Mei Chaofeng's heart was pounding. Was he really going to be defeated here today? A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He was prepared to fight to the death.
Just then, he heard a soft voice in his ear: "Write down an IOU for 7.5 million taels to settle today's matter."
Mei Chaofeng recognized Xue'er's voice as a secret transmission. Only then did he realize that the reason the other party was so forceful was ultimately because of the 7.5 million taels of silver. But could such an IOU be written?
As if sensing his hesitation, Xue'er's voice came again: "Are you stupid? Even if you write an IOU, when to repay it, how to repay it, or even whether to repay it at all can be figured out later. If you really force the Chu family to take action today and wipe out your Plum Blossom Gang, then all of your plans over the years will be ruined!"
Mei Chaofeng frowned and quickly replied via telepathy: "But the Chu family is clearly not allowed to interfere in local affairs. If they really make a move today, they will be in deep trouble in a couple of days when the prefect realizes what's going on."
"It's not that easy. The city lord is a member of the Qi King's faction. When you people are imprisoned, won't they take the opportunity to kick you while you're down? How many evil deeds has your Plum Blossom Gang committed over the years? If they really investigate, none of you will escape!" Seeing that he still didn't understand, Xue'er's voice revealed a hint of anxiety and anger.
Mei Chaofeng gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind to apologize to Chu Chuyan, saying, "Today, our gang was inconsiderate and offended Miss Chu. I apologize to Miss Chu here and hope that you will be magnanimous and not take it to heart."
Saying those words in front of so many people was incredibly painful for him. He could imagine that after tonight, he would become the laughingstock of these people, and the powerful image he had built up over the years would crumble.
But he had no choice. He really dared not gamble. If the Chu family was truly determined and sent troops to wipe out the Plum Blossom Gang today, he would have nowhere to turn to cry.
If he were truly alone, the ferocity of江湖人 (jianghu people) would have made him fight back rather than put up with this nonsense, but the Plum Blossom Gang is not ruled by him alone.
The man behind him has put so much effort into supporting him all these years. If he were to wipe it all out overnight, even if he escapes tonight, he would still die without a proper burial.
So he had no choice but to swallow his pride and apologize to a young girl who was much younger than him. At that moment, he felt as if the gazes of the people around him were tangible.
After apologizing, Mei Chaofeng found Chu Chuyan unmoved. She gritted her teeth, knowing that the other party wouldn't let it go with just a few words: "Someone, prepare paper and pen for me."
Soon, a subordinate brought paper and pen. He wrote quickly for a while, then handed the IOU to Chu Chuyan: "Miss Chu, this is an IOU for 7.5 million taels of silver. We are willing to accept our loss, but we cannot come up with such a large sum of money all at once. I suppose no family in the world can come up with so much silver in a short time. So please give us some time. We will pay the corresponding interest every year. As for the principal, we will find another way. What do you think, Miss Chu?"
Here he played a trick; the IOU stated that they owed Zu'an 7.5 million taels, not the Chu family. If they owed the Chu family, he wouldn't be able to renege on the debt, but since they owed Zu'an, there were many more ways to deal with it.
Chu Chuyan also noticed the name on it, but since it was originally won by Zu An, she didn't want to take advantage of it: "What do you think?"
Seeing that she was asking for his opinion, Zu An was extremely pleased. He then pretended to be serious and said, "Oh dear, it would have been better if Chief Mei had done this earlier. Why did you have to refuse a toast and then drink a forfeit? How shameless of you."
Mei Chaofeng's anger level increased by 888!
Mei Chaofeng was so angry she almost vomited blood on the spot. If it weren't for clinging to the Chu family's coattails, how could you, this good-for-nothing, be allowed to swagger around in front of me!
He almost lost his temper and smashed the brat to pieces on the spot, but seeing Chu Chuyan and the red-robed army led by Yue Shan beside him, he could only swallow his anger.
Zu An looked at the IOU and said, "Oh, you're only paying interest? Fine, I'm a magnanimous person, I'll give you a break. Also, the interest will be calculated at one percent, not expensive, right?"
"It's not expensive," Mei Chaofeng said through gritted teeth. To be fair, no matter where you are, even a penny of interest is not expensive. Their Plum Blossom Gang had previously lent money at several times the interest rate, so a penny of interest is practically free money.
Why is it that saying these words makes one so angry? Especially seeing that merciful, lenient face that makes one feel sorry for oneself.
Mei Chaofeng's anger level increased by 345!
Hearing his words, Zu'an spread his hands in front of him: "Since you agree, let's settle the interest now. 7.5 million taels, one percent interest is 750,000 taels. Should we pay in cash or in banknotes?"
Mei Chaofeng: "..."
Sang Qian: "..."
Xie Xiu: "..."
Pang Chun: "..."
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