Du Laihua's mental state was completely different from before. Although he came to the front yard to greet Xu An, his long hair was disheveled, his eyes were lifeless, and he looked weak and listless.

What are you doing here?

"Marquis Yanxi is quite forgetful!" Xu An laughed. "Didn't you say you would treat me well?"

Du Laihua said to the people around him, "Go and prepare the dishes quickly."

Seeing Du Laihua so dejected, Xu An felt like he had punched a cotton ball and said listlessly, "Your feng shui is bad, so I won't eat. Go and get your Marquis's estate's land ledger."

Upon hearing this, Du Laihua perked up and asked suspiciously, "Why do you need my land ledger?"

"Is the land in Qingdong City yours? It's my family's fiefdom!"

“What you say is true, but these were all purchased by my family after Marquis Qingdong left.”

"I know, I didn't ask you for it, I was just checking."

Seeing Du Laihua hesitate, Xu An sneered, "What, can't we investigate? Putting aside the fact that the marquis of the fiefdom is checking your land details, my father is now the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, so this land investigation will eventually fall to the local authorities."

Du Laihua thought for a moment and then ordered someone to bring the account books.

Xu An and Xiao Luomu held the account book, pointing and saying, "This piece of land is good, this one is not bad either... Young Master Shang, take a look and see if there's anything you and the Young Prime Minister can use for your business, and pick a few pieces..."

Xiao Luomu's eyes lit up, and he said, "How could I possibly accept that!"

"We're all brothers now, don't stand on ceremony with me!"

"You've come all this way, how can I possibly accept your things?"

"You're mistaken. In my presence, you're not the host of Qingdong City; I am!"

"Yes, yes, yes, the young marquis is the real landowner of Qingdong City!"

Choose.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony?"

Listening to the two whispering amongst themselves as if no one else was around, Du Laihua became increasingly suspicious and asked, "What are you talking about? This is my family's land..."

“I know,” Xu An said without looking up, “but that won’t be the case for long.”

Du Laihua looked around, then at Yue Jiti, who stood menacingly beside Xu An, and stammered, "You... want to rob me?"

Why would I steal from you? You're just bored!

Xu An continued flipping through the account book, saying, "With what you've done, do you think you can keep your title? Do you think you can keep these lands? You'll be lucky to keep your life!"

Xiao Luomu sighed, "Old Marquis Yan Xi struggled his whole life, only to have it all squandered by his descendants. Brother Du, you truly are the number one spendthrift in Qingdong City!"

Uncle Cheng looked around and said, "Master, if it's convenient, please reserve a piece of land for me as well. When I want to go home in the future, I'll have a place to retire."

"No problem, no problem!" Xu An took out one of the account books and handed it to Uncle Cheng: "You can choose one yourself, consider it a gift from me!"

Du Laihua's lips trembled as he sat down heavily on the ground.

The more glorious and arrogant they were before, the more destitute and decadent they are now.

Seeing that the time was right, Xu An squatted down next to Du Laihua and said, "Have your steward and accountant come over and coordinate with me. Get the land I asked for done as soon as possible. It will be better for both of us."

“If you ever find yourself in dire straits, I can still give you a few pieces of land if it’s still with me. But if I put it all in your hands, you’ll end up with nothing.”

Du Laihua said, "If I don't give it to you, you won't get anything either!"

Xu An slapped his shoulder hard and said sternly, "I'm not trying to scare you, but it's not going to be easy for you to go down in flames. You've seen how the government in Qingdong City treats me. When they investigate your family, do you think they won't side with me? Don't they take this opportunity to curry favor with me and my father? What I want, I can still get!"

"I've come to you now to give you a chance, and to give them a chance."

Xu An glanced at the people from the Marquis's Mansion behind Du Laihua and said, "If you want to continue to live a good life in Qingdong City, you'd better stick close to me and Young Master Xiao. With our two families around, you won't starve."

"But if you remain obstinate, Young Master Xiao and I will leave you to fend for yourselves!"

Xu An asked Xiao Luomu, "Is that so, Brother Xiao?"

Xiao Luomu nodded and said, "As long as they can work, my Xiao family doesn't mind supporting more people."

The Xu family and the Xiao family are symbols of status and wealth in Qingdong City. Now that these two families have joined forces, they will become the biggest backers in Qingdong City!

The people behind Du Laihua were not stupid; they immediately tried to persuade him, and some even pushed him.

"My lord..."

"My lord!"

"Make a decision quickly, my lord!"

Du Laihua had no choice but to nod, knowing he was powerless to change the situation.

The butler and accountant quickly emerged from the crowd, scurrying over to Xu An and Xiao Luomu like lapdogs.

"At least you know when to back down."

Xu An sneered, stood up, looked at the crowd, and said sternly, "You all need to remember this!"

"There is only one Marquis in Qingdong City, and that is my father, the Marquis of Qingdong!"

...

On the street, Zhou Chuan and Zhou Nuo were browsing the roadside shops selling trinkets.

"Brother, isn't this dress nice?"

Zhou Nuo spread out the clothes on the shop, looking very happy, while Zhou Chuan beside him looked indifferent.

Across from the shop was a food stall where an unusually thin man was sitting, drinking tea and playing with pebbles in his hand.

Zhou Chuan glanced at him instinctively, but found nothing unusual, and his thoughts returned to his sister.

"Xiao Nuo, are you really sure you're not going?"

"I'm not going."

Seeing his sister's decisive answer, Zhou Chuan reminded her, "The message Xiao Luofeng sent emphasized your archery skills. The emperor and his entourage mainly want to meet you, this master archer."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!