flstandardbreds Chapter 64 A First Try
Chapter 64 A First Try
In a side room of the house on Dongcheng Street, Yu Pingting whispered to Aunt Mo and her younger brother, "Fang Shi broke off the engagement, and Yu Jue beat Fang Fan like that. Fang Xiangguo probably won't care about her anymore. Mother, we need to make plans as soon as possible."
The house is only so big; how could they not have heard the commotion Fang Fan made when he came that day?
Aunt Mo was also somewhat worried, feeling that Yu Jue was too impulsive. At this critical juncture, it was only natural for Madam Fang to break off the engagement. She should at least pretend to be understanding and sympathetic to gain her guilt and sympathy. In this way, Prime Minister Fang might continue to secretly protect her. Now, not only could she and her son not benefit from it, but they might also suffer retaliation.
Aunt Mo naturally couldn't understand the integrity and moral character of a noblewoman from a high-ranking family, and would never easily compromise her principles.
"Alas," Aunt Mo sighed softly, "but we are helpless and penniless. Staying here at least provides shelter, but where can we go if we leave?"
The mother and her two children looked at each other, all of them filled with worry.
Just then, the door banged loudly, the urgent and forceful knocking sounding like hostile intent.
"Open the door! Open the door now!"
Hearing the rude shouts, Yu Pingting couldn't help but feel flustered.
Yu Jue in the main house also frowned slightly. She had indeed acted impulsively when she hit Fang Fan, and later regretted her rashness.
"Open the door now, or we'll smash it up!"
It seems things won't end well today. Yu Jue had expected to encounter troublemakers, but he didn't expect them to lose their temper so quickly.
"Stay inside and don't go out," Yu Jue patted Yu Mi's head to comfort her.
Yu Mi looked conflicted. Although she was worried, she nodded understandingly, secretly regretting that she couldn't help and could only watch her sister's lonely figure walk away.
"crunch~"
Yu Jue opened the door, and outside stood a middle-aged man who looked like a manager, followed by more than a dozen guards. The one who had knocked on the door earlier was one of them. Because of the commotion earlier, a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the door.
"Who are you?" Yu Jue asked the middle-aged man who was clearly the leader.
"Miss Yu, you really have a bad memory. I am the manager of Xu's Trading Company. The payment for goods that your family owes you from last month has not yet been settled." As she spoke, she took out a receipt.
Yu Jue frowned in thought. The Duke's mansion had hundreds of people and a lot of daily purchases, which were mostly settled monthly. The sudden collapse caught many people off guard, so the steward who came to collect the debt had a legitimate reason and could not be said to be making trouble for no reason.
Yu Jue wasn't unable to produce the money on the document, but rather she couldn't. She had previously said she had donated her entire dowry in exchange for a pardon, so wouldn't it be a crime of deceiving the emperor to produce such a large sum of money now?
Therefore, Yu Jue merely glanced at the document and said indifferently, "The seal on it is the private seal of the steward of the Duke's mansion. This matter cannot be attributed to me."
The steward chuckled and shouted to the surrounding audience, "Everyone heard that! She's clearly being unreasonable! Isn't the steward of the Duke's mansion supposed to be purchasing on behalf of the Duke's mansion?"
"Regardless of how you transacted in private, even if it was truly for the Duke's mansion, the mansion's assets have now all gone to the national treasury. There are precedents for this. Creditors can report to the Imperial City Guard to apply for the confiscation of assets for compensation."
Yu Jue pointed in a direction, "Go ahead, there's no point in getting entangled with me."
Ning Cuo, who was hidden in the crowd, couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. What a clever woman. Is this her reason for living near the Imperial City Guard?
As for why Ning Cuo was here, it's because he was the commander of the Imperial City Guard and was attracted by the crowd while on duty.
The steward laughed in exasperation, “Why would the Imperial City Guard bother with us commoners? Reporting it would just be like throwing a stone into the sea.”
"Oh, you mean His Majesty is incompetent and has seized the people's property?"
"You..." The steward was furious. "I won't argue with you. It's only right to pay back debts. I know that Lady Yu can't come up with the money right now. It doesn't matter. She can pay the debt with her body."
Yu Jue's expression changed, but he did not panic.
Ning Cuo couldn't help but wonder how she should resolve this matter. This was the third time they had met. The first time was when she caught a glimpse of her on the pleasure boat on the lake, and the second time was when he led his troops to raid her home. She was just as calm and composed then, seemingly unperturbed no matter what.
She looked over, and Ning wondered if she should help if she asked for help.
Just then, a figure darted out from beside him, leaped through the crowd, and landed in front of Yu Jue.
Shen Qing used his scabbard to slap away the steward's groping hand. He had already overheard what had happened and said, "Yu Kingdom has its own laws. If you are dissatisfied, you can go to the government office to file a complaint. Who gave you the right to plunder innocent families in broad daylight!"
"Where did this greenhorn come from? He's barely weaned and already trying to play the hero?" The manager finally bared his fangs, abandoning all reasoning, and waved his hand, "Get him!"
A dozen burly men rushed forward, and Yu Jue took a few steps back at Shen Qing's signal.
Shen Qing didn't want to escalate the situation, otherwise she would be wrong even if she was in the right, so she didn't even draw her knife when she made her move.
With sheer force, Shen Qing truly experienced the devastating impact of internal energy on ordinary people for the first time. He kicked one person away and shattered their bones with two powerful punches.
Without any skill, just sheer strength, more than a dozen burly men fell to the ground groaning in the blink of an eye. Even Shen Qing himself was shocked. What happened to the rule that he could only take on seven or eight? With a dozen or so of these weaklings, he could wipe them out in one fell swoop.
Despite his complex inner thoughts, Shen Qing maintained a calm and collected demeanor, wielding his sword with the air of a master.
The onlookers were astonished. A master, a true master!
Shen Yun, who had secretly followed, was hiding in the crowd and was extremely envious. He really wanted to learn from them! However, as an official, he couldn't easily get involved with the descendants of disgraced officials.
The steward's face twitched. He hadn't expected these guards to be so useless. Despite their size, they couldn't even beat a half-grown boy.
Seeing that force was not an option, the steward decided to wage a propaganda war, shouting to the surrounding people: "It is only right for the son to pay for the father's debts. The defeat of Duke Yu and his son in battle caused the annihilation of 100,000 soldiers of my Yu Kingdom, and caused countless families to be broken up and people to die. How can his wives and children live in peace!"
As expected, the crowd began to whisper among themselves, and a few thugs even started to jeer.
“That’s right! The Yu family father and son have committed heinous crimes. It’s too lenient to demote their family members to commoners. They should be sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution)!”
"Yes, let them atone for their sins!"
Upon hearing such lewd remarks, Shen Qing swung his sword, the scabbard slapping the two thugs across the face, instantly shattering several of their teeth and sending them flying out of their mouths. Then, the long sword flew back into Shen Qing's hand like a boomerang.
"No act is a crime unless expressly defined by law, and no punishment can be imposed unless expressly defined by law. You have no right to convict people!"
With the power of his inner strength, his voice resonated deeply, and no one dared to speak out.
Appearances can be deceiving. The steward looked Shen Qing over again, his eyes lighting up as he found a new angle to attack.
"This person is not dressed in the clothing of Yu Kingdom. The Yu clan has indeed colluded with foreign enemies!"
Damn it! I've run into a jerk!