When Yinggu helped Suman into the house, none of the servants greeted her. She coughed twice in dissatisfaction.
Xiang Ma looked at Su Man with a slanted look and said sarcastically, "Oh, Madam is back."
Yinggu was indignant, "You haven't come over to greet Madam when you see her!"
Xiang Mama gave a forced smile and said, "Originally, this servant wanted to bow to Madam, but the Second Madam is about to come in, and the General has already ordered that there is a wedding coming up in the mansion. I'm sorry, this servant has no time to bow to Madam."
"you..."
Su Man stopped Yinggu who was about to step forward to argue, and said in a good temper, "Since it is the general's order, it's fine. It's just that you have followed a good master like your mother, and there will be benefits for you."
He said to his mother arrogantly, "The Second Madam is kind-hearted and is naturally a good master."
After walking a long way, Yinggu was still indignant, "Madam, how could you allow her to contradict you? In my opinion, she is disrespectful to you and deserves to be beaten and sold out."
Su Man said, "The chirping of cicadas in summer is annoying. Why don't you go and kill them one by one?"
"Anyway, they'll all die in autumn, so why should I bother with that?" Yinggu suddenly realized something, "I'm afraid it's not Madam..."
"Shhh."
Su Man covered her lips with her index finger, "It won't work if you say it out loud."
That night, Su Man vaguely heard someone outside asking to see Nie You to plead for their boss, but Nie You ordered the doorman to kick the person out without even meeting him.
She asked Yinggu to inquire carefully, and was told that the person who had come was the second-in-command of the Yongle Bank. The second-in-command was initially quite polite, handing over a visiting card and waiting in the porch. But the general didn't wait, and when he arrived at the gatehouse, he said harshly, "Just wait and see."
"He is just the manager of a money shop. What ability can he have? I guess he is just talking nonsense." Yinggu said.
After washing her hands, Su Man took the towel from Yinggu's hand and wiped them, saying, "Don't judge a person by appearance."
-
The day after tomorrow was a beautiful sunny day, with bright sunshine and a clear sky. The gate lintel of the Nie Mansion was tall and majestic.
Nie You was dressed in red, looking high-spirited and riding a tall horse, leading the way. Behind him was the wedding procession, with music and drums, making it very lively.
The Nie Mansion was packed with distinguished guests, and everyone's face was filled with joy, except for the wife of the Marquis of Qi. With a stern face, she approached Su Man and saw her drinking tea as if nothing had happened. She said with dismay, "Sister, how could you really let that bitch in?"
Su Man pulled her to sit down and said, "It's very hot outside, come in and have some tea."
The wife of the Marquis of Qi sat down unhappily. "Are you worried about not having tea? That bitch will serve you tea soon."
Coincidentally, someone came from outside and asked Su Man to go to the main hall, saying that Qin Wanrou was about to come in and asked her to prepare in advance.
The wife of the Marquis of Qi said angrily, "Look, I said that bitch is coming, go ahead, I'm too lazy to look at her."
Su Man pulled her with a smile, "Let's go, sister. It would be bad if we missed the good show."
"What's so good?" Lady Qihou was puzzled.
"Sister, come with me and you'll find out."
In the main hall, Nie's mother sat at the first seat, and Su Man sat at the lower seat.
After a while, the sound of stringed instruments and orchestras could be heard from afar. Although Qin Wanrou's temporary residence was only across the street from the General's Mansion, Nie You had taken Qin Wanrou on a tour of half the capital, enjoying a moment of immense fame.
A brazier had been prepared outside. When Qin Wanrou stepped over it, the bridesmaid shouted, "The bride steps over the smoke of the fire and walks gracefully into the hall."
"good!"
Cheers rang out all around.
In the wedding hall, Nie You was wearing a bright red wedding gown, and Qin Wanrou, wearing a red veil, stood beside him, with the pearl on her waist shining brightly.
The bridesmaid stretched her neck and shouted, "Bow to heaven and earth."
They both bowed down.
"Bow to your parents twice."
Xiang Mama helped Qin Wanrou turn around and face Nie's mother who was sitting on the high seat. At this moment, Nie's mother looked at the two people bowing, her face full of joy, "Okay, okay."
Just as the bridesmaid was gathering her strength to shout out the final bow, there was a sudden commotion outside.
“Get out of the way!”
"Hey, you can't go in."
Everyone turned around, wanting to see who dared to cause trouble in the general's mansion. The person who came was also considerate and rushed in quickly, satisfying everyone's curiosity.
The leader was a man with a pointed chin and monkey cheeks. Although he was dressed in bright clothes, he looked a bit ruffian. Behind him followed a dozen burly followers, each holding a long stick in their hands. In the blink of an eye, the wedding hall was packed tightly.
The female guests dodged again and again. Su Man covered her face with a fan and turned slightly.
Seeing the chaos in the wedding hall, Nie You became furious and shouted, "You have trespassed into the general's mansion. Aren't you afraid of being punished by the court? Come, arrest them!"
The leader saw Nie You grinning and bowed, saying, "General, please be patient. I am the second-in-command of Yongle Bank. I have come here today to congratulate General Nie on his wedding. How can I be accused of trespassing into the general's residence?"
Nie You didn't notice that Qin Wanrou, who was protected behind him, became timid when she heard the name of Yongle Money House. She sneered, "Yongle Money House? Yesterday, you came to me to plead for your boss and it was rejected, and now you come to disrupt my wedding banquet? You are so bold!"
Shopkeeper Bi rolled his eyes around, slyly glancing at the guests around him, and said with a smile, "General, why don't we find a place where we can talk and have a chat."
"Hmph, you are not worthy enough to talk to this general." Nie You said disdainfully, "There is no point in talking any more. I, Nie You, will never bend the law for personal gain."
Shopkeeper Bi stopped laughing and said, "In that case, I'll say it here."
He pulled out two receipts from his pocket. "The Nie family has borrowed two thousand taels from my bank twice. We agreed to pay back four hundred taels of principal plus fifty taels of interest every month. However, I've sent people to collect the debt many times, but you've always made excuses. Since General Nie dislikes our bank so much, why don't you just pay us back all at once?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the people around him looked at each other in confusion.
It was said to be a loan, but who knows whether it was a real loan or a bribe. The emperor asked Nie You to investigate the black money houses, and now that something like this has happened, isn't he digging his own grave?
Nie You saw his colleagues' different expressions and was afraid that the news would reach the emperor's ears. He panicked and retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about! When did my general's mansion take your money?"
"I'm talking nonsense?" Shopkeeper Bi opened the document in his hand and showed it to everyone, "Everyone come and see, and bear witness for me, Bi."
He showed it around, and finally came to Nie You and said with a half-smile, "General, look at this white, black, and red seal. Is it from your mansion?"
Nie You paused. It was indeed the seal from the General’s Mansion.
Mother Nie, who was sitting in the hall, could no longer sit still. She rushed over, holding the maid in her arms. She snatched the document, looked it over, and angrily asked, "What the hell is going on?"
She looked around and suddenly made eye contact with Su Man. She pointed at Su Man and said, "Is it you?"
Su Man supported Yinggu's hand and slowly got down from the chair, bowing and saying, "Mother, please understand. I have already handed over the keys to the house. Besides, when I was in charge, I was always frugal and self-disciplined. There is no way I could have spent this much money."
At this moment, Qin Wanrou, under the veil, was in a state of panic, her heart almost beating out of her chest. She squeezed Xiang Mama's hand tightly, pinching it until it turned purple.
However, Su Man continued, "Why not ask the shopkeeper who he was with at the time? Then the truth will be revealed."
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