A Petty Man Throws a Wrench in the Works

The servants gathered around, each picking up a Fire Fox Pelt and inspecting it carefully.

After a long while, they finished checking them one after another and turned to Liu Gun, replying respectfully:

"My lord, there's no problem."

"My lord, the goods are quite good. Didn't see any damaged ones."

Liu Gun nodded slightly and turned his gaze back to Gong Yongxing.

"How much is the remaining payment?"

Gong Yongxing felt somewhat relieved. He stepped forward, maintaining a polite smile.

"My lord, the total is twelve hundred taels of silver. That was the amount agreed upon from the start, and it is clearly written in the contract."

"What? Why so much?"

Liu Gun's expression darkened slightly, and his voice rose several notches.

"You only transported some Fire Fox Pelts, yet you dare gouge Nishang Pavilion for so much money?"

Hearing This, Gong Yongxing's expression changed slightly, but he still explained patiently:

"My lord, Lin'an County is a long way from Cangfeng City. There are more than thirty of us brothers; we braved wind and meals in the open, traveled day and night, and a round trip takes eight or nine days. With men to feed and horses to fodder, the expenses are no small matter. The brothers earn nothing but hard-earned money. Besides, this price was set when Miss Xiao personally sent someone to the county. It is there in black and white, not empty words."

"Is that so?"

Liu Gun Narrowed his eyes.

"Where's the contract? Bring it here for me to see!"

Gong Yongxing took the contract from his robes and handed it over.

Liu Gun held it up to the slanting afternoon sunlight and put on a show of examining it closely.

"Is this Miss's handwriting? Don't tell me it's forged?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Even with Gong Yongxing's steady temperament, he could not help growing anxious inside.

"Impossible?"

Liu Gun sneered.

"My lord!"

Jiang Qinghe's voice suddenly rang out, exceptionally loud.

Liu Gun's expression changed as he shouted:

"Brat, what are you making such a racket for? If you disturb Miss's rest, every last one of you can get ready to taste the whip!"

Jiang Qinghe remained unmoved, neither servile nor overbearing, and deliberately raised his voice further.

"My lord, whether the contract is genuine is actually not hard to determine. Just bring out a document Miss Xiao has signed in the past and compare the handwriting; the truth will be obvious at a glance. Even if it was copied, there would surely be subtle differences..."

Before he could finish, Liu Gun rudely cut him off.

"Shut up! Is this something you can demand to see just because you said so?"

Jiang Qinghe sneered inwardly. This little ringleader clearly intended to renege on the debt. His aim was nothing more than to dock their payment, then turn around and accuse them instead.

The standoff remained deadlocked. Gong Yongxing's face was livid, while the Escorts under him clenched their fists, fire blazing in their eyes.

Just as the tension reached its peak—

"What's going on?"

A clear, melodious female voice came from nearby.

A group of people slowly emerged from the moon gate leading out of the inner courtyard.

At their head was a young woman in a pale yellow gauze dress. Her cloudlike hair was lightly pinned up, and her skin was whiter than snow.

Her bright eyes were clear and lively like autumn waters. A noble air flowed from every glance, making people Dare Not Look Directly at her.

She seemed like an immortal maiden descending to the mortal world, untouched by earthly dust.

What a beautiful woman!

Jiang Qinghe could not help praising her inwardly.

Her beauty and bearing far surpassed the celebrities he had seen on screens in his past life, carrying the unique charm of a noble young lady of this era.

The moment the woman appeared, Gong Jie and the other young Escorts stopped breathing.

Their eyes went blank as they fell completely into a daze.

Only after several breaths did they suddenly come back to themselves. Their cheeks had grown somewhat hot, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to look again.

At the yellow-clad woman's side followed a Middle-aged Man dressed in black Tang-style robes. Fair-skinned and composed, he was clearly someone with the appearance of a steward.

The rest were dressed as Guards and maidservants.

"Miss! Steward Liu!"

Liu Gun, who had been so arrogant moments ago, immediately bent over in alarm.

On an occasion like this, even though Steward Liu Gong was his own elder brother, he still had to address him respectfully and formally.

Miss Xiao Mengrong swept her indifferent gaze over the scene. It lingered briefly on the Fire Fox Pelts spread all over the ground, and her delicate brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, as though she disliked such disorder.

She did not spare Gong Yongxing and the others another glance, merely giving the black-clad steward beside her a calm instruction.

"Liu Gong, since they have delivered the goods and the inspection found no issues, pay them the remaining balance according to the rules and let them leave early."

"Yes, Miss. I will handle it at once."

Steward Liu Gong replied with utmost deference.

Miss Xiao Mengrong nodded faintly, as if this were merely a Small Matter.

Then she turned and departed amid the crowd surrounding her, leaving behind only a faint lingering fragrance.

Only after Miss's figure vanished did Steward Liu Gong straighten up. He walked to Liu Gun, his face darkening as he lowered his voice and rebuked him.

"You worthless thing! Is your vision really that shallow? You dare reach for any silver at all? These people risk their lives escorting goods; what they earn is blood and sweat! If this turns into a real disturbance and alarms Miss, then word gets out and damages the reputation of Nishang Pavilion and the Xiao Family. Even I won't be able to protect you!"

"Yes... yes, Brother."

Liu Gun lowered his head and repeatedly agreed, but his eyes were filled with resentment and unwillingness.

Liu Gong shot him a cold glare, said no more, and hurried after Miss in the direction she had left.

After receiving a scolding, Liu Gun was left with a bellyful of rage.

"Hmph! Consider yourselves lucky!"

He cast a cold glance at the Escorts, especially Jiang Qinghe, who had spoken earlier.

"I can't be bothered to argue with you lot anymore today!"

Then Liu Gun impatiently waved a hand and ordered a servant.

"Little Six, go to the accounts and draw a Banknote for a thousand taels for them. Take the money and get the hell out!"

A thousand taels?

Jiang Qinghe frowned tightly at those words.

The remaining payment was clearly twelve hundred taels, written plainly in black and white.

Yet with one offhand remark from Liu Gun, two hundred taels had simply vanished.

For this escort job, more than thirty men and horses had spent nearly ten days traveling back and forth, sleeping in the open and facing danger.

In the end, not only would they fail to earn the hardship money they deserved, they would even have to pay two hundred taels out of their own pockets? What kind of justice was that?

"My lord..."

Gong Yongxing's expression was extremely ugly. He forced himself to step forward, trying to press the matter once more.

"What?"

A Cold Glint flashed through Liu Gun's eyes. He suddenly stepped forward, his vicious aura bearing down on Gong Yongxing as his voice turned terrifyingly low.

"Giving you a thousand taels is a reward from me out of respect for Miss's orders! Say one more word of nonsense, and I'll cripple every one of you. Don't even dream of getting a single coin! Get lost!"

By then, the servant called Little Six had already brought over a Banknote worth a thousand taels and handed it to Gong Yongxing.

Gong Yongxing accepted the banknote, examined it carefully, and confirmed that it was genuine. His voice was low.

"Let's go!"

The brothers of Yongxing Escort Agency were all men of spirit, but they would not do something as foolish as throwing eggs against a rock.

This was Cangfeng City, at the Xiao Family's Nishang Pavilion. People like them had no ability to contend against it.

Indeed, even Liu Gun alone was more than any of them could match.

If they acted on impulse, they would lose both their money and their goods—and perhaps even their lives.

Two hundred taels hurt to lose, but they could still earn it back later.

If they truly threw everything away over this, it would be far too unworthy.

Circumstances were stronger than men.

With a mouthful of foul air lodged in their chests and faces ashen, they nevertheless had no choice but to lower their heads, pull their now-empty escort carts, and leave Nishang Pavilion.