He Yunze's terrified scream fell to the ground, but he heard several men's cold laughs beside him.
Then He Yunze was slapped hard several times, so hard that he saw stars and tasted blood in his throat.
His face hurt, it was so painful it made him numb, and his mind went blank. He almost stopped thinking, but his heart didn't hurt as much.
He Yunze even felt a little bit of pleasure. If being slapped could make him completely forget Song Ruoan, then he would rather have a few more.
He was dragged and pulled into a narrow alley.
The sack on his body was untied, and his vision returned. He Yunze opened his eyes with difficulty and saw four bald, fat men surrounding him.
The man was tall and burly, with a thick beard covering his face, and he was carrying a long, thick stick.
He Yunze looked at the menacing-looking group and instantly became defensive. He took a few steps back in fear, gritted his teeth, and stared at the burly man in front of him: "You only dragged me for a short while. If I shout, the constables of the Jingzhao Prefecture will hear me!"
"Under the very nose of the Emperor, how dare you act so recklessly! Kidnapping a sixth-rank official of the imperial court, do you have no regard for your lives?"
Upon hearing this, the burly man at the head of the group suddenly burst into laughter, showing no fear whatsoever: "Audacious? Who in the world is more audacious than Lord He?"
"Paying back debts is a matter of course! I've heard that Lord He's brothel has gone bankrupt and is no longer allowed to operate, and he even has to pay compensation to the victims? So, you don't plan to pay back the loan sharks you owe?"
Upon hearing the other party mention usury, He Yunze's eyes narrowed sharply, and his previously confident demeanor vanished in an instant.
Yes, he borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates.
When he was renovating the Xianglou, he hired what was said to be the fastest craftsman, but the craftsman he hired was unreliable and made mistakes repeatedly.
How much rent does a shop on Yong'an Street charge per day? If we wait any longer, it's like throwing the borrowed money into the water.
He was anxious and frustrated, racking his brains. So he dismissed the original craftsmen, borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates, and hired the best craftsmen to renovate Ruo'an Building according to the specifications of Pinxianglou.
With interest compounding, this was no small sum. He borrowed two thousand taels of silver at exorbitant interest rates for renovations and the purchase of materials.
The interest for one month, plus miscellaneous expenses for shoes and socks, means an extra four hundred taels of silver to pay each month.
If the principal cannot be repaid in the first month, the principal will become 2,400 taels in the second month, and the interest will be 500 taels, and so on.
He Yunze originally thought that since Ruoanlou had such a great reputation in the capital, the turnover on the opening day would be enough to pay off the loan, so he gritted his teeth and lent it the money.
But who knew! Song Ruoan was lying to him! A complete lie!
He had completely forgotten about this matter while he was in court!
As He Yunze thought about it, Song Ruoan's face appeared before his eyes again. He was so angry that he was trembling all over, and for a moment he even felt nauseous and wanted to vomit.
The burly man at the head of the group laughed even harder when he saw this.
He stepped forward, his greasy hand stroking He Yunce's cheek: "Young Master He, do you still want to report this to the authorities?"
"You, a dignified sixth-rank remonstrating official, have borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates and are now penniless. If the emperor finds out, won't you be utterly disgraced and have no future?"
He Yunze gritted his teeth, barely managing to avoid the burly man's caresses, and lowered his voice to say, "Isn't the time not yet up?"
The burly man nodded: "It hasn't arrived yet, so today I'm just taking you to a small alley to remind you. I'll return the principal and interest on time."
"If we don't see the silver after seven days, I'll lead my brothers to cause trouble at the government offices and the Marquis's residence, and then in court, so that your good name will be known throughout the land!"
He Yunze's face was deathly pale. He forced a smile and said, "That day will never come. My elder brother is bedridden and doesn't have much time left. I am my father's only son, and he has already planned to let me inherit the title. With the Marquis of Anding taking charge, how could we not have the money to pay back?"
Upon hearing this, the burly man's expression softened considerably. He casually cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards He Yunce, saying, "Good riddance! Then we'll wait for the young master to pay back the money to us brothers!"
He Yunze said stiffly, "You won't be shortchanged."
Although their father was very strict with them, in the past, if he had known about this kind of thing, he would never have let it go, much less clean up the mess for them.
However, his elder brother is now on the verge of death. He is the only bloodline and the only heir of the Marquis's mansion. Even if his father is very angry, he would never leave him to die.
He Yunze breathed a slight sigh of relief upon realizing this.
He hurriedly returned to the carriage, as if wolves were chasing him.
Shuangxi, who was guarding the carriage, saw He Yunce's distraught appearance and the bloodstains on his face, and asked with great concern, "Master, what happened to you?"
He Yunze just shook his head, urging anxiously, "Go back to the manor, go back to the manor now."
Shuangxi was taken aback: "What happened? Aren't you waiting for the young mistress?"
He Yunze suddenly heard Song Ruoan's name, sneered, and felt the slaps on his face hurt even more.
Upon returning to the Marquis's residence, he immediately instructed the maids and servants of Guanyunxuan to move all his clothes and bedding from his bedroom to his study.
All the maids and servants in Guanyunxuan were surprised, and Shuangxi's heart sank: "Master, what are you trying to do?"
"You're not thinking of divorcing your wife, are you?"
He Yunze sneered: "Others may not know what happened, but you've been by my side all day, and you don't know either?"
Shuangxi's face showed a hint of bitterness: "But the young mistress did not violate any of the seven grounds for divorce. In fact, everything was done by you and the young mistress together. Will the Marquis and the Song family agree to this?"
Hearing this, He Yunze took a breath and said, "I don't know, I really don't know, let me think about it some more."
While Guanyunxuan was busy moving things around, Song Xizhi was also hurriedly getting off the carriage and rushing into his bedroom at Ximoxuan.
Her skirt swayed like a fluttering butterfly.
The courtyard gate slammed shut with a bang, and she was so flustered that she almost tripped over her own skirt.
All the servants in the courtyard stopped what they were doing to help her up, but Song Xizhi pushed them away, lifted her skirt, and ran all the way to the bedroom door.
Song Xizhi stood at the door and took a deep breath, feeling his heart pounding like a drum.
She closed her eyes, then suddenly pushed open the bedroom door. She was about to speak, but paused for a moment and cleared her throat.
"Husband? Husband, husband, I'm back!"
The woman's clear voice rang out in the bright bedroom, like a cheerful little sparrow, her tone filled with anticipation.
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