After a night of build-up, a large crowd had already gathered outside the restaurant, waiting to see what would happen.
Those people's families also sent people over, wanting to see Jiang Jiuniang and hoping to pay back the money in advance so they wouldn't have to be paraded through the streets.
Everyone else came to resolve the issue, but the Xue family came to cause trouble.
The man who was crippled by Jiang Jiuniang's kick last night was named Xue Zhao, the youngest son of the current Vice Minister of War.
Everyone else was fine, they were just stripped naked and prepared to be paraded through the streets, but Xue Zhao's life was ruined. The Xue family, without finding out the truth, thought that Jiang Jiuniang was maliciously targeting them, and they came to cause trouble.
Right now, the Xue family is making the biggest fuss outside, demanding an explanation from Jiang Jiuniang.
"Jiang Jiuniang, come out here! Give me back my son! Is this how the Lu family bullies others?"
"Do you really think that just because your Lu family is in power you can bully people like this? My family is going to file a complaint with the emperor. We need an explanation for this!"
"My poor son!"
...
Jiang Jiuniang and Yu Shi slowly got up, washed up, and ate something before going out. Just before leaving, Jiang Jiuniang instructed Yu Shi, "Sister-in-law, no matter what happens, don't be afraid. We're in the right, understand?"
Ms. Yu nodded emphatically. She had slept well last night and was in good spirits today, with a rosy complexion.
The door slowly opened, and Jiang Jiuniang stepped out first. Looking at the woman shouting not far away, she mocked, "The wife of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of War is barking like a dog in front of my door so early in the morning. With such a lack of manners, no wonder her son is no better!"
"You! Give me back my son! I'll fight you to the death!"
Enraged, Madam Xue, Zhao, broke free from her maid's support and charged directly at Jiang Jiuniang, intending to tear her face apart in public.
Jiang Jiuniang kicked out, and just like her son last night, she flew straight out.
"I forgot to tell you, your son was also crippled by me last night with a kick like this."
She knew what she was doing and wouldn't harm the Zhao family's foundation.
Zhao fell hard on her bottom and gasped in pain. Before she could speak, Jiang Jiuniang said, "Your family wants to file a lawsuit with the Emperor. Perfect, I'm going to do the same. I want to ask the Emperor myself how to deal with an eighth-rank official who harassed me, a first-rank noblewoman."
What!
The crowd erupted in uproar!
Teasing!
This melon is huge!
Zhao was stunned, but quickly realized what was happening: "You're lying! My son is definitely not that kind of person!"
Manager Qian immediately stepped forward: "Everyone in the private room saw what happened last night. Everyone knows who was right and who was wrong. How could we possibly make up stories?"
At this moment, the people who had been locked in the woodshed last night were also brought out. They remained silent upon hearing this, as they dared not speak in front of Jiang Jiuniang, for fear of being beaten if they did.
They could only look for their family members in the crowd, hoping they could be taken back home. They were willing to be punished however they pleased, even if it meant being paraded through the streets shirtless.
Seeing how confident Manager Qian was, Zhao's arrogance immediately subsided. If it really was her son who did it first, then if it reached the emperor, the Xue family would be the ones to suffer!
But things had already progressed to this point, and she couldn't just back down like that.
"You've injured my son like this, you demand an explanation!"
Even if her son had incurred debts at this restaurant before, he was beaten up, so the matter was settled. Now she should return her son to her, instead of being so ignorant as to parade them through the streets. The consequences of that are something the Lu family cannot bear!
Jiang Jiuniang ignored her and turned to look at the people around her. At this moment, the people sent by other families finally squeezed forward and spoke: "Madam Lu, we have brought the double amount of the debt you requested. Can we take the person back first?"
This is no small sum. If divided equally among everyone, it amounts to over a thousand taels, and double that would be several thousand taels. This is not a small amount for many families.
But no matter what, we can't let him embarrass himself in public; we have to bring him back first.
"No rush. Those who brought money, go over there to register. After the parade, you can take them home. I won't pursue the matter any further. As for those who are unwilling to pay or those who cause trouble, then go to the Emperor for judgment together."
The crowd looked pale and sickly. Why did they all bring money? Or were they going to be paraded through the streets?
Wouldn't they lose all face?
They all wanted to reason with her, but were afraid of being taught a lesson like the Xue family had just suffered. They were all extremely anxious and could only send someone back to inform the person in charge of their family.
Jiang Jiuniang didn't have time to waste with them. She immediately sent people to parade them through the streets, with two servants banging gongs to repeatedly publicize what these people had done, so that the people would know why the Lu family was punishing them in this way.
When the officials learned of this, they felt that Jiang Jiuniang's actions were extreme and had damaged the emperor's reputation. They impeached her vigorously in front of the emperor, wishing they could drag the Lu family down from their pedestal.
The matter was being discussed in the court all morning. Fortunately, Lu Baichuan had gone to the palace last night to tell the emperor what had happened. The emperor still felt guilty about what had happened before, so he naturally sided with the Lu family.
After the officials had taken turns speaking, the emperor finally spoke coldly: "Do my ministers know why Madam Lu treated those people in this way?"
Someone scoffed, "It's just a few drinks on credit. We can pay it back later. We're all well-off families, do you think we're short of money?"
"That's right. When we travel, we don't carry much money. We just keep an account and get the money from the mansion later. It's not a big deal."
Everyone shared this attitude, feeling that Jiang Jiuniang was making a mountain out of a molehill, acting like a madwoman, and deliberately escalating the situation.
This is what a country bumpkin woman is like; she's not presentable in public.
"Oh……"
The emperor couldn't help but laugh out loud. He pointed to the little eunuch beside him, who immediately stepped forward and recounted the whole truth of the matter.
Finally, he even showed the copied accounts to all the officials in the court.
When they saw the amount of money on the account, everyone looked at each other, speechless.
These people are just too outrageous!
This isn't how you solicit or bribe!
Besides, where do they get the confidence to do this? Lu Baichuan is a second-rank general. Even if these people have connections, they are not capable of surpassing Lu Baichuan.
Seeing their reaction, the emperor was very satisfied, but his tone was full of anger: "I personally arranged the position for Lu Jingxuan and sent him to the yamen because I felt that the Lu family had made great contributions to the court and I wanted to express my gratitude. But it hasn't been long and this has happened. Those good-for-nothings are not only bullying my people, they are ruthlessly trampling on my face!"
Happy Qixi Festival, my darlings! There will be another chapter tonight!
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