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How could a privileged fop like Yang Xian endure such gazes and contempt? He immediately slapped the armrest of his chair, standing up with
How could a privileged fop like Yang Xian endure such gazes and contempt? He immediately slapped the armrest of his chair, standing up with a loud thwack.
"How could I possibly lose?" He glared directly at Chai An, saying indignantly, "Master Chai, prepare your estate! Watch me bring that little girl from the Li family back to my residence as a concubine!"
"Good!" Chai An, seeing that this fool had indeed fallen for it, immediately nodded and cupped his hands to him, "On the day Young Master marries a Li family daughter into your residence, I will deliver the deed to the wagering estate as a congratulatory gift to your hands!"
"It's a deal!" Yang Xian immediately nodded in agreement. However, he began to reconsider in his heart: How exactly could he pursue a Li family daughter? Logically, Wei Tingyu must have experience, for he had already married two of them! And at least the two youngest among the remaining three also liked him! But he certainly couldn't consult Wei Tingyu! After all, he was planning a snatch-and-grab, and Wei Tingyu wouldn't possibly help him!
Chai An then subtly gave Fan Lianghan a look, and Fan Lianghan immediately understood. He had already rehearsed this with his cousin once. He immediately stood up and asked, "Cousin! How many heads do you think Wei Tingyu has? How does he manage to make Lady Li Niang willing to marry all her daughters into the Marquis's Residence as concubines?" As Fan Lianghan asked this question, Yang Xian's ears immediately perked up; he was also perplexed by this very question.
"Does that even need asking?" Chai An, however, smiled, opened his folding fan, and said with feigned nonchalance, "It's nothing more than seeing that the Li family, being orphaned and widowed, found it difficult to make a living in the capital from afar. He simply relied on the Marquis Jining's authority to bully and coerce them!"
"That makes sense!" Fan Lianghan nodded repeatedly, "If it weren't for Marquis Jining's coercion, someone as strong-willed as Lady Li Niang would never have been willing to marry all her daughters off as concubines!"
"Back when I was in the Fan Residence, Wei Tingyu even used his power to disrupt my household and forced me to sign that divorce paper!"
"Alas! One can only say that those with power and influence do as they please!"
"It's just pitiful for ordinary merchant families like us; we can't even protect our own wives!"
"If my Fan family is like this, how could a household of mere women like the Li family resist?" Fan Lianghan said, shaking his head with feigned sorrow.
These words, however, immediately made Yang Xian's eyes light up. That's right! Wei Tingyu isn't some three-headed, six-armed monster; the reason he could marry two of the Li family's daughters and make the rest of them fond of him isn't because of his family background? It must be through a combination of threats and inducements, coercing Lady Li Niang into agreeing, and then enticing the young, naive Li family daughters to willingly comply! This must be the method Wei Tingyu used! But the problem is, his own family isn't bad either; if Wei Tingyu can use such methods, so can he! Yang Xian's eyes darted around, and a plan immediately formed in his mind. Without another word, he bade farewell to Chai An and Fan Lianghan, then turned and left the Panlou. Chai An and Fan Lianghan, these two fellows, watched Yang Xian's retreating back, then exchanged glances, a smirk of successful scheming appearing on their faces!
"I originally had a hundred large pearls in that bag!" The next day at noon, Yang Xian sat with his legs crossed in a chair in the main hall of the Four Fortunes Study, looking at Lady Li Niang with a half-smile, "Yesterday, they were stolen by your daughter!"
"You need evidence for your words!" Lady Li Niang looked at Yang Xian, who was acting like a rogue, and felt even more annoyed, speaking directly. Second Daughter Fu Hui's worries yesterday had indeed come true, and even faster than she had initially expected. In less than twelve hours, this scoundrel had actually shown up at her door! He even falsely accused Fifth Daughter Le Shan of stealing a bag of his pearls! Although Le Shan had indeed brought back many pearls, they were gifts from Wei Tingyu to her three yet-to-be-married daughters! What did they have to do with Yang Xian?! One could only say that shamelessness was truly invincible! Of course, Lady Li Niang also understood the reason for the other party's current behavior; he was clearly trying to frame her!
"Evidence?" Yang Xian sneered coldly upon hearing Lady Li Niang's words and then stood up. Adopting an arrogant demeanor, as if he were the third most important person after heaven and earth, he paced a few steps with his hands behind his back before speaking, "My words are evidence!" As soon as his voice fell, six servants immediately ran in from outside. Of course, the Four Fortunes Study was currently guarded by the Golden Shadow Guards and Silver Shadow Guards arranged by Wei Tingyu! Seeing this situation, two Golden Shadow Guards immediately stepped forward and blocked the doorway! The servants originally intended to force their way in, but they were so frightened by just a glare from the Golden Shadow Guards that their legs turned to jelly, and they huddled at the doorway, not daring to charge. Seeing this situation, Yang Xian suddenly felt a bit awkward. He had originally intended to put on an imposing show, but not a single one of his subordinates dared to confront the guards of the Four Fortunes Study! However, besides secretly cursing them as useless freeloaders, he didn't dare to directly order the servants to act! And Lady Li Niang, seeing this scene, also let out a cold laugh!
"You..." Yang Xian, having learned his lesson from yesterday, also knew that these guards of the Li family were not to be trifled with. His eyes darted around, then he said, "Your Four Fortunes Study is a black inn!"
"Let's go! To the yamen to reason this out!"
As soon as his voice fell, Lady Li Niang's face immediately changed. After all, he was a Young Master from a powerful family. If she went to the public court with him to reason... she wouldn't be able to make her case clear even if she was in the right!
"But it's not impossible to discuss!" And at this moment, Yang Xian seemed to have received guidance from a master; he was no longer as utterly roguish as before. He changed his tone and said with a smile, "Call that young lady who stripped me naked yesterday, and let her kowtow to me!"
"Perhaps if I'm pleased, I'll let you all off!"
And he had clearly prepared beforehand, decisively avoiding any mention of harassing Shou Hua previously. After all, that was Wei Tingyu's noble concubine, and he knew he couldn't make her kowtow to him! So, he naturally shifted his target to Fourth Daughter Hao De and Fifth Daughter Le Shan, who had run over later.
"The commotion yesterday was indeed quite large! The people of the capital are still talking about it over tea and meals!" And Lady Li Niang, of course, was unwilling to let her daughter do such a thing. She smiled slightly and said, "Though I am a mere woman, I heard from guests in the shop! Wasn't it a group of small beggars who robbed the Young Master? What does that have to do with my daughters?"
"Those little beggars... weren't they hired by your daughter?" Yang Xian's face immediately flushed red upon hearing Lady Li Niang mention that embarrassing incident from yesterday. "If you don't call her out, then we'll meet in court!"
"I know you have the Marquis Jining's Residence backing you, and you're not afraid to face me in court!"
"But even if the prefect is just and incorruptible and wants to ascertain the truth, such an investigation would still take three to five months!"
"And that would require sealing off the premises and detaining people to investigate thoroughly!"
"You'd better think carefully!"
Yang Xian had completely dropped the act; he was laying his cards on the table! He was here to play the rogue, using the rules to manipulate the Li family! At Yang Xian's words, Lady Li Niang fell silent. This was indeed the most difficult point for her to accept. Even with Wei Tingyu's backing, she wasn't afraid to face the other party in court, but she definitely couldn't afford to have her shop closed for several months! For no other reason than that her plans to save up dowries for her daughters would certainly fall through! Moreover, during that time, not only her daughters but even she herself would have to rely on Wei Tingyu's assistance to live... Then what face would her daughters have to meet the other concubines and wives in the Marquis's Residence? Even if others didn't look down on them, the Li family's daughters had such strong self-esteem that they would be miserable. One could say that for Lady Li Niang at this moment, she feared nothing herself, but her five daughters were her entire weakness! The thought that it might affect her daughters' future status and reputation in the Marquis's Residence made her unable to pretend to be indifferent anymore!
But what could be done now? Send someone immediately to invite Wei Tingyu to intervene? Facing the aggressive Yang Xian, this fellow certainly wouldn't give her much time! If absolutely necessary, to protect her daughters' self-esteem and future, she would kneel and kowtow to him to apologize! Lady Li Niang's heart hardened at this thought, and the surge of grievance within her was forcibly suppressed! That's right! For her daughters! As a mother, she could endure any amount of hardship and fatigue! It was easy to think this, but when it came to actually doing it, wasn't Lady Li Niang's heart also struggling in pain? Her body even trembled slightly, unable to suppress this feeling of grief and helplessness.
"What a scoundrel! I'll go and talk to him!" At this moment, Fifth Daughter Le Shan, who had been secretly listening outside the side room, changed her expression. She immediately grabbed a pre-prepared firewood knife from nearby and was about to rush out. Judging by her stance, she clearly intended to fight Yang Xian to the death!
"Fifth Sister, you mustn't!" Third Daughter Kang Ning quickly pulled her back. Had she been a step slower, her sister would have caused another major disaster. One should know that there was nothing Le Shan dared not do, and her sisters all knew this, but it was precisely this kind of personality that was most prone to causing great trouble! If Le Shan had truly rushed out and chopped Yang Xian to death on the spot, then everything would be over!
"Sister, don't stop me!" Le Shan was startled, but the anger in her heart and eyes was still uncontrollable! She looked at Kang Ning and said, "Whatever trouble I cause, I will bear it myself! If I kill him, I will pay with my life; I will never implicate others!"
"If you rush out, you might be covered in blood on the spot!" At this moment, Second Daughter Fu Hui, standing nearby, also stepped forward and grabbed Fifth Sister's other arm, shaking her head firmly. "If you step out of this door, you will abandon your mother and sisters!" Third Daughter Kang Ning also nodded repeatedly.
"What about that promise to change your reckless nature?!" Eldest Daughter Shou Hua even frowned uncharacteristically. She stood in front of the door, blocking the entrance, and glared at Fifth Sister with a very serious expression, "Are you trying to anger Mother and your sisters to death like this?"
Fifth Daughter Le Shan finally lowered her head upon hearing this. At this moment, she had finally calmed down and realized that her sisters' advice indeed made sense. This Yang Xian truly was lawless, relying on his family's backing. Although she had heard his name before and knew his fop-like nature, he hadn't done anything overly malicious. And his favored sister in the palace, Concubine Yang Jieyu, was also reasonable; whenever something happened, she would reprimand her good-for-nothing younger brother! But if she truly, on a whim, chopped Yang Xian to death, then Concubine Yang Jieyu, as his biological sister, would probably no longer listen to reason! The retaliation then would be something she and the Li family simply couldn't bear!
"Then what do we do?" Fourth Daughter Hao De, who was standing nearby, also became anxious. She had almost rushed out with Le Shan just now, as she had also been present yesterday. But after hearing her sisters' analysis, she also felt it made perfect sense and became even more flustered.
Third Daughter Kang Ning was the most resourceful among them. She thought for a moment and said, "How about this! I'll go out first! After all, I wasn't present yesterday, so he won't be able to take it out on me easily! All of you stay here and absolutely do not rush out and ruin things!"
However, no sooner had her voice fallen, and before she even had time to push open the door and step out, she heard a rich yet magnetic man's voice from outside!
"Mother-in-law!"
Though separated by a door, this voice seemed to possess a powerful, robust force that directly struck the depths of their hearts, making their delicate bodies tremble simultaneously.
"Marquis!" Fu Hui's eyes immediately lit up. One must know that she was the most like a docile wife among the five Li family sisters. Although she had previously made up her mind not to cause too much trouble for Wei Tingyu, hearing the Marquis appear at such a critical moment, she was naturally overjoyed! And the other younger sisters also brightened their eyes, even Third Daughter Kang Ning was no exception. The Marquis is truly timely! Whenever their Li family faced difficulties, he always appeared at the most crucial moment! Could this truly be destiny? Were their five Li family sisters born to be with the Marquis, to repay these kindnesses? Of course, this wasn't just Kang Ning's own thought; at this moment, the Li family sisters largely shared similar ideas. Just by looking at the sparkling starlight in the eyes of Fourth Daughter Hao De and Fifth Daughter Le Shan, one could tell that these two young sisters were infatuated again! And this symptom seemed to be getting more and more severe, evolving into an uncontrollable yearning and admiration whenever they heard Wei Tingyu's voice!
"Did you tell the Marquis?" Eldest Daughter Shou Hua turned to her second sister and asked.
"No!" Fu Hui had also wanted to ask her eldest sister, as it was their Li family mother and daughters' consensus yesterday not to tell the Marquis about this. So how did the Marquis arrive so coincidentally? Someone must have told him beforehand! However, Shou Hua and Fu Hui both frowned upon hearing each other's negative answers, then both looked at their three younger sisters. The three younger sisters were startled, then shook their heads and waved their hands repeatedly, indicating that they hadn't told the Marquis. But thinking about it, Shou Hua and Fu Hui hadn't returned to the Marquis's Residence last night, and the three younger sisters were staying at the Four Fortunes Study, so how could they have had time to go and tell the Marquis? It seemed then that the Marquis's arrival truly was a coincidence!
No! It should be called destiny! Even Third Daughter Kang Ning sighed in her heart at this moment. She had always thought of making things difficult for Wei Tingyu before marrying him, so he wouldn't take her for granted in the future! But now, it seemed unnecessary! If it truly was destiny, then whatever she did to make things difficult for him or give him a hard time would be like a joke. Perhaps her actions would even become a topic of conversation for the Marquis and the wives and concubines in the residence after tea, wouldn't that be too embarrassing?
Of course, now that Wei Tingyu had arrived, the five daughters had found their pillar of strength! Their hearts were no longer anxious; instead, they felt rather expectant! Especially Fu Hui and Kang Ning. They had only heard their three sisters vividly describe yesterday's events but hadn't personally witnessed Wei Tingyu teaching that fop, Yang Xian, a lesson. No matter what, it was a regret! However, it was different now! Right here in the Four Fortunes Study, perhaps they would also have the chance to see the Marquis display his divine power. How could their hearts not be filled with anticipation?
Of course, besides the five Li family daughters, Lady Li Niang herself was also stunned upon hearing that voice. She had originally been slightly bending her knees, preparing to kneel and kowtow in apology under Yang Xian's gaze! After all, as long as she could preserve her daughters' self-esteem, she could endure any amount of grievance! However, upon hearing Wei Tingyu's call to her, Lady Li Niang's slightly bent knees suddenly straightened! Her slightly bowed head also lifted in an instant, and she looked towards the doorway with a hopeful expression.
She saw the several Golden Shadow Guards guarding the door immediately step forward without a word, easily pushing aside the servants Yang Xian had brought, clearing a wide path! These servants looked strong and were big fellows Yang Xian had specially selected from the Yang residence, but in front of the Golden Shadow Guards, they were utterly vulnerable! They didn't even have a chance to resist and were shoved aside like chicks caught by an eagle. Two who refused to move and tried to resist even fell flat on their faces and rolled down the steps. Of course, the chaotic sight of these servants didn't pique Lady Li Niang's interest in the slightest; her eyes were fixed on the doorway, eagerly anticipating the appearance of a familiar figure!