Chapter 52

Chapter Fifty-Two: Creditors Come Calling on the Wedding Night! Creditors? Pei Wuliang's drunkenness sobered up by more than half. How could this be? When had he ever owed money outside? Why didn't he know anything about it? Song Jiaojiao instantly lost all interest in being intimate with him the moment she heard this. She immediately pushed him away, a look of disgust on her face. "Husband, what's going on? Tonight is our wedding night! How could you have debts out there?" She had married him to become Madam Pei and enjoy a life of comfort, not to come here and live a life of hardship. If the Pei family was truly drowning in debt, she would make a scene. Who would want to marry into a family buried in external debts? "Don't worry, my dear. It must be a mistake. Let me go take a look. Just wait for me." Pei Wuliang refused to believe he owed any debts. He quickly coaxed Song Jiaojiao with gentle words, then slunk out of the room with a dejected look. The moment he stepped outside, he gave Hu Ba a hard slap across the face. "You useless fool! Who told you to come spouting nonsense outside the bridal chamber?" Hu Ba was deeply wronged by the slap. He covered his aching face, looking utterly aggrieved. "Please calm down, Young Master. I had no choice. There's a crowd of people blocking the front entrance, all claiming we owe them money. The Madam and Old Master have just gone to sleep, so I didn't dare disturb them. I could only come to..." "You idiot! Today is your master's wedding day! What kind of blind fool dares to cause trouble at my wedding? Where are they?" "They're in the front hall. There are so many of them, Young Master. Could it be that we owe debts from before..." "Impossible! Qingcheng already sent someone to settle those accounts long ago. They must be here deliberately to cause trouble. I'd like to see just how bold these people are—do they have the guts of leopards to dare disrupt my wedding?" Pei Wuliang was fuming with anger, determined to have the whole lot of them arrested and taught a lesson. But when he hurried to the front courtyard, he was utterly stunned by what he saw... There in the front yard stood several shopkeepers, and he naturally recognized every one of them! The gold shop's shopkeeper, the clothing shop's shopkeeper, and... The owner of the bridal gown shop—what was going on? What were they here to cause trouble for? When the steward saw Pei Wuliang arrive, he quickly stepped forward and bowed. "Young Master, what is the meaning of this? How could you owe so much debt?" "Don't listen to them, Steward. I don't know a single one of these people!" He naturally refused to admit knowing these shopkeepers—after all, he was a man who valued his reputation. "Gather them all in one room. I'll interrogate them properly to find out what's going on." Soon, the steward followed his instructions and gathered all the shopkeepers into a single room. And indeed, the shopkeepers had deliberately chosen this moment—his wedding night—to come collecting debts! First, coming at this time would make collecting the money twice as effective. Second, it would shame the Pei family. They had already been merciful by not coming during the daytime wedding ceremony. Coming now was already giving Pei Wuliang face. "Young Master has arrived!" Outside, Pei Wuliang hurried over with Hu Ba. When the crowd saw him arrive, they immediately swarmed around him. "Pei Young Master! Finally, we get to see you!" When he saw it was the gold shop's shopkeeper, Pei Wuliang grew furious. They actually dared to come? Didn't they know what day this was? "What do you people mean by this? On my wedding day, you dare to come and cause trouble?" "Young Master, please calm down. I came at night, so it doesn't count as causing trouble. Now then, these debts you owe—shouldn't you settle them?" "That's right, Young Master. The month is already up. If you don't pay the silver, how am I supposed to answer to my boss?" Pei Wuliang listened in complete confusion. He had long since told Jia Qingcheng to handle these matters. Why were they still coming to his door making a fuss? "What do you mean? Didn't I have Jia Qingcheng send someone to settle the accounts? Are you people deliberately trying to ruin my day?" "Settle the accounts?" The shopkeepers exchanged glances, then shook their heads. "Young Master Pei must be joking. Miss Jia never sent anyone at all! If the accounts had truly been settled, why would we come disturbing your wedding night in the middle of the night?" What was going on? Why hadn't Jia Qingcheng settled the accounts? Pei Wuliang naturally refused to believe it. After all, in his past life, whatever he said, Jia Qingcheng did. How could she possibly not have settled the accounts? "Shopkeeper, you say Jia Qingcheng never came to settle the accounts. Do you have proof?" What? He was asking them for proof? This immediately infuriated the shopkeepers. "Young Master Pei, what do you mean by this? If you had settled the accounts, would we still be coming to your residence?" "That's right, Young Master Pei. I don't like hearing you speak this way. You're a man of standing in the capital—you must be responsible for your words. If you haven't paid, then you haven't paid. If you had, why would we still come to disturb you?" "Hmph! Who knows what you people are up to? I already told Jia Qingcheng to handle this matter. Since you all claim it hasn't been resolved, I naturally need to investigate. Guards! See our guests out!" "Young Master Pei, you're being a rogue! Aren't you afraid we'll report you to the authorities?" Report him to the authorities? Pei Wuliang sneered. "I'm a man of the Imperial Medical Academy. You people want to report me?" "You!" "Go back first. Wait until I've investigated this matter thoroughly before we discuss it further. If you refuse to leave, then I'll have my men escort you out—don't blame me for being rude!" "Fine, Pei Wuliang! We hold your IOUs in our hands. You'd better think this through carefully. If the silver isn't repaid within three days, you can expect to face a lawsuit!" With that, the shopkeepers didn't linger any longer. After all, they had already achieved their purpose for coming tonight—Pei Wuliang couldn't escape, and they'd even managed to sour his mood. Sure enough, after the shopkeepers left, Pei Wuliang grew even more agitated. All thoughts of the wedding night vanished. He felt a pang of worry—worry that Qingcheng truly hadn't settled his accounts. "Hu Ba!" "At your service, young master." "Go check how much silver we have left in the accounts." "Young master, what do you—" "First go ask the steward how much we have!" Hu Ba was puzzled. "Young master, is it that Miss Jia is no longer willing to pay our debts? If we have to pay ourselves, that's a huge sum—we don't have that much silver to settle the accounts." "Who said Qingcheng is unwilling? There must be some misunderstanding in this matter. I trust Qingcheng's handling of affairs—she's never once made me worry about such mundane matters. It must be that these shopkeepers' subordinates received the silver but failed to report it to them in time." Hu Ba: "..." "Then why did you have me go check how much silver we have, young master?" "We received quite a bit of gift money today. I want to see how much there is. In a few days, I'll go ask Qingcheng for another sum of silver. Lord Lin's birthday is approaching, and I need to purchase an expensive gift to present to him. That way, he'll put in a good word for me at the Imperial Medical Academy, and I'll have a chance to be reinstated as an imperial physician and rise to prominence." "Young master, why bother with all this? Since Miss Jia is fond of you and will eventually become your concubine, why not have her prepare this birthday gift?"