allonlinenovel Chapter 188 Taken advantage of
Chapter 188 Taken advantage of
Pei Wenzhao couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the man in front of him, who seemed to take it all for granted.
Pei Wenzhao turned his gaze to the woman who had been beaten and asked, "What exactly happened? Don't be afraid, just tell the truth. With me here today, I will ensure you don't suffer any injustice!"
Upon hearing this, the woman seemed to have found a refuge, and tears welled up in her eyes like a burst dam. She sobbed and said, "It's all my brother-in-law's fault! He forced me! Every time he comes to visit, he always touches me inappropriately and behaves in a frivolous and rude manner."
"I've told my father and mother about my brother-in-law, but they simply don't believe me..."
Instead, they thought I was deliberately framing my brother-in-law, and warned me that my brother-in-law had always been good to our family, and that I should never hurt his feelings because of my nonsense, let alone ruin his reputation!
As she spoke, the woman's voice trembled even more, as if recalling those painful experiences still haunted her.
Then, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down before continuing her story: "Just a few days ago, my brother-in-law came to visit again. He saw my sister chatting with my father and mother, and under the pretext of helping them, he came over to me and tried to grope me."
“I refused to give in to him, so he tried to force himself on me. Just when I was about to despair, my mother arrived and happened to witness my brother-in-law trying to force himself on me.”
"At that time, I was overjoyed, thinking that since my mother had witnessed the truth with her own eyes, she would surely believe me now. But, to my utter surprise,..." At this point, the woman could no longer suppress her grief, and a sob escaped her throat as she cried even more heartbrokenly.
"Young master, even if the King of Heaven himself came today, you couldn't stop me from beating my daughter. She did such a thing, causing her sister to be divorced and her brother-in-law to no longer want to associate with my family. What are we supposed to do now?" the man said angrily.
"Originally, your brother-in-law was thinking of our past relationship and was willing to help our family pay off our debts. But now, without his help, how can our family survive such a difficult time on our own?" Before he finished speaking, the man became more and more agitated, his eyes reddened, and his voice was filled with endless grief and indignation.
Pei Wenzhao finally understood the deeper meaning behind the man's words. If the debt was not paid off in time, the poor woman would likely still suffer misfortune and hardship once she returned home.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest, and his brows furrowed tightly.
"Come on! You're coming with me right now to apologize to your brother-in-law!" the man said, and started to take his daughter away.
"Young master, young master, save me!" The woman cried and looked to Pei Wenzhao for help.
"Wait! How much money do you still owe? After you pay it all off, will you stop having contact with that brother-in-law and stop hitting your daughter?" Pei Wenzhao asked.
"Fifty taels still owed! That's right, I will never have anything to do with my brother-in-law again after I pay it off." As the man spoke, a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes as he looked at Pei Wenzhao. He thought to himself: I've met a sucker today. This trip was worthwhile.
Upon hearing this, Pei Wenzhao frowned slightly, but still quickly took out a fifty-tael silver note from the purse at his waist.
Just as Pei Wenzhao was about to hand it to the man and give him a good warning, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
Suddenly, a hand reached out without warning and snatched the silver note from Pei Wenzhao's hand with lightning speed.
Pei Wenzhao was startled and turned his head sharply, wanting to see who was so audacious as to dare to steal his things.
When his gaze fell upon the figure, he saw a stunningly handsome man standing there, holding the silver note that had just been stolen from him.
The man was dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, and a faint smile always played on his lips. He seemed charming but actually harbored cunning. This contradictory and complex temperament made him appear both noble and elegant, yet also full of a cynical air.
Zheng Luoqi was looking down at the silver notes in his hand, muttering to himself, "With this money, you might as well treat me to a cup of tea. I might consider helping you resolve this matter!"
Pei Wenzhao stared intently at the man before him, and the more he looked, the more familiar he seemed.
Pei Wenzhao suddenly realized—wasn't this the man he had glimpsed by chance in that teahouse when he first entered the city?
Pei Wenzhao was deeply impressed by him at that time with just a fleeting glance. He never expected to meet him again here today.
Before Pei Wenzhao could speak, Zheng Luoqi scoffed, "Idiot!"
Pei Wenzhao was scolded for no apparent reason.
"You couldn't even see such an obvious trap?" Zheng Luoqi continued.
Immediately, Zheng Luoqi gave Boyu a look, and Boyu immediately understood. He then ordered the guards protecting Zheng Luoqi to step forward and capture all three of the actors.
"What are you doing?" Pei Wenzhao asked Zheng Luoqi, looking at her with suspicion.
The couple and their daughter struggled and shouted, "Who are you? How can you just grab people like that? We haven't done anything wrong!"
"Whether you've done anything wrong or not, we'll find out when the Imperial Guard arrives. I heard your conversation just now. Tell me, what crime is it to deceive an official of the court?" Zheng Luoqi said with a smile to the three men.
"What are you talking about? How dare I, a mere commoner, deceive an official of the imperial court? Even if you are an official, you can't just arrest people arbitrarily! This is under the emperor's nose!" the man retorted angrily.
"Still dare to be stubborn?" Zheng Luoqi's eyes were icy, and a contemptuous smile appeared on her lips.
"You know this is the capital, yet you chose an inn frequented by powerful and wealthy families to put on a show. Do you really think all officials are fools?" Zheng Luoqi said expressionlessly.
The man panicked after hearing Zheng Luoqi's words.
"The story is quite well-written, but the setting is wrong. Besides, where would you find poor people wearing satin clothes?" Zheng Luoqi shook her head helplessly, turning her gaze to the woman who remained silent.
At this moment, everyone followed her gaze and discovered that the fabric hidden under the woman's sleeves was actually a fine satin.
It should be noted that satin has always been quite expensive, and is by no means something that ordinary people can afford.
This shows that this family must be repeat offenders who have successfully swindled money from many people using this trick, and have succeeded time and time again.
Now that the truth has been revealed, they are naturally panicked and unable to explain themselves.
"Take him away!" Zheng Luoqi coldly ordered.
"My lord, spare us! My lord!" the men pleaded as they were led away.