Chapter 158: Curing All Forms of Defiance

Pointing at the six individuals bound together, Liu Ling’er asked with a puzzled look, "Why are they here too? Don't tell me they tried to steal the golden plaque last night as well!"

Chu Sheng shook his head, casting a disdainful glance at them. "Not at all. I doubt they’d have the guts for that even if given several more lives. They simply tried to seize the opportunity to escape while other thieves were busy stealing the plaque last night, so I just tied them up along with the rest."

Looking at the six men, who appeared utterly wretched after sitting on the floor all night and shivering in the cold—especially one whose snot was running down his nose, which Chu Sheng hadn't bothered to wipe—Liu Ling’er felt a wave of nausea so strong she nearly vomited the hangover tea she had consumed that morning.

"Thank you for your hard work last night," she said to Chu Sheng. "Go and get some rest. I will handle things here. From now on, I leave the management of Flowing Water Pavilion to you."

She summoned the waiters of the Flowing Water Pavilion and ordered them to remove the rags stuffed in the thieves' mouths. As soon as the gags were pulled out, four young voices cried out in unison, "Sister Ling’er, please save us!"

*Huh? Who is calling? Could there be someone I know among these thieves?* Liu Ling’er looked toward the source of the voices and saw four children tied together. Their clothes were tattered, and their faces were streaked with tears and snot, looking utterly pathetic.

After staring for a moment, Liu Ling’er finally recognized them. These four children seemed to be subordinates of Xu Fu. After handing her the token of Ma Ling’er at the Temple of the Divine Concubine, Xu Fu had vanished, leaving to roam the world in carefree solitude and entrusting these children to her care.

Back then, she had told them to find her at the Prince Xian Mansion, but they never showed up. She had assumed they didn't want to follow her. With everything else going on in her life recently, she had nearly forgotten about them. Now, seeing them resorting to their old ways and coming to her own Flowing Water Pavilion to steal, a wave of frustration welled up inside her.

Walking over to the four children, Liu Ling’er said indignantly, "Didn't I tell you to find me at the Prince Xian Mansion? Why didn't you listen? And you're still up to your old tricks! How am I supposed to answer to your boss when I see him?"

The oldest of the four young beggars spoke up aggrievedly, "Sister Ling’er, how can you say that? Every time we went to the Prince Xian Mansion to find you, the guards at the gate chased us away. After that happened a few times, we didn't dare go back. Besides, we didn't know where you usually went, and time doesn't wait for anyone. We still have to survive. If we can't earn money or beg for enough to eat, what else can we do but return to our old trade? Do you want us to starve to death?"

*Ah,* she hadn't expected that. It seemed she hadn't considered the situation carefully enough. Liu Ling’er felt a pang of guilt. "Even so, you shouldn't have stolen this golden plaque. Do you know that if I hadn't ordered them to capture but not kill yesterday, you would be dead by now?"

One of the young beggars said weakly, "We just thought the plaque looked pretty and wanted to touch it. Besides, who would have thought it was actually made of solid gold? We thought it was just gold-plated and wouldn't be worth much."

*Fine!* That was quite a creative excuse. Liu Ling’er called over Manager Hua. "Release those six fops, but they are to continue working today. They get no lunch; that is their punishment. Take these children away, get them cleaned up, and from today on, they will live at the Flowing Water Pavilion and work here. Their first job will be to keep an eye on those six dandies."

After Manager Hua led the children away, Liu Ling’er had the staff remove the gags from the remaining thieves. "Tell me, how should I deal with you all?"

The thieves, both small-time pickpockets and major burglars, exchanged glances. Usually, when a victim caught a thief, they were either sent to the authorities or beaten half to death. They had never heard of anyone like Liu Ling’er, who actually consulted the thieves on how to handle them.

Uncertain of her intentions, they all remained silent, though they secretly hoped she might show leniency.

Liu Ling’er scanned the room and sneered at their shifting expressions. "What? Are you all mute now? Since punishment for wrongdoing is inevitable, how about I have one finger cut off from each of you before letting you go?"

For a thief, losing a finger meant their manual dexterity was ruined, effectively ending their career. The thieves immediately panicked, wailing and begging for mercy.

One thief even shouted, "You can't cut my finger! I'm innocent! I never intended to steal the golden plaque!"

Liu Ling’er had plenty of time today, so she focused on the man who had spoken. He had a sharp, rat-like face and looked entirely dishonest—clearly no good.

Hearing him claim innocence, Liu Ling’er sneered, "Oh? If you're innocent and didn't intend to steal the plaque, then how did you end up tied up by my men? Did you happen to be sleeping soundly at home when my men broke in and dragged you here?"

The thief was stumped by her words, but he was stubborn. He craned his neck and insisted, "I just saw the plaque was crooked, so I went up to straighten it. I didn't expect to be knocked out the moment I touched it!"

She had heard of people lying through their teeth, but she was now witnessing it firsthand. *My good man, could you at least try to make your excuse believable?*

With someone taking the lead, the other thieves began to clamor as well, offering all sorts of absurd and bizarre excuses. One even shouted, "The people at the Flowing Water Pavilion have no right to bully me! I am your benefactor! I only saw someone coming to steal the plaque and stepped in to stop them. You Flowing Water Pavilion people can't tell good from bad, and you captured me instead!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ling’er nearly burst out laughing. *You were here to help us catch the bad guys? If you're so noble, why were you wandering around in the middle of the night? Why didn't you go join the city guards? Do you really take me for a three-year-old?*

In short, these thieves were all unrepentant. Liu Ling’er had no interest in wasting more breath. She had seen plenty of people who refused to admit their faults even when caught red-handed. To put it bluntly, she specialized in curing such defiance. Unfortunately for them, they had walked right into her trap.

She had the waiter summon a tattoo artist and ordered him to tattoo the word "THIEF" on the necks of these men. Afterward, she said to them, "Consider this a small punishment. You are welcome to 'patronize' us again, heh heh, but next time you won't be so lucky."

Once tattooed, it could not be washed off, and being on the neck, it couldn't be scraped away without risking one's life. Liu Ling’er chased them out of the Flowing Water Pavilion, and as they walked through the streets, they instantly became the center of attention.

The citizens of the imperial capital, who had long suffered from thieves, hated them deeply. Upon seeing the marks, people pelted them with rotten vegetables and stinking eggs. The thieves had truly run out of luck; they were like rats crossing the street, despised by everyone.