Marriage of the Di Daughter

Chapter 98 Part 2: Disturbance

“Waiting for a good offer?” Ye Jia Er was puzzled.

“Aren’t there such things in the business world? Many businesses won’t be successful in one stroke, there’s help in the process. Mutually sticking with each other, giving in a bit to each other, until both parties could accept the price. At this time, just see whose bargaining chips are stronger. The person who has a stronger bargaining chip feels secure and has no fear, thus has the patience. Once the other party is flustered and couldn’t restrain their emotion, they would unconsciously yield first and give in more.”

Ye Jia Er understood in a flash and said: “You are saying that at the moment, Magistrate Tong and our Ye family are just as if they are in the middle of doing business. Magistrate Tong doesn’t let our family members meet with father and eldest uncle so we get anxious, can’t keep our calm and make a move to concede. At this time, we will accept any terms that Magistrate Tong proposes.”

“Precisely this reasoning.” Jiang Li said with a smile, Ye Jia Er was very smart.

“But, what actually Magistrate Tong wants with us?” Ye Jia Er was still puzzled, “He arrested our family members, what is he thinking of doing?” Unwittingly, Ye Jia Er had habitually discussed with Jiang Li when encountering a problem. After all, Guan-shi and Zhuo-shi did not pay attention to business matters. Ye Ru Feng was also, in the end, still a bit younger. Looking around, inside the room, there was only Jiang Li who she could talk to.

“This, we have to see what kind of condition Tong Zhi Yang will put forward.” Jiang Li said: “Don’t worry, if Tong Zhi Yang truly has the mind to make a deal, he will soon put his term forward. Just need to wait.”

Ye Jia Er saw that had the look of having a card up her sleeve and seemed to have found a backbone. She also involuntarily and slowly calmed down. The tension on her face slightly eased and she joked: “But why younger sister keeps on saying the surname Tong magistrate’s name. If others heard.......”

“He’s just a prefectural magistrate,” Jiang Li’s brows and eyes curved in a smile, carrying a bit of ignorance and naivety, “my father is the chief assistant. Even if I am addressing him by his name in front of his face, no matter how dissatisfied he is in his heart, he could only behave and tuck his tail between his legs.”

Ye Jia Er was stunned, Ye Ru Feng also looked over at Jiang Li.

Although they’d known this younger sister’s “glorious achievements” from early on, Jiang Li had always been gentle and considerate since she arrived in the Ye residence. This made people feel that she had no relationship with the venomous di daughter in the rumor. Over time, everyone felt that Jiang Li’s nature was very good and her temper was soft. But this moment, the contempt she showed when she mentioned Tong Zhi Yang was truly seen by Ye Jia Er and Ye Ru Feng.

Jiang Li really looked down on Tong Zhi Yang.

Jiang Li looking down on Tong Zhi Yang not because he was a mere prefectural magistrate. This person, Tong Zhi Yang, leaned on his younger sister’s husband to get the position of the prefectural magistrate, and also receive benefits from his wife’s light. On the surface, he looked completely henpecked, but in truth, he raised an outside room who had even given birth to a child.

At the end of the year, the county deputy would go to Magistrate Tong for appraisal. Xue Huai Yuan had clean hands, unlike other county deputies who sent silver to Tong Zhi Yang. Thus, Tong Zhi Yang deliberately found mistakes in Xue Huai Yuan’s work. Xue Zhao couldn’t just sit and watch, and wanted to catch Tong Zhi Yang’s pigtail. Unexpectedly, he discovered this secret and used this secret to threaten Tong Zhi Yang so he would stop finding trouble for Xue Huai Yuan.

Xue Huai Yuan didn’t know about Xue Zhao’s deed and merely felt weird that Tong Zhi Yang didn’t trouble him in the next few years. In fact, if it weren’t for Xue Zhao to stumble into Tong Zhi Yang’s secret, it would be hard to tell how many years Xue Huai Yuan could still be a county deputy. According to Tong Zhi Yang’s pettiness, he certainly would find an excuse to make Xue Huai Yuan lose his official hat.

Jiang Li was disdainful of people like Tong Zhi Yang. She never thought the Ye family would run into Tong Zhi Yang. Naturally she didn’t have a good face.

Guan-shi said to Zhuo-shi: “Why are the people pursuing old three have not returned yet? Perhaps they couldn’t stop him?”

“Most probably.” Zhuo-shi was somewhat nervous, “The third brother has good martial arts, the bodyguards in our house can’t compare. If at that time he wants to look for Magistrate Tong to settle the account, presumably he left in a hurry..... Hopefully won’t stir up any disaster. While at this critical juncture, no more problems should arise.”

“No, I have to go to the government office.” Guan-shi got up hurriedly, “how could the house’s bodyguards persuade old three? That temper of old three..... I’ll go and see.”

“I’ll go with you.” Zhuo-shi said.

The two people were about to leave when in the doorway, Ah Fu ran in a hurry. These days he and Ah Shun were busy at Li Zheng Tang and they were not needed at the house.

“Ah Fu, what happened to you?” Zhuo-shi was startled.

Jiang Li looked over and saw that for the most part, Ah Fu’s clothes were torn apart, tattered and in a mess. It’s unknown whether his face had eaten a fist1 or suffered a slap, it was blue and red, and there’s bloodstain at the corner of his mouth. His hair was even more unpresentable and in disarray. Looking at him, it was as if he just fought a round with someone.

“Eldest madam, second madam, it’s not good.” Ah Fu gasped. He said this laboriously before stopping for a while, speaking seemed to be very strenuous. After half a day, he continued speaking: “Li Zheng Tang, Li Zheng Tang is smashed by people. The bodyguards couldn’t block, the shopkeeper was surrounded by people, Ah Shun is still there guarding. Those people immediately smashed things when they came in and didn’t stop after smashing. Even Li Zheng Tang’s signboard was smashed. Madam, you better go and see!”

He finished speaking in one breath.

“Li Zheng Tang is smashed by people?” Zhuo-shi nearly fainted.

“Exactly.” Ah Fu pulled his clothes, “if this humble servant isn’t small in size and able to slip away quickly, wouldn’t be able to return to the residence to notify. Those people smashed in anger and not a single person from Li Zheng Tang was allowed to go out.”

“Ah Fu,” Jiang Li asked: “what kind of people came to smash the shop?”

Li Zheng Tang was the Ye family’s business. No one in Xiangyang was not aware of the Ye family. Dared to go to Li Zheng Tang and smash the shop, the courage was not small.

At this moment, Ah Fu couldn’t deal with whether or not the person asking was the miss cousin who needed to be guarded against. He straightaway replied: “It’s just some common people.”

“Where do the wicked people come from, dare to behave atrociously in Li Zheng Tang and provoke trouble!” Ye Ru Feng flew into a rage, “why didn’t you report it to the authorities?”

“The government officials arrested and are holding our master. Young master, their door is shut for our report.” Ah Fu answered mournfully.

Footnotes:

1: Eaten a fist: punched 1.:leftwards_arrow_with_hook: