Li Xue gave a cold laugh and said:

"When we went to your residence to collect the debt last time, Mr. Gao made a promise, and he shouldn't have forgotten it, right?"

But what I didn't expect was that after you signed the agreement, you disappeared.

We searched everywhere, but we never expected that the search would last for more than half a year. It turned out that you had hidden yourself in a restaurant in the countryside and worked as an accountant.

Now that we've met again, do you still want to run away?

"It's been so long, we won't charge any extra interest. It's the same as before: Mr. Gao, the choice is yours—either we cut off your five fingers or return the five thousand taels of silver."

At this moment, Yu Wen slumped in his chair, his face pale and covered in cold sweat.

All of this happened right under Nashbai's nose, without a single flaw.

Nashby finally understood: Gawain had borrowed money from loan sharks and couldn't repay it, so he hid here and became an accountant, but he still ended up being found.

As a foreigner, Nashbai's journey here was far from easy; he lived in constant fear.

As a foreigner, Nashbai was indeed a talented individual; he had long ago devised his own infiltration plan.

First, establish a firm foothold, then develop your own power, proceeding step by step.

He saw today's events as an opportunity; he needed to develop his own trusted confidants, and Mr. Gao was a good candidate.

At this time, since he had provided Gao Wen with assistance, Gao Wen would definitely follow him wholeheartedly and serve him whenever needed.

Thinking of this, Nashbai finally spoke.

“Miss, Mr. Gao only owes you some money, and you want to chop off his finger? Isn’t that going too far?”

"Who are you? This is none of your business. Paying back debts is a matter of course, unless you pay back the money for him."

Li Xue spoke coldly, not forgetting to glare at Nashi Bai.

“What’s so difficult about that? It’s just a mere five thousand taels of silver. I’ll pay it off for Mr. Gao. Once you’ve received the money, please leave immediately and don’t make things difficult for Mr. Gao.”

"Of course, we'll leave immediately after we get the money."

"Okay, it's a deal then."

After Nashibai finished speaking, he took out several silver notes from his pocket, counted them, and prepared to hand them to Li Xue.

Yu Wen hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, appearing very agitated, and said:

"Manager Bai, how can I ask you to pay off my debt? This is five thousand taels of silver."

Besides, they definitely didn't bring my IOU. If I return the money to them now, it's just empty proof; what if they deny it later?

Upon hearing this, Li Xue quickly spoke up:

"Mr. Gao, please rest assured, I will give you a receipt. You can use this receipt to exchange for your IOU later."

That's a good idea. Yu Wen stopped talking and watched as Li Xue took the silver note, wrote a receipt, and handed it to him.

After doing all this, Li Xue, accompanied by two guards, left the restaurant without looking back.

Seeing Li Xue leave, Yu Wen looked at Nashi Bai with gratitude in his eyes; this was exactly the effect Nashi Bai wanted.

"Manager Bai, I will definitely return your five thousand taels of silver, but it will take some time."

Manager Bai is a generous man who saved me from danger. I won't say more about my gratitude. If Manager Bai ever needs anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I, Gao, will gladly do anything for you.

Nashbai quickly waved his hand and said:

"Mr. Gao, please don't say such things. Those who lend money at exorbitant interest rates are truly despicable."

I am very happy to be able to help Mr. Gao. As for the money, let's not mention it again.

Mr. Bai is new to this place and wants to start a business. He will need Mr. Gao's help in many ways in the future, so he asks for Mr. Gao's assistance.

"Don't worry, Manager Bai. From now on, no matter what it is, as long as you give the order, I, Gao, will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Yu Wen's declaration of loyalty pleased Na Baishi greatly. Spending five thousand taels of silver to make Gao Wen wholeheartedly serve him was definitely a worthwhile investment.

However, Nashbury wasn't stupid. At this point, he couldn't fully trust Gawain. He needed to test him further before he could confidently let Gawain work for him.

It was lunchtime, and Li Xue hadn't returned yet, so Zhao Xian couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

Nashbury is very cunning; one must be extremely careful when dealing with him.

Just as I was thinking about these things, Li Xue returned, looking very excited.

"Have you seen Nashbai?" Zhao Xian asked.

"Of course I saw him. I was going to ask Nashbai to reimburse me for two thousand taels of silver, but Master Yu felt that two thousand taels of silver was too little and insisted that Nashbai reimburse me for five thousand taels of silver."

Nashbai was very generous and reported it without saying a word.

"My lord, please look, these are all silver notes, totaling five thousand taels of silver."

After Li Xue finished speaking, she took out a silver note and waved it in front of Zhao Xian.

Zhao Xian couldn't understand how Li Xue had tricked Na Shibai into giving her so much silver.

"This is incredible! How did the princess do that?"

Li Xue smiled and then recounted what had just happened.

"It seems that Nashbai's style of doing things is indeed different from others. He spares no expense in order to win over Master Yu."

This time, the princess seized the opportunity and successfully extorted five thousand taels of silver. It seems the princess is indeed one step ahead.

"Needless to say, this Nashbai looks very smart, but he's actually as stupid as an ox. You know, even the most cunning fox can't outsmart a good hunter."

Nashbai will be staying in the village for a while. If he sees me, it will arouse his suspicion. I plan to return to the capital tomorrow.

This afternoon I'll go to the farm to see Xiao Hei, then go to the lake to see the lotus leaves and koi. After Li Guang finishes building the pavilion by the lake, I'll come back to admire the lotus flowers.

In the past, whenever Li Xue came to Shuixian Village, Zhao Xian always hoped she would leave soon, but this time when Li Xue returned to Beijing, Zhao Xian felt a sense of loss.

Lunch was quickly finished, and Li Xue sent several guards back to the inn to rest, while she went to the farm.

As soon as I entered the farmyard, I saw two little creatures eating. The little fox, Yu Hong, hadn't changed much, but Xiao Hei had changed very much; it had turned into a rather large mountain bear.

After a month apart, Xiao Hei has grown quite a bit, and his waistline has gotten even bigger.

Upon seeing Li Xue arrive, Xiao Hei immediately ran over.

Li Xue patted Xiao Hei's big head and couldn't help but sigh.

A few months ago, I thought of it as a puppy, but now it has become a huge creature.

At this moment, Li Guang was sweating profusely and eating shirtless. When he saw Li Xue coming over, he quickly grabbed his shirt and put it on.

Chen Xiaoxiao and Zhao Xiaosheng were also eating when they saw Li Xue coming over, and they quickly stood up.

"Greetings, Princess." The two greeted each other.

Li Xue nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on Li Guang, who was drenched in sweat, and she wondered what was wrong.

"Li Guang, what's wrong with you? Why are you sweating so much while eating?"