Zhang Lanxiang's eyes widened instantly as she stared at him in disbelief, demanding, "Is this what you call loving me?"
"Do you know that in our Northern Yan, a woman's reputation is especially important? If a woman secretly pledges herself to a man, she may be drowned in a pig cage. Is your love just to make me bear a bad reputation for the rest of my life and make my parents never be able to hold their heads up again?"
"Although my father is only a minor county magistrate, he still has his pride. If I do this, it could even jeopardize his official position. If you truly love me, you shouldn't say such hurtful things without thinking!"
As she spoke, she covered her face and burst into tears, completely bewildering Baer.
Liu Yuexiang and Lu Xiaoyang were initially worried that she would be deceived because of her love-struck mind, but after seeing how well she acted, they were immediately relieved.
Liu Yuexiang, in particular, immediately got into character: "This is what you call 'liking'? It's so cheap! Your family is a very famous family in Xiteng. How could you let my cousin do such a thing? Originally, when we came back, my cousin was reluctant to leave. She was thinking of going home to ask her parents if they would agree to her marrying far away. If she did marry far away, how much dowry should they prepare for her? She had to leave in a respectable manner no matter what."
"I never expected you to be so selfish, making my cousin suffer for your own selfish desires. You really are an eye-opener!"
The two cousins confused Baal in just a few rounds; these ridiculous rules of Beiyan are really annoying!
While Baal was still confused, the others came over. Seeing that Baal had released Zhang Lanxiang, and that Zhang Lanxiang was not running away but instead covering her face and crying, they were at a loss for what to do.
Seeing this, Lu Xiaoyang said directly, "Cousin, don't be sad. If you really want to marry Baal, it's not impossible. After Yuexiang and I get married, our two families will be related. My third aunt will definitely give you a lot of good things when you get married. If you really marry into Xiteng, you can help our Lu family manage Xiteng's business. Princess Kaya has a good relationship with us and will definitely be able to support you. Baal definitely won't dare to bully you."
Although these words were spoken to Zhang Lanxiang, they were actually meant for Bal, essentially laying out all the benefits in plain sight.
Zhang Lanxiang, unusually quick-witted, retorted, "No way! I truly love Baal. If I could really marry him, I wouldn't care about the dowry; I could give up everything! But he doesn't understand me at all, nor does he know the traditional customs of Beiyan. That's not love; he wants to kill me, waaaaah..."
She continued to break down in tears, speaking very quickly, clearly not wanting Baal and the others to understand. But Baal and the others were merchants who traveled the country for many years and knew a little about the languages of various places, so even if they spoke very fast, they could still understand her.
Then, they successfully created the illusion for Baer and others that Zhang Lanxiang really wanted to marry Baer, but Baer's attitude and actions hurt her and she no longer wanted to marry him.
So, Baal and the others immediately became anxious. They couldn't give up the dowry, especially the management rights of the Xiteng business. She couldn't refuse it; they wanted it!
But if she wants to take control of Xiteng's business, she has to get past her parents. In other words, she can't keep them locked up like this anymore.
But they finally managed to catch the person. If they just let him go, wouldn't all their efforts during this time be wasted?
We even tormented them for so many days, didn't we offend them?
Baal turned around and looked at the group of people he had brought with him, feeling that things were getting more and more out of control.
On the contrary, Lu Xiaoyang and the others did not expect that things could turn around like this. They were clearly at a disadvantage, but it seemed that things had turned around in an instant.
Zhang Lanxiang was very nervous, wondering if her outburst would be of any use. If he could be fooled into letting them go, that would be fine, but if she had completely angered him, then she would be deeply guilty.
It was clear that Baal had been fooled, but he was also somewhat unwilling to give up, so he said nothing, left with his men, and made sure to lock the door behind him.
As soon as the door was locked, Zhang Lanxiang hurriedly went to untie Liu Yuexiang and Lu Xiaoyang. The others were still unconscious, so they didn't move for the time being.
"Do you think it's reliable to trick them into releasing us?"
Zhang Lanxiang sat to the side, rubbing her hands together, still looking somewhat nervous.
Lu Xiaoyang shook his head: "That's unreliable. I think we still have to rely on ourselves. Once they change their minds, and we have no way out, we'll just be at their mercy."
"Yes, that's what I think too! But we can continue to fool them on the surface. If we can really fool them into being crippled, it will save us a lot of trouble."
Liu Yuexiang chimed in, but they spoke so softly that even people outside couldn't hear them.
After returning home, Bal was also conflicted about the matter, worried that they were just trying to fool him, but also afraid that it was true. If it was true, then the losses would be huge.
“She made it very clear that if she decides to marry me now, her family won’t give her a dowry, which would be equivalent to severing ties. What would be the point of our efforts then? Our goal is the Lu family, not just a woman!”
Barr was furious, feeling that none of the people he had brought were useful and had no ideas when it mattered most.
"Why don't we just let them go? I think Zhang Lanxiang really likes the young master, otherwise she wouldn't be crying so sadly."
“I also think that compared to before, when the young master went to see her every day, he must have put in a lot of effort.”
"In the end, it's all because of those two people around her who are causing trouble. If it weren't for them, they would have settled things in Xiteng and the marriage could have gone through the proper procedures. Now it's turned into this mess and it's hard to clean up!"
"Why not release them, apologize sincerely, find a doctor to examine them, and then send them back properly? They'll definitely be moved, and maybe they'll even give them a bigger dowry!"
...
His men had clearly sided with those few people, but Baal still felt that things couldn't be that simple. If that were the case, why didn't they say so a few days ago?
He also remembered the look of resistance and disgust on Zhang Lanxiang's face when he first went to pull her away; this was definitely not the expression one would show when liking someone.
"Send people to inquire about the local customs. Also, see what the Lu family has been up to lately. We've come this far; we can't afford to ruin everything because of a momentary lapse in judgment!"
Zhang Lanxiang originally thought that once they were untied, they would be able to leave soon, but instead of leaving, they were cut off from food that night.
However, this is still a good thing for them, as not eating will prevent them from being drugged, which will help them recover their strength.
"I'll sneak out to take a look in a bit. You all stay here and don't attract anyone's attention."
Lu Xiaoyang patted Liu Yuexiang's hand. He was quite at ease with Liu Yuexiang because she was smart, but he was afraid that Zhang Lanxiang, that silly girl, would ruin things.
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