Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 545 Imperial Physician: It's all bursting open~ What's the point of treating it~
"Good bro~"

Wang Xifeng, with a smile on her face but inwardly heartbroken, stepped forward, waving the silk handkerchief in her hand.

"Look at what you're saying, can't a sister-in-law come to visit you?"

"Come."

She greeted Ping'er, who was carrying a box of fine food, "Look, your sister-in-law cooked this dish for you herself."

Such a beautiful woman greeted us with a smile and warm welcome.

Those who lack willpower might actually fall victim to it.

But Lin Dao had experienced too much, and knew exactly what kind of person Wang Xifeng was.

When you need their help, be as enthusiastic as you can be.

Once you've used it, they'll definitely turn their backs on you.

"Walk."

Lin Dao gestured, "Let's go inside and talk."

After entering the house and taking their seats, Xiao Hong served tea, while Ping'er set out wine and dishes on the table.

With a beaming smile, Wang Xifeng chatted casually about everyday matters.

Lin Dao wasn't in a hurry; he sipped his tea and listened quietly.

"Good bro~"

Wang Xifeng got up to pour him wine and picked up a piece of pork rib with her chopsticks, saying, "This sweet and sour pork rib was made by your sister-in-law. Try it and see how good your cooking is."

Sweet and sour pork ribs?

It's more like a sugar-coated bullet.

Fortunately, as Zhou Shuren (Lu Da), the famous writer from Zhejiang, once said, "Eat the sugar coating, and fire back the cannonballs!"

Lin Dao wholeheartedly agreed with this.

Drink the wine, eat the food, and chat.

As expected, it was Wang Xifeng who couldn't hold back any longer and spoke first.

"Good bro~"

"You have no idea, the Rongguo Mansion is in trouble now!"

"The imperial court provided a sum of money when we redeemed the estate outside the pass."

"But all of this money was put into the villa for visiting relatives."

"Now the imperial court has returned the estates and is demanding the money that was previously used to redeem them."

"The money's all gone, where will we find the money to pay it back?"

As Wang Xifeng spoke, her voice choked with emotion, and she wiped away her tears.

It has been said before that beautiful women have always been treated favorably in any era.

Even when the Mongols swept across the world, they would leave behind artisans and beauties after each massacre of a city.

Wang Xifeng's tearful lament, with tears streaming down her face, certainly had a unique charm.

No wonder Mr. Cao likes this kind of food.

Don't get me wrong, people married young in ancient times, and Cao Cao preferred women in their early twenties.

They are definitely not like those women in their thirties or forties in the modern world who still call themselves fairies.

In Boss Cao's Prime Minister's mansion, those in their thirties and forties were only fit to do laundry and sweep the courtyard.

'Pooh! ’

Lin Dao spat out a fish bone and took the towel Xiao Hong handed him to wipe his face.

"I can borrow money."

"The collateral must be in full."

"The interest rate cannot be less."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng's weeping stopped abruptly.

She's been performing for so long just so she won't have to pay any collateral or interest.

Looking back now, it was completely useless.

"Brothers."

Wang Xifeng sighed again, "You have no idea."

"The ancestor has spoken."

"This sum of money from the imperial court must be returned on time."

“A quota was also allocated to each household, and those who could not pay it would be kicked out of the house.”

"You can't just watch your brother and sister-in-law end up homeless, can you?"

If even one-tenth of the money given by the imperial court for the redemption could be spent on building the Grand View Garden, that would be considered quite good.

The rest of the money was divided up among the crowd.

In the past, Grandmother Jia could pretend not to see it.

But not now. When the Jia family faces a crisis, those who have swallowed silver must return it!

You must know this is the imperial court's money!

Some of it even came from the emperor's private treasury.

The civil officials must have wanted to weaken the aristocratic group, hence this extremely rare rapid allocation of funds, and they didn't even reach out to help themselves.

To show his appreciation for the emperor's efforts, he allocated a sum of money from his already meager imperial treasury.

Now things have fallen apart, I've lost face, and they're demanding my money back.

Who dares not to pay?

This directly offends the emperor and the court officials!

Grandmother Jia had no choice but to forcibly impose the levy.

For example, Jia She was forced to pay 30,000 taels of silver.

But he had already spent most of the money he had embezzled, buying fans, stones, antiques, concubines, fine wine, and so on.

Now, if you ask him to take out some money, not only would he not be able to, but even if he had some, he wouldn't be willing to give it up.

Jia She beat up Jia Lian and forcibly gave the couple 20,000 taels of silver.

However, Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng were also forced to pay 30,000 taels of silver by Grandmother Jia.

Wang Xifeng's 30,000 taels had already been used to pay off Lin Dao's debts.

With Jia She's forced levies, the total amount of 50,000 taels was an enormous sum that she couldn't come up with even if she sold herself.

There was no other way but to find Lin Dao.

Earlier, Jia Lian had a fit of anger in his own courtyard, had a big argument with Wang Xifeng, and then stormed out to enjoy himself.

He didn't want to stay in this home for even a moment longer.

With her husband unreliable and all the pressure on her shoulders, Wang Xifeng was truly at her wit's end.

"Brothers."

Wang Xifeng forced a smile and said, "As you know, it was to fill the gap in the public funds. All the households discussed it together, and the matriarch made the final decision, so that the shops in various places could be used as collateral."

But now~

Now even Grandmother Jia has to pay for everything herself, using her own savings, so how can she possibly take care of her granddaughter-in-law?

"Then there's no way."

Lin Dao simply shrugged and said, "Sister-in-law, you've also lent money at exorbitant interest rates. When you lent money at exorbitant interest rates, did you ever lend it without requiring collateral?" Was there even a question? Of course, collateral was required.

Otherwise, if you take the money and run away, where will you find someone?
“I’m not the only one in this household with money.”

Lin Dao gave her advice: "The Xue family is rich, with at least a million in assets."

"Sigh~" Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng sighed deeply.

"Although my aunt is my biological aunt, she is still a member of the Xue family."

"They came to the capital from the south, with nothing but their family property."

“This is the foundation of the Xue family; how could they possibly lend it out so easily?”

"Our ancestor mentioned it briefly when he was playing leaf cards before."

"But Aunt Xue said, unless it's a marriage between close relatives~"

"Hey~" Lin Dao laughed non-stop, "What a perfect example of doubling down on a family."

"To borrow money, we also have to drag the young master of the family into it."

"That's right." Wang Xifeng sighed as well. "The old matriarch no longer mentions this matter."

“Relatives won’t work,” Lin Dao continued, “You can ask your friends for help, and if that doesn’t work, you can borrow money at interest.”

"The Jia family is so wealthy and powerful, they wouldn't just run away, would they?"

“Good brother~” Wang Xifeng said with a worried look, “Although we have made peace with all the families, the relationship is not the same as before.”

"Borrowing so much money? Forget about it."

"A couple of days ago, the Shi family's daughter came over to play, and the Marquis of Baoling who came with her said that he didn't even have three or five thousand taels."

“These are legitimate relatives, not to mention other noble families.”

"As for interest," Wang Xifeng shook her head with a wry smile, "behind those loan sharks, which family isn't a powerful and wealthy one?"

"Of course they wouldn't agree."

In the business of lending money at exorbitant interest rates, without a strong backer, one would have been exploited long ago.

The Jia family wanted to borrow money at exorbitant interest rates, but the powerful figures behind these front men would naturally not agree.

Moreover, even if you manage to borrow money, you still have to provide collateral and pay interest.

In comparison, Lindao at least offers a discount on interest rates.

"Good brother, please help your wife!"

Despite Wang Xifeng's desperate pleas, Lin Dao remained unmoved.

He picked up his chopsticks and ate his food. "Those stewards in your household are all fatter than the last. Why not slaughter them for the New Year?"

The digging in the corner of the Jia family's house wasn't just done by the Jia family members; the servants and old women were digging even more fiercely.

Jia She and his family pocketed a lot of the money spent on building the Grand View Garden, but most of it was divided up by the stewards and managers.

The Lai family, for example, has amassed at least hundreds of thousands of taels of wealth over the decades.

The rest of the stewards and managers were all incredibly wealthy.

Under normal circumstances, if this were any other noble family's residence, the execution would have begun at this point.

"Ah~"

Wang Xifeng sighed again, "It's either this family's maid or that family's maid."

"They are like vines, twining around the big tree of Rongguo Mansion, and no one can touch them."

"Oh?"

Lin Dao looked at Wang Xifeng in surprise.

I really didn't expect that this fiery woman could actually understand it.

"Good bro~"

Playing the emotional card, Wang Xifeng pleaded, "Sister-in-law, please help me!"

Lin Dao simply shook his head and drank the wine in one gulp.

"Interest can be discounted, but collateral is required."

"This matter is not negotiable."

Just as Wang Xifeng was about to say something more, clinging desperately to Lin Dao as her last lifeline.

The anxious cries of the mandarin ducks could be heard from outside the courtyard.

"Second Grandma~"

Wang Xifeng frowned upon hearing this.

The fact that Yuanyang came to find her must mean that something had happened at the manor.

Sure enough, the panting Yuanyang burst through the door shouting, "Master Xue has been carried back!"

Xue Pan fainted yesterday, and his servants and attendants were all beaten to a pulp by Lin Dao.

Chief Constable Qin'an, eager to follow this lead to find Wei Xiaobao, sent them to the nearest clinic.

Because of the severity of his injuries, no one returned to report the news that night.

Until morning, the clinic, fearing someone had died in the clinic, disregarded Qin An's objections, forced his way in, asked for directions, and sent the body back.

As for why the clinic didn't give Chief Constable Qin face.

As the saying goes, in Beijing, every business has powerful backers.

Aunt Xue and her daughter assumed that Xue Pan had gone out to play and hadn't returned all night, and didn't pay any attention to it.

Upon seeing the unconscious person, he immediately fainted.

While arranging for someone to fetch the imperial physician, Grandmother Jia instructed everyone in charge to be summoned immediately.

This led to the scene where Yuanyang, unable to find Wang Xifeng, rushed over after learning she was there.

Wang Xifeng hurriedly took Ping'er and left.

As Yuanyang left, she subconsciously turned back to look at Lin Dao.

Coincidentally, Lin Dao was also looking at her.

Their eyes met, and Yuanyang shivered, quickly lowering her head and walking away.

Wang Xifeng rushed to Pear Fragrance Courtyard, and before she even entered, she heard Aunt Xue's wailing.

Upon entering the inner hall, one finds it packed with people.

Before long, the white-bearded physician came out.

Aunt Xue quickly stopped talking and stepped forward, anxiously asking, "How is my son?"

"His life has been saved."

One sentence was enough to put everyone at ease.

However, the imperial physician then added, "But you will no longer be able to have sexual relations with others."

The relief that everyone felt immediately vanished.

Aunt Xue was stunned and burst into tears, crying, "He's my only son! Miracle doctor, you must cure him!"

The imperial physician was supposed to be off today, but he was summoned to work, so he was already in a bad mood.

Hearing this only made him angrier.

A curt response.

"It's burst open, there's no way to fix it!"

Aunt Xue's eyes rolled back, and she fainted with a groan.

(End of this chapter)