Yin Jin'an had just become an official and was quite excited about it. Today, he dressed neatly and went to his post properly, patrolling the palace with his colleagues from the Palace Guard for the whole day.

When he finished his shift, he met Xu Li waiting for him at the palace gate, who said that Xie Zhaozhao wanted to see him.

Yin Jin'an rode his horse through the streets and arrived at Qingpu Garden. After Xie Zhaozhao recounted the whole story, Yin Jin'an's excitement for the day vanished.

His handsome face was instantly filled with ferocity as he said, "Yin Jinzhuo and Pei Yue's brains are all used for their illicit affair. What they've done is indeed both vicious and stupid. If I were ruthless, I would smash this celadon vase and completely ruin the entire Duke's mansion. They won't have a good end either."

Xie Zhaozhao said, "In that case, let's not stand on ceremony with them."

That evening, Yin Jin'an returned to the Duke's Mansion.

Late afternoon, dinner.

According to the rules of the Duke of Xun's mansion, all the masters of the mansion eat together for three meals a day. Men and women sit at separate tables, separated only by a screen.

Yin Jin'an ignored everyone and just ate and drank to her heart's content.

When the master ate, the maids and servants served him. Apart from the soft clinking of chopsticks against the bowls and plates, the dining table was quiet.

Suddenly, a maid rushed into the women's dining room in a panic and reported to the Duchess: "Madam, something terrible has happened! The pair of celadon vases that the late Emperor bestowed upon the Duke have disappeared!"

Pei Yue's expression changed drastically, and her voice rose eight octaves in an instant: "What? The imperial celadon vase is gone? When did it disappear?"

The maid's voice was anxious and panicked: "This servant doesn't know either, the bottle is covered in dust."

The Duchess was taken aback and said, "I'll go take a look."

Hearing the commotion from the women's side, Duke Yin Xiushan asked, "What happened? The imperial gift vase is missing?"

Yin Jin'an ignored him, focusing only on eating and drinking soup heartily.

Yin Jinzhuo said angrily, "You can still eat after losing your things?"

Yin Jin'an said coldly, "Losing a gift bestowed by the emperor is a capital offense, and the entire household could be in danger. If I don't eat my fill quickly, will I still have such good food to eat in prison?"

Pei Yue said anxiously, "The manor is heavily guarded, and ordinary people can't get in. It must be that someone in the manor urgently needs a lot of money, so they sold or pawned it."

Outsiders couldn't get in, and even the servants and young men in the mansion couldn't get into the inner rooms to steal.

The Duchess immediately thought of how much money Yin Jin'an had spent on entertaining guests. She walked up to him, knocked over his rice bowl, and angrily said, "Second son, where did you sell the celadon vase?"

Great, everything is exactly as expected!

Yin Jin'an said lazily, "What if you ask me if I didn't take it?"

The Duchess said angrily, "In the entire mansion, no one but you would do such a thing. Get the bottle back right now, no matter the cost."

Yin Jin'an said nonchalantly, "Really?"

"real!"

"Give me half of your fortune, and I'll tell you where the bottle is."

"Yin, Jin, An! You bastard, I'll beat you to death!" The Duke was furious, turning the chopsticks in his hand into darts and shooting them at Yin Jin An.

It really was that bastard who stole it. Judging from the looks of it, did he sell it? Pawn it? Or did he give it away?

"If you kill me, the bottle will never come back, and you will all have to pay with your lives."

Yin Jin'an nimbly dodged the chopstick darts and said wickedly, "If you agree to my conditions, I'll tell you where the bottle is."

Pei Yue and Yin Jinzhuo anxiously tried to stop the Duke and Duchess: "Father, Mother, we can't agree to him."

"You don't have to agree, but you won't get the bottles anyway," Yin Jin'an said calmly. "Half of the family fortune in exchange for a pair of imperial gift bottles! My brother and I will each take half of the family fortune. It's fair, and I didn't ask for more."

Enraged, Duke Xun grabbed a large stick and began to strike Yin Jin'an.

This blow, if it doesn't kill, will cripple. Yin Jin'an has been beaten countless times since childhood and is already experienced.

He leaped up in a flash, ran into his yard, locked the door, and shouted, "Give me half of your fortune, and I'll immediately cooperate with you to get the bottle back!"

Yin Jinzhuo was both angry and anxious. He was the heir of a duke who had transitioned from martial arts to literature. He was more gentle and eloquent, and he always ended up losing face when he encountered someone like Yin Jinan.

The Duchess cried and said to Yin Xiushan, "My lord, please agree to his request! Nothing can compare to the lives of the entire household! No, the entire clan! This is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family!"

Pei Yue and Yin Jinzhuo were extremely anxious. What if their parents agreed to give him half of the family fortune? Wouldn't that be shooting themselves in the foot?

Yin Jinzhuo steadied herself and advised, "Father, what he took were a pair of imperial gifts. They can't be sold anytime soon. They're probably pawned somewhere. Why don't we all go out and look for them? If we can find them, wouldn't it be better to redeem them?"

“Yes, Father,” Pei Yue said anxiously, “My second brother has no temperament; he can’t hold onto our wealth at all. Even if we give him half of the family fortune, he’ll squander it all in a few days. Why don’t we do as the young master suggested and go to a pawnshop or something similar?”

Unable to open Yin Jin'an's door, Yin Xiushan frantically searched for the celadon vase. Desperate, he immediately sent someone to find a pawnshop.

Cheng Yu, Yin Jin'an's servant, carefully returned to Yin Jin'an's side after watching them leave in a swarm.

Yin Jin'an stretched her feet onto the coffee table, closed her eyes, and looked furious.

Cheng Yu asked in a low voice, "Second Master, did you really take the celadon vase as a gift?"

"What are you going to do with that thing? Do I need the money right now?"

"Hehe, I knew it! Second Master wouldn't take it. But what are they up to?"

"Don't worry about it, they'll come begging to me."

Cheng Yu chuckled and gave a thumbs up: "Second Master is indeed Second Master!"

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