Chapter 2: A Combination of Soft and Hard Approaches

Lu Jinping had already noticed two guards standing at the entrance of the local government office, watching the commotion but not coming over to intervene. He pointed to the government office and said to the bald-headed Zhang, "Look, that is the government office, and the governor is inside. Why don't you go and reason with him?"

Yao Pangzi agreed and hurried back to summon a maid. This maid was of similar height and age to Lu Jinping's maid, Ye Qingqing. After some deliberate dressing up, her attire and dress were identical. Yao Pangzi instructed her on what she needed to do. Thus, he waited in a small alley not far from Lu Jinping's stall.

"Who cares about your few copper coins?" said the nearby Fat Yao, glaring with eyes as round as copper bells. "You owe us nearly 60,000 wen! — Don't say anything, just sell that old house to pay off your debt! Otherwise, this won't end today!"

Lu Jinping glanced at the fat Yao lying on the ground along with several thugs, and with a cold sneer said: "It was you who struck first. My maid is loyal to her master; why should I intervene?"

Finally seeing that Ye Qingqing was conveniently available, Fatty Yao hurriedly instructed the young maid to follow him as he headed towards the notice posted by the elderly Lord Gao.

Seeing his beloved daughter on the brink of death, the elderly Mr. Gao, in desperation, posted a notice seeking renowned doctors who could cure his daughter's mysterious illness, including those who perform rituals. He promised a generous reward for anyone who could heal her. If the healer was young and unmarried, they would be welcomed as a son-in-law, with the prospect of inheriting the Gao family business in the future

The reason Lu Jinping is unafraid and confident in the face of challenges is that her personal maid, Ye Qingqing, possesses considerable martial skills.

Yao Pangzi has already gotten up, and upon seeing this, I hurriedly supported him, anxiously saying: "Brother, what are you doing? Why are you kneeling to this kid?"

They were unaware that this Dragon Dart Master was not an ordinary escort. In the past, he was a top-tier expert in the martial world. Due to a family tragedy, he left his homeland in sorrow and, by chance, came to the Lu family to serve as a guardian. Entrusted by the Lu family, he found the young Ye Qingqing to be intelligent and charming, and he grew quite fond of her, treating her as his own daughter and diligently teaching her martial arts until the parents of Lu Jinping fell ill and passed away one after another. The Lu family had exhausted their savings on medical expenses and could no longer afford to hire a guardian, prompting the Dragon Dart Master to leave and return to his hometown. At that time, Ye Qingqing had already received the true teachings of the Dragon Dart Master.

The steward turned around to look at him: "What is it?"

Lai Tou Zhang was taken aback, quickly retreating several steps, and pointed at Lu Jinping, angrily saying: "You, you lowly servant, hitting someone, are you going to do something about it or not?"

Upon hearing this, Lai Tou Zhang and Yao Panzai slowly lost their pitiful expressions, straightened their backs, and stared maliciously at Lu Jinping, gritting their teeth and saying: "We have plenty of ways to make you bow down. You are definitely selling the old house; just wait and see! — Let's go!"

Lai Tou Zhang nodded repeatedly and said, "Good! This method is excellent. That little rabbit is utterly unreasonable. We should properly deal with him—let's teach him a lesson. This time, he has provoked Old Master Gao, and even the governor won't be able to protect him! Hahaha, you all hurry up and take care of it!"

Upon seeing this notice, Yao the Fatty couldn't help but have a glint in his eye, as he thought of a plan to deal with Lu Jinping. He immediately leaned over to whisper a few words in the ear of Zhang the Bald.

Several thugs immediately rushed forward to strike Ye Qingqing. Her petite figure fluttered like a butterfly, skillfully dodging the punches and kicks of the group. Occasionally, she would counterattack, and those struck would inevitably cry out in pain and fall to the ground. In a short span of time, all the thugs were brought down, writhing in agony and unable to rise.

"Is your family unable to make ends meet?" Lu Jinping scoffed coldly, "When you say that, you should first wipe the grease off the corner of your mouth. You don't even know how to act. The land my family sold off was all bought by you at a very low price; don't think I don't know. You incited me to sell my family assets to bribe others, and then borrowed high-interest loans from you, using the old house as collateral. You are inciting others to commit crimes! — You need to discuss this matter properly; I can talk to you about it, but if you act recklessly, then I will too!"

After saying a few harsh words, Lai Tou Zhang turned and walked ahead, while Yao the Fatty and a few thugs hurriedly got up, limping as they followed behind.

You! You little rascal, owing money and not repaying it, yet allowing your servants to hit people! Come on, let's find a place to settle this!" The bald-headed man shouted with spittle flying, claiming he wanted to settle the matter, yet he stood there motionless.

There is no way out; I cannot fight back, and when I report it, no one pays attention. What else can I do if I do not kneel? The family is on the verge of starvation, and I am counting on him to sell the old house to pay off my debts, so I can buy rice and salt to support the family. He refuses, so I might as well die kneeling in front of him; after all, we are all doomed anyway. As I spoke, I squeezed my eyes tightly, trying to force out a few tears, but not a single drop came out. I could only cover my face with my sleeve and sob dryly. The family is on the verge of starvation, and I am counting on him to sell the old house to pay off my debts, so I can buy rice and salt to support the family. He refuses, so I might as well die kneeling in front of him; after all, we are all doomed anyway. As I spoke, I squeezed my eyes tightly, trying to force out a few tears, but not a single drop came out. I could only cover my face with my sleeve and sob dryly.

It is like this: I have studied a bit of medicine since elementary school and I also understand some folk remedies

Unfortunately, none of these individuals were able to cure Miss Gao's illness. The old master Gao had a volatile temperament and wielded considerable authority; although he had retired, his bad temper remained unchanged. He berated those doctors and Taoists who could not cure the illness, driving them away with harsh words. In fact, several incompetent doctors and Taoists with little skill were directly sent to the authorities for punishment. As a result, very few dared to come forward to offer their services.

At that moment, Jia Ding realized, let out a loud shout, and took off in pursuit. The maid had already reached Lu Jinping's calligraphy stall, stuffed the notice into Lu Jinping's arms, and then turned around and dashed into the small alley where Ye Qingqing had previously entered.

When Lu Jinping's parents were still alive, although the family had fallen on hard times, they still possessed some land and even hired a bodyguard to protect the family. Ye Qingqing began serving as Lu Jinping's attendant at the age of six or seven. Although she was petite, she enjoyed practicing with weapons. Upon discovering this, Lu Jinping's parents discussed the matter and concluded that since their son was focused on his studies and had no time to learn martial arts, it would be beneficial for the maid and attendant around him to possess martial skills to better ensure his safety. They formally invited the bodyguard Long to teach Ye Qingqing martial arts.

"You wretched servant, how dare you lay a hand on me?" Lai Tou Zhang, furious, trembled with his white beard, "Kill this wretched servant for me!"

Last time, Lai Tou Zhang and his companions went to the yamen to accuse Lord Lu Jinping, but they were scolded by the magistrate and were driven out of the main hall by the yamen runners with their clubs. How could they dare to go to the yamen about this matter again? Seeing that Lu Jinping was unafraid, he rolled his eyes a few times, changed his iron-blue face to a pitiful expression, took a couple of steps forward, and pretended to tremble as if he was about to kneel.

The housekeeper had not yet realized that Fatty Yao pointed at the maid after he had run a distance, saying, "Oh? Why did she take down the notice?"

"Not for sale!" Lu Jinping said expressionlessly, "That old residence is the only ancestral property passed down from my great-grandfather, granted by the late Emperor Taizong to my great-grandfather. It symbolizes my noble title and cannot be sold! This was stated by the governor of Tongzhou himself. You all heard it at the time."

Lu Jinping said: "To repay a debt, one must first have money. Currently, the money I earn each day is only enough for the two of us to eat. You can't possibly kill the goose that lays the golden eggs and take away our food, can you?"

After walking a short distance, Yao the Fat suddenly saw a notice on the wall, beside which stood a burly servant keeping watch, and he couldn't help but feel delighted

Yao Pangzi was in a furious mood, adamantly insisting that Lu Jinping would not sell the old house. In his anger, he swept his hand across the desk, knocking all the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone to the floor. He then reached out to grab Lu Jinping by the collar, but unexpectedly, a small hand from the side, belonging to Ye Qingqing, reached over and, with a thud, grabbed his arm. Immediately, her leg flew up, striking him right in his soft spot, causing him to crouch down on the ground with a pained "ouch".

This condition is exceedingly favorable, as the late Mr. Gao once held the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel. Becoming his son-in-law would be akin to ascending to the heavens for an ordinary commoner. Thus, prior to the announcement, many doctors and Taoist priests sought to offer their services, including a number of young individuals, all drawn by the prospect of this marriage proposal

Yao the Fat spoke slowly yet with an air of flattery. Just as the servant turned to speak to Yao the Fat, a young maid quickly stepped forward, tore down the notice from the wall, and ran off with it

Yao Pangzi walked ahead, with the young maid following behind. When Yao Pangzi reached the side of the steward, he smiled and said, "Brother, I have a matter I would like to inquire about; may I ask if it is convenient?"

This notice was posted by a retired official seeking renowned doctors to treat his critically ill beloved daughter. The retired official, surnamed Gao, once held the position of Deputy Minister of Personnel at the fourth rank. After his retirement, he preferred not to live in the capital, finding it too noisy, and instead chose to settle in Tongzhou Prefecture, not far from Mount Hua, where he purchased a residence. He has no sons, only one daughter, born of his youngest concubine, whom he cherishes like a precious treasure. Several months ago, she fell ill with a strange disease. He consulted numerous physicians, even inviting court doctors with substantial rewards, yet none were able to cure her.