The bandits returned to their lodgings, and the two men sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), happily dividing the silver notes and loose silver.
You get fifty taels, I get fifty taels, you get fifty taels, I get fifty taels. The remaining fifty taels need to be exchanged for smaller pieces of silver before we continue dividing them.
The bandit leader felt a pain in his knee, straightened his leg, and poured out the loose silver from his purse.
For some reason, his arm started to hurt too. He shook it a couple of times and clicked his tongue, saying, "I didn't do much work today, so why does this bone hurt?"
The younger brother collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), his limbs limp, crying out, "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."
The bandit leader kicked him, "I'll teach you to copy me..." Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed headfirst into his underlings.
The two first felt a chill run through their bones, then felt as if they were being roasted over a fire, their consciousness became hazy, their limbs went limp, and they didn't even have the strength to get off the bed, like a lump of mud.
The young man thought to himself, "I'm doomed! I've fallen for this little wench's trick. She's making them earn money but not live to spend it!"
The two remained in their fallen positions, slowly awaiting death. The fear in their hearts was indescribable; tears streamed down their faces, and they couldn't even utter a cry for help. It wasn't until the fifth day that the pain gradually subsided.
The bandit leader and his henchman held hands, looking at each other with tearful eyes. They had gone five days without food, fifteen meals a day, and were on the verge of death. It was terrifying.
They knew Anzhi Hall had poisoned them, but they didn't know exactly who had done it, how they had done it, or why the poison only took effect after they got home... Every single detail was designed to drive them to their deaths.
They were now incredibly grateful that Anzhi Hall Zhitangren had kept his promise and hadn't killed them.
After the bandits left, Meng Anci looked Meng Anzhi up and down, and only felt relieved after confirming that there was nothing wrong. "You're just too soft-hearted."
Find out who's behind this, hand them over to the authorities, and why give them 250 taels of silver...?
Meng Anzhi let him inspect her. "Doing business is about integrity. Regardless of whether the other party is a bandit or not, since we've reached an agreement and he's given us what we wanted, we have to keep our promise. Otherwise, who will want to cooperate with the Anzhi Hall in the future?"
Meng Anzhi tidied up the messed-up books. "If word gets out that this happened today, other bandits will spare our lives for money if they want to kidnap us again."
Meng Anci nodded, "I was so worried about you not coming back. If my aunt hadn't told me not to move, I would have gone out to look for you long ago."
Through the necklace around Meng Anzhi's neck, the Jin Shanyao clearly saw the scene of the kidnapping. Plus, Dahuang was guarding the place; last time, its negligence had resulted in Meng Anci getting slapped.
At this moment, they were eager to redeem themselves, so how could they let Meng Anzhi fall into danger? Unfortunately, the two bandits just kept talking and didn't even lift a finger to touch Meng Anzhi.
Otherwise, Dahuang rhubarb could easily bite both of his legs.
Jin Shanyao hadn't expected Meng Anzhi to grow so quickly. At this rate, she would definitely be able to support the Anzhi Hall signboard within five years.
Jin Shanyao sincerely praised, " Anzhi handled it very well. She remained calm under pressure and was even able to extract information about the person behind the scenes. She deserves praise."
"Auntie, I was terrified... If I hadn't been leaning on Dahuang, I probably would have collapsed from fright," she said, snuggling in Jin Shanyao's arms and acting coquettishly, showing no sign of being scared at all.
Jin Shanyao pulled the girl into her arms, tenderly stroking her little head. "Good girl... don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Auntie is here. Tomorrow, Auntie will gather all the people who bullied you together and get revenge for you."
Meng Anzhi looked up, "Really?"
"Of course... now that a conflict has arisen, it should be resolved," Jin Shanyao, her eyes darkening slightly.
That evening.
With Jin Shanyao, she released her Spiritual Power, thoroughly investigating each establishment. The next day, she handed Zhou Xiaosi a stack of invitations, saying, "Tell all the managers that Anzhi Hall is hosting a banquet at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Please do not miss it."
Zhou Xiaosi looked indignant. "Master, don't worry... I'll make sure they all participate."
Qingzhou Prefecture is divided into two areas, East Street and West Street. Zhou Xiaosi went to the Benevolent Heart Hall on West Street first and Shopkeeper Xun holding the invitation with a strange expression.
He hadn't slept a wink last night, expecting Anzhi Hall to wail and cry this morning, but there was no sound at all. Seeing Zhou Xiaosi's accusing look, he knew that what happened last night had been exposed.
Shopkeeper Xun cursed inwardly. If Jin Shanyao them to their deaths, they wouldn't have taken this step.
Zhou Xiaosi arrived at the Hundred Herbs Hall with the invitation in his hand. Just as he handed it over, the Shopkeeper Hao slapped it away, saying, "Go back and tell your master I'm not afraid of her."
Zhou Xiaosi smiled, " Shopkeeper Hao is naturally not afraid. If I remember correctly, Hundred Herbs Hall is your in-laws' business, right? If your in-laws find out you're keeping a mistress..."
He changed the subject with a smile, "It's exactly noon today, don't be late... My master never waits for anyone."
"You..." The Shopkeeper Hao was flustered and at a loss. No one knew about his affair. How did Zhou Xiaosi find out? He reluctantly picked up the invitation from the ground.
After visiting West Street, Zhou Xiaosi headed back, delivering all the invitations from Hall of Saving the World to the Distant Apricot Hall without missing a single one. By the time he returned to the Anzhi Hall, it was nearly noon.
He looked around and asked Qing Yang, "Where is the master?"
They went to a banquet with the young masters; Green Mountain Academy was closed for the holidays after the plague.
Meng Anci usually stayed at home reading, but today he was dressed in a black fox fur coat and a mink hat. With his hands in his pockets and a cold face, he followed behind Jin Shanyao, determined to remember the faces of these people.
The private room on the second floor was noisy, but silence fell the moment the Jin Shanyao open the door.
Everyone turned to look at the Jin Shanyao, and some even stood up instinctively.
Jin Shanyao and said, "Please sit down."
Upon hearing this, the person who was standing came to her senses and was secretly annoyed that she had been outmaneuvered. Jin Shanyao sat down in the main seat, with Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci sitting on either side of her.
The atmosphere inside the room was eerie.
Seeing that no one spoke, Shopkeeper Xun coughed lightly and said, " Shopkeeper Jin, what is the purpose of summoning us here today?"
Jin Shanyao at him dismissively, then picked up the teapot and poured hot tea for the two children. " Shopkeeper Xun sold a large quantity of gold on the fifteenth of July last year..."
" Shopkeeper Jin..." Shopkeeper Xun's face turned ashen. Last July 15th, he had sold a large quantity of wound medicine to the barbarians beyond the Great Wall for profit.
If this matter were to reach the ears of the authorities, it would be a crime of treason and betrayal, and the family would be exiled at best, and... He abruptly stopped his thoughts, looking at the crowd with a terrified expression, afraid that they might have overheard something.
Jin Shanyao down the teapot and looked at the Spring Restoration Hall. "Is Shopkeeper Tie's aphrodisiac ' Pretty Beauty ' sold in brothels? I heard the ingredients for this drug are hard to find."
A cold sweat instantly broke out on Shopkeeper Tie's back, and his heart leaped into his throat. " Shopkeeper Jin summoned us; if you have something to say, just say it..."
The Pretty Beauty was created by him using corpse oil; if this got out, his shop would be ruined.
Jin Shanyao and said, "I'm just being direct, didn't you understand? Perhaps I should explain in more detail?" Her gaze shifted to the Vast Virtue Hall, " Shopkeeper Yan, you sell fifty... in brothels and gambling dens..."
Bang! The Shopkeeper Yan accidentally knocked over his teacup. He frantically wiped the table. Five Minerals Powder was a banned drug of the imperial court. If it were confiscated, he would be beheaded.
" Shopkeeper Jin... I was wrong. I didn't intend to kidnap the child. The idea was all theirs..."
These words were like oil thrown into a pot, instantly causing an uproar. All the shopkeepers jumped up and started cursing at the Shopkeeper Yan, one after another, making it impossible to count how many of them were saying anything. The whole room was in complete chaos.
"Shut up, all of you..." Jin Shanyao, and the private room fell silent instantly. She chuckled, toying with the lid of her teacup. "What's the rush? I haven't finished yet..."
The shopkeepers who weren't named were instantly gripped by fear, their blood seemingly freezing. They had no idea how many secrets the Jin Shanyao had unearthed.
How did she know?
When did she find out?
Who... leaked all this information to her?
Countless questions swirled wildly in his mind, and the growing fear brought him to the brink of despair. All he could do now was pray that this King of Hell would show mercy and spare their lives!