Chapter 261 Procrastination

Jiang Baozhu shuddered in disbelief.

Lin Yuesha had reminded her before that while it's good to have kind intentions, one shouldn't be too kind, otherwise one is easily led by the nose.

During this time, Jiang Baozhu was preoccupied with the old monk's admonition at Yutan Temple and did not notice anything unusual about Aunt Zhao and Xiao Cui.

Now, trying to recall, I realize that there were many times when Xiao Cui wanted to talk to her, but hesitated to speak.

What was Xiao Cui trying to say? Was she warning her not to fall for it? Yes, the people who know your weaknesses best are the people around you.

Jiang Baozhu thought that if she died in the dilapidated temple and was buried or dumped in a mass grave, her mother, Xu, would probably lose her life in her anxiety and distress.

With her father not yet home and only Xiaoxi at home, who is incapable of handling anything, she will surely be deceived by Zhao Sanniang.

She was wrong. People can't resist the temptation of profit. If she and her mother died, Zhao San Niang and Xiao Cui would not only regain their freedom, but also be able to embezzle some of the Jiang family's money.

Jiang Baozhu closed her eyes, and before her eyes was the miserable sight of Zhao Sanniang kneeling and kowtowing, her head covered in blood, a far cry from the scheming and vicious woman she had always been.

It was precisely because Zhao San Niang knew of Zhang Jing's existence that she took advantage of Jiang Baozhu's weakness. Ironically, Jiang Baozhu actually believed her and, in her own cleverness, secretly came to deliver the silver.

That's so stupid!

"Now you understand what happened, and you don't have to die a wronged ghost."

After discussing it, the men placed a cup of wine in front of Jiang Baozhu. This wine contained highly poisonous arsenic; anyone who drank it would die within fifteen minutes, bleeding from all seven orifices.

"Consider it a good deed for us brothers to refrain from killing. You should end your own life."

The man at the head of the group stopped smiling and looked away from Jiang Baozhu.

Actually, this young lady was quite beautiful, and they wanted to take advantage of her, but having just received a large sum of money, none of them were in the mood for it.

Let's get this over with quickly so we can go out and have some fun.

"If you let me go, you can get more silver."

Jiang Baozhu took a deep breath and told herself that she must not lose her composure at this critical moment.

Since she could produce a thousand taels of silver so easily, the Jiang family must have even more money.

“Your help Zhao Sanniang kill me is just a favor to others; the Jiang family’s wealth has nothing to do with you.”

Jiang Baozhu had a clear mind; if they were willing to release her, she would pay more money to save her life.

Money is a powerful motivator; no one dislikes having too much money, and the few hooligans were clearly tempted.

"No, we can't let her go."

The leading man thought for a moment and immediately denied it.

They're in cahoots with Zhao Sanniang. If they release Jiang Baozhu, and she reports them to the authorities, even if she's willing to let a few people go, Zhao Sanniang will inevitably implicate them.

Now that they know the Jiang family is wealthy, the group can share the silver with Zhao Sanniang afterward, without having to let Jiang Baozhu go.

"Boss, you're right, I almost got fooled by this woman!"

The others gathered together to discuss the matter and finally unanimously decided to kill Jiang Baozhu. They absolutely could not leave any survivors, otherwise, there would be endless trouble.

In her desperate struggle, Jiang Baozhu had already tried her best, but she didn't expect that these people were not stupid at all and had not been blinded by money.

"I promise I won't report this to the authorities. As long as you help me kill Zhao Sanniang, we'll be on the same side, how about it?"

Jiang Baozhu tried to persuade the leader of the group, but the man realized that this approach was unreliable and therefore firmly disagreed.

"Without me, Zhao San Niang would have no idea where the Jiang family's money is."

After talking for a long time, her mouth was dry and she was almost in despair. She really had no other way.

"That's not something you should be thinking about."

Several people gathered around, hoping that Jiang Baozhu would quickly drink the poisoned wine so that they could bury her anywhere and leave the dilapidated temple. The two sides were locked in a stalemate.

Jiang Baozhu knew that her time was running out. Soon, the other party would come up and force her to drink the poisoned wine.

Was this the end for her? This ending didn't seem much better than her previous life.

Not far from the dilapidated temple, Lin Yuesha waited for a while with white tea and Longjing tea, but Jiang Baozhu did not come out.

"Miss, there's no one around ahead, just a dilapidated temple."

Bai Cha couldn't hold back any longer and said that because the temple was cursed, the locals considered it an ominous place and would never wander around there unless necessary.

Jiang Baozhu left in the direction that she entered the dilapidated temple alone.

What was she doing at the dilapidated temple?

Lin Yuesha felt uneasy. Jiang Baozhu hadn't come out yet, so she decided to go in and check on the situation herself.

"Miss, let me go."

Bai Cha bit her lip. This place was too secluded; there might be danger. As a servant, how could she let her young mistress put herself in danger?

"Alright, Bai Cha, once you go in, whether you see Jiang Baozhu or not, you must come out within fifteen minutes. Do you understand?"

Lin Yuesha gave the dagger she bought to Bai Cha for self-defense, and said, "If you don't come out in a quarter of an hour, Longjing and I will assume you are in danger and will rush to report to the authorities immediately."

"Miss, you are so thoughtful."

Bai Cha took the dagger, feeling slightly reassured. She jogged towards the dilapidated temple, leaving Lin Yuesha and Longjing waiting in place.

Inside the dilapidated temple, the leading man had already picked up the bowl and was about to force Jiang Baozhu to drink it when he suddenly heard footsteps at the door.

Who's here?

Everyone was startled, having no idea there was anyone still around at this hour.

When Bai Cha entered the dilapidated temple, he was startled by the sight of a group of men.

When Jiang Baozhu saw Bai Cha arrive, a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes. Bai Cha was Lin Yuesha's maid. Since Bai Cha had come to the dilapidated temple, Lin Yuesha should be nearby.

Given Lin Yuesha's quick wit, she would definitely report any unusual activity to the authorities, and then she would be saved!

The best course of action now is to pretend you don't recognize white tea in order to buy time.

"Young lady, who are you looking for?"

The leader gave his men a meaningful look, signaling that it was better to avoid trouble and send the man away quickly to prevent any further complications.

If we were to silence them and take another life, not only would we not get any money, but there would also be too many uncertainties.

"That's what I wanted to ask you too."

Bai Cha put her hands on her hips and said, "This place is cursed. What are you people doing here? You didn't come here because you saw how beautiful this girl is, did you? You must have some bad intentions."

As expected, something went wrong. It seems she'll have to stall for more than fifteen minutes.

Bai Cha was terrified, but she couldn't back down, so she could only try to make conversation.

"Nonsense, this is my cousin!"

The leader of the group gave his men a wink. In short, they couldn't let the girl go, otherwise she would go out and inform others, attracting attention and exposing their operation.

The group exchanged glances and continued to press for answers about the white tea.

"Then please leave."

Bai Cha pointed to her small basket, which contained cakes, pastries, and incense, as she wanted to worship the local earth god.