. To the onlookers, apart from Lin Wanrong, it was challenging to discern that these two were in a complex relationship and each acted according to their own agenda.
Luo Min whispered a few more words to Tao Yu, and his face turned pale. After glancing at Miss Xiao, he grunted and, after much contemplation, reluctantly nodded.
Approaching Miss Xiao, Luo Min smiled, "Miss Xiao, there seems to be some misunderstanding in this matter. I have clarified it with Lord Tao. Since Grand Academician Xu personally vouched for it, there should be no discrepancies. Lord Tao has agreed to transfer the Tao family fabric shop to the Xiao family. I hope Miss Xiao will remember Lord Tao's guidance and manage it diligently. Do not let Lord Tao down."
"In that case, I thank Lord Tao for his profound righteousness and thank Governor Luo for impartial judgment," Miss Xiao said with a graceful smile. Tao Yu snorted and left in a huff.
Lin Wanrong secretly praised the cunning old fox Luo Min and grinned. Luo Min was here solely for this matter.
With Tao Yu gone, the Tao family's servants naturally wouldn't stay behind. The Tao family's fabric shop, along with the fabrics, now belonged to the Xiao family. According to Lin Wanrong, this was indeed a fortune. He could marry a hundred wives and have each of them wear a hundred dresses, and the fabrics still wouldn't run out.
Inventory check, inspection, and reception—Miss Xiao busied herself with these trivial matters, diligently working. Lin Wanrong, on the other hand, had no interest in these mundane affairs. He was born to be a chairman. Watching Miss Xiao's figure, he smirked.
While being busy was bearable, now that he had some free time, he felt uneasy all over. The weather was getting colder, and the Lunar New Year was just a month away. After the New Year, he planned to head north to the capital to find Qing Xuan. The second Miss could accompany her to study in the capital. But what about Qiao Qiao? Should he leave the girl alone in Jinling? That would be courting disaster.
Lost in his thoughts, he found himself at the entrance of the Immortal Feast Restaurant. Qiao Qiao's surprised voice came from upstairs, "Big brother, you're back!"