Ye Qingcheng sat there, tapping her fingers on the table. Bi Xi arrived swiftly with a few burly men. Pointing at the woman, she ordered, "Throw her out."
The situation had escalated, and the woman hadn't expected Ye Qingcheng to actually dare. If she were thrown out in public by a group of strong men, how would she ever salvage her reputation? This was forcing her to leave!
But she didn't want to go, and yet she was being thrown out. With no other choice, Madam Zhang pointed at Ye Qingcheng and issued a threat: "This isn't over." With that, she turned to leave.
However, just as she reached the doorway, Ye Qingcheng called out to her.
"Wait."
Madam Zhang turned to look at her, her expression filled with expectation, as if to say, "See! You've surrendered so quickly!" But what Ye Qingcheng said next stunned her.
"You just broke a plate, you need to pay for it."
Madam Zhang was dumbfounded.
"What did you say? You want me to pay for a plate?"
Ye Qingcheng flipped through the shattered porcelain fragments, meeting her gaze directly. "Yes! Bi Xi, how much is this plate worth?"
Bi Xi replied, "Reporting to the young lady, it's one copper coin."
Ye Qingcheng looked at her. "Understand? One copper coin."
Madam Zhang looked incredulous. "You can afford to buy this entire large restaurant, and you're still haggling over the price of one copper coin?"
Ye Qingcheng strongly disagreed with this statement.
"That's not right! You broke the plate, and yet you expect me to settle the bill? Let the villagers be the judge, what kind of logic is that?"
As expected, the villagers' clamor was the most effective.
"Madam Zhang, that's where you're wrong."
"Exactly! If you owe a debt, you pay it; that's only natural. Moreover, you broke the plate, so you should be the one to pay!"
Madam Zhang couldn't bear the scrutiny and immediately paid one copper coin. "Is that enough now?"
Ye Qingcheng held her head high as Bi Xi collected the coin, only then letting her leave.
Watching her depart, still muttering indignantly, Ye Qingcheng suspected this matter was far from over.
Bi Xi came to Ye Qingcheng's side. "That's great, we finally got rid of her."
Ye Qingcheng, however, shook her head. "This woman is shameless. I doubt she'll let this go easily."
Bi Xi looked a little worried. "What should we do then?"
Ye Qingcheng pondered for a moment. Initially, she had only intended to buy a restaurant so she could live a comfortable life. She hadn't expected such drama to unfold within it.
"What else can we do? We can only meet force with force and deal with problems as they arise!"
That evening, Ye Qingcheng had lost her appetite and kept poking at her food.
Xiao Wangye noticed.
"What's wrong? Do you find that woman difficult to deal with?"
Ye Qingcheng nodded, admitting that while she feared nothing, she feared rogues the most. When rogues became unreasonable, it was truly troublesome. Although officials could intervene, they couldn't take action against ordinary citizens, which made things difficult.
Wait!
"How did you know? Who told you?"
Xiao Wangye took a bite of a dish and smiled at her question but said nothing.
Ye Qingcheng suddenly realized, "So Bi Xi is indeed an informant, telling you everything."
Xiao Wangye let out a cold snort and used his serving chopsticks to place a piece of meat in Ye Qingcheng's bowl. "Don't forget whose person she is."
Ye Qingcheng looked at him.
Xiao Wangye then picked up a piece of meat and put it into his own bowl. "I hope you remember your own status. When necessary, it can save your life."
Her status? Ye Qingcheng was confused. What status did she have? Out in the world, people called her Xiao Wangye's woman, the Consort of the Regent's Manor. What else could there be... Wait, Consort!
"That's right! Commoners are not allowed to bully nobles, especially royal relatives!"
Ye Qingcheng looked at Xiao Wangye, and she understood.
Since the rogue liked to act like a rogue, she'd make her play the rogue in prison!
The next day, Ye Qingcheng sat in the carriage. Before they even reached the restaurant, she heard the abusive shouts of Madam Zhang's husband, originating from several streets away, mixed with Madam Zhang's tearful insults.
"Heavens! Someone please be fair! This hateful new boss is going too far, bullying our family!"
Madam Zhang's husband, even more direct, went straight to the door, kicking it and banging loudly. "Open the door quickly! Why did you fire my wife? Open up!"
"You little vixen, open the door quickly!"
Ye Qingcheng told the carriage to stop and instructed Bi Xi, "Go find... find Pei Changqiu. Tell him... someone is causing trouble here and to bring some soldiers to patrol."
Bi Xi was in a panic. "No, Your Highness! They are so fierce! What if, what if they hurt you?"
Ye Qingcheng reassured her. "I'll stall them here for a bit. You go quickly and come back quickly."
How could Bi Xi dare leave the Consort alone?
"Why don't we... why don't we not go today?"
Ye Qingcheng shook her head. "No, if we don't go today, they'll come again tomorrow. If we don't come tomorrow, then the day after? This can't go on like this. It's better to resolve it sooner rather than later."
With no other option, Bi Xi went to find Pei Changqiu.
Ye Qingcheng's carriage pulled up. She alighted, her opulent outer robe completely out of place against the two figures kneeling on the ground.
Ye Qingcheng adjusted her clothes after getting out of the carriage, looking at the couple who were staring intently at the scene.
"What are you two doing? Mourning? I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place."
Madam Zhang was the first to recover her senses. She stood up, wiping away her nearly dried tears. "You... it was you! It was you who fired me! Is it really that difficult for me to find a job? I've always worked diligently, never slacking off. Why did you fire me? Do you really think people like us are easy to bully? Today, I demand an explanation!"
Zhang Jiacun, Madam Zhang's husband, hearing his wife speak, immediately stepped forward to argue. "You little brat, what right do you have to fire my wife?"
Ye Qingcheng took a deep breath, constantly telling herself that these were the tactics of a rogue. Don't get angry, don't get angry.
"Madam Zhang, you say you've always worked diligently. Have you ever considered that your cooking is very unappetizing?"
This statement drew a retort from Zhang Jiacun. "Nonsense! I've eaten my wife's cooking for so many years, if it wasn't good, I would have said so long ago."
Ye Qingcheng didn't want to waste any more words on them. "Then let me be clear today: your wife's cooking is very unappetizing. This is a restaurant, a place specifically for people to eat. If you come here to work without any culinary skills, do you want to buy my entire restaurant? Just say so."
Madam Zhang interjected, her voice rising into a tantrum. "We common folk, how could we have the money to buy a restaurant?"
Ye Qingcheng nodded. "Exactly! If you don't have the money to buy my restaurant, then don't delay my business operations! Moreover, I am the boss. Do I need to consult with you to decide whom to dismiss?"
The couple was rendered speechless.
Madam Zhang directly threw herself onto the ground and began to roll.
"Everyone, please come and see! This is the wealthy elite of the capital! They treat people like dirt! I have elders at home and children to support; I can't do without this job! Boss! Please, show some mercy and give me this job!"
Ye Qingcheng was about to explode with anger.
"Then according to you, I also have elders at home and children to support! I also rely on this restaurant to earn money! If your cooking is bad, you're ruining my restaurant's business. How am I supposed to earn money? Then it's perfectly justified for me to fire you! Why is it that other people can fire employees, but you cannot? Are you trying to leech off my establishment!"
Her words turned the crowd's murmurs against Madam Zhang.
"That's right, Madam Zhang, your cooking really is unappetizing!"
"Madam Zhang, if you act like this, who will hire you in the future!"