Chapter 243 Bleeding Heart

In order to maintain her image, Guo forced a smile that was uglier than crying and said, "If you have anything to say, let's talk inside the mansion."

As long as these people are inside the mansion, she has the final say on how to deal with the matter.

She can say that not asking for usury is just a rumor spread by someone with ulterior motives, a misunderstanding.

She has the IOUs signed by those people in her hand, so they don't dare to have any objections.

Even if those who borrowed money with usury want to make trouble, she only needs to reduce the interest a little bit, and they should be satisfied.

Ling Chuyi had already guessed Guo's plan.

She didn't say anything, but just glanced at Zhou Banqin who was mixed in the crowd.

Zhou Banqin's mother immediately said loudly, "Madam is kind-hearted. We can't be ungrateful and not go into the mansion to disturb them. We will wait here. Madam can ask someone to return the money we collected earlier. The family is still waiting for the money to buy rice."

"Yes, yes, yes, we won't go in. I'm still waiting to take the money and take my father to see a doctor."

...

Listening to those words asking for money, Guo was furious, but she couldn't vent it.

Outside the crowd, Cao Hongxin, the commander of the West City Military Department, was watching with his men on the sidelines, on the pretext of preventing someone from causing trouble.

Guo didn't dare to get angry, so she could only smile and persuade them with kind words for a long time, but no one listened to her and went into the Zhaoguogong Mansion.

Seeing that she had not allowed anyone to give money, Cao Hongdeng in the crowd shouted, "Madam Guogong said that in order to help everyone, she would not take back the money she had lent out before, and would return the money she had already received.

How come we have been waiting for so long, but you didn't let anyone take out the money? Could it be that... you regretted it and don't want to return the money to us?"

As soon as Cao Hongdeng finished speaking, many people followed suit and questioned her.

Guo was so angry that she was stuck in her throat, but she couldn't vent in front of so many people.

At this moment, Cao Hongxin looked at her in surprise, "Duke Zhao's mansion privately lent money?"

Guo's face changed. Privately lending money is illegal. If it gets out, the whole mansion will probably be implicated by her.

Although it was the nanny beside her who lent the money, no one would believe that a nanny had the courage and ability to do such a thing. Anyone with a discerning eye would know that she was the instigator behind the scenes.

Husband and wife are one, she is the wife of the Duke of Zhao, in the eyes of the emperor and those court officials, her lending money at high interest is equivalent to what the Duke of Zhao did.

She can't let the emperor take away the title of the Duke of Zhao's mansion.

After weighing it clearly, Guo said with a smile that was uglier than crying, "Misunderstanding, this is all misunderstanding, our Duke of Zhao's mansion did not lend money at high interest privately.

The Duke of Zhao's mansion just saw that the harvest was bad, and some families couldn't even afford to eat and wear clothes. The sick families couldn't even take out the money to buy medicine. In order to help everyone, our Duke of Zhao's mansion tightened its belt and lent the money saved to everyone."

Guo wanted to cover up the truth, but Ling Chu would not let her do as she wished, "So, your Duke of Zhao's mansion is doing good deeds. But why do you charge such high interest after lending money? Are you actually making a lot of money in the name of doing good deeds?"

Guo wanted to tear her apart.

"This is all a misunderstanding. My nanny is old and confused, and she didn't handle the matter properly."

"So, the money that the Duke's Mansion lent out still needs to be taken back? But why did I hear that your Duke's Mansion understands everyone's difficulties and decides to do good things to the end, and all the money that was lent out will not be taken. And the money collected before will also be returned to everyone.

Could it be that you actually lent money privately at high interest from the beginning, and now that the matter has been exposed, you are afraid of being investigated by the emperor, so you lied that the money was lent to help everyone overcome the current difficulties?"

"Could it be that after everyone leaves, your Duke's Mansion will say that it was a misunderstanding, and the money that was lent out will still be collected, and the high interest will not be reduced by a penny?"

As soon as Ling Chu finished speaking, everyone rushed forward to ask Guo for an explanation.

The wife of the Duke of Zhao's Mansion hid inside the door, angry and helpless.

The crowd was too angry. If this matter could not be properly handled, something would definitely happen to the Zhao Mansion.

For the sake of her son, the old lady had to stand up, "Everyone, be quiet and listen to me. We, the Duke of Zhao's Mansion, did not lend money privately. This is all a misunderstanding.

Our Zhao family has an ancestral precept that future generations should do more good deeds and accumulate more virtue. The money given by the Zhao family will not be taken back, so don't worry."

She turned around and ordered, "Manager Zhao, take out all the money in the mansion, and return all the money that Madam Zhao had collected before."

When the old lady said this, those who had borrowed money at interest were all very happy.

The old lady took the opportunity to say, "Originally, we wanted to help everyone, but we didn't expect that the madam in the mansion was old and confused and did something wrong. I hope everyone will give me a face and don't blame her.

Everyone, don't worry, I will let the manager check the IOU with you and burn it in front of you. You don't have to worry that our Duke of Zhao's Mansion will ask you to pay back the money afterwards..."

With the promise of the old lady, everyone finally put their minds at ease and smiled.

Guo looked at the burned IOUs and the returned money, and her heart was bleeding.

All that was burned was her money!

Guo stared at Ling Chu with eyes as sharp as knives. It must be this bitch who did it.

After those people leave, she will see how she will deal with her.

Noticing Guo's eyes, Ling Chu glanced casually and retracted her gaze, but suddenly turned back and stared at her forehead.

She remembered that when she first entered the Zhao family, Guo's face was flushed.

Not only is the forehead black, but the black energy is also bloody.

This face... means imprisonment.

Just as Ling Chu was curious about the change in Guo's face, a man in shorts suddenly rushed out from the crowd.

He cursed at the wife of Duke Zhao, "What a good family, doing good deeds, it's all a lie. You are just lending money privately!

My third brother borrowed 50 taels from you, you took advantage of his illiteracy and tricked him into signing a loan note. Later I found out that the interest was compounded, and he owed you more than 1,000 taels."

"My third brother came to you to argue, but he was never seen again after entering the door of your Duke Zhao's mansion. You must be afraid that my third brother will expose your loan business, so you killed him."

"Nonsense, we don't know your third brother in the Duke Zhao's mansion, and we haven't beaten anyone to death. Could it be that you saw that we waived the money everyone borrowed, and you became greedy and wanted to take the opportunity to extort money?"

Guo's face was dark blue. She didn't expect that the man who was beaten to death by the servant last time would come to her house half a year later.

And he even exposed the matter in public.

"Bah, I'm not one of you who appears kind on the surface but is actually evil at heart.

You said you didn't harm my third brother, so do you dare to let us search your Zhaoguogong Mansion?"

Thanks to Taotao_ab for the monthly ticket support.

Thanks to 20230208431051, Jam Kitten, Evening Primrose Sunning the Moon in Lucknow, CHEN, Cat and Mouse Don't Play, Childlike Doll, Taurus Traveling Freely, Peng Yongfang, Prose_Ba, Fallen Leaves Know Autumn_Ad, 20170318191430835, 20211022120741050, Willow Bank~, Willow Bank~,

yuanjuan, 2023052174210, Yingjie 798, China Fuze, 20230208431051, 854***72h, Qi Xiyao, Why Get Old, Sanqi_Db, ixixi, 20230219741685, 20230306195833531, 20230907495021, Bei Nian* and other book friends for their recommendation votes.

Thanks to the book friends Hongxiu and Xiaoxiang for their support.