Ha Noon's
CHAPTER 14: Festive Show in the City Center
“Truly unbelievable, I helped you build your business, and now you dare to betray!?” A noblewoman stood up with an angry expression on her face, staring at Juragan Min ferociously.
Juragan Min lowered his head with a panicked face, repeatedly apologizing to the loyal customer in front of him. The woman in front of him was the mistress of the noble family Ri, a noble family who had already helped her in running her business. A week ago, she had promised Madam Ri to give her the best white gold watch they had. Unfortunately, all the watches were stolen without leaving a single clock. All they found this morning was a group of bandits he had hired lying in the forest, and the cart coachman disappeared somewhere, even the horse the coachman used was also lost without a trace.
“I'm sorry, Mistress. I really picked up the item last night, but..”.
“But what!? All those watches were stolen or something!?”
Juragan Min gulped down a mouthful of saliva hearing that correct guess, not daring to answer.
Seeing this reaction, Madam Ri laughed cynically, “Based on incompetent traders, you completely wasted all my time. You think I'm gonna let this go? I'll make your business ruined!”
“Mrs Ri, listen to me, I promise I will bring back the watch tomorrow morning, I promise.”
“Besok morning? How can you collect a stolen watch?”
“I'll request directly from factory, Mistress.”
“You asked me to wait for one week for just one watch, you think I believe that you'll give me that watch tomorrow morning? Do you think I'm easy to fool!?”
“No, not so, Madam.”
"Let's go.” Madam Ri could not bear it anymore with all the reasons Juragan Min, she brought back her entire servants and bodyguards out of the shop.
Juragan Min could not abandon this loyal customer. Although she often played sneaky, but only Madam Ri was always faithful waiting for her product. If she lost Lady Ri, then her business would be completely destroyed. “Mrs Ri, please, I beg you, I promise tomorrow morning the goods will be.” Madam Ri did not press Juragan Min's plea, she continued walking, entering her horse carriage, ignoring Juragan Min who was following her as she continued to plead. Even when the horse had moved away, Juragan Min still cried out for the carriage to disappear from his sight.
Juragan Min squeezes a hat over his head, “Aaaaahhh!!!” irritated, he slammed the hat down onto the ground, revealing his half-deaf head. Juragan Min stared at one of his workers standing beside him fiercely. “You still haven't found the coachman?”
“I'm sorry, Juragan.”
“Aakh! What exactly are you doing!? I promise all the customers will deliver the goods today. I don't want to know, you have to find the coachman and drag him in front of me!”
“Juragan, even if we catch that coachman, won't help us find that watch, will it?”
“Who cares about the lost watch? I can still make hundreds of the same watch! I just want to kill that coachman! Quickly search and drag him here!”
The worker immediately nodded, “Good, Juragan.” In a hurry, he immediately went to bring some other workers to look for the old coachman.
***
“Agh, dammit! The fucking Ningling family!” Lanju Sara stomped her feet in annoyance, making the heel of her shoes let out a loud noise.
“Can you stop complaining? After all, Ningling Bae has a good impression of Princess Ha Yan, can't we befriend her to make a relationship with Princess Ha Yan? Moreover, I am sure our reputation will improve if we manage to get along with the Ningling.” family, explained Ri Sa who can not stand any more complaints Lanju Sara.
After Princess Ha Yan's tea party was dissolved, Lanju Sara did not have a good feeling to return to her residence, she pulled Ri Sa to follow her to the city center. Ri Sa has no other choice but to follow her.
Lanju Sara glanced resentfully at Ri Sa, “You know I hate that smartass woman so much, you expect me to be friends with her?”
“Is that important now? Do you hate him or not? Ningling Bae had no desire to look face to face on a member of the royal family, so we could use it as a stepping stone. It was easy, ‘kan?”
“No, no matter what happens, I will not ask for his help.”
“We didn't ask for his help, we just took advantage of him.”
“It's the same! You just changed the sentence to make it seem more negative. Both proved that I can't do it alone and it has to make me admit that he's better than me.”
“Literally indeed that's the case.”
“What?”
“All right, all right, it's up to you if you don't want to be friends with him. I can't do it alone either. Let's do it your way.” Ri Sa spontaneously turned her attention to something else because she did not want to see Lanju Sara's annoyed expression.
“Haah, I don't like this. I want to buy some jewelry.”
“Seriously? At a time like this?”
“Shopping makes me feel better. Oh, hey, I remember you once said that your subscription store was near here, didn't it?”
“No, still far at the end there. Wh why? You want their watch?”
Instantly, Lanju Sara's face became more enthusiastic, “Ya, I want the watch.”
“I don't think you'll get it.”
“Why?”
“That stuff is a little rare, you have to order it at least one week before the item comes.”
"really? Huh, shit. I'll buy something else then.”
Lanju Sara and Ri Sa continued their journey to see the neatly lined shops in the city center. Their eyes continued to pay attention to fashion, jewelry, and various kinds of accessories displayed on the glass of each store. The two were too focused to look around so as to not realize there were two little children running around, and accidentally bumped into Lanju Sara.
“Au!”
Ri Sa spontaneously turned around and approached Lanju Sara, “What's the matter?”
“Hei! Stop messing around!” Lanju Sara did not answer Ri Sa, she went on a rampage to the two boys, causing several other passersby to notice them.
The two boys lowered their heads, “Excuse us, Brother.”
“Kakak? Who's yoursister? You don't know who I am? I'm the second daughter of the Lanju family!”
“Eumm...” The two boys glanced at each other doubtfully, “Ma.. forgive us, the second daughter of the Lanju family.”.
Lanju Sara frowned, “What's with these two boys?”
Ri Sa nudged Lanju Sara's arm, “Already, look at them. They're just two poor boys.”
Lanju Sara watched the two boys who were filled with tears and stains, making her laugh sneer pejoratively. “Damn it, what do lowly people like you do here? You better help your parents get rice, you understand? Even eating leftovers can not afford, what can you buy in this place?”
Ri Sa let out a tired sigh seeing Lanju Sara did not stop insulting the two boys. Ri Sa watched the two boys who could only lower their heads, then found something strange. Looking at more details, Ri Sa is convinced that something they hold is not something that should be owned by a boy from the lower society like them.
“Hey, what are you holding?”
“Hmm?” Lanju Sara became curious about Ri Sa's question, then took a look at the hand of one of the boys. However, the boy quickly hid his hands behind his back, making Lanju Sara lose her temper. He pulled the boy's hand.
Lanju Sara finally managed to pull the object, and her eyes widened after seeing that it was a white golden watch. “Hei,” Lanju Sara thrust that white gold watch at Ri Sa, “Isn't this the famous watch?”
Ri Sa took the watch and noticed it. The more he noticed, the more his forehead wrinkled. Right, not wrong again, this is his watch. This thing is so expensive, how could two brats like them get this watch?
“Hey, you fucking brat! You never taught your parents, did you? Where did you steal this thing?”
“We don't steal, it's ours!”
“Stop lying! You think I believe that you can have this expensive thing!?”
The boy's eyes immediately sparkled hearing the word ‘mahal’, “Sister said it was expensive? You're so big brother can pay us!”
“What!? Why would I pay for the loot? And again, don't call me brother!”
“It wasn't stolen, it was ours. Sister can have it if sister pay us.”
“No, we will not give money to thieves!”
The boy's eyes stopped shining, his whole face turned red, “Then give it back! It's ours!”
Without warning, the boy immediately snatched his watch from the hands of Ri Sa. However, Risa and Lanju Sara did not want to let go, they tried to snatch the watch from her.
“Per... Excuse me, Miss.” Lanju Sara and Ri Sa turned to a shabby grandfather who approached them while thrusting something in his hand. “I heard you say it's expensive? Then, you can have it if you pay.”
Lanju Sara and Ri Sa noticed the thing, another watch held by the people below. Both of Lanju Sara's eyebrows fused, “Wah, I can't believe an old man also stole, what's wrong with this place? You are the trash of society that must be cleaned.”
However, the old man did not care about the humiliation thrown by Lanju Sara, he continued to thrust the white gold watch, “Give me a hundred thousand riah.”
“What? Hey old bangka! I told you not to give money to thieves!”
“Nona... You can take mine for eighty thousand riah..”.
Lanju Sara and Ri Sa were again surprised by other lower people who began to appear one by one with the white gold watch.
“No, take mine with a direction of fifty-five thousand riah, Miss.”
“I sell it for fifty thousand riah, Miss.”
The faces of Lanju Sara and Ri Sa froze to see a group of men and women in noble shabby clothes gathered around them thrusting the same white gold watch while offering a price.
“What happened? Where did they get that much watch?”
Ri Sa shook his head stiffly, “I don't know either.”
***
Ha Gungi spied his forehead on the throne hearing Juragan Min's defense of him. About an hour and a half ago, Juragan Min rioted downtown. One of his friends who had just returned after lunch discovered the unrest caused by the secularization of the people of the lower class, the employee could see two noble daughters who were struggling to face the people of the lower class. The employee did not understand what was going on, but one thing he thought was, maybe helping the two noble daughters would bring him profit.
He tried to save them, and found that the group of people with shabby appearance were holding a luxurious object that he had often seen. The employee complained to Juragan Min after he was convinced. Juragan Min was shocked by the news and immediately left his shop, with a burning rage he brought the bandits he had hired to meet the mob. Without any warning, the bandits beat them to the ground. Seeing that each one of them was holding his white gold watch, his anger grew even more tempestuous, he could assume that the old man of the horseman was indeed the perpetrator who took all his merchandise and distributed it to the people of the lower classes.
The people of the lower classes refused to give up the watch without reward, making Juragan Min care less about the surroundings and asking his bandits to forcibly seize the watch even though it meant having to kill them on the spot.
Fortunately, some soldiers discovered this riot while doing patrols, and broke up the riot. Juragan Min, all his employees involved, as well as the people of the lower classes were brought to the main hall to complain about this matter to the King. Before long, the King summoned a judge to adjudicate the case. Juragan Min repeatedly prostrated himself before the King to make him believe that the people of this lower class stole his watch.
The judge frowned at the case, he glanced at the King and the man just waved his hand, handing over all the matters to the judge whereas he just wanted to pay attention to the finish.
“Master Min, how are you so sure that these folk have stolen your merchandise?”
“Mr Judge, as I have explained. Last night, I asked some of my men to bring the stuff, and this morning we just found them not breathing in the woods, leaving only an empty cart, even the coachman ran away. I'm sure, that coachman was the one who stole my merchandise and shared it with all these commoners!”
“What does the driver look like?”
“He's an old man who already has grandchildren, he comes from a poor family, his motivation is very clear. He knew that the white gold watch was very expensive, therefore he stole it.”
The entire judiciary nodded their heads in agreement with Juragan Min's accusation. One by one, the members of the judiciary began to convince the judge that the people of the lower class were suspects.
“Ekhem, briefly, Mr. Min.”
Juragan Min tilted his head at the talking Ha Noon, then lowered his head, “Yes, Princess?”
“Tadi, are you saying that the coachman is an old man who has grandchildren? How old are your men who lost their lives in the woods?”
“It...” Juragan Min rolled his eyes thinking, “I guess, they were all in the mid-20s, Mr. Princess.”
“Wow, how strong is this old man to be able to defeat the young men and transport all your merchandise? Ah, right, I don't think the merchandise will be much. I heard that white gold watch is very rare. How many do they bring?”
“Ah... That...” Apple adam Juragan Min rolling swallow his lie, “Hanya.... only 30 pieces, Mr. Princess.”.
“30? Wow, no wonder the nobles are fighting over it.”
“But why should you send it at night through the forest?”
Juragan Min raised his head slightly to glance at the curious face of the Crown Prince. Juragan Min again swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and with a slightly quivering voice, Juragan Min began to speak, “That stuff is very rare, Your Majesty, I want to narrow down the chance for it to be stolen by robbers.”
“But, isn't night a vulnerable time? Especially within the forest, there were many bandits lurking around. If you pass the main line to the city center, there are many soldiers patrolling until the morning, so you don't have to worry if the thing will be stolen.”
“Ah... upon second thought, His Highness the Crown Prince was right,” exclaimed Ha Noon, “The quieter the surroundings, the more prone the thief, right? As a successful trader, shouldn't you know this kind of basic knowledge, Mr Min?”
Ubun-ubun Juragan Min began to emit salty droplets, “Itu..”.
“Sister, sister is very clueless.” Ha Noon and Ha Jungi turned to Ha Yan, “That thing, isn't it very expensive and rare? Just look at it, those commoners bravely touched Princess Nobles Lanju and Princess Nobles Ri. Once a thief, they will not care day or night. The charioteer could have told these commoners information about the white gold watch, and they could have easily rioted in broad daylight. Even if they were caught, Big Brother thought which noble would take the luxury item that the commoners had touched? Juragan Min also thought about the quality of his merchandise.”
Hearing the last two sentences, the people of the lower classes sat their heads deeper, feeling humiliated. Ha Noon looked at Ha Yan with her eyes pinched, while the Crown Prince somehow felt uneasy towards the people of the lower classes. After all, he was born in the middle of a paddy field, and was big with weeds. Although today his position has changed 180 degrees, he still has sympathy for the people of the lower classes.
“Ah... true...” Ha Noon's voice becomes heavier than before. “I think Mr. Min's accusation has a point.”
Juragan Min smiled with relief at the words.
“However, if indeed these people are guilty, would it not be unfair if they were punished while the thief is still roaming free? We have to catch him and ask him clearly, where did he give 30 pieces of that white gold watch?”
Instantly, Juragan Min's heart stopped beating. A cold sweat coming out from his crown, slowly flowed down his forehead. Juragan Min raised his head stiffly, his eyes wide open looking at Ha Noon who was smiling slanted at him.
