bestfiction Chapter 478 The People Bully the Officials?
Chapter 478 The People Bully the Officials?
This sudden attack terrified Madam Shen, leaving her pale with fright.
Yunxi reacted quickly, suddenly shielding Shen behind her and glaring angrily: "Who are you to dare to be so rude!"
The man ignored her pleas and cried, "Sister Shen, it's me, your cousin Zhang Dashan! We haven't seen each other for so many years, don't you recognize me?"
"Back when we were playing together in our hometown, you even fell into the river. I was the one who pulled you out. Have you forgotten all that?"
Shen Shi hid behind Yun Xi, listening to the man's sobs. Her initially panicked eyes gradually calmed down, and her brows furrowed slightly, as if she was trying her best to search for something from the depths of her memory.
Noticing her mother's unusual behavior, Yunxi turned slightly to the side and asked softly, "Mother, do you really know this person?"
Yu Wan: ...
No way? They're really relatives?
Seeing that Ms. Shen was staring at him, the man quickly reminded her, "Little sister, do you remember Ginkgo Village? Our two families used to live across from each other!"
"Ginkgo Village...?"
A look of surprise flashed in Shen's eyes. She raised her hand and gently pressed Yunxi's arm, then slowly walked out from behind Yunxi.
"Wait... I think I do have a vague recollection of this."
"You... are Brother Dashan? Zhang Dashan?"
Upon seeing that Madam Shen remembered him, Zhang Dashan was overjoyed. "Yes, yes, it's me! Sister, it really is me! After all these years, I've finally found you!"
He looked up at the imposing gate of the Vice Minister's residence, a glint of jealousy and greed in his eyes. "I never imagined that after so many years, my sister would have become such a noblewoman in Shengjing."
Shen looked Zhang Dashan up and down, utterly shocked. "Brother Dashan, what are you doing in Shengjing?"
Zhang Dashan reached up and wiped his eyes, as if recalling something sad. "It's a long story."
Seeing this, Yunxi moved a few steps to Yu Wan's side and whispered, "Sister-in-law, where did you bring this person back from?"
Yu Wan choked up for a moment.
She couldn't very well say that she brought it back from Hongxiufang, could she?
Yu Wan chuckled dryly a few times and immediately changed the subject, "Yunxi, is this person really a relative of ours?"
Yunxi glanced at Zhang Dashan, whose eyes were extremely restless, and lowered her voice even further, "I don't know him, but I remember my mother mentioning to me that she and my maternal grandfather lived in Ginkgo Village for a period of time. Perhaps this person is indeed an old acquaintance of my mother."
The madam was practically grinning from ear to ear at the sight.
She said that Master Zhang is a relative of the Vice Minister!
The madam quickly stepped forward, knelt down before Madam Shen, and said with a beaming smile, "This servant greets the old madam!"
The madam's attention was immediately drawn to the group, and Madam Shen also looked at her.
Seeing her attire, he frowned. "You are..."
The madam smiled broadly, "I am the madam of Hongxiufang, and I have come today to pay my respects to the old lady!"
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Madam, Master Zhang has been a frequent patron of my Red Sleeve Brothel. He's very generous, and everyone knows he's a relative of the Vice Minister, so they all respect him. Before, when Master Zhang was short of money, I gave him credit without hesitation, thinking that we're all family and he'd definitely trust me."
"Now that I have met you, I hope that you, Madam, can understand my difficulties regarding this debt."
The madam smiled ingratiatingly.
Madam Shen was completely confused by the madam's words. "What kind of place is Hongxiufang? What kind of debt is it on credit?"
Zhang Dashan clearly hadn't expected the madam to be so eager to collect the debt. A guilty look flashed in his eyes as he turned around and angrily rebuked, "It's just a little bit of silver, are you afraid I'll default on the debt? Do you think someone from the dignified Second Minister's Mansion would default on a debt?!"
The madam was angry at his outburst, but fearing she wouldn't get her money, she could only smile apologetically and explain, "Master Zhang, please don't misunderstand. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that this business is small-scale, and three thousand taels of silver is no small sum. If it drags on for too long, I really won't be able to make ends meet."
Three thousand taels of silver?!
Yu Wan's face immediately turned cold.
Twenty taels of silver can last an ordinary family a year, but Zhang Dashan actually owed three thousand taels of silver at Hongxiufang.
Judging from his words, it seems he's putting the blame on the Vice Minister's office.
Shen was unaware of the full story, but she understood that Zhang Dashan owed Hongxiufang a considerable sum of money.
Madam Shen frowned slightly, her eyes filled with displeasure as she looked at Zhang Dashan: "Brother Dashan, how come you owe so much money outside, and you're even using the name of the Second Assistant Minister's Mansion?"
Zhang Dashan looked away guiltily and stammered, "Sister, I'm just short on cash right now, so I thought I'd pay you back when I have the money. I really didn't mean to cause you and my nephew any trouble."
Hearing this, the madam sensed something was wrong and quickly said, "Madam, regarding the debt, would your household prefer a bank note or a deposit slip? A deposit slip is fine too; I can go to the bank myself to withdraw it."
Faced with the madam's fawning smile, Madam Shen found it hard to refuse.
She didn't want to give away such a large sum of money without understanding the situation.
Three thousand taels is no small sum.
Although the family is not short of money now, the money is earned by her son and daughter-in-law, so how can she spend it recklessly?
But if they don't pay, the madam might spread rumors that the people from the Vice Minister's Mansion are in debt and won't pay, which could damage Yun Shang's reputation.
Shen was caught in a dilemma, unsure of how to broach the subject.
"Get up first." Yu Wan, who hadn't spoken until now, said with a faint smile on her face. "This debt was incurred by Zhang Dashan. As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. Mother should ask Zhang Dashan for it."
The madam and Zhang Dashan became anxious upon hearing this.
The madam said, "Young master, that's not how it works. I only let Master Zhang go on credit because of the Vice Minister's influence. The IOU is in the name of the Vice Minister's residence, so naturally I'll have to find the person on the IOU to collect the debt."
Zhang Dashan also said urgently, "Who are you to spout nonsense here, you brat? My sister hasn't even spoken yet, what right do you have to interrupt!"
It was only then that Shen Shi and Yun Xi realized that Yu Wan and Xi Zhu were dressed as men, and at first glance they looked like handsome young men.
It's quite pretty.
Shen's eyes sparkled, as if she had discovered some treasure. She walked over to Yu Wan, looked her up and down, and kept praising her:
"Not bad, not bad, even more handsome than Shang Ge'er."
Yunxi: ...
My mother's heart is so biased.
Yu Wan felt a little embarrassed by Shen's praise.
She was self-aware enough to know that no one could compare to the male lead's face.
Seeing how affectionately Shen treated Yu Wan, Zhang Dashan's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask, "Sister, who is this person to you?"
Seeing that Yu Wan was dressed in men's clothing, Madam Shen did not intend to answer.
Yu Wan remained calm and smiled at Zhang Dashan, saying, "I'm just an unimportant outsider."
"Although I am an outsider, the principles still need to be explained clearly."
"Since you dared to use the name of the Vice Minister's Office to run up debts, you should be able to bear the consequences. Now that you can't come up with the money, you're blaming me for being nosy? That's not fair, is it?"
"Although the IOU is written on the name of the Second Assistant Minister's Office, it was signed by Zhang Dashan himself, and no one in the Second Assistant Minister's Office knew about it."
"If this gets started, and all those deadbeats do the same thing in the future, will the Vice Minister's Office have to admit it?"
"It's always been officials bullying the people, but this is the first time I've ever seen the people bullying the officials."