Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 7 Weird things
The young man stroked his chin, thoughtfully: "So, it's because of business competition that you have evil intentions?"

Shopkeeper Gao nodded, his face full of bitterness: "Maybe that's the case!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with disgust at the actions of the Tianxiang Pavilion. Some even slammed the table and said, "Hmph! They must not be forgiven for doing something like this. They must be severely punished by the government!"

"Come here, send these people to the government office!" Manager Gao said to the servants without hesitation.

The lame waiter burst into tears, prostrated himself on the ground and begged for mercy, his forehead banging against the ground, but he was soon dragged away.

Shopkeeper Gao, having received several years of education, spoke in an elegant manner. He clasped his hands together and addressed the crowd, "My dear friends, although today's incident was unprovoked, it has been temporarily resolved thanks to your tolerance and understanding. We are truly sorry for what has happened to everyone. This noisy scene should not have occurred. It has disturbed everyone's enjoyment and is truly the fault of our Zhenbaozhai!"

As he spoke, Shopkeeper Gao looked around at the mess on the ground. Guilt filled his face, and he sighed heavily. He straightened his back and continued with a sincere and determined look, "But fortunately, these noble people helped us. The truth was revealed, and the evil plot of that sinister person was prevented from succeeding. Our shop's reputation was preserved."

He paused briefly, glancing around at the diners. Seeing their expressions gradually ease, he bowed and said, "As a token of our apology, all your meals today are waived. Consider it our way of making amends. This month, if you're willing to patronize us again, each table will receive a jar of fine wine! We hope you'll continue to patronize us in the future. We will never let you down!"

When everyone heard this, they all smiled and praised it endlessly.

"The shopkeeper is so generous. This business is booming, and there's a reason for that."

"I guess Tianxiang Pavilion will soon be closed down."

In the corner of the hall, the young man smiled and handed the compass in his hand to Rong Wanyin. Rong Wanyin then realized that she had lost something and thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you, thank you!"

Soon, the farce was over, and the hall returned to its previous bustle and diners continued to feast and chat as if nothing had happened.

Once order was restored in the restaurant, the diners immersed themselves in the food again, chatting and talking, as if the previous turmoil was just a fleeting farce.

Shopkeeper Gao then straightened his clothes, smiling broadly as he approached Rong Wanyin and the other three. His expression was filled with respect and gratitude, and he said, "Thank you all for your help. This kindness is like a rebirth. My boss, upon hearing about this, was deeply impressed by you and sent me here to respectfully invite you all to come and have a chat so that I can express my gratitude in person."

Rong Wanyin and the others looked at each other, confused but unable to refuse. So they followed Manager Gao to an elegant room, where they saw a tall, beautiful woman sitting.

The woman stood up, smiled slightly, bowed, and said in a clear voice: "Dear guests, I am Wen Xin, the owner of Zhenbaozhai. Thank you for helping our shop out of trouble today. Your chivalrous spirit is admirable, and I will always remember this kindness in my heart."

Boss Wen had an extraordinary demeanor, and everyone secretly admired him.

Rong Wanyin looked at Wen Xin and felt that the person in front of her had an extraordinary temperament. She felt a sense of closeness in her heart. She smiled and said, "Boss Wen, I have long heard of your name. My name is Rong Wanyin. Today's matter is just a small favor. Boss Wen, don't worry about it."

The young man stepped forward and saluted, "Boss Wen, I'm Yan Mingzhang. These two are my guards, Mo Yun and Chang Feng. It's a great honor to meet you today, Boss Wen." Mo Yun and Chang Feng saluted Wen Xin respectfully. Wen Xin was a little shy and waved her hand, "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. I'm the eldest in the family, so you can just call me Miss Wen."

Wen Xin stepped forward again and took Rong Wanyin's hands. "I just think my sister looks kind. Although this is our first meeting, I feel very close to her. You can just call me Sister Xin. There's no need to be so distant."

Rong Wanyin smiled and nodded, calling out, "Sister Xin."

Wen Xin looked at everyone, her eyes full of admiration. "If it weren't for you all, our store's reputation would have been damaged. I have nothing to offer in return, so I'll leave you a small gift. I hope you won't refuse."

As he spoke, he had several exquisite gift boxes brought in. Yan Mingzhang and the others wanted to refuse, but seeing Wen Xin's firm attitude, they could no longer refuse. Yan Mingzhang bowed and said, "Miss Wen, you are too polite. It's just a small favor, not worth mentioning."

"I admire your chivalrous spirit. I wonder if you have any important business to attend to? If not, why not stay in our inn for a few days? I'll let you show me some hospitality." Wen Xin said, looking embarrassed. "Actually, I have another favor to ask of you."

"Is it a matter of a female ghost's curse?" Yan Mingzhang asked.

"Is there really a female ghost cursing?" Rong Wanyin widened her eyes and thought to herself, could it be that what the diner just said was true?

Wen Xin nodded, a little surprised: "Master Yan, how did you know?"

"I was just guessing, but it seems to be true. We've been in Fengxian County for less than seven days, but we've already heard rumors of female ghost curses many times." Yan Mingzhang smiled slightly, "We always treated it as a story, but we didn't expect it to be true! Miss Rong, you must be new here, so you haven't heard of the female ghost curse before."

"The rumored Wen family, the richest family in Fengxian County, should be referring to your family, right?" Yan Mingzhang asked.

Wen Xin's face was pale, her brows drooping as she nodded. "Yes, but because we feared the dangers of being a big tree, many of the Wen family's businesses were run in secret, handled by the shop owners. We, the Wen family, didn't show up, so not many people knew that Zhenbaozhai belonged to the Wen family. Now that I think about it, the female ghost's troubles really started when my father opened Zhenbaozhai. This piece of land was a jewelry store more than ten years ago, but one year during the Lantern Festival, a fire broke out in the jewelry store, and the owner burned to death inside."

"Zhenbaozhai was rebuilt by demolishing the old building. When they dug up the courtyard, they found a huge and strange treasure chest. My father was sure that it contained gold, silver and other treasures. He wanted to open the chest, but the strange chest was tightly closed and there was no place to start." Wen Xin paused. She tried her best to speak in a calm tone, but there was an unshakable sadness in her eyes.

"My father was afraid of damaging the treasure inside, so he wouldn't let us force it open. Some people say that this box is so exquisitely crafted that only Elder Wuji could have made it. But after this box appeared, several strange things began to happen in the Wen residence..."

"Something strange?"

"Yes, the bloody palm prints, the female ghost singing ballads in the middle of the night... My father thought that the Wen residence was haunted, so our family moved to another courtyard. It was quiet in the first few days, but in the past few days it has started to appear for no reason again. My mother even goes crazy suddenly sometimes... Today, even the Zhenbaozhai has a strange thing. ... You all are so brave, wise and decisive. I would like to ask for your help to investigate this matter." Wen Xin bowed deeply and said to everyone.

"Old Man Wuji?" Yan Mingzhang and Rong Wanyin blurted out subconsciously.

(End of this chapter)