Shen Feng gave Song Zhiyu a cold look and asked curtly, "What are you doing here?"
Upon hearing this, Song Zhiyu smiled and unfolded the IOU written in black and white on the paper in her hand. "The agreed deadline has arrived, so naturally I have come to collect the debt from Lord Hou."
"I am your biological father..."
Before Shen Feng could finish his long speech, Song Zhiyu interrupted him, "Even biological fathers need to be accountable. Is the Marquis trying to deny it?"
"So what if it is? What kind of logic is there in the world for a daughter to ask her father for a debt?" Shen Feng said matter-of-factly, clearly not wanting to repay the money.
"In that case, I have no choice but to hand over the IOU to the authorities." Song Zhiyu wasn't angry; she casually tossed out these words and prepared to leave.
Since she dared to come to collect her debt today, she certainly wouldn't leave empty-handed.
Shen Feng glared angrily, "You're actually going to report me to the authorities for this little bit of money?"
He never expected that Song Zhiyu would come up with such a despicable tactic of reporting him to the authorities in order to force him to repay the money. This was tantamount to killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of his own.
At that time, the spittle of the people of the capital would drown Song Zhiyu.
Shen Feng acted so recklessly because he was certain that Song Zhiyu wouldn't dare to report him to the authorities for being unfilial. Little did he know that he had underestimated Song Zhiyu.
"Including the principal and interest, the Marquis owes me a total of 45,000 taels. Gold or silver notes?" Song Zhiyu's smile didn't reach her eyes, but she kindly gave Shen Feng two choices.
Shen Feng exclaimed in disbelief, "Forty-five thousand taels! When did I ever owe you that much?"
Where would the Marquis's family come from to have so much silver these days? They can't even afford a four-dish-and-one-soup meal.
Song Zhiyu helplessly spread his hands, "The longer you drag this out, the more interest you'll pay. Considering the little bit of friendship between us, this is already a low price."
Upon hearing this, Shen Feng's face contorted for a moment. "I don't have that much money to spare right now."
"I heard that the money for Shen Jinhua to buy the jade ruyi was all paid by the Marquis..." Song Zhiyu glanced at the pale-faced Shen Jinhua out of the corner of her eye, deliberately bringing up the sore spot.
"You still dare to mention the jade ruyi? If it weren't for you, how could my three thousand taels have gone down the drain?" Shen Feng's face was ashen, and his temples throbbed with anger.
Now he finally understood that the jade ruyi was a trap deliberately set for them by Song Zhiyu.
Song Zhiyu crossed his arms and chest, his posture carefree, but his words were enough to make anyone furious: "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. If Shen Jinhua hadn't intercepted it, I would have bought that jade ruyi long ago."
Speaking of which, I should thank my fourth sister for saving me those three thousand taels.
Shen Feng, panting heavily, his chest heaving, coldly stared at Song Zhiyu, "What exactly do you want?"
“Since the Marquis cannot come up with money, then use valuables to pay off the debt. I think the vases and jade artifacts in the Marquis’s courtyard are quite nice.”
Song Zhiyu knew that Shen Feng couldn't possibly repay the debt, but she wasn't willing to suffer a loss; what she could hold in her hands was the most practical thing.
"Fine, we'll use those things to pay off the debt." Shen Feng closed his eyes tightly; he had no other choice.
Having received confirmation, Song Zhiyu's smile deepened, and she gently instructed, "Lu Bai, send someone to the Marquis's courtyard to move things."
"Yes." Lu Bai answered nimbly and ran out of the ancestral hall without delay. Her hurried figure made Shen Feng's eyes hurt.
"Once the count is complete, I will send someone to return this IOU to the Marquis." Song Zhiyu turned around leisurely and left decisively, ignoring Shen Feng who was jumping up and down in anger behind him.
*
Mingde Academy.
Lu Bai, accompanied by several carefully selected maids and servants, swaggered into Mingde Courtyard, pointed with her hand, and said, "Take everything except this coral tree."
She saw many rare treasures while following Song Zhiyu, which improved her eyesight and allowed her to estimate the approximate value of the items in Chenfeng Courtyard.
It seems that the Marquis's mansion is getting worse and worse without her young lady. The dignified Marquis of Chengen's courtyard is filled with nothing but these vulgar things.
All of it added up is barely enough to cover Shen Feng's debts, and that's all.
As soon as he finished speaking, the servants began to move quickly. Apart from the coral tree that Lu Bai had specifically mentioned, they carried out pieces of exquisite white porcelain and precious red agate without any hesitation.
Song Zhiyu stood quietly to the side, and when she saw that Mingde Courtyard had been completely ransacked as if by bandits, leaving only a few bare chairs, she raised her beautiful eyes slightly.
She gestured for a maidservant, "Take this IOU to the ancestral hall, and while you're at it, please pass on a message to the Marquis..."
Song Zhiyu paused, then smiled slightly, a sly glint in her eyes, "Just tell him that if he wants to borrow money next time, I can reduce the interest by 20% for the sake of being a regular customer."
However, when Shen Feng returns and sees the scene in his yard, he'll probably want to strangle her, let alone lend her money.
"This servant understands." The maid took the IOU with both hands, her heart trembling inexplicably, and replied repeatedly.
Since entering the manor, she had never seen anyone as flamboyant as the Second Miss, who showed no regard for the Marquis's authority.
Seeing that Mingde Courtyard was about to be emptied, the maid hurriedly tucked the IOU in her hand and ran away with small, quick steps.
Before she could even reach the door, she ran straight into Ye Rou and her son Shen Rushan, who had come after hearing the commotion.
"Madam Ye, Young Master Rushan." The maid curtsied, then forced herself to walk past the two and ran off.
She had no intention of getting involved in her masters' affairs.
Ye Rou had no time to pay attention to a little maid; what shocked her most was the barren courtyard in front of her.
The screen and celadon porcelain in the room had long since disappeared, while the other servants were carefully carrying several pots of blooming orchids, constantly delivering them out.
"What are you doing? Put those things down right now." Ye Rou frowned, her tone questioning.
But the servant, busy moving things, completely ignored Ye Rou's words and kept moving his things.
Their master is Song Zhiyu, and they only obey Song Zhiyu's orders. Even if the Marquis came, he might not be able to command them, let alone Ye Rou, an outsider living under someone else's roof.
"Continue moving." Song Zhiyu's red lips parted slightly, her voice neither hurried nor slow, yet carrying an unquestionable air.
Seeing that Song Zhiyu ignored her, Ye Rou couldn't help but feel annoyed. "This is your father's courtyard. It's already inappropriate for you to trespass on it, but you've also made a mess of the whole courtyard. What are you doing?"
She adopted the demeanor of a noble lady, and her first words were questioning, showing none of the weakness and vulnerability she displayed in front of Shen Feng.
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