Steward Yi quickly unfolded the imperial edict and began to read it aloud.

When the Chen family heard that they had been sentenced to six months of hard labor at Suijintan and that their compensation would be doubled, they wept with joy, their cries echoing through the air.

"Waaah, there's hope!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

They are probably the first people in the history of Tianwu to be so happy about doing hard labor!

Some people were so agitated, and having been buried for so long, they fainted from the stress.

Some people struggled to climb out, but their hands and feet were tied.

But many more were stunned and dazed, completely unaware that they had escaped being buried alive...

After receiving the imperial edict, Li Lao Er exchanged pleasantries with Steward Yi, and even Old Master Liu and Mr. Wen stepped forward to pay their respects.

Manager Yi looked at them with some curiosity, so Mr. Wen called Guo Wenhao over and said a few words to him.

Manager Yi couldn't help but nod.

He had also heard about the feud between the Li and Guo families.

Now that only this young man remains in the Guo family, the Li family has put aside past grievances and forgiven all past grievances. They are even helping to arrange the funeral of the Guo family's deceased elder, which shows their magnanimity and human touch.

In fact, whenever he encountered matters concerning the Li family, he would always show some favoritism towards the Li family when reporting to the Emperor.

For example, if the matter is discussed in two separate instances, the Emperor will be even more annoyed by the Chen family's rudeness, but will not blame the Li family for planning to bury a hundred people alive.

Although it was just a matter of using a little bit of the art of speaking, the result was much worse.

Ultimately, what he valued or appreciated was the warmth and kindness of the Li family, which is why he was willing to help them...

At this moment, Jiayin pouted, looking quite like a little girl throwing a tantrum.

She tugged at Steward Yi's sleeve and said aggrievedly, "Steward Yi, my imperial uncle is biased. These people are carrying a coffin and cursing my grandmother."

"I'm just teaching them a lesson, and you won't even allow it, Your Majesty?"

The head steward found it amusing and quickly tried to appease her, saying, "Princess, His Majesty is concerned and is afraid that you will be angry, so he specifically asked this old servant to pass on a message to you."

"His Majesty said that although these people deserved their punishment, it was still a hundred or so lives lost. The princess is a girl, and it will be difficult for her to get married if she is burdened with such a bad reputation."

"Therefore, the Emperor ordered the Chen family to stay at Suijintan and work like cattle and horses to help the Princess vent her anger. Once the investigation is complete, the Chen family will definitely have to apologize to the Princess."

Jiayin reluctantly replied, "Alright, even if I don't believe the Chen family, I'll believe Uncle Huang."

Her eyes darted around, and she said, "Steward Yi, the Chen family injured many people in our family. The Chen family should definitely pay for the injuries and medicine, right? Can I go to their house to ask for it?"

Steward Yi laughed when he heard this, guessing that the little girl was unwilling to accept defeat and wanted to cause trouble at the Chen family.

These are all minor issues that don't cause any real harm. He quickly replied, "Your Highness, the Emperor has said that the Chen family must compensate double for all the losses at Broken Gold Beach."

"As for how to ask for it, that's up to the princess."

Jiayin was finally satisfied. After thinking for a moment, she called out to Shuiling, "Steward Yi serves the Emperor the most attentively. No one knows better than Steward Yi what the Emperor likes."

"Lead Steward Yi to my greenhouse. If there are any fruits or vegetables that Your Majesty likes, have Steward Yi pick some to take back to the palace."

"Oh dear, I really have to thank you, Princess. His Majesty hasn't had much of an appetite these past few days, and the Princess has the most fresh food here. This old servant will have to shamelessly take a little more today!" Steward Yi said with a smile, cupping his hands in thanks, and then followed Shui Ling into the village.

Seeing this, Old Lady Li and Tao Hongying followed them back.

Jiayin glanced at the Chen family members in the pit.

They thought they were saved, but after being delayed for so long, most of them were already rolling their eyes in frustration.

Jiayin pretended not to see it and said a few words to her second uncle.

Li Lao Er nodded, his gaze subtly landing on Chen Er Lao Ye.

He had just overheard that something was off about what this Second Master Chen was saying; perhaps he could find the key to Chen He's death in him...

Soon, the Chen family members who had been thrown into the pit were pulled out of the soil one after another, like radishes being pulled up, and untied.

Many people who have survived a near-death experience are so weak that they can't get up.

Their trousers were soaked with excrement and urine, and even mixed with mud, they still stank, making everyone disgusted.

Li Lao Er pretended to be impatient and loudly ordered, "Lock these three good-for-nothings from the Chen family in the village, treat their wounds, make sure they don't die, and then think carefully about what kind of work to find for them."

"As for the rest of the people, lead them to cut down trees and gather thatch, choose an open space to build a shed and a stove, throw in a few bags of coarse grain, and make sure they don't starve or freeze to death."

"Let them start working tomorrow, with the villagers supervising."

"Remember to register them and make a roster. Anyone who dares to run away should be treated as a runaway slave. Report to the Prefect of the Capital and have them arrested and beheaded."

The village chief and the villagers responded loudly, and then quickly divided the work and got busy.

Li Laosi was talking to Jia Dun and the others when they came to their aid. Naturally, they couldn't let them go back like that.

So, Li Laosi invited them to his home for lunch.

Jadun and the others were excited and delighted, and they all ordered dishes.

Jadun, in particular, was the first to loudly proclaim that he wanted fried meatballs...

Looking at the lingering crowd, Jiayin called over Lao Hei and the others, as well as the women from Xincun and Ercun. After giving them a few simple instructions, she loaded Chen He's coffin onto the vehicle and headed straight to the city to collect the debt.

Although the Chen family has lost most of their lives and will have to stay and do hard labor, this is not enough to atone for their mistakes today.

What Jiayin needs to do is to make up for the "price difference".

Old Hei rode into the city ahead of time, went to the Relief Office to find Ye Tong, and asked him a few questions.

Since being seconded to Li Lao Er as his advisor, Ye Tong has remained behind the scenes.

Li Lao Er was always guided by him on matters concerning the inner workings of the capital and various families, as well as the power struggles and schemes within the court.

Even the connections left behind by Li Zhensheng, which Li Lao Er couldn't easily make contact with, were maintained by him.

Now that his master has given him a task, he naturally responds without hesitation.

Soon, when Jiayin and his men arrived at the Chen family's gate, Lao Hei also arrived with definite news.

In the Chen family courtyard, Madam Chen was fidgeting with her prayer beads.

She whispered to her two sisters-in-law, "Today's matter was too rash. The Li family of Suijintan has a good reputation, and it's also the fiefdom of Princess Kangle. What if the Li family goes to the Emperor to complain..."

"Sister-in-law, you've been a vegetarian and chanting Buddhist scriptures for so many years, how come you've even lost your courage?" Madam Chen raised her eyebrows and sneered, looking down on her timid sister-in-law.

She continued, "What is the Li family anyway? They call themselves princesses, but they're just little girls who are only a few years old!"

"They killed He Ge'er and angered our old lady to death. We're just trying to annoy them and vent our anger. What's wrong with that? We're not going to kill them or torture them!"

Mrs. Chen's eyes were red and swollen from crying; she was truly heartbroken for her son.

Thinking of her son's tragic death, she gritted her teeth in hatred and said angrily, "Second sister-in-law is right, I wish I could eat the flesh of the Li family and gnaw on their bones!"

"My dear He Ge'er, such a good child, just died like this! Even if it wasn't that murderer from the Li family who deliberately killed him, he can't escape responsibility."

"Why should I cry my eyes out while they get to celebrate the New Year peacefully?!"

It has to be said, birds of a feather flock together.

The couple is completely unreasonable!

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the second gate, with screams and sounds of shattering coming from time to time.

The three sisters-in-law were all surprised. Madam Chen the Second stood up and asked, "What happened? Have the master and the others returned?"

Her response was a loud bang and the courtyard gate being kicked open...

Here comes the fourth update, finally making up for the chapter I owed on the first day!