Chapter 441: Debt Collection
Chapter 441: Chapter 441: Debt Collection
Gu Baijiang grinned at him. Unafraid that his own contorted face might scare others, he even leaned in maliciously. "Do you think I still have a choice?
"You really made a wasted trip this time, Mr. Zhou. The master behind you should have known the news long ago. Did he not tell you?"
Zhou Gang’s gaze dodged slightly. Since returning to the capital, he had also wanted to meet the First Prince, but he had been turned away and even subtly warned by the prince’s attendants. He knew it was impossible to rely on the First Prince anymore, but he was unwilling to fade into total obscurity.
Thus, he made this trip today. If he could find out the whereabouts of that sum of silver, it would be his ticket to gaining favor. If not, he could at least collect the debt from Gu Baijiang to make his family’s life a bit easier.
"I don’t know what master you’re talking about," Zhou Gang refused to admit. "I’m just asking out of the goodness of my heart. After all, you gave so much silver to the Third Prince. Did he make you any promises?"
He thought Gu Baijiang was a fool. With that much silver, if Gu Baijiang had just skimmed half of it, he could have lived as a wealthy man of leisure even if the Third Prince proved unreliable. On second thought, that couldn’t be right. If Zhou Gang could think of this, how could an old fox like Gu Baijiang miss it? He hadn’t expected this old geezer to swindle even a destitute man like himself. If he ever managed to return to the imperial court, he would definitely teach him a lesson.
"Why would that require a promise? To tell you something you could probably guess, that silver was never my private property to begin with. I was just helping to look after it. Now, it has merely been returned to its rightful owner," Gu Baijiang said. His heart ached, but there were some things he had to keep hidden.
These past few days, he had been secretly investigating who had betrayed the secret of that place and who had emptied out his family fortune, but he had found absolutely no clues!
"You really opened my eyes, Mr. Gu," Zhou Gang mocked. "Since you are so generous, I imagine you won’t miss the trifling sum you owe me. It’s only a few thousand taels of silver. Please settle the account quickly so I can go back and take my children to work in the fields."
He needed to get the silver quickly so he could buy grain. Being forced by his wife to eat wild vegetable soup every day was becoming unbearable.
To his surprise, Gu Baijiang still shook his head, insisting that he had no silver. This immediately enraged Zhou Gang.
If they weren’t on someone else’s turf, he would have flipped the table. "No matter what happens today, you must repay the debt you owe me. Otherwise, I really will sue you."
Gu Baijiang was drowning in debt anyway, so he naturally wasn’t afraid of adding a little more. "Suit yourself. However, before you go, I will also send someone to inform the Third Prince. After all, the silver I had is now in his hands. He will settle the account for you."
Zhou Gang ground his teeth. "I have truly learned something today. I never expected the formerly dignified Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War to have such a shameless side.
"Since you aren’t afraid of stirring up a scandal, then don’t blame me for being ruthless." Zhou Gang knew he had no way back today, so he had truly made up his mind to take the matter to the authorities.
Seeing him actually walk to the door, Gu Baijiang finally moved and hurriedly stopped him. "Why are you so hot-tempered? This isn’t right. We can talk about this."
He had originally wanted to fool this idiot. Knowing that Zhou Gang feared the Third Prince, he figured the man wouldn’t dare cause a scene. "It’s not that I’m denying the IOU. How about you give me a little more time? Once my finances loosen up, I will definitely repay you."
"Stop lying to me, Mr. Gu. If a debt is dragged out for too long, it becomes a bad debt. You’ve seen my family’s situation. We can’t stay in the capital any longer; we can only find a new place to settle down. Giving us a few thousand taels of silver might seem like a lot, but if we need to purchase property and establish a household, that money will vanish without a trace."
Gu Baijiang knew that no matter how he explained it, the other party wouldn’t believe him. He spoke brazenly, "You won’t believe anything I say anyway. You might as well go to the authorities."
The silver had genuinely been given to the Third Prince. At worst, he would just drag the prince into this mess. The Third Prince had reaped all the benefits, yet the Gu family was struggling to rise again. Now, the prince had merely thrown them a courtyard, practically keeping them in captivity, and had failed to fulfill any of his previous promises. If that was the case, then nobody would have a good time.
Thinking of this, Gu Baijiang even felt a bit thrilled. Let him cause a scene. He could cause as big of a scene as he wanted.
Zhou Gang, however, thought Gu Baijiang was just bluffing, betting that he wouldn’t dare offend the Third Prince.
Gritting his teeth, he stood up decisively. "You said it. Don’t blame me."
Gu Baijiang made a gesture of invitation and asked the butler waiting outside to see the guest out.
The butler gave him a deep look and actually escorted the man out of the mansion.
Zhou Gang looked back at the large characters for "Gu Mansion" on the plaque and truly began walking toward the Jingzhao Mansion.
He was barely scraping by anyway, so he wasn’t going to let anyone else live comfortably either.
The officials on duty at the Jingzhao Mansion were greatly startled to see Zhou Gang. They all knew who this man was.
"If it isn’t Mr. Zhou. What grievances do you have?" Zhang Zhao said sarcastically. Speaking of which, he had Zhou Gang to thank for his current position.
Because of Zhou Gang’s groundless impeachment back then, he had been demoted three full ranks and turned into this lowly governor of the Jingzhao Mansion.
If he hadn’t had some backing and a capable family, he wouldn’t have even been able to keep this seat.
Upon seeing it was Zhang Zhao, Zhou Gang’s heart turned completely cold. If he could go back in time, he would definitely warn himself not to act so aggressively.
As satisfying as his words in the imperial court had been back then, his regret now was just as profound. "So it is Mr. Zhang. We haven’t seen each other for a few days, but you are as elegant as ever."
Zhang Zhao sneered. "It’s truly rare to hear a compliment from your mouth, but spare me the pleasantries. Who are you here to sue?
"Rest assured, I will definitely handle the case with ’impartiality’ for you."
Zhou Gang was speechless. What terrible luck to run into this guy!
He wanted to say it was nothing and that he was just passing by, but he was ultimately unwilling to let the matter drop.
Thus, he laid everything bare. "I hope you can handle this impartially, Mr. Zhang, and make Gu Baijiang return the silver immediately."
"Alright then. Leave the evidence here. We will investigate and get back to you," Zhang Zhao said.
"How is that possible?" Zhou Gang immediately revealed a suspicious look. "Shouldn’t you immediately arrest the culprit and bring him to justice?
"Could it be that the rules have changed during my time away from the capital?
"In that case, Mr. Zhang, just pretend I was never here today. Let me go out and get a clear understanding of the situation first."
He would have to be joking to leave the evidence here. Considering how severely he had offended this man in the past, there was no way it would end well for him.
Zhang Zhao hadn’t expected this old geezer to be so sharp, but he still replied candidly, "This isn’t some major murder case. Of course, we have to spare some manpower before we can handle it.
"You can see for yourself that all the constables have been dispatched from the office. If you don’t mind the wait, you can sit here until they return."
As for when they would be free? That was truly unpredictable.
He wasn’t a fool. This matter involving Zhou Gang also implicated the Third Prince’s inner courtyard. He was still hoping for a promotion after this year, so he wasn’t going to charge in recklessly like a hothead to demand answers and ruin his own future in the process.
This Zhou Gang was truly his nemesis. Nothing good ever happened when he bumped into him. Now, he had brought him another difficult problem.