Before dawn, Bei Chen rushed to Moon Lake Garden to report to Gu Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao.

"My lord, the two experts who came last night used the same methods as the assassins. I saw their faces; they were Liu Feng and Wan Daohe, who served the Empress."

"Them?" Gu Shaoyu was still somewhat surprised. "Are they here to steal or to spy?"

The Empress's men wouldn't be here to steal; they're most likely here to spy on her.

"At first, I didn't stop them. They came in, listened in the study first, stayed in the bedroom for a while, and finally went straight to the lady's storeroom."

Is this a combination of espionage and theft?

Xie Zhaozhao:......

Even the Empress was envious of her dowry?

"Later, the young mistress's courtyard caught fire, and I saw it. It was Granny Wei from the young mistress's courtyard who let them escape in the chaos through the back gate."

However, the two were immediately covered by the Imperial City Guards who had been lying in wait and taken away.

Xie Zhaozhao smiled slightly and said, "There's no need to investigate. These two people must have been asked by my stepmother to help. They went to Qingpu Courtyard to steal the dowry."

Ultimately, Xu's vision was too narrow. The Empress's favors were not so easy to owe. Why would she lend two experts to steal her eldest daughter's dowry for her second daughter?

What can a person with a narrow mindset accomplish?

“Madam Bo wants to empty Qingpu Courtyard and give it to Gu Chengyan to prevent Gu Zheng from inheriting it,” Bei Chen said. “Last night, Madam Gu the Second also tried to force her way in with a group of people.”

Thanks to injuring those two experts, they were immediately intimidated.

Xie Zhaozhao was not surprised. She had long been aware of the covetousness of Tu Shi, Lu Shi, and the old lady for her dowry.

"Tell Hongying to go back to the manor and gather a hundred men to surround Qingpu Courtyard. No one is allowed to enter," Xie Zhaozhao said.

Gu Shaoyu's face was very ugly.

He had only been "dead" for two days when the eldest and second wives, along with internal traitors and external traitors, were already eager to divide up his wife's dowry.

"No matter what Liu Feng and Wan Daohe are here for, Bei Chen, go tell Leng Luo that they are here to gather information."

Bei Chen received the order and departed.

Following Xie Zhaozhao's instructions, Hongying rode to the estate to recruit female soldiers into the manor. At noon, Hongying returned, bringing with her one hundred female soldiers.

As he dismounted at the Earl's residence and was about to enter, Zhang Qing stopped him at the door and immediately went to report to Madam Tu.

Madam Tu angrily said, "What do you take the Earl's mansion for? You are not allowed to enter the mansion."

Hongying said, "We are the guards of the Grand Secretary's wife, why can't we enter?"

Xie Xiangxiang received the news while the two sides were in a standoff.

Hearing from Granny Wei that a large number of soldiers from the manor had entered and surrounded Qingpu Courtyard early in the morning, she rubbed the grime under her eyes and asked, "Are they my elder sister's soldiers?"

"yes."

It must be because of the theft last night!

When Duo'er suggested sending top imperial guards to help her steal the unmarked gold and silver items and jewels, she said it was not a good idea.

Qingpu Courtyard is not easy to steal from; all the female soldiers are still there!

However, Duo'er said that her mother had already borrowed a master.

In the end, not only did he fail to steal anything, but he was also caught and almost beaten to death.

If they were sent to the authorities, and the two men couldn't withstand the torture, it would inevitably implicate her mother. Helpless, she personally burned down the side rooms in her courtyard.

This allowed Granny Wei to take advantage of the chaos and send the person away.

Not only did she not steal anything, her mother also incurred a great debt of gratitude when half of Fanghua Garden burned down.

She rubbed her temples and said to Granny Wei, "Let's go, let's pay our respects to our mother-in-law. My husband has been ill these past few days, and as his wife, it's not right for me not to go and see him, is it?"

Xie Zhaozhao is dead, but Aunt Yue is still alive!

Granny Wei was filled with hatred, but there was nothing she could do.

Originally, it was thought that Gu Chengyan would restrain himself, but unexpectedly, he used recuperating as an excuse to spend every day with Aunt Yue.

Upon arriving at Madam Tu's courtyard, Xie Xiangxiang saw Madam Tu in a fit of anger. She first bowed and greeted her, saying, "Mother, these people making a scene at the gate will damage the reputation of the mansion. Why don't we go and ask the eldest young master what he thinks?"

“You’ve thought this through. More people means more help. Let’s go and discuss it with Yan’er.” Madam Tu comforted Xie Xiangxiang. “Once Yan’er recovers, you two can consummate your marriage. If he dares to treat you any badly, I’ll deal with him.”

Xie Xiangxiang smiled faintly and curtsied, saying, "Thank you, Mother."

The two went to Qinyaxuan first, but Gu Chengyan was still not there. Xie Xiangxiang asked Shaoyao, "Did the young master go to Aunt Yue's place again?"

Peony didn't know what to say, so she lowered her head and said, "Yes."

Tu's anger surged.

Guan Yingying and Gu Chengyan received news last night that the Tu family and several other groups were blocked outside Qingpu Courtyard, and a group of experts who went in were beaten so badly that they could not take care of themselves.

This morning, a large number of government soldiers came to protect Qingpu Courtyard again.

Suddenly, a surge of anger welled up inside him. Damn it, were Gu Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao poisoned? They're both dead, yet the servants are still guarding their courtyard.

As the two were talking, Madam Tu, accompanied by Granny Wan, and Xie Xiangxiang, accompanied by Granny Wei, arrived at the mulberry garden.

Looking at the furnishings in the mulberry garden, all belonging to Qinyaxuan, Tu Shi was furious, while Xie Xiangxiang counted on her fingers, showing no expression.

When Gu Chengyan saw the two of them arrive together, he took the initiative to change the subject.

“Mother, I was just about to come looking for you. Third Aunt’s dowry all belong to the Earl’s Mansion, and it will fall into your hands sooner or later, so don’t rush it. These guards are also Third Aunt’s dowry, and naturally they are also the Earl’s Mansion’s private property.”

He wasn't afraid that they would know he was also eyeing his aunt's dowry; these women were all his own people.

"Tch, what's there to be afraid of with so many guards? The more the better!" Guan Yingying said matter-of-factly while lying on the bed. "Qingpu Courtyard's master is dead. We can sell them off separately and make a fortune, right?"

Tu's eyes lit up. Yes, Xie Zhaozhao brought four hundred soldiers!

I was so angry that I forgot they could all be sold for money.

These soldiers were all skilled in martial arts, and wealthy and powerful people bought them as bodyguards, property protectors, or as dowries for their children; they were in high demand.

With 400 people, each selling 50 strings of cash would definitely be no problem.

These soldiers alone could fetch tens of thousands of strings of cash!

Gu Chengyan said, "My third aunt had dowry money to support these people before she died, so the Earl's mansion doesn't need to support them. Servants with martial arts skills are easier to sell, giving the Earl's mansion a large sum of income. Otherwise, why keep them around to gang up and threaten their masters?"

Madam Tu was overjoyed and was about to leave with Granny Wan when Xie Xiangxiang suddenly said, "Aunt Yue snorted and pouted at Mother, does she think Mother is not as smart as you?"

Tu Shi was originally focused on making money by selling the soldiers, but when she heard this, she glanced at Aunt Yue and saw that the woman had a look that said, "I know so much." She was immediately annoyed.

You're so smug about coming up with an idea? It's worthless.

He rushed over and slapped Guan Yingying across the face repeatedly until his hands ached, cursing, "You slut, do you need to question me about selling out the government troops?"

Guan Yingying: ...Damn it! I gave you advice and you didn't even thank me, you hit me instead?

She pointed angrily at Xie Xiangxiang and said, "It's all her fault for stirring things up. When did I ever..."

"Who gave you the audacity to refer to yourself as 'I' in front of Mother?" Xie Xiangxiang said coldly. "When Third Aunt was alive, you referred to yourself as a lowly concubine in front of her, but you refer to yourself as 'I' in front of Mother. Is it because you despise Mother for being inferior to Third Aunt?"