"He won't refuse to accept it, will he?"

"We should at least ask."

The rough man was straightforward, and his thought process was even more straightforward. Li Guangkun and Sima Gu abandoned the soldiers they were training and rode to the Second Master's mansion.

Upon arriving at "Second Master's Mansion," they knocked on the door for quite a while before Liang Youbin ran to open it.

Li Guangkun and Sima Gu looked at the young man in front of them and felt that his features were somewhat familiar. They asked, "Where is Second Master?"

Liang Youbin said politely, "Second Master has gone out on business."

"Where did you go to take care of your business?"

"If Second Master didn't say, I don't know."

Sima Gu was somewhat unwilling and said, "Didn't General Wang belong to Second Master? Where is he?"

"General Wang didn't tell me, so I don't know."

"You son of a bitch, as the housekeeper, you know nothing about anything. What are you good for?"

Liang Youbin remained respectful and said, "You all know what kind of person Second Master is; he never talks about what he does."

"You..." Sima Gu was truly enraged. "You wouldn't have harmed Second Master, would you? If you don't tell me, I'll report you to the authorities and say that you harmed your master and took over his house."

Liang Youbin scratched his head and said, "Why don't you go and ask the Duke?"

Sima Gu and Li Guangkun became increasingly convinced that Yin Jin'an must have taken Wang Ba Dao to war.

I feel terrible. How long has it been since they fought a war?

For over a decade, all they've done is talk. Is this what soldiers are supposed to be?

They got nothing out of the Second Master's residence, so the two went straight to the Duke's residence. The Duke was not home either. The gatekeeper said, "The Duke has gone to Qingpu Garden."

Li Guangkun said to Sima Gu, "Perhaps the Duke has borrowed the instructor from the Grand Secretary's wife."

He guessed correctly. Duke Xun did borrow something from Qingpu Garden, not a martial arts instructor. He wanted to use the palace guards to provoke the now-defunct Yin family army.

Xie Zhaozhao politely offered him tea, and said with a smile, "Lord Duke, the guards have all gone on a mission and are not at home. I'm sorry."

Yin Xiushan couldn't help but ask, "Second Brother and Wang Li aren't here either. Did they go out to do something with your guards?"

Xie Zhaozhao shook her head: "I don't know where the Commander of the Capital is either."

Yin Xiushan had a feeling that Xie Zhaozhao was lying, but since she didn't want to talk about it, he couldn't very well ask, "Where did your guards go?"

Seeing his hesitation, Xie Zhaozhao smiled and said, "Lord Duke, I am friends with the Commander of the Capital Garrison. I'll speak frankly. You won't mind, will you?"

The Duke thought she was going to talk about training troops, so he immediately promised, "Speak freely about anything you want to say."

"Pei Kunfu confessed his crimes and accepted punishment. His entire clan was confiscated and exiled. The women were either sent to the brothel or sold. Your young mistress bought the convicted woman Pei and provided her with four maids and two guards. She is living in luxury in the southern city. If anyone reports this, I'm afraid the Duke's mansion will suffer the consequences."

Xie Zhaozhao always spoke slowly and deliberately, but Yin Xiushan was struck dumb.

His Majesty's decision not to pursue the Duke's family for their crimes is already an act of divine grace. Yet Pei Yue has gone so far as to spend a fortune to buy the life of the convicted woman and provide her with maids, servants, guards, and young men.

Is this dissatisfaction with His Majesty? Or have the Duke's family had enough of their comfortable life?

He stood up and said, "Madam, I'll head back now and visit you another day."

After leaving Qingpuyuan, I rode my horse to No. 3 Tianhou Lane in the South City.

That's right, it's the courtyard where Gu Chengyan hid Guan Yingying back then.

After the two men died, Gu Zheng sold the courtyard, and coincidentally, the buyer was Pei Yue.

Yin Xiushan was a military general with considerable martial arts skills. He tied his horse to the archway and then climbed over the wall.

From the wall next to Courtyard No. 3, you can see everything inside Courtyard No. 3.

Not only was Madam Pei present in the courtyard, but also Pei Yue's two nieces.

Although Madam Pei's attire was not as luxurious as that of the Minister's mansion, she was definitely of the caliber of an elderly lady from a minor official's family.

When Duke Xun returned to his residence from the south city, his face remained dark.

Seeing his displeasure, the Duchess asked, "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer, but called to the butler, "Dahai, call the eldest young master and the young mistress here."

Yin Jinzhuo is teaching Pei Yue to write.

Yin Jinzhuo studied under famous masters from a young age and has excellent skills in calligraphy and painting.

Pei Yue greatly admired his paintings and calligraphy, cherishing them like precious jewels.

The steward called from outside the door, "Young Master, the Duke requests your presence in the front courtyard for a meeting."

Yin Jinzhuo put down his pen, and Pei Yue had already tidied up Yin Jinzhuo's calligraphy and paintings. The two of them followed the butler to the front yard.

Upon seeing her parents-in-law, Pei Yue, who appeared gentle and frail, curtsied and said, "Father, Mother."

"Father, what brings you here?" Yin Jinzhuo asked respectfully.

Yin Xiushan was furious. He said with a stern face, "Although you no longer need to serve in the court, you should still go to the training ground. What are you doing staying at home all day?"

The Duchess, feeling sorry for her son, quickly smoothed things over, saying, "It's been too hot these past few days; I'm afraid he'll get heatstroke."

"Damn it, are you some kind of delicate flower in a greenhouse? Do you expect someone to fan you when you get to the battlefield?"

Yin Xiushan angrily said, "Let me ask you, the Pei family has already been severely punished by His Majesty, do you know why the Duke's mansion is unscathed?"

"This is because His Majesty remembers the Duke's loyalty over the years, has no suspicions, and will not implicate him," said the Duchess.

"But the eldest son and Pei openly bought the convicted woman Pei and the younger generation of the Pei family at a high price, and are now living a life of luxury. Do they think His Majesty is too good to us?"

Pei was convicted and people were trying to avoid her, yet she still bought the house to live in comfort?

Isn't this just eagerly seeking impeachment from censors?

The Duchess was so angry that her chest ached.

"Pei family, did you do this?"

Yin Jinzhuo immediately defended Pei Yue: "It was my decision to buy it. Madam Pei is Yue'er's biological mother. Lord Pei has passed away. Yue'er is filial, so I'll help her if I can."

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