Chapter Forty-Three: Qin Chengxuan Refuses to Yield
Chen Erlang looked at the cold light in Qin Zhining's eyes, and his panicked heart suddenly calmed down a bit.
He had only heard that the second young lady of the county magistrate's family grew up in the countryside and was a cowardly and ignorant fool.
But at this moment, this second young lady seems to have more backbone than young master Qin Chengxuan, and her words and actions carry a convincing quality.
He nodded vigorously, "Okay! Miss Qin, I'll listen to you. If my sister can come back safely, I, Chen Erlang, will owe you for the rest of my life."
Qin Zhining didn't say anything more, turned to Qin Xiaoxiao and said, "Drag Steward Li and his nephew onto the donkey cart, let's go."
Qin Xiaoxiao immediately responded with a "ba ba ba" sound, and together with Chen Erlang, dragged the steward and his nephew, who were tied up like rice dumplings, onto a donkey cart at the city gate.
"Fifty coins, to a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the city." After getting into the carriage, Qin Zhining tossed a small string of copper coins to the driver and gave the order.
The donkey cart driver was overjoyed to see so much money for the fare. He quickly raised his whip and shouted, urging the donkey to leave the city as soon as possible.
The wind brushed against her face, carrying the chill of early spring, but it made Qin Zhining's heart burn like a fire.
She touched the short-bladed dagger that the system had rewarded her with at her waist, and then glanced at the system panel. In addition to the warning that the "Rescue the wayward youth" mission was about to fail, there was also a temporary mission: "Rescue the innocent girl Chen Xiaomei, punish the villains He San and Qin Zhiyu. Mission rewards: a map of the Great Qi Dynasty's coastal defense, one hundred taels of silver, and a random skill book."
The words "punish the villains" made Qin Zhining's eyes suddenly turn even colder.
Not far from the city, the donkey cart could be seen in the distance in a secluded suburb, where a dilapidated temple with half of its roof collapsed and a horse-drawn carriage parked in front of the temple.
Judging from the decorations on the carriage, it belongs to the He family, the prefectural magistrate, and is also the carriage that the third young master of the He family usually uses.
Qin Zhining stopped the donkey cart fifty paces away from the dilapidated temple, and together with Qin Xiaoxiao and Chen Erlang, threw Steward Li and his nephew off the cart.
When the donkey cart driver saw that something was wrong, he hurriedly drove the cart back after everyone got off.
Qin Zhining said to Qin Xiaoxiao, "You keep an eye on Steward Li and his nephew for now. Chen Erlang and I will go check on the situation."
"If you hear me shout 'Make your move,' drag Steward Li and his nephew over there, then go wait for Li Mo and the others behind the dilapidated temple. They should be arriving soon."
Qin Xiaoxiao nodded wildly, her excitement undisguised.
No way, she just likes to fight and beat people up.
Qin Zhining and Chen Erlang got off the carriage and, using the bushes by the roadside as cover, quietly approached the dilapidated temple.
Just as he reached the window of the dilapidated temple, he heard the arrogant laughter of Young Master He coming from inside, "Qin Chengxuan, don't push your luck."
It's just a broken jade seal. I asked you to help me get it out, but you can't even do that. What's the point of keeping a useless piece of trash like you?
If it weren't for your sister Ayu pleading for you, I would have broken your leg for her sake.
"However, now that this country bumpkin girl is here, I won't touch you. But if you don't agree to help me get that bitch Qin Zhining's broken jade seal out, I'll—destroy her."
Qin Zhiyu, with a kind-hearted expression, looked at Qin Chengxuan with a forced smile and said, "Yes, brother, Young Master He has a use for that jade seal."
If you help him get the jade seal out, how could the Third Young Master not reward you handsomely? Besides, once I enter the He family, the Third Young Master will be your brother-in-law, and then we'll be family, okay?
Brother, don't be stubborn. If you side with Young Master He, then this little sister of the Chen family will suffer.
"Brother, don't you pride yourself on being a righteous and chivalrous gentleman, a true knight-errant? For a worthless stone, you can bear to watch Chen's little sister lose her innocence and reputation?"
What a shameless Qin Zhiyu! She says such shameless things with such confidence and righteousness; it's truly disgusting.
Qin Zhining quietly crept over from behind the dilapidated temple and peered inside through the crack in the window.
In the open space in the middle of the dilapidated temple, the dissolute playboy Qin Chengxuan was being held down on the ground by two thugs.
Perhaps he had struggled for a long time; his knees were scraped, there were several bloodstains on his face, and his hair was a mess, yet he still stubbornly stuck out his neck.
“That jade seal was left to Zhi Ning by the eldest aunt. What right do we have to snatch it? And this young lady from the Chen family, she is innocent.”
"You're using her to threaten me—it's utterly depraved! He Qilin, Qin Zhiyu, release her immediately, or I'll sever all ties with you and never see you again in this life."
“Innocent?” Young Master He squatted down, grabbed Qin Chengxuan’s hair, and forced him to look up. “In Lincheng County, if I, He San, say someone is guilty, then they are guilty.”
"If you keep being stubborn, I'll tear that little girl's clothes off right now and let you see for yourself how much a conscience is worth!"
As he spoke, he winked at the two thugs standing in the corner.
The two thugs immediately approached Chen Xiaomei, who was huddled in the corner.
The girl was about the same age as Qin Chengxuan, only fifteen or sixteen years old. At this moment, she was so frightened that her face turned pale. She gripped her collar tightly with both hands, and tears fell like broken beads, but she dared not cry out loud.
"Stop!" Qin Chengxuan struggled violently as he saw the evil claws about to reach the innocent Chen Xiaomei, who was being implicated. He roared, "He San, don't touch her. If you dare touch her, I'll haunt you even as a ghost."
Young Master He smiled smugly, "Become a ghost? Qin Chengxuan, you are Ayu's own brother, how could I bear to let you become a ghost?"
"Hahaha—as long as you agree to help me get rid of Qin Zhining, I will not only spare this Chen family girl, but I will also buy you a house in the prefectural city, and when you get married, I will give you an additional five thousand taels of silver as a gift, how about that?"
A tremendous temptation was instantly placed before Qin Chengxuan.
Qin Zhiyu was a little reluctant to part with him, so she took He Qilin's arm and acted coquettishly, "Oh, Third Young Master, my brother—how could he let you spend so much money?"
Don't worry, your brother wouldn't accept such a generous gift from you for a broken stone.
He'll definitely do his best to get it for you. Brother—say something! You'll definitely get that jade seal for Young Master He, right?" She said the last sentence to Qin Chengxuan.
Qin Chengxuan gritted his teeth, glared fiercely at Qin Zhiyu, and finally, with a helpless and compromising look, roared, "Release the Chen family girl first, and I... I will give you the jade seal."
"What? You're saying you'll give us the jade seal?" He Qilin frowned. "Qin Chengxuan, are you trying to play me for a fool?"
Qin Chengxuan spat out a mouthful of blood and glared angrily at He Qilin, "Why would I need to play tricks on you? I got that broken jade seal a long time ago."
I was just thinking of making a deal with you, but I never imagined you would be so vicious.
"He Qilin, release the Chen family girl, and I'll give you that broken stone. Otherwise, I'll destroy it, and you won't get it."
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