Xiao Shengyuan felt a surge of irritation and reprimanded her sternly, "What's the big deal? Is it worth making such a fuss over!"

The butler said anxiously, "Master, the eldest young lady has brought a group of people in and said she wants to take away the late madam's dowry."

Xiao Shengyuan's expression changed drastically.

"This wretched child, couldn't he even wait one more day?!"

Yao has been imprisoned, and her mother is unconscious. Who can take stock of her dowry?

Xiao Shengyuan walked toward the warehouse with a face full of anger.

As soon as I got close, I heard a wail.

The loudest howl came from his own son.

His heart tightened, and he quickened his pace.

Upon arriving at the warehouse entrance, they found the servants of the mansion lying on the ground, and their son being held by the collar and hung in mid-air.

He was instantly enraged.

"Let go!"

Ji Yunhua loosened his grip, and the chubby boy with a bruised and swollen face fell to the ground with a "thud".

The screams were extremely shrill.

"Daddy! Daddy! It hurts so much!"

Xiao Shengyuan was heartbroken.

He only had one son, who was well-behaved and obedient from a young age, and he never slapped him.

Now he's been hurt like this.

"Do you have no respect for the law?!" Xiao Shengyuan roared at Xiao Qingyin. "Believe me or not, I'll go to the Jingzhao Prefecture and report you right now!"

Xiao Qingyin smiled.

"Please, Lord Xiao, open your eyes wide and see who made the first move."

We are acting in self-defense.

Xiao Shengyuan looked around and realized that all the servants in the mansion were holding knives and spears, while Xiao Qingyin's people were all unarmed.

"The Prefect of the Capital has already made a judgment, ordering the Xiao family to return my mother's dowry as soon as possible."

It is perfectly reasonable and legal for me to come and collect my dowry.

What right do you have to stop me?

Or does Lord Xiao believe that the Xiao family is above the law and can disregard the verdict?

Xiao Shengyuan felt a chill run down his spine.

"You scoundrel! When did I ever have such a thought? Couldn't you have informed me beforehand if you were going to take your dowry?"

They barged in with a bunch of people without even saying hello; who knows what they're up to.

"Now you know what I want to do, right?"

Xiao Qingyin was too lazy to ramble on.

"Get out of my way, don't waste my time."

"All of this dowry belongs to my mother!"

Xiao Qingheng endured the pain and got up, roaring at Xiao Qingyin.

"None of you are allowed to move!"

"Go and tell that to the Prefect of the Capital."

Xiao Qingyin pulled the person aside and had them slam the door shut.

After breaking down the door, they checked the dowry list while having people move things out.

In no time, they had moved everything out of the warehouse.

Xiao Shengyuan was trembling with anger.

But then he saw this wretched girl walking towards him.

"Lord Xiao, there's only half of the dowry listed here. What about the other half?"

"What?"

He stared blankly at Xiao Qingyin.

"Tell me, where did you hide my mother's other half of her dowry?"

Xiao Shengyuan realized what was happening and said angrily, "They're all here!"

"Please check it yourself, my men haven't left the manor yet."

Xiao Shengyuan took the order with some skepticism, checked it himself, and broke out in a cold sweat afterward.

Indeed, it's only half.

It consists entirely of physical items such as furniture, jewelry, and calligraphy and paintings.

There were no deeds to the house, land, or banknotes.

"Wait a minute, I'll go look for it."

Xiao Shengyuan hurriedly returned to the main courtyard and had someone open the Yao family's private treasury, where they found only two house deeds.

They went to the old lady's courtyard again and forcibly woke her up.

"Mother, what about the house deeds, land deeds, and silver in Yun's dowry?"

Lou woke up groggily, and upon hearing this, her eyelids drooped.

"It's gone."

"It's gone?!"

Xiao Shengyuan was astonished.

“It was sold long ago. What do you think the manor has been keeping afloat all these years? Your meager salary is not enough.”

Lou said expressionlessly.

If it weren't for the worry that the physical items would be leaked and people would discover that she was privately selling the Yun family's dowry, she would have sold them all long ago.

Xiao Shengyuan looked incredulous.

All these years, the Xiao family has been living off the dowry of the Yun family.

He thought he was the one holding up this huge mansion.

Embarrassment and shame surged into his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

"What should we do? That girl has come to ask for her dowry."

The Lou family members have already been sentenced, their dignity has long been torn off, so they don't care about this anymore.

"Let's just let it be. What can she do to us?"

Xiao Shengyuan thought about it and agreed.

She couldn't very well kill them.

He then steeled himself and went to find Xiao Qingyin, giving her the only two house deeds he had.

"I'm sorry, we don't have any more."

"Paying back debts is a matter of course," Xiao Qingyin chuckled. "Since the Xiao family has spent the money, they should repay it. Don't you agree?"

Xiao Shengyuan's lips trembled slightly: "...Yes."

"I'm glad you understand."

Xiao Qingyin looked at Ji Yunhua.

"Please call the pawnshop staff over to estimate the value of my mother's other half of her dowry, and also see what valuable items are in the Xiao family's residence. Pawn them all to cover this debt."

You can't do that!

Xiao Shengyuan was horrified.

How is this any different from ransacking someone's home?

If word gets out, how will he face his colleagues?

Xiao Qingyin smiled.

"If Lord Xiao is unwilling, we can meet in court."

Xiao Shengyuan closed his eyes in pain.

He was wrong.

We shouldn't have sent that wretched girl to the countryside back then.

They should have listened to their mother and drowned him in the chamber pot.

He was indeed too soft-hearted.

Ji Yunhua quickly summoned the people from the pawnshop.

After assessing the value of the property, the pawnshop emptied the Xiao residence and gave Xiao Qingyin 30,000 taels of silver.

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