HLnovel Chapter 231 Master Zhao
Chapter 231 Master Zhao
Chapter 231 231 Zhao Yuanwai
Zhao Yuanwai was a merchant who came to the capital five years ago to trade silk. He made his fortune in the capital and felt that he was rich and powerful. So he spent money to buy a mansion in the capital and bribed several officials in the Ministry of Revenue to buy a minor official position. From then on, he would show off this title whenever he did business and take advantage of other merchants.
After reaping the benefits, this man became arrogant and domineering, running rampant in the market, suppressing other merchants, and driving up cloth prices, causing other merchants great distress.
Besides this, Master Zhao had another flaw: he was extremely lecherous. He was obsessed with women, and whether they were from humble families, noble households, or even courtesans, he wouldn't let them go if they had even a little bit of beauty. He went so far as to assault and humiliate any beautiful young woman he saw on the street or in the market, sometimes even forcibly abducting her in broad daylight. He had nine concubines, and even his maids couldn't escape his clutches. It was truly astonishing, and his behavior was utterly outrageous!
You ask, this is under the emperor's nose, how can anyone commit such an evil deed, why doesn't anyone report it to the authorities and have him arrested?
Who would dare? This was a matter of utmost importance concerning a woman's reputation. A woman defiled by him would have only two fates: either marry or die. Those who chose neither would want to swallow the matter and bury it in the ground. Who would dare to report it to the authorities and make such a thing public? In addition, this Master Zhao was rich. He would give the woman's family several tens of taels of silver as compensation for whoever he took advantage of. Once those people received the silver, no one made any more trouble.
Of course, if you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. If you commit many evil deeds, retribution will naturally follow.
"Ouch... Ouch..."
Inside one of the rooms in Master Zhao's mansion, a series of wails could be heard. The room was filled with a strong smell of medicine, mixed with a lingering stench of decay, making it truly nauseating.
Inside the room, on the large bed adorned with auspicious beast ornaments made of golden nanmu wood, lay a greasy-faced, obese man. He was face down, his upper body completely naked, and his back was shockingly covered in festering sores. Most disgustingly, none of the sores had scabbed over; they were all red, swollen, and ulcerated, oozing pus. The stench in the room emanated from him.
This man was the owner of the mansion, Master Zhao.
"Master, did the medicine you applied yesterday have any effect?" a beautiful young woman asked softly by the bedside.
The woman was his ninth concubine, named Min'er. She was obedient, beautiful, and at the height of her favor.
"What effect? I almost died of itching in the middle of the night... Ouch..." Zhao Yuanwai cursed, feeling as if thousands of ants were crawling on his back, and as if he were being burned by raging fire, tormenting him to the point of wishing he were dead.
"Isn't it said that Mr. Green Ivy has superb medical skills and the ability to bring the dead back to life? Why didn't the medicine she gave work?" Min'er frowned in distress, looking at the ointment in her hand with a face full of doubt.
"Bah! That Mr. Green Ivy didn't even agree to give the medicine yesterday. He kicked out all the people I sent, and even claimed that this was my retribution! Damn it, I'll find someone to tear down her clinic sooner or later!" Master Zhao cursed angrily, his eyes filled with resentment.
Min'er asked, "Is it because the master didn't give us enough silver?"
Master Zhao angrily retorted, "Fifty taels of silver, isn't that enough?"
Min'er sighed, "Master, that Mr. Green Ivy is a famous doctor in the martial arts world. You can't judge her by the standards of an ordinary person. Besides, people outside say that she has a strange temper. The reason she refuses to treat you is probably because she thinks the money is too little and that you are not sincere."
After thinking about it, Master Zhao realized there was some truth to it, so he suppressed his anger, cried out a few more times, and then called out, "Wang Bao! Wang Bao!"
Normally, whenever Master Zhao called out, the servant named Wang Bao would immediately respond. But today, he called several times without any reply, so Master Zhao immediately began to curse:
"Damn it, you little brat, I'm going to twist your neck!"
"Master—Master—" At that moment, Wang Bao's voice came from outside. He burst through the door, panting, a hint of surprise on his face: "Master—"
Before he could even speak, something flew towards his face, hitting the corner of his eye. Blood immediately gushed out, and the pain made him collapse to the ground.
"You bastard, where were you when I called you just now!" Master Zhao cursed angrily.
The servant boy named Wang Bao scrambled to his feet, his face covered in blood, and exclaimed joyfully, "Master, Mr. Green Ivy has sent someone to your residence to examine you! And the person who came is—and—"
Mr. Green Ivy sent someone to make a diagnosis? This is truly a godsend!
A glimmer of hope ignited in his heart, and Master Zhao hurriedly asked, "What is it?"
Wang Bao glanced at his concubine Min'er sitting to the side and said meaningfully, "She's quite a beauty! Although her face is veiled, her waist, her bearing, her eyes... Master, she's simply the best in the world!"
Like master, like servant. Wang Bao, having served Master Zhao for so long, knew best how to please him. Sure enough, upon hearing this, Master Zhao, disregarding the pain in his back, repeatedly said:
"Quickly invite them in and treat them well, don't neglect them!"
"Yes, sir!" Wang Bao replied, then turned and left.
Master Zhao had imagined what kind of beauty the other woman would be, but when he turned and saw his newly acquired concubine, Min'er, with a look of both sadness and jealousy on her face, he quickly took her soft, boneless hands and comforted her:
"Don't worry, Min'er. Since that woman is wearing a veil, her appearance is probably not presentable. She is certainly not as beautiful as you."
"What you said was just to comfort me, and I know perfectly well what I'm doing. Since you have distinguished guests visiting, I won't get in your way."
Min'er pulled her hand back, lowered her eyes, and a tear hung on her curled eyelashes, looking extremely pitiful. She was obviously waiting for Master Zhao to persuade her to stay.
However, Master Zhao was in no mood to keep her at this moment; his heart was completely set on the lovely girl that Wang Bao had mentioned.
Wang Bao had been by his side for so many years, so he naturally knew him best. If he said it was a top-quality item, then it must be something that is rarely seen in the world.
Seeing that his mind was no longer on her, Min'er snorted, got up, turned around and left, without even leaving the ointment for Master Zhao.
Outside the gate of Master Zhao's mansion, Ye Pianran looked up at the plaque above the gate that read "Master Zhao's Mansion," a thoughtful expression on her face.
Ye Lingyue held her medicine box in her hand, seemingly standing casually beside her, but in reality, she was very vigilantly observing the surroundings to protect her safety.
No one knew that Ye Pianran was actually having a conversation with 666 in the space at this moment.
"666, why does the system show 'treating Master Zhao' as a series of tasks?"
666 replied, "That's because this task is very likely to trigger other tasks and is related to the current task, so it's called a chain task."
Ye Pianran understood: "I see. But how could the system know in advance that this task would have subsequent connections?"
666 paused for a moment, then said innocently, "Well, 666 doesn't know either~ *kiss*"
Ye Pianran had only asked casually, but upon hearing its answer, a hint of doubt flashed through her mind. Before she could grasp the clue, someone from the Zhao family mansion came out to greet her respectfully:
"Young lady, our master invites you."