Chapter 29: He Offers Too Much
This afternoon, Xu Zhiqian returned home in anger.
Uncle Rong, who was sweeping at the entrance, hurriedly greeted her, saying, “Miss Qian, you’re back.”
” Uncle Rong, is Zhang San at home?”
“Yes.”
Uncle Rong had just uttered a word when Xu Zhiqian disappeared in a blur. He couldn’t help but rub his eyes and muttered to himself, “Did my eyes play tricks on me just now?”
Approaching the gate of Zhang San’s small courtyard, Xu Zhiqian paid no attention to her noble ladylike image and shouted loudly, “Zhang San! Come out!”
“Who’s making a commotion outside!”
With a creaking sound, the door opened, and Zhang Fei walked out from inside, saying, “Oh! It’s you, Lady Xu!”
“Zhang San, you despicable scoundrel, how dare you play tricks on me.”
Xu Zhiqian pointed her finger at Zhang Fei, unable to contain her anger. Zhang Fei looked puzzled, “What tricks did I play on you?”
Xu Zhiqian said, “Are you pretending to be ignorant? Wasn’t it you who said a few days ago that as long as Li Si reports to the authorities, we would definitely win?”
“Yes.”
Zhang Fei nodded and added, “Did we not win?”
Xu Zhiqian was exasperated and took a few steps closer, saying, “Not only did we not win, but Li Si also got whipped at the government office. He was already pitiful, why did you have to harm him like this?”
“I didn’t harm him.”
“Are you still trying to deny it?” Xu Zhiqian wished she could punch him in the chest.
“What am I denying?” Zhang Fei shrugged and said, “I did say we were guaranteed to win at the time, but I also mentioned an ‘if.’ If he didn’t win, I would compensate him. Lady Xu, did you only remember the first half of that statement?”
Xu Zhiqian paused and asked, “How much are you compensating him?”
“All of his losses.” Zhang Fei casually replied, “Is a hundred strings of cash enough?”
“A hundred strings?” Xu Zhiqian blinked her eyes. Seeing how calm he was, she realized that he must have known all along that they wouldn’t win. So she asked, “What’s your plan?”
Zhang Fei smiled, “I’m not familiar with Xiangfu County. If we were to sue there, the timing, location, and conditions would not be in our favor. But if Li Si doesn’t file a complaint in Xiangfu County first, he has no right to go to Kaifeng Prefecture.”
According to the Northern Song system, in most cases, commoners couldn’t bypass local jurisdictions to file complaints. Only if you disagreed with a local ruling could you escalate your complaint to a higher administrative body, and Xiangfu County happened to fall under Kaifeng Prefecture.
However, Xu Zhiqian couldn’t trust Zhang Fei anymore. He had previously promised that they would win, but in the end, he had caused Li Si to be whipped.
Zhang Fei could see what was on her mind, so he said, “Lady Xu, if you don’t believe me, I can sign a contract with Li Si. I will help him with this lawsuit and compensate him with a hundred strings of cash.”
Xu Zhiqian felt like she was hearing things. “What did you say? You’ll help him with the lawsuit, and you’ll give him a hundred strings of cash?”
This was truly unusual!
A pen-in-cap helping someone with a lawsuit and paying them? Even the Bodhisattva wouldn’t be this kind!
“Yes,” Zhang Fei nodded. Then, he added, “But all other benefits from this lawsuit will go to me.”
Xu Zhiqian said cautiously, “Other benefits?”
Zhang Fei replied, “You don’t need to worry about that. Regardless of the outcome, I will pay Li Si a hundred strings of cash, so he’s guaranteed to benefit.”
Xu Zhiqian couldn’t believe it. “Are you out of your mind? Even if you eventually win this lawsuit, the government will at most make Chen Yuteng return everything to Li Si, which wouldn’t even amount to thirty strings.”
Zhang Fei chuckled, “Lady Xu, you care about me this much?”
“Ha! Who cares about you?” Xu Zhiqian glared at Zhang Fei, then asked, “So, how much do you plan to make?”
She was quick with her reactions! Zhang Fei shook his head. “I won’t tell you.”
“What?!” Xu Zhiqian huffed, “If you won’t tell me, then I’ll…”
“You’ll what?”
Zhang Fei smiled, “You’ll tell Li Si not to litigate? That’s fine with me, but you can’t say that I’m cheating you. I’m willing to compensate Li Si and the amount is not small. It’s up to you if you disagree.”
“You!” Xu Zhiqian was so frustrated that she could hardly breathe.
Zhang Fei couldn’t help but glance at her chest. Oh, there’s something there! Ah, when I have money, there won’t be a shortage of women. He gazed up at the sky.
Suddenly, Xu Zhiqian took a deep breath and asked, “So, what do you plan to do next?”
Now that’s more like it. It’s not as if you have a real choice. Zhang Fei’s expression changed, and he said seriously, “First, I will meet with Li Si and sign a formal contract. This way, we can ensure that there won’t be any further misunderstandings between us.”
Xu Zhiqian said coldly, “There’s no misunderstanding between us.”
Zhang Fei could only smile helplessly.
Although her words were harsh, Xu Zhiqian had no other choice now because Zhang Fei offered too much.
A hundred strings of cash?
There was no way the lawsuit could result in such a large compensation!
Xu Zhiqian then said, “Come with me.”
“Where to?” Zhang Fei asked in confusion.
Xu Zhiqian replied, “Didn’t you say you wanted to meet Li Si?”
Zhang Fei said, “Now? It’s getting late!”
As he spoke, he glanced at the sky.
Xu Zhiqian said, “He’s here in Bianjing.”
After saying that, she turned and left.
This woman was so much like her father, a classic example of speaking harshly but having a soft heart. She had been helping Li Si all along, yet now she felt guilty for what happened to him, fearing that Chen Yuteng might harm him. So she had brought Li Si to Bianjing, and he was currently residing in the Xiang-guo Temple.
However, Li Si’s injuries were not severe; he had only received a few lashes on his lower legs.
But compared to those injuries, what was happening now made Li Si feel even more anxious.
“Another contract?”
Li Si looked nervously at Zhang Fei and then at Xu Zhiqian.
Zhang Fei chuckled, “Any contract you sign now is a guaranteed net benefit.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Xu Zhiqian said, rolling her eyes at Zhang Fei. Then she placed the contract in front of Li Si and said, “I’ve already checked it for you, there are no issues. As long as you sign this contract, he has to pay you a hundred strings of cash no matter the outcome.”
As she spoke, she occasionally glanced at Zhang Fei, her eyes filled with suspicion.
She had examined this contract repeatedly. According to the contract, as long as Li Si complied with Zhang Fei’s arrangements and went to report his case at Kaifeng Prefecture, Zhang Fei had to pay him a hundred strings of cash.
“How-how is this possible?”
Li Si was not only not pleased but rather frightened and flustered.
A hundred strings of cash were an astronomical figure to him. Asking for someone’s help and having them give him money, it felt too good to be true!
“It’s entirely possible,” Zhang Fei said with a smile. “But it’s not like you’ll just earn this money by lying around; you’ll need to do a little something.”
Li Si asked shakily, “What do I need to do?”
His voice was trembling. A hundred strings of cash – it wasn’t something an ordinary job could earn.
Zhang Fei replied, “I’ve heard that you go fishing in the river from time to time to make some extra money.”
Li Si nodded awkwardly.
Zhang Fei continued, “So, you must be good in the water, right?”
Li Si hurriedly said, “The Bian River can’t defeat me.”
“That’s good,” Zhang Fei nodded, then said very casually, “What you need to do is two simple things. First, jump into the river as if you’re committing suicide. Second, confess to a crime. Brainless and simple!”
Xu Zhiqian’s complexion turned pale, not to mention Li Si.
Earning this sum of money was no easy task!