Chapter 41 Slapping the He Family Steward Sparks Turmoil
Qin Zhining's hand holding the chopsticks suddenly paused, her fingertips turning white.
The aroma of the still-warm dishes was now tinged with a harsh, menacing scent—"That good-for-nothing Qin Chengxuan," it pierced her heart like a needle.
It's not that I'm angry that my brother is useless, it's that I'm angry that others dare to so openly curse and insult him, and even want to break his legs.
The reason these people dared to treat Qin Chengxuan so blatantly was twofold: firstly, he himself was a disappointment and looked down upon; secondly, his older sister, Qin Zhiyu, betrayed her brother's dignity in order to gain favor with Young Master He.
Qin Zheng had just taken a bite of rice when he heard this, so he put down his chopsticks, his face instantly darkening. "Miss, whose dog is this? How dare he insult the young master like that?"
Now that he was a member of the Qin family, the humiliation of his master's relatives was more painful than being beaten himself, and he rolled up his sleeves, wanting to rush out.
"Sit down." Qin Zhining's voice was as cold as ice, but she didn't get up. She just tilted her ear to listen to the next room.
The cursing from next door continued, mixed with the clinking of glasses, and a gruff voice grew increasingly arrogant, "What are you afraid of?"
A good-for-nothing spoiled by the Qin family, if Young Master He wanted to teach him a lesson, it would be like crushing an ant.
Besides, last time he ruined the Third Young Master's plans—he snatched the inkstone that the Third Young Master had his eye on, and the Third Young Master didn't break his legs on the spot, which was already giving Magistrate Qin face!
Another voice, even shriller and laced with obsequiousness, said, "Butler Li is right. But Qin Chengxuan is also stupid. He ignored Miss Chen and insisted on liking the Third Young Master's half-sister. Humph, he deserves to be looked down upon by the Third Young Master."
In my opinion, once the Third Young Master has a chance, we'll not only break his legs, but we'll also make sure Magistrate Qin doesn't get away with it!
"That's not necessarily true." Someone else chimed in with a laugh, "Hahaha—Young Master He is engaged to Qin Zhiyu, the eldest daughter of Magistrate Qin, and they're saying he'll be marrying her soon. How about the young master gives his bride some face?"
"He Wenxiu, the illegitimate daughter of the He family?" Upon hearing the name He Wenxiu, a chill instantly surged in Qin Zhining's eyes.
Well, Qin Chengxuan really did disregard his dignity as a man and let He Qilin boss him around for the sake of that illegitimate daughter of the He family.
Hmph, this brain-dead piece of trash deserves a beating.
But now, Qin Chengxuan is her nominal brother. No matter how bad he is, he can only be bullied by her, Qin Zhining. There is no reason for him to be bullied by anyone else.
Qin Zhining thought of Qin Zhiyu and Aunt An, who would do anything to curry favor with He Qilin; they were truly disgusting.
She put down her chopsticks, tapped her fingertips lightly on the edge of the table, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips: "Qin Zheng, take two men and go next door to see who's talking. Remember, don't make a move, find out who they are first."
Qin Zheng clenched his fist and answered "Yes," then exchanged a glance with Zhou Zhang and Wang Song. The three of them quietly opened the door to the private room and walked to the next room.
A short while later, Qin Zheng returned, his face even more grim than before. "Miss, it's Li Quan, the steward of the He family's residence in Lincheng County, along with two attendants."
The He family was actually the most powerful salt merchant family in Lincheng County. Although the father of the third young master He was a prefectural magistrate, his uncle ran a cattle and horse market.
I heard that Young Master He gave one of his half-sisters to the prefect as a concubine, and that he's sworn brothers with the prefect's eldest son, who is also a concubine's son. His servants are notorious for their tyranny throughout the county.
"A salt merchant?" Qin Zhining raised an eyebrow, her fingers rubbing the silver bracelet on her wrist—an item left by the original owner's mother. "No wonder this Steward Li is so arrogant; he has powerful backers."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Steward Li from next door, seemingly drunk, raised his voice again, "And that little slut from the Qin County Magistrate's family who came back from the countryside, I heard she's been restless ever since she got back to the manor."
Not only did they beat up our Third Young Master's soon-to-be wife, but they also gave her aunt a beating.
Right now, I heard she's taken in a few thugs as lackeys on the street. Hahaha... If we get the chance, we'll go and meet this country bumpkin."
"Bang!"
The door to the private room was kicked open with a loud bang that made everyone shudder.
Qin Zhining stood at the door, staring at Butler Li and the other diners beside him as if they were dead.
Qin Zheng, Zhou Zhang, Wang Song, Li Mo, and Zhao Shu followed closely behind, each with an unfriendly expression.
Qin Xiaoxiao, Gu Jingchun, and Gu Jingqiu were overjoyed to see that there were more people to beat up, and they rubbed their fists together as if the people in front of them were just little chicks.
Butler Li's hand, holding the wine glass, wobbled, spilling wine all over his clothes. He looked up and saw it was a young girl, then straightened his back. "Whose maid are you? How dare you barge into the He family's private room? Are you looking for death?"
Qin Zhining gave Qin Xiaoxiao a wink, and Qin Xiaoxiao, as silently as a ghost, strode to the table and slapped him across the face.
"Smack!"
A crisp sound rang out in the private room. Butler Li was knocked to the side, and blood instantly trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He was stunned, and it took him a while to react. He clutched his cheek and roared, "You dare hit me? I'm the He family's butler! You dare hit me? You—do you know who my third young master is?"
"I don't care whose butler you are."
Qin Zhining picked up the wine jug on the table and splashed the cold wine all over his face. "You called my brother a piece of trash? You wanted to break his legs? You still want to cause me trouble? You dog of a servant, I think you're tired of living."
Two henchmen tried to step forward, but Qin Zheng and Zhou Zhang held them down on either side, twisting their arms so hard they made a "crack" sound, causing them to wince in pain.
Steward Li was thoroughly chilled by the wine, and his drunkenness had mostly subsided, but he still forced himself to speak, "You...you are that lowly woman from the countryside who came back from the Qin County Magistrate's mansion?"
"Let me tell you, if you dare touch me, Young Master He will never let you off. I—I've already sent people to intercept Qin Chengxuan. If you release me now, you'll suffer less!"
"Block my brother?" Qin Zhining's heart tightened suddenly, then sank again.
It seems that Qin Chengxuan is destined to face this calamity.
“Miss, I’ll take two men to find the young master.” Qin Zheng volunteered. “I know these people’s ways, and I guarantee they won’t let the young master suffer any great loss.”
Qin Zhining nodded. "Okay, you take Jinchun and Jinqiu with you, and Zhao Shu goes. Remember, don't suffer any losses. Your own safety is very important. Don't hurt yourselves because of a good-for-nothing."
Qin Zheng and the Gu sisters felt a warmth in their hearts upon hearing this; it felt so good to be protected.
So Qin Zheng, Gu Jingchun, Gu Jingqiu, and Zhao Shufei quickly left to search for Qin Chengxuan.
As soon as they left, Qin Zhining bent down, grabbed Butler Li's collar, her eyes as cold as ice, and said slowly, "Tell me, where are you going to corner my brother and break his legs?"
"Butler Li, if my brother loses even a single hair, I'll not only skin you alive, but I'll also ensure that the He family's cattle and horse market will never be able to operate in Lincheng County again!"
The butler was so frightened by her gaze that he trembled all over. His arrogance vanished completely, and he stammered, "In...the outskirts of the county town."
I—I had Old Lai bring over a dozen thugs to break Qin Chengxuan's legs as an apology to the young master…
However, that Miss Qin Zhiyu, she said that if her younger brother misbehaves, a beating is enough. I—I promised, just a beating, without hurting him.
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