Chapter 260 Buying a Life

One thousand taels of silver is not much for Jiang Baozhu, but it is not a small amount either.

She secretly took out the silver notes, behind Xiaoxi and Xiaocui's backs.

Jiang Baozhu didn't want to take either of the two maids with her, especially Xiao Xi, who was quick-witted and outspoken. What if her mother, Madam Xu, found out and started to worry about her?

Jiang Baozhu gritted her teeth and decided to go alone.

To go out, Jiang Baozhu had to use Lin Yuesha as an excuse. So, she successfully left with her package, rented a carriage at a carriage shop, and traveled all the way to the north of the city.

She asked the driver and learned that the dilapidated temple in the north of the city had been struck by lightning. The locals said that the place was cursed and no one usually went near it.

It was already noon, and the sun was high in the sky, but the dilapidated temple in the north of the city was dark and gloomy, looking rather eerie.

The closer Jiang Baozhu got, the more she regretted it, wishing she had brought Xiao Cui with her.

Is anyone home?

Since she was already there, Jiang Baozhu couldn't give up. She pushed open one of the doors and went inside.

"Hahaha, here comes the woman!"

Inside the dilapidated temple, several shady-looking men were already waiting. Seeing that there was no one behind Jiang Baozhu, they became even more excited.

The group exchanged glances, and two men stepped forward and immediately pinned Jiang Baozhu to the spot.

There was no Zhang Jing, no barbarian woman.

Jiang Baozhu panicked and made a mistake; she had been tricked!

"Search her and see how much silver this woman is carrying."

One of them laughed loudly, and several people immediately pounced on her, groping her all over.

"ah!"

Jiang Baozhu screamed loudly, filled with regret and anger at herself for believing a beggar's words without even asking him clearly. She had made another fatal mistake by coming alone.

Her purse and other belongings were stolen by several hooligans. Even worse, one of them was trying to unbutton her blouse, his lewd expression practically drooling.

"Young lady, keep screaming. Even if you scream until your throat is hoarse, no one will save you."

The others laughed. This was a dilapidated temple in the north of the city, surrounded by deserted places. The people were afraid of being cursed, so who would come to such an unlucky place?

"Wang the Cripple, come here right now, don't you want your share of the silver?"

The leader shouted something, and Wang the Cripple immediately released Jiang Baozhu and rushed over.

"Who exactly are you people?"

Jiang Baozhu felt a chill on the soles of her feet. She thought about it and realized that she didn't seem to have offended anyone.

What if it's an enemy left behind by her father? That can't be right either. Her father, Jiang Huai, has always been honest in business. Even if there were some minor grudges, it wouldn't go to this extent.

The other party had clearly investigated her background and knew her weaknesses, so they used this to lure her over.

Jiang Baozhu was scared, but she deliberately remained calm. Now that things had come to this, she had to find a way to save herself.

“My maids are still outside the door. If they can’t tell that I’m not here, they’ll definitely report me to the authorities. You won’t be able to escape.”

On a sudden inspiration, Jiang Baozhu tricked someone.

"Don't give me that crap. Your two maids are still at home. Who are you trying to fool? Do you think we're that stupid?"

The men looked at each other and burst into laughter.

The leader, clutching the silver notes, feigned elation and laughed, "We're rich! We're all rich!"

It's over a thousand taels! I never imagined Jiang Baozhu was so naive and rich, so easily fooled. We didn't have to lift a finger; we just had to wait for the silver in the dilapidated temple.

These people knew that Xiaoxi and Xiaocui hadn't come, so who was the one who sent the message?

How exactly did people find out about my family's situation?

Jiang Baozhu was completely baffled, but she couldn't just sit and wait to die.

“If my mother finds out that I have gone out and I do not return for a long time, she will definitely report me to the authorities.”

Jiang Baozhu changed her story, but the group remained unfazed. Madam Xu was sickly and near death. Once she passed away, all of the Jiang family's assets would belong to someone else.

"Report to the authorities?"

One of the hooligans finished counting the silver notes, spat out the weeds he was chewing, and sneered, "Young lady, you still haven't figured out the situation. Do you think you'll make it back alive?"

They accepted the thousand taels not for free, but because the other party specifically requested to buy Jiang Baozhu's life.

It's pathetic that they're still trying to outsmart them when they're about to die.

"What did you say?"

Jiang Baozhu couldn't believe that someone wanted to kill her, and she never imagined that her enemy was her enemy.

"Fine, I see you're a pitiful person too. Before you die, I'll let you die knowing the truth."

One of them looked at Jiang Baozhu with pity. She was clearly a young lady from a wealthy family, but she had no sense of self-preservation and ended up in this state.

"You're going to kill me?"

Jiang Baozhu thought the other party just wanted to swindle some money, but little did she know that the other party wanted not only money, but also her life!

She was genuinely frightened, but the man was right; she needed to find out who was behind this.

"Anyway, you're saying I can't survive either, so who exactly told you to do this?"

Jiang Baozhu was discouraged. She rubbed her eyes and felt very foolish.

"It's Zhao Sanniang."

Several men revealed the mastermind. Jiang Baozhu was incredulous. How could it be Aunt Zhao? She and Xiao Cui had signed a death contract; she was a servant in the family!

"You're really stupid."

The man shook his head, opened a jar of wine, and the group celebrated with a bowl each.

Indeed, in the beginning, Zhao Sanniang and Jiang Baozhu escaped from the barbarian territory together. They were impeccable in their actions. Jiang Baozhu spent fifty taels of silver to save Xiao Cui, and Zhao Sanniang was grateful.

However, this gratitude turned into dissatisfaction after spending some time with Jiang Baozhu.

The daughter, Xiao Cui, has had a hard life since she was a child. Now she lives with her mother, serving tea and water, but she doesn't receive any attention at home.

Like Xu Shi, Zhao San Niang was also unable to give birth to a son, but the fates of her daughters were vastly different. Jiang Baozhu was raised as the eldest daughter and was pampered, which made Zhao San Niang jealous.

Jealousy slowly turned into anger. By chance, Zhao Sanniang learned that servants could gain their freedom once their masters were gone.

In other words, once Xu Shi and Jiang Baozhu died, Zhao San Niang and Xiao Cui would have the opportunity to go to the yamen to change their records and redeem themselves, as long as they paid some silver.

“Zhao San Niang has a good plan. Think about it, your mother is sickly. Once she kicks the bucket, you will be the only one left in the family. If you disappear quietly, will Zhao San Niang still worry about money? She can take all the money in the Jiang family for herself.”

The leader of the men did not hide anything. Zhao Sanniang found them and said that she had a business deal to make: a thousand taels of silver, in exchange for Jiang Baozhu's life.

At first, no one believed it, since not everyone could come up with so much silver. But Zhao San Niang was certain that Jiang Baozhu had personally delivered the silver.

Upon seeing the money, take it, kill to silence them—it's that simple. And she guarantees that this matter will never be leaked to anyone.