章節 16: Everyone has a price
Duan, Yunzhang province., the Yuan Family residence.
"Please slow down, young miss. It is not safe to run like this! Young Miss! please be careful", a plump woman dressed in a dark blue maids uniform called out as she ran after her charge.
She paused, placed her hand on top of her knees and bent forward as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart beat fast, she could hear it loudly, she looked ahead and her young miss never stopped.
"Hold on", she said in between heavy pants, hands raised but her teenage mistress did not seem to hear her. "I am far too old to be running after that unruly girl", she muttered as she took a deep breath before taking off after her mistress.
She swept aside the long leaves in her way with her left hand as she bent through a corner. She finally caught sight of her petite young mistress's back in the distance.
"Please stop young miss. It is not ladylike to run! Young Miss!" She hissed as her thigh muscles hurt but continued running.
She had been so focused on running after her charge that she failed to see a stone on the ground. Until she hit her foot and fell forward, "Ahhh!" She immediately covered her face as she fell.
Up ahead, Yuan Liqiu glanced over her shoulder as she heard Nanny Cheng Cry, Her lips curved up as the older woman fell.
"Finally, she would stop following me", She muttered without much sympathy for the older woman.
She scuffed and then continued forward. Yuan Liqiu reduced her pace when her father's study got into view, silently walking through the flowers beside her father's study.
She climbed up the raised platform and leaning close to the walls of the building side-stepped slowly until she got to the open window of her father's study.
She stood still, prepared to rush in and surprise him but before she could. A loud crash came from inside the study, followed promptly by a familiar raised male voice.
"Don't do anything stupid, Elder brother", the familiar male voice said.
She peeped in and gasped, nearly falling off the pavement. She yelped and quickly gripped the window frame tightly, her heartbeat increased rapidly.
She looked down to the ground below the pavement and then at the window frame she held onto. Luckily the raised male voices masked her voice, she gripped the frame and looked in.
She tried to make sense of the situation, There were six other men apart from her father. She recognised the two men who held her father back.
One was her second uncle Yuan Yichen while the other was her fourth uncle Yuan Chang. The prefect of the province Prefect Zhu and his assistant stood next to two strange men.
The older man of the two strangers was seated while the younger man that looked to be many years older than her stood behind the older man.
The older man's hair was already greying and looked quite menacing with the long scar below his eyes. The younger man on the other hand was tall and muscular with a plump face.
Based on the high-quality silk clothes both men wore and the arm guards on their wrists, they were most definitely military men.
The two strangers looked like father and son, they had similar features. The younger man glared at her father and uncle, he looked like he wanted to kill them.
Her uncles both tried to hold her father back, which she found strange. Her father wasn't one to get physical with people, he was always calm. His current actions worried her, the older stranger's next word made her feel uneasy.
"Let him go", Duke Shenxiu said gently standing, Yuan Yichen let go of his elder brother's arm and nodded at Yuan Chang. They both stepped back after letting go of their brother.
Yuan Boran shook his sleeves and arranged his clothes as soon as his brothers stepped back. He glared at the Duke as he walked closer to him, "Don't bother trying to bribe me, your grace. I would never be bought over".
The Duke Smiled, "stop being so stubborn, Mr Yuan. Everyone has a price, just tell me what it would take you to look the other way", he stood a few inches away from Yuan Boran.
Yuan Boran's brows twitched, "don't waste your breath, I will never be bought over".
"I heard that you were quite stubborn, I guess the rumours were right", the Duke stepped back and turned to the Prefect, "if I remember correctly, Mr Yuan's trading warrant is almost due", he glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with Yuan Boran as he continued,
"Just imagine the losses you would encore if your shipments are seized. It is not hard for me to ruin you and your entire family.
As the head of the family, you should make the best decision for your family. Stop being stubborn, you have three days to make a decision. Until then, consider all your businesses closed".
Yuan Boran's hands shook, "you cannot do that!"
"You are just a lowly merchant, do you think you can challenge us? Be smart and take my father's deal", Nie Zihan said.
Yuan Boran immediately balled up his fist and rushed forward to punch the Duke but was knocked down by Nie Zihan who also proceeded to kick him on the stomach repeatedly.
"Father!" Yuan Liqiu jumped into the room through the window and ran to her father's side. She was so fast that Nie Zihan did not see her until she laid over her father. "No!"
That did not stop Nie Zihan from raising his leg to kick her, Liqiu shot her eyes and buried her head in her father's chest but the pain she had expected never came.
A few seconds later she opened her eyes and met the older stranger's cold stare. She looked up and saw that the man had held back his son, tears filled her eyes.
She attempted to pull away from her father's body to check her father's injuries but was hugged tightly by her father.
The Duke glanced at the shivering body of the young girl and sighed, he glared at his hot-tempered son. "Let us go", then to Yuan Boran, "you have three days to consider my offer".
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