Chapter 550 That person might kill you
Half an hour later, the four people gathered at the Shen residence.
Shang Ruyi hadn't had a chance to visit Shen Shiyan these past few days, so she took this opportunity to greet her uncle and aunt. Just as Shen Wuzheng had said, although Shen Shiyan was injured, he was in good spirits and had recovered considerably after resting for a few days.
Madam Yu was overjoyed. Upon seeing them arrive, she wished she could immediately have the kitchen prepare a feast to entertain them.
Finally, Shen Wuzheng said, "We have something to discuss. Father and Mother, you should go back to your rooms and rest. If there's nothing else, don't come over."
Mrs. Yu looked at them expectantly: "Can't you tell us?"
Shen Wuzheng glanced at her with a smile.
Shen Shiyan pulled his wife aside and said, "Young people have their own things to discuss. What are you doing standing here? Go downstairs and tell the kitchen to add a couple more dishes."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yu thought it made sense, so she turned around and went out with him.
The group breathed a sigh of relief. Pei Xingyuan swaggered into Shen Wuzheng's room and sat down. Even Shang Ruyi hadn't returned to this room for many years, let alone entered it. It was more like a study than a bedroom. Apart from a bed in the corner, a table in the center, and a few blankets, the room was filled with books. The bookshelves on three walls exuded a strong smell of ink and paper. Just by walking in, one felt refreshed and relaxed.
But Pei Xingyuan complained, "Why did we come to your house? It would be much better to go to the Duke's mansion, it's closer."
Shen Wuzheng didn't speak, but only glanced at Yuwen Ye beside him—he had just been summoned from the palace, and the deep lines between his brows hadn't faded yet. Hearing this, he said in a deep voice, "Aunt Hui is at home. If we go back, she will definitely see us."
So what if you see it?
Pei Xingyuan blinked: "Isn't that what we want them to know?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "But, with our brains, would we knowingly gather together at this time of day, knowing that Aunt Hui is from that side, just so she can see us?"
"Well?"
Pei Xingyuan was stunned. He blinked, thought for a while, and then murmured, "That's true..."
Shang Ruyi covered her mouth and chuckled softly from the side.
Feeling embarrassed, Pei Xingyuan coughed twice and then said to cover it up, "But as soon as I walked into your room, I felt like my palms were going to be hit by a ruler!"
Shen Wuzheng said, "In our area, only those who are lazy and stupid get beaten."
"you--"
Pei Xingyuan wanted to argue with him, but couldn't refute him, so he could only sit there sulking and ignore him.
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Young Master Pei, let's get down to business first. You just told me in Chang Le Fang that things are almost done, but not quite there yet. What do you mean by that?"
Pei Xingyuan then turned his head, glanced contemptuously at Shen Wuzheng and Yuwen Ye who were smiling with pursed lips, snorted, and said, "That Jin Daji has agreed to take me to their warehouse to get medicine tonight."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, the three people present widened their eyes in surprise.
But no one spoke immediately.
After a long silence, Yuwen Ye finally spoke up: "He kept delaying and refusing to agree before, but he just agreed so readily today?"
Pei Xingyuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, savored the taste, and then said, "Today, I delivered the medicine later than usual, and the medicine was much weaker than usual. Sure enough, the people in Chang Le Fang made a fuss, and they happened to see it."
"..."
"In that case, he would have no choice but to believe that I was running out of medicine."
"..."
"So, when I found him again today, he finally agreed to sell me some of the medicinal herbs he had."
Yuwen Ye and Shen Wuzheng exchanged a glance. After thinking for a moment, Shen Wuzheng said, "If that's the case, then what did you mean by 'not reaching ten points' just now?"
Pei Xingyuan said, "He made two conditions, one of which was to raise the price. He wanted one thousand taels."
After saying that, before the other three could show any surprise, he immediately said, "I'll go first. I've already agreed, but I still have a shortfall of five hundred taels, which you must make up for."
It was clearly a troublesome matter, but after hearing him say it, the group couldn't help but purse their lips.
Shen Wuzheng calmly said, "I don't have much to offer."
The crowd glanced at him but said nothing. Unlike the Pei family, who, despite being exiled, still had their wealth and resources due to their large family background, the Shen family was small and their land was all in Dongdu. During the days that the couple had been exiled, Shen Wuzheng had also gone to Lingnan with them. Therefore, after returning to Daxing City, many things had to be started from scratch, and he indeed couldn't afford much money.
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment and said, "The most I can get from the government is two hundred taels. Any more than that, and I'm afraid it will alarm Aunt Hui."
Although they came from prestigious families, their lives were not as extravagant as ordinary people might imagine. In particular, Yuwen Yuan was very strict with his sons, forbidding them from living a life of luxury. Even if their expenses were not excessive, they had to come from the official accounts. If he found that they were spending too much on pleasure, he would stop them immediately.
Even if Yuwen Ye manages to embezzle some money this time, the same problem will still arise—
They did want the other party to know, but to make the act convincing, even if they wanted the other party to realize it was a trap, the trap couldn't be too obvious. After all, based on the other party's understanding of them, none of the four of them were stupid enough to devise such a simple trap.
Therefore, they want the other party to know that they are raising money, but they also don't want the other party to know that they are raising money. They deliberately let the other party know that they are raising money.
For a moment, all three men were at a loss.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi looked at them and said softly, "I can afford this amount."
"...!?"
Instantly, all three pairs of eyes turned to her.
Yuwen Ye asked, "You...you still have money?"
Shang Ruyi nodded slightly.
When she got married, the dowry prepared for her by Shen Shiyan and his wife was very generous. In addition, the Shen couple also gave her all the betrothal gifts from Yuwen Yuan, leaving her with not a single penny. Therefore, she actually held a large sum of money in her hands, which is why she dared to send Tushe'er and Jiang Kesheng out of Tongguan to buy medicine a few days ago, and even bought such a large quantity of medicine.
Shang Ruyi said to Yuwen Ye, "I think we should leave some traces. Go home and collect one hundred taels of silver from the accounting office. I can make up the rest."
Yuwen Ye nodded: "Okay."
Shang Ruyi nodded, then looked down and noticed that the tea in her cup was almost gone. She got up to refill it, and as soon as she left, Pei Xingyuan clicked his tongue twice.
Yuwen Ye glanced at him sideways: "What are you doing now?"
Pei Xingyuan said, "You didn't know Ruyi was so rich?"
"have no idea."
"You're not going to do anything?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye paused for a moment, then looked up at Shen Wuzheng opposite him before saying, "If you want to live a peaceful life in the future, then don't worry about your wife's money."
Then he added with a faint smile, "However, you probably can't control that anyway."
Pei Xingyuan immediately retorted, "Do you think I can't control who my wife is? Let me tell you, when I marry, I will definitely make my own decision!"
Yuwen Ye glanced at him: "I hope so."
Seeing Pei Xingyuan about to explode, Shen Wuzheng smiled, but quickly suppressed his smile and said to Yuwen Ye, "After this matter is over, no matter what, the debt must be settled with Ruyi."
Yuwen Ye glanced at him and said, "Hmm."
As soon as she finished speaking, Shang Ruyi returned with a cup of refilled water and sat down. She then looked at Pei Xingyuan, who was still grumbling in dissatisfaction, and asked, "Young Master Pei, what is the second condition?"
The other two then turned to look at him.
Pei Xingyuan immediately suppressed his smile, his expression becoming slightly serious, and said, "He wants me to go alone."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, the three men's expressions immediately changed.
Shen Wuzheng said, "No!"
Pei Xingyuan widened his eyes slightly, then narrowed them and smiled, saying, "Are you worried about me, brother?"
Shen Wuzheng's expression was solemn, especially his eyes, which were devoid of any smile. He said, "Don't joke around. This could very well be a trap."
Pei Xingyuan glanced at him but did not immediately refute him. He then turned to look at Yuwen Ye.
Yuwen Ye's expression was even more somber than Shen Wuzheng's.
He said, "Even if it's not a trap, it's still dangerous for them to send you alone."
Shang Ruyi nodded as well.
Pei Xingyuan looked at her, then at Yuwen Ye and Shen Wuzheng, remained silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled and said, "Why are you all so timid and hesitant?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "It's not about being timid or hesitant, but about acting cautiously."
"..."
"From what has happened these past few days, you should understand without me saying it that the other party is incredibly resourceful, and may even have the ability to foresee the future. If we want to lure them out, we can only do so by thinking one step deeper than they do. But let's not forget that if we can think deeply, they can think deeply too."
"..."
"Anyone who takes a wrong step at this moment will capsize in this abyss."
"I understand what you mean,"
Pei Xingyuan smiled and said, "That's why I've been arguing with Jin Daji all these days, but today, he suddenly raised the price, so I'm not so worried anymore."
"..."
"The reason we set this trap was because the other party was greedy. But now it seems that the other party is not only greedy, but insatiably greedy. If he really wanted to lure us, he wouldn't have doubled the price and deliberately made things difficult for us."
"..."
"I think this is an opportunity!"
Hearing what he said, it seemed to make some sense, but Shen Wuzheng and Yuwen Ye exchanged a glance and remained silent.
Pei Xingyuan asked impatiently, "What's wrong with you?"
"..."
"Know that victory is often found in the face of danger."
"..."
"Besides, do you really just see me, Pei Xingyuan, as a fool on the surface, thinking I can't do anything and can only be used as bait to lure the other side into a trap?"
Shen Wuzheng said with a stern face, "If that's what you think, then we've wasted our time knowing you."
Pei Xingyuan slammed his hand on the table: "This is it."
"..."
"Even if there is any real danger, do you really think I'm helpless and can be manipulated at will?"
"..."
Shen Wuzheng looked at him for a while, then said in a deep voice, "That person isn't trying to mold you into something else."
"..."
"That person might kill you."
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