Hao Cheng was not good at confiding in others or complaining, especially not good at telling her troubles to strangers of the opposite sex, so when faced with Jiang Mengzhen's concern, she just said a few vague words and let the matter go.
She was vague and refused to say anything, and Jiang Mengzhen did not keep asking. He spent some time and effort to go to the town to inquire and found out what was going on.
There were several pawnbrokers in the town, but the one Hao Cheng found was the most successful and the largest. Because it had the support of the county magistrate's wife, most people would not go against this pawnbroker.
Places like pawnbrokers also have to introduce servants such as maids and boys. The wealthy families in this town have connections with them, so if they offend the pawnbrokers, it's no wonder that the sellers would change their minds at the last minute.
Hao Cheng is a commoner. Although he is a scholar with a good reputation, there are many wives of scholars in the town. After all, scholars do not have the same status as juren, and the Hao family does not have any relatives to rely on. What can they do in this situation? Endure
If he admitted his mistake, he would have to pay a few hundred taels of silver. But money doesn't come from the wind. A few hundred taels is a large sum for Hao Cheng now. If he pays this extra money, he will have no capital to do business. Renting a house is not his own house. If he offends someone and is kicked out temporarily, it will be even more embarrassing.
But she was unwilling to let Hao Cheng be so aggrieved. Jiang Mengzhen was even more upset than her that "his own people" were being plotted against. To him, Hao Cheng was now his umbrella of protection, and as his savior, he was of course his people.
Jiang Mengzhen was vindictive and protective. If others bullied Hao Cheng, it was just him. If he came to the town with his real identity, even the county magistrate would have to be respectful. Who would dare to offend him without any eyes
But even if he didn't have that status, given Jiang Mengzhen's pride, he couldn't tolerate himself suffering such injustice.
Hao Cheng had been out for two days, and Jiang Mengzhen had already made some plans in his mind. He found a time when Hao Cheng was in a good mood and asked him indirectly: "Do you have enough money for the house? If not, I have some."
Hao Cheng then remembered that she had a mobile treasury at home. Given Meng Zhen's personality, if she took the money and didn't return it, he probably wouldn't bother her. If she borrowed money from him, even if she had an extra two hundred taels of silver, she would still have the capital to open a shop.
However, she still couldn't swallow the anger about this matter: "I had chosen a house before, but I encountered some small troubles. I originally planned to spend about 500 taels of silver to buy a house, but ended up offending the broker. I either have to pay 200 taels more or spend money on a bad house."
Jiang Mengzhen knew about this a long time ago, but he still pretended to be ignorant: "How can that pimp be so bold? They don't want to do business when it's good. If you make a deal, they can also take dozens of taels of silver. Or is there no other pimp in town?"
Hao Cheng sighed, "It's because I provoked my uncle Kou, who deliberately wanted to go against me. I have looked for several dental shops these days, but none of them would do this business for me. If I go alone, I will not know much and will have concerns, and it will take too much time. I have thought about it these days. If it doesn't work, I will move out of this town. When I move to another place, my uncle can't stretch his hands so far."
If you can't win, run away. Hao Cheng can't do such things as head-on confrontation. She can always avoid it if she can't afford to offend. She can only run away first, and then come back to slap Kou's face when she has the strength.
Jiang Mengzhen nodded: "Moving to a nearby town is also a solution, but it would be embarrassing. Have you ever thought about suing the authorities?"
Hao Cheng shook his head: "The county magistrate is the man behind the pawnbroker. What's the point of suing the pawnbroker? Besides, they all act according to the rules. Even if they sue the pawnbroker, it will be useless."
Those who sold houses would not risk offending the county magistrate to testify for her. The brokerage accepted her money according to the rules, and it seemed that there was nothing to complain about. It was because of this that she felt even more unhappy. What is meant by "bitter teeth and blood swallowing"? This is it. This feeling of frustration is really unpleasant.
Jiang Mengzhen said: "If you want to do business, it's not impossible to go to Linzhen. But when you leave, you can still sue the official." I'm not afraid of offending a gentleman, but I'm afraid of offending a villain, so if Hao Cheng wants to live a peaceful life, it's okay for him to go somewhere else.
But the feeling of slapping these people twice and then walking away triumphantly is completely different from running away with your tail between your legs.
Hao Cheng said depressedly: "I know this, but how can we sue him when the county magistrate is protecting us?"
Although there were many laws in Jin, they were actually very chaotic. Even the officials didn't know some of the laws. But he was different. Although he was a man, Jiang Mengzhen had to learn much more than those scholars who only cared about the imperial examinations.
If you want to scheme against someone, you have to exploit loopholes in the law. Even the wives of lawyers are not more familiar with the laws of this dynasty than he is.
Jiang Mengzhen raised the corners of his lips: "Of course you can sue, and I promise that you will win."