Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Subduing with the Law

Ming Lingyi stepped out, an amused look on her face as she watched the men rolling around on the ground, practically begging for trouble.

"Don’t worry, you’re not going to die," she said. "Want to report this to the authorities? I’ve already had someone do it for you."

If they had been law-abiding beggars or homeless people in need of a hot meal, Ming Lingyi wouldn’t have minded spending a little silver and effort to help them in any way she could.

But when someone tried to use the guise of "vulnerable civilians" to cause trouble for her, well, Ming Lingyi was no Bodhisattva. She certainly wasn’t going to be led around by the nose.

Besides, she had no intention of going easy on these greedy beggars who, for a few Silver Coins, had come to stir up trouble and openly oppose her.

’Why should insatiably greedy scoundrels be allowed to play the victim to gain sympathy and pity, all to achieve their own ulterior motives?’

The beggar in the lead was stunned for a moment when he heard Ming Lingyi. He probably never expected her to be such a Lawless Madman. Not only did she have them beaten up, but she also had the audacity to call the authorities herself?

"Fine! Then we’ll wait for the official to arrive! We’ll tell him exactly how you, the owner of Ming’s Restaurant, oppress common folk like us! Murder! You venomous woman, this is murder! It’s assault! Is there no law and order?!"

The beggar began to throw a full-blown tantrum on the ground, howling and wailing, which drew an even larger crowd of onlookers.

The men around him chimed in, cursing Ming Lingyi as a cruel lady who looked down on them. They claimed they clearly had Silver but weren’t allowed into the restaurant, all because of her snobbery.

Listening from the side, Xiao Chun was so furious she looked ready to start throwing punches. ’When has my lady ever looked down on anyone? These people are just spouting shameless lies!’

And yet, some onlookers in the crowd actually believed them, casting all sorts of ambiguous glances at Ming Lingyi.

"If they have Silver, not letting them in to eat does seem a bit unfair."

"Exactly! Does that mean only rich people can enter Ming’s Restaurant? Do they just pick and choose their customers? If that’s the case, I don’t think I’ll dare to eat here in the future."

"Even if they’re beggars, there was no need to get violent, was there? These men clearly couldn’t fight back."

Someone in the crowd spoke up in a low voice, but the provocative and dissatisfied tone was unmistakable.

Xiao Chun grew even angrier hearing this.

"Xiao Chun."

Just as Xiao Chun was about to charge forward and argue with her fists, Ming Lingyi suddenly called her name.

"Bring me the silver," Ming Lingyi said.

Xiao Chun didn’t understand what her lady meant, but her body reacted faster than her mind. She untied the pouch at her waist.

She and Shi Mingyue were usually in charge of collecting payment, so the silver in her pouch was cash that hadn’t yet been transferred to the money box at the counter.

It wasn’t a huge sum, but it still amounted to ten or twenty taels.

Ming Lingyi poured all the Silver Coins from Xiao Chun’s pouch into her own hand. She looked at the beggars, who were still rolling on the ground, though their movements had noticeably slowed. "If you’re willing to tell me who gave you those two Silver Taels," she began, "then I’ll give all of you these Silver Taels I’m holding. Furthermore, with all these neighbors as witnesses, you can all eat for free at my Ming’s Restaurant for the next month."

The moment Ming Lingyi spoke, the surrounding crowd erupted.

While some of the more soft-hearted onlookers had previously thought she was a bully, this new move from Ming Lingyi made even more people think she’d just made a terrible blunder.

She had just subdued these men with decisive force. Why was she suddenly backing down and showing weakness?

If she let these beggars eat there for free—even if they weren’t getting free food—who else would want to go to Ming’s Restaurant in the future?

Wasn’t she just ruining her own reputation?

Even Du Xuan, who had heard the commotion and rushed over, wore a look of disapproval. He wanted to speak up for Ming Lingyi, but after her offer, he had no idea what he could say to help.

Meanwhile, the lead beggar, still on the ground, broke into a wide grin after he fully understood what Ming Lingyi had just said.

The "job" they’d accepted was to either eat at Ming’s Restaurant or get its owner thrown in jail.

The process of "getting a meal" had been a bit roundabout, but it seemed they were about to achieve their goal.

Their employer had told them that as long as they managed to eat at Ming’s Restaurant, not only would the meal be covered, but they’d also get a reward of five Silver Taels afterward.

Now the owner of Ming’s Restaurant herself had promised them a month of free meals. Didn’t that fulfill the task their client had given them?

’Plus,’ he thought, ’we can earn two payments! This is almost too easy.’

’As for snitching... well, the boss never said we *couldn’t*, did he?’

A grin spread across the beggar’s face. He reached for the silver in Ming Lingyi’s hand. "Well now... why don’t you let us brothers have a meal first, and we can talk after. We’re too hungry to even speak right now..."

But the instant the beggar’s hand shot out, Ming Lingyi snatched her own hand back.

"Well, that makes things a bit difficult," she said, seeming completely unthreatened. She then looked up at the Patrols from Jingzhao Mansion, who had arrived at some point, and gave a slight smile. It was a smile that held no warmth, but rather a bone-chilling coldness.

"Everyone heard what you just said, didn’t they? It seems those two Silver Taels in your possession were, in fact, given to you by someone to cause a disturbance at our restaurant. According to Dayan Law, ’Anyone instigated to disrupt another’s livelihood shall be punished in proportion to the damages caused. For minor offenses, the sentence is one month of imprisonment. For major offenses, it is five years of penal servitude, a fine double the amount of all illicit gains to be paid in restitution to the victim, with the remainder confiscated by the state treasury.’"

Ming Lingyi looked at the stunned men on the ground and smiled again. "Are you sure you don’t want to talk? If you refuse to confess and the government finds out the truth on its own, your sentence could be even heavier. If I were you, I’d confess everything right now. Not only will you save yourselves from a good flogging, but you might avoid a hefty fine. Do any of you actually have the silver for that?"

The beggars were now completely and utterly dumbfounded.

They couldn’t believe that, because of a single sentence, they were about to be arrested by the government.

’But... we haven’t even said anything yet, have we?’

They didn’t understand the Dayan Law that Ming Lingyi had quoted earlier, but her expression was so self-assured. It didn’t seem like she was just making things up.

’S-So, does that mean we’re really going to be thrown in jail?’

"Boss! Boss, say something! When you told us to come here, you never said anything about going to jail!"