Leng Ruo Li walked into the shop and reached out to touch the clothes.
The fabric used for these clothes was quite good, very soft, light, and breathable.
The only drawback was that compared to the ready-to-wear clothing in the shop across the street, the styles here were a bit unfashionable. The quality was not an issue, and Leng Ruo Li thought his business shouldn't be so bad.
"Miss, the clothes in my shop are all made of top-grade fabric, honest dealing, three sets for four hundred wen is truly a good deal," the man said with a smile.
"Mm-hmm, it is indeed a good deal."
Leng Ruo Li nodded in response.
Then, Leng Ruo Li looked at the man and said, "Do you know how much the ready-to-wear shop across the street sells clothes made with your fabric for?"
"At least one tael of silver or more per set."
The man smiled bitterly in his heart.
"Then why are you selling them so cheaply? This fabric isn't cheap, selling it so cheaply, wouldn't you be losing a lot of money?"
Leng Ruo Li asked somewhat speechlessly.
"Miss, you might not know, but this ready-to-wear shop was left to my sister and me by our parents. However, six months ago, my sister was abducted by a bully while visiting a temple fair."
"To save her, I exchanged all the valuables in my home for silver and gave it to that bully to ransom my sister. But that bully soon set his sights on my ready-to-wear shop again, threatening that if I didn't pay him fifty taels of silver every month as protection money, he would seize my shop. But currently, my clothes aren't selling, I'm being suppressed by competitors, and I have no money to buy new fabric. I estimate that before this month ends, my ready-to-wear shop will have to change its name."
The man spoke with great sadness and helplessness.
As he was speaking, two men escorted a young girl into the shop from outside, followed by a man with a large belly and round ears, along with two sword-wielding guards. This person was Lin Hong Tao, the heir of Duke Lin's mansion.
"Shi Zheng He, it's time to pay protection fees again today. How about it? Where's the money?" Lin Hong Tao asked.
"My Lord, could you grant this humble servant a two-day extension? Business in our ready-to-wear shop has been poor lately, and we haven't been able to sell enough to gather fifty taels of silver." Shi Zheng He replied tremblingly.
"No, who gave you the nerve to bargain with me?"
Lin Hong Tao roared at Shi Zheng He in great anger.
"My Lord, please give me two more days. I really have no money." Shi Zheng He was almost kneeling before Lin Hong Tao.
"No!"
Lin Hong Tao heartlessly refused on the spot.
"Since you have no money, I'll take your sister back to my mansion as a concubine. Once I get tired of her, I'll sell her to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to earn money for me."
This would also help repay his gambling debts.
After speaking, Lin Hong Tao laughed heartily, then reached out his evil hands to lift the young girl's chin and puckered his foul-smelling mouth to kiss her.
Unexpectedly, the young girl suddenly broke free from the grip of his two subordinates, raised a hand, and slapped Lin Hong Tao across the face.
This slap stunned Lin Hong Tao on the spot. Five small finger marks instantly appeared on his face.
After a moment, Lin Hong Tao came to his senses, his eyes fiercely fixed on the young girl, as if he wanted to devour her.
The young girl was so scared her face turned ashen, and she felt extremely panicked.
Lin Hong Tao immediately grabbed her hair, and the young girl cried out in pain, "Ah—"
Following that, the young girl was met with slap after slap on both sides of her face. Lin Hong Tao used almost all his strength, and within a few blows, he had beaten the young girl's face black and blue, with blood trickling from the corners of her mouth.
This scene unfolding in the ready-to-wear shop quickly attracted many curious onlookers from the common folk. They whispered amongst themselves, but none dared to intervene against Lin Hong Tao.
"Brother... Brother, save... save me. I'm only twelve years old. I don't want... don't want to be the Lin heir's concubine, and I don't want to be sold to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, sob, sob~"
The young girl cried out for her brother's help. Her originally delicate and lovely face was already disfigured from the beating, and now her tear-streaked face was covered in tear marks.
Shi Zheng He watched his sister being wronged, but he was powerless to protect her. He felt immense pain, his eyes reddened with anger, and he rushed forward, intending to choke Lin Hong Tao. However, before he could even get close to Lin Hong Tao, he was kicked flying by the guard behind Lin Hong Tao.
Just as the guard was about to kick Shi Zheng He in the chest again, Leng Ruo Li also broke free from the firm grip of Xing'er and Ling'er, who were holding her hands tightly for fear she would cause trouble. She hurled the candied hawthorn in her hand like a sharp weapon, hitting the guard's calf. The guard immediately cried out in pain.
If Xing'er and Ling'er hadn't been holding her hands so tightly, she would have wanted to teach that scoundrel Lin Hong Tao a lesson long ago.
Leng Ruo Li's action immediately shifted everyone's attention in the shop to her.
At this moment, Lin Hong Tao finally noticed the three women in the corner of the shop, and he felt that the woman wearing the white veil looked very familiar.
"You're the one who hit my guard, right?" Lin Hong Tao stared at Leng Ruo Li with eyes as venomous as a snake.
"Indeed!"
Lin Hong Tao was a little surprised when she admitted it so readily.
Then, he found this woman somewhat familiar.
Suddenly, his eyes widened as he looked at her, seemingly remembering something.
"You are... you are that ugly monster who killed my horse last time!"
Lin Hong Tao stared at Leng Ruo Li, stammering in fright.
"Uh..."
Was she really that ugly? Look how scared he was that he couldn't even speak coherently.
"That's right, this young lady is indeed the ugly woman who killed your horse last time."
"How did you end up here? Don't meddle in other people's business, hurry and leave."
"What if I want to meddle? What can you do about it?"
"Then I'll have your two young maids dragged away and sold to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to earn money for me."
"Lin Hong Tao, you are the heir of Duke Lin's mansion, yet you openly rob civilian women in broad daylight. Do you really think no one can deal with you?"
"Heh heh, who are you? You dare to lecture me? I'll tell you, my aunt is the current Empress, and our Duke Lin's mansion is related to the imperial family. Who in this capital city dares to provoke or offend me? I will kill him." Lin Hong Tao's fleshy face was filled with anger as he spoke carelessly.
At this moment, Leng Ruo Li inadvertently saw a familiar figure outside the entrance of the ready-to-wear shop, and her apricot eyes lit up.
"Oh, so you mean your Duke Lin's mansion has more authority than the Emperor's?"
"That's right, anyway, the Emperor dares not easily provoke our Duke Lin's mansion."
"Is that so?"
A cold voice suddenly came from the entrance of the ready-to-wear shop.
Jun Mo Han, dressed in black python robes with four claws, exuded an air of nobility. He strode in with his long legs in a steady pace, followed by Ye Ying and Ye Yi.
The surrounding common folk quickly recognized who this man was and immediately knelt to greet Jun Mo Han, "Your humble subject (subject's wife) pays respects to His Highness Prince Leng, Long live, long live, long, long live!"
Lin Hong Tao was completely bewildered. After a few seconds, he reacted and immediately knelt to greet Prince Leng, "Lin Hong Tao pays respects to His Highness Prince Leng!"
Even Xing'er and Ling'er beside Leng Ruo Li knelt down. Only Leng Ruo Li remained standing in the entire shop, cupping her hands in greeting towards Jun Mo Han.
She, Leng Ruo Li, was a modern person. She wouldn't kneel for just anything. A man's knees are made of gold, and so are a woman's.
Jun Mo Han cast a meaningful glance at Leng Ruo Li. He was too lazy to bother with this woman.
"Everyone except Lin Hong Tao may rise," Jun Mo Han said calmly.
Then, Jun Mo Han glanced coldly at Lin Hong Tao. His entire being exuded an extreme coldness, emitting an aura that could pierce through flesh and bone, like a moving thousand-year-old ice block. This instantly sent a chill down Lin Hong Tao's spine, and he asked, "I just heard you say that even the Emperor dares not provoke our Duke Lin's mansion, is that right?"
Upon hearing Jun Mo Han's question, Lin Hong Tao began to sweat profusely, trembling as he knelt on the ground.
He secretly cried out: Father, Mother, please come and save your Tao'er! Your Tao'er has encountered a cruel and bloodthirsty cold-faced killing god.
Sob, sob~
Lin Hong Tao didn't even dare to raise his head, his tongue constantly trembling, he replied, "Your Highness Prince Leng, Lin Hong Tao dare not."
"Dare not? I think you dare a lot! Bullying the common folk, abducting civilian women, what have you not dared to do? And today, you ran into me, yet you still want to quibble."
Jun Mo Han's tone was extremely cold, which immediately scared Lin Hong Tao so much that he peed himself. The entire shop was instantly filled with the smell of urine. Jun Mo Han's handsome brows furrowed, and everyone else also looked at Lin Hong Tao with disgust.
"Guards, escort Lin Hong Tao to Dali Temple for trial."
"Yes, subordinates obey!"
Then, Jun Mo Han cast another meaningful glance at Leng Ruo Li and turned to walk out of the ready-to-wear shop.