Chapter 580 Zhao Si’s Creditor
As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake.
Although there are clear laws in the court that prohibit government offices from making trouble out of nothing, the emperor is far away, and it would be easy for Prefect Shen and others to use the provisions of the law to harass the people!
For example, we can strictly check the procedures required by Mu Xin Comics Shop, or directly ask them to go through the procedures again, and then the government office will block the process and refuse to stamp it.
In this situation, even if the people above come down, there is nothing they can do.
Moreover, it is said that officials protect each other, and people in official circles are extremely contemptuous of small merchants. As long as the matter does not get out of hand, they will turn a blind eye to the embarrassing behavior of Prefect Shen.
These are all the legitimate ways, but there are many other insidious methods.
Listening to Zhao Si's story, Hu Xin'er couldn't help but feel shocked: "I don't think Mr. Shen should be that kind of person. His father has a good reputation in Qingzhou City."
All officials have to consider their reputation, not to mention that Qingzhou is not very far from the capital. Could Prefect Shen be so bold?
Zhao Si laughed at her naiveté: "The Zhou family in Qingzhou City only prospered after Prefect Shen came here. Over the years, they have done so many evil things that hurt the world. Has Prefect Shen ever intervened?"
"The Zhou family and the Chen family..." Hu Xiner murmured. She had heard about the relationship between the two families.
However, there is a problem.
She questioned: "If there is really a relationship between the Zhou family and the Shen family, why would Master Shen help us?"
Zhao Si looked at her and smiled, "My silly sister, the matter between the Zhou family and the Shen family is between the elders, and it doesn't mean that the younger generations are also united. Look at the state of Master Shen. Can he get along with a reckless man like Zhou Chenghe?"
There is some truth to this.
"Mr. Shen seems to have a good relationship with Miss Du." Hu Xin'er couldn't help but mutter, "But Miss Zhou and Miss Du are sworn enemies. The relationship between these three families is really complicated."
Zhao Si's eyes suddenly flashed: "Sister, you are from the Princess's Mansion. I'm sure you are used to these things, right?"
He was testing Hu Xiner's identity.
When Hu Xiner heard the hidden meaning, she couldn't help but sigh: This guy is really cunning. He can see the clues with just a few words.
However, since Hu Xin'er was able to turn the tables on Master Shen, she was certainly not without ulterior motives. She immediately rolled her eyes and said, "Our eldest princess is a noble lady from a royal family. Why would she need all this intrigue? Whatever she wants, there will naturally be someone to offer it to her."
Zhao Si chuckled: "That's true."
Even he, a small fry in Qingzhou City, had heard of the eldest princess's ridiculous reputation.
However, Zhao Si felt that the eldest princess did not seem to have done anything against the will of heaven. The most excessive thing she had done was to blindly pursue the son of the Lu family and take in a male favorite.
Her reputation has fallen to its current state largely because others are jealous of her and are secretly fanning the flames.
but……
Zhao Si didn't stop trying. "Sister said before that we would move out in a month. Now that the old lady is seriously ill, do you want to stay here a little longer? Qingzhou City has beautiful snowy scenery in winter, and the willow pond in spring is also a must-see."
"We'll see." Hu Xin'er was a little impatient with the back-and-forth probing, but she still had to maintain her composure in front of Zhao Si. "You don't have to worry about his revenge. I think your situation is just like the saying goes, 'A small temple has strong demons, a shallow pond has many turtles.' If this doesn't work out, just find another place to do business."
"What?!" Zhao Si was so shocked that his jaw dropped.
Hu Xin'er said with a smile, "I've given you the original comics and the hand-cranked printing press. As long as you have real talent and skills, you can get ahead anywhere."
I thought I would make some progress after following him for these days, but I didn't expect that he was still so short-sighted.
Zhao Si said with a sad face, "But if I don't have my sister, what can I do? Apart from my talent for business, what real talents do I have?"
Hu Xin'er saw that although he was crying, his eyes were rolling around, so she knew that he had no good intentions in mind. So she ignored him and just asked when he was leaving.
Zhao Si was unwilling to leave. He leaned forward pitifully and said, "Sister, if those hand-crank printing presses and comic book originals were stolen, I would be left with nothing. Wouldn't I have to live the same life of being chased for debt as before?"
Speaking of debt collection, Hu Xin'er's expression changed: "You said before that you owed a lot of debts. Have you paid them off now?"
A hint of guilt flashed across Zhao Si's face.
Hu Xin'er sighed exaggeratedly, "I do have a skill, and I guarantee that if others learn it, they can make a living. But I'm afraid I won't cooperate with those who don't tell the truth after this time."
Zhao Si swallowed and asked cautiously, "What kind of craft is it?"
Hu Xiner smiled but said nothing.
Zhao Si scratched his head and said, "Actually, I only owed someone six hundred taels of silver. I've almost paid it back. I was just worried that my sister would say I was dishonest. But there's another creditor who's more troublesome."
"Who is it?" Hu Xin'er raised an eyebrow. "Could it be Zhou Chenghe?"
Zhao Si thought about the craft that could support his family, and also about the man's ability to turn stone into gold. He gritted his teeth and said, "Actually, this matter is no secret in Qingzhou City. Last time, when I was with the innkeeper, didn't he say that I cheated someone? That person was Zheng Qingyuan..."
It turned out that when Zhao Si first arrived in Qingzhou, he had already currying favor with a golden thigh, that is Zheng Qingyuan.
Zheng Qingyuan was a merchant who usually lived alone without a wife or children. Seeing that Zhao Sisheng was handsome and smart, he took care of him.
Not long after, Zhao Si, who loved making friends, somehow got in touch with the Zhou family. The Zhou family said there was a big business, and Zhao Si enthusiastically introduced it to Zheng Qingyuan.
But he didn't expect that the "big business" was ostensibly about transporting goods from various places, but in fact it was about opening casinos in various places. Zheng Qingyuan invested money several times before he realized that something was wrong, so he went to find the Zhou family to argue.
As a result, a few days after the "theory", the government discovered that there were problems with the properties under his name and directly put him in jail.
Zhao Si and his friends begged and pleaded with everyone to get him out, but Zheng Qingyuan went crazy because of the torture he suffered in prison.
"Crazy?" Hu Xin'er was incredulous. "How could a perfectly normal person suddenly go crazy?"
Zhao Si lowered his head deeply, as if he didn't want others to see his expression: "The Zhou family bribed the jailer to do it."
"But Zheng Qingyuan is also a merchant!" Hu Xiner couldn't understand the logic here.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
