How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 177 A eloquent tongue

Zheng's words sounded so sincere that everyone present became puzzled.

Was he really wronged?

Commander Guo waved his hand, "Really? Who did you rent it to?"

“His name is Namio Hayakawa, the commander. He is also a foreign merchant, and I rented the warehouse to him.”

"Oh? Do you have any proof?"

"Yes, of course I have." Zheng, the comprador, was eager to prove himself, but he used too much force and fell to the ground again, looking quite disheveled.

"take it out."

Zheng, the comprador, looked troubled. "This... General, as you know, the Zheng family has just suffered a disaster, and most of our belongings have been destroyed. It will be difficult to find them in such a short time."

"If it's hard to find, then don't bother looking for it."

"Wait, General. You must at least give me time to search. I absolutely did not lie. Whether it's the middleman in the lease or Hayakawa Namio, you might as well send them here to ask. I would never dare to lie."

Zheng, the comprador, spoke earnestly. Commander Guo pondered for a moment, then asked, "What do you all think?"

After exchanging glances, the officers nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let that guy surnamed Hayakawa come over."

Within minutes, footsteps could be heard outside. Soon, soldiers brought in a man named Hayakawa dressed in a kimono.

As soon as the servant entered, Zheng, the comprador, became excited and pointed at Su Chuan, shouting, "It's him! He rented my warehouse at the river and land docks for three years! He's right here! Please, General, make a decision! Please, have a clear understanding!"

When Suchuan arrived, he didn't know what was going on, but as soon as he saw Zheng, the comprador, he roughly guessed what it was.

He was feeling uneasy, but he didn't dare show it on his face. Hayakawa greeted him first, then calmly sat down.

"I wonder what General Guo wants with me? Could it be that he caught the people who robbed my Dongyang Trading Company yesterday? As expected of General Guo, his efficiency is truly remarkable."

Upon hearing this, Zheng the comprador nearly coughed up blood!

That damned Japanese devil actually tried to pin the blame on himself?

Zheng, the comprador, quickly said, "Mr. Suchuan, you rented my warehouse at the river and land port, don't you remember?"

"What warehouse? I don't know what you're talking about. I own both a yarn mill and a trading company. Do I need to rent your warehouse?"

"The land and water ports, have you forgotten?" Zheng, the comprador, almost gritted his teeth, as if he had been made a fool of.

Hayakawa frowned in thought. A river and land port? Wasn't that related to opium? He had foreseen this moment when Eli died.

“I’m not a local Chinese, so is it strange that I rent a few warehouses? It’s just that I have so many things to take care of that I’ve completely forgotten about renting any warehouses.”

“Mr. Hayakawa, you haven’t forgotten, do you think there’s another me in this Four Directions City? Think about it again.”

Qingru, listening to these words from afar, sensed something was amiss; it seemed as if Zheng, the comprador, was making a suggestion.

Su Chuan pursed his lips and pondered, while Zheng, the comprador, quickly went to Commander Guo to complain again.

"General, you see, Mr. Suchuan also said that he rented a warehouse, but he forgot where he rented it. Why don't you let me go back to find the contract, or find the middleman at the time, the head of the canal gang at the river and land docks? You can check all of that."

Commander Guo nodded slightly. "Of course, I won't let you go back. But you can go back and look for your daughter. If you can find the contract, that would be good. If you can't, kill her without hesitation."

"Thank you, Marshal!"

Zheng Peilan's heart skipped a beat, filled with fear. She could only nod repeatedly, wanting to leave as quickly as possible.

Zheng's purchasing agent just told her that he would find an opportunity to get Zheng Peilan to leave.

Zheng Peilan was unshackled and, looking disheveled, was pushed and shoved out of the Marshal's Mansion.

The once high and mighty young lady, disheveled and unkempt, was pushed to the ground, and those around her couldn't help but point and whisper.

Zheng Peilan, her sleeves tucked into her clothes, fled the crowd in a disheveled state. Soldiers followed behind to prevent her escape. Zheng Peilan burst into tears, venting her grievances and resentment.

She ran straight to the house where Guo Zixing had given them temporary accommodations, and Zheng Peilan smashed the furnishings inside.

"I think you'd better not waste your energy. This belongs to Young Master Guo."

"What did you say?" Zheng Peilan suddenly looked up, her eyes bloodshot.

The maid shrank back, saying, "I'm telling you, be careful, or we won't be able to afford the compensation."

Can't afford to pay? Ha, what a joke.

But when Zheng Peilan looked around, there was nothing of value left in the house. The servants had been carrying and lifting things, and after Zheng Peilan and she were arrested, they had almost emptied the house.

“What are you doing? I am still your master. My Zheng family has not fallen into ruin yet. Are you going to rebel now? I order you to put your things down.”

The maid curled her lip and said, "Come on, you and the master have been arrested, and we'll be dealt with soon too. This is just a little interest."

“My dad’s fine, we’ll be fine. I have Mr. Jonas backing me, do you dare offend me? I’ll sell you all abroad to do hard labor, and don’t forget, the indentures are all in my hands.”

The maid paused for a moment, then glared at Zheng Peilan reluctantly, "Do you think I'm easily frightened? The government people have all said that your father is involved in opium trafficking and will be executed."

"Nonsense! Those opiums were smuggled by the Japanese. What does it have to do with us? Even the Commander-in-Chief didn't convict me. Who do you think you are to make decisions for me?"

Zheng Peilan pointed at these treacherous lackeys and cursed, "Let me tell you, the commander-in-chief has sealed off the city! If you take anything, none of you will be able to leave. If you dare to take anything, you'll be thrown into prison right afterward. Let's see who among you has the guts?"

The maid didn't say anything, just snorted and left with her things.

Zheng Peilan naturally wouldn't give way, and in the scuffle, the box fell to the ground, and the stacks of papers fluttered in the wind. Suddenly, Zheng Peilan saw the words "Lease Agreement".

"That's it!"

Zheng Peilan excitedly stepped forward and picked up the contract. "Autumn of the 23rd year of the Republic of China, two warehouse rooms at Zheng Datong's river and land wharf are rented for a three-year term. See the contract..."

Overjoyed, Zheng Peilan grabbed the box and rushed out.

The maidservant quickly stopped her, "Wait, isn't our indenture inside? I heard you say what kind of indenture it was."

Zheng Peilan was both happy and anxious, and had no time to argue with her. She said perfunctorily, "It's a contract, but it's not yours. Move aside."

"I won't give in. Give me back my indenture."

"Why?"

"You're about to be executed, yet you're still clinging to my contract of servitude. You deserve your bad luck."

Zheng Peilan was also furious, "I wasn't the one who sold you. If my dad hadn't bought you, you'd probably still be begging somewhere, and you wouldn't be dressed so well!"

The maid persisted, "How can you talk like that? Why am I born lowly?"

Zheng Peilan didn't want to argue, "Get out of the way, Marshal Guo's men are waiting outside, can you handle that?"

The maid made up her mind and grabbed Zheng Peilan, saying, "No, you're not allowed to leave. Give me back my indenture."

"Step aside!"

"Give it back!"

One wants to leave, the other wants to steal it.

The box fell to the ground again during the tearing, scattering its contents everywhere. The maid was overjoyed and shouted towards the back, "Help! Help! The indenture is here!"

Zheng Peilan hurriedly covered her mouth, "You're not allowed to shout, shut up."

The maid snatched the piece of paper that Zheng Peilan had just taken and jumped for joy, "Found it! My indenture!"

Zheng Peilan spat, "Illiterate, that's a lease agreement, give it back to me."

"I don't believe you. Don't try to fool me. I clearly heard you talking about some kind of contract."

Zheng Peilan panicked, "Give it to me!"

The more anxious she became, the more the maid felt she was doing the right thing. She quickly stuffed the contract into her mouth and swallowed it without chewing.

"Ah!!" Zheng Peilan went mad.

"What are you doing?!" She couldn't believe it. She had just found the contract, and this maid had swallowed it whole. How was she supposed to help Zheng the comprador escape punishment now...?

The maid said smugly, "The indenture is gone, I'm not your maid anymore, you can't scold me."

Zheng Peilan abruptly raised her head, her eyes bloodshot, as if she wanted to devour the maid's flesh.

More servants came over, but they weren't as bold as the maid in front of them.

Although he saw the contracts scattered all over the ground, he dared not make any rash moves.

Ultimately, someone made the first move, picking up a property deed, and the others immediately went crazy grabbing at the papers on the ground.

Zheng Peilan watched those people's actions, her face deathly pale, her whole body trembling.

"Give it back to me, give it back to me..."

With a "thud," a fruit knife fell out of the basket.

Zheng Peilan had a sudden inspiration and quickly gripped the knife in her hand, muttering, "They're bullying me, they're all bullying me, I'll teach them to bully me..."

Hatred and anger instantly seized her mind, and Zheng Peilan raised her knife and stabbed...

"Ugh..." The maid stared in disbelief at the knife protruding from her abdomen. "You..."

Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed to the ground.

Zheng Peilan rushed over, pulled out the knife, and stabbed it into the maid's chest repeatedly, dozens of times, until blood gushed out and her limbs went weak. Only then did Zheng Peilan stop.

The gentle splash of blood on her face did nothing to rouse Zheng Peilan's reason.

The servants dared not steal anything anymore; it was the first time they had ever seen the kind-hearted Zheng Peilan lose her temper like this.

The maid was already dead. A blood-red eye was visible through Zheng Peilan's tangled, ferocious hair. She wasn't afraid of such a bloody scene; instead, she seemed to have a kind of madness after a bloodlust.

The soldiers rushed in and were met with the terrifying sight of Zheng Peilan.

Upon seeing the person enter, Zheng Peilan calmed down and explained calmly while holding the knife in her hand, "I came back to retrieve the contract. Since this maid ate it, I have no choice but to take it back myself."

"Pfft..."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Zheng Peilan's knife slid into the maid's stomach, and she personally pulled out the undigested contract. Completely disregarding the bloodstains on her hands, even the soldiers, accustomed to death, felt a chill run down their spines.

“Ms. Zheng…”

"Let's go see the commander-in-chief and tell him... we've found the item."