lcionline Chapter 188 Tit for tat
Chapter 188 Tit for tat
At that moment, a figure approached from a distance, trotting toward the mansion gate. Qingsheng recognized him; it was the head of the mansion's guards. He quickly approached, stopped him at the gate, and summoned him for questioning.
Seeing that it was Master Chu, the boss didn't dare to neglect him and asked him if there was anything he could do for him. Qing Sheng thought, why should I ask you what's the matter? He said bluntly, "I heard that you seemed to have gone out to do some work early this morning. How is it going?"
He didn't know the man's itinerary, but he still wanted to trick him according to what Ran Mo had just said.
The man blinked, looking a little confused, and then said nervously, "No, I didn't do anything. Why are you asking this, Master Chu?"
Qingsheng glared and said, "A friend of mine is missing. Her mother said she was taken away by someone from our house. You're the head servant, so you shouldn't be unaware of this, right?"
Hearing this, the man's face showed embarrassment, and then his eyes avoided, trying to slip away. Qingsheng saw his thoughts and grabbed his arm.
That person was unable to struggle against Qingsheng and was awkwardly held in Qingsheng's hand. He could neither run away nor speak.
The two of them could tell something was amiss with this man; he must be someone who knew something. They tried to pry some words out of him. Qingsheng exerted a little force with his arms, and the man cried out in pain, "Brother, Master, please spare me."
"I can spare you, but you must tell me the truth. You know, Azan is our little brother, and we can't just sit back and watch his safety.
You have brothers, right? How could you be indifferent to them? "Qingsheng's words made perfect sense.
The man lowered his head and thought for a moment. It seemed that he would not be able to get through today's test without saying something. So he stammered, "This is it, Master Chu, the master ordered us last night to go to that Azan's house today to inquire about the whereabouts of Young Master Wu.
If you can't get anything out of him, just try to trick him away. Oh, take him away. He's temporarily settled somewhere and is not in any danger. We just need to wait for the master's reply to see how to deal with him."
Huh? I didn't expect Azan to be in real trouble. This Mr. Wu is really outrageous. He took people away without getting any results from the interrogation. He's no different from a kidnapper.
Azan was about to be punished, yet he still said there was no danger. Qing Shengyi was anxious and increased the strength in his hands, causing the man to scream even louder in pain.
Qingsheng shouted, "Where is Azan now? Take us there, or I won't let you go today."
The man gasped and said, "Young Master, could you please let go of my arm? You're almost breaking it."
Qingsheng relaxed his grip a bit and told the man to speak quickly. The man breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Mr. Chu, it's not that I won't tell you his specific location. We are also acting on the orders of the master. How to deal with him really depends on the master's instructions.
I'm telling you right now, Master will beat me with a stick and then kick me out of the house. What will we, the whole family, do for a living?" He also played the emotional card.
Ranmo thought about it and realized that what he said made sense. Given Old Master Wu's bad temper, he wondered how he would punish them if they disobeyed his orders. Besides, Qingsheng was a guest at his house after all, so it wouldn't be convenient for him to have a bad relationship with these servants.
So he said, "If there is something you really don't want to say, we won't make it difficult for you, but if you get a reply from the master, you must at least reveal some information to us."
The man blinked, wondering whether he should agree. At that moment, a loud shout came from the other side: "What are you doing there? Come over here and listen to my lecture."
Qingsheng and Ranmo sighed upon hearing the voice, thinking it was over. It was truly hard to resist this old man's attack. The other man, on the other hand, perked up, looking at Master Wu as if he were his savior, and screamed wildly.
Unable to hold him back any longer, Qingsheng let go. The man quickly ran over to Master Wu and, panting, reported the situation. Judging from their expressions, the man probably didn't dare to complain to Master Wu, but simply recounted the story of Azan.
Master Wu nodded, gave a few more instructions, and then told him to go back to the mansion to do his work and be at your service at any time. The man bowed, glanced at Qingsheng, and ran back to the mansion.
Master Wu beckoned them over. They exchanged a glance, then gritted their teeth and moved forward. It looked like another battle of wits was inevitable.
When they reached the old man, he squinted his eyes at the two of them and asked, "You two just called the servants over. What were you trying to find out?"
Qingsheng smiled and bowed, replying, "Look at what you said. How dare we ask anything in private? We were just passing by to ask about our young friend."
"Don't ask. He's in my hands now. If you try to snatch him from me, it's a waste of effort. If he doesn't tell me the truth, I'll starve that little brat to death in the house."
The two of them couldn't help but shake their heads when they heard this. If they hadn't known that this was the distinguished Mr. Wu, they would have thought he was a murderous kidnapper.
"Why are you shaking your heads? Am I wrong? The child I raised with so much effort was hidden away by someone else. How could a parent be so relieved? We had hoped he would study hard and achieve a good academic record, but now he's hanging out with a woman of unknown origin. How can we not be heartbroken?"
"Alas, how could I be so unfortunate to give birth to such a wicked child?" The old man rubbed his eyes, as if about to cry.
The two couldn't tell whether he was being sincere or just acting. But his tricks were indeed powerful, with a mixture of accusation and sentimentality that left them speechless.
But his unclear and ambiguous words still stung Ran Mo. Hu Ling was her good friend, and she knew her character well. She could not tolerate the old man slandering Hu Ling like this.
She had to say a few words on Hu Ling's behalf, otherwise she didn't know what unpleasant things he would say when they met in the future.
After thinking for a moment, Ran Mo said politely, "Master Wu, you are also a person of noble status, so naturally you would not say anything that is inappropriate for your status. Moreover, it would be rash to make a hasty judgment before making a thorough understanding of the matter.
From what I understand, Sister Hu is a talented and virtuous woman, a rare and remarkable one. Young Master Wu and she are also a perfect match. As their friends, we all want to wish them well. As an elder, shouldn't you also listen to the opinions of us young people?
These words were spoken sincerely. Qingsheng, cheering for Ranmo, caught a glimpse of the old man's frustrated expression and wanted to laugh, but he didn't dare.
The old man used his one-finger Zen technique again, pointing his finger at Ran Mo and saying, "You sharp-tongued lawyer! You have trained our boy to have no sense of the law.
Even if you praise that woman like a fairy, don't you know what a low-class place she's staying in? If you walk by the river too often, you'll get your feet wet. I don't believe she could even erect a chastity arch there, could she?
As the old man's words became increasingly outrageous, Ran Mo replied with a hint of anger, "There's no hierarchy among professions in this world. In my opinion, even the business and official circles aren't necessarily any more noble or cleaner than those vulgar places.
At least they treat people with openness and sincerity, unlike some places filled with deceit and intrigue, which is so shameful and shameful. They still claim to be upright and honest, which is simply a joke. It just goes to show what the sage said: "Those who steal a hook will be punished, and those who steal a country will become princes." It's still unclear who is clear and who is turbid.
When Ranmo said this, Qingsheng was shocked. He didn't expect Ranmo to be so bold and have such good eloquence and thinking. He really deserves to be a lawyer.
Before he could secretly praise him, he saw Old Master Wu covering his chest with his hands and frowning, while his other hand was trembling as he pointed at Ran Mo, and then his body looked like he was about to fall down.
Qing Sheng saw that something was wrong and thought that the old man might have fainted from anger. He quickly stepped forward and caught the old man steadily. After he stood still, he shouted to the mansion, "Hurry up, help the old man go in and rest."
Upon seeing this, the maids, old women and servants in the mansion hurried over, helped the master into the hall and sat him down, served him tea, rubbed his chest and back, and finally woke him up after a while of hard work.
Ranmo looked at Qingsheng, feeling slightly embarrassed, wondering if he had just spoken too harshly. He was also really angry, so he used his eloquence as a lawyer. He hadn't expected this old man to be so easy to talk to.
Qingsheng only wanted to defend Ranmo, so he shook his head to indicate that it was okay. Master Wu had been a soldier in his early years, so his health wasn't such that he would collapse after just a few words.
Mr. Wu took a long, leisurely breath. He opened his eyes slightly and glanced before him. Seeing Ran Mo, he stretched out his five fingers as if to grab him. The people around him were so frightened that they quickly put his hand down and fed him a few more sips of brown sugar ginger tea.
While the old man was drinking tea, the head servant winked at the two of them, indicating that they should step aside first.
The two of them understood and quietly left the room. They didn't dare to go back to Qingsheng's residence for the time being, so they left the house and went to find a place to discuss countermeasures.