Chapter 18: Demanding Accountability

According to Wu Tiande’s original intention, having someone come to beat him up at his doorstep wasn’t actually terrifying. He only needed to put up a show of resistance for a while, endure a few punches, and bear some bruises here and there to claim that he was outnumbered and deeply hurt. Then, during the ensuing dispute, the Ning residence could demand that Wu Tiande pay the difference and seize his assets, but Wu Tiande could also demand compensation for medical expenses, enough to support him for life.

As a time traveler, as long as Wu Tiande stood on the moral high ground, he had plenty of ways to deal with people like Jia Zhen and Jia Rong from the Ning family. However, because Qu Feiyan lost her composure, the situation reversed. The Ning residence, besides accusing Wu Tiande of deceit and fraud, now added the charge of assault with a weapon.

Admittedly, Wu Tiande did not commit assault with a weapon, but if the matter was investigated further, it might expose Qu Yang and Qu Feiyan as members of a demonic cult, which would put them in an even more disadvantageous position. Helplessly, this black mark had to be borne by Wu Tiande.

Qu Feiyan had no idea that Wu Tiande harbored so many crafty schemes. Although she disapproved of his calculating nature, considering it neither honorable nor heroic, she was still touched that Wu Tiande was willing to take the blame for her. Her gaze toward Wu Tiande grew particularly bright.

Wu Tiande gently rubbed her little head, telling her not to worry. Then he checked Jia Jun’s injuries again and, seeing there was no serious harm, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Since the Ning residence has raised a property dispute, we’ll close the shop for a few days to let everyone rest. During this time, wages will still be paid in full, so no need to worry,” Wu Tiande instructed everyone.

As the female manager of the fast-food restaurant, Mrs. Lou was constantly busy from dawn till dusk. Seeing the business grow day by day and income rise steadily, she was both exhausted and joyful. Now that the shop was closed, although wages remained, she worried that the fast-food business would be severely impacted and fail to recover, cutting off her means of livelihood. She was deeply concerned.

Fortunately, the branches on West Drum Tower Street and Xinglong Street were still operating, so driven by a strong sense of responsibility, she led Duogan, Deng’er, Jia Jun, and others to help at those branches.

Shortly after Lou and her group left, the first wave of emissaries arrived: Lai Er, the steward of the Ning residence.

Jia Zhen’s main goal was money. As long as Wu Tiande was sensible, he was willing to give him another chance.

Lai Er, representing the Ning residence, proposed that Wu Tiande must return the authentic fast-food restaurant and its branches to Jiao Da of the Ning residence. In exchange, Jiao Da would return 400 taels of silver and the house on Xiaohuazhi Alley to Wu Tiande. In this way, the Ning residence would no longer pursue legal responsibility for Wu Tiande’s alleged fraud and assault with a weapon.

Wu Tiande, uninterested in quibbling over details, replied that he was merely a frontman; the true owner of the fast-food business was someone else, so he had no authority to decide.

Lai Er was startled, hesitating, “Are you saying it’s Lord Wang Zitong’s family?”

Jia Zhen and Jia Rong, the father and son at the top of the Ning residence, had long been scheming behind the scenes. Their biggest worry was precisely this situation.

With their skills, dealing with the second madam Wang Xifeng of the Lian family was manageable—they could simply divide the three shops among the three families after some struggle. But if it came to the Wang Zitong household, even the former clan leader Jia Jing would have to step out from the Xuan Zhen Temple to beg forgiveness from the Wang family.

On the surface, one could say Wu Tiande was at fault here and there, but Wang Zitong was no fool. Would he believe such unsubstantiated accusations?

This was a serious matter. Lai Er dared not make decisions on his own and went back to consult the head of the family, Jia Zhen.

“How could it be such a coincidence? I’ve already investigated thoroughly. Though Wu Tiande was once a servant of the Jinling Wang family, he rarely interacted with Wang Zitong’s family. In over half a year, he only delivered two pots of white begonias to Lady Wang, worth less than one tael of silver. Could this scoundrel be making things up?” Jia Zhen said, full of doubt.

“The problem is, the rumor has spread. If it’s false, how could Wang Zitong’s family easily let him off?” Lai Er said with a pale face.

He was very worried that if the dispute over property led to friction between the Jia and Wang families, the heads of both families might keep face and avoid openly clashing, but he himself would definitely get caught in the crossfire.

Lai Er’s suggestion was to wait and see, allowing the rumors to ferment before taking action.

However, Jia Zhen, obsessed with Qin Keqing, longed to gather the 10,000 taels of silver bridal money to marry this young beauty as a caged bird, to keep her close and indulge himself, had no patience for delays.

Thinking of Qin Keqing’s angelic face and her slender waist and ample hips, Jia Zhen felt a burning heat in his abdomen.

He casually pulled a nearby maid into his arms and roughly groped her, but found her figure unimpressive, hardly satisfying.

“What’s your name?” Jia Zhen demanded.

“My name is Wan’er,” the girl replied.

She mistakenly believed that Lord Jia had taken a fancy to her and was delighted, imagining climbing the social ladder, sleeping in the lord’s luxurious bed, living a life of wealth and commanding servants, her face becoming even more charming.

“Wan’er? That’s a strange name,” Jia Zhen said doubtfully.

Seeing Jia Zhen’s interest, Lai Er chimed in, “The story behind her name is quite long. It is said her mother had a dream during the day when she gave birth: she dreamed of receiving a piece of brocade embroidered with multicolored, continuous ‘swastika’ patterns of wealth and prosperity, so she named her Wan’er.”

Jia Zhen laughed, “That is indeed unusual. Perhaps she is a girl with a destiny.”

As he spoke, he looked at the girl; though not beautiful, she was fair-skinned and somewhat appealing.

Under Jia Zhen’s gaze, Wan’er blushed deeply and lowered her head in silence.

Jia Zhen was about to tell her to take a bath and wait for him in the study, but suddenly the enchanting image of Qin Keqing’s radiant smile appeared before his eyes, leaving him feeling melancholic and disinterested in Wan’er.

“What are you standing here for? Get lost!” Jia Zhen snapped, then flung Wan’er to the ground, causing her to fall flat on her face.

Wan’er fell from her dreamlike state to the dust, not daring to cry out, covering her mouth with her hands and sadly departing.

“Sell her off when you have time; she’s just an eyesore,” Jia Zhen instructed.

“Yes, yes,” Lai Er quickly nodded.

He also blamed Wan’er for overestimating herself—she had only a little beauty, at best only able to attract a couple of servants, yet foolishly dreamed of becoming the lady of Lord Jia’s quarters. Who but herself would be unlucky?

Wan’er’s matter was just a minor episode; the real issue was how to seize Wu Tiande’s fast-food business.

The master and steward soon returned to the main topic.

“The other two branches can wait; there’s no rush. But the flagship store on Ningrong Street, I must get it first. Even if Lady Wang Zitong complains, I have my reasons. Now take all the household staff and cause trouble at the shop. Drive Wu Tiande out; if he refuses, beat him with sticks. Detain all the cooks and female workers for our future use,” Jia Zhen ordered.

“What about Qingwen? She was a gift from the matriarch to Wu Tiande, intended as his concubine. If this matter reaches the matriarch, we need a pretext,” Lai Er hesitated.

“No need. Even if the matriarch is senile, she knows who is close and who isn’t. Why would she side with an outsider like Wu Tiande? Besides, I heard from Lord Jia’s uncle that he has taken a liking to that girl. Just kidnap Qingwen and send her to Lord Jia. If trouble arises later, he’ll back me up. No worries!” Jia Zhen said.

“Don’t worry and go. Wu Tiande has already been charged with assault with a weapon. I’m sending you to demand justice. Even the officials at Wanping County say Wu Tiande is in the wrong. What’s there to fear?” Jia Zhen urged.

Lai Er privately grumbled that although the county officials said Wu Tiande was wrong, they hadn’t sent anyone to arrest him, which clearly showed they didn’t want to get involved in such noble family disputes.

Still, Jia Zhen was determined to act, and Lai Er dared not openly oppose him.

The master is heaven; the servant is earth. When the master commands east, one cannot go west.

Lai Er gathered steward Yu Lu, the household guards, servants, and attendants—dozens in all—and marched again to the authentic fast-food flagship store to make a show of force.

At the same time, Lai Er informed his elder brother Lai Da to subtly pressure Lord Jia She, hoping to provoke Jia She to intervene, which would be ideal.

Jia She was originally a man consumed by lust.

Though he liked Qingwen’s beauty and cleverness and planned to take her as a concubine when she was older, since the matriarch intended to give Qingwen to Jia Baoyu as a maid and future concubine, he had no choice but to accept it.

No matter how shameless he was, he wouldn’t compete with his own nephews for a woman; as the elder of the family, he had to maintain some dignity.

Now, with Wu Tiande angering Jia Zhen and facing serious trouble, Jia She saw a chance to profit by taking advantage of the chaos and was more than willing.

Thus, the two Ning and Rong residences combined their forces, gathering over a hundred men, and marched grandly once more to the authentic fast-food flagship store.

At that moment, the flagship store looked like a fortified stronghold. Along the street-facing wall, tables, chairs, and sacks of grain were piled up like a small mountain, blocking the wide main entrance completely. Anyone could see that storming in was a hopeless fantasy.

“Yu Lu, you came here the other day and know the layout well. You must lead the vanguard!” Lai Er said firmly.

Yu Lu was frustrated but, with everyone watching, swallowed his objections and gritted his teeth, leading several trusted men forward.

As they approached the door, several black shadows suddenly darted out, attacking swiftly and fiercely, blades whistling toward vital spots.

Yu Lu dodged left and right, his chest repeatedly grazed by blades, breaking out in cold sweat. Several of his men were not so lucky, blood staining their arms and thighs, pain twisting their faces.

Before long, Yu Lu retreated with his men, all wounded and in a sorry state.

Seeing Yu Lu unable to continue the assault, Lai Er had no excuse to send him to his death and decided to take the lead himself.

Having served as steward of the Ning residence for many years, his martial skills were not weak. He took two steps back, gathered his strength, and slammed his palms fiercely against the piled-up debris barricading the door.

With a loud crash, wood chips and sacks flew everywhere as a hole was blasted open in the barricade.

But what Lai Er saw beyond the gap made his heart sink: inside stood twenty or thirty soldiers dressed in sturdy armor, each holding a firelock and a sword at their waist — clearly no ordinary men. The leader was burly, his badge reading “Captain” prominently.

“You’re Deng Gang of the Divine Machine Battalion?” Lai Er squinted.

The Ning residence had thoroughly investigated Wu Tiande’s connections. They had heard of Deng Gang but hadn’t taken him seriously.

In their view, with the Jia family’s power, dealing with a mere captain was just a matter of words.

Deng Gang, however, was nervous, palms sweating. Remembering Wu Tiande’s last words — “Whether I can catch the eye of Lord Wang Zitong depends on your performance this time” — he gritted his teeth, tightened his sword belt, and held his ground.

Seeing Deng Gang remain silent, Lai Er tried to push inside. As he stepped forward, Deng Gang shouted, “Fire!”

Gunfire erupted instantly. Several unprepared servants fell. Lai Er, relying on his agility, barely leapt back a few feet to avoid injury.

Though escaping harm, Lai Er felt no relief. Instead, he grew uneasy — did Wu Tiande really have such a powerful backer? His reinforcements dared to open fire without hesitation?

Feigning calm, Lai Er shouted, “You’re so bold! You dare to fire on the Ning and Rong residences’ men? Aren’t you afraid of ruining the peace between the Jia and Wang families?”

“The Ning and Rong residences?” Deng Gang’s legs nearly gave way hearing those words. In his heart, he cursed Wu Tiande fiercely — “You sly bastard! You said we were dealing with a bunch of ruffians, and now it turns out they’re Jia family men?”

“Scared now?” Lai Er saw Deng Gang’s panic and smirked, “Be sensible and hand over Wu Tiande, and I’ll spare you.”

But Deng Gang’s next words froze Lai Er’s smile.

Panting, Deng Gang said, “He already went to Lord Wang’s residence and hasn’t returned yet.”