Fan Tong was surprised by the unity of the villagers in Nanshan Village. His face turned pale, and he looked at everyone with a forced smile, "Alright, it's not a big deal. Why are you talking about reporting it to the authorities?"
Seeing that Fan Tong had compromised, Wu Baoan said, "It's fine if we don't report it to the authorities, but how do you plan to resolve this matter?"
"This, this..." Fan Tong glanced at Old Lady Chen, his eyes full of disgust. "Well, it's a fact that I slept with Old Lady Chen's granddaughter, I don't deny it, but Old Lady Chen lied to me first."
"I can find a top courtesan at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion for ten taels of silver a night. Considering Chen Ruolan is a virgin, I'll give the Chen family fifty taels as compensation, and return the remaining two hundred taels to me. That will settle the matter."
Comparing Chen Ruolan to the top courtesan of Zuixiang Pavilion is truly insulting, but Chen Qingqing likes it very much and laughs unkindly.
Old Mrs. Chen immediately jumped up and down, thinking she could spit out the silver she had stuffed in her pocket—that was utterly delusional.
“Master Fan, don’t push your luck. My Ruolan is a pure and innocent young lady. Her father is a student who has passed the imperial examination and will surely become a scholar next year. Then she will be a scholar’s daughter. How dare you compare her to girls from brothels? You’re insulting people like that.”
Fan Tong sneered, "Old Chen, don't push your luck. Let me tell you, giving you fifty taels is a favor. To be honest, your granddaughter isn't even as good as the top courtesan at Zuixiang Pavilion!"
"Don't say such useless things. Anyway, Ruolan's innocence was ruined by you. She is now a member of the Fan family in life and in death. You must marry her in a grand and glorious manner."
Old Chen, who had been terrified, came to his senses and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, we must marry him into the Fan family in a grand and glorious manner."
Fan Tong was furious, gritting his teeth, "What if I don't agree!"
Wu Baoan said coldly, "Master Fan, if you don't agree, we'll have to see you at the government office."
Seeing that Wu Baoan was relentlessly pursuing Fan Tong, and fearing that her sure goal would slip away, Old Mrs. Chen quickly moved closer and whispered in Fan Tong's ear,
"Master Fan, you're really confused. This isn't the time to argue about this. You and Ruolan have already made it a fait accompli, and now we're family."
Think it over carefully. If you disagree with this marriage, and the village head and that brat keep pressing the issue, the consequences will be severe, and both our families will be implicated.
If you really get into a lawsuit, who cares if you're some rich man like Fan or Cai? You'll just be a short-lived rich man beaten to a pulp.
We're all in this together; if one suffers, we all suffer; if one prospers, we all prosper.
"As long as you admit that you and my Ruolan are mutually in love, and we've already arranged a marriage, no one can gossip about it."
"You've really screwed me over." Although Fan Tong was resentful, the current situation didn't allow him to bully others.
As the saying goes, those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. If you really anger these lowly people, they will swarm you, and you will regret it too late!
Thinking of this, Fan Tong nodded in agreement, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Old Mrs. Chen breathed a sigh of relief. To ensure her granddaughter's successful marriage to Fan Tong, she had no choice but to resort to this drastic measure.
"Mr. Fan, stop daydreaming and hurry up and tell me."
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you now." Fan Tong steadied himself and looked at Wu Baoan. "Village head, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. To tell you the truth, Ruolan and I are in love and couldn't control ourselves. We did things we shouldn't have done in places we shouldn't have done. Now I'm willing to take her as my fifth concubine, and let's leave it at that."
Wu Baoan was very satisfied with the result and nodded with a smile, "That's excellent. I hope Mr. Fan will treat Ruolan well in the future."
Although Fan Tong didn't particularly like Chen Ruolan, he was surprisingly full of energy after a night of passion, something he had never experienced with any other woman before. Perhaps this young lady really had some magical qualities, and for the sake of his future sexual happiness, this money was well spent.
Thinking about it that way, he stopped feeling sorry for himself and grinned, "Of course, of course."
The matter has been settled.
Chen Qingqing stepped forward and said with a stern face, "Now that your matter is settled, shouldn't we settle our own issues?"
Fan Tong grinned slyly, "Miss Chen, what could possibly be going on between us? Could it be that you've been conquered by my virility and now want to become my concubine?"
"Master Fan, are you still possessed by a ghost and have developed delusions? Should I give you a few more acupuncture needles to clear your head?"
"No, no, no, I was just joking with you." Fan Tong waved his hands repeatedly, then said seriously, "Miss Chen, please just say what you want to know."
"You two were having an affair in my house, and you've dirtied my house. Don't you owe me an explanation?"
"What explanation do you want me to give you? You're making a mountain out of a molehill."
"Trespassing is considered a crime of disturbing the peace. According to the laws of Da Ning, those caught on the spot can be punished with forty strokes of the cane." Chen Qingqing had already done a basic understanding of the laws of this era. She did not want to let Fan Tong and the others off easily and had to teach them a lesson.
Fan Tong shook his head and smiled, "Alright, Miss Chen, don't exaggerate. I've never heard of such a rule."
Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Today I have the right to hold you accountable.
"Forget about responsibility, let's talk this out." Fan Tong was a little flustered and looked at Wu Baoan beside him. "I'm asking you, does our Great Ning Dynasty have such a law?"
Wu Baoan nodded. "Yes, Qingya is right. According to the law, anyone who illegally enters another person's residence without the owner's consent can be punished by the owner with caning and then handed over to the authorities for severe punishment."
"Ah, they really are going to hit me!" Fan Tong was dumbfounded and at a loss. What should he do? If he were really whipped, not only would he not be able to bear the physical pain, but it would also be a disgrace if word got out.
He could use his power to intimidate her, but he knew Chen Qingqing was a highly skilled doctor. If he offended her, he would never be able to get her to come back to him.
Fan Tong considered it carefully for a moment, then smiled and said, "Miss Chen, calm down. Don't resort to caning or whipping at the drop of a hat. We're old acquaintances; let's talk things out."
"Look at your shack, it hardly qualifies as a house. I'll give you two taels of silver to fix up this dilapidated thatched hut, and then our misunderstanding will be cleared up."
Chen Qingqing sneered and curled the corners of her lips, "Master Fan is really generous, are you trying to send away a beggar!"
"Not enough? How much do you want?"
"At least one hundred taels."
Upon hearing this, Fan Tong frowned. "Are you kidding me? Your shack isn't worth a single penny, yet you're asking me for a hundred taels. Isn't this blatant extortion?"
Chen Qingqing glanced at him contemptuously, "Since that's what you think, I don't want the money anymore. You can just wait to get beaten up!"
"No, no, no, what are you doing? I was just trying to discuss this with you, why are you turning against me!"
"Stop talking nonsense. You choose between hitting or punishing."
Fan Tong grinned and said, "Staying at an inn doesn't even cost two hundred coins a night, and you're asking for one hundred taels? Aren't you robbing me?"
......
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