Qin Jin was still unaware that the Qin family had already been in a complete mess. With a face full of unwillingness, he glared fiercely at Li Ying and shouted angrily, "You venomous woman with a heart like a snake! This is all your scheme!"
Li Ying looked at him calmly, lowered her voice, and slowly spoke with mockery.
"Those wandering Taoist priests who went to your home to 'ward off disasters' were originally just street performers doing magic tricks in the night market. They only received a reward of two qian of silver and agreed to cooperate with me to stage a show."
"You've always looked down on these common people from all walks of life, but it's precisely them who finally brought down the Qin family."
"Master Qin, it's not that I'm cunning; it's that you're too stupid."
Seeing several constables about to take him away, Qin Jin panicked. However, he was extremely unwilling to let his bright future be ruined like this. Gritting his teeth, he lowered his voice and threatened the magistrate.
"My lord, I've heard that you're also from a poor family. To have reached such a high position, you must have received a lot of support from your benefactor. Now, I've also won the favor of Lady Lianji. We're in the same boat. Why do you have to be so ruthless?"
"If you don't leave me a way out, when I'm pushed to the corner, I'll have no choice but to fight to the bitter end and let all the townspeople see by what means the magistrate has reached such a high position."
Li Ying secretly shook her head.
Qin Jin... was really like a cornered animal, completely out of his mind and hopeless.
Sure enough, the magistrate frowned tightly, with a look of extreme disgust on his face.
"Bold scoundrel!"
"I'm upright and not afraid of being slandered! I'd like to see how you're going to smear my name!"
His angry shout attracted the attention of many townspeople. Everyone looked nervous, knowing that the issue of "collusion between officials and merchants" was no small matter, and they all kept silent.
"Just because he's a disciple of Yan Lianzhi! Whether he's qualified or not is not for you, a cheating scoundrel, to judge!"
Then, Yan Lianzhi pushed through the crowd and walked slowly over.
When the magistrate saw him, a look of relief suddenly appeared in his eyes.
"Master! You've finally come!"
Master... Master?
The magistrate was actually a disciple of the great Confucian, Lord Yan?
No wonder he was so upright and reasonable!
The townspeople whispered to each other, while Qin Jin stood there, as pale as death and as dumb as a wooden chicken.
What on earth was going on!
He only knew that the magistrate and the benefactor were on good terms, but he really didn't know that this person had such a background!
That old Yan Lianzhi, with just a few simple meals, was bought over by Li Ying. Now he even came out to support her. It seemed that he was surely doomed today!
That woman, Lianji, was really hypocritical and malicious! She actually deliberately concealed such important information. Could it be that they had colluded long ago?
Although Qin Jin was full of doubts, he finally had no chance to defend himself. He could only be obediently dragged away by two constables and thrown into prison.
"Master, you're finally willing to see me!"
Although the magistrate was now an official, he was extremely respectful to Yan Lianzhi, just as if he had never left the master's door.
Li Ying was also slightly surprised.
It was well - known that Lord Yan had students all over the world, but seeing it with her own eyes today still made her a bit shocked.
She came back to her senses, cleared her throat, and said loudly, "Today's little episode has disturbed the guests' dining mood. Later, we'll serve fruit platters and snacks to everyone, and today's meals will be 20% off. This is just a small apology. Please accept it."
The quick - witted servants quickly tidied up the screens and curtains. The diners took their seats and didn't say much.
The magistrate looked happy and said respectfully, "Thank you, Master, for coming out today to help your disciple out of trouble. It's your disciple's fault that made you worry."
Yan Lianzhi slumped in the chair and snorted disdainfully.
"You unfilial disciple, you're so arrogant! Although I don't like you getting into officialdom, I never expelled you from the master's door. I just said a few words to you, and you ran away on your own!"
The magistrate obediently lowered his head and stood aside. After Yan Lianzhi had vented his anger, he explained respectfully, "Only by becoming an official can I find out the truth of that year. Master, over the years, your disciple has always remembered your teachings and has been diligent, taking the world as his responsibility. Please see clearly."
Yan Lianzhi rolled his eyes in disbelief again, but finally didn't say anything more.
He was going to set off for the capital soon and couldn't stay for long. With a thunderous force, he punished the Qin brothers, deprived Qin Jin of his official title, and banned him from officialdom for life.
As for the Qin family's land on the estate, it had already been fully investigated. It turned out that seven or eight out of ten were obtained by coercion and deception. Now, they were all confiscated and turned over to the state.
There was still a shortage in the grain tax and fines. The Qin family had to sell their mansion to barely fill the hole.
After dismissing the servants, the Qin family members took some of their personal valuables and could only settle in their dilapidated old house.
Aman was very excited. On the day when the Qin family left the city dejectedly, she specially went to watch the fun.
"Sister, there's only one thing I don't understand. How did you know that Qin Jin would definitely wear the cheating clothes on the day when you entertained the magistrate?"
Li Ying smiled slightly.
It wasn't difficult.
When the magic troupe revealed the method of cheating with squid ink, they said that it would take at least seven days of sun exposure. Calculated, it was exactly the day when Qin Jin met with the magistrate.
Qin Jin was a person who always thought he was resourceful and liked to arrange strategies that served two purposes.
Sure enough, she only had to make a slight probe and got what she wanted.
There was neither love nor hatred between her and Qin Jin. Now that he had ended up in such a miserable situation, it was really his own fault.
The townspeople gossiped about it for several days. Lianji also got the news. Grinding her silver teeth, she sat by the window, her pretty face as cold as ice.
Qin Jin was just a blunt knife. Since he was inferior in skills, it didn't matter if he was discarded.
But she had been by the benefactor's side for many years and had seen with her own eyes how the old man was on very friendly terms with the magistrate.
She naturally regarded him as one of her own. Who would have thought that she would be bitten hard unexpectedly!
The magistrate was a disciple of Yan Lianzhi. How could she not know such important information?
Did the old man know?
Was he also kept in the dark like herself, or...
Lianji's fingertips turned white, and the chill in her heart became even colder.
The old man was indeed softened by her, a charming beauty, and had lost his temper.
But in the past, his influence in the business world was really not to be underestimated.
Could it be that the old man had a premonition and deliberately concealed it from her, just to secretly test her?
Alarm bells rang in Lianji's heart. Thinking of what Zheng Ji had said when he gave away the red - maned horse, "I suspect that the young master is still alive", she couldn't sit still anymore.
Could it be that the old benefactor had already noticed all her carefully arranged plans?
How much did he know?
No way!
How could a thousand - mile dike be destroyed by an ant hole? She had schemed so much and finally got what she had today. How could she just sit there waiting for death and give it all away?
After much thought, Lianji finally got up, picked up a pen, and wrote a secret letter. She hastily tied it to the leg of a carrier pigeon and let it fly away.