Chapter 116
Chapter 116
When Ji Hanyi arrived, the shop’s two craftsmen were busy cleaning while Shopkeeper Ming carried the mounted paintings outside one by one.
Every passerby covered their nose and mouth and hurriedly gave the storefront a wide berth.
The stench truly was overwhelming. Even Rongchun could not bear it and held a handkerchief over her nose.
Ji Hanyi lifted one corner of the veil hanging from her hat and quietly gazed at the shop she had worked so hard to build, now reduced to this state. Yet her eyes were calmer than ever.
The moment Shopkeeper Ming saw her, he hurriedly set aside his work and approached. “Madam, you’re here.”
Shopkeeper Ming had not yet heard about Ji Hanyi’s divorce. She did not mention it and merely asked, “Do you know who did this?”
Though the alley was secluded, several shops operated here. Every other shop had been left untouched. Hers alone had been doused, making it obvious that she had been deliberately targeted.
Shopkeeper Ming shook his head. “No. The craftsman who slept in the shop last night said the stench suddenly woke him in the middle of the night. When he got up to look, the floor was covered in sewage. Those people had poured it in through the gaps beneath the doors.”
“They also splashed the sign above the door and the stone threshold.”
Ji Hanyi glanced up. The sign had already been taken down to be washed, leaving an empty space above the entrance. A surge of indescribable anger rose in her chest.
Shopkeeper Ming continued, “It would be one thing if no customers came after something like this, but the odor has seeped into all the paintings we’d already mounted. When customers came to collect them this morning, they complained that the paintings reeked and refused to take them.”
“We can afford to compensate for some of them if they’re only worth ten-odd taels, but the owners of others are demanding over a hundred taels. There’s no way we can pay that much.”
Shopkeeper Ming looked at Ji Hanyi. “Madam, what should we do now?”
Ji Hanyi asked, “Did you report it to the authorities?”
Shopkeeper Ming nodded at once. “I went to the Southern City Military Patrol Office, which oversees this street, first thing this morning. But the officers who came only gave the place a cursory glance before leaving. I gave one of the constables some tea money and asked if they could catch whoever did this, but he said it would be difficult.”
“This wasn’t a theft, and no one was injured, so it doesn’t count as a serious case.”
“Besides, ours is the only painting-mounting shop in this alley, and we haven’t made enemies of anyone. I couldn’t name a single suspect. The constable said that since it happened in the dead of night and no one saw anything, investigating it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
Ji Hanyi understood what he meant. There was no known enemy, no witness, and it was only a minor case. The authorities would never put much effort into investigating it. In all likelihood, the matter would simply be dropped, leaving her no choice but to suffer the loss in silence.
But after thinking it over, she realized that the fire watch made its rounds at night, patrolling once every half hour. Whoever had done this had managed to avoid the patrols, which meant they had to be familiar with the area.
Moreover, so much sewage had been poured into the shop. If the culprits had managed to flee carrying their buckets without being noticed, they could not have gone far.
Even if she had no known enemies, an ordinary person would not do something like this for no reason. It was also possible that someone had been paid to do it.
She was due to leave tomorrow, yet this had happened out of nowhere. Ji Hanyi could not help feeling mentally and physically exhausted.
She waved Shopkeeper Ming off and told him to deal with the paintings first, then fumigate them with fragrant mugwort to remove the smell.
Even if Ji Hanyi wanted to compensate the customers, she truly could not afford to. A painting’s value was difficult to estimate, and if she allowed people to demand exorbitant sums, she simply did not have enough silver to pay them all.
Shopkeeper Ming’s eyes lit up at Ji Hanyi’s suggestion. “That’s an excellent idea.”
Ji Hanyi stopped him again. “Hire a few day laborers later. Have them scrub everything clean with soap pods and mugwort.”
She then asked Rongchun to take out her purse and placed it in Shopkeeper Ming’s hands. “Use this to cover all the expenses for now. Just keep a careful record of everything.”
Ji Hanyi had already settled the shop’s accounts the day before yesterday and instructed Shopkeeper Ming on the transfer. The craftsmen would continue receiving their usual wages. If the new owner was willing to keep the shop open, so much the better. If not, the craftsmen could divide the shop’s earnings from these final days among themselves.
Besides, the shop had to be thoroughly cleaned before it could be transferred to someone else.
After receiving Ji Hanyi’s instructions, Shopkeeper Ming nodded repeatedly and hurried off to put people to work.
Ji Hanyi stood beneath a nearby tree, one palm braced against its trunk as she sank into thought.
Rongchun came over and said softly, “Miss, why don’t we just let it go?”
“We’re leaving tomorrow. We can simply clean the shop and transfer it to someone else.”
Given the circumstances, Ji Hanyi had indeed considered doing exactly that.
She did not have time to remain here and drag the matter out. Eldest Maternal Aunt clearly did not welcome her and her mother staying any longer. Ji Hanyi had also told her maternal grandmother and Eldest Maternal Aunt that they would leave tomorrow. If they stayed beyond that, it would only invite suspicion.
After a moment’s consideration, Ji Hanyi raised her head. She saw Shopkeeper Ming fumigating the shop, and when a faint trace of fragrance reached her, she suddenly paused.
She went inside and asked Shopkeeper Ming to bring her paper and a brush. Ji Hanyi drafted a new petition, filling three whole pages with a detailed account of the incident. She then handed it to Shopkeeper Ming and told him to return to the Southern City Military Patrol Office and report the case again.
She still could not swallow her anger. No matter how pressed for time she was, Ji Hanyi refused to let the matter end here.
She turned the matter over and over in her mind. The only people she could think of who wanted to make her suffer were the Xie Family. Yet for all their sanctimonious hypocrisy, even they would disdain resorting to something like this.
Then one person came to Ji Hanyi’s mind.
But she had no evidence.
Shopkeeper Ming carefully read through the complaint Ji Hanyi had written. It listed the time and location of the incident, the items lost and their value, as well as every suspicious detail. Even Shopkeeper Ming could not help marveling at how thorough it was.
When he reached the suspicious points and possible avenues of investigation in particular, he slapped his forehead and said to Ji Hanyi, “Madam, you truly have thought of everything. Why didn’t that occur to me?”
He continued, “Don’t worry, Madam. I’ll go at once. With this complaint, as long as the Military Patrol Office is willing to send men, they will surely catch the culprit.”
When Ji Hanyi saw Shopkeeper Ming take the complaint and turn to leave, she stopped him and whispered a few words in his ear. She told him to grease the necessary palms. The soldiers and constables of the Military Patrol Office would never put their hearts into the investigation without a few gratuities.
Shopkeeper Ming paused, then quickly nodded. “Rest assured, Madam. Once I’ve submitted the complaint, I’ll make the arrangements.”
Ji Hanyi lowered her voice again. “My marriage has already been dissolved. You needn’t call me Madam anymore.”
Shopkeeper Ming froze. It took him a long moment to recover before he nodded.
By the time everything had been arranged, it was already well past noon.
Ji Hanyi boarded the carriage and set off for Baoshan Tower once more.
Inside the carriage, she bowed her head and rested her forehead against one hand, her thoughts in turmoil. She still had to deliver the paintings to Baoshan Tower, then visit the apothecary to prepare medicine for her mother to take on the journey.
She had arranged everything so carefully, only for this incident to erupt without warning. Her head throbbed, her fingers trembled faintly, and a stifling sense of resentment weighed on her chest.
Unable to hold back, Rongchun asked from beside her, “Can we really find out who did it?”
Ji Hanyi stared blankly down at the hem of her skirt.
She did not know whether they truly could.
But if the Military Patrol Office was willing to conduct a careful investigation, they would surely uncover something.
The person who had thrown the filth had to live near that street. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to evade the fire wardens, the Patrol Inspection Office, and the night watchmen. The culprit was also unlikely to be a woman. Carrying a full bucket of filth back and forth without spilling so much as a drop on the street would have been nearly impossible.
Moreover, after doing something so underhanded, the culprit would surely try to conceal it. The stench must have clung to them, so they would have tried to mask it. Anyone who had suddenly begun smelling strongly of perfume would be suspicious.
It would probably be easier to begin with the street toughs, rogues, and idle men in the area, especially anyone who had suddenly taken to dousing himself in fragrance.
Of course, there could always be exceptions.
But Ji Hanyi had no time to consider every possibility now.
Whoever had done this wanted nothing more than to drive her out of business.
That person clearly knew that this shop was the most profitable one she owned.
The thought of retaliation even crossed Ji Hanyi’s mind, but she did not know where the other woman’s shop was.
As for how that woman had learned so much about her, Ji Hanyi did not even need to think carefully to know who had told her.
The whole affair left her choking on bottled-up anger.
She drew another deep breath and suppressed her emotions, unwilling to make Rongchun worry as well. Closing her eyes, she said softly, “It’ll be all right. As long as the Military Patrol Office follows those leads, they will find the culprit.”
“I won’t let this end so easily. Even after I leave the capital, I’ll have Shopkeeper Ming keep an eye on the investigation.”
Rongchun paused, then nodded.
After arriving at Baoshan Tower and delivering the paintings, Ji Hanyi quietly discussed the remaining arrangements with Mr. Zhang.
Mr. Zhang accepted the paintings and looked at her. “Are you truly leaving the capital?”
By now, Mr. Zhang had learned that Ji Hanyi’s marriage had been dissolved. He had been utterly shocked when he first heard the news. But then he considered how the Xie Family, for all its prominence, had forced its principal wife to sell paintings. They could hardly be called a decent family, so the divorce was understandable.
What surprised him was that Ji Hanyi intended to leave the capital so soon.
Ji Hanyi nodded and said apologetically, “I’ll have to trouble you with transferring ownership of the shops as well, Mr. Zhang. Once I’ve settled down, I’ll write to you.”
Mr. Zhang sighed softly. “Your father and I were confidants and the closest of friends. I held him in the deepest respect. There’s no need to speak of troubling me.”
“If I can help you, I can at least consider it my way of doing right by your father.”
He continued, “Don’t worry about the shop transfers. I’ll coordinate with the broker. Once your letter arrives, I’ll have someone deliver the proceeds from both shops together with the payment for your paintings.”
Ji Hanyi curtsied again in gratitude.
As they came down from Baoshan Tower, Rongchun asked, “What time are we leaving tomorrow morning? If we’re setting out early, why don’t we buy some pastries to eat on the road?”
Ji Hanyi nodded. “Mother likes the snowflake cakes from Qinfangxuan. We should buy some.”
The two quietly discussed what else they needed for the journey, entirely unaware of the broad carriage parked nearby.
Shen Si lifted one corner of its curtain with his fingertips and silently watched Ji Hanyi walk past the side of the carriage. She wore a veiled hat, and there was a lightness to her steps, as though she could barely contain her joy at finally leaving this place.