She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 271 - 270: If You Behave, They Will Be Safe

Chapter 271: Chapter 270: If You Behave, They Will Be Safe

"Sister, shall we go down?" Yan Lingzhen asked.

Yan Wanqing shook her head, "Let’s go see together. I want to see which lord has the courage of the bear and leopard."

Yan Lingzhen slightly curled her lips, a gleam of schadenfreude flashing in her eyes.

Good heavens, sister is angry. I mourn for both the lord and Li Chengxiang on this lord’s behalf.

"Why are you crying? Had you not chosen a traitor for a husband, would our Li Family have fallen to this state?" the lord berated her loudly, pointing at Li Chengxiang, wishing he had never fathered her.

Li Chengxiang cried numbly, collapsing to the ground, uttering not a word.

She did not know what all she had done wrong.

Why must the world torment her so?

"Look at you. When your sister was still at home, you opposed her at every turn. Now that she has left because of your attitude and won’t come back, are you pleased?" the lord said angrily, spitting as he spoke.

Back when Li Chengyuan was still here, these bureaucrats were so respectful towards him.

Whenever he went out to treat someone to a meal, it was always done with great style, and they would even fight to pay the bill, everywhere he went he was the center of attraction.

Not like now.

He spends his own money to treat others to meals, and the guests don’t even show up!

The lord spoke until his mouth was dry and ran back inside to get some tea.

Currently, the Li Family had no money to hire servants, and all tasks fell to Li Chengxiang.

Unable to find any tea in the house, the lord started cursing loudly again.

Li Chengxiang quickly got up from the ground, fetched water, and started to boil it in the kitchen.

She moved with practiced ease, clearly having done this many times before.

Yan Wanqing watched, her heart filled with bitterness.

She had failed to take proper care of Li Chengxiang, betraying that person’s trust.

"Xiaoliu, you go back first and tell mother that I will not come home for lunch today."

She decided to stay here, to see who this lord really was.

If he dared lay his eyes on Li Chengxiang, he was going to pay a price!

Yan Lingzhen also didn’t want to leave; she wanted to join the excitement, but since her sister had instructed her, she could only walk back, her eyes full of reluctance.

"Sister, wait for me, I will come back."

As she walked, she kept looking back, wishing she had four legs.

Outside the yard were creditors, and the weather was extremely hot. They sat tiredly under the eaves, cursing continuously.

Yan Wanqing jumped down from the roof beam, partially covering her face with a cloth, and approached them.

"Are all of you here to collect debts from the lord?"

Upon hearing her voice, the men looked her up and down. Seeing her elegantly dressed, it was clear she was either rich or noble, and they quickly got up from the ground.

"Do you know this family?"

"Not too well," Yan Wanqing replied in a soft voice, not familiar with the lord but quite familiar with the young miss of the Li Family.

"This lord owes our restaurant money. He always put it on credit. Initially, the young miss of the Li Family had some money sent over, but later there was simply no money left. It’s been over a month now, and they have shut the door in our faces. It’s utterly unreasonable! If it weren’t for the fact he is a government official, we would have gone to knock on the Gong of Appeal long ago!"

The person grew more agitated as he spoke, sweat beads falling from his forehead and sizzling as they hit the hot ground, quickly drying and leaving only a faint mark.

The other people were more or less in the same situation, cursing the members of the Li Family profusely.

Yan Wanqing quietly listened to them vent their anger; after a long while, someone looked at her questioningly, "Are you also here to collect money?"

"Yes and no," Yan Wanqing replied mysteriously, pointing at the Li Family’s house, "But having heard your stories, this lord truly behaves outrageously, owing money and continuing to accrue debts everywhere. Just you blocking his doorway isn’t going to solve anything. He can simply stay inside for ten days or half a month without any problems, while you stand here every day under the blazing sun demanding payment, which is indeed too hard on you."

Listening to Yan Wanqing’s sympathetic words was like a cool breeze on this sweltering summer day, indescribably comforting to their hearts.

"Yes, yes, when you put it that way, do you have any good ideas?"

As long as they could collect the money quickly and report back to their own master, they might suffer less from the harsh elements.

Yan Wanqing beckoned them with a finger: "Come closer and listen."

The men quickly huddled around her.

Soon, they dispersed in all directions.

The entrance of the Li Family home was empty once again, reverting to its prior silence.

Yan Wanqing’s lips curled up, her eyes glittering with malicious intent.

This method of demanding debts at the door wouldn’t work. Without Mr. Li coming out, they couldn’t capture the person himself. How would they get the money?

They needed to lure him out.

Looking at the vicious sun in the sky.

Yan Wanqing also felt the heat and decided to go to the tea house opposite the Li Family, sitting by the window facing the Li Family’s front door.

Sipping tea, listening to a light tune, Yan Wanqing stared unblinkingly at the tightly closed door.

The inner courtyard of the Li Family.

Unaware of the activity outside, Li Chengxiang tiptoed to the door and peered out through the crack.

They had indeed all left.

Could it be that it was too hot today and these people couldn’t stand it?

Li Chengxiang breathed a sigh of relief.

Initially, the family could still rely on the stores she held to keep running for a while. However, Li Chengxiang had directly taken over a large part of her stores, leaving her only a small portion. Under her father’s extravagant spending, it quickly became strained.

She inquired about those previous stores, only to find they now all belonged to the Seventh Prince.

Now, with the Seventh Prince accused of treason and detained in the Dali Temple dungeon, these stores were also seized by the government office.

Facing the creditors from various taverns and small inns, the Li Family finally began to feel the pinch.

"Father, the people outside have left," Li Chengxiang thought about it but still decided to inform her father.

Mr. Li was drinking tea, sitting in his chair reading a collection of poems.

Li Chengxiang recognized it as the one her younger sister had transcribed for him before she left.

Mr. Li couldn’t put it down, even though the book cover was worn out, he still read on.

She averted her gaze, lowering her eyes.

"Good, they finally left, those opportunistic scoundrels. When my daughter returns, they’ll see what’s coming!"

His daughter was none other than the Princess Yaochi, personally appointed by the Emperor.

Even if the Seventh Prince was unworthy, the Emperor could still arrange another marriage for her.

When that happened, the resurgence of the Li Family would be as trivial as splashing some water.

"Why are you wearing those clothes?" Mr. Li looked up from his poetry book and saw Li Chengxiang in plain cotton clothes, frowning, "Hurry up and get cleaned up, put on something nice. Don’t keep a gloomy face all day, what if Lord Wang doesn’t like you then?"

Li Chengxiang clenched her fists.

Her chest filled with anger and grief.

"I said I won’t go! If you force me, I’ll just die and show you!"

"Damn girl!" Mr. Li slammed the poetry book on the table, pointing at Li Chengxiang and cursing loudly.

"If you don’t go, I will sell all those maids you had before to Fireworks Lane!" Mr. Li held the contracts of these people in his hand, feeling very confident.

Li Chengxiang couldn’t believe her ears.

Her eyes turned blood-red as she looked at her father: "They have already gone out to work and earn money to pay off your debts, what more do you want?"

"If you obey, they will be safe," Mr. Li looked at her coldly: "The choice is yours."