Chapter 52
This person is no good.
The next day, Hao Jingshi accompanied Lu Qin to Qian's clothing shop. Unexpectedly, Qian Yuming greeted them with a smile, as if he had expected their arrival.
"Young Master has indeed come." He apologized to Hao Jingshi in a respectable manner, explaining, "I have been wanting to see you for a long time, but I was afraid that you would misunderstand that I am close to Zhang Gui and therefore refused to come. Oh, by the way, I am truly sorry for what happened yesterday to your wife. I apologize in advance."
He acted first and reported later, as if nothing had happened. Hao Jingshi, recalling the scene from last night, said angrily, "Are you out of your mind? You want to see me, so why are you kidnapping my wife!"
Qian Yuming: "Hehe, I've heard about your attack on Zhang Gui the other day, but I really wouldn't dare. I heard that you and your wife have a very good relationship, so I took the liberty of trying, and I didn't expect to actually get you here..."
Hao Jingshi was furious at his grinning face. He slammed his hand on the table and warned him that if he did it again, he would cripple his hand and make him Zhang Gui's companion.
Qian Yuming looked at the table with a crack and felt a chill run down his spine. He was even more relieved that he hadn't been tied up yesterday.
Seeing Qian Yuming's ability to play both sides and his inconsistent statements, Lu Qin felt disgusted. She stepped in to stop Hao Jingshi: "Never mind, husband. Mr. Qian, let's get down to business."
"Hey hey hey."
Qian Yuming accepted the offer and quickly invited the two to sit down.
Qian Yuming bluntly stated that Zhang Gui's father was originally a low-ranking official, on par with his father. Later, he bribed the governor of Li Province and was promoted to county magistrate, whereupon Zhang Gui began to govern Xuande Street and profit from it.
The county magistrate secretly amassed many benefits and frequently bribed the governor. The two men amassed wealth by exploiting the people and colluded in their evil deeds.
The governor had a daughter who had been a concubine in the palace for many years but had no children and was not favored. In order to help the concubine Yi gain favor, please the governor, and find a way out for her good-for-nothing drunkard son, the county magistrate sent people to find some aphrodisiac spices and medicines to present to her, hoping that the concubine Yi could conceive a royal child as soon as possible.
To ensure everything went smoothly, the county magistrate personally met with the people on Xuande Street, but Babao smelled the spices and almost exposed them. What happened next is unknown.
“I have been doing business on Xuande Street for several years, and I really can’t stand Zhang Gui’s character.”
Qian Yuming picked up the unremarkable folding fan again and shook it, saying, "I heard that you are a brave young master and yesterday you swore to teach Zhang Gui a lesson. I admire you very much and am willing to cooperate with you to rid the people of this scourge."
Although Qian Yuming spoke earnestly, the cunning in his eyes was unmistakable. Hao Jingshi saw through him at a glance and couldn't help but chuckle.
This is not sincere cooperation; it's clearly an attempt to muddy the waters.
He disliked Zhang Gui and wanted to rid the people of this scourge, but that doesn't mean he would be foolish enough to be used as a pawn by Qian Yuming.
He acted smug in front of the county magistrate and pitied them in front of them. Qian Yuming was clever. He wanted to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight, so that he could benefit from both sides without getting in the way.
"Didn't Boss Qian want to talk about the clothing shop? How did it get to the county magistrate?" Hao Jing said helplessly. "What the county magistrate is like is none of our business. Saying we should get rid of Zhang Gui is just to save face. In reality, what can we do to him?"
Seeing how quickly Hao Jingshi's attitude changed, Qian Yuming was a little confused.
Just a moment ago he was banging on the table and glaring at everyone, calling himself "Young Master," but now he's acting like a powerless commoner?
Could he be a cowardly bum who's all bark and no bite, pretending to be a hero just to save face?
He found this strange and continued to probe, "Young master, you are mistaken. My father has secretly collected a lot of evidence of the county magistrate's corruption, just waiting for the right opportunity to expose him. If the county magistrate falls from power, Zhang Gui will naturally not be able to enjoy his success, and the people of Xuande Street will be spared from suffering. What do you think, young master?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Qin couldn't help but connect it with everything he had said yesterday, and finally realized Qian Yuming's true purpose.
It turns out that Qian Yuming coveted the position of county magistrate and wanted his father to take his place.
Mr. Qian was probably wary of the governor, so he was waiting for someone to lead the charge and direct the criticism at the county magistrate. If things went well, he would seize the opportunity to present evidence to impeach him and reap the benefits. If things didn't go well, he would shift the blame to the leader and walk away unscathed.
Naturally, the leader's status cannot be too high; he must be someone he can control and who is not afraid of death.
That's very thoughtful, what a pity...
Thinking of how Qian's father had gone to great lengths to find someone, carefully selecting one after another, only to end up choosing the most troublesome Hao Jingshi, Lu Qin couldn't help but laugh to herself.
Hao Jingshi naturally grasped the key point as well, and pretended to be ignorant, saying, "Is it really true? Your father cares about the people and is collecting evidence. He will be able to deal with Zhang Gui soon. I will go back and tell everyone this good news."
"However, your father has evidence, so he should be careful not to be too ostentatious, lest he be discovered."
“Uh.” This answer was not what Qian Yuming expected. He was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, “Young master, you must have misunderstood. If you want to rid the people of this scourge, then I am willing to risk my life to present the evidence. Otherwise, I am just a nobody and my words carry little weight. How could I dare to act rashly?”
“Mr. Qian is absolutely right.” Faced with his crazy suggestion, Hao Jingshi continued to sigh, “Everyone is just trying to make a living. If they weren’t forced to, who would be willing to risk their life?”
Lu Qin nodded and sweetly continued, "Now it's all good. With Boss Qian protecting us, my husband and I no longer need to live in fear. Boss Qian, you must keep your promise. From now on, our two families will live in peace and make money together."
Hao Jingshi then added, "To express our gratitude, let's treat Boss Qian to dinner."
Lu Qin said, "Yes, Mr. Qian, pick a restaurant, just not too expensive, since we're not exactly wealthy right now."
Hao Jingshi: "No, we'll pay whatever it costs; this is a token of our appreciation."
"You're such a spendthrift! Your father and mother gave you their savings, how can you squander them like this!"
"Don't act petty in front of outsiders!"
"..."
The two started arguing, and the conversation went further and further away from the topic. Qian Yuming propped his head up, his eyes darkening.
After the two men left, he said to his servants, "They're useless. This man is no good. We don't need to keep him around. Let Zhang Gui take action as soon as possible."
...
Zhang Gui did indeed act quickly. Lu Qin and Hao Jingshi had just returned to the clothing shop when they saw a group of people gathered at the door.
The group split into two groups: one group watched the spectacle and huddled in a corner, while the other group, brought by Zhang Gui, blocked the entrance.
The two exchanged a glance and took a step forward. They saw Xuan Lan standing at the door, holding his head in his hands, looking utterly hopeless. He said, "My lord, our young master isn't here. He's gone out. Our young master isn't here. He's gone out. Our young master really isn't here. He's really gone out!"
"Bullshit, don't try to fool me!" Zhang Gui stood in the middle, waving his hand and shouting, "Hey Hao, if you've got the guts, don't hide! Come out here! What kind of skill is it to send your servants to fob me off!"
"If you don't believe me, come in and find out. Just standing at the door shouting is disturbing the peace!"
"You damned lackey, don't try to fool me into going in! You've definitely set a trap! I won't fall for it! Get out here, you surnamed Hao!"
Xuan Lan let out a plaintive "ouch," leaning against the doorway, looking like she was about to faint.
Zhang Gui stood there like a wooden stake, clearly intending to cause trouble. But Hao Jingshi wasn't angry at all this time, because he realized that this man was incredibly stupid, even less so than Qian Yuming.
Hao Jingshi pushed through the crowd and slowly approached Zhang Gui from behind. When no one was paying attention, he patted Zhang Gui hard on the shoulder.
"What are you yelling for? I'm right here."
"Oh my god!" Zhang Gui was startled by Hao Jingshi's sudden appearance and almost collapsed to the ground.
Those around them wanted to laugh but dared not, their faces turning red from holding it in.
Lu Qin followed and stood beside Hao Jingshi with a forced smile.
"Lord Zhang Gui, what brings you here?"
With his men's help, Zhang Gui put his hands on his hips and said with great arrogance, "You, your family's clothes are problematic, I must deal with them!"
Hao Jingshi crossed his arms: "If you have any questions, please let me know."
Zhang Gui: "Your clothes were made with shoddy workmanship..."
“Our clothes have little deer antlers sewn on them; you can see them as soon as you turn up the collar.” Before he could finish speaking, Lu Qin crossed her arms and said, “Brother, can’t you be a little more creative? Your tricks for framing people are just leftovers from what they used before.”
"Who cares if you have deer antlers or not?" Zhang Gui said defiantly. "You two have lost all sense of shame in order to sell clothes. You're making a scene in the street to get sympathy, cheat customers, and behaving immorally. What kind of behavior is this? I can't ignore it!"
Lu Qin spread her hands and said, "Isn't it normal for couples to quarrel? If you came here for this, then I apologize to everyone. I'm sorry, I have already changed my ways and decided to live a good life with my husband from now on."
As she spoke, she turned around and bowed, then said, "To express my apology, I will refund everyone the amount you paid. You can bring your clothes to me now."
Seeing Lu Qin back down and apologize, Zhang Gui was very pleased. He raised his head and looked at everyone: "Hmph, hurry up and go. If it weren't for me, you would have suffered in silence!"
"..." Everyone looked at each other, no one responded. After all, the clothes were bought with a buy-one-get-one-free offer, and returning them would mean losing half the money.
The clothes were indeed beautiful, and I bought them willingly. Whether it was a farce or not, it didn't affect them at all; I just treated it as entertainment.
The surroundings were peaceful, as if a crow had flown by silently.
Zhang Gui waited smugly for a long time, but when no one went back to get the clothes, he became furious and could only stare blankly.
He pointed at Hao Jingshi with his uninjured finger and said through gritted teeth, "Fine, even if you did nothing wrong, you caused trouble at my residence yesterday, so I can at least teach you a lesson, right?"
Hao Jingshi was too lazy to argue anymore, and looked at him indifferently, as if to say, "If you're so good, then you do it."
Feeling humiliated by his disrespect, Zhang Gui wanted nothing more than to challenge him to a duel, but the thought of being stabbed with a flying knife made him tremble with fear.
He let out a "ho" to bolster his courage. Seeing this, Hao Jingshi stood still, beckoned to him, and then kicked him to the ground.
Embarrassed in public, Zhang Gui finally couldn't take it anymore. He immediately got up in a fit of rage and rushed over to grab Hao Jingshi by the collar.
"You little brat, I'll kill you!"
He desperately used his strong physique to knock Hao Jingshi down, pinning him to the ground and refusing to let go of his neck.
People were at a loss and shouted in a chaotic manner, "Stop! Don't kill anyone!" When they saw Hao Jingshi's face turn purple, Lu Qin was terrified and immediately grabbed a stone to hit Zhang Gui.
At the critical moment, someone snatched the stone from her hand from behind and let out a loud sneer.
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