With a light laugh, Qin Sanniang stared sharply at Fei Peng. "What this brave man said sounds quite polite. Since you are so sincere, I can't hold a grudge! However, my son injured his leg and bled, and was also frightened. Medical expenses and compensation for emotional distress are both essential! In addition, this unruly young lady must sincerely apologize to us."
As she spoke, Qin Sanniang suddenly loosened her whip, as if to show her sincerity. Judging from their next move, it's a matter of one thought leading to either demonic or divine transformation.
The clamp on her neck suddenly loosened, and Xie Yuyan, losing her support, fell backward abruptly, gasping for fresh air. She frantically stroked her neck with both hands before scrambling over to Fei Peng.
Her disheveled appearance was nothing like that of a young lady from a wealthy family; she looked more like a commoner from the marketplace! A hint of disgust flashed in Fei Peng's eyes.
Xie Yuyan, however, felt that Fei Peng had the upper hand; otherwise, how could that peasant woman have let her go? They must have been afraid! But far from being grateful to Fei Peng and the others, she actually complained that they arrived too late, causing her to suffer unnecessarily!
"Fei Peng, I don't blame you for being late in saving me, but I now order you to kill this slut and all her family members—not a single one of them should be spared!" At this moment, Xie Yuyan's voice was hoarse, and she was practically shouting.
The maid, Xiao Cui, had originally intended to come over and try to persuade her, but she had just realized that the woman was someone they couldn't afford to offend. Even Captain Fei Peng treated her with utmost respect, which meant what? It meant that the woman was powerful! Everyone was afraid!
However, upon seeing her young mistress's ferocious expression, Xiao Cui shrank back like a quail, lest her mistress take her anger out on her again.
"Miss, we're about to arrive in Jiangzhou. It's best not to cause any trouble, otherwise we won't be able to explain it to the mistress and the old lady!" Fei Peng said softly, his words carrying a hint of warning. He hoped this illegitimate daughter wasn't too foolish; in the Xie family, an illegitimate daughter's status wasn't higher than his, her personal guard, especially since Xie Yuyan was born to a concubine.
Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Xie Yuyan's dark pupils focused, a glint of light flashing in them. What did she rely on? Naturally, it was the matriarch and the old lady. If they knew what was happening now, or if she had caused a delay in her journey and missed the important ancestral worship ceremony, she would surely be scolded. Moreover, if she didn't get along with them on their first meeting, it would be difficult for her to turn things around in the future.
Seeing that she stopped speaking, Fei Peng knew she had taken his words to heart. Thankfully, she wasn't too stupid! He turned to face Qin San Niang and spoke solemnly.
"Madam's words are reasonable, and her request is not unreasonable. I wonder how much silver is needed for medical expenses and compensation for emotional distress?"
Although his attitude remained respectful, he didn't mention demanding an apology from his master, only offering to pay for medical expenses. This showed that he didn't truly respect them, intending to dismiss them like beggars. On the other hand, since Qin San Niang had released Xie Yuyan, they no longer had any hostages in her hands, giving them more confidence.
Qin San Niang understood and suddenly pressed the mechanism. The long whip flew like a dragon and stopped in front of Fei Peng. Its speed was terrifying.
"I can take your lives anytime, believe it or not?!"
The guards and bodyguards had no idea how Tan San Niang made her move, and they were all terrified, wondering what kind of strange skill this was.
"We believe you! Please, Madam, show mercy! We will do our best to comply with your requests!" That whip strike had indeed had a deterrent effect, and Fei Peng was filled with fear and unease.
However, Xie Yuyan, who was standing next to her, was fearless. She flicked her sleeves and looked arrogant.
Qin San Niang didn't care at all. She curled her lips into a slight sneer. She had plenty of ways to deal with her. She had already laced the whip with something.
Although it wasn't anything serious—just some powder that caused intense itching all over the body—the instructions said it would cause itching, rashes, and ulcers all over the body, making people suffer terribly, similar to smallpox symptoms. When Qin San Niang found it in the dark room, she thought she could use it to fake her death if needed, but she didn't expect to use it so soon.
Qin Sanniang looked at Fei Peng calmly, without the slightest anger, "Five hundred taels of silver! No bargaining!"
Hearing that they were asked to pay for medical expenses and some damned compensation for emotional distress, Xie Yuyan was about to swear! But to avoid angering Fei Peng and the others, and to prevent them from making things difficult for her when she returned to the Xie family, she endured it, considering it a loss to avoid further trouble. Secretly, she vowed that once she was firmly in her position as the young lady of the Xie family, she would find these country bumpkins and exact revenge.
In the past, Xie Yuyan often bullied people because of her family's wealth and power. In the eyes of these peasants, one tael of silver was enough for them to sell their children, and ten taels of silver was an astronomical price. Therefore, she thought that Qin San Niang would at most ask for ten or twenty taels, at most a few dozen taels. This amount of money was not enough to seriously damage her.
One can imagine Xie Yuyan's reaction when she heard Qin San Niang call out the exorbitant price of five hundred taels of silver; she was about to explode! Her mother had given her a thousand taels of silver to keep her safe, and now half of it was going to be gone!
"What a big mouth! Why don't you just rob someone?! You peasant, have you ever seen what a hundred taels of silver looks like?! Even if you were all sold, you wouldn't be worth that much silver!" Xie Yuyan's chest heaved violently with anger, and the muscles on her face clenched into a fist.
Not only Xie Yuyan, but the other guards also felt that Qin Sanniang was asking for an exorbitant price. At this moment, they even felt a little sorry for Xie Yuyan. Some guards whispered to Fei Peng that they should teach Qin Sanniang and these arrogant people a lesson and let them know what kind of existence the Xie family was.
Qin San Niang naturally heard every word. But she wasn't in a hurry; she stood calmly in front, hands over her chest, like a pine tree standing tall and unyielding.
"Madam, isn't five hundred taels a bit too expensive? How about one hundred taels? We don't carry much gold or silver with us when we're traveling." Clearly, Fei Peng also thought it was too expensive. What kind of precious person would need five hundred taels of silver? The lives of refugees are like those of pigs and dogs. Although Xie Yuyan wasn't particularly shrewd and spoke crudely, she was right about this point.
"In my heart, my son is priceless. I would take him even if it were fifty thousand taels, let alone five hundred! Five hundred taels, no bargaining. You have one night to consider!"
"Even if you were Sun Wukong, you wouldn't escape the Buddha's palm! I won't let you go until you get the silver! I'll reiterate, you only have one night to consider. If it's not delivered by sunrise tomorrow, you'll bear the consequences. Oh, and by the way, that troublesome young lady, don't forget to come and apologize to me! Otherwise, five hundred taels won't be enough!"
The last two sentences were said to Xie Yuyan.
This was the first time she'd ever been called a troublemaker! It was an immense humiliation; all her former followers had treated her like royalty. Xie Yuyan was about to explode with rage. But before she could utter a single curse, she heard Fei Peng say…
“Miss, please calm down. Let’s go back quickly. We need to discuss this matter with Chief Liu.”
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