Just as Wei Shuwan was about to return to the Wei family home, Li Qingchen stopped her, saying, "No rush, wait a little longer."

"What are we waiting for?" Wei Shuwan couldn't help but look puzzled.

Li Qingchen simply smiled and waited for the commotion outside. Last night, he had instructed Yan Sandao to release the maids and guards of the Wei family early this morning. He figured they should be passing through here around this time, so he had Yuan Que keep an eye out on the road and stop the Wei family's carriage as soon as he saw it.

After all, Wei Shuwan was going out of the city to offer incense under the pretext of doing so. If she were to go back separately from the servants at this time, her family would inevitably think the worst.

Li Qingchen did not reveal his meticulous thoughts to Wei Shuwan, after all, he could not let her know that he was with those bandits. He simply shared tea with her to calm her down.

Before two cups of tea had been brewed, Yuan Que came up and reported, "Your Highness, the Wei family's carriage passed by outside. I stopped it and informed them that Miss Wei is here."

Upon hearing this, Wei Shuwan suddenly stood up from her chair. "Zi Qiao and the others are outside?"

Yuan Que smiled and nodded: "Yes, Miss Wei's two maids and four guards are all waiting for you downstairs, safe and sound!"

Wei Shuwan glanced at Li Qingchen with gratitude, then bowed to him and took her leave, quickly going downstairs. The reason she was in such a hurry to go home earlier was because she was worried about Zi Qiao and Miao Xiang, unsure whether they had been captured by the bandits last night or had successfully escaped.

Hearing that everyone was safe and sound, Wei Shuwan felt a surge of joy.

On the way back to the Wei family, Wei Shuwan and Ziqiao Miaoxiang sat in the carriage, recounting the various adventures they had experienced from last night to today. Fortunately, they had all escaped unscathed and had safely weathered this ordeal.

However, Wei Shuwan was still somewhat puzzled, and frowned as she said, "You said that the bandits released you at dawn, without asking for ransom or keeping any of your belongings, and even gave you a lot of food..."

"What kind of trick are they playing?"

If Wei Shuwan couldn't understand it, then the two maids, Ziqiao and Miaoxiang, were even more confused, shaking their heads and saying, "We don't know either, but they were indeed very polite to us..."

Wei Shuwan couldn't help but laugh out loud. She never expected that the notorious bandits of Yandang Mountain would be so hospitable.

Since they couldn't figure it out, they had to let the matter rest for now. Wei Shuwan couldn't help but remind them: "When you get back, don't mention what happened last night to anyone. If anyone asks, just say that we got through it safely at Luoyun Temple."

The two maids nodded repeatedly.

For the rest of the journey, Wei Shuwan told the two of them about her investigation. She learned that the person who harmed the young master was most likely the eldest young master, Wei Chengxu. Ziqiao and Miaoxiang were both shocked.

Seeing their shocked and incredulous expressions, Wei Shuwan said, "Look, you can't believe it either. I was also very surprised when I heard it. It shows how deep my brother's cunning is, that he kept everyone in the household in the dark."

"What does the girl plan to do next?" Miaoxiang asked.

Wei Shuwan breathed a sigh of relief and said calmly, "Wei Chengxu will definitely try his best to raise those five hundred taels after he returns to the manor today. I will remind Mother first that under no circumstances should the money be drawn from the public funds for him."

Zi Qiao was a little confused: "Miss didn't expose him just now, so I thought you wanted to catch him red-handed. But if you don't let Madam give him the money, how will he go to see that Qi Dazhong tonight?"

Wei Shuwan lowered her eyelashes slightly, her eyes calm and deep, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

After a long silence, she said with a meaningful tone, "When people are desperate, they often do some unusual things."

But when Zi Qiao asked again what she meant, Wei Shuwan didn't explain it explicitly.

Upon returning to the Wei family, Wei Shuwan went to see Sun Lurong as planned, reminding her mother that she must not give any money to anyone today. Although Sun Lurong did not know that this matter was related to what happened twelve years ago, she knew that her daughter's earnest request must be very important, so she readily agreed.

After everything that has happened recently, Sun Lurong had to admit that her daughter had grown up and become a very farsighted person. Naturally, she was willing to listen to her daughter's opinions on everything.

Sure enough, Wei Shuwan left late, and the accountant came to Fukang Garden to report that the eldest son of the eldest branch of the family had wanted to withdraw five hundred taels of silver from the eldest branch, but he did not dare to make the decision on his own, so he came to ask for instructions.

Sun Lürong naturally instructed the accountant to find any excuse to refuse to pay this sum of money.

Wei Chengxu waited for a long time but got nothing in return. He was naturally unwilling to give up, so he turned around and went to beg his mother, Madam Meng. He said that he had been tricked and lost five hundred taels of silver. If he could not pay back the money today, he would make a scene at the academy tomorrow, and the academy spot that he had worked so hard to obtain after coming to the capital would be wasted.

Madam Meng was annoyed with him, but she could only continue to clean up the mess for her own son, so she went to the accounting office herself. She thought the accountant would at least give her, the eldest wife, some face, but to her surprise, the accountant still spread his hands and said he had no money.

Unable to sell her own face, Meng had no choice but to go to Wei Wenshi to complain again.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the old nanny from Songheju came to Fuquxuan and told the old lady that she missed her granddaughter and asked Wei Shuwan to go over there in the evening.

When summoned by her grandmother, Wei Shuwan could not fail to fulfill her filial duty, so she hurriedly changed her clothes, tidied her hair, and headed to Songheju.

As she expected, the scene when she entered the house was the same as what she had seen. In addition to her grandmother, Wei Wenshi, her aunt, Mengshi, was also there, but Wei Chengxu, the person in charge, was not there.

She pretended to know nothing and greeted her grandmother and aunt, then sat on the couch next to her grandmother.

As she patted her old legs, Madam Wei said with a sigh, "Your mother is such a strict housekeeper, but now this old woman wants to find that master acupuncturist to treat my legs, but the accounts don't even have five hundred taels of silver."

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