Chapter 235 Regret

The people of the Qingping Palace had their status restored, and those who had previously settled in Qingshi Town naturally needed to move their household registration back to the capital. The imperial edict issued by Wen Chengfeng quickly arrived in Qingshi Town via express horse courier.

Zhang Daming from the government office was the first to hear the news. He knelt respectfully on the ground, his eyes filled with uncontrollable excitement. Aside from the imperial examinations he had taken, he hadn't seen an imperial edict in a long time. He never expected to see one again in his lifetime.

Although the content had little to do with him, it was a good thing that his son Zhang Haiyu's previous attacks on the Qingping Palace were finally avoided due to his efforts. Fortunately, he had grown up and was careful not to collude with Liao Yu at the critical moment, otherwise he would be dead now without knowing how he died.

"Master Zhang, please get up quickly and hand over the household registration to me. I have to hurry back to the capital to report!"

The Jinwu Guard who delivered the message did not exchange many pleasantries. He rarely dealt with civil officials and was used to being straightforward, so the first thing he talked about was the household registration book.

"Okay, okay, I'll send someone to invite you right away. You can have a cup of tea and relax." Zhang Daming winked, signaling the lawyer to hurry up, and he borrowed the purse from his waist and gently stuffed the money into the bag.

"Master Zhang, are you planning to bribe me? I'll have to report this to His Majesty when I return to the capital..."

The Jinwu Guard smiled meaningfully, and Zhang Daming was so frightened that he quickly put away his money bag. Just then, his lawyer arrived with the household registration book. After extracting the information about the Qingping Prince's Mansion, Zhang Daming and the Jinwu Guard pretended nothing had happened.

As soon as the Jinwu Guards left, he posted the happy event on the notice board at the city gate, and unsurprisingly, the third wife of my grandfather's family who went out to buy groceries also saw the notice.

"It turns out there's a golden phoenix hidden in this remote village of ours. Speaking of which, I remember your family also came from the capital, right? Why didn't you move back with us?"

"That's true. It seems they are still related by blood... No, because of the uproar surrounding that concubine, they've severed all ties. I bet your family's head must be regretting it."

The people around them chatted with each other, their questions making the Third House blush and speechless. She was just a concubine, how could she be the head of the family? Who wouldn't want to go back to the capital to live a good life?!

The third wife became more and more angry as she thought about it, and she no longer had the heart to buy vegetables. She returned to the yard with her basket on her shoulder. The mistress and the old lady, who never went out of the main door or the secondary door and were served by people, naturally had no idea what was happening outside.

Seeing the third wife come back with half an empty basket and a sullen look on her face, the mistress immediately stepped forward and scolded her, "Who are you showing off to? I asked you to buy some vegetables, and you're back so soon? What did you buy? Who will it feed? Do you want to be kicked out like my concubine?"

In the past, this threatening rhetoric might have worked. After all, the Third Wife was different from the Concubine. Born a servant, she had no other relatives or place to go in Qingshi Town. However, since the Third Wife was furious, she naturally refuted it without giving in.

"Thank you for sowing discord between our family and the Prince Qingping's Mansion. Now they've all returned to the capital to live a good life, while we're left to eat coarse food in this damn place!"

The usually obedient concubine talked back to her again, and the mistress was furious. She raised her hand and was about to grab the third concubine's hair and give her a good lesson. However, the third concubine dodged the mistress's pig's hoof quickly and returned to her room in a flash.

Seeing that her attack had failed, the mistress, who was increasingly feeling that something was amiss, went out to gather information. After confirming that the news of Prince Qingping's return to the capital was true, she shamelessly arrived at the small courtyard where Cheng Weiyao had previously rented a house. The gate was locked.

"Wei Yao? Cheng Ming? It's grandma. I know you're packing at home. Open the door..."

The knocking on the door startled the people in the yard. Goudan's grandparents and the children were having dinner. When they heard the visitor, Goudan stood up on his own initiative.

After Cheng Weiyao and the others left, Shuntian Restaurant was handed over to reliable management. The children learned to be waiters and accountants, and the restaurant had a stable development path. The courtyard had been rented for a long time, and after the renovations and the new house, Cheng Weiyao bought it because it had commemorative significance.

However, it would be a pity to leave the house empty, so it was given to Goudan's grandparents and the children to live in, which can be regarded as making the best use of the house.

"Old witch, what are you yelling about at the door? The princess and her family moved away a long time ago. I knew you might shamelessly show up. I advise you not to try to rely on our remote relationship!"

Goudan opened the door with a stern smile on his face. Cheng Weiyao had predicted it was right. Someone from his grandfather's family had indeed come knocking on his door. Cheng Weiyao had already given Goudan a way to deal with this kind of stubbornness. If he couldn't convince her, he could just report it to the police!

"Get out of here, little brat! What business have you got with me talking to an adult?" Still desperate, the mistress peered into the courtyard, only to see a room full of people, young and old. Knowing their close relationships, she was certain Cheng Weiyao was still there, perhaps just not wanting to see her.

"How come you, an old witch, don't understand what's good and what's bad at your age? I told you the princess has left, and it's a done deal that your family has severed ties with the princess and her family. You even treated my concubine harshly back then, and I'm already giving you face by not pursuing responsibility!"

Goudan stood in front of the mistress, a hint of impatience on his face. The children behind him began to offer advice even more bluntly: "Why are you saying so much? Break into the mansion and report her to the police!"

"How about we just kick her out together? There's strength in numbers!"

The mistress hadn't expected these children to be so disgruntled with her. She knew all too well that these children were once beggars. Despite their clean skin and neat clothes, they used to be thieves and perpetrators of all kinds of evil. They were truly capable of beating her up.

The mistress could only retreat with a pale face, and as soon as she left the threshold, Goudan slammed the door shut without mercy, leaving the mistress with a frustrated face.

When the mistress returned home, she found her grandfather and the old lady already waiting in the courtyard. Mother and son were chatting, regret evident between their brows. When they heard the door open, they both glanced over.

However, as the mistress shook her head, the old lady sighed softly, and the grandfather walked up to her and slapped her in the face. He was resentful. If it weren't for the eldest wife who kept stirring up trouble, he would never have divorced his concubine!

In the inner room, Sanfang listened to the thumping outside and touched her belly. She felt that her period hadn't come in two months. It seemed that it was finally her turn to stand up and sing in this family...