Chapter 100 The Malice of Jiang Zhaoming

Not long after, a bucket of fresh excrement was delivered. The stench was overwhelming, and everyone pinched their noses in disgust. Zhao Mingju ordered the bucket to be placed by Xu Tong's feet, and immediately an indescribable foul odor filled the air, causing Xu Tong to retch uncontrollably. Overcome by the smell, Xu Tong dared not open his eyes, shaking his head desperately and begging Zhao Mingju for mercy, repeatedly insisting it wasn’t his doing.

Zhao Mingju, finding the odor unbearable, stood at a distance, pinching his nose and said, “Xu Tong, I’ll ask you one last time—was it you?” As he spoke, Zhao Mingju signaled to the servant holding the ladle to be ready.

“It wasn’t me, Master! Truly, it wasn’t me. Please believe me, I’m not lying!” Xu Tong was on the verge of tears, but still refused to admit to ordering the filth thrown.

Zhao Mingju grew irritated, thinking, Why are you so stubborn? Even if you didn’t do it, what harm is there in confessing? Must I really throw this onto you?

“I’ll count to three. If you still won’t admit it, I’ll do it for real!” Zhao Mingju shouted.

He began, “One!”

“Two!”

At that moment, Xu Mo, Chen Miaoyi, and Ning Yaxin all frowned, while Qin Mutou, Ling’er, and others pinched their noses tighter.

Before reaching “Three,” Zhao Mingju paused deliberately, but Xu Tong remained unmoved, shaking his head and crying out his innocence.

“Three!” Zhao Mingju, unable to contain his anger, called out.

At once, the servant with the ladle pinched his nose, approached the bucket, and scooped up a full ladle of excrement, stepping back and preparing to throw it onto Xu Tong.

Seeing himself about to become a “filth man,” Xu Tong, desperate, shouted at the top of his lungs, “I know! I know who did it, Master!”

Zhao Mingju immediately halted the servant and urged Xu Tong to speak.

“Quick, who was it?” Zhao Mingju asked.

Xu Mo, Chen Miaoyi, and Ning Yaxin all fixed their eyes on Xu Tong.

“It was Jiang Zhaoming! It must have been Jiang Zhaoming!” Xu Tong cried.

“Who is Jiang Zhaoming?” Zhao Mingju looked bewildered, unfamiliar with the name.

Xu Mo and Ning Yaxin were equally clueless.

But Chen Miaoyi was different. The moment she heard the name, her expression changed dramatically, panic flashing across her face.

Xu Mo noticed at once that Chen Miaoyi recognized the name and asked, “Wife, do you know Jiang Zhaoming?”

Hearing this, all eyes turned to Chen Miaoyi.

She nodded silently.

“Who is he?” Xu Mo pressed.

Chen Miaoyi didn’t know how to reply; she lowered her head and awkwardly rubbed her fingers.

Seeing her hesitation, Zhao Mingju turned to Xu Tong, “Speak! Who is Jiang Zhaoming? Why are you so sure it was him?”

Xu Tong answered, “Jiang Zhaoming is from Heyang. He said he had a grudge against Master Xu and gave me money, asking me to find a way to get Master Xu addicted to gambling, to ruin him completely, destroy his family!”

Zhao Mingju was stunned, turning to Xu Mo, “Master Xu, Jiang Zhaoming is truly vicious!”

By now, Xu Mo had already narrowed his suspicion to one person.

“Master Zhao, please have your people leave. I want to speak with him privately,” Xu Mo said.

Zhao Mingju nodded, ordered the bucket removed, dismissed the servants, and cleared the space.

Xu Mo approached Xu Tong and said in a low voice, “Xu Tong, what has Jiang Zhaoming asked you to do from the beginning until now? If you tell me everything, with nothing left out, I’ll let you go, and we’ll be even.”

Xu Tong, having suffered enough, no longer wished for further torment. He recounted how he met Jiang Zhaoming, and everything Jiang Zhaoming had asked him to do.

A year ago, shortly after Xu Mo’s wedding, Jiang Zhaoming was drinking alone in a tavern and happened to meet Xu Tong. Learning that Xu Tong worked at Changlong Gambling House as a moneylender, Jiang Zhaoming produced ten taels of silver, asking Xu Tong to help with a task. He promised that, if the job was done well, he would pay Xu Tong ten taels each month, and fifty more as a bonus at the end.

Tempted by the promise of silver, Xu Tong agreed without hesitation.

The task: to teach Xu Mo to gamble, get him hooked, and ultimately make him lose all his possessions—including his wife—so Xu Mo would never recover.

Listening to this, Ning Yaxin could no longer restrain herself and asked, “Master Xu, what grudge does Jiang Zhaoming hold against you, to be so cruel?”

Xu Mo didn’t answer, but instead asked Xu Tong, “Did Jiang Zhaoming ever say what enmity he had with me?”

Xu Tong shook his head, “No, I asked several times, but he refused to say. He told me not to meddle, so I stopped asking.”

Then, with a tearful face, Xu Tong pleaded, “Master Xu, all of this was at Jiang Zhaoming’s behest. I was foolish, greedy—blinded by profit! I deserve to die! Please, Master Xu, be generous and forgive me this once!”

Xu Mo remained silent, his brows tightly furrowed.

Then, Xu Mo looked at Chen Miaoyi.

He noticed something was wrong with her—her body trembling, her face paler than before.

“Wife,” Xu Mo called softly.

“Ah?” Though his voice was gentle, Chen Miaoyi was startled, panic-stricken.

Xu Mo walked over and, in a gentle tone, said, “Wife, come with me. I have something to ask you.”

Thinking Xu Mo was about to reproach her, Chen Miaoyi’s legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed.

Xu Mo reacted quickly, catching her around the waist in time and asked with concern, “Wife, what’s wrong?”

Lying in his arms, Chen Miaoyi could no longer hold back her tears.

She wept, blaming herself, “Husband, it’s all my fault—I didn’t make things clear to him…”

Xu Mo interrupted, “Miaoyi, don’t speak for now. I already understand. Go rest in the hall; we’ll discuss it at home.”

He carried Chen Miaoyi to the hall, asked Ning Yaxin and Ling’er to look after her, then went to Zhao Mingju.

“Master Zhao, let Xu Tong go. I understand everything now.”

Zhao Mingju nodded, ordered Xu Tong untied, and shouted, “Get out of here!”

Xu Tong, as if pardoned, stumbled away.

Xu Mo said, “Master Zhao, my wife is unwell and we must hurry home. Please have your people count the silver and exchange it for your bank’s notes.”

“No problem, Master Xu!” Zhao Mingju was delighted, thinking the hundred thousand coins were finally secured.

Half an hour later, Xu Mo and Chen Miaoyi returned home in Chicken Crow Alley.

After helping Chen Miaoyi into the bedroom, Xu Mo wanted her to rest, but she refused.

She had much to say, yet didn’t know where to begin, nervously rubbing her fingers.

Seeing this, Xu Mo said, “Miaoyi, did you know? On our wedding day, a stranger came to see me. He claimed he and you were deeply in love and asked me not to marry you, to let you two be together. I drove him away…”

He paused, then said, “If I’m not mistaken, that man was Jiang Zhaoming.”