Chapter 30: Smash It to Pieces

"And Father as well, to actually give her that shop on South Street! The revenue from that one shop is worth five of the others."

"Pray, calm yourself, Madam. The Marquis's estate holds countless properties. It is merely one shop; it is not worth getting worked up over."

The First Madam took a deep breath, finally managing to exhale some of the stifled frustration in her heart.

"I simply cannot stand the sight of it."

...

Once Shen Xianyue stepped outside, she felt as if even the air smelled sweeter. The streets were bustling with life.

A few paces ahead lay the busy commercial district. Along the long street, the crowd surged, and the calls of street vendors rose one after another. In the distance, several juggling acts were surrounded by layers of onlookers, their cheers echoing incessantly.

Even Yingxia, usually so composed, found her eyes dazzled by the sights.

"Miss, the street is so lively! Can we come out often in the future?"

Shen Xianyue smiled and pinched her cheek. "Of course. Whenever there is a chance, I will bring you out."

*And that is not all,* she thought to herself. Once she had taken her revenge, she would take Yingxia to travel across the vast and beautiful land, seeing every sight that she had failed to witness in this life—and the last.

After circling the market, Shen Xianyue finally located one of the tea houses. Its location was excellent, surrounded by traveling merchants and guests from the nearby post house. By all rights, business should have been thriving. Yet, after they entered, no waiter came to greet them, which struck her as rather odd.

"Shopkeeper! Are you still doing business, or are you just keeping the doors open?"

Yingxia raised her voice, shouting loudly. In the vast hall, there was not a single customer to be found.

She called out several times, yet no one appeared.

A kind-hearted man from the shop next door called out to Yingxia, "Young lady, stop shouting. The manager of this place has no interest in running a business. You would be better off going elsewhere!"

Shen Xianyue’s brows flickered slightly as she walked over. "May I ask, sir, is this not a tea house? Why is it completely empty?"

"It is a tea house, but it’s not far from closing its doors for good. The manager is greedy and lazy; sometimes he doesn't even bother to open the shop. The waiters follow his lead—idle and slovenly, doing their work with utter indifference. As time went on, people simply stopped coming."

"I once advised the manager to run the place properly, but do you know what he said? He claimed the shop wasn't his anyway, and since the master was gone, as long as they kept the place from collapsing, they would still receive their monthly salary. Why should they worry about business?"

The shopkeeper next door shook his head, looking utterly exasperated by their lack of shame.

Shen Xianyue’s heart grew cold, but she still thanked the man before turning back and sitting down at a table.

If her guess was correct, it was the Old Marquis who had been paying their salaries every month. Thinking that these people were originally from the General's Mansion, he had kept them on and even provided extra pay each month.

Little did he know that the place had long been riddled with parasites.

"Miss, they are too much! This is the General's Mansion's property, after all. How can they be so lazy? What should we do now?"

Shen Xianyue raised her eyes to scan the shop's decor. Since they wouldn't come out on their own, she would find a way to force them.

She picked up a silver ingot and beckoned to a young man from the shop next door. "Young man, I would like to ask a favor of you."

When the waiter looked up and saw such a beautiful young lady, his face instantly flushed, and he stammered, "What... what do you need me to do, miss? Just say the word."

Shen Xianyue placed the silver ingot on the edge of his table. "Help me smash this shop to pieces!"

"Ah? Miss, that won't do! Although our shop occasionally has minor squabbles with them, we couldn't possibly go around smashing someone else's store. This... let's just forget it."

Before Shen Xianyue could finish her sentence, the young man had already backed away, terrified of getting into trouble.

With no other choice, Shen Xianyue turned to Yingxia. "Can you smash it?"

Though Yingxia did not understand her mistress's intent, as her loyal supporter, she nodded firmly. "I can."

"Good. Start with the counter. Smash every single tea canister you see; don't leave a single one intact. I refuse to believe no one will come out to answer for this!"

Yingxia rolled up her sleeves, picked up a palm-sized ceramic canister, and hurled it violently against the floor. The container shattered into pieces.

Then came the next one.

A clattering sound erupted as the entire row of canisters was smashed to smithereens.

Passersby were drawn by the commotion, and in no time, a crowd gathered at the entrance.

"Whose young lady is this? How could she do something so barbaric?"

"Who knows? Perhaps the shopkeeper offended her, and she's come to settle the score."

"If you ask me, this shop is strange anyway. Business used to be good, but they didn't care to maintain it, running a profitable shop into the ground like this. It’s good that it’s being smashed."

The crowd murmured among themselves. Hearing their comments, the fire in Shen Xianyue’s heart burned even brighter.

"Miss, should I keep going?"

"Continue!"

Receiving the order, Yingxia set her sights on the row above, where the canisters were slightly smaller—and clearly more valuable.

Sure enough, no sooner had she smashed one than someone came running from the back door in a panic. "Who are you people? How dare you run wild in our shop?"

Shen Xianyue glanced at him; he was dressed as a waiter. She spoke coldly, "Where is your manager? Call him out."

"And who are you? The manager is busy and has no time to see a little girl like you. Let me tell you, you will pay for every single thing you've broken, or we are going to the authorities!"

The waiter’s face was filled with arrogance, clearly unafraid of any consequences.

"That poor girl is in trouble. Everyone knows who is backing this shop. She's smashed so much fine tea; she’s finished."

"Young lady, I advise you to pay up and leave. You cannot afford to offend the people behind this place."

Some kind souls even urged Shen Xianyue to settle the matter and leave quickly.

"Since I chose to do this, I do not fear those behind this shop. I will tell you one more time: go and fetch your manager. Otherwise, not a single piece of this fine tea will remain."

As she spoke, Yingxia smashed a few more, the floor covered in shards of porcelain.

Seeing that she was a tough nut to crack, the waiter scurried away, shouting as he ran, "Just you wait! Don't you run off—when the manager comes, you’ll see what happens to you!"

Shen Xianyue sat down with measured grace, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the tabletop with a sharp *da-da-da* sound.

Outside, the crowd had grown, all waiting to see how it would end.

Some guessed that Shen Xianyue had a powerful background and was here to settle accounts. Others speculated that the shop had offended someone and was facing retribution. Theories abounded.

Perhaps sensing that the visitors were not to be trifled with, the waiter, risking a beating or a scolding, arrived outside the manager’s room and summoned the courage to knock.

He waited a while, but there was no sound from within.

Gritting his teeth, the waiter knocked harder. Suddenly, a teacup was thrown against the door from inside, accompanied by a man’s furious roar: