Chapter 500: Retreating to Advance
"Ouch~"
Song Chunxue had just stepped one foot out of the threshold when she heard the girl behind her call out.
Before she could turn around to look, she saw the two girls standing outside the door rush inside.
"Fourth Miss, what's wrong?"
"Fourth Miss, are you alright?"
The fourth sister cried out in anguish, "She pushed me."
Song Chunxue stood at the door and couldn't help but find it amusing.
This family is hopeless.
Despite his young age, he has a big mind.
She wanted to see what this attempt to frame someone else would do to her.
Just then, Zhang Yaoming walked over like a fierce demon and raised his foot to kick someone.
Song Chunxue deftly dodged the question, saying, "You guys are really something, instigating your own daughter to say that I pushed her, so you can have a legitimate reason to teach me a lesson?"
She couldn't help but laugh. "You guys really have to go through all that trouble. Why bother hitting or cursing whenever you want? Isn't that what you've always been good at? When did you start needing an excuse?"
“Father, I only asked her to persuade my uncle not to be so heartless to his family, but she not only wouldn’t listen to me, she also pushed me to the ground. Father, kick this woman out.”
Just then, a group of people walked in from outside the courtyard gate. The one at the front was the official who had been sitting in the carriage that day.
He must be a high-ranking official.
Soon, the Taoist priest heard the commotion and came over.
"Junior brother, did they make things difficult for you?"
Song Chunxue said helplessly, "His daughter said I pushed her down and wanted to kick me out."
The Taoist priest immediately turned to look at Madam Yu, "Since that's the case, I have to go back on the terms we just discussed. I know my junior brother's temperament very well. She is a distinguished guest of your household. If you have no manners of hospitality, then there is nothing more to discuss between us. I will leave with all my belongings now."
Zhang Yaoming looked at Madam Yu and said, "Mother, you know what kind of person Ziyu is. How could she possibly wrong a Taoist nun for no reason? You must stand up for Ziyu."
Madam Yu glanced at Ziyu and said, "Nonsense! Even if someone pushed you, it was because you said something disrespectful. Quickly apologize to Master Song."
What do you mean by "even if someone pushed you"?
Song Chunxue was annoyed. "Do you think I would make things difficult for a child?"
Zhang Yaoming sized up Song Chunxue with his pointed, monkey-like face, "Who knows? On the surface, he's a Taoist priest, claiming to be Zhang Chengxuan's junior brother, but who knows what he really is..."
"Zhang Yaoming, I advise you to watch your words," the Taoist priest said in a deep voice. "Since you insist on making things difficult for your junior brother, then let's not talk about this today. Junior brother, let's go."
Song Chunxue gave a soft snort, turned around and went down the steps.
"Stop!" The official blocked the doorway. "Zhang Chengxuan, your father hasn't been buried yet. How can you bring a woman of unknown origin to bully your own child?"
Madam Yu quickly said, "This is a misunderstanding. Master Song did not bully Ziyu. Ziyu was just making things up."
As she spoke, she gave Ziyu a wink, "Ziyu, quickly apologize to the Taoist priest."
Ziyu was unwilling to accept this.
"No need. I'm too lazy to deal with a bunch of grasshoppers in autumn. Butler, if nothing is delivered before 5 PM, I will do what I'm supposed to do."
The butler was extremely anxious, "Ziyu, are you being foolish?"
Seeing that Ziyu had ruined the countermeasures she had worked so hard to come up with, Madam Yu was furious.
She kicked Ziyu, "Who told you to go to her on your own initiative? You have to make up for the trouble you caused. If you make everyone homeless, I will sell you!"
As she spoke, Madam Yu kicked her again, "Hurry up and stop her."
Ziyu was kicked so hard that she couldn't get up from the ground, tears streaming down her face from the pain.
"Grandmother, I didn't..." She shook her head. She had wanted to stand up for her father, but things had turned out this way. In her anger, she wanted to give up and do nothing.
“Mother, it’s clearly their fault. Why are you going along with them? Can’t our whole clan handle Zhang Chengxuan?” Zhang Yaoming didn’t want to see his daughter being bullied.
"Slap!" Madam Yu slapped him hard across the face. "Idiot, why do you think I negotiated with him?"
As the two were about to leave the courtyard, Madam Yu shouted, "Sell the Fourth Miss away! Since she likes to act on her own, let her go to the brothel and please the customers. Otherwise, she'll be a rat causing everyone to starve!"
The Taoist priest and Song Chunxue stopped at the same time.
What a wicked grandmother! Song Chunxue thought that if they didn't change their tune, that woman would really sell her granddaughter.
"Zhang Chengxuan..."
"Call me Taoist Master. Zhang Chengxuan is long dead."
The Taoist priest turned to look at Madam Yu, "The previous conditions remain unchanged, but if you try anything funny, I won't take the money back. You'd better watch yourselves."
Before they could say anything, they strode away, as if they couldn't stand staying even a moment longer.
Back at the inn, Song Chunxue was curious.
"Senior brother, what conditions did you discuss?"
The Taoist priest took off his outer robe, looked at the steaming soup noodles in front of him, and first picked up a bowl and took a sip of the soup.
"Half for each of them is already the biggest concession. If they don't spend their money to avoid trouble, they will face the fate of having their homes confiscated within six months."
"It's impossible for me to take them all away. Even if I could, they would definitely not give up if they were pushed to the limit. They might even chase me all the way to Jincheng. I never intended to take them all away."
“I will take half of the land deeds and let Zhang Ziyou handle them. He knows that those people’s land was seized by the Zhang family. He and I are both disgusted by the Zhang family’s domineering behavior. I feel at ease entrusting it to him.”
Song Chunxue nodded, opened the lotus leaf chicken, broke off a leg, and handed it to her senior brother.
"When does Senior Brother plan to leave?"
The Taoist priest looked at her, "Are you in such a hurry to go back?"
"It's not that we're in a hurry to go back, but that we're in a hurry to leave this godforsaken place. They should get their comeuppance soon."
The Taoist priest smiled faintly, "It will be soon. Heaven will try its best to be fair."
Song Chunxue nodded.
"Besides the Zhang family, is there anyone else you're thinking about here, Senior Brother?"
The Taoist priest picked up a piece of stir-fried cabbage with his chopsticks and said irritably, "Are you trying to say which girl I fell in love with at first sight, the childhood sweetheart I can't forget?"
Song Chunxue added with a smile, "And the brothers who once stood shoulder to shoulder with me too, do you think I'm such a shallow person?"
The Taoist priest took a sip of wine, and his face looked less haggard. He quickly shoveled a bowl of noodles into his mouth.
“I’m shallow. I really do want to go see them, and I also want to take you to see Master. If nothing unexpected happens, we’ll leave in two days.”
Song Chunxue nodded, "That's good."
Seeing that she hadn't touched her noodles, the Taoist priest picked up his chopsticks and scooped some out for her.
"Finish your meal quickly and go back to your room to rest."
Song Chunxue complained, "You're crossing the river and then burning the bridge! Can't I ask you something else?"
"Ask." The Taoist priest took the wine pot and plucked off a wing.
"..." Never mind, Senior Brother is clearly not in the mood to talk.
She was just trying to talk to her senior brother because she was afraid he would overthink things.
"You can choose what's being delivered later. I'll have the general at the border take the rest, otherwise tens of thousands of soldiers will starve to death this year."
Song Chunxue waved her hand, "Then I won't be picky. They're all just material possessions, don't be greedy."
"Knock knock knock".
"Is the Taoist priest here?"
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