Lu Ning then remembered that a while ago, this county magistrate seemed to have asked him to process some kind of bulk employment contract, saying that she wanted to recruit a group of workers to do the work.

They actually recruited homeless people?

but……

Settling this family on the construction site as a form of work relief is indeed a good idea!

No wonder the refugees at the city gate have been under much less pressure lately!

He thought it was a great new idea, and he needed to think about it carefully.

But right now, we need to find the mother and daughter first.

So he casually asked, "Where is your little boss?"

"Isn't it right there?" the man pointed into the distance.

As expected, Lu Ning saw two figures, one tall and one short, walking back and forth not far away, and immediately went forward to meet them.

Xiao Youran was very happy to see Lu Ning arrive and waved to him, saying, "Uncle Lu!"

Lu Ning, however, felt somewhat ashamed and went straight to the point, "Lady Huihe, Princess Fengle, I am truly ashamed. I'm afraid I can't come up with the 50,000 taels of silver we agreed on before."

Madam Su smiled and said, "It's alright. The Jingzhao Prefecture can open a second round of fundraising, with the same quota of 100,000 taels of silver. Wouldn't it be a good thing if someone is willing to contribute?"

Lu Ning shook his head. "Lord Ye opened the second round of court fundraising a few days ago, with a quota of 500,000, but he is short of funds. Many acquaintances have come to me to inquire whether the court can repay the debt next year, given the current shortage of funds. If the local government fundraising is opened again, it will be even more difficult to raise funds, and even if it is, the process will likely be very long."

Seeing his worried expression, Xiao Youran suddenly tugged at Su Shi's sleeve and said, "Mother! If we could get back all the dowry you had in the Jiang family, wouldn't that solve Uncle Lu's problem?"

The first step to getting revenge on scumbags is to strike at their vital point!

Su's expression immediately brightened. That's right, isn't this the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture!

Last time, I gave Jiang Mingwei face at the Jiang residence, and the matter of demanding the dowry was dropped, but it also made the Jiang family lose face badly, and I was able to vent my anger.

Almost a month has passed now, isn't it time?

Thinking this, she smiled and said to Lu Ning, "Lord Lu, I have a way to make the Jingzhao Prefecture obtain tens of thousands of taels of silver in just a few days."

Lu Ning was overjoyed, "Please enlighten me, Yiren!"

"Lord Lu, I have divorced Jiang Mingyi, but my dowry has been withheld by the Jiang family until now. I wonder if the Prefect of the Capital can take on this case?"

Lu Ning understood the implication, but still asked uncertainly, "What does Huihe Yiren mean?"

"What I mean is, if the Jingzhao Prefecture can help me get my dowry back, then I will donate all of it to the Jingzhao Prefecture free of charge," Su said generously.

Anyway, those dowry items were proof of her marriage into the Jiang family, and now they've been distributed to who knows who by the Jiang family, so she has no reason to use those ornaments again; they're just too disgusting.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ning was overjoyed. He slapped his thigh and declared righteously, "No problem! It is my duty to solve the difficulties of the people of the capital!"

How could he not have heard that every piece of Lady Su's dowry was incredibly valuable?

Xiao Youran waved her hand, "No, no!"

"What's wrong with it?"

“Mother, I’m afraid no one will believe your donation without compensation, and the Jingzhao Prefecture will also find it difficult to convince the public. How about... you sign an official contract with the Jingzhao Prefecture, and your dowry is transferred to the Jingzhao Prefecture at a discounted price? Wouldn’t that be more legitimate?”

Lu Ning smiled wryly, "Yiren's dowry must be quite valuable, right? The capital prefecture is currently desperately short of money..."

Xiao Youran asked in surprise, "Is the Jingzhao Prefecture so poor that it can't even come up with ten taels of silver?"

"What?" Lu Ning wondered if he had misheard.

Xiao Youran held Su's hand and said, "Mother, all the items on your dowry list, except for those in Dingzhou that have already been received by my eldest uncle, will be transferred to the Jingzhao Prefecture at a discounted price of ten taels of silver. Do you agree?"

Mrs. Su smiled and said, "Agreed!"

Lu Ning stammered, "Ten...ten taels of silver?!"

He had heard that the South China Sea Pearl Curtain was worth at least ten thousand taels of silver!

Could it be fake?

Even if they're fake South China Sea pearls, they're still pearls! How many pearls would a curtain cost? It couldn't possibly be worth only ten taels of silver!

Su and Xiao Youran exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Ten taels of silver!"

"Uncle Lu, you can't possibly not even afford ten taels of silver?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Of course I have them!" Lu Ning quickly replied.

Madam Su then curtsied and said, "Please wait for our complaint, Lord Lu!"

Lu Ning laughed and went back, but ended up waiting for three days.

On the fourth day, he anxiously asked the newly appointed registrar, "Hasn't Huihe Yiren's lawsuit arrived yet?"

The registrar was sweating profusely as he flipped through the documents in his hands. He had only just arrived for his shift today and hadn't had a chance to look at them yet!

Suddenly, he breathed a sigh of relief and shakily handed over a lawsuit, exclaiming, "I've got it! I've got it!"

It's finally here! I don't know why Lord Lu keeps staring at him every day, asking about Huihe Yiren's complaint! I wonder what urgent matter he has to do!

Lu Ning began to read, exclaiming as he went, "Wonderful, wonderful!"

That's why he understood why there hadn't been a single thing happening to him for the past three days.

Because all the commotion these past three days has been at the Jiang residence!

Madam Su sent three invitations to the Jiang residence over three consecutive days, intending to meet with the matriarch of the Jiang household to discuss the return of the dowry. Unfortunately, all three invitations disappeared without a trace, receiving no response.

So, in a fit of anger, Su filed a lawsuit against the Jiang family in the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Now we have a legitimate reason to fight!

clever!

Lu Ning immediately beamed and slammed his gavel, "Guards! Summon the plaintiff! Summon the mistress of the Jiang family, the Marquis of Yong'an!"

Lady Yong'an was completely bewildered when she was brought to the Jingzhao Prefecture.

The eldest daughter-in-law, Lady Gao, also accompanied the Lady of Yong'an to the trial.

When she saw the Su mother and daughter standing to the side of the courtroom, chatting and laughing with the Prefect of Jingzhao, the Lady of Yong'an's anxiety immediately turned into a raging fire. "So it was you?!"

Madam Su nodded slightly at him, "The Lady of Yong'an has arrived."

Lady Yong'an looked at Lu Ning, the Prefect of Jingzhao, in the main hall, her tone arrogant, "You are the Prefect of Jingzhao? What brings you here?"

She was used to acting arrogantly in Dingzhou and generally didn't respect officials.

Lu Ning slammed his gavel and said sternly, "Madam Yong'an, Consort Huihe has accused your Jiang family of misappropriating her dowry and refusing to return it. Is this true?"

Lady Yong'an was furious. "I said long ago that Su's dowry is all in Dingzhou and must be returned there. When did I say it wouldn't be returned? And how can you say it's being misappropriated?"