"Thirdly: Uncle Wang and his men will let Chen Yu taste some success at the gambling table, and then lure him into the game. When he loses and becomes desperate, he will definitely bet his entire fortune, or even borrow money at high interest rates. Once he is heavily in debt, we will secretly bribe the creditors to force him to leave Shangyang County."
"Any one of these measures could drive him crazy. With all three combined, I don't believe he can stay in Shangyang County any longer."
"In addition, we also need to be wary of the hidden forces behind this. Uncle Wang, please send someone to keep an eye on the Qian family's movements in the prefectural city, especially their contact with Chen Yu."
The crowd nodded in agreement, accepted the order, and quickly dispersed.
---
A few days later, in the busiest teahouse in Shangyang County, Chen Yu was drinking and making merry with several of his men, boasting about how he had "taught" Yunxiang Pavilion a lesson. Suddenly, a ragged old man rushed into the teahouse, knelt down in front of Chen Yu, and cried out, "Master Chen! Please have mercy! My granddaughter is seriously ill, and we're counting on selling flowers to save her life. You've cut off my livelihood; you're trying to force my whole family to their deaths!"
The teahouse fell silent instantly, everyone turning to look. Chen Yu, his face ashen, kicked the old man aside: "Get out! If you dare spout any more nonsense, I'll break your legs!"
The old man staggered to the ground, pulled a contract from his pocket, and shouted, "Fellow villagers, be the judge! I signed a contract with Yunxiang Pavilion, but Master Chen brought his men to smash my flower field and threatened me not to sell flowers! They're trying to force us flower farmers to our deaths!"
Immediately afterwards, a group of flower farmers rushed into the teahouse, holding up their contracts and denouncing Chen Yu's misdeeds. Some even produced the remains of the destroyed flower fields as evidence. The onlookers were filled with righteous indignation, pointing at Chen Yu and hurling insults.
The onlookers gasped, whispers rising in the air. Chen Yu, enraged, was about to strike when a commotion erupted outside. Several constables strode into the teahouse, the leader coldly declaring, "Chen Yu, someone has accused you of seizing farmland and coercing the people. Come with us!"
Chen Yu was taken aback: "Who dares to sue me?" Before he finished speaking, a man in a blue robe came down from the second floor of the teahouse, holding an account book, and said loudly: "I am a merchant from the prefectural city. I have personally witnessed Chen Yu oppressing the people and I am willing to be a witness!" This man was a disguised guard.
Chen Yu's face turned ashen, and he was drenched in cold sweat. He suddenly realized that he had fallen into a meticulously planned trap. Without a word, the constables dragged him out of the teahouse. The streets were lined with people, pointing and whispering; the once-powerful local tyrant was now like a dog with its tail between its legs.
Meanwhile, Li Mobai received a secret report at the inn and was so shocked that he smashed his teacup: "Chen Yu has been arrested? Who did it!"
That night, Chen Yu's family spent a lot of money to smooth things over, and he didn't stagger back to the mansion until the third watch of the night. As soon as he pushed open the door to his study, the candlelight flickered and swayed without any wind.
On the table lay a letter without sealing wax.
Just as his fingers touched the envelope, he heard the sound of a dry branch snapping outside the window.
Cold sweat trickled down his temples. The letter read: "If you ever touch Yunxiang Pavilion again, the next thing I'll send you is a coffin."
"Come--"
The cries for help abruptly ceased. Three hands wearing leather wristbands emerged from the darkness, and a burlap sack soaked in medicine, emitting a pungent odor, was placed over his head.
He suddenly bumped his lower back against something hard, and only then did he realize that he had been forced into a corner.
The clubs rained down like hail, each blow precisely avoiding vital points yet causing excruciating pain. He writhed like a dehydrated fish in the sack, only able to utter muffled whimpers.
When the excruciating pain nearly made him faint, someone grabbed his hair and lifted his head up.
The cold metal pressed against his right wrist, the blade's chill seeping through the burlap sack and into his skin: "Remember, next time it'll be this hand."
The sack was suddenly loosened, and the night wind carrying the smell of blood rushed into the nostrils.
When Chen Yu struggled to crawl out, all that remained in the room was the letter lying in a pool of blood.
"Ah..." A short while later, Chen Yu's scream of agony echoed from inside the room.
In the shadows, the new guard put away his blood-stained short stick and smiled at his companion, "Master is right. Some things need to be dealt with before being reported."
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