Zhao Manor.
Song Jinshan and his daughter were invited over by Zhao Jianzhi's men.
Zhao Jianzhi also informed Song Jinshan and his daughter about his previous judgment regarding the misunderstanding.
Upon hearing this, Song Jinshan was so enraged he coughed up blood, cursing incessantly.
"Beast!"
"This accursed beast!"
"I will make sure this beast dies a horrible death!"
Song Jinshan's face was contorted with rage, wishing he could tear Shen Jing into a thousand pieces.
His reputation was ruined!
His finger was broken!
His money was gone!
Song Lianxin was also seething with anger, gritting her teeth as she growled, "Let's go find the Princess and ask her to uphold justice for us!"
"Uphold what justice?"
Zhao Jianzhi looked at Song Lianxin irritably, "We were the ones who shamelessly begged for mercy. Do you think the Princess will uphold justice for us?"
Naive!
What was the Princess's relationship with the Su Family, and what was her relationship with them?
Still hoping for the Princess to uphold justice for them?
Going to see the Princess now, it was debatable if they would even be granted an audience.
Even if they did, it would only be self-humiliation!
"The Princess won't uphold justice for us, but he is using the Princess!"
Song Lianxin said, gritting her teeth.
If they couldn't have a good time, Shen Jing shouldn't either!
"Then what?"
Zhao Jianzhi eyed his daughter-in-law, "Do you think the Princess will punish Shen Jing, or will she laugh at our foolishness?"
"But... but we can't just let this go, can we?"
Song Lianxin's face was full of unwillingness, "Those hundred thousand taels of silver were for our inventory. If we don't get that money back, we won't be able to deliver the annual cloth by the end of the year..."
"Exactly!"
Song Jinshan recovered, his face once again clouded with worry, "If something goes wrong with the annual cloth, not only will we lose the hope of becoming an Imperial Merchant, but we will also be held accountable by the imperial court. Who will bear this responsibility then?"
Listening to the father and daughter, Zhao Jianzhi also secretly felt a headache.
This was indeed a troublesome matter!
"For the money, let's figure out a solution together!"
Zhao Jianzhi reassured the father and daughter, then said with a deep gaze, "Actually, this matter at hand may not necessarily be a bad thing!"
"Not necessarily a bad thing?"
Song Jinshan, enraged, laughed in return, "Both my daughter and I had a finger broken, and we lost a hundred thousand taels of silver for nothing. Is this still a good thing?"
Damn it!
It wasn't his finger that was broken, and he didn't have to pay for the silver, right?
"Listen to me!"
Zhao Jianzhi raised his hand to gently suppress, "Since the Princess sent people to arrest Zhao Ying, she must have understood some of the situation! But even so, the Princess only arrested Zhao Ying, she didn't trouble you, nor did she pursue me. What does this indicate?"
"This..."
The anger on Song Jinshan's face slightly dissipated, and he lowered his brows in thought.
"Does it mean the Princess doesn't care about the grievances between us and Shen Jing?"
Song Lianxin asked tentatively.
"That's roughly what it means."
Zhao Jianzhi nodded slightly, "Ultimately, the Princess believed those rumors circulating outside and was venting her anger for Madam Su, not upholding justice for Shen Jing!"
"This also indirectly shows that the Princess didn't take the grievances between us and Shen Jing seriously at all!"
"Since she has already punished Zhao Ying, she won't do anything to you anymore. You can focus on the annual cloth with peace of mind. By this time next year, you should be Imperial Merchants..."
Listening to Zhao Jianzhi's analysis, the father and daughter couldn't help but ponder.
His analysis was not without reason.
If the Princess wanted to uphold justice for Shen Jing, they, the father and daughter, would not still be here, safe and sound.
In fact, the Princess wouldn't even believe that they had swindled Shen Jing out of his family fortune.
If that was the case, then this really wasn't a bad thing.
Although they suffered heavy losses, their position as Tribute Merchants would not be revoked.
Only by retaining the position of Tribute Merchant could they strive to become Imperial Merchants!
"But if the money problem isn't solved, and we can't deliver the annual cloth on time with guaranteed quality and quantity, whether we can even keep our heads will be a question, let alone talking about Tribute Merchants or Imperial Merchants?"
Song Jinshan once again brought the problem back to reality.
Zhao Jianzhi was a little impatient, "I've already said, for the money, let's..."
"Master, good news! Great good news!"
Just then, the steward of Zhao Manor rushed in excitedly.
"What good news?"
Zhao Jianzhi looked up at the steward.
They were all full of anger right now, where could there be good news?
The steward replied with a beaming smile, "I just heard someone say that Shen Jing has contracted leprosy!"
"What?"
Several people exclaimed in unison, looking at the steward in disbelief.
Leprosy?
Wasn't Shen Jing fine yesterday? How did he suddenly get leprosy?
Was this retribution?
"Where did you hear that from?"
Song Lianxin asked impatiently.
"I heard it from someone at Lord Feng's residence!"
The steward said with a chuckle, "Because Shen Jing contracted leprosy, the Princess didn't dare to stay at the Su Family and had to lodge at Baiyun Inn. She also asked Lord Feng to find a doctor to treat Shen Jing's leprosy..."
The more the steward spoke, the more excited he became, his face full of smiles.
Listening to the steward, several people couldn't help but look at each other.
It really was retribution!
Leprosy!
If he got this disease, even if he didn't die, he would surely suffer greatly!
Considering that Su Yourong had consecutively caused the deaths of three men, Shen Jing would most likely not survive this time!
If the disease didn't kill him, he would be cursed to death!
"Good, very good!"
The gloom in Zhao Jianzhi's heart instantly dissipated a lot, and he eagerly asked, "Has Lord Feng found a doctor to treat Shen Jing's illness?"
"He found one."
The steward replied, "It's Pu Fanghai, a famous doctor from our Luochuan Prefecture..."
"Quickly go find Pu Fanghai and inquire about Shen Jing's condition!"
Song Lianxin ordered impatiently.
He urgently wanted to know about Shen Jing's illness.
Preferably, he would die directly from the illness!
Die from the illness in extreme pain!
"I've already inquired!"
The steward replied with a beaming smile, "Pu Fanghai went to the Su Family at noon..."
According to Pu Fanghai, Shen Jing's condition was very serious.
Shen Jing was covered in red spots, convulsing all over, and his agonizing screams echoed throughout the Su Family.
Pu Fanghai only glanced through the door, he didn't diagnose or couldn't diagnose him specifically.
Shen Jing was already critically ill; unless a celestial being intervened to save him, Shen Jing would be gone in a day or two.
Pu Fanghai symbolically prescribed a formula for Shen Jing and then left.
Listening to the steward's narration, a long-awaited smile finally appeared on their faces.
Retribution!
Retribution indeed!
That accursed scoundrel finally met his retribution!
"Haha..."
Zhao Jianzhi laughed loudly, then said to Song Jinshan and his daughter, "You two should also stay at the manor and have a few drinks. Such a joyous occasion, we must celebrate properly! Also, let's discuss the matter of the money!"
As soon as the matter of the money was mentioned, the father and daughter quickly agreed.
The biggest problem right now was the money!
A deficit of a hundred thousand taels of silver was not so easy to fill.
Afterward, Madam Zhao told Zhao Ying, who was lying in bed recovering from his injuries, the good news.
"Excellent! Retribution, this is retribution!"
Upon hearing the good news, Zhao Ying couldn't help but shout with joy, almost jumping out of bed.
However, as soon as he moved, a sharp pain shot through his backside, making him grimace in pain...