She then looked at Ye Daniu, "Brother, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Ye Daniu shifted his body slightly. "No, I'll take Erniu there."
With tears in her eyes, Sun jumped onto the oxcart.
Ye Panjiu was also about to go, but Ye Erniu waved his hand and said, "Little sister, you don't need to go. Wait for us to come back. Your second brother is fine."
He didn't want his little sister to suffer because of him.
Ye Daniu nodded and turned the reins to leave.
Ye Panjiu watched with concern, adding another debt to the Du family's list in her mind.
Liu patted her shoulder, "Little sister, everything will be alright. Let's tidy up the shop first, shall we?"
Ye Panjiu nodded and carried the broken pieces of wood out of the shop one by one.
The unfinished braised food on the table was all dumped on the floor, making a mess.
After the shop was cleaned up, there were no more usable tables and chairs, and the ceramic bowls had to be bought again.
Ye Panjiu took out two taels of silver and gave it to Liu Shi, "Sister-in-law, could you please buy some more tables, chairs, and ceramic bowls and have the shopkeeper deliver them to the store? I'm going to the county government office to take a look."
Liu took the money and said, "Okay."
After closing the door, Ye Panjiu walked quickly towards the county government office.
A bucket of cold water was splashed on Qian Ziyu's face.
"Aaaaaaah!"
Qian Ziyu woke up screaming, her whole body trembling.
"Tell me honestly, what's your name, and why did you cause trouble and vandalize someone's shop!" the constable interrogated.
Qian Ziyu struggled, the chains rattling loudly, "Let me go right now! Or I'll make you regret it!"
Chu Guan gave the guard beside him an impatient look.
A guard with a murderous aura stepped forward, grabbed Qian Ziyu by the hair and pulled her back, saying, "If you say another word, I'll cut out your tongue!"
Qian Ziyu was so frightened that his teeth chattered, and he felt his scalp was splitting open from the pain.
“I will tell you, I will tell you. My name is Qian Ziyu, and I am the second son of the head of the Qian family in Shuzhou.”
Chu Guan frowned, racking his brains, but couldn't recall such a family. He looked at Xiang Ziping with a puzzled expression.
Xiang Ziping asked, "Does Qian Zibing have anything to do with you?"
Qian Ziyu hurriedly responded, "He's my own brother, and Qian Hanlin is my second uncle! Let me go, and the Qian family can give you even more!"
Xiang Ziping leaned closer to Chu Guan and said, “Young Master, Qian Hanlin is a third-rank official, but he has no real power. Qian Zibing is a staff member of the Third Prince, but he is not in a position of power.”
Chu Guan raised an eyebrow. With the Qian family's foundation and Qian Ziyu's meddling, how did the Qian family survive to this day?
He raised his finger and said lightly, "Go, invite Chief Qian here. I find it strange that Qingshui County is three hours away from Shuzhou by fast horse. The Ye family has never left Qingshui County, so why are they being bullied like this?"
He added, "Be polite."
Qian Ziyu's eyes widened. How did he know about his second uncle and brother? And he still dared to ask his father for help?
How dare a lowly ninth-rank county magistrate fight against a third-rank official?
Just as the guard was about to leave, Qian Ziyu cried out urgently, "No, no, don't go and invite my father!"
He came to Qingshui County behind his father's back. Du E'li was a concubine he had begged and pleaded to marry, and he came to Qingshui County to avenge her.
Her parents already hated E'li to the extreme. If they found out about this, E'li would definitely be sold off. She's so fragile, how could she survive without him?
So we absolutely must not let his parents know!
Chu Guan was getting impatient. "Then you'd better tell me the truth!"
Qian Ziyu dared not hide the truth, “I have recently taken a concubine, Du E’li. She was bullied by the Ye family, and I came here to avenge her!”
Ye Panjiu had already arrived and knew the background of the Qian family. She stood respectfully and said, "Then you are truly foolish. You listen to one side and believe one side. You didn't find out anything and were used as a pawn."
Qian Ziyu looked at her, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. This young lady was really beautiful. Unlike Du E'li, who was delicate and fragile, she was more stunning, like a plum blossom in the snow, with a more dignified air.
For a moment, they forgot to refute it.
Ye Panjiu withdrew her gaze in disgust. "Lord Chu, this man's guard even broke my second brother's hand. Please, Your Excellency, do justice for this humble citizen!"
Chu Guan glared at him, "He assaulted someone in the street without cause. He and his guards should both be given twenty strokes of the cane on the spot! They should also pay five times the amount of compensation to the shopkeeper for his losses, totaling two hundred and fifty taels!"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Ye Panjiu with a questioning look in his eyes.
Ye Panjiu nodded slightly; the punishment was acceptable.
Qian Ziyu was stunned. Two hundred and fifty taels?!
Before he could refute, he was already pinned down on the bench.
"Bang!"
The heavy blows came down, making him wince in pain.
What kind of nonsense is this?!
The guards all received twenty strokes of the cane and were still able to walk, but Qian Ziyu had never suffered like this before. After ten strokes, he fainted.
Seeing Ye Panjiu's expression, Chu Guan stopped the fight.
"You can only leave when you've paid out two hundred and fifty taels!"
The head guard pleaded, "Please, sir, send a doctor to treat the young master!"
Chu Guan waved his hand in approval, and the guards then helped the unconscious Qian Ziyu back to his cell.
"Sister Panjiu, is there anything else you need to tell me?"
Ye Panjiu shook her head. "Thank you. Where is Du E'li? I'd like to see her alone."
If someone hurt her second brother, they would also be punished with a cane. If someone vandalized her shop, they would have to pay compensation.
She has cleared her debts with Qian Ziyu, but what remains is the debt with Du E'li, the mastermind behind it all.
Chu Guan led the way for her, saying, "I've put her in solitary confinement. There aren't many people in the county jail these days, and she is, after all, a woman."
Ye Panjiu nodded. "You've thought it through very well."
Chu Guan smiled sheepishly. Just then, they arrived at the prison cell, so he didn't go any further.
Ye Panjiu walked into the prison cell alone.
The small, damp, and dark room had only one small window that was tightly closed.
Du E'li's hair was a mess, and her hands were still chained, making it impossible for her to lift them. She slumped on the ground, no longer acting arrogantly. Instead, she looked at Ye Panjiu with a soft and weak expression, her eyes red.
"Panjiu, we've been sisters-in-law for a long time, do we really have to come to this?"
Ye Panjiu looked down at her and sneered, "Your shamelessness has truly opened my eyes. Now it's Qian Ziyu, and before that it was Liu Shi. You were the one who stirred up trouble. You know, the one who starts it is the one who's despicable."
She slowly took out a dagger from her sleeve pocket, her slender fingers gently tracing the blade.
She bought the dagger a long time ago and always carried it with her.
Du E'li turned pale with fright and shouted, "Pan Jiu, you, you mustn't do anything rash! If you kill me, you won't have a good life either!"
Ye Panjiu frowned. "Why would I kill you? It's not that serious. I'm just here to settle some scores with you. When you entered the Qian family, did your Yu Lang make you sign a contract of servitude?"
Concubines were servants in wealthy and powerful families, not considered masters, and usually had to sign a contract of servitude.
Du E'li's heart skipped a beat. "That's good, that's good. You do the math, I'll give it all back to you! Yu Lang can't be without me for a moment, so he didn't sign."
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