The number one spendthrift woman in the capital actually brings glory to her entire family?

In a daze, he seemed to see a flash of purple light beside him, and in an instant, he crashed heavily into a pillar outside the door, spitting out a mouthful of blood, unable to even get up.

His eyes widened, and he struggled to see what was happening in the private room. However, at that moment—

"Ouch... Help!"

Screams pierced the sky, clearly audible even to the gamblers outside. The thugs and guards quickly rushed over, torches in hand…

"Duan Ji, you bastard! I trusted you so much, and you dared to cheat me? You dared to steal the IOU by underhanded means... Ouch... Help! Someone's being killed..."

"Ah, oh... stop hitting me..."

"You bastard Duan Ji, how dare you assault me! I'll never forgive you..."

"Duan Ji, you despicable scoundrel, how dare you play me!"

……

Duan Ji, who was outside and couldn't even get up after being thrown to the ground, was completely bewildered by Sikong Jin's scolding inside. He had no idea what was going on until the steward and his subordinates rushed over. Only then did he manage to sit up with difficulty.

"Boss, how are you? What happened? What just occurred?"

Manager Li nervously helped Duan Ji up. Looking at the broken pieces of table wood scattered all over the floor and Duan Ji, who had been beaten half to death, an ominous premonition flashed in his eyes.

"Quick! Go inside and check, Young Master Sikong is still inside!"

Duan Ji, barely holding his breath, stumbled and walked into the private room with the help of his subordinates.

Light returned to the private room, but it was as if a hurricane had swept through it; almost all the furniture was destroyed, and the room was filled with ceramic shards and furniture debris.

They found Lord Sikong trembling under the table, clutching his head. Duan Ji quickly ordered his men to drag him out, but when they pulled him out, they were immediately stunned...

At this moment, Lord Sikong was in a sorry state, his face bruised and swollen, one eye with a dark circle around it, his right cheek swollen high, blood streaming from his nose, and a little blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His dark hair was a mess, his robes were tattered, and he was on the verge of death, as if he only had half a breath left and might die at any moment...

“Duan Ji…you…you are all so vicious…I kept my word…I came to repay the money out of kindness…and you, you took the money…and actually, you actually secretly stole the IOU…and even sent people to beat me up like this…You are too despicable, too vicious…I, I…cough cough…I’m going to report this to the authorities…”

Lord Sikong spoke weakly, struggling to stand up, but he couldn't and fell back down.

Duan Ji wore a pained expression. He seemed to be in much better condition than Lord Sikong. At least he only had a dull ache in his chest, and his face wasn't swollen like Lord Sikong's, a truly pitiful sight...

"Third Young Master, this has nothing to do with me... Look, I'm injured just like this too."

"You still say it wasn't you? This place... is so heavily guarded... if it wasn't you... then did I... beat myself up? The IOU was also stolen... it must have been you who did it..."

"It really wasn't me, Third Young Master! I didn't send anyone to steal the IOU!"

Duan Ji hurriedly explained, his mind racing. The more he thought about it, the more guilty he felt, because he suspected that Liu Zhang was the one who did it...

Liu Zhang and Sikong Jin have a deep grudge, and it was because of Liu Zhang that they sent the IOU directly to the Ministry of War. Therefore, it is highly likely that Liu Zhang secretly took action!

Thinking this through, Duan Ji was convinced that Liu Zhang had most likely sent people to do this!

However, if it was really a covert attack, there was no need to be so ruthless. He was beaten half to death, and look at Sikong Jin, who was on the verge of death and couldn't even crawl. The injuries on her face were real. This was really ruthless. But Liu Zhang was really something. Why didn't he think about the consequences?

What if the imperial court investigates?

Of course, Liu Zhang would never admit that he did it, and in the end, Duan Ji would definitely take the blame!

And what if the Sikong Mansion finds out that they took the money but didn't get the IOU, and gets angry?

Thinking about this, Duan Ji knew exactly what was going on, and he was in a real bind!

He hurriedly went over in a panic and helped Lord Sikong up, but Lord Sikong pushed him away. "Boss Duan, you owe me an explanation for what happened today! Give me the IOU, or return the money!"

Duan Ji subconsciously reached into his sleeve, only to find it empty—there was nothing there…

Where are the silver notes?

Duan Ji's eyes widened...

You bastard Liu Zhang!

They even took the money!

It took Duan Ji considerable effort to calm his surging anger. He raised his head, stared at Lord Sikong for a long time, a glint of cunning flashing in his sharp, hawk-like eyes, and chuckled, "Third Young Master Sikong, you can't speak like that. I just handed you the IOU, and you gave me the money. We're even. Now that the IOU is missing, that's none of my business..."

"Duan Ji, you're talking nonsense! You took the money, and then you sneakily took back the IOU. What if you try to extort money from me using the IOU as an excuse? This is your territory now. Shouldn't you be responsible if anything happens? If you want to do something, isn't that simple?"

Lord Sikong clearly didn't believe him. He took a deep breath, enduring the excruciating pain all over his body, and said weakly, "And what about the fact that your men beat me up like this? You can wait for the authorities to come and arrest you. Let me tell you, my good friend is Lord Tang Jingyao, the Acting Grand Master of the Judicial Bureau of Zhongzhou, and General Ji Wuge is also my good brother. You just wait..."

"Sigh... Third Young Master Sikong, please don't be angry. I really didn't do this. It must have been someone who secretly sabotaged it, trying to sow discord between us! You've really misunderstood me! I didn't do it!"

"Who are you trying to fool? This is your territory! And the IOU was stolen on your own turf! I'm going to report you to the authorities!"

"Third Young Master, Third Young Master, please don't get agitated." Duan Ji hurriedly stepped forward, grabbed Lord Sikong, and said with a mournful face, "This matter can't be blown out of proportion. I still have to open my business! Getting involved with the government is not good. How about this, I'll write a guarantee that all the money you owe has been paid off and that I won't come to collect the debt again... I'll also give you some compensation. I'm very sorry that you've been wronged. Shouldn't this guarantee my innocence?"

Duan Ji certainly wouldn't dare let Sikong Jin go out like that. If he were to be investigated by the authorities, he would be finished. He had many things he couldn't let see the light of day. But behind Sikong Jin stood not only the Sikong family, Tang Jingyao, Ji Wuge, and others, but also his future father-in-law, Prince Duan, Lord Xingqi Tian.