Meng Zhao turned her gaze to Xiao Youzhi, "So, that's why you're unwilling to help me with the introduction?"
Meeting her gaze, Xiao Youzhi nodded slightly.
"Then why didn't you just tell me?"
Xiao Youzhi glanced at her, a hint of resentment in his voice, "Would you believe it if I didn't let you see it with your own eyes?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao lowered her head. Well, if Xiao Youzhi had told her directly, she might have really thought he was just making excuses.
He runs a small business and is always cautious, trying to build connections and find a powerful backer. Even though his business has reached the level of the Xiao family, he still encounters such situations, which inevitably makes him feel discouraged.
Seeing Meng Zhao's angry and dejected appearance, Xiao Youzhi's anger dissipated. "Back then during the snow disaster, weren't you also trying to curry favor with Magistrate Wang by donating silver and charcoal? What's wrong with you now?"
“Lord Wang is a good official. He ensures that all the silver and charcoal I donated will be used for the disaster victims. So I don’t feel anything wrong with it. But the thought that all the silver I painstakingly saved up has ended up in the hands of those corrupt officials makes me feel resentful.”
“That Wang fellow is notorious for his greed and lust. If you want to get things done with him, you have to be willing to spend money or be outstanding. But you’re not willing to spend either, so what’s the point of finding him?” His voice was calm and unhurried, but every word was like a needle, revealing the stakes involved.
After a pause, Xiao Youzhi leaned forward slightly and said earnestly, "Why don't you come to me and tell me what you want to do? Maybe I can help you."
Meng Zhao glanced at him but didn't reply. Xiao Youzhi was a very shrewd man who had been in the business world for many years and never let anyone take advantage of him easily. She had to think carefully before cooperating with him.
So he changed the subject, saying, "I thought I was overthinking it, but after hearing what you said, I realized that Lord Wang just brushed against me. It was disgusting."
After saying that, she patted the hem of her skirt as if it had been stained with something dirty. She thought to herself that it was fortunate she wasn't wearing her own clothes, otherwise she probably would have hated them too.
Seeing her like this, a cold glint flashed in Xiao Youzhi's eyes, and his voice turned cold as well, "When did this happen?"
"Just now, when the food was being served, I saw someone under the table who looked respectable but was actually full of filthy thoughts."
Xiao Youzhi frowned, his tone tinged with reproach: "Then why didn't you tell me just now?"
"I'm just afraid that if I make a scene, I'll anger Lord Wang and cause you trouble. In any case, you helped me, and I can't hold you back."
"Ha, you're quite tolerant." Seeing her being taken advantage of yet still enduring it, Xiao Youzhi felt a surge of anger rising within him, and he himself became angry.
Sigh, there's nothing she can do about this. Meng Zhao is a food blogger in modern times. Once, when she was filming a video, she wore an outfit that showed off her figure. The comments in the video's backend were absolutely disgusting. At first, she would angrily refute and block and delete them, but later she found that this kind of thing was impossible to stop, so she let it go and just considered it as increasing her traffic.
Now that she's in ancient times, she naturally has to be more careful and cautious in her actions. At this moment, she realized that she had been negligent today.
At the same time, she understood why Xiao Youzhi had asked her to wash her face and change her clothes; he probably knew about Lord Wang's character.
It seems that Xiao Youzhi is a decent person. Although you won't gain any advantage by cooperating with him, at least he's not the kind of person who does evil.
After some thought, Meng Zhao expressed his gratitude, "No matter what, I still have to thank Young Master Xiao. If you hadn't brought me here today and let me see the true face of Lord Wang, I'm afraid I would still be in the dark. If I had rashly gone to find him, I might have suffered a great loss."
"Thank you, but I have some good news for you. That guy surnamed Wang won't be able to be so arrogant for long."
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao couldn't help but show a look of surprise, "Why do you say that?"
"Since ancient times, disaster relief has always been considered a cushy job. He doesn't know how to conceal his actions. Ever since he left the capital, countless eyes have been watching him. I bet there are already many memorials piling up on his desk, waiting for him to return to the capital and impeach him."
"Then why do you still dare to give him money? Aren't you afraid of being implicated?" It's a crime for an official to accept bribes, but it's even more unforgivable for a merchant to bribe a court official.
Xiao Youzhi curled his lips and said, "What, are you worried about me? Don't worry, that money has already been properly circumvented. Even if he is investigated in the future, that money will only be donated by my Xiao family to the disaster victims. It's just that the man surnamed Wang embezzled it."
"Most of those who were waiting to impeach him were just thinking that this cushy job hadn't fallen into their laps. If they messed up the job, they wouldn't be able to eat either, so naturally they wouldn't take action against the Xiao family."
Knowing that he had worried for nothing, Meng Zhao felt relieved and was about to take his leave when he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Then what is the purpose of the dot you put on my head?"
Xiao Youzhi raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. "That man surnamed Wang is not only greedy and lustful, but he also believes in physiognomy. He considers a mole on the forehead to be a sign of financial loss. Even if you are as beautiful as a flower, with this mole, he will probably avoid you like the plague."
Meng Zhao's eyes widened. "Losing money? Then this mole won't make me lose money too, will it?" With that, she took out a handkerchief to wipe it off.
But Xiao Youzhi stopped him with the handle of his fan, "You still believe in this?"
Meng Zhao, being a modern person, naturally didn't engage in feudal superstitions. However, when money was involved, it wasn't something to joke about. He shouted, "Better safe than sorry," and ran out.
Watching her hurried departure, Xiao Youzhi finally couldn't help but laugh.
After washing his face and changing his clothes, Meng Zhao bid farewell to Xiao Youzhi, boarded a carriage, and prepared to return to Hongnong County.
As soon as they entered the inn, Gu Changwu ran out of it looking flustered. "Second Uncle, where are you going?"
Gu Changwu paused, looked up and saw Meng Zhao, and quickly explained, "Today, several workers went to Shagang Village to collect potatoes, but when they arrived, the villagers stopped them from collecting them. Not only that, they also injured our men. I received the letter and was just about to go to the village with Constable Zhang to seek justice."
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