Chapter 135 A Deal is Made
"Young lady, you've finally arrived! Please come in quickly."
When Li Cheng saw Meng Jinyao, it was as if he had seen a lifeline, a ray of light in the darkness. His eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped aside to let Meng Jinyao and her two servants in.
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly and stepped into the private room.
Winter's stillness and autumn's clear skies followed closely behind.
When Granny Qiao saw Meng Jinyao and her two servants enter, she smiled awkwardly and poured tea for Meng Jinyao, saying, "Please have some tea, Miss."
Before Meng Jinyao got married, Granny Qiao was a trusted confidante of the madam. She didn't need to pay attention to Meng Jinyao, who was not favored. Now, however, she had to ask Granny Qiao for a favor. This feeling was both awkward and subtle.
Meng Jinyao glanced at Granny Qiao and went straight to the point: "Six thousand taels is no small sum. I need to see its value before I can help Steward Li. Granny Qiao, why don't you tell me what you have that's worth six thousand taels?"
Upon hearing this, Li Cheng immediately became anxious and hurriedly asked, "Young lady, didn't you say yesterday that you wanted my mother to do something for you?"
Meng Jinyao said in a calm and unhurried voice, "After thinking it over yesterday, I realized that this matter does not necessarily need to be done by Granny Qiao. It would just be more convenient for Granny Qiao to do it. Besides, Granny Qiao and Madam Sun have a deep bond and are loyal to Madam Sun. She might turn around and bite me, which would be a loss and would make me lose six thousand taels."
Granny Qiao and Li Cheng were stunned, never expecting that a marquis's wife would be so cautious about six thousand taels of silver.
However, a county magistrate's monthly salary is only thirty taels of silver, so six thousand taels is indeed a huge sum. This young lady is not favored, and before she gets married, her monthly allowance is only one tael of silver. It is normal for people who are used to being poor to be cautious about money. But it is precisely because of this caution that they do not consider employing her and her son.
Thinking of the pain he still felt from the beating he suffered yesterday, Li Cheng became even more anxious and immediately spoke up for Granny Qiao: "Young lady, my mother would never do such a thing."
Granny Qiao originally thought that Meng Jinyao would be easier to talk to since she needed her help, but she didn't expect that this matter was not so urgent that she had to do it. She was anxious and hurriedly said, "Young lady, as long as you can save Cheng'er, this servant will be at your service at any time."
Meng Jinyao seemed intrigued, staring intently at Granny Qiao, and asked, "Even if I asked you to do something that would be detrimental to the Sun family, would you still be willing?"
A flicker of hesitation crossed Granny Qiao's eyes. She glanced at her son beside her, but her gaze quickly hardened. Her tone, however, remained somewhat tense: "I wonder what the eldest young lady wants me to do?"
Meng Jinyao curled her lips: "It's not a matter of murder or arson. For Granny Qiao, it wouldn't be difficult to accomplish this."
Upon hearing this, Granny Qiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it wasn't murder or arson, otherwise she really couldn't have done it. She quickly agreed, "Don't worry, Miss, I will do my best to do it for you."
Meng Jinyao was still skeptical and asked, "Granny Qiao, I'll ask you one more time, are you really going to choose your son or Madam Sun? I remember you were hit by a tree trunk and suffered internal injuries while trying to save Madam Sun, and you almost lost your life."
Her indifference and distrust caused immense suffering for both Granny Qiao and her son. Granny Qiao had initially hesitated, but now her resolve was completely solidified. People are selfish; how could a master be more important than one's own flesh and blood? The debt of gratitude owed to her in the past had already been repaid over the years.
Granny Qiao's eyes grew even more determined, and she knelt down in front of her with a thud: "Eldest Miss, I have already repaid the debt of gratitude when I almost lost my life to save Madam. I only beg you to save Cheng'er. Even if I have to serve you like a slave for the rest of my life, I am willing."
Seeing her sincerity, Meng Jinyao remained silent for a while before nodding in agreement: "Since you and your son are so sincere, I'll leave this matter to you. I'm too lazy to find anyone else. As for being a slave for the rest of your life, forget about that. Just do this one thing for me."
Upon hearing this, Li Cheng also knelt down and thanked her along with Granny Qiao, saying, "Thank you, young lady."
Meng Jinyao gave Qingqiu a look.
Qingqiu understood immediately, took out an envelope from her sleeve, opened it and took out two sheets of paper with writing on them. Then she took a small round box from Ningdong and opened it. It contained a box of vermilion inkpad.
Meng Jinyao then said, "Granny Qiao, Steward Li, please sign your names on it."
Upon hearing this, Granny Qiao and Li Cheng were stunned. They both stood up and looked at the two letters on the paper, somewhat puzzled.
Granny Qiao asked blankly, "Young lady, what is this?"
Meng Jinyao smiled calmly and said slowly, "I gave you six thousand taels of silver. What if you turn around and deny it? So it's better to keep some evidence. Madam Sun is a petty person. If she finds out that you betrayed her, even if you come back to her, you won't have a good ending once your usefulness is exhausted."
Granny Qiao and Li Cheng were taken aback again, not expecting her to be so wary of them and her son, and to have kept this in mind.
However, it was too late for them to negotiate. Apart from Meng Jinyao, no one could help them. Even the madam couldn't come up with that much money. Her dowry had already been pawned, and the Earl's mansion was in such a state. In addition, Li Cheng had misappropriated the estate's income, so there was no way he would help them.
Li Cheng was promoted to manager by the Sun family, so he was naturally literate. After glancing at the contents of the two letters, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he looked at Meng Jinyao with surprise and astonishment.
One of the two letters was a confession admitting that he had betrayed his master and misappropriated one thousand taels of the estate's income, and the other was a promissory note for five thousand taels.
Li Cheng was puzzled: "Young lady, I accept this confession, but what about this IOU? Didn't you say that my mother would be worth six thousand taels of silver if she did something for you?"
Meng Jinyao replied gently, "Manager Li, don't be nervous. I'm just being prepared. As long as you complete the task I assigned, this IOU will naturally be torn up, and I won't ask you for the five thousand taels. You are Sun's confidants, and I really don't feel safe that you've suddenly pledged allegiance to me. Since you sincerely want to pledge allegiance to me, you should at least let me see your sincerity. What do you think, Manager Li?"
She felt that Granny Qiao and her son probably wouldn't dare to betray her, but what if they did?
Therefore, she took all possible consequences into account and made sure the mother and son had something to hold against them so that they would not dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy her.
When she was a child, she knew that it was Sun who killed Chengyu, but she had no evidence. She suffered because she had no evidence, and the murderer lived happily for so many years. Now she knows to leave evidence for everything she does.
Granny Qiao and Steward Li looked at each other in bewilderment.
Meng Jinyao didn't press them, saying nonchalantly, "If you're unwilling, I won't force you. There's one thing you can rest assured about: I won't tell the Sun family about this, including the fact that Steward Li misappropriated the estate's income."
The moment she finished speaking, Li Cheng's firm voice rang out: "Young lady, I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."
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