diymy Chapter 40 Relationship with the Zhu Family
Chapter 40 Relationship with the Zhu Family
Judging from their own experience, Du Heng and Deng Meng both felt that Zhong Tieshan, having been the leader for so long, must have left behind a lot of money, and that this money must be in Zhong Mei's hands.
So, two men, the same age as Zhong Tieshan, insisted on marrying Zhong Mei.
If it weren't for Zhong Tieshan's former subordinates sensing the danger and protecting Zhong Mei as they fled down the mountain during the fight, who knows what might have happened.
Zhong Mei's face was full of anger: "Those two down-on-their-luck fellows came seeking refuge with me, and my father didn't look down on them; he kindly took them in. But the moment they turned around, they shamelessly said they wanted to marry my mother. If it weren't for Uncle Jia stopping them, I would have given them a good beating and seen if they would still dare to talk nonsense!"
Li Chong glanced at the dagger in Zhong Mei's hand; he believed her words.
Judging from the way this girl talks, despite her young age, she might actually be capable of killing someone.
"So, according to you, your Uncle Jia Er led you down the mountain and hid in that old Tian tea shop?" Li Chong asked.
Zhong Mei looked at him nervously: "You won't go back on your word, will you? You're a dignified county magistrate, and a scholar at that. You said you wouldn't arrest anyone; shouldn't you keep your word?"
"hehe."
Li Chong raised an eyebrow: "What? Now you're not calling me a corrupt official anymore?"
Zhong Mei was speechless upon hearing this. After her face turned red and then pale, she turned her head away from Li Chong.
Li Chong smiled and stopped teasing her.
"Then tell me, what are you trying to achieve by using the Zhu family to threaten me? Are you trying to get me to avenge you? And how did you get in touch with the Zhu family?"
Zhong Mei hesitated when she heard the question, and looked up at Li Chong several times.
After much deliberation, she finally steeled herself and said, "I can tell you, but you have to promise to cooperate with us after you hear it. If you cooperate with us, I can definitely help you wipe out Du Heng and Deng Meng's gang."
Li Chong chuckled, raised four fingers to the sky, and swore: "I guarantee that I will cooperate with you after hearing this, or may I be punished by heaven and man."
"No way!" Zhong Mei shook her head decisively. "Don't you scholars all value Confucius? You have to swear on Confucius!"
Her words were too naive, and Li Chong shook his head speechlessly.
However, since Confucius had no qualms about doing so with Li Chong, he simply did as he was told.
"I swear, if I ever go back on my word, may Confucius punish me, and I shall be condemned to never be promoted again for the rest of my life, how about that?" After a moment's thought, Li Chong added, "How about that?"
Upon hearing this, Zhongmei nodded.
"I've come to you to threaten you into helping us kill Du Heng and Deng Meng and return Dafeng Mountain to me. My father has built up this business over more than a decade; we can't let outsiders take it away."
Li Chong tapped the note: "A threat? That's all you're capable of?"
Seeing Li Chong's dismissive attitude, Zhong Mei was still somewhat unconvinced. She raised her head and said, "What? Is that not allowed? If you hadn't found out, and you saw the dagger stuck in your bedside the next morning, wouldn't you be scared? I'm still that little maid, always watching you. I don't believe you would dare to tell anyone."
"When the time comes, once you see Uncle Jia and the others, you'll have no choice but to listen to me. If you dare tell anyone, I'll stick another dagger into your pillow—I bet that will scare you to death!"
By the end, Zhong Mei was even a little excited, quite pleased with herself.
Li Chong clicked his tongue in amazement. He had to admit that although Zhong Mei's method was crude, it was indeed feasible.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Li Chong realized that if a dagger were actually stuck next to his pillow, he would likely feel quite uneasy.
If we're talking about suspicion, Li Chong would suspect anyone in this government office, and it would be really difficult to pinpoint Zhong Mei to it in a short time.
She is, after all, a woman, and naturally, she poses less of a threat to men in this respect.
Seeing her smug expression, Li Chong reminded her, "But I've found out about you now."
In an instant, Zhong Mei's energy completely vanished.
She glared at Li Chong and complained, "How was I supposed to know you were sleeping in your own room and would set a trap? You're such a coward."
Now is definitely not the time to argue with her, so Li Chong skipped that and continued, "Tell me about your relationship with the Zhu family. Does Zhu Zhicheng know your identity?"
Mentioning the name Zhu Zhicheng, Zhong Mei's expression changed again.
"Of course that old man didn't know. If he did, he would have tied me up and sent me back to the mountain long ago."
Sure enough, the Zhu family was in cahoots with the bandits of Dafeng Mountain.
Li Chong sat up straight: "Tell me in detail."
Zhong Mei continued to recount the relationship between the Zhu family and her.
When his father, Zhong Tieshan, was alive, he had already established contact with the Zhu family. They cultivated the land and grazed livestock in the mountains, and always needed supplies from outside.
The Zhu family was responsible for purchasing supplies for Zhong Tieshan, and also helped him sell the harvest from the mountains and the stolen goods he occasionally robbed.
The two sides have always cooperated closely, and of course, the Zhu family has also made a lot of money from it.
However, right after Zhong Tieshan died, Du Heng and Deng Meng chased Zhong Mei and the others down the mountain. In order to protect themselves, Zhong Mei and the others planned to contact Zhu Zhicheng to see if he could help them.
"Who knew that the old man and those two scoundrels had been in cahoots all along!"
Zhong Mei's eyebrows shot up in anger as she cursed, "If it weren't for Uncle Jia's foresight in sending one of our brothers to test the waters first, we would have all been captured! Several more brothers died afterward before we finally shook off our pursuers and settled down in the city. I'll settle this score with him sooner or later!"
Li Chong became even more curious: "Then why did you come with Zhu Zhicheng again?"
Zhong Mei said irritably, "That old man has never seen me before. Originally, I planned to sneak into the Zhu family and find an opportunity to kill that old man with one blow, or at least kill his son to vent my anger. But just then, I heard that he was going to pick two people to send to you, and I immediately came up with this idea."
"If we can fight our way back into the mountains, it won't be too late to kill that old bastard. That's why I used some tricks to sneak in, planning to find an opportunity to send you a message."
As she spoke, Zhongmei glanced at the teapot on the ground, her eyes filled with resentment.
How could such a small trap ruin everything?
"Methods? What methods did you use?"
Zhong Mei waved her hand dismissively: "What tricks could she possibly have? Who would dare compete with me for a spot? I'd pull her aside, flash a dagger, and she'd turn pale with fright. Who would dare try to take it from me then?"
"Uh." Li Chong was speechless.
Admittedly, this is indeed the most straightforward approach.
Although being offered a position as a county magistrate is a good opportunity to climb the social ladder, even the best opportunity is not worth risking one's life for.
Seeing how hard Zhongmei was working, none of the other maids in the Zhu family dared to compete with her for the prize.
Seeing that Li Chong remained silent after listening, Zhong Mei urged, "Well, I've told you everything. Give me a straight answer, are you going to do it or not?"
"With my help, and if you call some constables, we'll definitely be able to kill those two scoundrels. Then you'll get promoted and make a fortune, and I can get my revenge. Isn't that perfect?"