Chapter 24 The Tiger Shows Its Power
Lu Zhao had already sneaked away, leaving Yuan Shi on her knees, weeping. "Mother-in-law, please calm down. As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its owner. The pawnshop won't run away. I'll go and seek justice for you."
Madam Hou yelled angrily: "Go now! Stop nagging!"
Fu Danjun wanted to go home, but suddenly remembered that the Marquis' Mansion had brought back a bunch of fake silver. How could he let it go after discovering it?
So she lived on the second floor of the pawnshop, ready for people from the Marquis' Mansion to come and find her.
In fact, the pawnshop owner was mentally prepared, and when Yuan came in angrily, he responded as usual.
"Madam, what else do you want to be?"
Yuanshi was a smiling tiger in front of her mother-in-law, but turned into an angry tiger outside.
"You bastard profiteer, you actually managed to cheat our Marquis Mansion?"
She had a scowl on her face, her hands on her hips, and looked like a real shrew.
The shopkeeper pretended to be wronged and bowed repeatedly: "Madam, how have I offended you? Please tell me clearly!"
Yuan came up and slapped the shopkeeper in the face, scolding him: "I took back seven thousand taels of silver, and surprisingly, half of it is fake. You lawless thing, if you don't deal with it for me, I will definitely send you to the authorities!"
The shopkeeper had seen a lot, so he calmly protested his innocence: "My pawnshop has been open in Kyoto for over twenty years. Countless dignitaries trust me, and I've never made a mistake. Why is it that things have changed with Madam?"
When Yuan heard this, she glared at him: "You mean I made the mistake myself? Come on, give me the silver!"
The servants who came with him from the Marquis' Mansion carried in a box.
Yuanshi opened it herself, took out the silver inside, smashed it, and pointed it to the shopkeeper: "Look! Open your dog eyes and take a good look!"
The shopkeeper pretended to be serious, took out a piece of silver from the box, weighed it, and looked it over carefully from top to bottom.
"What does this silver have to do with my pawnshop? Madam said this silver came from my pawnshop, where is the evidence?"
Yuan was stunned because she really couldn't produce any evidence.
The shopkeeper asked the clerk to bring the pawnshop's silver and showed it to her: "Look, my silver has this pattern and mark. If it doesn't have it, it's not my silver."
Yuan Shi argued angrily: "God knows, if I got the fake silver from somewhere else, why would I come to you to point it out?"
The shopkeeper sighed and said, "I don't think there's any need to argue. I've seen this trick of yours many times. You're using fake silver to blackmail us, hoping to get something for nothing."
Yuan was so angry that she could no longer argue. She covered her chest and breathed rapidly.
Fortunately, there was a maid who helped her and scolded the shopkeeper.
"Damn old bastard, you shall die!"
The shopkeeper lost his temper and shouted, "Either take back all the dowry from the mansion, or leave immediately! I have run this shop for over 20 years, how can I let you tarnish its reputation?"
Yuanshi could only suffer in silence, after all, the Marquis' Mansion had no money.
How can I get the money to hold Lu Yu's wedding after taking back these dowries?
So he asked his servant to carry the box home.
When the shopkeeper saw Yuanshi leaving in disgrace, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Then he was about to go upstairs to tell Fu Danjun, but he didn't know that she had come down from the stairs.
"I saw it all. Well done."
After saying this, he saw the red slap marks on the shopkeeper's face and said with a smile: "Don't feel wronged, I will vent your anger for you!"
On the second day, Fu Danjun asked his servants to go outside to announce the big news of Guanyang Hou's Mansion.
Because big events have been reported from time to time in the Marquis' Mansion in recent years, the people are no longer unfamiliar with it and gather together to discuss it with great interest.
The news that Yuan Shi deliberately made fake silver and extorted money from the pawnshop spread everywhere.
The servants at the gate of the Marquis' Mansion already knew about it, but they didn't dare to say anything.
That day, Lu Yu finished his court session.
As his colleagues walked out together, many of them looked at him and smiled.
Lu Yu was surprised to see that it was a mockery.
"Brother Lu, please stay."
Lu Yu heard someone calling him from behind, and when he turned around, he saw that it was Wang Liang, the commander of the Infantry Department, and Gao De, the editor of the Privy Council.
The two men had strange smiles on their faces. As they approached, Gao De asked directly, "Brother Lu, are you so poor that you have to rely on pawnshops? Otherwise, where did all those rumors come from?"
Lu Yu was feeling awkward, and Wang Liang also said, "That's right. My colleagues were all talking this morning, saying that Brother Lu's sister-in-law got into a fight with the pawnshop owner and even slapped him. If it's true, it wouldn't be good if word got to the Emperor."
Lu Yu also knew about the incident involving his brother-in-law and his wife beating someone up in the pawnshop, but he feigned ignorance: "I haven't heard anything about it. I'll go back and ask."
Wang Liang and Gao De saw through his pretense and were about to say something sarcastic.
The eunuch's hoarse voice came from behind: "Master Lu, please stay!"
The three of them turned around and saw that it was Chang Le, the emperor's personal eunuch, and they all hurriedly greeted him.
Chang Le smiled and lightly lifted the dust: "The emperor invites you, Lord Lu, to the Qianqing Palace. He is waiting for you!"
When Wang Liang and Gao De heard this, they both looked at Lu Yu with sympathy.
Because he felt that the emperor had sent Lu Yu there because of the rumors in the Marquis' Mansion, he was bound to be scolded.
Moreover, the emperor has been in a bad mood recently, becoming increasingly irritable and moody.
As Lu Yu bid farewell to his colleagues and followed Eunuch Chang, he wondered why the emperor wanted to see him.
Does this tyrant still have the mood to care about his ministers' family affairs? He punished himself just because his brother-in-law slapped the pawnshop owner.
Obviously that's not the reason.
So, he is satisfied with Fu Danjun and therefore wants to promote himself.
Lu Yu was extremely utilitarian and had an almost perverted desire for promotion and wealth.
Now I can't help but let my imagination run wild.
In the Qianqing Palace, Xie Changsheng had already changed into a light blue crown and robes.
He was the only emperor from ancient times to the present who was special. He disliked the dragon robe because it was ugly, and he never wore it except for a few hours when attending court.
Lu Yu came over and kowtowed, not daring to look up.
But out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a tall, handsome man in a light blue crown and robe, pacing and reading memorials.
After reading it, he threw it on the ground and the young eunuch quickly picked it up.
Chang Le handed over another one.
"What's your official position?"
When Xie Changsheng threw away the memorial again, his eyes fell on Lu Yu.
"Your Majesty, I am the Deputy Envoy for Border Pacification, a fourth-rank official."
Xie Changsheng responded: "Well, get up, please take a seat and have some tea."
Lu Yu trembled with fear and sat down as ordered.
The eunuch brought the tea and took a symbolic sip.
"I remember all your military exploits at the border."
Lu Yu quickly knelt down again and said, "I dare not take credit for it."
After he finished speaking, his face suddenly turned red and hot.
Xie Changsheng couldn't help but laugh: "If you don't dare to take credit, won't you even sacrifice your wife?"
Lu Yu was trembling all over and couldn't speak. Xie Changsheng softened his tone: "What are you afraid of? You are a man of outstanding merit. Would I embarrass you?"
When Lu Yu heard this, he immediately relaxed: "Your Majesty is the ruler of the world, and the people look up to him. I can sacrifice my life for your Majesty, so why can't I sacrifice a mere woman? As long as your Majesty is happy with her, it will be a blessing for me."
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