Chapter 75

Shen Yu snatched the horse whip and threw it on the ground.

At this moment, the servants who had been left behind by Dou Qing also caught up. Surprisingly, there were more than a dozen people, surrounding Shen Yu in the middle.

Diagonally across from the inn was a large restaurant in Shengjing.

At this moment, the street was bustling, and the windows on the second floor of the restaurant facing the street were open.

A young nobleman stretched his neck to look down for a moment, then turned back and said, “It’s that Dou fool causing trouble in the street again, taking advantage of his cousin’s power.”

A man in the room took a sip of tea and said, “Let him cause trouble, the bigger the better. The Jiang family has been too smooth in recent years. If they can’t be used by me, then the more trouble, the better.”

The young nobleman leaned against the window for a moment, rubbed his eyes, and suddenly said, “Huh? Why does the person Dou’s bullying seem familiar to me?”

Downstairs, Dou Qing pointed at Shen Yu, gritting his teeth and said, “Kneel down now and chop off one of your own arms. Then I’ll spare your life.”

Shen Yu stood on the steps in front of the inn, looking down at Dou Qing, and said lightly, “Unfortunately, I rather like this arm of mine and want to keep it for myself. How about you suggest another solution?”

Dou Qing was first stunned, then after sizing her up, he thought this young man had rosy lips, bright peach blossom eyes, and was the most handsome man he had ever seen, except for his cousin.

Coupled with his proud demeanor, Dou Qing’s throat tightened.

Dou Qing joked, “How about this, if you come with me to the Dou Mansion to discuss how to resolve this, what do you think?”

The clerk gently tugged at Shen Yu’s sleeve and whispered, “This Dou Qing is indiscriminate.”

Shen Yu couldn’t fail to see the lewd look Dou Qing gave her when he looked her over, along with his joking tone. If it weren’t for the public setting, she would have chopped him into pieces long ago.

“I tapped the horse’s leg, it’s just a minor injury. I’ll compensate you for the horse, and I’ll cover the medical expenses for your injury. Let’s consider the matter settled.”

If it weren’t for the fear of causing a scene, she would never have made such a concession. She shouldn’t have intervened in the first place, but she couldn’t stand by and watch someone die.

Dou Qing tilted his head, then suddenly turned and drew a knife from one of the servants, slashing at the horse’s neck. Blood gushed out, and the horse twitched a few times on the ground before lying still.

Dou Qing turned his head, lifting his chin provocatively at the people in front of him. “Now that the horse is dead, I don’t lack money. Do you want to come with me willingly, or do I have to tie you up and take you back?”

Faced with Dou Qing’s provocation, Shen Yu clenched her teeth.

Those who had been on the battlefield knew that horses were a soldier’s friend, and they wouldn’t kill a horse unless absolutely necessary. Yet Dou Qing had just killed his horse so blatantly.

From the moment Dou Qing swung the knife at the horse, Shen Yu’s smile disappeared from her face. She lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze passing over the knife in her hand, and a flash of murderous intent flickered in her eyes.

The servants quickly surrounded her, drawing their swords, and the onlookers retreated far away, afraid of being accidentally injured, leaving a clear space in the middle of the street.

“Go to the Dou Mansion and get some people for me,” Dou Qing said to a servant.

Dou Qing planted the knife in the ground and lifted his head proudly. “Do you know who I am? My cousin holds a high position in the court. If he stamps his foot, the whole of Dazhou will shake three times. I don’t think you’re just an ordinary person either, but you happened to fall into my hands today. I’ll give you another chance. Will you come with me willingly, or shall I tie you up and take you back?”

Facing Dou Qing’s challenge, Shen Yu’s jaw tightened.

In Shengjing, a brick could hit three court officials.

This idiot, who dared to say that his cousin would make Shengjing shake three times with a stomp in front of the emperor, probably couldn’t find a second one besides Dou Qing.

I wonder if his cousin, the high-ranking official in the Household Department, would want to cut off Dou Qing’s head after hearing such words.

Shen Yu smiled, “Do you know who I am?”

Dou Qing, wary, looked her up and down. There were many young nobles in the capital, and judging by this young man’s aura, he seemed to have a background.

“So who are you?”

Shen Yu said, “I’m your father!”

As soon as she said this, everyone was stunned, and many people in the crowd even laughed.

Dou Qing was furious, “Damn it, you shameless bastard! My cousin is a third-rank official in the Household Department. I’ll have him confiscate your property, exterminate your entire family, and then imprison you as a plaything.”

A third-rank official in the Household Department… Shen Yu’s heart sank. Could it be so coincidental?

Shen Yu frowned, “But isn’t that Jiang Shifu from the Household Department?”

Dou Qing smirked, “Exactly, are you scared now?”

Seeing Shen Yu’s sudden change in complexion, Dou Qing couldn’t help but feel smug, “If you’re scared, come with me.”

Shen Yu pursed her lips, feeling really unlucky now that her brain was reacting.

She carefully looked at Dou Qing and remembered.

She had actually met Dou Qing before and had some connections with him, but in this life, they had never met face to face.

Dou Qing, also known as Dou Mingda, was Jiang Lianzhi’s cousin. She used to hear people call him Mingda, and when she saw Dou Qing now, he was much fatter than before, so she didn’t recognize him at first. But now, looking closely at Dou Qing’s face, she could vaguely see the shadow of that chubby boy.

Dou Qing was a lazy idler who didn’t do anything productive, spending his days either fooling around with women or indulging in food, drink, and gambling.

In her past life, Dou Qing had caused quite a few troubles, but unfortunately, Jiang Lianzhi’s mother was soft-hearted. Every time she cried and went to find Jiang Lianzhi, she would make a big fuss, even threatening to commit suicide, forcing Jiang Lianzhi to clean up the mess for him.

In her previous life, when Dou Qing went to the Jiang Mansion, she had seen him molesting a maid in the garden.

When Shen Yu intervened, he turned the tables and accused her of seducing him. The maid wasn’t a good person either; she might have been willing, but then blamed Shen Yu for catching them in the act.

Fortunately, Jiang Lianzhi knew what kind of person Dou Qing was and didn’t believe him.

But her mother-in-law said, “Flies don’t land on seamless eggs,” and punished her by making her copy the “Admonitions for Women” ten times.

It was really an unfair situation. Thinking of this, Shen Yu felt a surge of anger.

If she were to confront Dou Qing directly now, it would probably escalate the situation. If Jiang Lianzhi intervened, it might not end well.

Dou Qing loved money, so it seemed like the only option was to offer him money to avoid trouble.

“I’ll compensate you with five hundred taels of silver for your horse and your injury,” Shen Yu said.

Dou Qing was dumbfounded for a moment and sneered, “Do you think I’m short of money?”

“One thousand.”

“Two thousand.”

“Five thousand.”

There was a buzzing discussion in the crowd. This was a huge sum of money, enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for a lifetime.

But Shen Yu, from the Lu family of Hezhou, dared anyone in Zhou Dynasty to claim they were richer than the Lu family. This amount of money was just a drop in the bucket for her.

Even if she gave him the money, it would depend on whether Dou Qing had the luck to spend it, and she would make him pay it all back later.

Shen Yu said, “Ten thousand!”

Dou Qing was also stunned. Although he was born into an aristocratic family and had lived a life of luxury since childhood, he had never seen ten thousand taels of silver before.

Ten thousand taels! With that amount, he could buy a dozen pretty concubines and still have plenty left over. Although he couldn’t get his hands on this pretty youth, he could take the money first and then play dirty.

But judging from the youth’s attitude, the price would probably go up even more.

“Fifty thousand!” Dou Qing stuck out his neck and made a bold offer.

Shen Yu snorted, “Why don’t you go rob a bank?”

The young nobleman upstairs finally confirmed, clapping his hands, “Ah, I really have seen him before.”