Yes, without the Mo family, there would be no Xu Hongkuo today.
"Madam, Hongkuo will never forget the kindness of the Mo family."
Xu Hongkuo glanced at Nangong Qing and Su Luo, then hardened his heart and said.
"The prefect of Changzhou, who is in charge of the peace, cannot ignore the plight of the people."
"Once this case is closed, I will personally go to my teacher's grave and kowtow."
Xu Hongkuo's heart was as hard as stone; no matter how much Madam Mo tried to appeal to his family ties, it was to no avail.
“Hongkuo, you…”
The greatest sorrow is a broken heart; Old Madam Mo was having trouble breathing and almost fainted again.
"Grandma, Grandma, save me! Don't fall down!"
Mo Lou shook Old Madam Mo, and Fu Zhengqing protected Mo Sang, making sure Mo Lou didn't touch her, as she was already in poor health.
“Grandmother, sister, brother-in-law, the Mo family cannot do without me. Can you bear to see me imprisoned? Brother-in-law, you are also an official. Please speak up for me.”
Fu Zhengqing was quite helpless as Mo Lou shook him. As his brother-in-law, he should speak up for him.
He pulled his arm away from Mo Lou's grasp and sighed, "Lord Xu, could you please be lenient with the punishment? Thirty strokes of the cane, isn't that too much?"
It would have been better if Fu Zhengqing hadn't spoken; once he did, Xu Hongkuo was worried about him.
Her eyes involuntarily drifted towards Nangong Qing. If she said anything she shouldn't, she might lose her official position.
Xu Hongkuo slammed his hand on the table and angrily said to Fu Zhengqing, "Lord Fu, this is Anchangzhou, not your Lucheng. I am handling this case according to the law, isn't that right?"
Fu Zhengqing, Fu Zhengqing, this is all I can do for you. The Mo family really can't afford any more trouble. Don't say anything more, leave Mo Ji a way out.
These were the words Xu Hongkuo silently prayed in his heart.
Fu Zhengqing was rendered speechless by the accusations.
Xu Hongkuo made the right judgment in this whole matter. If this had happened in Lucheng, he would have made the same judgment.
Moreover, the herbal oil that Mo Lou made almost killed his wife and children.
"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, please save me!" Mo Lou pleaded, still not giving up.
“Mo Lou, you were wrong in this matter. You shouldn’t have harmed someone for a little money. Do you know what happened to your sister…”
Fu Zhengqing wanted to tell him about how Mo Sang almost died from the fake herbal oil, but Mo Sang gripped his arm tightly and shook his head at him.
"Forget it, Mo Lou, I've done my best in this matter. If it were me, I would have sentenced you the same way Lord Xu did."
Don't worry, Grandma and I will take you to Lucheng to take care of you.
It was no use asking anyone for help. Mo Lou felt like he'd been struck by lightning, like being surrounded by admirers only to be trampled into the mud.
Xu Hongkuo threw the execution order down in the hall and said in a deep voice to the bailiffs, "Men, seize Mo Lou and execute him..."
The courtroom was instantly filled with cries and wails. Mo Lou was punished, and Old Master Zhai and Zhou Tan were not much better off.
Along with Dong Yu and others, they were pulled onto an oxcart and toured all the streets of Anchangzhou.
The people were furious and threw rotten vegetable leaves at them, and the oxen pulling the carts defecated.
It's unclear which commoner stepped forward, but they scooped it up and threw it at Dong Yu's face.
"Ahh... let me go back, ugh..." (╥╯^╰╥)
Dong Yu never imagined in his life that he would one day be hit by cow dung, feeling like his stomach was being rummaged through, and he vomited up everything he could.
...
When Su Luo returned to the Xu residence, Old Madam Xu was sitting in the courtyard, seemingly waiting for her.
"Madam..."
The old lady must already know what happened in court. This whole thing started because of the herbal oil. From today onwards, the Xu family and the Mo family can no longer be the same as before.
"Madam Su, please sit down."
Su Luo sat opposite Madam Xu, waiting quietly.
“Madam Su, personally speaking, I should stand on the Mo family’s side, but publicly speaking, you are not wrong, and Hongkuo’s judgment is also correct.”
"The Mo family's fate has run its course. This has nothing to do with you, and I don't blame you."
Su Luo knew that if she hadn't investigated the fake herbal oil, the Xu and Mo families wouldn't have ended up like this.
"Madam, this matter has put you and Lord Xu in a difficult position."
Old Madam Xu held Su Luo's hand and said, "The Mo family's affairs are handled by Hong Kuo. You've had a long day, so go and rest. Otherwise, your maid will get anxious."
Su Luo nodded. She hadn't slept all night and was really tired.
"Okay, I'll go then."
These past two days, I've been staying at the Xu residence, and I've noticed that Xu Hongkuo's attitude towards Nangong Qing is rather strange; he's almost overly polite.
Once the restaurant in Anchangzhou is set up and the renovations are completed, and the chefs are trained, Fumanlou Restaurant in Anchangzhou will be ready to open for business.
Su Luo trusted Nangong Qing completely; as long as she provided the money, Nangong Qing would take care of everything.
As for Baicao Oil, Juyuantang is the only authorized distributor in the entire Anchangzhou area, and the only one that sells it to ordinary people at a low price.
Originally, this trip should have only taken seven or eight days, but with so many things going on, it took them more than ten days.
On their return journey, Xu Hongkuo put aside all official duties and personally came to see them off.
"Lord Xu, we've reached the city gates. You should go back now," Su Luo said to Xu Hongkuo.
"Alright, Madam Su, Young Master Nangong, have a safe journey."
After bidding farewell to Xu Hongkuo, Su Zuo drove the carriage, and the group returned to Yongle County.
Su Luo did not return to Fu Man Lou with Nangong Qing, but went to Ji An Tang first to tell Du Xiuyuan what had happened in Anchangzhou, so that he would have a general idea.
"Madam Su, it seems that your trip to Anchangzhou was extremely difficult."
Du Xiuyuan regretted not going with Su Luo; if he had been there, he might have been able to help.
"Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant; self-interest always drives people to take risks."
After Su Luo finished explaining her situation, she asked Du Xiuyuan, "By the way, how's the progress of your letter to the capital?"
"I also gave the recipe for the herbal oil to my son, and he has already started selling the herbal oil in the capital and is gradually expanding his business."
Su Luo nodded in satisfaction: "That's excellent."
After saying that, Du Xiuyuan took out half of the prepared catgut and gave it to Su Luo.
“Madam Su, here are a hundred strands of sheep gut. Keep some with you in case you need them later.”
"good!"
Su Luo kept it for now, and would put the wire into her spatial storage when she got home.
Upon hearing that Su Luo had returned, Zhao Ruyun immediately asked Aunt Dong and Aunt Ma to start cooking.
Xie Wanwan also gave Yi Huan a night off, allowing the mother and her children to have a proper reunion.
"Mother, why are you only coming back now? You've been gone for so many days, Yi Huan missed you terribly."
Su Luo pulled Yi Huan to sit next to her and patted her little head.
"Mother misses you too, and Chuan Chuan too."
Unlike Yi Huan, Yan Chuan didn't lean on Su Luo. He always thought he was all grown up, but when he heard that Su Luo had returned home, he immediately ran over from the east courtyard.
"Mom, these are the characters I've been practicing lately. Can you take a look?"
Yan Chuan handed the papers to Su Luo, his eyes filled with joy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com