Chapter 039: Demolishing the bridge after crossing the river, killing the donkey after it has done its job

Chapter 039: Demolishing the bridge after crossing the river, killing the donkey after it has done its job

Speaking of himself, He Yan quickly responded: "We found some clues. It seems to be someone from Beijiang, but we don't know who it is."

The head of the He family frowned, his old face full of worry: "Move faster, or something unexpected might happen if we take too long."

"Yes, father." He Yan echoed, and seeing that his father looked tired and seemed to need a rest, he took the initiative to leave.

After leaving the room, he wanted to go back to his own yard, but when he was halfway there, the housekeeper came to him.

The steward said anxiously: "Master, those guys are here to find us."

He Yan was unhappy: "Explain clearly, what are those guys?"

The steward looked around, confirmed that there was no one nearby, and then approached and whispered, "From Shijing Street."

Shijing Street, a famous poor street in the capital, is also where the remnants of the former dynasty live.

He Yan was started at first, then asked, "What are they doing here?"

The manager said, "It requires money."

"Didn't you give it to me at the beginning of the month?"

"He said that he had run out of it and there was an emergency at home, so he wanted to ask you to give him some more."

The steward relayed the story in a tactful way, but the original words of the group of people were: You think you can give us a pass with just that little money? That's a nice thought. We're a little short on cash recently, and considering our relationship with your family, it's not too much to ask you for some money, right?

"Ha." He Yan sneered, "We agreed before that the amount to be given each month is fixed, but you broke your promise so quickly. You are really not worthy of being on the stage!"

The steward was embarrassed: "What does the master mean?"

"We won't give them a penny more. They got away with it this time, but they will be more greedy next time." He Yan said with a vicious look, "Drive them away and send someone to beat them up so they will remember this lesson!"

He Yan was in charge of contacting the remnant factions. He had long been fed up with their thug-like behavior. This was just the right opportunity to give them a good warning so that they would not think that the He family really had no way to deal with them.

After receiving the order, the manager turned around and went to do his work.

"Qin Shan, are you sure you can get the money this way?"

In front of the small door in the back alley of the He family, a man wearing a clean short-sleeved T-shirt but with a shabby face nudged his companion with his elbow.

Behind him, the other two men also looked at Qin Shan. It seemed that they had the same doubts.

Qin Shan thought to himself, I'm not the Jade Emperor, how do I know whether the He family will give money?

But in order to reassure his accomplices and prevent them from running away, he could only say, "Before, they came to us begging for cooperation, and we have to contribute to the He family in the future. What's wrong with asking them for some money now?"

He pointed at the He family's house and continued, "Look at this mansion. Even when we were at our most glorious, we never lived in such a grand house. The He family needs us and has money, but they want to send us away for just a few dozen taels. How can this be justified?"

The accomplices thought that several dozen taels a month was not a small amount, but people are greedy and they also wanted more money, otherwise they would not have come with Qin Shan to find the He family.

"But what if..." He wanted to ask what to do if the He family doesn't give money, but at this moment the back door was suddenly opened and the manager he had just met came back.

It looks like things are coming to fruition.

A few people wanted to move closer, but two burly guards came out from behind the steward and blocked their way.

The manager's attitude is also different from before. If he was lukewarm before, now it is full of naked contempt and disdain.

Qin Shan and others felt a little uneasy, thinking that something bad might happen.

Sure enough, the steward said coldly the next moment: "Our master said that we have given you everything we should give you, exactly as we agreed at the beginning. You came to me halfway through. Do you not want to abide by the terms of the contract?"

Qin Shan cursed the manager in his heart as a bastard who took advantage of his power, but his face was full of flattering smiles. "Please understand, manager, we absolutely don't mean that. It's true that we have to abide by the contract, but the contract doesn't say that we can't give extra money, don't you think?"

"Hmph, I think you are not going to drink the toast, so you're going to drink the punishment." The steward pointed at everyone and shouted, "Get out of here! You lowly fellows are dirtying the place where the family is celebrating by standing here. If you dare to make trouble and linger, don't blame me for being rude and calling the officials over."

As he spoke, the two guards took a few steps forward. Their imposing manner frightened Qin Shan and the others so much that they retreated tremblingly.

After hearing what the steward said, the other three people who came with Qin Shan were frightened. Not to mention that their identities were not to be disclosed, just considering their current status, if an ordinary citizen was caught and thrown into jail, his life or death would be decided by others.

"Shan Zi, let's go back first." The man pulled Qin Shan's sleeve and said fearfully.

Qin Shan was also afraid, but he was unwilling to leave without getting anything. He took a step forward courageously and was about to say something, but the manager suddenly glared at him and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"No, no." Qin Shan was so frightened that all the courage he had just mustered disappeared. He could only run away in shame with his companions.

Watching the few people fleeing in panic, the steward said sarcastically: "Master is right, these are all things that are not presentable."

He glanced at one of the guards, who nodded to show that he understood.

After Qin Shan and others left the He Mansion, they looked frightened and sad, feeling unhappy. Naturally, the best place for them to go was the tavern.

Recently, the brothers have become much more generous and no longer buy wine for them. The tavern owner who used to annoy them couldn't hide the smile on his face when he saw them now. He called them "Master" all the time, arranged the best seats for them, and brought them the best wine.

Qin Shan was so happy that he gave the boss another small reward of half an ounce, which made the boss so happy that he couldn't help but flatter him.

The anger they had incurred at the He family was vented in this way, and the group became arrogant again.

The four of them drank until the bar closed and then left. They walked home drunkenly, supporting each other. However, halfway through the journey, they were put in sacks, dragged into an alley and beaten up.

Those people beat and cursed at me.

"Don't you see who you are? Do you think you can offend a nobleman?"

"If you dare to have such evil thoughts again in the future, it will not be as simple as a beating, but your lives will be in danger!"

"Behave yourself from now on, remember?"

Qin Shan didn't remember how many times he was beaten, nor did he remember when those people left. Anyway, it was dawn when they returned home with grimaces on their faces.

After that, he had to see a doctor and take medicine, and his money, which was already very little, was gone in an instant.

Qin Shan's wife cried all day long, and Qin Shan used the money to eat meat and drink wine, buy jewelry for the women in Liuxiang, and even the clerks in the store received his bonuses.

But she, as his wife, and her children did not get a penny.

Qin Shan held all those tens of taels in his hands. When he was asked to take some out to buy oil and rice for the family, to make clothes for his son and daughter, or to send his children to a teacher for enlightenment, he would find all kinds of excuses not to give them any.

While he was eating his fill, the people at home were just starving for a drink of cold water.

He was beaten a few days ago and was lying in bed unable to get up. His wife and children were also taking care of him.

As a result, today he was able to walk and was about to go out with the remaining silver.

His wife stopped him and asked sharply, "Are you going to go find that woman again?"

"You bitch, leave me alone and get out of here!" Qin Shan pushed his thin wife to the ground and left without looking back.

When the children at home heard the noise, they all ran out, hugged their mother and cried heartbreakingly.

The neighbors heard the familiar voices and did nothing except sighing that it was a real evil. They didn't even want to watch the excitement, after all, the Qin family was like this every day.

Only a family that had just moved nearby quietly opened the door, and a woman who looked to be in her thirties entered the Qin family carrying a few white flour buns. Soon the crying of several children stopped.

The neighbors just thought the child was tired of crying and didn't think much about it.

White flour is very expensive. Qin Shan's wife and children haven't eaten such good food for many years.

The skinny children munched on the soft steamed buns with great care. The sensible eldest daughter wanted to share her share with her mother, but his wife refused with a smile and let her eat it herself.

Looking at his wife with red and swollen eyes, the woman delivering the steamed buns held her hand and sighed, "Sister, you and the children have suffered so much."

Hearing the woman's distressed tone, the wife almost couldn't hold back her tears again.

The woman moved to her neighborhood a month ago. The couple said they offended someone while doing business and lost almost all their fortune.

I had no money and couldn't afford to live in a house outside, so I had to move into Shijing Street.

Normally the couple seldom socialized with outsiders, and even Qin Shan didn't know there were two people near his home. However, Qin Shan's wife helped move a few things on the day they arrived, and even sent them a bowl of cooking in the evening.

Perhaps because she felt that she was kind, the woman became friends with her and often interacted with her.

Whenever she and her child were bullied by Qin Shan, the woman would come over with some things from her own home and comfort her. As time went by, they developed a deep relationship and the wife began to trust her very much.

"Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. What else can I do?" The wife still said the same thing.

If she had said this before, the woman would not have tried to persuade her any further but would have cried with her. But this time it was a little different.

The woman sighed at first, and then said with a sad face: "We are already this age, and it's okay to endure a hard life, but it's not the same for the children. They still have several decades of their best years. If this continues, their lives will be ruined."

The wife looked at the children sitting beside her, her eyes full of despair, "I am a useless mother, I am sorry for them."

The woman pretended to be serious and said, "Sister, this is your fault. What do you mean you are useless? It is obviously the fault of that bastard Qin Shan. He has harmed you and your child."

The wife choked up and said, "Sister-in-law, I understand what you said, but he is the boss of this family, and I can't do anything..."

"Why is there nothing you can do? Sister, don't forget that your identities are not ordinary." The woman's tone was full of temptation.

Qin Shan and many people in Shijing Street have said that he is a noble from the previous dynasty, but no one believed him. However, his wife once accidentally revealed it to a woman and told her that what her husband said was true, so the woman believed him.

The wife didn't understand, "Sister-in-law, what do you mean?"

*

As for Qin Shan, as soon as he left home, he went straight to look for Hong'er.

Hong'er had heard that he was injured, so she had prepared medicine for bruises and sprains at home, and even cooked his favorite meals for him.

Qin Shan was deeply moved. He held Hong'er's hand and poured out his true feelings, scolding the He family for being such bad people. He just wanted to ask them for some money, but they hired someone to beat him up and also caused him to be blamed by the brothers who went with him.

That's right, under Hong'er's tender attack, Qin Shan had already told her about his relationship with the He family.

In fact, it was Hong'er who instigated Qin Shan to go to the He family to ask for money this time. However, Hong'er did it covertly and did not say it directly. She just kept giving Qin Shan psychological hints.

Qin Shan was a fool, and he was hooked soon after.

Hong'er knew that he would not get the money, so she did not ask him to go directly, so as to avoid him coming to trouble her.

Because she completed the task successfully, the man rewarded her with a large sum of money, otherwise she would not have been willing to spend money to buy medicine for Qin Shan.

Moreover, that person said that if she succeeded, he would give her a sum of money and a new identity, and let her leave the capital to live a good life.

Hong'er had thought that the man might lie to her and even kill her to silence her, but she had no choice but to accept it.

She didn't want to stay in this dirty and poor place forever. She wanted to use her life to gamble for her future.

"Hong'er, you are so good, you are considerate, gentle and caring, much better than that old woman in my family who only knows how to cry and ask for money." After making love, Qin Shan hugged Hong'er affectionately.

The smell of medicine on Qin Shan made Hong'er feel sick. She thought to herself, "Why is your wife crying? Don't you know? And you are still pretending to be innocent in front of me?"

But no matter how much she cursed in her heart, Hong Er still had to act responsibly.

She leaned on Qin Shan's shoulder and said softly, "Who told Hong'er to be happy with you, Brother Shan? Over the years, you have been the best man to Hong'er."

Qin Shan believed her words, and was moved. He said longingly, "It would be great if you were my wife, Hong'er."

Hong'er rolled her eyes secretly, not wanting to continue the topic, and changed her tone to say, "Seeing you covered in wounds, Brother Shan, I feel really bad. The He family is too unreasonable. They knew they would need you soon, yet they still dared to treat you like this. If they are done with you, won't they just kill you?"

As Hong Er spoke, she glanced at Qin Shan secretly, and saw that his eyes changed after hearing the words "kill the donkey after you have finished your work".

"Not really." His tone sounded like he was deceiving himself.

Hong'er took it back and said, "Actually, you don't have to worry too much, Brother Shan. I just said it casually. After all, I am not very knowledgeable. I have only heard such stories from the storyteller under the bridge. The He family may not do this."

If Hong'er said with absolute certainty that the He family would definitely destroy the bridge after crossing the river, Qin Shan would still think that Hong'er might be overthinking it, but as soon as she hesitated, Qin Shan became suspicious.

Storytellers mostly tell historical stories. Such things have happened in the past and may happen again in the future.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, these people have no power and influence, and they only have the title of nobles of the previous dynasty. The He family wanted to cooperate with them because of this title.

The He family is different from the one in Beijiang. The one in Beijiang, like them, has the royal blood of the previous dynasty. When the one in Beijiang overthrows the Zong Zheng family and restores the glory of the previous dynasty, they can take some credit by relying on their status.

But the He family was once a minister of the previous dynasty. When the previous dynasty fell, these aristocratic families chose to stand idly by, and in the end they happily opened the city gates to welcome Zong Zhengjia to the throne.

All these evidences show that they had no feelings towards the previous dynasty.

When the Zong Zheng family falls, they will no longer be of any use. Wouldn't the best solution be to kill them and then declare yourself emperor?

Qin Shan suddenly felt a chill on his back, realizing that he was cooperating with the evil wolf.

Qin Shan panicked a little and subconsciously asked Hong'er for help: "What if they really plan to do that? What should I do?"

Hong Er was extremely happy to see that her goal had been achieved. She said cautiously, "I do have some ideas, but whether they are useful or not, and whether we should use them or not, is up to you, Brother Shan, to decide."

Qin Shan said anxiously: "Good Hong'er, don't beat around the bush and just tell me directly."

"Brother Shan, don't be anxious." Hong'er stroked Qin Shan's chest gently and slowly told him her thoughts.

"It was the He family who came to you to cooperate, which means that the He family needs you. So even if the He family is stingy and reluctant to give you money, they only had someone beat you up, but did not harm your lives."

"To put it another way, they will not do anything to endanger your lives until their goal is achieved, so you can take advantage of this."

"Since they were the first to be merciless and attacked you over a small matter, then don't blame you for being unfair. Take advantage of their weaknesses to fight back and get the compensation you deserve."

Hong'er talked for a while, but Qinshan just kept shaking his head and didn't understand a word.

"And then? What should I do?"

Hong'er resisted the urge to curse, put her red lips close to Qin Shan's ear, and told him the specific method.

After hearing this, Qin Shan burst into laughter, "Hong'er, I really love you so much."

Hong'er: Haha, who cares about your love? I only want money and a future.

The next day, Qin Shan, following Hong'er's advice, convinced his brothers again and took them to a high-end pharmacy in the capital.

This is the He family's business. The pharmacy is located on the most prosperous commercial street. Because of the high prices, ordinary people simply don't have the money to buy medicine, so its main customers are dignitaries.

Qin Shan and his companions were dressed in coarse linen clothes and had rat-like faces. One could tell at a glance that they were poor people. They didn't say much when they entered the pharmacy. They asked for thousand-year-old ginseng and hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum right away, and their tone was as if they were picking vegetables in the market.

The shop owner and the staff had noticed them when they came in. Although their pharmacy did not have an explicit ban on poor people entering, the whole capital knew that their pharmacy was a place where only rich people could enter, and ordinary people would not come here to embarrass themselves.

But these people were different from ordinary poor people. Not only did they walk in a swaggering manner, but as soon as they came in, they started asking for expensive medicinal herbs.

When the waiter asked them if they had pronounced the wrong name of the herb, they suddenly got angry and asked the waiter if he looked down on them.

As a result of the pushing and shoving, several employees in the store started fighting with them for no apparent reason, and attracted onlookers from the street.

Seeing that more and more people were watching the excitement, Qin Shan and his friends fell to the ground one after another and started shouting.

"The eldest master of the He family had someone beat us up. We came to the He family pharmacy with our injuries to get medicine, but the He family's employees beat us up again. Is there any justice in this world?"

"The He family is so powerful and great, yet they look down on us common people and think our lives are worthless. God, why are they so unfair to us?"

"The current emperor loves the common people. In order to provide ice for everyone in the summer, he even used his own private treasury to subsidize the people. How many lives have been saved? The He family treats us like this. Do you think that your status is higher than that of the emperor? How dare you treat the lives of the people as worthless!"

Seeing that their words were getting more and more outrageous, the people watching outside also started pointing fingers at the He family. The shopkeeper knew that if they continued to make trouble, there would be big trouble, so he quickly asked someone to cover their mouths.

How could Qin Shan and his men be willing to let the shopkeeper have his way? Several grown men jumped up like snakes and shouted to the outside world, "We are ordinary people. We have nothing to do with the head of the He family, but he sent people to Shijing Street to beat us up. Do you want to know why?"

"Why?" The people Qin Shan and his team had planted in the crowd asked in cooperation.

As soon as he opened his mouth, others also began to wonder. Shijing Street was notoriously poor. Why would Master He, a son of a noble family, have anything to do with a few ruffians and even hire people to beat them up?

Qin Shan's words made the shopkeeper feel very uneasy. He approached Qin Shan and asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "What do you want to do?"

Qin Shan replied: "Go and tell Master He what happened here and ask him whether he agrees to the conditions we proposed before. If he doesn't agree, we will go to the teahouse across the street and tell everyone about the relationship between Master He and me."

The teahouse diagonally opposite is one of the businesses of the Hero Group. If these people go there and howl, no matter what they say, it will be heard by the emperor.

The shopkeeper didn't know what the relationship was between Mr. He and these people, but for the sake of safety, he could only agree to this man's request for the time being.

Qin Shan and his companions were invited to sit in the hall. The shopkeeper personally poured tea for them and sent his confidant to visit He's house.

About half an hour later, the confidant came back, and also came the manager that Qin Shan and the others had met before.

The steward lost his arrogance and said with a smile that he was the one who acted on his own that day and did not tell Master He that they came to the mansion to ask for money. It was his own idea to drive them away and find someone to beat them up.

Now that the eldest master knows the truth, he specially asked him to come and pay compensation and apology, and also told them that the He family is sincerely cooperating with them, and hopes that they will remain calm and not let others know about the relationship between the two parties, so as not to affect the overall situation.

After saying this, the steward stuffed two hundred taels of silver notes into each of them, saying that they could go to the He family's silver shop to exchange them for silver.

Seeing the steward bending over and smiling obsequiously, the few people who had originally questioned Qin Shan because of the beating they had received last time suddenly felt relieved, and at the same time they were full of admiration for him.

Qin Shan smiled smugly.

He didn't care whether the steward's explanation was true or not, he just knew that his plan was successful.

Hong'er is right, the stupid ones are afraid of the aggressive ones, and the aggressive ones are afraid of the desperate ones.

The He family is rich and powerful. People like them are more afraid of making mistakes and ruining the overall situation. Unlike them, they only have their lives to live.

The He family still needs them now and will never take their lives. Therefore, the advantage lies in that they are not in the He family. It is the He family who should please them instead of them having to obey them even when asking for money.

You don't want to pay me? Then I will tell the emperor everything about us and see if he will chop off your heads!

Are you so angry that you want to silence them? Of course, but the emperor's people are keeping an eye on the noble families every day. If the He family suddenly killed so many people, would the emperor not be suspicious?

If there is suspicion, there will be an investigation, and if the family is investigated, its true colors will be exposed.

It was for this reason that Hong'er said with certainty that the He family would not dare to do anything to them.

They could take this opportunity to get more money from the He family and prepare for their future escape.

They got two hundred taels for the first time they made trouble. Qin Shan and his men tasted the sweetness and became even more reckless afterwards.

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