During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

As soon as the oil lamp was lit, Ye Qingqing stood up from behind the counter and casually patted the corner of her clothes.

The constables lit up their lanterns, almost right up to the two dark figures, illuminating them clearly.

The one who was being choked and pinned against the wall by Ye Dazhuang had turned purple, his eyes were bulging out, and his legs were kicking wildly.

Ye Qingqing, "..."

Zhao Lao Er, holding the stick, his chest heaving, grinned at Ye Qingqing as if seeking praise.

"Master, this bastard tried to run away, but I knocked him down with one blow!"

Ye Qingqing walked over, looked down at the one on the ground, then at the one under Ye Dazhuang's hand, and said calmly.

"Big Zhuang, don't let him strangle you."

Ye Dazhuang nodded, loosening his grip slightly but not letting go.

The man's neck was still trapped in his palm, leaving him only a sliver of space to breathe.

Over at the teahouse, Zhen's two waiters arrived, one carrying a rope and the other a bucket. Seeing the commotion, they clicked their tongues in disapproval.

"I haven't seen such a lively scene in a long time! Who is this? They've got some nerve!"

The leader of the constables, surnamed Sun, was a seasoned veteran. He squatted down, examined the eyelids of the man on the ground, and then patted him down... pulling out a waist token from his waist.

"Oh."

The constable, Sun, brought his waist token close to the lamp for a look, and sneered,

"So it's Fu Shun Ji, the shop assistant at that dried goods store in town."

Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow.

It's located at the east end of town, selling dried goods and groceries, and is two streets away from her shop.

Her shop sells fresh produce: freshly picked wild vegetables, freshly caught fish, and freshly gathered mushrooms from the mountains. It's the only place in town that sells this kind of business, and it's so popular that people are envious.

"interesting."

Ye Qingqing said calmly, then turned to look at Officer Sun, "Uncle Sun, what do you think we should do about this?"

The constable, Sun, put the waist token into his pocket, stood up, and patted the dirt off his knees.

"The arson attempt failed, and they were blocking someone's shop from behind. This matter is neither a big deal nor a small one."

However, since it involves Fu Shun Kee...

He gave Ye Qingqing a meaningful look. "I need to go back and report to my superiors."

"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Sun."

Ye Qingqing took out a silver coin from her sleeve and slipped it into the coin without leaving a trace.

The constable, Sun, accepted it, weighed it in his hand, and a smile crept onto his face.

"Of course, of course, don't worry, shopkeeper. Leave this to me, I'll handle it perfectly."

Miss Zhen's assistant tied the two men up like dumplings, and then Officer Sun led his men, one in front and one behind, towards the yamen.

The street fell silent once again.

Ye Qingqing stood at the shop entrance, took a deep breath, and turned to look at Ye Dazhuang.

He was still standing at the base of the wall, his fists clenched, his knuckles white.

Ye Dazhuang raised his eyes, his unfathomable gaze still holding the fierce intensity he had just displayed.

That chilling gaze only began to fade when he saw her.

Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow at him, "Let's talk about it when we get back to the shop."

"Creak..."

Zhao Lao Er quickly closed the door. Seeing Ye Dazhuang's frightening expression, he rolled his eyes and went back to the backyard to let the two talk.

Seeing his ashen face, Ye Qingqing said calmly,

"It's alright now..."

Ye Dazhuang glanced at her silently, then said coldly,

"What if that person actually sets the fire on fire?"

Ye Qingqing said casually,

"With you here, and Aunt Zhen having arranged for people to help, how could we let him set it on fire!"

Ye Dazhuang opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something but then swallowed it back, only letting out a muffled "hmm".

"Alright, alright, at least there's nothing to do tonight."

Ye Qingqing stood up, stretched, and said with a smile, "We're going back to the village first thing tomorrow morning. I wonder how many wild vegetables my brother and sister-in-law dug up; there's nothing left to sell at the shop."

Ye Dazhuang nodded. "Mm."

Ye Qingqing's lips unconsciously curled up.

The next morning, before the shop even opened, two constables arrived.

One was surnamed Liu, and the other was surnamed Wang. They were both unfamiliar faces, with stern expressions and a businesslike tone.

"The two we arrested last night have both confessed."

Liu, the constable, glanced at Ye Qingqing and said with a half-smile,

"It was the shop assistant from that dry goods store who was instructed by his owner, Zhou Defa, to set the fire."

According to the law: For attempted arson, each person shall be given twenty strokes of the cane, imprisoned in cangue for three days, and then expelled from the town.

Ye Qingqing leaned against the counter, her fingers lightly tapping the surface.

"And what about the employer?"

"The master of the house was fined fifty taels of silver and given a reprimand in court."

Wang, the constable, replied with a half-smile, "No fire was set, no actual harm was caused... Boss, according to the law, that's about it."

Ye Qingqing nodded, "You two officers have worked hard, making this trip in this cold weather."

As he spoke, he gave Zhao Lao Er a look.

Zhao Lao Er understood and stepped forward, smiling as he stuffed the silver in his hand over.

Liu, the constable, weighed the silver in his hand, and a slight smile finally appeared on his face.

"Miss Ye, this matter should have been settled by now, but Zhou Defa has some connections in the town. His wife's cousin works as a clerk in the county government, so the higher-ups didn't investigate further."

Well... young lady, you should be more careful in the future.

Ye Qingqing smiled faintly, "Understood, thank you for the reminder, Officer."

After the two constables left, Zhao Lao Er, who was listening nearby, kept clicking his tongue in disapproval.

"Master, a mere fifty taels of silver? That's far too lenient! That's arson!"

"Didn't they say that if it wasn't lit, they'd handle it according to the law?"

Ye Qingqing snorted coldly, "But since Zhou Defa dared to come once, we're not afraid of him coming again."

Zhao Lao Er pondered, "Why don't we ask around?"

"No need," Ye Qingqing waved her hand and said.

"Let's wait for Aunt Zhen's news. She should have already found out what we want to know."

As expected, Miss Zhen arrived as soon as she heard the news from the government office.

"Second Sister, I've heard about what happened at the yamen. I know that Zhou Defa; he's run a dried goods shop in town for seven or eight years. He's always trying to take advantage of others and has tripped people up behind their backs a lot."

Ye Qingqing frowned and said,

"His wife's cousin works at the county government?"

Miss Zhen nodded. "That's right. There's a clerk in the county government's household registration office named Hu, who is his wife's distant cousin."

However, that clerk Hu was just an accountant; his influence couldn't extend too far… Zhou Defa only relied on this connection to put on a show in town.

Ye Qingqing sneered, "Then he'll probably be coming to see me today."

Miss Zhen gave her a sly look. "If he didn't keep a low profile, would he dare to come looking for you?"

"He paid a fine of fifty taels of silver, so he must be unhappy. Those two guys were also flogged last night; he's embarrassed. He'll most likely test the waters to see if I'll pursue the matter further."

Ye Qingqing's lips curved slightly. "If he's smart, he'll honestly apologize and let it go. If he's not smart..."

Before he could finish speaking, a person suddenly entered the shop.

The man was in his forties, short and stocky, wearing a dark blue silk and leather jacket. He had a slightly protruding belly and a forced smile on his face. He bowed as soon as he entered the door.

"This must be Miss Ye. I've heard so much about you."

Ye Qingqing didn't even lift her eyelids.

"Manager Zhou?"