"Wait a moment……"

Tang Huan smiled and raised her hand to stop Li Daikui, who was about to leave.

He smiled at Cui Yuanzhao, then scratched his ear, "What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly."

Cui Yuanzhao's face darkened.

This is really pushing their luck.

Cui Yuanzhao had never been treated like this before, and he almost couldn't bear it.

But if it really came down to a fight, Zhang Da was no match for Li Daikui on the other side.

This is still someone else's territory.

Even his father's status as prime minister was of no use.

Most importantly, the nude portrait is still in the other party's hands, and Cui Yuanzhao cannot guarantee that the other party will not send the portrait to the capital.

This is his fatal weakness; such a thing must never happen.

The more Cui Yuanzhao thought about it, the more sorrowful he felt, realizing that his life was almost completely in the other party's hands.

"I'm willing to spend the money..."

As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer until it was almost as soft as a mosquito's hum.

Cui Yuanzhao felt so ashamed that he didn't even look at Wang Jingze.

As for Zhang Da, Cui Yuanzhao now wishes he could teach him a lesson, since he and Wang Jingze were both painted, while Zhang Da luckily escaped such an ending.

When Cui Yuanzhao looked up, he met Tang Huan's smile.

His smile was clearly incredibly kind, but now it looked like that of a devil.

He found himself completely unable to understand this young man's thoughts, which were even more complex than those of his often unpredictable father, making them unimaginable and unfathomable.

Now, seeing Tang Huan's smile makes Cui Yuanzhao's heart pound.

But then I thought, if I destroy the painting as soon as I get it, then no one can prove anything.

Even if they have the certification from Qihuai County, people in Beijing will only think that those people are talking nonsense.

By then, Cui Yuanzhao will have plenty of ways to get rid of this matter completely.

"You just wait..."

Cui Yuanzhao planned to feign submission first, and then launch a sudden attack.

Suddenly, Cui Yuanzhao heard Tang Huan sigh.

"Sigh, if only you had agreed earlier, things wouldn't have become so complicated, right? Now that you want to pay to redeem the painting, it's not that simple."

Cui Yuanzhao stared intently at Tang Huan, "What... do you want me to do?"

Without hesitation, Tang Huan blurted out, "Five hundred taels."

After saying that, he grinned and showed off his big white teeth.

Cui Yuanzhao lowered his eyes and, without even hesitation, said, "Okay!"

He then gritted his teeth and said, "You must promise me that as long as I pay, you will give me this painting immediately!"

Tang Huan beckoned to Li Daikui, who then handed the painting to Tang Huan.

After gesturing to Cui Yuanzhao, Tang Huan chuckled and said, "Let's see your sincerity. As the son of a prime minister, five hundred taels should be a small amount for you."

While suppressing his displeasure and anger, Cui Yuanzhao gestured for Zhang Da to come to him.

At this point, Zhang Da understood what his young master meant and took out several hundred-tael silver notes from his person.

After handing the silver note to Tang Huan, he took a deep sniff and laughed, "The smell of money is truly captivating."

Tang Huan casually handed the silver note to Xue'e and put on her previous smiling face again.

Cui Yuanzhao felt a sudden "thump" and vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Without saying a word, he snatched the painting from Tang Huan's hand and tore it to shreds.

Once the painting was torn to pieces and scattered on the ground, ensuring it could not be pieced back together, Cui Yuanzhao immediately burst into laughter.

The pressure in his heart vanished without a trace, and he suddenly became fierce.

"You bastard Tang Huan, you've dared to bully me! I'll make you wish you were never born!"

Cui Yuanzhao suddenly changed his appearance.

This startled Wang Jingze, who wondered what his friend had eaten wrong.

Zhang Da, however, had anticipated this and was already standing beside Cui Yuanzhao, eager to get started.

Zhang Da had seen similar situations many times before; it wasn't the first time his young master had gone back on his word, so he was used to it.

"Young Master, you go first. Even if it costs me my life, I will stop these people for you. As long as you can return to the capital and have the magistrate intervene, these people in Qihuai County will pay a terrible price. Just remember to tell me at my grave when that time comes..."

Zhang Da looked dejected, as if his life had come to an end.

Cui Yuanzhao was immediately moved. "Good, Zhang Da, I will remember your loyalty. Next year on Qingming Festival, I will burn countless amounts of silver and beautiful women for you. Go in peace!"

Watching the master and servant put on a dramatic scene of life and death before his eyes, Wang Jingze felt somewhat embarrassed.

But strangely enough, I felt vaguely infected.

On the other hand, the people opposite them looked quite different.

Xue'e looked at them like they were idiots and rolled her eyes.

Li Daikui crossed his arms, showing no intention of making a move.

The most eye-catching one was Tang Huan, who had that smiling face from beginning to end, making people feel uneasy.

Could things have changed?

Wang Jingze keenly guessed something from the other person's expression, but since he had only been to Qihuai County once, most of his knowledge came from what others had told him.

This resulted in him being completely unfamiliar with Tang Huan, and naturally, he had no idea what the county magistrate would do.

Wang Jingze wanted to warn Cui Yuanzhao to be careful, but then he realized that the master and servant had already bid farewell with solemn expressions.

"Hey, hey, hey, are you guys ever going to stop?"

Li Daikui called out impatiently.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!