The tall and lanky青皮 (a person with green hair, a slang term for a hooligan) felt a twinge of fear when he saw her brimming with killing intent. However, he was acting on someone's orders, so he couldn't back down even if he was scared.
Gritting his teeth, he summoned the courage to say, "So what if she's the daughter of a general... If the general's daughter sells fake alcohol, she still has to pay compensation!"
Yuan Jinqiu curled her lips into a cold sneer. She stepped forward with the bronze token in hand and almost thrust it into his face.
"Pay? Of course, we'll pay! I'm just wondering how many taels of silver my husband's general's token is worth to you, young man?"
The tall and lanky青皮's eyes widened in horror. He shuddered and took two or three steps back as if his forehead had been burned.
A hint of mockery flashed in Yuan Jinqiu's eyes. She withdrew her hand and slowly scanned the crowd around her. "Everyone, if any of you want the Li family to pay compensation today, feel free to step forward. I, Yuan Jinqiu, keep my word and will never renege on a debt. However..."
She paused for a moment, and her gaze suddenly turned sharp and cold. "If I find out later that someone has spread rumors, slandered us, and taken advantage of the situation to defraud us of money, I will never show mercy! By then, whether it's the Supreme Court of Judicature or the Censorate, or even if I have to appeal to the emperor, the Li family will accompany you to the end!"
Yuan Jinqiu's voice was cold, and every word sent shivers down people's spines.
After hearing her words, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. They looked at each other, completely at a loss.
Did this female general mean that she would hold them accountable for spreading rumors and slandering later?
Who would dare to take this money then...
It wasn't worth getting themselves thrown into jail for just twenty taels of silver!
A thought of retreat gradually emerged in everyone's minds. Some timid people had already sneaked away when no one was looking.
"Mother..." Li Wanming choked with sobs. Her heart was filled with both warmth and sorrow.
Yuan Jinqiu glanced at her, frowned slightly, and whispered, "Normally, you seem quite smart. Why are you being so stupid now? When such a big thing happened, couldn't you send someone to the military camp on the outskirts of the capital to find me and your father?"
Li Wanming bit her lip and said aggrievedly, "This just happened yesterday. I didn't have time to find you..."
Li Rusong shielded his daughter with his arm. "Alright, alright. It happened suddenly. How could Wanming have anticipated it? She's already done a great job handling this matter!"
Yuan Jinqiu retracted her gaze and scanned the crowd in front of her again. "Is there anyone who wants to claim the compensation?"
She waited for a while, but no one responded. Then she said, "My deputy, Qing Yan, will be guarding the door with the money box today. If any of you want compensation, it's easy! All you have to do is register your name and address with her, and you can take the silver away!"
However, Yuan Jinqiu immediately changed the subject. "But I must remind you all that if you don't claim the compensation today, it will be regarded as giving up your right to claim it. You can't pester my daughter anymore in the future!"
After saying this, without looking at the reactions behind her, she immediately pushed Li Wanming and Li Rusong into the house. At the same time, she whispered to Wu Yao, "Close the door! No matter who knocks today, don't open it again! Also, I don't care what relationship you have with Princess Chengping. You go over the wall from the back right away and ask her to come and handle this!"
Wu Yao nodded with sweat pouring down his face.
Now that there were people protecting Li Wanming, he could go out to seek help.
Princess Chengping was well - informed. She must have a way to handle this situation properly...
Just as the main door of the Cheng Mansion was about to close, a loud shout came from behind. "Wait a minute!"
A disheveled old woman rushed in.
She pounced forward and snatched the money box from Qing Yan's hands, shouting, "This is all my money. Who told you to take it out for compensation?"
Yuan Jinqiu frowned slightly.
To prevent Li's mother from causing trouble, before she left, she had deliberately sent away the Li family's coachman and ridden away all the Li family's horses. She had ridden at full speed, which was why she had been able to arrive so quickly.
But she never expected that an old woman in her sixties like Li's mother could run so fast!
In less than half an hour, she had managed to cross half of the capital and run from the Li family's residence to Pingkangfang!
...
Li's mother was red - faced and out of breath. Her snot and tears were all over her face.
While hugging the money box with one hand, she desperately stuffed the gold ornaments from the nearby box into her bosom. "This is all mine, mine! I've saved these with great effort! You ungrateful spendthrifts. You don't know how hard it is to run a household! How could you just throw the money away like this!"
With her making such a commotion, the tall and lanky青皮 and the rough - looking man had come to their senses. They waved their hands and shouted, "See? The Li family never intended to pay compensation!"
"That woman talked so nicely before. It was all a lie to deceive us!"
"Pah! These heartless and unscrupulous merchants are all bad people!"
The effect of these words was immediate. It was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a boiling oil pan. The crowd that had just calmed down instantly became restless.
"That's right! So what if she's the daughter of a general? Does the general's daughter not have to pay compensation for selling fake alcohol?"
"You're all in cahoots. You don't treat the common people as human beings!"
"Don't think you can ride roughshod over the common people just because you have an official father!"
"If you push me too far, I'll even dare to go to the emperor's Golden Throne! Don't think I'm afraid of you, not even the Ministry of Justice or the Supreme Court of Judicature!"
The crowd boiled over. Their angry emotions ignited everyone on the scene again.
They started accusing the Li family members blocking the door of the Cheng Mansion, their faces red and spittle flying.
The fingers of Yuan Jinqiu holding the sword hilt turned slightly white.
The situation now was different from before.
Before, she had used the prestige of a fourth - rank general and the timidity of the crowd to gain a glimmer of a chance to retreat safely with her daughter.
But this glimmer of hope vanished in an instant.
Now, with Li's mother's interference, people felt deceived. Their anger was ten times greater than before, and it could no longer be suppressed by Li Rusong's rank as a fourth - rank general.
It seemed that without paying compensation, the situation couldn't be pacified.
But the money box was in Li's mother's hands...
Yuan Jinqiu glanced at Li Rusong, and his face immediately wrinkled like a bitter gourd.
He knew he had to take the money from Li's mother, but he also knew how difficult she could be.
Li Rusong had no choice. He handed Li Wanming to Chun Tao and reluctantly stepped forward, trying to reason with Li's mother. "Mother, Wanming is my daughter. She's in trouble now. We're all family, so we must help her..."
At first, Li's mother just stared blankly at him. But when she saw his hand reaching for the money box, she immediately took a half - step back, changed her expression, and roared, "She's already married. She's no longer a member of the Li family! You heartless bastard. How could you use your mother's coffin money to subsidize her?"