Chapter 44 Negotiating with Liu Shuhui

Chapter 44 Negotiating with Liu Shuhui

"Who are you?" Liu Shuhui sized up Lu Lingyun, noticing her attire and the presence of a servant, immediately deducing she wasn't from the shop. His face was filled with suspicion.

Lu Lingyun didn’t hide it anymore and spoke directly, "I am the owner of this shop."

"So you're the owner here. I thought you looked suspicious and were here to destroy evidence to get your people out! Come with me to see the magistrate!"

Liu Shuhui moved forward to grab Lu Lingyun and take her to the magistrate.

Before he could touch her, Dong Sheng stepped in front of Lu Lingyun, "You reckless fool, who do you think you’re dragging off to see the magistrate? Do you know who our young miss is? Touch her, and you’ll regret it for life!"

"Hmph! I, Liu, am not afraid of you! Under the heavens and within the imperial capital, there must be justice!"

Lu Lingyun: "..."

A born stubborn mule, indeed.

She waved Dong Sheng away and spoke calmly, "Young Master Liu, I’m not here to destroy evidence; I want to investigate this matter thoroughly."

"The authorities have already investigated everything clearly. I was present when the incident happened and saw my fellow townsman fall from the second floor. The rotten staircase is clear evidence. What else is there to investigate?"

"Since it happened in my establishment, I naturally need to understand it myself, don’t I?"

Lu Lingyun’s reasonable argument made Liu Shuhui’s aggressive demeanor soften slightly.

He wasn’t unreasonable, but he never believed that someone like Lu Lingyun would come to reason with him.

Lu Lingyun, a noble lady from the Imperial City, seemed to him like someone who wouldn’t engage in rational discourse with an impoverished scholar like himself, who had come to the capital alone for the exams.

People like her could suppress others simply by wielding their power.

Liu Shuhui had seen too many such people, so he harbored intense hostility towards Lu Lingyun from the start. If she acted forcefully, he would respond even more forcefully.

His family was a minor aristocratic clan from Jiangnan. His father, a former county magistrate, died of illness when Liu Shuhui was young, leaving his mother to support the family. She was a gentle soul, often bullied by the clan elders, nearly driving them to ruin.

As the eldest son, Liu Shuhui knew that being weak and yielding was useless. Only by being as sharp and fierce as a blade could one carve out a path in such a harsh environment.

Even if the other party wielded immense power, as long as one held the truth and had a strong will, they could stand firm.

Of course, Liu Shuhui wasn’t unreasonable. His firmness was based on facts.

He valued the truth more than anyone else.

After hearing Lu Lingyun’s explanation, he stepped back, "Miss, please go upstairs and take a look."

"Alright." Lu Lingyun nodded at him and walked upstairs.

The second floor was even dirtier and messier than the first.

Perhaps due to the shop being closed for several days without cleaning, the hallway was cluttered with various items, and chamber pots were openly placed outside some rooms.

The smell was truly unbearable.

Lu Lingyun merely frowned but didn’t comment on these unrelated matters. She navigated through the clutter and stopped at the broken railing.

Liu Shuhui watched her reaction closely. Although Lu Lingyun wore a hat obscuring her expression, her willingness to walk through such a place impressed him.

Seeing her carefully examining the broken railing, he was genuinely surprised.

This woman was surprisingly meticulous and thorough.

It seemed she was genuinely interested in finding the truth.

"Well, is it naturally rotted?"

Lu Lingyun stood up, dusted off her hands, and nodded, "Yes."

The staircase railing was indeed damaged, not tampered with.

In her previous life, she had worked alongside Li Wenxun as a local official in Jiangnan for over a decade, gaining considerable experience and investigative skills.

"So what do you have to say now?" Liu Shuhui scoffed, as if proving his point.

At this moment, Lu Lingyun spoke calmly, "The railing being naturally rotted is fine, but whether the fall was accidental is another question."

"I saw it happen! My fellow townsman touched the railing and fell! What else could it be?"

"I heard he was arguing with someone at the time."

"That’s right, it was a normal debate."

Debates among scholars were common.

"Perhaps someone noticed the rotten staircase beforehand and deliberately lured him there. Then, while he was agitated, he touched the railing and fell. Or perhaps he knew about it all along, got into an argument, became enraged, and under the pressure of the exams, broke the railing and jumped to his death."

Lu Lingyun presented each possibility.

She wasn’t intentionally covering for her own people. After years of experience, she understood that one should always assume the worst of human behavior, as the truth behind events can be unimaginably evil.

Anything is possible.

But to Liu Shuhui, her words infuriated him, "You’re talking nonsense!"

"Do you have evidence to prove that my assumptions are wrong?"

"What evidence do you have to prove your claims!"

"That's right." Lu Lingyun looked at him calmly from under her straw hat. "Young Master Liu, I am also saddened by the news of your friend's passing. However, the truth of this matter is elusive, and none of us can prove exactly what happened. Why don't we settle this privately? I am willing to offer the utmost compensation in good faith."

"Hmph! You're here just to protect yourself! Let me tell you, it's out of the question. What you say cannot be proven, but the negligence of your people is undeniable. He should be held responsible!"

"You are right, but in this world, any action should only bear corresponding responsibility. A thief should be punished for theft, not executed. If you break a box containing valuable pearls, you cannot be asked to compensate for the entire value of the pearls. Everything has its limits."

Lingyun spoke calmly and steadily. "My manager was indeed negligent for not repairing the stairs promptly and ensuring safety, but he did not intentionally kill anyone. Therefore, he should only bear the responsibility that corresponds to his actions, not give up his life. We are willing to compensate for his negligence."

Hearing Lu Lingyun's words, Liu Shuhui felt frustrated, yet he could not deny the logic. After a moment of stubborn contemplation, he insisted, "I don't want money; he's dead! No amount of compensation can bring him back. When someone dies, someone else must pay with their life!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Lingyun's tone turned firm. "As you said, you have no evidence to disprove my conjectures. If you insist on taking a life as compensation, please provide evidence to refute all my assumptions before you condemn my manager. Otherwise, even if you take this to the court, I will not accept it."

With that, Lu Lingyun walked away, leading Dong Sheng.

Leaving Liu Shuhui alone in the spot.