The Prodigal Son

Luo family.

"I'll stay here and deal with those people in the court. Tomorrow afternoon, the two of you will leave the capital with the silver notes..."

In the study, Luo Jianshan had already begun making arrangements for his escape.

Luo Jianshan was completely desperate.

Qin Yu wouldn't let them go, the court officials wouldn't let them go either, and His Majesty wouldn't interfere.

They were at their wits' end.

In the past two days, they have sold many of their family's shops and workshops.

They claimed it was to raise money to pay off their debts.

But he has no way of repaying his debts.

They paid off Qin Yu's debts, and Qin Yu would just secretly laugh behind their backs!

But if they run away with the silver, the officials who can't collect their debts will hold a grudge against Qin Yu!

If they're having a hard time, Qin Yu shouldn't expect to have one either!

"Father, are we really going to run away?"

Luo Yushu was somewhat unwilling, "If we escape, the imperial court will definitely arrest us everywhere!"

With so many ministers, how could they possibly let them go?

"What else can we do but run away?"

Luo Jianshan glared at his son, "Even if we give away all our wealth to return the money to those ministers, the Qin family will still not let us go. In the end, we will only end up with our family ruined and dead!"

It's not just about money anymore!

It's a matter of life and death!

"right!"

Luo Qingyuan nodded with a face full of hatred. "The reason the Qin family hasn't made a move yet is because they're watching us make a fool of ourselves!"

Qin Fumeng has now regained power.

For the Qin family, destroying the Luo family would be an easy task.

Qin Yu is just making a fool of himself!

Qin Yu wanted to slowly torture them to death!

This is Qin Yu's revenge!

Luo Yushu's face was filled with despair, and she said in grief and indignation, "But the world is so vast, where can we escape to?"

"Let's go to the State of Chu!"

Luo Jianshan gritted his teeth and said, "If we escape, those ministers in the court will definitely not let us go! The only way for us to survive is to flee to another country!"

"Once you arrive in Yinzhou, exchange the silver notes for gold and silver!"

"As long as we successfully escape to the State of Chu, my Luo family will prosper just the same..."

He had already thought these things through and made some arrangements in advance.

Hearing Luo Jianshan's words, Luo Yushu's face was filled with sorrow.

Escaping to Yinzhou? Not so easy!

The most likely scenario is that they were captured before they even reached Yinzhou.

They might even be caught before they even escaped the capital.

Hearing Luo Yushu's worries, Luo Qingyuan snapped angrily, "What time is it! Still afraid of this and that! If we escape, we still have hope; if we don't escape, we have no hope at all!"

Luo Yushu was already extremely irritated, and when someone yelled at her, "Isn't this all your fault! Seeing Qin Yu locked up in the Heavenly Prison, you were thinking of breaking off the engagement and currying favor with the Lü family. And now? Why aren't you currying favor with the Lü family anymore?"

I was purely dragged down by them!

Qin Fumeng now controls nearly half of the nation's military power!

If the engagement hadn't been called off, wouldn't everyone look up to the Luo family?

He might even get an official position!

Because of their snobbishness, the Luo family became the public enemy of the capital!

"Have you no shame?"

Luo Qingyuan was furious. "Didn't you urge me to go to the Qin family to annul the engagement? Now that something's happened, instead of helping to find a solution, you just blame us! That's all you're good for!"

"That's enough!"

Hearing his children arguing, Luo Jianshan couldn't help but roar angrily, "What time is it now? You're still here..."

"Knock knock..."

Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking on the door.

Luo Jianshan glared at the brother and sister, his face darkening as he demanded towards the door, "What is it?"

"My lord, something terrible has happened! Many high-ranking officials have come to collect debts, and they've already broken in..."

The sounds of panic from the servants could be heard outside.

The expressions of the three people in the study changed drastically.

Luo Jianshan suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

He had previously promised those officials that if they gave him some time to raise the funds, he would definitely pay off the debt within ten days.

Now, with several days left until the ten-day deadline, why are these officials suddenly coming to our door to demand repayment?

Could it be that they already guessed that he was going to run away with the silver?

A moment later, Luo Jianshan stopped his anxious steps and instructed his brother and sister: "When you see those ministers later, you must remain calm and not show any fear!"

The brother and sister were in a state of panic, but they tried to calm themselves down and nodded.

After taking a deep breath, Luo Jianshan led his brother and sister out of the study.

As soon as they appeared, a group of officials surrounded them with unfriendly expressions.

"You guys really know how to run away. We gave you a chance, and you still want to run?"

"We're not chasing you for your debts because we're absolutely certain you can't escape!"

"Exactly! You owe us so much money, if you just let us get away with it, we might as well all retire and go back to our hometowns..."

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, each of them seething with anger.

They agreed to give the Luo family a repayment period, simply because they felt that coming to the Luo family every day to collect debts was beneath their dignity!

As a result, the Luo family actually wanted to run away?

Anyone you pick out from here is a fourth-rank official!

How could they possibly escape?

Innocent!

Hearing what everyone was saying, Luo Jianshan felt a chill run down his spine.

As expected, the news leaked out!

Luo Jianshan tried his best to remain calm, stepping forward with a forced smile. "Gentlemen, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

"You must have heard some rumors!"

"My Luo family will never run away, nor dare we run away!"

"Please give us some time, sirs. We are working hard to raise the silver, and we will definitely repay you in a few days..."

Luo Jianshan tried his best to calm the ministers down, and Luo Qingyuan and her brother quickly put on a smile.

We have to fool these people!

Once they become alert, there will be absolutely no chance of escape!

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Du Zhiwen coldly interrupted them, "Now that we're here, you have to give us an explanation! Otherwise, don't blame us for being unreasonable!"

Luo Jianshan's expression changed, and he pleaded desperately, "Lord Du, we haven't raised enough money yet! Please give us a few more days, Lord Du, we will definitely..."

Don't give me that!

Feng Shinan sneered, "Several days have passed already. I don't believe that even if you haven't raised enough silver, you should have raised quite a bit by now. If you keep delaying, it's obvious you're planning to renege on your debt and run away!"

"Lord Feng is right!"

Du Zhiwen nodded and said, "If you don't return the money today, I won't hesitate to abuse my power and throw you in jail first, so you can experience all the tortures of prison!"

Du Zhiwen laid his cards on the table!

I'm going to get the money today, no matter what!

Luo Jianshan's expression changed, and he said indignantly, "Lord Du, you are a high-ranking official of the second rank! Are you going to force us to our deaths for this little bit of silver?"

"I also need to eat, drink, and relieve myself!" Du Zhiwen replied coldly.

"You're bullying us!"

Enraged, Luo Qingyuan growled, her eyes red, "Even if my Luo family is in debt, it's owed to Qin Yu, not to you! If you want your debts back, go find Qin Yu!"

All the court officials are utterly useless!

If you're so capable, go find Qin Yu; if you're so capable, go to the Qin family and flaunt your official power!

What kind of skill is it to keep an eye on the Luo family?

"Looks like you're really going to run away with the silver!"

A cold glint flashed in Du Zhiwen's eyes as he shouted sharply, "Guards! Detain everyone from the Luo family!"

As Du Zhiwen finished speaking, a group of soldiers rushed forward.

Seeing that Du Zhiwen was serious, Luo Jianshan panicked and hurriedly begged for mercy: "Lord Du, please calm down! We'll pay, we'll pay right away..."

An hour later, the group of officials finally left the Luo family.

In addition to banknotes and cash, these officials also took a large number of valuable items from the Luo family, including Luo Qingyuan's valuable jewelry, which was used to pay off debts.

Even so, they still haven't paid off their debts.

They still owe more than 200,000 taels of silver.

Before leaving, the officials gave them three days to raise the remaining silver.

Three days later, obediently deliver the silver to their residence; don't make them make the trip themselves again.

If they want to escape, they can try to see if they can get away!

Looking at his home in such a mess, Luo Jianshan was filled with grief and indignation.

"It's over!"

"It's completely over!"

Now that these ministers have their eyes on them, they can't escape even if they want to!

The savings accumulated by the Luo family over three generations were all squandered by their own hands.

"puff……"

Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, Luo Jianshan finally couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood...