Feeling uncomfortable, the two were about to leave quickly when they heard the man say, "Please wait, gentlemen."
The two stopped.
Zhang Tingyu spoke first, asking, "What brings you here?"
While not exactly mild, it was acceptable, not particularly egregious.
The person who just told the two to stop was the same person who had made them feel uneasy earlier.
Actually, he wasn't unattractive at all; his features were regular, and his overall demeanor suggested he was an educated person.
"My name is Han Shu. I have something I would like to discuss with you two gentlemen. Would it be convenient for you to come closer?"
Han Shu didn't seem to realize that her words were abrupt and felt quite good about herself.
The two of them naturally had no intention of going with him.
Zhang Tingyu declined, saying, "We have other matters to attend to, and it may not be convenient for us today, as Young Master Han has suggested."
As soon as Zhang Tingyu finished speaking, the man's expression changed. He had been quite mild-mannered just now, but now that his expression had changed, he looked even more lewd.
Then, the few people sitting in the restaurant all stood up.
Now the two understood that this was someone waiting specifically for them.
Zhang Tingyu came out today with few people with him. He winked at his servant, signaling him to go out and inform the others, and then said with a smile, "What does Young Master Han mean by this?"
Han Shu said, "Young masters, our master invites you."
Left with no other choice, the two followed him upstairs to a private room. After they went inside, Han Shu closed the door.
Upon entering, Zhang Tingyu saw a college student in his thirties with an ordinary appearance. Looking at him, Zhang Tingyu thought he looked like an official.
This is strange. He doesn't know all the officials in Cangzhou, but he has seen those with names. This one, however, looks completely unfamiliar.
"Why have you invited us up here?"
The man stared at Qiu Wen, seemingly lost in thought. Qiu Wen felt disgusted by his gaze and moved closer to Zhang Tingyu.
Then the man became somewhat displeased.
"I passed through Cangzhou and I never expected that there would be such a beautiful woman here. It has certainly not disappointed the beautiful scenery here."
Both of them felt uncomfortable hearing this, as it implied that the man was being forcibly taken from the man.
Zhang Tingyu's face turned ashen: "What do you mean?"
"Didn't you guess it already? It's what you all think it means. I'm going back to the capital to report on my work. I see you're all scholars. If you follow me for two years, I can protect you in the officialdom."
Upon hearing that he was returning to the capital to report on his duties, Zhang Tingyu immediately understood why he had never seen this person before.
"You have no respect for the law."
The man scoffed, "I am the law."
Zhang Tingyu thought for a moment and said, "We are not an ordinary family. Aren't you afraid that our family will come looking for us?"
The man said, "Didn't you send your servant out to deliver the message? I'm waiting for your family to come. I want to see if they care about you."
Zhang Tingyu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the servant could go out and deliver the message, he was not afraid of anything else. This person had seen through Qiu Wen's identity as a girl, and Qiu Wen would be the one to suffer in the end.
The man looked at the two of them with a mocking expression, without making any move, as if he was certain that even if his servants brought men over, they would be powerless against him.
Zhang Tingyu didn't show it on his face, but he felt a strong aversion to this person. Judging from the man's words, he was going to the capital to report on his duties. Now the Ministry of Personnel was evaluating officials so casually. This man's character was truly worrying for the people.
Moreover, judging from his appearance, he had probably done this kind of trick of forcibly abducting men many times before, which made Zhang Tingyu very disgusted by it.
If a man with a penchant for male prostitutes goes to a male prostitute, it's fine if it's consensual, but this person completely disregards the law and is utterly ignorant.
Seeing this, Qiu Wen was quite worried. She had seen many people like this in modern times, who treated the law as a joke and thought that they could do whatever they wanted just because they had money and power.
She knew what these people were thinking; if they were truly capable, then their situation was very bad.
I should have told Zhang Tingyu's servant to go to the prefectural government.
What if this person isn't as powerful or influential as the prefect?
But I wish I had known sooner.
Sensing Qiu Wen's anxiety, Zhang Tingyu gave her a reassuring look. Whether it was her good self-regulation or the effect of Zhang Tingyu's reassurance, Qiu Wen was indeed less anxious, at least she calmed down on the surface.
About half an hour later, Han Shu knocked on the door of the private room somewhat anxiously.
"Master, something terrible has happened! A lot of people have arrived downstairs, and from what I see..." Those people looked like soldiers.
Before he could speak, his master interrupted him.
"Let's see who dares to take him away today."
He had barely finished speaking when the door was kicked open, startling everyone in the private room.
"Who is this person, so rude?"
The person who kicked the door ignored him and looked at Zhang Tingyu, saying, "This servant greets Your Excellency. I am late, please forgive me."
"No need for formalities. Send someone to take this person back and interrogate him properly."
"yes."
Then Han Shu, along with his master Liang Wenbing, was taken away.
He couldn't even get a word out.
Qiu Wen was dumbfounded. So what was going on? Wasn't it supposed to be a relative of the owner of Wu's Department Store? How did it become "Lord Zhang"?
Zhang Tingyu was young, old enough to get married in this era, but definitely not old enough to become an official. Qiu Wen felt like she had found an extraordinary partner.
After everyone had left, Zhang Tingyu dismissed his servant.
The two remained silent for a moment, mainly because they didn't know what to say. In the end, Qiu Wen broke the awkward atmosphere between them.
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