In a world where there are more men than women, I am spoiled

Chapter 1417 You have no way out!

Pei Yuqi chuckled upon hearing what the man opposite her said: "What's your true face, and what's your fake face?"

"Young Master Pei is still so arrogant in our territory. Aren't you afraid that we will use your life to threaten Grand Tutor Su? I heard that she dotes on you."

“They are kind to you to the core, and they even gave birth to your children, so they definitely won’t abandon you.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuqi showed no fear whatsoever, and calmly asked, "How many people do you plan to use to tie me up?"

"How many people? The guards I've prepared in the manor can easily surround both of you."

Cheng Rong, who had been silent until now, couldn't help but laugh when she heard this and said, "With so many people in your He family, I could kill them all by myself. You still have the nerve to threaten Lord Pei?"

The man glanced at Cheng Rong, then narrowed his eyes as he looked at him: "Even the most powerful person can't fight against four hands with two fists. If you're guarding Pei Langjun, can you guarantee he won't get hurt at all?"

Cheng Rong chuckled at the man's provocative words, took out a silver coin from her hand, and threw it at him with lightning speed. The coin grazed the top of his head and even embedded itself in the pillar behind him.

Both the man and the prefect of the river exchanged glances with a hint of caution: "No wonder Young Master Pei dared to come alone; it turns out he has helpers."

"Otherwise, do you think I'm stupid enough to come here by myself?"

Pei Yuqi's casual tone made the man's heart skip a beat. He gritted his teeth and said, "Hezhou Prefecture is now under martial law. Inspector Pu and his men have already left the prefecture. You are all alone. How many people can you hold off with just the person behind you?"

"There's no need for you to trouble yourself with that, young master. You can simply tell me why you invited me here."

"Now that His Majesty wants to hold onto power, it's only a matter of time before he takes action against the powerful families in various prefectures. I've checked, and you've all revised the regulations recently issued by the court as required. The people's livelihood in Hezhou Prefecture has already improved quite a bit, hasn't it?"

Pei Yuqi finished speaking in a calm tone and looked at the Prefect of He seated above her.

"If you're going to arrest me in such a high-profile manner to threaten Grand Tutor Su, then forget about it. You may have more men, but you're no match for us."

"Not as good as..."

"Rui'er, stop talking." Prefect He interrupted his son.

“Young Master Pei, our He family has been here for a hundred years. The imperial court is entering various prefectures in such a grand manner. I am only doing this to preserve the He family’s century-old foundation.”

“We previously detained you to put pressure on Grand Tutor Su, so that she would give the Hezhou Prefecture a guarantee that she would not destroy the He family.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuqi's lips curled into a sneer: "You've miscalculated. Does Prefect He know that we're out there on business? There's one thing you probably don't know: we always respond better to gentle persuasion than force."

"By doing this, you have blocked the He family's future path!"

"If that's all you wanted to say, then I'll take my leave." Pei Yuqi said, standing up and heading towards the door.

"Young Master Pei!"

He Rui stood up and called out to Pei Yuqi. All the yamen runners and guards in the courtyard at the entrance surrounded him.

"You want to make a move? You'd better think this through. Once you do, the He family of Hezhou Prefecture will be at odds with the imperial court and the Su family. You will have no way out!"

"Rui'er, step back!"

“Father, there are many of us, while there are only two of them. If we can capture him, we can threaten Su Yueyao.”

"Get out!"

"Take the young master away and confine him to the courtyard. He is not to leave without my order."

Upon hearing the prefect's order, the yamen runners immediately stepped forward and took He Rui away.

"Father, you can't be misled by him. If the other prefectures agree, we'll lose all our power and become easy prey...Father!"

He Rui was taken away by the yamen runners.

The prefect of He said to Pei Yuqi, "Young Master Pei, this child only came up with this plan because he was afraid that after I stepped down from the position of prefect, my power would be reduced and I would be devoured by other powerful families in Hezhou Prefecture."

"Is the relationship between your He family and the other families in the He family so bad?"

“Young Master Pei, a hundred years ago, the prefect of Hezhou Prefecture was always held by the He family, who suppressed other powerful families below them. That’s why they have always wanted to take their place.”

“It was wrong of us to resort to force and use harsh methods, but if His Majesty Pei wants Hezhou Prefecture to develop better in the future, continuing to use our He family is the wisest choice. Otherwise, if the court sends people over, they will be attacked by other aristocratic families.”

"Hezhou Prefecture is bound to be in chaos for a while."

“I can swear on the century-old foundation of the He family to join Grand Tutor Su’s camp, and I am also willing to hand over the power of the He family to someone appointed by His Majesty, as long as Grand Tutor Su can protect the He family.”

Hearing his words, Pei Yuqi chuckled: "Prefect He speaks so sincerely, I'm curious how you intend to cooperate with us? The Su family's camp isn't so easy to join!"

"Actually, our original intention was to use all our resources to detain one of you, negotiate with Grand Tutor Su, and send one of you to the Su residence." Prefect He's voice trailed off, especially as he looked at Pei Yuqi's somewhat gloomy expression; the last two words were almost inaudible.

"However, if Grand Tutor Su is unwilling to take in any more people, we also plan to select your daughters from among you, Young Master Pei, to arrange marriages for the next generation."

As soon as the prefect of He finished speaking, Pei Yuqi said directly and sharply, "Don't even think about it. The children will choose their own husbands in the future. We will not arrange marriages for them on our own."

The prefect's lips twitched slightly as he looked at Pei Yuqi's outright refusal. He couldn't send the big one away, and the small one wouldn't do either!

So the Prefect of He continued, "It is not necessary to arrange an engagement. Then Young Master Pei can select one or two children from the younger generation of the He family to serve as companions for the young ladies."

Pei Yuqi was so angry that she laughed when she heard this. The wife's eldest children, Mianmian and Nuannuan, are almost three years old and haven't even started their formal education yet, but they're already asking for a place to accompany them in school.

With so many aristocratic young men in Fengdu, how could they not find someone to accompany them to school?

Seeing Pei Yuqi laughing in exasperation, Prefect He felt extremely uneasy. He had already compromised!

It's still not working!

"Young Master Pei, is this not allowed either?"

"Prefect He, my children have not yet received their formal education. Would it be suitable for me to accompany them in their studies?"

"Furthermore, we don't select people from the state capitals, so we have no use for your idea and won't use it at all."

Upon hearing Pei Yuqi's words, Prefect He immediately felt a sense of dejection and became quite listless.

"Young Master Pei, is it possible for the He family to cooperate with the Su family's shops?"

Fearing Pei Yuqi might refuse, Prefect He immediately continued, "The He family can offer a 20% or even 30% discount in any cooperation."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuqi's lips twitched slightly. Giving them a 30% cut meant they would lose a lot of money.