nucmednet Chapter 267: Battle of Wisdom with Marquis Wu'an (1)
Chapter 267: Battle of Wisdom with Marquis Wu'an (1)
The heavy snow fell for a full day and two nights before finally stopping. Although the capital was also blanketed in white snow, it was, after all, the emperor's home and a prosperous city, so it was able to cope with the blizzard. However, those in more remote areas were not so lucky. The snowstorm must have already become a disaster, and widespread suffering was evident.
Disaster reports from all over the country poured in like snowflakes onto the desks of the court officials. Despite the devastating snowstorm, the people continued to suffer from hunger and cold, yet this did not stop those with ill intentions from taking advantage of the situation to commit atrocities.
Amidst the ice and snow, Ziyu Villa remains peaceful and tranquil.
In the early morning, the guys at Mingyue were sweeping away the thick snow with brooms in hand. Suddenly, a loud noise broke the silence.
A fat, pot-bellied man in his fifties led a group of people into the Ziyu Villa aggressively.
This man was short and fat, looking like a short, fat melon that had become a spirit.
The group of people following behind him also looked ferocious and had thick flesh on their faces.
The group of people cursed all the way, their voices were deafening, as if the whole villa could hear their shouting.
Anyone they met was either pushed away roughly or beaten up; and no objects they saw along the way were spared, as they would kick them away if they didn't like them.
His arrogant and domineering look was just like that of a bandit entering a village, the only thing missing was the words "I am a lackey" carved directly on his forehead.
Hearing the noisy shouting and cursing outside, Uncle Wei hurried out.
When he caught a glimpse of the "winter melon spirit" who was leading the trouble, he was stunned and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
But he quickly came to his senses, hurriedly stepped forward, and bowed to the man, saying, "Oh my! It's snowing heavily. Why did you, Mr. Zhao, come to our Ziyu Mountain Villa in person so early in the morning?"
The "Winter Melon Spirit" held his head high with his nostrils pointing to the sky, looking down at everyone with an extremely arrogant and rude attitude.
When he saw Uncle Wei walking towards him, his brows furrowed slightly, revealing a look of obvious displeasure. He said, "Manager Wei, I wonder what you think of the matter I mentioned to you earlier? That noble man is extremely busy with all sorts of affairs, and he doesn't have the time to wait here for you to nag and fuss!"
When Uncle Wei heard this, a look of difficulty instantly appeared on his face.
He quickly lowered himself to an extremely low position, bending his waist almost ninety degrees, clasping his hands in a bow. His words were filled with pleading, even a touch of humility. "Master Zhao, please listen to me. This Mingyue Market is a vital source of income for our family and our family! If we really have to give it up, it would be like cutting off our livelihood and destroying our jobs! I beg Master Zhao to have mercy on me and put in a few good words for that noble man, asking him to be flexible and leave this workshop to us."
However, before the "winter melon spirit" called Master Zhao could respond, the group of lackeys who followed him and took advantage of the power of others could no longer hold back and jumped out to shout and curse.
One of them shouted at the top of his voice, "Humph! Open your eyes wide and look at yourself. Who do you think you are? You still dare to expect the noble to show mercy? They have already rewarded you with a large sum of silver, and you are still not satisfied? Aren't you afraid that you will have the life to receive the money but will not be able to enjoy it, and will end up with a miserable end of being rich but dead?"
The Winter Melon Spirit's face was filled with undisguised disdain. His triangular eyes squinted at the crowd, his lips curled as if he had just heard the most absurd and disobedient words in the world. Then, from his thick lips, a vicious word tumbled: "Hmph! Don't refuse a toast and then drink a forfeit. If you really anger these nobles, you'll all be in danger of your lives!"
Uncle Wei's face was pale, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but he still stepped forward and said with a hint of pleading: "Master Zhao, please be kind and help us make some adjustments..."
Before he finished speaking, the "Winter Melon Spirit" didn't even bother to look at him, but just casually winked at the leader of the lackeys beside him.
The group of lackeys who received the instructions immediately took action. Like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey, they picked up the weapons in their hands without saying a word and began to smash and destroy things without restraint.
For a moment, there was a constant crackling sound, and the items that were originally neatly arranged instantly became scattered all over the floor, a mess.
This sudden scene scared Uncle Wei so much that he dodged the flying sticks and debris in fear, and kept begging for mercy: "Master Zhao, Master Zhao, please talk nicely, don't do this!" As he spoke, he took out a silver note from his pocket tremblingly and handed it to the "Winter Melon Spirit" respectfully.
Winter Melon Spirit casually took the note, flicked it lightly with his fingers, and then squinted his eyes to glance at the face value. His mouth twitched slightly, revealing an extremely contemptuous expression, clearly disdaining the mere one hundred taels of silver.
However, he didn't throw the banknotes back to Uncle Wei. Instead, he casually put them in his arms, then waved his hand lazily and shouted, "Alright, stop it now. Don't smash everything. You guys will need to buy new things later."
After hearing this, the group of lackeys who were smashing and looting crazily stopped with a look of reluctance.
Uncle Wei seemed to have saved his life, and hurriedly thanked the "Winter Melon Spirit": "Thank you, Master Zhao, thank you, Master Zhao, for your mercy!" After that, he nodded and bowed continuously, and kept saying all kinds of flattering words.
Finally, the Winter Melon Demon snorted softly and warned with a stern face, "Forget it this time. Be smart next time and know when to quit. If you cause any bloodshed during the New Year, it will be extremely unlucky!"
Uncle Wei, seeing that things had reached a point of no return, sighed inwardly and, helplessly, lowered his head slowly. He said humbly, "Master Zhao, look, I'm just a nobody working for someone else. How can I make decisions for the boss? How about this? Tomorrow at noon, at Baiwei Restaurant, you can personally meet with our boss? As for the boss's decision, I, as a clerk, really can't have any say in it! And that way, you don't have to travel all the way to our small town in this cold weather. What do you think?"
The "Winter Melon Spirit" rolled his eyes, which were as big as green beans, and after thinking for a moment, he did not continue to refuse.
After all, he knew full well that such a major matter was beyond the power of a mere steward to decide. So he nodded and said, "Okay, it's settled then! Tell your boss to prepare everything necessary, and we'll get everything done tomorrow!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand and led the group of lackeys away from Ziyu Villa as quickly as a whirlwind, leaving only a cloud of dust flying in the air for a long time.