"Where are they hiding? Take me there." Butler Zhou looked at Song Dahua with the same eyes he used to look at a clown.
Oh no, Song Dahua almost peed herself.
She said with a mournful face, "They, they've disappeared without a trace, I don't know where they are."
"Since you are a girl and have stayed behind to take the blame, if you take me to find them, I may not send you to the yamen."
"Otherwise, I'll just give you one as a gift," Butler Zhou said, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
"Do you know what kind of place that prison is? Those jailers won't let you go if they see a pretty girl like you."
Song Dahua shuddered involuntarily. She didn't want to go to prison, didn't want to be ravaged by those prisons.
If that were to happen, her life would be ruined; I can't even imagine it.
“They…” Song Dahua slowly raised her finger and pointed in the opposite direction: “They ran past here, then turned left.”
Butler Zhou waved his hand, and led his men to arrest the person.
“Swindling and cheating, they deserve it,” Qiao Dayong said, frowning.
Qiao Dacheng was lucky; Lian'er was born into such a family, but thankfully she wasn't led astray.
In contrast, Song Ruier is a completely different person.
A short while later, Boss Song and his gang, who had been hiding in a deserted alley, were brought out.
"Let us go! We didn't do anything!" Old Song protested as he struggled to move around.
Song Lao Er: "In broad daylight, you've gone completely lawless! We're not criminals."
Steward Zhou chuckled: "Whether you're a criminal or not, once you go to the yamen and are convicted, you won't be able to deny it."
Upon hearing that they were to be sent to the yamen (government office), the men's faces changed, and they struggled even more fiercely.
"No, we're not going. Who gave you the law? What did we do wrong?"
"Help! Someone is killing people!"
But no matter how much they struggled or screamed, they were all taken to the Han family's house, leaving Song Dahua alone outside.
Once Song Dahua confirmed that Butler Zhou kept his word, she quickly ran off, her legs trembling.
She had absolutely no idea what to do; she needed to go back and tell Old Lady Song about it.
"Hey, wait a minute."
Butler Zhou came to the door and called out to her.
Song Dahua's legs went weak, and she almost fell to the ground again.
Steward Zhou approached her furtively, his expression malicious: "The three of them, ten taels of silver each, otherwise they'll all be sent to the yamen. They'll be locked up for three to five years, and when they come back, they won't be human anymore. They'll also have criminal records. If they're even less lucky, they'll become lowly, and their descendants won't be able to take the imperial examinations, become officials, or buy land and property. Then there'll be no way to undo it."
In fact, only those who commit serious crimes are punished by being relegated to the lowest social class. However, Steward Zhou had a certain intention, both openly and secretly, that the Han family would bribe the government to ensure that those who were arrested were relegated to the lowest social class.
Song Dahua's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that simply deceiving someone would have such serious consequences.
"Sir, we were bewitched this time, please let us go. We are poor farmers, we just want to earn more money. Please release my father, my uncle, and my cousin, and we will thank you properly."
"It's not that easy. You're really naive." Steward Zhou said coldly, "It's your fault for trying to take advantage of the Han family. I'll give you two days. Today counts, plus tomorrow. If I don't see any silver from your family by the day after tomorrow, I'll have the three of them sent to the yamen."
Song Dahua burst into tears, wiping away her tears as she walked back.
Thirty taels of silver! That's a third of the family's savings.
They didn't even get eighty taels of silver; they had to lose another thirty.
The three Qiao siblings also returned home. Qiao Lian'er deduced that Song Dahua had probably been blackmailed by Steward Zhou.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
