Han Xiao pinched Yu Pengyi's chin: "Tell me, who ordered you to do this? If you dare to lie to me..."
Han Xiao snorted coldly, and Xing Yi behind him clenched his fists and walked to Yu Pengyi's side.
Looking at the tall Xing Yi, Yu Pengyi was so frightened that he trembled all over: "I say, whatever you want to know, I will tell you everything!"
Yu Pengyi's nose and tears were streaming. Han Xiao couldn't help but stand up and move away from him with a look of disgust on his face.
Yu Pengyi looked down at Han Xiao uneasily, swallowing his saliva before continuing, "It was at the Spring Festival Banquet. The magistrate's servant came to me and asked me to save someone. I was wondering who it was that insisted on my rescue. Then he said that if I did it, I could become the Ruan family's son-in-law. I...somehow I agreed."
As he spoke, he raised his eyes and secretly looked at Han Xiao's expression. Even if Yu Pengyi was stupid, he knew that Han Xiao had a close relationship with the Ruan family. Maybe Han Xiao was the Ruan family's son-in-law.
Yu Pengyi was regretting it so much now. He shouldn't have believed their lies, but it was no use regretting it now. He knew the Chen family's methods. If he really told the Chen family about it, he couldn't imagine the consequences.
Thinking of the consequences of betraying the Chen family, Yu Pengyi shuddered again and lowered his head, not daring to look at Han Xiao again.
"Are you sure you are the servant of the magistrate's son?" Han Xiao already had a guess in his mind, but seeing Yu Pengyi's dishonest look, he still asked.
"Yes, I have seen the magistrate's son. I have specifically asked about the people around him, so I know that the servant is someone close to the magistrate." Yu Pengyi's voice became smaller and smaller.
"Was it just the two of you at the time? Was there anyone else? Did he say anything else to you besides this?"
"Others...? No... no one else, just the two of us. They told me to remove Young Master Ruan's clothes underwater, so that the Ruan family would have no choice but to marry Young Master Ruan to me for the sake of face." Looking at Han Xiao's increasingly gloomy expression, Yu Pengyi said in a low voice with a vague look, half true and half false.
Han Xiao snorted coldly, clenched his fists and signaled Xing Yi to take action.
Xing Yi stretched his arms. The food he had eaten at the Han family these past two days was good, and his strength was slowly returning.
Xing Yi lifted Yu Pengyi from the ground with one hand and punched him in the stomach.
Yu Pengyi's face turned pale immediately, his waist was in so much pain that he couldn't straighten up. He curled up on the ground, breathing in but not out.
Yu Pengyi's eyes were dazed and saliva was flowing from the corners of his mouth. It was obvious that Xing Yi's punch was not light and he did not hold back at all.
"What's the matter? I'll ask you again, was it the magistrate's son who instructed you? I want to hear the truth, otherwise no one would know if one person is missing." Han Xiao asked sinisterly.
Yu Pengyi kept shaking his head: "Let me go... I've told you everything I know. It really is the magistrate's son, no one else. I beg you to let me go."
Seeing that Yu Pengyi still refused to tell the truth, Han Xiao actually laughed and put his toes against Yu Pengyi's chest: "Haha, actually, even if you don't say it, I know it. You said that it was the county magistrate's son who ordered you to do it, right? Then what did Chen Jiabao do in it? You concealed it for him, but have you ever thought about what he would do to you when you return?"
Hearing Chen Jiabao's name, Yu Pengyi's face turned from pale to deathly white. He curled up on the ground and twitched continuously. No, it definitely wouldn't happen. As long as he insisted that it was the magistrate's son who ordered him to do so, Han Xiao and the Ruan family would not be able to do anything to him, and the Chen family would also save him.
Seeing that Yu Pengyi still didn't say anything, Han Xiao completely lost his patience and kicked him hard: "Xing Yi, I leave it to you."
Xing Yi nodded and lifted Yu Pengyi up again. This time, Yu Pengyi was so frightened that he became incontinent. For a moment, a foul smell filled the crowded and messy room.
Ruan Xiuran and Master Ruan looked at Yu Pengyi with disgust, and couldn't help but walked out.
After the two men left, Xing Yi let go completely. Suddenly, the room was filled with the sound of fists hitting flesh accompanied by shrill cries. Xing Yi was a slave and he knew too well how to torture someone.
Soon after, Yu Pengyi could no longer hold on: "Stop beating me. I'll tell you, I'll tell you...it was Chen Jiabao...it was Chen Jiabao who told me to do it. The servant said that Young Master Ruan had upset the magistrate's son, so he wanted to teach him a lesson. It was Chen Jiabao who told me to rip Young Master Ruan's clothes off. He was the one who said that."
Then Yu Pengyi endured the severe pain and told Han Xiao everything that Chen Jiabao had told him. Han Xiao's expression did not change, but his hands hanging at his sides clenched tightly.
Han Xiao had completely expected the Chen family's viciousness.
The Chen family targeted the Ruan family time and again. The reason for targeting the Ruan family was firstly because of business matters and the interference of County Magistrate He, and secondly because people's hearts were unpredictable. Even if the young master had good intentions towards everyone, some people would still lose their minds because of jealousy.
Han Xiao let out the breath he had been holding in his heart and nodded to Mr. Ruan who was standing outside the door.
After learning the truth, Master Ruan threw the ornament in his hand away with an expressionless face. Ruan Xiuran looked at the broken ornament on the ground with distress, saying, "Dad, you can't throw things even if you are angry."
After a while, Master Ruan finally spoke: "I understand. What do you think we should do about Han Xiao?"
Han Xiao's eyes flashed. He would not let anyone who hurt the young master go easily. "They say you should look at the owner before beating a dog. I just don't know if this dog of the Chen family is important enough in Magistrate He's heart."
"Oh? What do you want to do?" Mr. Ruan looked at Han Xiao and said, now the crisis of the Ruan family has not been resolved yet, and the Chen family is in cahoots with County Magistrate He. To be honest, Mr. Ruan is a little powerless at this time.
Most of the Chen family's business is in the fabric business, which has a high degree of overlap with the Ruan family's business territory. This is why the Chen family went to great lengths to steal the Ruan family's recipes.
Before this, the Chen family had always been suppressed by the Ruan family and could only eat some leftover scraps in the market. Later, the Ruan family's recipe was lost, and the Ruan family lost many of their old customers. After all, the Chen family had lowered the price very low, and there was nothing they could do about it as merchants were pursuing profits.
Later, the Ruan family's crisis was barely alleviated because Han Xiao sent a batch of very bright red cloth dyed with beets. However, Mr. Ruan knew that this was only a temporary solution. Beets were scarce, and until the problem of beet production was solved, the Ruan family's hidden dangers would always exist.
But these are not a problem for Han Xiao at all. If he doesn't have beets, he can find other alternative plants for dyeing, and the dyeing effect will not be worse than beets, and some will even be better.
The reason why the recipe for beets was given to the Ruan family was, firstly, because beets were readily available, and secondly, it was to prevent the Ruan family from thinking too much. This recipe could indeed temporarily alleviate the crisis of the Ruan family, but it did not completely solve it, so the Ruan family would not feel any psychological burden.
But the situation is different now. Han Xiao really can't get rid of this anger unless he teaches the Chen family a lesson this time.
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