AWB Chapter 150: Intentional but Unintentional
Chapter 150: Intentional but Unintentional
Chapter 150: Intentional but Unintentional
Qian Hongyan was shrewd enough to immediately go along with it upon hearing this, "Master, I was wrong, I was wrong, Master. It won't happen again..."
"You still want a future!" He glared at her. "A vicious woman like you should stay in jail and reflect on your actions. I don't think this place will put your mind at ease."
After saying that, he bowed to the people around him and said, "Please take good care of my wife. She is ignorant and has caused you all trouble."
Since ancient times, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants have been ranked last, with merchants having much money but little power. Naturally, these yamen runners had to show them some deference, especially in matters like this.
He took a packet of silver from his sleeve and secretly placed it in the hand of one of them, saying obsequiously, "Consider this silver as my way of treating you all to tea and doing you a favor."
Upon hearing this, everyone understood. Qian Hongyan was untouchable; not only untouchable, but she had to be treated with utmost respect. The leader of the yamen runners immediately returned the greeting, smiling humbly, "Of course, Madam has probably been misunderstood. She will surely be exonerated in the future."
"Then we'll have to trouble you." They apologized again, and then watched as everyone in the courtyard left. The courtyard, which had been lively, was now truly deserted, making one feel uneasy.
Lu Yu stood beside the stone lion at the entrance. Seeing that they had all come out and that Qian Hongyan had been sent to the prison cart, he walked up to the official.
"Thank you for making this trip, sir."
"It's good that you know this, kid. All you need to do is cooperate with us." The adult sneered. "You really will do anything for a woman."
"Thank you in advance. I will be willing to serve you whenever you need me in the future."
The man shook his head, remounted his horse, and rode away. Lu Yu watched his departing figure, his face darkening.
The handkerchief in his hand was still stained with blood—it was Madam Ji's handkerchief, the bright red blood not yet completely dry. He could have given it to that official, but he didn't. Who knew what might have happened if he had?
He tucked the handkerchief into his sleeve, then turned and left.
There was another property in the city owned by Ji Meiqing. He went straight there, but the gate to the courtyard was locked. Lu Yu simply climbed over the wall and went inside.
The doors to the rooms inside were tightly shut, and there was no one there. He went straight into one of the rooms, and when he pushed open the door, he saw a censer burning with a faint fragrance.
"Brother Lu is back." A woman's voice came from inside, soft and weak, making one feel sorry for her. Lu Yu remained expressionless as he walked in and watched her walk lightly towards him, a hint of joy on his face.
She was skilled at brewing tea, and soon brought over two cups of fragrant tea. "Brother Lu, please."
"Qian has already been arrested, and we'll probably have to pull some strings these next few days. Think carefully about what you want to say."
Lu Yu spoke expressionlessly, without touching the cup. He glanced at the stove, then looked at the tea, a flash of coldness passing through his eyes.
"Thank you so much, Brother Lu. I am deeply grateful. I would like to offer you this cup of tea first." After saying this, she drank it down without hesitation and then showed him the empty cup to show that she had not cheated.
"No need for that, we're on the same page. Helping you is also helping ourselves." He took a small sip and commented honestly, "This tea is good."
It was at least a compliment, and the girl immediately smiled shyly. Lu Yu glanced at her and secretly forced the tea out of her mouth.
"Thank you so much, Brother Lu, for saving me last night. Otherwise, I fear I would have lost my life in the Ji family."
He gave a curt, indifferent smile, which could be considered a return smile to her.
The girl acted as if she hadn't seen him, and kept talking to him for a while, but Lu Yu didn't care much. He pretended to listen, but his mind was far away.
"Do you want revenge?" Lu Yu suddenly asked her.
This surprised the girl. "What do you mean by this, my benefactor?"
"If you want revenge, I can help you."
"Of course I want to." She covered her face. If it weren't for Qian Hongyan, would her face be swollen like a pig's head?
Lu Yu looked at her expression and was very satisfied.
“In that case, the Qian family has an account book. Take it out. Once you take it out, we can completely bring down the Qian family.” He said this while watching her expression.
"I..." Her heart immediately shrank, and she dared not speak to him again.
Lu Yu said to himself, "You should know where the Qian family's account books are kept. Although the Qian and Ji families are not considered major merchants, they are still quite wealthy. What the Qian family does can be settled by the two families with just a little money. But if we add the account books, we can make the Ji family look at the Qian family with new respect."
“But… I was already ordered to be executed by her yesterday… If I go back now…” She secretly glanced at Lu Yu, hoping he could find a different way.
“Nothing is easier to enter the Ji family mansion than a dead person, especially since this person is a member of the Ji family. If you are unwilling, I will not force you, but I just want this Qian Shi to find out that you are still alive. I don’t know what she will do.”
The girl trembled, and after a long while, she lowered her head and said in a trembling voice, "This servant... understands."
Lu Yu went back and told Ji Meiqing the news, and then asked about the next steps. She just rubbed her head, looking somewhat pained.
"Let's leave it at that for the next few days. I'm afraid Madam Ji will have to make some moves. I've already contacted Uncle Lin. When the Jiang family makes their move, plus the pressure from Princess Xunhua's status, even if ten thousand Ji families joined forces with the Qian family, they wouldn't be able to turn the tables on her."
Lu Yu paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you really want to do this?"
"When she tried to kill me, she never intended to spare my life." As she said this, her expression changed, and several veins bulged on her forehead.
Lu Yu sighed, smoothing away the displeasure on her face.
"Qian killed a maid, but I saved her. I've already sent her to the mansion to get the account books. Once we have those fake account books, everything will be a success."
Upon hearing this, Ji Meiqing immediately turned her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression, "That girl is willing to help us?"
“I explained the pros and cons to her. The girl also harbored resentment, so I just teased her a little.” He raised an eyebrow, as if he had remembered something interesting. However, he didn’t intend to hide it from Ji Meiqing, so he told her, “That girl also drugged me with aphrodisiacs, but I forced her to give in. She probably doesn’t know that yet.”
"He's probably a heartless person, even setting his sights on you." She spat angrily. "Why don't you just call him out on it? Are you still thinking about it?"
"How could that be?" he exclaimed. "She's still useful to us."