"Don't even think about it... I don't want that hundred taels of silver anymore, let me go."
Qiu Yan's words deeply insulted Hu Ying, but she dared not make a scene. She planned to come back and demand the money later.
"If you don't have money, don't even think about leaving." Qiu Yan finished speaking and coldly looked at the black-clad attendant in front of her. "Go back and get your money."
They glanced at Hu Ying one last time, and under her resentful gaze, they dragged their second attendant, who had just been knocked unconscious by Qiu Yan, away.
Hu Ying's confidence waned by seven-tenths, but she still feigned composure, "Qiu Yan, have you forgotten my identity? I am the magistrate's woman!"
"Just a concubine!" Qiu Yan had already seen through it; Tang Yi was tired of her and now his mind was entirely on Song Jiao.
"You..." Hu Ying regretted it. She shouldn't have come to cause trouble today. She hoped that Lord Tang would find out in time that she was trapped.
Qiu Yan grabbed Hu Ying by the back of her collar and pulled her directly into the shop.
Then, looking at the mess on the ground, she said coldly, "Restore it to its original state in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."
At this moment, Hu Ying's eyes were already brimming with tears. She lowered her stance and began to beg for mercy.
"Qiu Yan, please let me go."
Qiu Ling'er casually flashed the dagger her sister had just seized in front of Hu Ying, "Let you go? Do you think that's possible?"
"You little brat..." Hu Ying wanted to curse, but considering her current situation, she rolled her eyes and said, "Little sister, if you let me go, I'll buy you candy and new clothes."
“Even Xiao Ran wouldn’t believe you saying that,” Qiu Ling’er said, glancing at Gu Xiao Ran.
Gu Xiaoran also looked at Hu Ying seriously, "I don't like candy, and I don't like new clothes, I like money!"
Hu Ying pouted, tears streaming down her face. Looking at Qiu Yan's stubborn expression, she had no choice but to squat down and pick up the broken pieces of porcelain.
With a sharp crack, Hu Ying accidentally cut her little hand on a shard of porcelain.
Even with her hand cut, Qiu Yan still had no intention of letting her off the hook.
Not only that, Qiu Yan also made her wash dishes in the kitchen, which made her feel even more aggrieved.
She vowed that once she got out, she would make Qiu Yan pay.
Qiu Yan spent the entire afternoon waiting for the county magistrate to come and redeem her.
As a result, when evening came, Qiu Yumei and Xu returned from shopping, but the county magistrate still hadn't come over.
Qiu Yumei arranged for her mother-in-law to stay in the backyard. Then, she looked at Hu Ying, who was being forced to wipe the dining table, and shook her head.
Looking at Hu Ying's lazy movements again, Qiu Yumei couldn't stand it anymore. "Xiao Yan, this woman doesn't look like she's good at working. With her swaying and hesitant manner, we can't keep her."
Qiu Yan: "It's free, no wages required."
Hu Ying was angry as she listened to their conversation, but for now, she could only endure it.
"Working for free?" Qiu Yumei was a little skeptical. She was about to ask further when she saw Jiang Liu approaching, so she stopped talking and went to ask Tian Xiu.
Upon being asked this question, Qiu Yumei replied, "She deserved it."
Jiang Liu often ate at the wonton shop when she had nothing to do, so everyone in the shop knew her.
When Jiang Liu arrived, she saw Hu Ying bending over to wipe the table, and she was a little confused.
The two locked eyes, and Hu Ying immediately lowered her head, wishing she could disappear on the spot.
Jiang Liu looked at Hu Ying in surprise and asked Qiu Yan, "What's she doing here?"
"She smashed the soup bowls in my shop, and I detained her." Qiu Yan said calmly, as if she had detained not the magistrate's concubine, but an ordinary commoner.
In Qiu Yan's view, Hu Ying caused trouble first, and she was just trying to get justice for herself.
She has always been one to seek revenge.
"Well done!" Jiang Liu had to admit, Qiu Yan's actions were very satisfying. After saying that, she continued, "Didn't Tang Yi come to save her?"
Hu Ying was even angrier. She stomped her foot and burst into tears.
"No, it seems that this Concubine Hu is not so well regarded in the eyes of the magistrate." Qiu Yan was also wondering about this. Hu Ying was, after all, a concubine, so there was no reason for the magistrate to ignore her.
Hu Ying clenched her delicate hand tightly. "No, the master himself said that he likes me the most."
"He likes you?" Although Jiang Liu was reluctant to discuss this topic with Hu Ying, she still bluntly said, "Tang Yi has a new love, and now his heart and eyes are full of Song Jiao from Xingyue Tower."
Jiang Liu felt that Song Jiao was more poised and elegant than Hu Ying.
When Qiu Yan heard Jiang Liu mention Song Jiao, her eyes showed no emotion whatsoever. She couldn't help but think that Song Jiao had truly given up on Tang Yi.
“He didn’t!” Hu Ying said, sounding even more aggrieved.
Qiu Yan had no desire to pay attention to a stupid woman like Hu Ying. "Why would I come to my shop if you weren't here? Isn't it because you're afraid of affecting your status?"
She was thinking that the three attendants had been gone for a long time, and when the magistrate would come to redeem his concubine.
Hu Ying lowered her head and remained silent. She was also waiting for the magistrate to rescue her, but he never came.
At this moment, the county magistrate was sitting in a private room at Xingyue Tower, turning his head to watch Song Jiao's every smile and frown, while chugging down glass after glass of strong liquor.
In recent days, he has been a regular at Xingyuelou.
He was completely unaware that Hu Ying had been trapped by Qiu Yan, and was secretly relieved that Hu Ying hadn't bothered him today.
Even after all the workers had finished work, Qiu Yan still hadn't seen the county magistrate.
Jiang Liu, however, never left.
She also wanted to know what expression Tang Yi had when he came to redeem her.
Qiu Yan and Jiang Liu sat facing each other at the table. "Sister Jiang, the servants in your Tang family are not good at their work. It's time to replace them."
Jiang Liu: "Attendants? What attendants? You mean, Hu Ying came out with the guards from the Tang family?"
Qiu Yan: "The clothing is different; they don't seem to be guards from the Tang family."
Jiang Liu: "No? Then who could it be?"
Qiu Yan didn't know either. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I suspect that Hu Ying has someone backing her up." Because the scarred man refused to tell the truth even after he went to jail, Qiu Yan already had some suspicions.
Jiang Liu recalled the time she was kidnapped by thugs and rescued by Qiu Yan. "That makes sense now."
She had never thought of this before, only that Hu Ying had hired someone to kill her, but she couldn't find any evidence against her.
Although Qiu Yan didn't think Hu Ying was particularly capable, she still kindly reminded her, "Sister Jiang, please be careful when you go out in the future."
As soon as Qiu Yan finished speaking, Jiang Liu suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. "Yes, Xiao Yan, we all need to make money safely."
Tonight, Qiu Yan had Zhu Juan take Gu Xiaoran and Qiu Ling'er back to the courtyard, while she stayed at the wonton shop.
Tang Yi had drunk a bit too much tonight, and his head was spinning. When Hu Ying's maid saw him return, she hurriedly told him that Aunt Hu was missing.
Unexpectedly, he was met with a cold look from Tang Yi.
"Liu'er just made a scene with me about disappearing, and Hu Ying, one of my concubines, is also trying to cause trouble for me. When she comes back later, tell her to recognize her place."
He spoke with a strong smell of alcohol, and his gait was unsteady.
The maid was scolded by Tang Yi and could only kneel on the ground, not daring to say another word.
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