Chapter 1092 Husband's Reputation Damaged

After the waiter left, Qingxing couldn't help but say, "None of the restaurants in the capital are as unscrupulous as He Tai Restaurant!"

When dining at a restaurant, guests are always welcome. Qingxing has never heard of a place with a minimum spending requirement that requires more than a certain amount of money. How is this any different from forced buying and selling?

No wonder Prefect Shen's brother-in-law doesn't take the people of Sunjia Village seriously. He's used to making big money and can control everything. Who cares about the lives of ordinary people?

If the Sun family father and son hadn't gone to the fishing village to plead their case, this matter would most likely have been dropped.

The prefect's brother-in-law continued to do business and made a lot of money, while the people of Sunjia Village lost their homes and had to wander outside.

Want compensation? Dream on.

"Let's go to He Tai Restaurant for a meal now and see what makes it so expensive."

Lin Yuesha called to Qi Heng, intending to take two maids with her.

Qingxing and Qi'er exchanged a glance, and Qingxing stepped forward and said, "You and Master go up to have your meal. I will wait at the inn and tidy up the luggage in the carriage."

The weather has been a bit warmer these past few days, so we don't need to wear down jackets anymore. Also, Lin Yuesha's undershirts need to be washed and dried.

It was a rare occasion for the young lady and the master to be alone, and the servants couldn't be oblivious to the situation.

"Oh well."

Lin Yuesha didn't force him. She knew Qi Heng's ulterior motives, so she stood up and went out first.

He Tai Restaurant is located on the main street of Wuzhou. It is three stories high, and when the lanterns are lit, strings of large red lanterns hang at the entrance, making it look very grand.

Just as the couple was about to enter, the restaurant door opened, and a scholar in a thin jacket was pushed out by a waiter.

Then, two more menacing-looking men emerged from the side door, carrying sticks and baring their teeth at the scholar who had been pushed out.

"My two brave men, let's talk this out. I lost my purse; it's not that I intentionally refused to pay you!"

The scholar dodged and weaved, but was no match for the strong man in terms of physical strength, so he could only keep begging for mercy.

His home was in a neighboring city. He came to Wuzhou to discuss academic matters with his classmates. Not long after entering the city, he was tricked into having a meal at the He Tai Restaurant.

I've heard that donkey meat from Wuzhou is famous throughout the country, with He Tai Restaurant being the best.

The scholar had a taste for this, so he came without a second thought.

Unexpectedly, the meal cost eight taels of silver, but he only ordered two dishes.

The price was high, which was bad enough, but the worst part was that when the scholar opened the package, he found that his money pouch was gone!

Looking back now, it seems that when he first entered Wuzhou, someone struck up a conversation with him and enthusiastically recommended that he come to the He Tai Restaurant, but that person then stole his money bag.

“Brave man, I guarantee with my integrity that I will not renege on my debt. Just ask the waiter to find my classmate and explain the situation, and my classmate will pay for my meal.”

The scholar looked bitter; he hadn't checked the almanac before leaving home and had encountered some bad luck.

The exorbitant prices of the dishes at He Tai Restaurant are unacceptable, but it's even more unacceptable that he didn't pay.

"Haha, you scholars are all smooth talkers. If you don't pay me, I'll beat you up first as interest. Do you think that after I beat you up, you won't have to pay for your meals?"

Scholars, do you have to be so naive!

The burly man sneered and was about to strike again.

"How about we go to the yamen (government office) and reason with them?"

No matter where you are, there must be laws. The scholar is willing to go to the yamen to seek justice. He knows he was in the wrong and will compensate the restaurant for the money.

"You greenhorn, are you kidding me? You don't even know where our restaurant comes from?"

The burly man, with a straw dangling from his mouth, arrogantly said, "The owner of this restaurant is Prefect Shen's brother-in-law. What good will it do you to report this to the authorities?"

If they couldn't get an audience with Prefect Shen, they would be beaten up by the officials.

Those officers were all trained fighters; they were much more ruthless than the soldiers.

Therefore, in comparison, choose the option that is most advantageous to you: honestly let them beat you up, and then the restaurant will send a waiter to collect the money, ten taels of silver.

"I only ordered two dishes, how could it possibly cost ten taels?"

The scholar's face turned red with anger, and he was so angry that he could hardly speak. He was oblivious to what was happening outside his window and had no idea that Wuzhou was such a cannibalistic place.

No wonder he came to Wuzhou alone this time; his parents and brothers kept giving him instructions.

The scholar was filled with regret; he should have brought his servants with him.

"You think your errand boy doesn't get paid? You're an hour late, don't you expect interest?"

The burly man was very arrogant, speaking with great conviction.

"This is outrageous! Even loan sharks aren't this heartless!"

The scholar was so angry that he couldn't speak. Instead of being afraid of being beaten, he decided to go and complain!

"To complain?"

The two burly men laughed as if they had heard something interesting. This shows that the scholar was not shrewd enough, and was dull-witted and unable to understand the situation.

The situation in Wuzhou was complicated. Prefect Shen was the first to surrender and pledge allegiance to General Qi. His stance was clear, and once General Qi returned to the capital to ascend the throne, Prefect Shen's official career would be bright.

It's uncertain whether a mere scholar can even pass the imperial examination; where can he go to file a complaint?

Scholars are not much more valuable than ordinary people; they are merely larger ants.

Lin Yuesha stood there watching the commotion, and laughed, "Husband, your reputation has been ruined."

Prefect Shen has pledged allegiance to Qi Heng, and he will inevitably rise to a higher position in the future, so he doesn't care whether he has committed evil deeds in Wuzhou or not; he is a meritorious official.

With a few words, the burly man dragged Qi Heng into the mess, leaving the scholar speechless.

"So, in this situation, my wife, you must protect my reputation."

Qi Heng had seen this kind of thing many times before, so he remained relatively calm.

There are many officials like Prefect Shen in the Great Qi Dynasty, and a large portion of them must be punished.

Removing Prefect Shen is a simple matter of a word; the question is who can take his place and be a good official to the people of Wuzhou.

As the couple were talking, the burly man was about to attack the scholar again when Lin Yuesha shouted, "Stop!"

"Ten taels of silver, take it."

Without wasting words, Lin Yuesha threw the silver in the burly man's face. It felt so good to be rich.

"Oh my, the money delivery guy arrived so quickly?"

The burly man took a bite of the silver, then put away his stick and left, and the commotion was immediately quelled.

"Thank you, Madam, for saving me from dire straits. I will certainly repay this kindness. May I ask where you live, Madam?"

The scholar will surely send the ten taels of silver to his classmate once he finds him, and he will also give him a thank-you gift.

He had only met the other person by chance, and the fact that the other person was so generous must mean that he trusted him to repay the debt, so he had to live up to that trust.

"My husband and I are staying at the No. 1 Inn in Wuzhou."

Lin Yuesha did not refuse and prepared to go into He Tai Restaurant for a meal.

The scholar was extremely grateful for the help, and therefore, he was not afraid to tell the truth: "You should not go to He Tai Restaurant."

At the He Tai Restaurant, a plate of plain cabbage costs one tael of silver, while a dish of braised donkey meat costs five taels.

The scholar ordered a bowl of rice and two dishes, and was told that the cost was eight taels of silver. The rice was exorbitantly priced!

When paying the bill, the scholar asked the waiter if there had been a mistake, and was told that there was a table fee.

Once you enter the He Tai Restaurant, you have to pay. The waiter serves tea, and there's a tea fee. These are all things that must be paid.