A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 286 Mu Liang uses the government to resolve the reputation crisis

In Yujiang City, the fire at the famous Li's Cloth Shop in Jiangnan and the sudden disappearance of the shop owner immediately caused a lot of discussion among the people in the city. Some cursed and sighed, but more were the sarcasm and ridicule.

The three shop assistants were summoned to the government office for questioning at four o'clock in the morning after the fire. When they learned that the shop was suspected to have been burned down intentionally, they were all shocked and angry, and they unanimously pointed the suspicion of arson at the missing shopkeeper Yang and his shop assistant Shuichi.

Seeing the three people in front of him filled with righteous indignation, and then listening to their accusations of what Shopkeeper Yang and his clerk Shuichi had done in the cloth shop, the magistrate of Yujiang City, Qi, was also half-believing and half-doubting, so he immediately ordered people to search the whole city for Shopkeeper Yang and his clerk Shuichi.

As the three shop assistants were not in the city on the night of the fire, and their family members testified, Magistrate Qi let them leave after questioning them. After leaving the county government office, the three stood there sighing for a long time, wondering what to do. They thought that Xiao Xu would be back soon, so they decided to wait at the city gate.

It was not until the hour of Si that the three waiters who were anxiously waiting at the south gate of the city were surprised to see Xiao Xu sitting in front of the carriage. Excited, they saw the shopkeeper Mu getting off the carriage and hurriedly informed him of the fire in the shop in the city.

The few people who had just arrived in Yujiang City were shocked and angry when they heard the news. Even Lao Zhou couldn't help but curse the shopkeeper Yang for being a cruel and ruthless person with a beastly appearance.

Although Mu Liang did not say anything, the gloom on his face was self-evident. He really did not expect that Manager Yang would be so bold as to cause the famous Li from Jiangnan to suffer heavy losses. Arson in the city was already a serious crime, not to mention setting fire in the streets in the dead of night. Fortunately, the night watchman discovered it in time, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

"This is your new shopkeeper. You take Shopkeeper Lu to find an inn to settle down first. I'll go to the county government office and be back soon." Mu Liang didn't say anything else. He just gave instructions to the few waiters in front of him, then hurriedly got on the carriage with Lao Zhou again and continued into the city, heading straight for the county government office.

Qi County Magistrate of Yujiang City and You Zhizhou of Qile City were classmates and friends. After You Zhizhou informed Mu Liang about the private relationship between Yang Manager and Shen Shiye, he wrote a letter to him in case of emergency. With this letter from You Zhizhou, Mu Liang could do things in Yujiang City more conveniently, so he was very grateful to You Zhizhou for taking care of the famous Li in Jiangnan.

Because the fire last night started from the cloth shop of Jiangnan Mingli, all the losses of the two burned shops should be borne by Jiangnan Mingli. But now the shopkeeper Yang of Jiangnan Mingli has absconded and disappeared, which makes Qi County Magistrate very angry. Just when he was about to send someone to Jiangnan to deliver the message, he heard from his subordinates that Jiangnan Mingli's people were waiting outside the county government office, which made him overjoyed.

Not long after, Mu Liang was taken into the inner hall of the county government by the yamen runners. After paying respects to Magistrate Qi, he presented the letter written by You Zhizhou. Magistrate Qi was pleasantly surprised to read the letter from his classmate, but he did not show any emotion. Instead, he raised his eyes and looked at Mu Liang coldly with an official look:

"I'm sure Shopkeeper Mu also knows about the fire in the city last night, right?"

"I just found out about it, too." Mu Liang bowed respectfully and replied.

"The fire started in the shop of the famous Jiangnan Li. Although human intervention is suspected, the arsonist is most likely from your own group. Therefore, the loss..." Magistrate Qi raised his eyebrows deliberately but did not elaborate further.

"Don't worry, sir. If the government has found out that the fire was indeed started in the famous Li's shop in Jiangnan, we will bear all the losses." Mu Liang understood and replied hurriedly.

"With Manager Mu's words, I feel relieved. After all, the fire last night was very dangerous. Even the owners of two shops implicated came to my county government office this morning to cry and complain." Mu Liang's promise was like a reassurance to County Magistrate Qi, and he finally smiled.

"These two shops have suffered an unexpected disaster and the losses are not small. It is understandable that the bosses are anxious. I will go to comfort them as soon as possible and do my best to compensate them for their losses." Now he has to rely on the government of Yujiang City to help the famous Li from Jiangnan. No matter how much he feels sorry for the money, Mu Liang has to bite the bullet and bear it all.

"Mr. Li from Jiangnan is worthy of being a giant in the Jiangnan business community. He is responsible and courageous. No wonder he receives special care from Lord You." County Magistrate Qi nodded with satisfaction, then mentioned his classmate and friend with a smile.

"Yes, Jiangnan famous Li has always been taken care of by the prefect You, which allowed him to do well in Jiangnan. But now the reputation of Jiangnan famous Li has been damaged in Yujiang City, and I have no choice but to shamelessly ask the county magistrate for help." Seeing that County Magistrate Qi finally mentioned the prefect You, Mu Liang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but said with a wry smile.

"I have also learned that it was the shopkeeper Yang who caused the famous Li from Jiangnan to become infamous in Yujiang City. Such a traitor is truly hateful. If the famous Li from Jiangnan needs help from the government, just let me know." At this time, the magistrate of Qi County also restrained his expression and couldn't help but speak up for the famous Li from Jiangnan.

Although his former schoolmate You Zhiji was of a higher rank than himself, their friendship did not become alienated because of this. Even though they seldom saw each other, they often exchanged letters. The shop of Jiangnan Mingli in Yujiang City had always been managed by Shopkeeper Yang. County Magistrate Qi usually only dealt with Shopkeeper Yang, but he had never liked the shrewdness on that man's face, so he did not pay much attention to Jiangnan Mingli. Today, he received a sudden praise from his friend for Jiangnan Mingli, and the generous and dignified Shopkeeper Mu in front of him made County Magistrate Qi look at him with new eyes.

After hearing these words from Magistrate Qi, Mu Liang immediately bowed in thanks and once again expressed his deep gratitude to the two adults for their kindness and help to the famous Li from Jiangnan.

After Mu Liang left the county government, several yamen runners paraded through the streets with a wanted notice issued by the government. The notice stated that the shopkeeper Yang of Jiangnan Mingli Cloth Shop was treacherous and betrayed his master. He deceived his boss and brought ruffians into the shop to encourage him to bully customers and do whatever he wanted, maliciously destroying the reputation of Jiangnan Mingli. Now that his crime has been exposed, he is so angry that he commits such an outrageous act as arson in the middle of the night...

"It turns out that all this was caused by that shopkeeper Yang. How abominable!"

As soon as the government issued the wanted notice, the people in the city were instantly furious. They cursed Yang the shopkeeper for selling out his master for fame and fortune, and turned their sympathy to the famous Li from Jiangnan:

"I said that Jiangnan Mingli had run a good business in Yujiang City for many years, so how could it tolerate a ruffian to ruin its reputation? It turns out that the owner of Jiangnan Mingli was also kept in the dark by that guy surnamed Yang."

"I heard that the new owner of Jiangnan Mingli is very young, and Shopkeeper Yang has been an old Jiangnan Mingli for many years. He is just taking advantage of his seniority and the distance to bully the new owner."

"Alas, Jiangnan Mingli suffered heavy losses this time after being involved in such a ruthless person. Not only did the cloth shop burn down to ashes, but also the other two shops were implicated..."

"Until now, the government has not arrested those two unscrupulous people. I wonder if they have escaped from the city?"

After the wanted notice spread throughout the streets and alleys of Yujiang City, Mu Liang personally took the new shopkeeper Lu Zhi and several waiters out of the inn and went to the busy street to comfort the owners of the two shops that were damaged in the fire last night, and promised to compensate for the losses.

The two shop owners who had been turned away by the government were extremely angry and cursed Jiangnan Mingli several times. Even though they knew that Jiangnan Mingli was also a victim, they still insisted that Jiangnan Mingli was the culprit. When they saw Jiangnan Mingli's people personally come to their door to promise compensation, they turned around and started to complain for Jiangnan Mingli and curse the people who betrayed their master and set the fire.

It's all due to human nature.

After a busy day, Mu Liang and his group returned to the inn. He rubbed his brows tiredly, then smiled and said to the waiters in front of him, "I'm afraid it will be hard for you to find someone to repair the dilapidated shop. After all, you are from Yujiang City and are familiar with this place."

"I have asked them to find craftsmen this morning, and we can start work tomorrow." After Mu Liang finished speaking, the guys all looked at their new boss, and Lu Zhi immediately replied.

"Not bad, very well done." Mu Liang nodded with satisfaction, looking at Lu Zhi with surprise in his eyes, and then smiled at the four shop assistants and said, "You have worked hard today, go back and rest early."

After Manager Mu spoke, the four waiters saw that the sun outside was setting, so they said goodbye to the two managers and left the inn without saying anything else.

"Old Zhou, there's something you need to run." After the four waiters left, the room became quiet, and Mu Liang continued to speak to Old Zhou who was sitting alone under the window.

"Just say it if you have something to say." Old Zhou yawned lazily.

"Go to Wangcheng and ask Shopkeeper Lu in Wangcheng to send a message back to Qile City by carrier pigeon..."

"You can just let a waiter go for such a small matter. I promised Master Li that I would protect you." Before Mu Liang could finish speaking, Lao Zhou interrupted him.

"Wangcheng is not far from Yujiang City. If you ride fast, you will get there tomorrow." Mu Liang said with an unquestionable smile.

He promised his brother-in-law that he would send a message back as soon as he arrived in Yujiang City, but if it was just a simple report of safety, there would be no need for Lao Zhou to make such a trip. However, the fire happened suddenly, and the shops in Yujiang City were burned to ashes. At present, a large sum of money was needed for compensation and aftermath. The banknotes he brought with him were far from enough, so since it involved important matters, he naturally had to use the carrier pigeon of the famous Li in Jiangnan to send a message.

Seeing Mu Liang's threatening smile, Lao Zhou had to agree reluctantly.