vrcanaries Chapter 574 Xie Jue's Storyline: Debt Collection
Chapter 574 Xie Jue's Storyline: Debt Collection
Jiang's father noticed his unusual behavior.
"what happened?"
Jiang Huaiyu stepped forward and whispered a few words in his ear, which made Jiang's father's expression change.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside.
Another servant rushed in, barely bothering to bow, and shouted, "Master, something terrible has happened! There's been an accident at the door, please come and see!"
Outside the Jiang residence, there was a great commotion.
Several merchants dressed in coarse cloth blocked the doorway, accompanied by a dozen or so thugs, all with angry expressions.
The leader, a man with a fierce face, brandished an account book and roared in a booming voice, "Lord Jiang, come out and explain yourself! The money you borrowed two months ago was supposed to be repaid in ten days, but now you keep delaying it. Do you think we're easy to bully?"
"Your Jiang family is supposed to be a prominent and wealthy family, yet you can't even afford to pay a mere interest payment?"
"Even if you don't have money, you have to hand over the person to me. Don't hide in the house like a coward!"
A crowd of onlookers had gathered around, eager to watch the spectacle and whispering amongst themselves.
"Oh dear, wasn't the Jiang family just about to marry Princess Anhe? And now they're in debt?"
"The Jiang family is a prominent family, how could they not be able to repay their debts?"
The gatekeepers hurriedly tried to stop the debt collectors, sweating profusely, but the men were extremely arrogant. They almost broke the threshold with their feet and tried to force their way into the mansion several times.
Jiang's father rushed to the door and saw the chaotic scene outside. His face immediately turned ashen.
His gaze shifted, and he asked Madam Jiang beside him sternly, "What happened? Haven't you been managing these businesses all along? How could such a scandal have occurred?"
Madam Jiang's face paled, and she explained in a low voice, "It's true that I borrowed some money at interest to keep my business afloat. I intended to use the income from several shops in the capital to cover it, but... but then several shops in the capital suddenly ran into trouble one after another. Not only did the supply of goods stop, but many orders were also returned, so I haven't been able to repay it for a while..."
Jiang's father was furious after hearing this. "Are you out of your mind? How can you use high-interest loans to support your business? If anything goes wrong with this, it will ruin the family's reputation!"
Jiang Huaiyu, who was standing to the side, calmly observed those people and suddenly asked, "Who are these people? Where did you borrow them from?"
Madam Jiang said, "It was at Tonglihang. When I borrowed it, they were very polite and said they didn't rush me even though I needed it urgently. I thought I could delay it for a few days... It's not the first time this has happened."
Jiang Huaiyu immediately understood and gave a cold laugh.
"The Jiang family is a prestigious family after all. If they really wanted to collect debts, they would only dare to send a steward to deliver a note. Why would they block the gate of the mansion and shout insults like this?"
"This is clearly an attempt to ruin the reputation of our Jiang family!"
He looked at Jiang's father and whispered, "Father, I suspect that someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes."
Jiang Huaiyu raised his eyes and quickly scanned the crowd. Sure enough, he saw that familiar figure at the back of the crowd.
Xie Jue.
He stood under the eaves of the teahouse, his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on himself, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes.
Jiang Huaiyu felt a surge of anger rising within her, almost unable to control her emotions. She raised her foot to rush over, calling out, "Xie Jue!"
He had only taken two steps when he was suddenly blocked by a group of people.
"Young Master Jiang! You have to give me an explanation! I can't just not pay you back!"
"That's right, your Jiang family is a prominent family, you have to keep your word!"
"We all have elderly parents and young children to support. If they really refuse to pay, we'll have no choice but to make a big fuss!"
The group pushed and shoved each other forward, shouting incessantly, their tone growing increasingly aggressive.
The crowd grew even tighter because of the commotion, and Jiang Huaiyu was surrounded in the middle, with no room to even glance at Xie Jue. She almost gritted her teeth to pieces.
He had never been surrounded and humiliated like this before!
Gao Wanzhi frowned deeply as she looked at the chaotic scene at the door.
Outside the door, the debt collectors were still shouting loudly, as if they were about to burst in at any moment.
She shifted her gaze to Jiang Huaiyu, "Young Master Jiang, the situation is unusual today, and it's probably not appropriate to discuss matters further."
"Wanzhi——"
But she didn't give him a chance to say another word and turned to leave.
Jiang's father stared at the group of debt collectors who were pestering him outside the door. He wished he could order them to be driven out immediately, but he also knew that if he didn't give them the money, things would only get worse.
He said in a deep voice, "Go to the accounting office and bring out all the silver you can get. Let's send these people away first!"
The steward stood aside, looking hesitant, and said tentatively, "Master... the accounting department can only raise 30,000 taels."
"Thirty thousand?" Jiang's father turned his head sharply, his eyes blazing with anger. "How could there only be thirty thousand?"
The steward bowed his head, trembling. "The backyard burned down, and we were in a hurry to repair it, so we allocated a large sum of money beforehand. This 30,000 is for working capital at the end of the month. Originally, several shops in the capital were supposed to send back 100,000 taels of silver this month, but these shops have all lost money and haven't sent it yet, which is why the account is so empty."
Upon hearing this, Jiang's father's veins bulged on the back of his hand, and his forehead twitched slightly.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, but ultimately suppressed his anger and gritted his teeth, saying, "Take this 30,000! Keep one person safe as long as you can, and get rid of these people first, so they don't embarrass themselves any further!"
"Yes." The butler responded and left.
Looking at the chaotic scene in the courtyard, Jiang's father felt a tightness in his chest.
Evening, at the Prince's Mansion.
On the table was a novel dish: thick-cut beef seared until slightly charred, accompanied by some tenderly boiled vegetables and mushrooms.
Li Sheng glanced at it and couldn't help but exclaim, "This is... beef? How did it get cooked like this?"
"Second sister-in-law, this is no ordinary boiled beef." Xie Jue explained, "This is a method that Lu Xinghe came up with. He said it was made by imitating the cooking method of the Western Regions. First, it is marinated and then fried. It is important to pay attention to the heat and the sauce."
"She even gave it a name: Fried Steak."
Xie Jing looked down at the thick slice of beef in front of him, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. His eyes flickered, and although he didn't show much emotion on his face, he silently took a second bite.
Xie Jingchun wasn't as restrained as him. After taking a bite, his eyes lit up. "How was this meat made? It's completely different from the beef we usually eat!"
Xie Jue smiled and said, "If you like it, I'll make it for you again tomorrow."
"I love it!" Li Sheng chimed in from the side, smiling broadly. She took a bite of her steak, her eyes filled with satisfaction. "This way of eating is so novel, it's even more delicious than barbecue."
Everyone was enjoying their meal, but Qin Jiuwei stared blankly at the steak in front of her.
She had seen this practice before in her previous life; it was done by Mo Qingkui.
On one occasion, Gao Xian was exhausted from the affairs of the court, so Mo Qingkui personally made a plate of beef, pan-fried it over a fire, and served it with a strange sauce, which made Gao Xian beam with joy.
Qin Jiuwei's fingertips rested lightly on the edge of the table, her fingers tightening inch by inch.
Why? How come Lu Xinghe knows these things too?
"Jue-ge'er." She lowered her eyes to hide the emotion in them. "This dish is quite interesting. I'd like to meet this Miss Lu. Is it convenient for you?"
Xie Jue nodded, "Of course it's convenient. She's been busy at Fuyu Tower lately. I'll have someone tell her to come to the mansion to pay her respects to Mother tomorrow."