At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, they called me a demonic monk.

Chapter 11 Imprisoned

Li San's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he had just completed a satisfactory transaction. He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and in the dim light, stood on the specially made high stool, looking down at the pawn ticket, and read it aloud in a flat, drawn-out tone—a very rhythmic tone, each word like a nail, nailing down the value of the pawned item, and also nailing down the last bit of dignity of the pawner:

"Rough clay—poor workmanship—crooked shape—dim color—"

The brush stroked across the yellowed paper, leaving behind characters as thin and hard as iron hooks.

"Cracks are emerging, the glaze is mottled and faded; the lid doesn't fit properly, and the base is damaged..."

The man turned his face away, the veins on his neck throbbing slightly.

"A broken teapot," Li San drew out the last syllable, his pen pausing before finishing with four rhyming words, ""Even boiling water is difficult."

After singing, he pushed the pawn ticket across the counter, then counted out five coins' worth of silver, placing them on the counter with a clattering sound. The sound was exceptionally crisp and jarring in the quiet shop.

Fang Yingyu stood quietly in the shadows by the door, watching the man accept the few pieces of silver with trembling hands, watching him gently stroke the smooth surface of the teapot with his fingers one last time, watching Li San expressionlessly place the Zhu Ni teapot casually into the shelf behind him. The counter was simply too high, high enough to separate all the embarrassment and bitterness, and high enough to make Li San, standing on it, look like a judge who held the dignity of all beings in his hands.

Legend has it that the counter was built so high because Li San was "too shrewd" in business, and in his early years, he was often slapped across the face by angry customers through the counter. Later, he gritted his teeth and raised the counter, and from then on, he stood steadily on his small stool, looking down at every face that entered Jubaozhai, whether embarrassed or anxious.

At that moment, the man, with the five qian of silver tucked into his pocket, hunched over and disappeared into the growing morning light outside the door. Only then did Li San turn his gaze to Fang Yingyu, who had been standing quietly by the door. His triangular eyes narrowed slightly as he looked Fang Yingyu up and down, his gaze lingering a moment longer on Fang Yingyu's simple clothes.

"Sir," he began, his voice still carrying that characteristic, rhyming tone, "to pawn or to redeem?"

Fang Yingyu's hand once again rested on the coarse cloth bundle in her bosom. The outline of the jade pendant pressed against her palm, its warmth carrying a chill that seeped into her very bones.

"Manager..." Fang Yingyu began somewhat hesitantly, her voice unusually clear in the empty pawnshop, "I want to pawn something."

Li San squinted at the poorly dressed boy in front of him, and snorted, "Take it out and let me see."

Fang Yingyu carefully took out the cloth bag from her bosom, unfolding it layer by layer to reveal the lustrous jade pendant. Sunlight streamed in through the crack in the door, illuminating the pendant and instantly reflecting a warm glow. A glint of light flashed in Li San's eyes the moment he saw the pendant, but he quickly regained his lazy expression.

"That's it?" Li San pretended to take the jade pendant, examined it against the light, and then lightly scratched the surface with his fingernail. "The quality is so-so, and the carving is rough. It's worth at most five taels of silver."

Fang Yingyu was taken aback and blurted out, "Five taels? That's worth at least twenty taels..."

"What do you know about jade!" Li San suddenly raised his voice, a sly glint in his triangular eyes. "This jade has impurities, and the carving is tacky. Five taels is already a discount because you desperately need money!"

Fang Yingyu was skeptical and hesitant when Li San suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Kid, this jade pendant isn't from a legitimate source, is it?" He narrowed his eyes and tapped his fingers on the counter. "Judging from your attire, you don't seem like someone who owns such valuable items."

"This was a gift from someone!" Fang Yingyu hurriedly explained, her voice unconsciously rising eight octaves.

"A gift?" Li San sneered, his rat-like whiskers twitching with the twitching of his lips. "Who would give something so valuable to a poor kid?" He suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "I bet it's stolen! Believe me or not, I'll report it to the authorities right now!"

Fang Yingyu trembled with rage, her fists clenching involuntarily. Li San threatened, "I'll confiscate the stolen goods, but I won't report it to the authorities to avoid you getting into legal trouble. I've already been very lenient; you can leave now!" Fang Yingyu glared at him, her anger flaring, pointing at Li San as if she wanted to punch him to death. "I'll leave, but give me back the jade pendant!" she said, extending her palm towards Li San. Seeing this, Li San, behind the counter, decided that if he couldn't have it, he'd destroy it. He immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "Help! Thief!"

Her shout was like a thunderclap, immediately attracting the attention of passersby. Several idlers gathered around, blocking the pawnshop entrance and pointing and whispering. Fang Yingyu, her face flushed red, was so anxious that fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead: "You're slandering me! This jade pendant is a gift to thank me for saving my life!"

"A life-saving grace?" Li San scoffed. "Then tell me, who gave it to you? Where do you live? What's your name?"

Fang Yingyu was speechless for a moment. In the rush of rescuing the person that day, he only knew that Ruan Shanruo was the daughter of a wealthy businessman, but he didn't know the specifics of her family situation. He hadn't asked for details either. Now, being questioned in public, he wanted to say Ruan Shanruo's name, but he knew they wouldn't know her, and for a moment he was at a loss for words.

Seeing this, Li San became even more smug, snatched the jade pendant, and tried to stuff it into his pocket: "If you can't admit it, you've stolen it! I have to hand this stolen goods over to the authorities!"

"Give it back!" Fang Yingyu cried out in desperation, reaching out to snatch it. The two struggled in front of the counter, attracting a growing crowd. Some began pointing and whispering: "Look at that poor boy, he must have stolen something from a rich person to pawn." "So young and already learning bad habits..."

Amidst the chaos, the sound of a gong grew louder as it approached. The crowd parted automatically, and three constables in black robes strode in. The head constable, Wang Chuan, with an iron ruler at his waist, shouted sternly, "What's all this noise about?"

Li San immediately changed his tune, bowing and scraping as he greeted Wang, "Officer Wang, you've come at the perfect time. This kid stole the jade pendant to pawn, and when I caught him, he still won't admit it!"

Wang Chuan squinted at Fang Yingyu, and seeing that he was dressed in coarse cloth, he believed him almost immediately: "Kid, you've got guts, daring to sell stolen goods in broad daylight?"

Fang Yingyu's eyes reddened with anxiety: "My lord, please understand! This jade pendant was truly a gift from someone else! I rescued it at Cihua Pool a few days ago..."

At this moment, Li San had already handed the jade pendant to Wang Chuan. Wang Chuan took the jade pendant and immediately stuffed it into his pocket. Then, he impatiently waved his hand, "Enough nonsense! If you have something to say, go to the government office! Guards, take him away!"

Two constables grabbed Fang Yingyu without a word and dragged her outside. The onlookers quickly made way for her, some shaking their heads and sighing, others gloating. Fang Yingyu struggled to turn around and saw Li San standing at the pawnshop entrance, a smug smile playing on his lips beneath his rat-like whiskers.

The government prison was dark and damp, filled with the smell of mildew and the stench of excrement. Fang Yingyu was roughly shoved into a cell and stumbled, falling onto a straw-covered "bed." The iron door slammed shut behind her, the rattling of chains sending Fang Yingyu's heart sinking to the bottom.

"Stay put! The magistrate will be in court to try you tomorrow!" With that, Wang Chuan and the footsteps of the constables gradually faded into the distance.

Fang Yingyu huddled in the corner, using the sliver of moonlight filtering through the small window high up to assess her situation. The cell was no more than ten feet square, with walls on three sides and an iron bar as thick as a finger on the other. In the corner sat a foul-smelling chamber pot, and nothing else.

"New here?" A hoarse voice came from the next cell.