The second master couldn't escape the beating after all. Although the old marquis softened his blows, he still took a few hits.

After returning home, I don't know if it was because he was angry from being scolded or because he relaxed after saying those words, but the old man had a slight fever. He was given some herbal medicine and recovered before nightfall.

However, she had no appetite and kept saying that she had no taste in her mouth, but she couldn't eat any of the dishes served, whether they were heavily seasoned or lightly seasoned.

The head chef was extremely worried, as the two old masters had not eaten for two meals.

They all said that the food served was not to their liking, so the cooks and Granny Sun in the old Marquis's courtyard would prepare several dishes and send them over.

We can try it out in the main kitchen to see if the two old men can stomach it.

Grandma Sun chose the bubble wontons she had made before. They were light and refreshing, with a delicate and delicious aroma, and the seaweed and pepper soup was spicy and delicious.

Add a plate of preserved egg and tofu to make a dish called "Three Crispy Delicacies of the Mountain Country".

Put spring water into a clay pot, add a little salt and bring to a boil. Add tender bamboo shoots, small mushrooms (spring mushrooms), and goji berry leaves and blanch until cooked.

After scooping out the water, add a little sesame oil, a pinch of pepper, a spoonful of soy sauce, and two spoonfuls of vinegar, and mix well before eating.

If stir-fried with sesame oil, it can also be used as a topping for rice porridge or noodles.

The two old men held their bowls, eating small wontons one at a time. After finishing, they drank the soup and ate the vegetables, slurping the whole bowl down.

The two old ladies were so happy that they gave her a purse full of silver ingots. Grandma Sun not only got to show off, but also benefited from the reward.

……………………………………………………

Qi Zhou, the brothers Gu Che and Gu Jing traveled day and night, and six days later, they arrived at their hometown with a group of people.

Sure enough, the clan leader had already become suspicious. If they had arrived a day or two later, who knows what might have happened?

When they arrived, they only saw the old servant of Gu Yun's family in town, leading a group of people, each carrying sticks and clubs, who were clearly unable to withstand the people brought by the clan chief.

At first, he lied, telling the clan chief that his master had been burned and was not receiving any guests, and that he had also invited several doctors to the mansion to treat him.

For the first few days, the clan chief believed this, but after a few days, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

But after several attempts, I couldn't find anything wrong, and only today did I realize it.

The clan chief stamped his foot and addressed the large group of people who had come with him.

"That lowly, cunning servant actually went to find a ventriloquist to fool us."

No matter what, get in today. That old bastard Gu is doing alright in his own home.

If he weren't here, I'm afraid none of us would have fared well!

Several families in the village who were in cahoots with the clan chief all sent their nephews, sons, and grandsons to their door.

Before anyone could react, the old steward Zhongbo's son was hit several times with a stick, leaving bruises on his face and arms.

The servants guarding the courtyard also became hot-blooded, and the two sides were about to fight.

Those who were watching the commotion realized that things were not going well, so they hurriedly ran to fetch the constables.

Just as the two sides began to fight, Gu Jing, sitting on his horse, shouted loudly and looked up to see that people from the Marquis's residence had arrived.

Zhongbo finally breathed a sigh of relief, as Gu Jing and Gu Che's men escorted everyone into the courtyard.

There was still time to check on his son's injuries and have his wife take him to apply ointment.

Then, Zhongbo turned around, knelt on the ground, and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

"If the young masters had arrived a quarter of an hour later, who knows what would have happened to us servants?"

In broad daylight, a group of farmers dared to smash the gates of the Marquis's mansion with hoes and sticks!

This is blatant disrespect for the government, disloyalty, and treason! He deserves to be dragged out and hanged!

"Young master! My young master! Drag him out! Strangle him!"

As the clan chief listened to the old man's inflected and forceful curses, his heart swayed back and forth, wavering between unease and turmoil.

That old geezer, you know what, he's really wicked, terribly wicked!

All they wanted was some money; how could that be considered treason? And what?! They're sentenced to hanging!

He's really bold; he can just say whatever he wants and condemn someone like that?

After glancing at Gu Jing and the other two, she simply sat cross-legged on the ground and began to wail.

"What kind of logic is this? We are all relatives of the Marquis's family; the old Marquis is my own cousin. A blood relative!"

Your second master is a son who was separated from his wife. He's been separated from his wife. How dare he call himself a marquis?

"Nephew, you let this scoundrel come up here and slander me without even knowing the facts! I'm innocent!"

The clan chief also drawled, "I'm innocent too!"

Gu Jing and his companion had never seen anything like this before. They were stunned by their crying, howling, shouting, and making a scene, and stared blankly for a long time.

Gu Che was the first to react and went out to send away the constables who had just arrived.

Whether the clan affairs are true or false, they must not be discovered by the constables. Otherwise, if they are reported back to the capital, they will give their political enemies ammunition against them.

Then they took the clan chief back to the clan and forced him to hand over the account books.

He then had several accountants he had brought from the capital begin checking the accounts one by one.

The old clan chief was cunning; he started settling accounts after the second patriarch discovered the truth before the fight.

If they hadn't brought along the Marquis's accountant, the other accountants really wouldn't have been able to find any clues.

But the accounts don't match, and the old clan chief won't accept it.

He simply said that he had misremembered or mixed things up, and that it was only a few dozen taels of silver that he hadn't filled in, and that the other party was willing to fill it in.

Then we went to the ethnic minority school, which was packed with students of all ages.

Gu Che singled out several older students to examine their knowledge, and needless to say, they learned it terribly.

But they just said they were stupid, had no interest in studying, and so on.

Moreover, not all of them were unsuccessful in their studies; two of them had already passed the preliminary imperial examination. However, after inquiring, it was learned that they were studying at the prefectural academy.

The two men were filled with resentment, and without even eating lunch, they went to the homes of those impoverished clansmen.

Hey, you know what? These past few days, every household has been repairing their houses, catching chickens, and catching piglets for others.

At worst, there are only two or three chickens in the yard, and their coarse cloth clothes have just been made.

Everyone knows something is wrong in this situation, but no one can pinpoint what's wrong with the other person.

Gu Jing and the other two young and hot-blooded men also became unconvinced, and besides, they came here to eliminate the root of the problem.

At first, he was like a headless fly, bumping around aimlessly. Later, Gu Che realized that he should start with the account books.

Could the old clan chief's family possibly manage to balance such a complex set of accounts?

Don't even mention that he has a son who studies accounting. If he had three more, let's see if he could make up for it in such a short time.

The two men's men, disguised as merchants from out of town, were looking for a famous accountant in Qizhou Town.

Seven people were found in total, but after careful probing and searching, no trace of them coming to help the old clan chief was found.

The two pondered deeply, realizing something was amiss.