Hope for luck

Chapter 13
Although Du Xiangming respected Gao Pan on the surface, but in words, Gao Pan even called him the third master!

Don't underestimate Gao Pan too much, and it makes Gao Pan hate Du Xiangming to the extreme in an instant!

However, his face was still very calm, and he said indifferently:

"So it's Mr. Du, but I'm ignorant, but I don't know, what is Mr. Du doing?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the girl who was strangled by the neck.

"So that Lord Xiaozhi County will know that the siblings owe me 500 taels of silver from the Du family. I'm just here to look for them!"

Du Xiangming squinted his eyes, looked at Gao Pan and said with a smile.

Hearing this, Gao Pan became even more annoyed. Du Xiangming really dared to say it. After Gao Pan knew some prices in this era, he knew that 500 taels was not a small sum!

Seeing that Peng Ming and his brother didn't look like they needed to borrow 500 taels, Gao Pan felt that Du Xiangming must have borrowed it randomly.

"You are talking nonsense, we only borrowed ten taels of silver, how did it become 500 taels?"

The girl didn't know where the courage came from, her face flushed, and she said out of breath.

Seeing this, Gao Pan knew that she was very uncomfortable at the moment, so he looked at Du Xiangming and said:
"Mr. Du, if you are in debt, you will be in debt. Why do you want to do something to a woman? Why don't you let them go first for the sake of this official?"

Du Xiangming heard the words, squinted his eyes and looked at Gao Pan, thought for a while, and said with a smile:

"Gaozhi County, I, Mr. Du, have never bullied people. This is a pledged IOU. It is clearly written in black and white. You have to read it carefully before deciding whether to speak for their siblings or not!"

What Du Xiangming said was very domineering, and he didn't treat Gao Pan as the magistrate of the county government at all.

Gao Pan snorted coldly in his heart, and motioned to the attendant at the side to take the IOU in his hand.

"You can take it well. This is 500 taels. If you lose it, I will settle the score with you, Mr. Du!"

Du Xiangming said to the yamen who came to get the IOU.

Gao Pan knew in his heart that this was for himself, and he knew more about the domineering Du family in his heart!
The yamen servant didn't care how much he had, as if he had snatched it from him, he took it quickly and respectfully sent it to Gao Pan.

Seeing this, Du Xiangming looked at the servant with a sullen expression, already thinking in his heart, how could this lowly servant be so unlucky!
Gao Pan took the IOU and looked at it, and a flash of anger flashed in his eyes.

There is no problem with the IOU, and there are also handwritten notes by Peng Ming's sister, Peng Lanshu, and a notary's note, so there is no mistake.

But it said that on August 14th, 13, Peng Lanshu borrowed [-] taels of silver to pay for her mother's funeral. After three months, she had to repay the principal plus interest totaling [-] taels.

"Kochi County, can you see it clearly? According to the agreement above, they should pay it off after three months, but now that a year has passed, they still can't pay it off..."

Du Xiangming still squinted his eyes, looked at Gao Pan with a smile and said, his words were full of complacency and contempt, and after a pause, he continued:
"According to the regulations, the original ten taels of silver up to now, and the interest added up, already needs to pay back 490 nine taels! I'm kind enough to make a round, and charging them 500 taels is not too much, right?"

When Gao Pan heard this, his face darkened, and he replied loudly:

"Mr. Du, you should have a bit of conscience as a human being, right? Ten taels of silver, and the profit has finally reached more than 400 taels. Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

"Hahaha, what Kochi County said is wrong. If I hadn't kindly lent them money, they wouldn't even be able to afford a coffin board. Why, when borrowing money, they don't show their conscience, but when they pay back, they just talk about their conscience It's ridiculous..."

Du Xiangming looked at Gao Pan contemptuously and said.

"Mr. Du, do you really insist on taking back the 500 taels of silver?"

Gao Pan stared at Du Xiangming and said.

"That's natural, 500 taels, even if you lose a penny... Oh, by the way, if you don't pay it back tomorrow, it will be 550 taels, and the next day will be 600 taels..."

Du Xiangming said complacently that he felt that he had an IOU in his hand, even if the Heavenly King Lao Tzu came, he would not be able to renege on it!

"In that case, come and detain Du Xiangming for me!"

A cold light flashed in Gao Pan's eyes, and he ordered in a deep voice.

The servants around were also very obedient, and immediately prepared to take Du Xiangming into custody.

"Presumptuous, let me see who dares to move... Kochi County, what do you mean? What did I do? Are you going to arrest me?"

Du Xiangming said quickly and harshly, these words calmed down the situation, and made the servants dare not move forward.

"Hmph, what happened, don't you know yet? Have you seen what this is?"

Gao Pan snorted coldly, picked up the excuse in his hand and said.

"This is an IOU for their siblings to borrow money from the Du family. Could this be considered a crime?"

Du Xiangming was also a little panicked in his heart at this moment, he thought, this brat in front of him seems to be a little unruly, and he is really afraid of Gao Pan messing around!

"According to the laws of Dayu, anyone who lends usury, loan sharks, forces others to leave their homes, and their families are destroyed will be punished by the government. Du Xiangming, do you know the crime?"

Gao Pan stared at Du Xiangming and reprimanded loudly.

He suddenly remembered that earlier, because of the Xu Shouxi case, he looked up the laws of the Yu Dynasty, and came across such a law by chance.

Gao Pan just glanced at it at the time, and didn't take it seriously. Unexpectedly, he used it as soon as he got out of the county government.

I thought in my heart that I should study the law carefully from now on, maybe it will be useful sometime!
After Du Xiangming heard Gao Pan's words, his expression was a little weird. He looked at Gao Pan as if he was looking at a fool, and said with a sneer:
"Gaozhi County, you may not know that the money released by the Du family is all registered and complies with the government's regulations. You won't arrest me and sentence me because of this, will you?"

After finishing speaking, Du Xiangming looked at Gao Pan arrogantly, as if he felt that Gao Pan was impossible and did not dare to catch him!

"Huh, ten taels of silver, within a year, the interest has reached 500 taels of silver, but I don't know, this is not considered usury usury, what kind of money is it? Left or right, seize it and take it back to the county government. Arise, and wait for judgment!"

Gao Pan doesn't care what official rules Du Xiangming said, but he also knows that the laws of the Yu Dynasty are the laws that everyone in the world must follow!
"Gao Pan, how dare you...I am the third master of the Du family..."

Du Xiangming began to panic. He originally thought that Gao Pan would not dare to do anything, but he did not expect that Gao Pan was really so daring!

But the few strong men brought by Du Xiangming were all stunned on the spot, watching many government officials detain Du Xiangming, unable to move!

"Why are you still here in a daze, go and inform the elder...Gao Pan, you wait, I won't let you kneel in front of me to make amends, this matter is not over!"

Du Xiangming yelled like he was going crazy.

(End of this chapter)