After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

"Father, save me!" came a woman's voice.

"Let go of my daughter," came the voice of a middle-aged man.

"Release her? Fine, but pay back the money, three thousand taels, not a penny less." A domineering voice declared.

"What? Three thousand taels? I only borrowed one thousand taels. How did it rise to three thousand taels in just three days?" a young man's voice asked.

"That's the rule in our gambling den. If you don't pay back your money, old man Jin, I'll cut off your son's two arms and then his leg," the arrogant voice threatened.

Upon hearing this, Rong Yingluo jumped off the carriage, had Yinghong push open the closed wooden door, and swaggered inside.

"Oh my, right under the emperor's nose, someone actually dares to break into a house and rob someone?" Rong Yingluo's gaze fixed on the three men holding wooden sticks.

"Who are you? Mind your own business." The leader spat out a curse.

Ling Feng held his long sword horizontally, and the man took a few steps back.

"Paying back debts is a matter of course. This family's son owes our gambling den three thousand taels of silver, and he promised to pay it back today. It's only right that we come to collect the debt." Seeing that Ling Feng did not immediately draw his weapon, the man regained some confidence.

At this moment, a middle-aged woman crawled out of the east room. Her face was sallow and she looked half-dead. It was clear that she was terminally ill.

"Don't hit my son! If you want to kill or torture him, come at me!" The woman used all her strength to finally climb over the threshold.

"Mother, why did you come out?" A girl of about sixteen years old hurriedly ran over and helped her up from the ground.

"We just want money. What's your life worth?" The arrogant man waved the stick in his hand disdainfully.

"Ling Feng, get this eyesore out of my sight!" Rong Yingluo's eyes sharpened.

As soon as Ling Feng and Ling Yun made their move, the three debt collectors didn't even have a chance to fight back. Their screams echoed throughout the courtyard as they were beaten black and blue and thrown out.

Hearing the commotion, the neighbors immediately closed their doors and windows, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

The move by Ling Feng and his companion left the entire family dumbfounded and terrified.

They didn't come to their senses until Lingyun closed the door.

"Thank you for your help, benefactor." Old Man Jin, a man of the world, was the first to regain his composure and stepped forward to bow to Rong Yingluo.

But there was no joy on Old Man Jin's face.

Today we've driven them away, but what about tomorrow? Three thousand taels—even if you dismembered their entire family and sold every single bone, you still wouldn't get three thousand taels.

"It was nothing, not worth mentioning," Rong Yingluo waved her hand.

"Mother, Mother, what's wrong?" Jin Zier exclaimed.

The middle-aged woman's body went limp, and Jin Zier couldn't support her, so they both fell to the ground.

"Dahe, quickly go and fetch Doctor Luo!" Old Man Jin said urgently.

The Jin family's son immediately went out.

Old Man Jin carried his wife back into the house and put her on the bed.

The doctor was in the hospital at the alley entrance, and he arrived in less than fifteen minutes.

After taking his pulse, Dr. Luo shook his head.

"Brother Jin, I have done my best. My sister-in-law is nearing her end. You should prepare for her funeral." Doctor Luo didn't even write a prescription. He just picked up his medicine box and left without collecting any consultation fees.

Jin Zier threw herself into her mother's arms and cried bitterly.

Old Man Jin wiped away his tears and came out of the house, only to see Rong Yingluo and the others still standing in the courtyard.

He assumed it was just a distinguished person passing by who had come in to help out of injustice.

I didn't expect them to still be here after all this time.

"I'm sorry, my benefactor, my wife is very ill and I haven't been able to entertain you properly." Old Man Jin bowed again.

"I can save your wife," Rong Yingluo said bluntly.

"What? A benefactor or a doctor?" Old Man Jin's eyes lit up, and he immediately knelt down: "Please, benefactor, save my wife."

"I can help, but my consultation fees start at ten thousand taels of silver. I wonder if you can afford it, sir?" Rong Yingluo deliberately tried to scare him.

"This..." Old Man Jin choked, realizing it was wishful thinking on his part.

Three thousand taels was already an astronomical sum that Old Man Jin could never earn in his entire life, let alone ten thousand taels.

The woman was clearly a lady from a wealthy family; it was already a kind act for her to come in and help drive away the debt collectors.

"However, if your whole family buys themselves into my service and becomes my servants, I will pay off your son's gambling debt of three thousand taels and cure your wife," Rong Yingluo stated her conditions.

Old Man Jin was taken aback.

His family of four could only earn a maximum of one hundred taels of silver by selling themselves, but this woman was willing to spend three thousand taels and even help her wife get medical treatment.

How is that possible?

"Do you agree?" Rong Yingluo asked, noticing that Old Man Jin was in a daze.

"Father, no, we can't sell ourselves." Jin Zier came out of the house. She had heard Rong Yingluo's words from inside and quickly came out to stop her father from agreeing to Rong Yingluo's conditions.

"Father, I don't want to be a slave." Only then did Jin Dahe realize he was afraid.

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't gambled, how could our family have accumulated so much debt?" Jin Zi'er angrily hit her brother.

She had finally managed to hook up with a wealthy young man, and she was just waiting for him to come and propose marriage so she could escape her impoverished family.

But her brother found out and kept asking her for money to gamble. She had no choice but to give the money that Wen Gongzi had given her to her older brother, which only made her brother's gambling addiction grow bigger and bigger.

Now that they've caused such a huge disaster, things are spiraling out of control.

How will the Jin family repay the three thousand taels?

"Stop it!" Old Man Jin went up and slapped his son and daughter once each.

The two then calmed down.

Rong Yingluo then took a closer look at Jin Zier. She was indeed very beautiful, with a charming oval face and a pair of alluring fox-like eyes. If she were to put on a pitiful look, she would surely bewitch any man.

Even though he wasn't dressed in fine clothes, Yuwen Tai, who was used to seeing beautiful women in gorgeous attire, would inevitably be attracted to such a charming face.

Furthermore, this woman even used her own body to cure Yuwentai of the aphrodisiac without asking for anything in return, so Yuwentai naturally cherished her greatly.

No wonder Yuwen Tai couldn't resist it.

"Father, we are law-abiding citizens. Once we sell ourselves into slavery, our descendants will all be slaves," Jin Dahe said with a mournful face.

"Three thousand taels? Where am I supposed to find that?" Old Man Jin looked at his two children. His son was good-for-nothing, and his daughter, who was a little more sensible, wanted to marry into a higher social class. No matter how many families he asked, they all looked down on her.

He's just a kitchen helper at an inn; what kind of business could he possibly build for his children? And his wife is dying.

What will happen to this family in the future?

With my son in this condition, it's uncertain whether he'll be able to find a wife and have children.

If you can't get married in your whole life, how can you have any descendants?

It would be better to sell him to this lady as a servant, at least then the whole family could stay together.

With a master around, the son might be able to kick his gambling addiction.

"Father, I can't sell myself. I have a way to get the money. Give me one day." Jin Zier was still waiting to become Young Master Wen's wife and absolutely could not sell herself into slavery.

If she becomes a slave, how can she marry into a wealthy family?

Although Young Master Wen didn't say he wanted to marry her, she was confident she could charm him so much that he would marry no one else.

"Miss Jin, are you going to ask your brother Tai for money?" Rong Yingluo asked playfully, a question that surprised Jin Zier.

"Who...who are you?" Jin Zier stared wide-eyed in disbelief.