Master Wang sneered, "You’re looking at me?"
Did they really want to see him die of anger?
Lady Ding was frightened by Master Wang’s intimidating tone and face, and for a moment, she couldn’t make out what was going on. She thought she had offended Master Wang by trying to be friendly with him, so she quickly changed her words.
"Actually, there is indeed something..."
Master Wang coldly said, "What’s the matter?"
Lady Ding forced a smile and said, "Last time, we gave you the method of making grape wine, remember? But, about the reward money, we feel that it’s not enough. Look, in just a few days, we’ve spent all of our wealth, and we have nothing left. We’ve helped the Wang family a great deal, and it’s not good for a family as rich as yours to be so stingy, is it?"
Master Wang’s face turned even uglier, and Lady Ding felt the atmosphere was getting more and more strange. Her voice unconsciously lowered, and she began to feel nervous.
Lady Wang couldn’t take it anymore and burst out in anger, "You shameless scoundrels! You have the audacity to come and ask us for money? How shameless!"
Ji Dashan and Lady Ding were dumbfounded, "What, what do you mean?"
Master Wang’s face darkened, and he slammed his palm on the table, "You cunning bastards, you tricked me with a fake grape wine recipe, and now you have the nerve to ask for money! Do you think you can make a fool of us Wang family? I’m telling you, we’re not easily manipulated! The eight hundred silver pieces I paid you before, I want every single bit of it back!"
Ji Dashan and Lady Ding’s legs trembled in fear, and they fell to their knees, stammering, "What... what does this mean? How could we have given you a fake recipe? That was clearly a genuine one!"
Master Wang sneered, "Even now, you’re still trying to deceive me? Do you really think our Wang family is made up of fools?"
Lady Ding panicked and waved her hands, "We wouldn’t dare! That grape wine recipe was from Ji Xinhe, and there’s no deception in it. I saw her make the wine with my own eyes!"
"Did her wine go bad!?" Master Wang roared.
"Perhaps you made a mistake when you followed the steps?" Lady Ding blurted out in panic.
Master Wang angrily kicked her, "Stop talking nonsense! I’m not as stupid as you think! You wanted money but were afraid our grape wine would ruin your sales, so you tried to deceive me with a fake recipe? Fine! Today, I’m going to show you the power of our Wang family!"
He then shouted, "Come here!"
Several servants rushed in, "Your servant is here!"
Master Wang, trembling with anger, pointed at the two kneeling people and shouted, "Take these two out and beat them with sticks! Get back every single piece of the eight hundred silver pieces I gave them! If not, send them to the officials! Even if our Wang family is down and out, dealing with these two fools is still more than enough!
Today, I’m going to let you know the power of our Wang family!"
After Master Wang finished speaking, he started coughing heavily. The thought of his prosperous family business being ruined overnight made his chest ache with pain.
"Master Wang, have mercy, have mercy on us! We really don’t know anything about this. There must be a misunderstanding... Ah!" Lady Ding tried to plead for mercy.
Before she could finish, a servant brutally hit her with a stick, causing her to grimace in pain.
Lady Ding had never been beaten like this before. In the village, she had always bullied others and never suffered such humiliation.
But before she could get angry, the servant hit her again with another heavy stick, "Get lost!"
It was then that Lady Ding finally felt afraid. She didn’t dare to say more and hurriedly crawled out, followed by Ji Dashan, who also received several blows to his head and fled.
Four or five servants, each wielding long, thick sticks, chased and beat them until they were completely driven out of the mansion.
Manager Liu stood at the entrance, coldly ordering his servants, "Go to the county government and report these two for stealing our Wang family’s money – a total of eight hundred silver! Let the officials confiscate their property!"
Did they really think they could take advantage of the Wang family?
Hearing this, Lady Ding’s face turned pale with fright, and she forgot about the pain from the beating. She knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy, "Grand Elder, please spare us! We really didn’t know anything! We’ve spent the eight hundred silver pieces, so where can we get the money now? Please be lenient, Master Wang!"
They had barely enjoyed their newfound wealth for a few days before it suddenly shattered like a broken dream, leaving them with nothing.
How could she accept this?
Manager Liu coldly snorted, "Save your words for the officials!" And with that, he turned and went inside, closing the gate behind him, leaving Lady Ding crying and pounding the ground, while Ji Dashan regretted everything, sitting on the ground and wiping his tears.
In the front hall of the Wang family residence, Ji Dashan and Lady Ding had just been beaten and driven out. Master Wang was coughing violently, supported by the table.
Lady Wang cried as she went forward to help him, "My lord, what are we going to do?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
Retaliating against the Ji couple would only vent their anger, but dealing with the rural couple would not be helpful for them now.
After teaching them a lesson, they would still have to clean up the mess themselves.
Master Wang coughed several times before he could barely stand, leaning on the table, "Quickly send a letter to Le Yuanhou Mansion in the capital city, asking Le Yuanhou to plead for us in front of His Majesty. Also, send a separate letter to Miss Li. Cough, cough!"
Lady Wang hurriedly helped him to breathe smoothly and said affectionately, "I’ll arrange it right away. My lord, don’t let your anger hurt your body, please don’t be angry!"
Master Wang shook his head, "No, I must write the letters myself. Help me to the study."
----
Since it was the Wang family who reported the case, the local officials acted quickly. They didn’t know that the Wang family’s royal merchant title had been revoked and still held them in high regard.
As soon as the Wang family reported the case, the county magistrate immediately sent officials to arrest the thieves and recover the lost silver. Ji Dashan and Lady Ding had hardly any money left, so their property was confiscated, including their residence, land, and jewelry. In just a few days, the previously rich Ji family was left penniless, as if they had returned to their former poor state.
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