Chapter 46 I want Zhou Rui's wife to come and pay her respects. "Third brother hasn't done his homework..."

After the meal, Lin Daiyu saw Mu Chuan off.

"Third Brother," she called out, but didn't say anything else, fidgeting and looking at her shoes, barely lifting her head.

"What's wrong? Haven't you had enough to drink? I'll have a couple more drinks with you."

Lin Daiyu chuckled: "Don't mention the wine cup, it's too funny to see it in your hand. What I meant was... I don't dare to set off firecrackers by myself."

What are you talking about! Lin Daiyu's face flushed: "That's not what I meant!"

Mu Chuan laughed: "It's alright. My little niece, the one you named, also needs me to be with her. I have to hold her hand before I dare to let go. Luckily I'm strong, otherwise she would have pulled back."

Lin Daiyu gave him a weak glare and said, "I'm talking about serious matters."

Mu Chuan thought for a moment, his expression so serious that Lin Daiyu felt awkward: "Well, what I'm saying is serious. What if sparks burn your clothes if you don't stick your hand out?"

"What I meant to say was—cough, Zhou Rui's wife." There was nothing embarrassing about talking to Third Brother.

"She came to pay her respects the day before yesterday, and her smile was so gentle. But she didn't come yesterday, and she didn't come today either. Third Brother, when will she come to pay her respects again?"

There was embarrassment in her voice, but also a hint of anticipation.

"It's not a big problem." Mu Chuan considered for a moment, then looked at the sky: "She still has to come to pay her respects to you tomorrow, I said."

"You're the most domineering one." Lin Daiyu finally looked up, smiled at him again, and tentatively asked, "Don't you think I'm being unreasonable?"

“This isn’t being unreasonable. Daiyu, think about it, if you don’t say anything, wouldn’t that mean you’re keeping Zhou Rui’s wife in your heart?” Then the endless cycle of internal strife and conflict would begin.

Besides, they've tormented her for ten years, and this is only the second time, and she's already feeling guilty? A person can't live like this.

Lin Daiyu frowned, then laughed again: "Third Brother is right, I can't keep her in my heart."

"Just say what's on your mind, don't keep it bottled up. It's not a big deal." Mu Chuan pulled on the reins and asked, "So, am I really leaving? If there's anything wrong, just push it onto me. Especially just now when we were drinking, you said Jia Lian was drunk and you only drank a couple of glasses with him because you had no choice."

Lin Daiyu smiled, revealing two small dimples: "This is not a matter of helplessness."

"You're not helpless at all," Mu Chuan retorted. "It's all my fault for being helpless."

Lin Daiyu smiled and went back. As soon as she reached the front yard, Jia Lian's servant came to report: "Miss Lin, the Second Master has woken up. Please wait a moment."

Actually, Jia Lian wasn't fully awake. It was just that the servant saw that the Earl of Zhongyong was about to leave, while his master was still drowsy. If he really let Miss Lin go back first, his master wouldn't be able to have a good New Year.

So the group discussed it and put an ice pack on Jia Lian's neck, which finally woke him up. After drinking two bowls of hangover soup, he was finally able to speak without slurring his words.

Lin Daiyu waited in the warm pavilion, and soon Jia Lian came in.

He reeked of alcohol and walked with a deliberately slow gait.

Lin Daiyu lowered her head; she hated this.

When her father was seriously ill, Jia Lian accompanied him. And what happened?

He indulged in nightly revelry and extravagance, returning home every few days either reeking of alcohol or covered in cosmetics, as if afraid others wouldn't know what he was doing and that he was drawing money from the Lin family's accounts.

"Sister Lin... I wanted to keep this quiet. I meant I was made drunk by the Marquis of Zhongyong." Jia Lian stammered, partly because he was drunk, and partly because he was in a difficult position.

But this was exactly what Lin Daiyu wanted. She didn't want so much trouble. If she said she had dined with them, she would be interrogated for at least three days when she got back.

"I only said I was waiting in the side hall. I have no idea what you said."

Jia Lian breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder Wang Xifeng always said that Lin Daiyu was the most intelligent one.

Jia Lian thought for a moment, then decided he couldn't pretend to be too nice. He had drunk quite a bit of wine, which would fit his intention to curry favor with the Marquis of Zhongyong. As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and the phoenix egg was quite good at crying, as the old lady gave him all sorts of good things.

It was fine when the house had a lot of stuff, but now that things are going downhill day by day, the old lady has pawned so many things in her house, why is she still leaving them all to him?

Then what is he?

And to be honest, everyone knows the old lady's things; she never intended to get them back after pawning them. After all, she's getting old, and they'll just quietly erase them from her records in the future.

After drinking too much, Jia Lian's thoughts became somewhat uncontrollable. He thought about all sorts of random things before finally regaining his composure.

"Sister, you can go back now. I'll go after I've washed up."

Lin Daiyu slowly returned to Grandmother Jia's room.

Grandmother Jia was telling them about going to the palace to offer congratulations.

"Go on the afternoon of New Year's Eve and the morning of New Year's Day. There are many rules in the palace. Eunuchs watch over you every step you take, where you stand, which direction you face, and when it's your turn to kneel. Kowtowing and paying respects takes only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but queuing outside takes half an hour, and you have to arrive half an hour early. If the people in front of you are questioned by the ladies, those behind you have to wait in the cold wind."

With a touch of nostalgia on her face, Grandmother Jia said, "You can't afford to make even the slightest mistake. For some families, this is the most glorious time of the year. If you make a mistake and it implicates them, they'd love to tear you apart."

Wang Xifeng patted her chest in fright, while Grandmother Jia laughed and spat at her, "You're just putting on an act."

Upon seeing Lin Daiyu enter, Grandmother Jia greeted her, "You're back? The Marquis of Zhongyong has left?"

Lin Daiyu bowed and sat down next to Grandmother Jia: "I'm leaving now. Second Brother Lian went to see me off, but he was afraid that Grandmother would worry, so he told me to come back first."

Grandmother Jia smiled, pretending not to care: "What did you say? You weren't drunk, were you?"

Lin Daiyu shook her head: "I went in and said a few words, then went to sit in the warm pavilion. I came out again when I left, I must have been drinking, I smelled the alcohol."

Grandmother Jia patted her with a smile: "Don't take offense. What man doesn't drink? When we hold banquets, you all drink a few cups of rice wine. You should all learn from this. Don't be like those pretentious and affected girls. Girls should be generous and open."

Lin Daiyu listened and then let it go, but Tan Chun took it to heart. Was this... a sign that they were going to start receiving guests? And that they would have to engage in social interactions?

Tan Chun felt a surge of anticipation. The older she got, the more sensible she became. Especially after visiting Granny Lai's house and the Wang family, she became increasingly unwilling to remain confined to a corner of the world. She wanted to make a difference.

Grandmother Jia added, “This year your wife and I will be going to the palace. When we come back, we will need to rest for a few days. When relatives come to visit during the New Year, we will ask Feng to take care of the arrangements.”

Tan Chun was overjoyed and was trying to figure out how to say it in a way that was both dignified and not too opportunistic when Xue Baochai beat her to it.

Xue Baochai also felt this was a good opportunity.

She wasn't originally a member of the Jia family, and besides, the New Year only lasts a few days. It's a one-off deal, so she might as well give it up.

“What the old ancestor said is true. But I… I’ll have Feng’er take my second, third, and fourth sisters to handle it. I live close to the small kitchen, so I can watch over it. Pin’er is frail and needs to eat three meals a day on time.”

Tan Chun's neck seemed to stiffen. She slowly turned her head and looked at Xue Baochai with a gaze that seemed to spit fire.

"Alright then," Grandmother Jia nodded, and Lady Wang echoed, "Let's do it that way then."

"Don't bring this up," Lin Daiyu said irritably. "Before, I could only eat five out of ten meals, and you didn't care about me at all. Now that I'm better, you suddenly appear out of nowhere."

Tan Chun immediately chimed in, "Exactly. Is Sister Bao all talk and no action? The small kitchen is perfectly fine. And what happened with Aunt Liu last time? It was proven to be a false accusation, and she came back afterward, didn't she? She's been working even harder. What? Is that also Sister Bao's doing?"

Madam Wang frowned, cleared her throat, and Tan Chun could only hold back her anger for now. Fortunately, she had said something, so she wasn't too frustrated.

Xichun suddenly laughed and joined the battle.

She heard from the maid that Sister Lin had acquired a pot of epiphyllum, which was about to bloom in the next couple of days. In Buddhism, the epiphyllum is both an auspicious symbol and represents impermanence and enlightenment. She was thinking of asking Sister Lin to stay in her room for a couple of days to see what was going on with the epiphyllum. Besides, there was also the matter of her third sister; everything had been discussed, so how could the Xue family have taken it away?

"Sister Bao is indeed eloquent. Last time, when the old lady asked me to draw a garden, Sister Bao spoke eloquently and even arranged for Second Brother to go outside to find someone who could draw to teach me. She also gave me such a big list, saying that she had all these things at home and that she would teach me how to use them. In the end, it was Sister Feng who found the things for me. She didn't even provide a piece of paper. Later, I don't know how, it became Sister Bao who taught me to draw the garden."

After saying that, Xichun sighed, "I've been painting this for two years now, and I haven't seen her come to see me."

Xue Baochai could no longer laugh.

The atmosphere inside was a little awkward.

Yingchun wanted to say something, but she always let things slide. Although she had a feeling that Baochai was treating her badly, she couldn't find any evidence and could only sigh.

Madam Wang frowned, but not entirely out of anger. She smiled faintly and said, "Your Baochai is a few years older than you, so she knows some things and will naturally tell you. Perhaps you misunderstood. How can we ask her to pay for our family's affairs?"

To say that this is a way of defusing the situation wouldn't be quite right. In this room, only Tan Chun, Bao Yu, and Xue Baochai have any real connection. The rest of the relationships are so distant that they can only be described as meddling.

But it was at least a way out, so Xue Baochai laughed twice but didn't say anything.

Wang Xifeng waited a moment before speaking. If you were to ask who disliked Xue Baochai the most in the entire Rongguo Mansion, Wang Xifeng would consistently rank among the top three.

"Well, it's not a big deal. Miss Xue is a relative after all. How can you expect a relative to be busy during the New Year? In my opinion, why not ask Sister-in-law Zhu to keep an eye on the small kitchen? She lives in the courtyard, not far away, and she can't come out during the New Year. It would be perfect for her to manage the kitchen."

"You'll give me something to do." Li Wan nodded hurriedly in agreement. At least she would have something to do, which was much better than staying in the room embroidering or copying scriptures, especially since it was the New Year.

Outside, it was bustling with activity, and firecrackers were going off incessantly. She could only stay inside with Lan'er, waiting for Grandmother Jia to remember them: "A widow is unemployed and life is hard. Take this dish to Lan'er."

Grandmother Jia's eyelids drooped, making it impossible for others to see her eyes: "It's nothing serious, you can discuss it yourselves. Has Lian'er arrived? You can all go back first, I want to say a few words to your second brother Lian."

Everyone stood up, bowed, and took their leave. When they reached the small annex outside, Xichun called out to Lin Daiyu.

"Sister Lin, I heard you recently got a new night-blooming cereus. I've never seen one before. May I go and take a look?"

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "When Shen Mama brought it over that day, she said it would definitely open within three days. I suppose it will be tonight. Just come on over."

Jia Baoyu leaned closer and said, "I've never seen this before either."

"Who knows when it will open?" Lin Daiyu declined. "We might all be asleep. You'll be seeing guests during the New Year, and you might not be energetic enough. Then your Baochai sister will complain that I made you tired."

Tan Chun laughed and said, "It's not worth staying up all night just to look at a pot of flowers."

Jia Baoyu was listless, and Xue Baochai said, "You silly girl, why are you bringing me up again?"

This is really something. We've been talking about her for years, and now she can't even stand it after just a couple of comments? She has no choice but to keep quiet even if she's unhappy.

"You, Snow Cave Master, are you trying to use my things to do favors again?" Lin Daiyu glanced at her and said irritably, "If you want to give gifts to the old lady and the ladies, you should at least contribute some money. If you only offer your mouth, then who does this filial piety count for? Perhaps I am ignorant, but when it comes to purchasing things for the emperor, do you think you can get something for nothing?"

Lin Daiyu took a couple of breaths and continued, "The Xia family in the outskirts of the capital is also a royal merchant family. Their osmanthus flowers are quite good, their osmanthus dew smells wonderful, and their osmanthus candy is delicious. I heard that their family is run by the mother and daughters, and they haven't declined at all. I even saw them delivering osmanthus flowers to the Wu-Yue Guild Hall the other day. Sister Bao is knowledgeable and well-informed; she can't be any less knowledgeable than her, can she? You even have an older brother."

What could Xue Baochai do? She could only pretend not to hear, take Shi Xiangyun's arm, and say with a smile, "Let's go back."

Since she had already spoken up, she was determined to get rid of Xue Baochai from her heart. Lin Daiyu then said, "The epiphyllum was sent by the Empress's niece. Why don't you go and ask them if it can be given to someone else?"

Tan Chun chuckled: "Why are you rewarding her?"

Lin Daiyu sighed. Well, she could barely manage to banish about 20% of Xue Baochai from her heart, but there was still a lot to say before she could completely ignore her.

"Speaking of which, Sister Yun's uncle has been sent away to work elsewhere. I wonder if she has sent a letter home. After all, he is an elder, and she should inquire about him from time to time. Master Xue should remind her, right?"

Neither Tan Chun nor Xi Chun spoke, but Ying Chun said, "Should we... remind her?"

"Second sister." Lin Daiyu smiled immediately.

However, Xue Baochai, who hadn't gone far, turned back and was still supporting Lady Wang.

Lady Wang usually walks very slowly, with the poise of a lady, but today... she seems to be walking much faster than Xue Baochai, who walks constantly every day, making Xue Baochai look a bit cumbersome.

"Your uncle is back!" Upon seeing Jia Baoyu, Lady Wang exclaimed with a smile, her voice trembling with emotion, as if she were choking up a little.

Lin Daiyu then went inside with the others. Grandmother Jia was talking to Wang Xifeng about the New Year when she heard the news, and her eyes stopped drooping as she smiled.

"It's good to be back!" After all, he's a help, and a powerful one at that. Grandmother Jia said with a smile, "Go back to the Wang family with your aunt and give them my regards."

The inspection covers nine provinces... For a moment, even Grandmother Jia no longer felt suffocated; this was a high-ranking official in charge of a region.

"A high-ranking official in charge of a region?" Mu Chuan looked at Ke Yuanqing and smiled, the kind of smile that seemed to say, "How could you be so stupid?"

He had arrived at the Wanping County government office, mainly to inquire about the case, strengthen relationships, and also to resolve the small matter of his daughter Daiyu wanting to see Zhou Rui's wife.

"Just kidding, I was just kidding." Ke Yuanqing quickly clarified, "The title 'Inspector of Nine Provinces' can only fool outsiders who don't know the ropes. The Great Wei Dynasty has a total of eighteen provinces plus the two directly governed provinces in the north and south. Inspector of nine provinces? Supervising the border troops? Change the name and it will all make sense: 'King of One Character Side by Side' or 'Regent King'."

The emperor isn't stupid; can the empire really be shared? The retired emperor must be crying his eyes out in the Daming Palace.

Mu Chuan had met Wang Ziteng when he was in Pingnan Town. He was called the Inspector General of Nine Provinces, but he was more like a eunuch who came to supervise the army.

If he were a eunuch, they would have to treat him with respect, but to mistake a minister for a eunuch is a pure insult. Not only should they ignore him, but they should also draw a clear line between themselves and the emperor. Who knows if he is just a target the emperor is using to fish out his enemies?

Mu Chuan then said, "We've always thought he was just a figurehead. The real person in charge should be that eunuch named Zhong Jun by his side. Listen to his name; it means 'loyal to the emperor.'"

Ke Yuanqing quickly chimed in, "Exactly. His Majesty already thinks the Governors-General of Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, and Jiangxi have too much power. There's no reason to create a governor-general of nine provinces, who is also in charge of military affairs. Besides, Wang Ziteng's background is a bit strange."

Perhaps to make up for his earlier mistake, and also fearing that the Marquis of Zhongyong would look down on him, Ke Yuanqing spoke very frankly: "Generally speaking, when His Majesty appoints a military supervisor, it is either a eunuch or a civil official, and Wang Ziteng is neither. Or, if the border is in crisis, the military supervisor must be a veteran in the army and someone who knows the ropes, and Wang Ziteng is neither."

"The title of Military Governor of the Capital Garrison, Commander-in-Chief of Nine Provinces, and Inspector General of Nine Provinces? The latter two were created for Prince Teng; there's no such promotion." Ke Yuanqing concluded.

Mu Chuan then patted his shoulder encouragingly: "Since that's the case..." He changed the subject: "Does Zhou Rui have a quilt?"

Ke Yuanqing didn't react immediately. With the New Year approaching and things progressing smoothly, he was on the verge of a promotion. He had been attending more drinking parties these past few days. After thinking for a moment, he realized that the Earl of Zhongyong meant to increase the rewards!

Let's increase the stakes while Wang Ziteng is back!

To be honest, he hadn't paid much attention to this. After all, compared to the impending results, Zhou Rui was just a prelude, and money was the least respectable thing in this power struggle.

“You’re right, sir. Throughout history, once someone is imprisoned, the government can’t be expected to support them. I’ll send my men to the Rongguo Mansion to demand the money. We need…” Ke Yuanqing’s mind raced, “Six hundred taels.”

The land deed says six hundred taels, and that should be the standard from now on.

Mu Chuan was satisfied and smiled, "That's only right. I've heard that the palace eunuchs often go to the Jia family to ask for money. Think about it, they take care of Consort Jia and go to the Jia family to ask for money. You take care of Zhou Rui, so naturally you should also ask for some money."

Although the reason sounded somewhat joking, it reassured Ke Yuanqing that following the palace's lead was always the right thing to do.

Mu Chuan then said, "Speaking of which, I'll be going to take up my post in the Northern Camp after the New Year. The Northern Camp has nearly nine thousand officers and soldiers. Do you need some fertilizer?"

Ke Yuanqing really thought about it seriously, and then refused.

“I can only serve as the magistrate of Wanping County until May next year at the latest. Besides, everything is going smoothly now. After the New Year…” Ke Yuanqing lowered his voice: “Not only me, but Lord Li will probably also be joining the cabinet. Although the winter wheat can be used, it is just icing on the cake for me. General, you might as well keep this one and wait for the next magistrate.”

Mu Chuan laughed and scolded, "This thing can be kept?"

Ke Yuanqing hurriedly said, "I meant don't promise a year at a time, but promise it out month by month."

"Knowing this makes you a good official. I wish you a promotion in advance, and we can have a drink together then."

Ke Yuanqing hurriedly poured tea for Mu Chuan and toasted him with tea instead of wine. Then he instructed his clerk to bring the dossier and said, "Zhou Rui has confessed. He said that the hundred taels of silver he gave to Wang Gou'er back then was a reward. He didn't expect Wang Gou'er to misunderstand and think that was all the silver."

Having almost messed up by keeping things a secret earlier, Ke Yuanqing dared not delay any longer and continued, "This is what was revealed during the first interrogation. As for the second time, Zhou Rui said that he had just secured a job managing two seasons' worth of land rent for the Rongguo Mansion and didn't care about such a small profit."

He shook his head as he spoke: "The Rongguo Mansion is truly chaotic. If the master takes ten taels, the servants below must take at least half of it, and that's not all."

As Ke Yuanqing flipped through the files, he picked out the interesting ones to tell Mu Chuan: "There was a branch of the family who got the job of planting trees in the Grand View Garden. They had two hundred taels of silver in their account, but only spent fifty taels to buy the trees. Tsk tsk, what business can make money as fast as theirs? Even the palace procurement department wouldn't dare to quote such a price."

"So Zhou Rui has private property?"

Ke Yuanqing nodded through gritted teeth: "Yes! More than my family's wealth, which is more than that of someone from a prestigious family who came from the Hanlin Academy!"

“But the Rongguo Mansion is really interesting.” Ke Yuanqing continued, “A couple of days ago, we received a secret letter slipped through the back door. It said that Zhou Rui’s daughter was still a slave, but her son-in-law was a free man named Leng Zixing. He also ran an antique shop and had several lawsuits against him. It even clearly stated the year and month of the lawsuits, who the defendants were, who the presiding official was, and who the mediator was.”

Marriage between people of different social classes, while seemingly a case of "if the people don't complain, the authorities won't investigate," is actually a serious crime if it's uncovered. But none of that matters.

Anyway, I'm destined to be a laborer in Pingnan Town.

Mu Chuan looked very pleased: "As expected of the Rongguo Mansion. Before anything is even settled, they've already set their sights on Zhou Rui's lucrative position."

"Yes, we've already sent people to investigate a few cases." Ke Yuanqing's expression became complicated: "The source of the items in his antique shop is hard to say. I suspect that the second master of the Jia family, who was sent to Qiongzhou as an educational commissioner, didn't know that his wife's maid was selling off the family's antiques."

"It's not a big problem," Mu Chuan comforted him. "No matter how slow it is, he should be back by the fifteenth of the first lunar month. You can tell him yourself then."

When Mu Chuan returned from Wanping County, he also brought with him the official document issued by Ke Yuanqing, as well as the temporary yamen runner conscription document.

After all, Wanping County is 120 li away from the capital. If the constables of Wanping County were to be asked to handle the matter, they would definitely not be able to make it by tomorrow morning. Therefore, the magistrate of Wanping County entrusted the matter to the Earl of Zhongyong.

Mu Chuan didn't delay. Although it was already dark when he returned, he still selected a few of his men and went to the Rongguo Mansion to ask for money.

Grandmother Jia was quite happy at this moment. Firstly, Jia Lian said that the wine was enjoyed to the fullest and the Earl of Zhongyong was very satisfied.

Lin Daiyu silently expressed her agreement.

She tried a small bite of everything and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Third Brother left with a smile, and even said he would come to see her in a couple of days, so he was obviously satisfied.

No, she's not satisfied.

Her third brother didn't bring the "Thousand Character Classic," so he didn't do his homework properly.

The second thing that pleased Grandmother Jia was that Yu'er still sided with her, her maternal grandmother, and also with Bao Yu.

Lian Er also mentioned that the Earl of Zhongyong wanted to test Baoyu's martial arts skills, but Yu'er stopped him.

This also proves from another perspective that the Earl of Zhongyong did not intend to make things difficult for the Rongguo Mansion.

Thinking about it this way, Grandmother Jia smiled and said to Jia Baoyu, "You should also practice riding and archery a little. Nobody expects you to be an expert in it, but at least you should be able to get by."

Jia Baoyu responded listlessly. He thought to himself, "There used to be Jia Yucun, who would always come to test me. Now that he's not coming, another Lord Zhongyong has arrived."

Each one is more despicable than the last.

The third piece of good news is that Madam Wang and Wang Xifeng returned with some joyous tidings.

The marriage between Prince Teng's daughter and the son of the Marquis of Baoning has been arranged, and the wedding date is the tenth day of the fifth month next year.

The four families of Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue are already bound together. If the Wang family can arrange a good marriage, it will also benefit the Rongguo Mansion.

"Each of you should bring two kinds of needlework," Grandmother Jia said with a smile. "I'll invite you to a banquet later."

The constables from Wanping County arrived at Rongguo Mansion at this time.

"Call Zhou Rui's wife out here!"

This time, no one dared to refuse, and even less dared to stop them. Someone immediately ran to call Zhou Rui's wife, but Zhou Rui's wife dared not go out and ran straight to Grandmother Jia's room.

She refused to believe that those lowly constables would dare to arrest her in front of the Duchess—at least they would have to be members of the Imperial Guard.

Besides, the matriarch has always been very concerned about saving face, so with so many people around, she had no choice but to take the blame.

"Grandmother, save me! I was born a member of the Jia family, and I will die a member of the Jia family. I would rather kill myself than betray my loyalty!"

Lin Daiyu almost laughed, thinking that her third brother was quite quick, so she decided to let him off the hook for now by not copying the "Thousand Character Classic".

“Mother Zhou should go and take a look. If they really want to arrest someone, like they arrested Zhou Rui last time, how could we stop them? This time they should just be here for questioning.”

"Say less!" Madam Wang reprimanded her sharply, a rare occurrence for her.

Zhou Rui's crying paused slightly before being drowned out by Madam Wang's scolding.

I've lost my mind! I've wasted a whole opportunity.

But... she was already in a bind, and Zhou Rui's wife began to cry softly. She kowtowed to Grandmother Jia and said sorrowfully, "This servant will go now."

This situation put Zhou Rui's wife in a difficult position, and even the matriarch, Jia Mu, said with a trembling face, "Tell Lian'er to go and see what they're up to! When did the constables start causing trouble at the Rongguo Mansion?!"

However, the constables have already caused trouble more than once.

Only family members care about their own. Wang Xifeng stepped forward to help Zhou Rui's wife up, then pinched her arm hard on the inside. Zhou Rui's wife shuddered and was pulled away by Wang Xifeng.

The room quieted down, and soon Jia Lian returned. He had drunk too much at noon, and although he wasn't drunk enough, he had a terrible headache and was very impatient. His tone became even more irritable.

"They've come to ask for money," Jia Lian said irritably, without any attempt to hide his true intentions.

"The officials said: 'You guys are quite capable, leaving a man in jail and then ignoring him. What will he eat? What will he wear? Will he need a blanket at night? He's here to serve his sentence, not to enjoy a life of luxury, but people still need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. You don't care, do you expect the county magistrate to take care of him? Or are you planning to use Wanping County to silence him?'"

Awkward silence filled the room.

Lin Daiyu wasn't embarrassed. Zhou Rui's wife had nothing to do with her. She was the first to stand up: "Grandmother, it's getting late, I'll go back now. You should get some rest too."