What is Fraud?
She spread out the black fungus on an oilcloth, divided it into piles, then gathered it together and weighed it roughly in her hand, estimating about a pound. She said to Cui'er, "We'll sell it in piles—one coin per pile."
Earlier, she noticed two stalls in the center of the market selling black fungus. Coincidentally, a customer bought a pound, and the vendor said, "Three coins!"
Judging by eye, that pound seemed roughly equivalent to one of her piles. Since her stall wasn't in a high-traffic area, she decided to price it at one coin per pile. Even if her piles didn't quite reach a pound, it didn't matter; she was selling cheap, and customers wouldn't complain.
Cui'er nodded eagerly, having no concept of weight. If her sister thought it was a good plan, it must be good.
Mimicking Zhang Wanqing's crisp tone, Cui'er called out, "Come take a look! Fresh black fungus and mushrooms! Don't miss out, dear elders!"
The sharp voices of the two young girls stood out among the rough calls of the adults, attracting a few onlookers.
"Young lady, why aren't you selling your black fungus by the pound? Why by the pile?" a finely dressed woman asked. Judging by her attire, she seemed to be a servant from a wealthy household.
Zhang Wanqing replied, "Madam, we're running a promotion!"
The woman was momentarily stunned.
Realizing she had accidentally used modern language, Zhang Wanqing quickly corrected herself, "It's homegrown, priced low for a taste test."
The woman inspected the black fungus closely. It was fresh and tender, indeed of good quality. She set down her basket, bent over, and began selecting.
Zhang Wanqing and Cui'er exchanged a glance, both understanding: their first sale was here.
The woman chose two piles of black fungus, placed them in her basket, and took out two copper coins from her embroidered purse, handing them to Zhang Wanqing. "Here you go, young lady."
Zhang Wanqing accepted them cheerfully. "Thank you, Madam. Please come again."
She happily placed the coins into the purse tied at her waist, her fair hands stroking them.
It was the first money she had earned since her transmigration, and she cherished it deeply.
The panic and uncertainty about the future she had felt since her arrival subsided a little at that moment.
"You look just like a miserly old granny!" Cui'er teased with a smirk.
Today, she was wearing an old set of clothes that Zhang Mama used to wear. Her original clothes were in tatters and unwearable. This outfit aged her a few years, and combined with her bright, money-hungry eyes and the way she kept fondling the purse, she truly resembled a stingy old lady, making Cui'er laugh.
Zhang Wanqing pretended to be angry, glaring at her. "Little girl, mind your manners."
More people came to buy, and soon Zhang Wanqing decided to divide the mushrooms into piles as well.
The two girls, growing more enthusiastic, called out louder. With the cheap prices, people flocked over. In just half an hour, the oilcloth that had been full of mushrooms and black fungus was cleared out.
Zhang Wanqing excitedly emptied the remaining mushrooms and black fungus from her cloth bag and prepared to sell them the same way.
At this pace, they could sell everything within another half-hour.
As she was carefully dividing the piles, a pair of cloth shoes suddenly came into her view. Muddy and dusty, their original black color had turned gray. The worn-out soles stomped fiercely on a small pile of mushrooms, turning them to mush.
Zhang Wanqing slowly raised her head. What met her gaze was a burly figure with a fierce, bearded face. His dark skin made the whites of his eyes stand out starkly.
"Where are you wild girls from, daring to deceive the people of Yunzhong Town and conduct illegal business?" the man roared loudly, drawing a crowd, as if trying to intimidate Zhang Wanqing.
How could Zhang Wanqing be scared? She was too angry over her ruined goods.
"Brother, on what grounds do you accuse me of deceiving the people and conducting illegal business?" Her tone was firm and unyielding. "If you can't provide a valid reason, you owe me an apology, compensation for my losses, and a trip to the city bureau with me to clarify things."
"You've got guts!" A booming voice cut through the commotion. The crowd parted, and a tall, thin man in official robes swaggered over.
He demanded, "Are you the one selling without using proper scales and deliberately undercutting prices to suppress your competitors?"
See? Without investigating the facts, they labeled her as conducting illegal business!
Before Zhang Wanqing could defend herself, a man standing behind the official interrupted, "Officer Zhang, it's her!"
Zhang Wanqing recognized the man—it was one of the black fungus vendors from earlier in the market. She saw him exchange a glance with the burly man, a look full of tacit understanding.
So, they couldn't outcompete her and decided to frame her instead.
"Officer Zhang, that's not how it happened!"
"Take her away!" Officer Zhang ordered without giving her a chance to explain.
The black fungus vendor and the burly man followed closely behind. Before leaving, they tipped over her basket, scattering the mushrooms and black fungus. The vendor stomped on them viciously.
"Get away!" Cui'er fearlessly shielded the goods, kneeling on the ground and desperately pushing the man's legs. But she was too small and weak to move them even an inch.
Zhang Wanqing returned to stop her. "Cui'er, let it go!"
"But those are the mushrooms you worked so hard to pick! They can't destroy them!" Cui'er cried out.
"Cui'er, stand up. Fighting back won't help us. I'll go to the city bureau first. You stay here and gather our things." Zhang Wanqing helped her up, her gaze resolute.
Cui'er nodded but suddenly grabbed the vendor's arm and bit down hard.
The vendor howled in pain and raised his hand to slap Cui'er. Zhang Wanqing stepped in to block, taking the slap on her back. She stifled a cry of pain.
In a flash of inspiration, she let herself collapse to the ground, curling up like a shrimp, trembling, hands covering her head, eyes shut tight, and brow furrowed as if in severe pain.
Cui'er, unaware of her act, thought something terrible had happened and cried out in panic, tears streaming down her face.
"Big Sister, what's wrong? Don't scare me!" She sobbed, terrified, unsure where Zhang Wanqing had been hurt and too scared to touch her.
The crowd, who had witnessed the entire incident, began to intervene, calling for justice.
Zhang Wanqing's plan had succeeded.
"Trying to escape after injuring someone?" The onlookers could no longer bear it. Witnessing the entire incident, they decided to stand up for justice.
One vendor angrily accused, "Li Er, it's one thing for you to be overbearing and arrogant on normal days, but today you're bullying even a young girl. Do you have no conscience?"
Another vendor chimed in, "You rely on your cousin being the market overseer to cheat customers and shortchange weights all the time. Now you're falsely accusing someone else. Do you think everyone is as deceitful as you?"
So that's why he dared to act so recklessly, relying on connections to maliciously slander competitors. Zhang Wanqing lay on the ground, hearing every word clearly.
Beside her, Cui'er was still crying. Zhang Wanqing gently pinched her hand. Cui'er immediately stopped crying and, seeing her older sister blink at her, quickly understood. She resumed wailing loudly, raising her voice, "Report this to the authorities! I want justice!"
This was precisely Zhang Wanqing's intention.
Initially, she had planned to go to the market bureau and argue her case with the overseer. At worst, she would pay a fine and refrain from setting up her stall for a few days.
But the slap from the mushroom vendor had come as a timely gift. She decided to take advantage of it by pretending to be injured and escalating the matter as much as possible.
Human life is paramount—whether in ancient times or modern ones, everyone fears a life-threatening legal case. Her supposed critical condition would force the authorities to take the matter seriously. Once in the county court, no matter the market overseer's relationship with Li Da and Li Er, the testimonies of the townsfolk who witnessed everything would ensure a fair trial.
"Yes, report it to the authorities!" someone echoed.
The mushroom vendor, now both angry and terrified, stammered and looked nervously at the returning market overseer, Zhang Sishi, and Li Da.
"Zhang Sishi, the overseer of the county market, has the time to meddle in our little Yunzhong Village? That's like a Buddha handling sesame seeds; it's beyond his grasp!" someone sarcastically quipped.
It seemed Zhang Sishi had troubled these people often, and now they were adding fuel to the fire on purpose.
Zhang Sishi glanced at the crowd, guilt flickering in his eyes, but he tried to intimidate them. "I dare anyone to spread false accusations. I'll have all of you taken to court!"
But after what had just happened, the townsfolk seemed to share a silent agreement to oppose him. No one was afraid of his threats anymore, knowing he was merely a paper tiger—powerless but pretending otherwise.
"Fine, let's go together. We'll testify for the young lady," declared a tall, long-faced man, gathering a few vendors from the market to accompany them to the county court.
Zhang Wanqing was carried into the county court, determined to carry on her act to the end. Cui'er played along seamlessly, crying so much her voice became hoarse.
Before the trial, County Magistrate Yang Yi summoned a doctor to examine her. The diagnosis was dramatic: intense emotional distress combined with physical impact had caused blood stagnation in her brain due to blocked meridians. This raised everyone's tension, especially Li Da and Li Er, who anxiously asked if her life was in danger. The doctor sighed, "Hard to say!"
A bit exaggerated, don't you think? Zhang Wanqing mused, wondering if this doctor was a fraud making a show of it or if he had seen through her act and was simply helping her. If it was the latter, she would be immensely grateful.
Magistrate Yang spoke up, "What grievance do you have? State it quickly!"
Li Da and Li Er twisted the facts in their favor, shamelessly requesting the magistrate to uphold justice for them.
Cui'er then recounted the actual events.
Magistrate Yang asked her, "Do you have a scale?"
Cui'er answered truthfully, "No. But we didn't shortchange anyone. Every bundle weighed far more than a pound, and even without a scale, our prices were three times lower than the market rate. This doesn't constitute fraud."
"However, according to the business regulations of the Da Sheng Dynasty, all transactions must use scales, with clear pricing. Shortchanging is strictly prohibited," Magistrate Yang stated impartially, pointing out their mistake.
Zhang Wanqing silently gave Cui'er a thumbs up. However, worried that her younger sister might crumble under interrogation, she coughed twice, signaling that it was her turn to speak. She wasn't dead yet—she could talk.
Dragging her "weakened" body, she struggled to say, "Magistrate Yang, Li Da and Li Er accuse me of defrauding the public and breaking business laws. May I ask, what constitutes fraud?"