I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 357 Betrayal

Chapter 357 Betrayal

Liu Tongsi covered his face with his hands and said aggrievedly, "Second Uncle! Please listen to me, you really can't blame us this time! We just saw injustice and stepped in to help."

"That's right! Lord Liu, it really wasn't our fault this time!" Hou Fangjiang cupped his hands and said with a smile, "We couldn't stand by and watch Wang Wenzhou beat up an official of the imperial court, so we stepped in to help."

Liu Zongzhou glared at Hou Fangyu, then quickly turned around, cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Rushi and the others, and respectfully asked, "Ladies Wang, I am late. May I ask where Lord Wang is?"

"Huh?" Hou Fangjiang and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. What was going on? How could the dignified Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture be so respectful to Wang Wenzhou's wives and concubines?

Wang Ying said irritably, "Lord Liu, I heard that your nephew is among these people. When my nephew of mine arrives later, he will definitely have a good talk with you."

"Hmph!" Liu Tongsi said disdainfully, "Wang Wenzhou is acting violently and injuring people. With Prefect Liu of Shuntian Prefecture here, does he still dare to be arrogant? You woman are really short-sighted."

Liu Zongzhou felt like crying. His nephew was utterly clueless! Even after all this, he still couldn't see through it? Did he think he could afford to offend Wang Wenzhou? Did he even know who this woman was? She was Consort Tian. Wang Wenzhou slept with her, and instead of killing him, the Emperor bestowed her upon him. You foolish boy, of all people to mess with, you had to mess with Wang Wenzhou!

Liu Zongzhou's expression changed, he turned around, raised his arm, and slapped Liu Tongsi several times.

"Slap slap slap..." Liu Tongsi was truly stunned by the beating. His father was the eldest son in the family. His grandparents had passed away early, and his father's elder brother had raised Liu Zongzhou. Therefore, Liu Zongzhou doted on his nephew and had never beaten him like this before.

"Second Uncle! Please listen to me..." Liu Tongsi was about to speak when Liu Zongzhou slapped him again.

Hou Fangjiang's expression changed. He reacted faster than Liu Tongsi. He suddenly realized that he might have kicked a hornet's nest and offended someone he couldn't afford to mess with. Otherwise, Liu Zongzhou wouldn't have acted this way.

"Ladies, rest assured, I will handle this case impartially. I will escort the person to the Shuntian Prefecture Office immediately," Liu Zongzhou said, bowing to Liu Rushi.

Wang Wenzhou's children discussed it and decided to let their nemesis beat up these young masters here to vent his anger. The children knew Wang Wenzhou well; given his character, if he suffered a great loss, he would definitely seek revenge. If the men were taken to the Shuntian Prefecture government office and their nemesis caused trouble, things would get very bad.

Liu Rushi said, "Lord Liu, please wait a moment. Wang Wenzhou should be back soon. It's nothing serious, just a few words exchanged. Once Wang Wenzhou returns, you can mediate, and the matter will be over."

Liu Zongzhou smiled wryly. Wang Wenzhou, that mad dog, got beaten up. Wasn't that a big deal? It would be strange if he didn't make a big fuss!

After thinking for a moment, Liu Zongzhou decided to find out the whole story first, so that he could argue with Wang Wenzhou when he arrived.

Thinking of this, Liu Zongzhou looked at Hou Fangjiang and the others and asked, "What exactly caused this matter?"

Hou Fangjiang replied, "That's right. We were just passing by when we saw a monk beating up Liu Lishun, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, and Lord Liu. That's why we stepped in to help."

Liu Zongzhou looked at Liu Lishun and asked, "Lord Liu, is that so?"

Liu Lishun shook his head and said, "No! I was just chatting with Wang Wenzhou when these people suddenly rushed over and started punching and kicking Wang Wenzhou. I couldn't stop them."

"Pfft..." Hou Fangjiang and the others were completely dumbfounded. Liu Lishun, are you even human? You got beaten up, we helped you, and you actually turned around and bit us!

Looking at the angry gazes of Hou Fangjiang and the others, Liu Lishun shook his head with a wry smile. He didn't want to lie, but Wen Liandie had persuaded him for a long time. Faced with the earnest advice of the girl he loved, he truly had no choice but to lie.

What should we do? Liu Zongzhou broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing Liu Lishun's words. He looked at Liu Lishun and said meaningfully, "Lord Liu, I am here. You don't need to worry. I will never bend the law for personal gain and will handle this matter impartially."

Liu Lishun shook his head with a wry smile. "Lord Liu, please don't try to fool me. Can you really control that mad dog, Wang Wenzhou?"

"Lord Liu, you're here too! That's wonderful!" At this moment, Wang Wenzhou returned with his men. Wang Wenzhou pointed at Hou Fangjiang and the others and said, "Lord Liu, I just received a secret report that some Tartar spies are committing crimes here. It's these few. Please help me arrest them and take them back for interrogation."

"Wang Wenzhou, don't you dare make false accusations!" Liu Tongsi pointed at Wang Wenzhou and said righteously.

"Slap!" Liu Zongzhou slapped his nephew across the face. He was so disappointed in his nephew that he still couldn't see the situation clearly!

"Lord Wang!" Liu Zongzhou eagerly grabbed Wang Wenzhou's arm and whispered, "Please give me some face and let them go. If those young men have offended you in any way, I will apologize on their behalf."

"Fuck you!" Wang Wenzhou cursed, "Liu Zongzhou, do you think I'm being nice to you? When they were beating me, did they even care about my reputation? These bastards even hit my baby! Look!"

Wang Wenzhou pointed at Liu Rushi and said with heartache, "My Rushi, she's been disfigured! Damn it, looks are a girl's life. You want to sleep with an ugly girl who can scare ghosts to death at night?"

Liu Zongzhou said with a wry smile, "Lord Wang, things can be discussed. How about I ask them to pay more for the medical expenses?"

"Damn it! Do you think I'm short of money?" Mentioning money, Wang Wenzhou immediately flew into a rage. He'd been extorted for tens of millions of taels of silver by Zhu Youjian these past few days; did he really think he could take a beating for money?

"Little Gui, bring me my imperial sword!" Wang Wenzhou beckoned to Wu Sangui.

Wu Sangui hurriedly handed the imperial sword to Wang Wenzhou. In Wu Sangui's opinion, it would be better if Wang Wenzhou killed all these young masters, so that their fathers and brothers would definitely seek revenge on Wang Wenzhou.

"Swish!" Wang Wenzhou drew his sword, pointed it at Liu Zongzhou, and said, "Lord Liu! I'm taking these Tartar spies back for interrogation. Are you trying to stop me from handling the case?"

"Lord Wang, please calm down!" At this moment, Hou Xun rushed over.

Hou Xun wiped the sweat from his face, glared at Hou Fangjiang, and thought, "This good-for-nothing bastard, of all people to mess with, you had to mess with Wang Wenzhou, that mad dog? I have to avoid him when I see him!"

"Oh!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Isn't this Lord Hou? You're not spending my money at the Ministry of Revenue, and you still have time to attend a poetry gathering?"

Although Emperor Chongzhen did not explicitly state that the silver came from Wang Wenzhou, all the court officials understood that only Wang Wenzhou could be so wealthy.

Hou Xun shook his head with a wry smile. "I didn't extort Wang Wenzhou's money. If you have any grievances, go find the Emperor."