You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 109 I'm Going to Hang Myself at Your Doorstep

Tong Zhao'er is now in charge of the entire Fang family. Fang Chengxu is short of money and has no way to repay the debt.
Song Lu went there two or three times in a row, but Fang Chengxu avoided seeing him each time. Only Old Madam Fang showed up.

Facing the Song law, Old Madam Fang wept bitterly, recounting the hardships she had endured these past days and how Fang Chengxu was in a difficult situation, unable to come up with a single penny.

Although Song Lu was eloquent, a scholar cannot reason with a soldier. Faced with the unreasonable and argumentative Old Lady Fang, he suffered repeated defeats, all of which was within Liang Jiang's expectations.

She never expected Song Lu to be able to recover the debt; it was just a bluff, a show of politeness before taking action.

She wanted to visit in person, but she was too busy with things at the shop to attend to them.

Because after several shops changed hands, the suppliers, fearing that Liang Jiang would not acknowledge the previous accounts, immediately came to the shop, holding IOUs to settle the debts.

Business transactions can be conducted through cash payment, monthly settlement, or batch payment with installment payments; all of these are normal.

As long as the IOUs are verified and are from legitimate business transactions, Liangjiang will naturally accept them.

However, she sensed something was amiss from these IOUs.

It wasn't that there was anything fishy about these IOUs, but rather that the income and expenditure were unbalanced.

For example, based on the purchase volume indicated on the IOU, the silk shop's monthly sales volume was far greater than the number he saw in the ledger that day.

In other words, the account books he saw in the accounting office that day were very likely fake.

Knowing he was going back to the Duke's mansion, the second uncle prepared a false account in advance, concealing part of the shop's profits and even creating the illusion of a deficit to line his own pocket.

The Duke's Mansion's annual revenue far exceeded the silver recorded in the ledgers.

Without a doubt, all that money went into his second uncle's pocket. That's why he had the confidence to hand over the shops so readily and then start his own business.

If Liang Jiang hadn't been a shrewd businessman with an innate sensitivity to numbers, and hadn't kept track of the approximate income and expenditure of each shop in the ledgers, she wouldn't have discovered the trickery involved.

Therefore, she is working diligently to re-examine the shop's accounts. Once she has solid evidence, she can confront her second uncle and hold him accountable.

Since the Fang family wanted to renege on their debt, and Liang Jiang was too busy to pay attention, the only option left was to file a lawsuit and go to court.

Anyway, he only needs to say a few words, while Song Lu runs himself ragged, so he's happy to win the case and earn more money.

Just as the petition was delivered to the yamen, Old Madam Fang personally came to the Duke's mansion, carrying a thick hemp rope.

When she arrived at the gate of the Duke's mansion, the mute gatekeeper stopped her outside. Without saying a word, Old Madam Fang took a thick hemp rope from her waist and was about to put it on the door frame of the Duke's mansion.

When the mute man saw her, he knew she had come to cause trouble on purpose. He tried his best to stop her while ordering someone to go inside and inform Madam Liang and Uncle Chen immediately.

Liang Jiang was not at home, and upon hearing the news, Madam Liang rushed out immediately. The weeping and wailing Old Madam Fang had already attracted a crowd of onlookers.

Madam Liang frowned: "Old Madam Fang, what are you doing?"

Old Mrs. Fang cried and sobbed, "Your Duke's Mansion has driven us to the brink of despair. I was swindled out of everything by your daughter and can't repay your money. I'll atone for my sins by hanging myself at the gate of your Duke's Mansion!"

Madam Liang had never seen Old Madam Fang act so unreasonably before: "Paying back debts is a matter of course. This more than seven thousand taels of silver was originally owed to us by your Fang family. We have already given your Fang family two months to repay it. Is Old Madam Fang trying to renege on the debt?"

Old Mrs. Fang knew Liang's temperament well; she was rather weak and kind. Clutching the noose, she cried and berated her:
"Your daughter colluded with outsiders to swindle all of my Fang family's assets and kicked us out of the house, yet I didn't pursue the matter or report it to the authorities. At most, I considered it a draw. Who knew you would be so relentless and even report it to the authorities, trying to drive Chengxu to his death? After being husband and wife, are you really so heartless that you insist on killing us?"

In her anxiety, Madam Liang was unable to utter a single word of her grievances and reasoning. How much suffering had her daughter endured while living in the Fang family?

"Now that we've reported this to the authorities, the yamen (government office) is the place to reason things out. Let's go to the yamen to settle things. What's the point of you acting like you want to kill yourself here?"

Grandma Fang's eyes widened: "Your daughter has no shame, but my Fang family does! My son is a dignified fourth-rank military officer. If you make him go to court, how embarrassing will it sound if word gets out?"
"Your Duke's mansion is so wealthy and powerful, do you really think you can afford to waste a few thousand taels of silver? You're clearly trying to force me to my death! I'll hang myself right here at your doorstep! I implore you all to go back and inform the Tong residence of my death, and have my son come to the Duke's mansion to collect my body!"

Grandma Fang tried to put her head into the noose, but the servants hurriedly stopped her.

More and more people gathered around, pointing and whispering among themselves.

Upon hearing the news, Liang Wenshi and Liang Su came out of the Duke's mansion. Liang Su stepped forward to persuade Old Madam Fang:
“My cousin is always unforgiving when she’s in the right. If she has offended you in any way, I apologize on her behalf. Please don’t be foolish and do something that would hurt your loved ones and please your enemies.”

Upon hearing her speak, Old Mrs. Fang immediately recognized her identity. Taking advantage of the situation, she slumped to the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing.

"I was driven to the brink by Liangjiang. If Liangjiang had even half the kindness of you, we wouldn't have ended up like this."

Liang Su sighed, "I understand. After all, my cousin would even harm her own grandmother in the main hall for money. She doesn't even spare her closest relatives, let alone you. But I'm also in a precarious situation right now, barely able to take care of myself. I'm living under someone else's roof and walking on thin ice. I can't help you."

The two of them talked back and forth, one with snot and tears streaming down his face, the other with red eyes, stirring up the emotions of the surrounding crowd.

“This Princess Heya is indeed only interested in profit, and has no human touch at all.”

"That's right. Even a one-night stand can lead to a hundred nights of kindness. She's rolling in money, so a few thousand taels of silver might be nothing to her. Is it really worth going to such lengths to destroy her?"

……

Hearing the discussions of the uninformed crowd around her, Madam Liang's eyes reddened with anger, and her voice trembled:

"Your Fang family started this mess and then abandoned me. The whole family ganged up on my daughter, coaxing her to use her dowry money to support Fang Chengxu's mistress, and then went bankrupt to marry into the General's family."

Now they come to our Duke's mansion to distort the truth and slander my daughter; this is utterly outrageous! Guards, get them out of here!

It's clearly them who are bullying people, so why are these people just echoing each other and condemning the victims?

The mute man and others stepped forward and chased away Old Mrs. Fang.

Old Mrs. Fang was unwilling to leave until her goal was achieved.

She threw a tantrum, screaming and wailing.

"Murder! Murder at the Duke's mansion! Is there no justice in this world?!"

With a livid face, Madam Liang questioned Lady Liang: "Do you still think the Duke's Mansion isn't shameful enough? Look at what your daughter has done! Getting her former in-laws to come and make a scene at our house—this is probably the only one of its kind in the entire capital!"

Liang Su chimed in, "It's just a few thousand taels of silver, Aunt. Is silver more important than human life? When did you become so cold-blooded?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone outside the crowd said coldly, "Since Liang Su, you're so kind, then you can pay the eight thousand taels of silver for the Fang family."

(End of this chapter)