Zhang Xuehou's current predicament is entirely his own fault.
His older brother was rich enough to provide him with a life of ease, yet he chose to betray him and even tried to harm him. Logically speaking, even if he died, he shouldn't feel sorry for him.
However, he is Zhang Xuexian's younger brother after all, and they share the same blood. Although he said yesterday that he would never care about him again, could he really stand by and watch his younger brother die?
Zhang Xuexian's reaction was pretty much what he expected.
He was extremely conflicted at that moment, frowning as he pondered.
Jing Zhe smiled faintly and said, "I have a good relationship with Li Haoyun, the prefect of Jingzhou. Although Zhang Xuehou did gamble, and the amount was not small, according to the law, it would not be too much to execute him."
But all of this just happened and hasn't reached His Majesty's ears yet. If Uncle is reluctant, I'll speak to Prefect Li and ask him to lower the amount of Zhang Xuehou's gambling debts, so he can only be detained for a few days and then released.”
After speaking, Jing Zhe observed Zhang Xuexian's reaction.
A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, and his lips twitched twice, but he ultimately remained silent, seemingly still struggling with his decision.
Jing Zhe sighed inwardly.
At this moment, Zhang Xiaoyu stepped forward: "Young Master Jing, there's no need to save him. Just leave him locked up inside!"
"Xiaoyu..."
Madam Zhang knew her husband was in a difficult position, and her daughter's words were like rubbing salt into the wound.
Zhang Xuexian waved his hand weakly, telling her not to worry about it.
Zhang Xiaoyu didn't hold back and said directly, "Father, have you forgotten the lesson this time? Have you forgotten the lessons learned time and time again over the years? Uncle has been gambling since he was young. Every time he was caught, wasn't it you who spent money to bail him out? If it weren't for that, would he have become even more reckless? If you had put him in jail earlier, would things have come to this?"
"..."
Zhang Xuexian listened blankly, then began to repent.
Yes, when he was young, every time Zhang Xuehou got into trouble, he spared no effort to protect him, which made him more and more arrogant. In the end, he lost his pregnant wife and angered his parents to death. Thinking about it this way, it was indeed his fault!
"Father, if it weren't for Young Master Jing's extraordinary abilities, what would have awaited us? The winery would have gone bankrupt again, and I might have... married someone I didn't like!"
At this point, Zhang Xiaoyu glanced at Jing Zhe furtively, then continued, "And will he pity us because of this? No! So let's not bother with him this time. Only by going to jail will he learn his lesson! Otherwise, even if Dad can protect him this time, what about next time, and the time after that!"
After listening, Zhang Xuexian sighed: "Yes, he's old. How many more times can he be protected?"
Or perhaps, he'll drive me to my death before I know it?
Looking up at the extremely haggard Madam Zhang, he suddenly felt a pang of heartache. He squeezed her hand and said, "You've worked so hard." Madam Zhang's eyes welled up with tears, and she kept shaking her head.
Seeing this, Zhang Xuexian finally made up his mind.
"Young Master Jing, let's do as Xiaoyu says and put him in jail! Because of me, he has already harmed too many people! I can't let him continue to harm people!"
Jing Zhe nodded: "Alright, I support Uncle's decision. Considering he is Uncle's father's younger brother, I will plead with Prefect Li to make sure he doesn't suffer too much in prison."
"Thank you, Young Master Jing!"
Zhang Xuexian stood up and respectfully bowed to Jing Zhe, as a way of thanking him on behalf of his disappointing younger brother, Zhang Xuehou.
Jing Zhe waved his hand, looked at Zhang Xuexian, and felt a mix of emotions.
Ever since they learned that he was a descendant of the Jing family, and that he had also obtained an official position, their relationship seemed to have no chance of returning to what it was before.
So he stood up and said, "Alright, in that case, I'll take my leave!"
"Young Master Jing, why don't you stay and have a meal before you leave?"
Although their relationship was not as close as before, Madam Zhang still thought highly of Jing Zhe, and when she saw him about to leave, she immediately tried to persuade him to stay.
Jing Zhe shook his head. "Thank you, Auntie, but I have important matters to attend to, so I can't stay any longer! Maybe next time. I'll come again when I have time. It's been so long since I've had Auntie's cooking, I really miss it!"
"well…"
Although she knew it might be just polite talk, Madam Zhang still answered happily, and didn't forget to say to Zhang Xiaoyu, "Xiaoyu, go and see Young Master Jing off!"
"Yes, Mother."
The two then went outside.
...
Night had fallen, the moon was bright and the stars were few, and the number of street vendors gradually increased.
Zhang Xiaoyu walked slowly with Jing Zhe. Jing Zhe originally told her to go back, but she insisted on seeing him off, so he had no choice but to give up.
Hanhan wisely strode to the front, determined not to be a third wheel. As for Lu Li's instructions to him when leaving Mangshan—although he remembered them, he simply couldn't keep an eye on things anymore!
He decided to give up on treatment and let the young chieftain do as he pleased; after all, in his opinion, these girls were all quite good…
As they walked, Zhang Xiaoyu suddenly asked, "If my father had begged you to let my uncle go this time, what would you have done?"
"I will keep my promise and get Prefect Li to change his statement. I will only detain him for a few days and then release him."
Jing Zhe said calmly.
Zhang Xiaoyu stopped and looked into Jing Zhe's eyes.
"And then...?"
And then…
Jing Zhe smiled and said in a similarly calm voice, "Perhaps I will give all the shares of the distillery to the Zhang family and never come back again?"
If Zhang Xuexian continues to be stubborn and ignorant, Zhang Xuehou will definitely cause trouble again. Next time, Jing Zhe will not clean up his messes again. After all, he is not a pretty girl.
After listening, Zhang Xiaoyu clenched her fists tightly, her palms sweating. She was still relieved that she had made the decision for her father; if she had hesitated even slightly, she might have lost all ties with him in the future…
Thinking about this, Zhang Xiaoyu felt a wave of fear.
Then he firmly said, "Father is getting old, especially after this incident. I've realized he's not as capable as he used to be, so I've decided that once I take back that winery, I want to run it myself!"
"You'll run it?"
Jing Zhe looked Zhang Xiaoyu up and down, seemingly not quite believing it.
"What, you don't believe me?"
"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I wonder if a young woman like you, who always shows her face in public, can run such a large winery well?"
"What's wrong with the young lady? General Jinghong is a young lady, and so is Lady Zhu, yet they are both so capable! Besides, running a winery doesn't necessarily require showing your face in public. There are many people helping out, so I only need to focus on the overall situation!"
Jing Zhe smiled and said, "That's true, but doing business is different from other things. It's not easy for a girl to do it!"
"That's prejudice against girls!"
Zhang Xiaoyu pouted and said with dissatisfaction, "Do you know the Zhou family's cloth shop in Ruzhou? It's run by a young woman, and it's already the biggest in Anguo! I want to be like her!"
"..."
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