Chapter 150 I am the rule

Zhang Haiyu's entire face was swollen, and his eyes could only be squinted into a line, but he could still vaguely see that the plate handed to him contained only some small change, without a single cent.

He slammed his pig's hoof on the tray in front of him, and the tray fell to the ground in an instant, scaring the yamen runner so much that his face turned pale.

"Who are you going to give these small things to? You're... making soup dumplings, right? Your business is booming, and you're in a prime location right in the middle of the street. You should be worth at least three hundred taels!"

Zhang Haiyu's lion-like mouth looked so righteous that even the usually arrogant and domineering yamen runners had their pupils shrink slightly.

Young Master Zhang had never been involved in these matters before, so he probably had no experience. The yamen runner rolled his eyes and began to take the initiative to find a way out for Zhang Haiyu.

"Mr. Zhang, you don't know that our filial tributes are only given monthly, not yearly..."

"I don't care what your rules were in the past. I am the rule. If I say three hundred, it means three hundred."

Zhang Haiyu didn't care about any of this. Protection fee was a long-standing tradition in Qingshi Town. After all, this was the territory of his own Zhang Mansion, so he was free to collect as much as he wanted.

The yamen runners were practically sweating. It was okay to fleece the sheep, but they couldn't just kill them all at once, right? If they collected protection money like this, who would dare to set up a stall in the future?

"I think Mr. Zhang has made a good calculation. I have only been in Qingshi Town for this month. My stall has been open for less than a month. Giving three taels is already considering that we are new to Qingshi Town and he wants to make a good impression."

Cheng Weiyao's mouth twitched slightly. Zhang Daming was quite smooth-talking, but the son he taught was not very smart. He dared to ask for three hundred taels of protection money in the street. Three hundred copper coins was about right.

"If you're asking for the exorbitant price of three hundred taels, why not just go to the bank and rob it? You won't get the money, but you'll lose your life!"

The other vendors all looked grim. We were all in business, and we all had to pay protection fees. Essentially, we shared a common destiny! Exorbitant prices were not a good thing, and we couldn't let this happen!

"This is too much. It's better to just take my life. Isn't this just a disguised form of forcing me to death?"

"They're really becoming more and more lawless. They don't even leave anyone a way out. They're trying to make enough money to last forever, just to amass wealth..."

Zhang Haiyu heard the people's whispers and his face turned red.

"Are you all right, you bunch of troublemakers? I didn't ask you for three hundred taels, so why are you whining like that? Get out of here!"

Cheng Weiyao saw that the atmosphere was almost heated, so she quickly stepped forward and said, "If Master Zhang insists, we can go to the government office and ask the county magistrate for his opinion. I don't think even if he's a beloved son, he would indulge him to such an extent, right, everyone?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone responded, especially the small vendors who also had stalls. They almost took out pen, ink, paper and inkstone to write a petition for the people's survival.

In fact, most vendors are willing to spend a little money to keep things quiet, but anything that goes too far will backfire. Zhang Haiyu is obviously not as good as his father who is an official, and this has aroused public anger.

"Are you threatening me?"

Zhang Haiyu uttered a few words between his teeth. Is this woman sure that he is afraid of his father, so she does whatever she wants?

"Wei Yao..."

The aunt's heart was in her throat. Cheng Weiyao and the others came late and might have no idea about Zhang Daming's preference for Zhang Haiyu.

She actually wanted Cheng Weiyao to show weakness and give in, but Zhang Daming's three hundred taels was really beyond her ability, forcing her into a dilemma.

"How can that be considered a threat? I'm just discussing the matter. I don't have much money, but I only have one life."

Cheng Weiyao gave her aunt a soothing look. She was really sure that Zhang Daming would not dare to make a big deal out of it, not to mention that there was a broken imperial gift stuck inside.

No matter how hard she tried, she still had the title of princess. Although she was exiled, she was not the son of a small county magistrate who could be beaten or killed at will.

"Three ounces is three ounces, even a fly leg is still meat. From now on, you should pay this monthly tribute according to this standard. I advise you not to push your luck..."

Cheng Weiyao's dominance put Zhang Daming in a difficult position. Considering the public outrage, he decided to withdraw while he could. After all, the Qingping Palace family had been exiled. According to the regulations, they could not leave the exile site without permission, otherwise the garrison would have the right to take action...

The yamen runners breathed a sigh of relief. According to statistics from previous years, Cheng Weiyao's three taels of silver was already three times the monthly payment. This was a typical sucker! I wonder if he'll agree...

"good……"

Noticing the gazes of the yamen runners and the vendors, Cheng Weiyao lowered her eyes slightly, seemingly showing weakness, but in fact she had already made other plans in her mind.

"He who knows the times is a hero. I wish your business will prosper."

It was finally a happy thing that such a rebellious and stubborn person could be made to submit.

Zhang Daming felt much better, so he naturally sounded a little more tolerant. Feeling good about himself, he said a blessing and waved his hand, signaling the yamen runners to get up the sedan chair and take him back home.

As soon as he left, the originally bustling street became lively again, especially Cheng Weiyao's soup dumpling stall.

"Stall owner, why don't you raise the price a little, even a few cents, and we can still support it. The main reason is that this Zhang family is too bullying!"

Many old diners watched the whole process. Although in the situation just now, everyone had little influence and could not and dared not to interrupt, but a little support from behind was not a problem.

As soon as this suggestion was made, the diners agreed one after another. They thought it would be a shame to let such a delicious taste be ruined after such a hard-earned experience!

Cheng Weiyao felt a warm feeling in her heart. She had never expected the people of Qingshi Town to be so simple and honest. However, it was precisely this easy-to-bully nature that allowed such evildoers to thrive.

At night, when Wen Chengyun finished his business and returned to the courtyard, Cheng Weiyao was sitting beside the stone table calculating the income for this period.

"Madam, are you waiting for your husband?"

Wen Chengyun saw at a glance that Cheng Weiyao was bored.

Although she seemed to be lost in thought, she was actually busy picking up fresh, hot eggs at QQ Ranch. Business at both stalls was already on track, and the supply of raw materials had to keep up...

It was not until she vaguely heard Wen Chengyun's figure that Cheng Weiyao left QQ Ranch reluctantly, and looked up at Wen Chengyun with sparkling eyes.

"Husband, are you interested in making a big deal?"

The reason why she agreed to Zhang Daming's obviously unreasonable request for protection money during the day was that it would embarrass Zhang Daming again and again, which might backfire.