560 is shocked
We arrived safely at Zhang's house. Zhang's father and son had just returned home from work.
"Hey, that's strange. Why is Ping'an here today?" Zhang Jinping put his arm around Ping'an's shoulders.
"Grandfather, uncle, a few days ago, my father and I accompanied my uncle to Dingzhou to pay respect to the grave. We thought it was not far from the government office, so we went there alone with our guards. We just came back this afternoon. Mother and Yan'er came back with me. They will come tomorrow."
The old man frowned and said, "Why did she return to Beijing early? She should have stayed in Dingzhou to take care of your father. She just went to a new place and many things are not going smoothly."
Zhang Jinping looked at Ping An: "Is everything ok?"
Ping An smiled and said, "It's a little bit, but it's not a big deal. Let's talk about it after dinner. I'm hungry."
Aunt Zhang was very happy to see Ping An: "I didn't know Ping An was coming, otherwise I would have asked someone to make more dishes."
"Aunt, your chef's dishes are delicious."
Zhang Mao squeezed next to Ping An and said, "Cousin, can you teach me Kung Fu later?"
"Okay, but I think I heard that you learned it from the guards in the mansion?"
Zhang Mao said embarrassedly: "It's just fancy moves."
Zhang Jinping said, "He learns Kung Fu in a haphazard way, and it's good enough if he can do some fancy moves. But Ping An has been practicing Kung Fu for more than ten years without stopping for even a single day."
Zhang Mao felt embarrassed.
Ping An smiled, his uncle was praising him by stepping on his own child, he did not explain, how could he not take a day off for more than ten years? Occasionally, he would stop practicing for two days when he was busy.
Jin'er came over and politely bowed to Ping'an: "Jin'er greets big brother."
"Sister Jin'er has grown a little taller."
The little girl seemed to have grown up a little. She used to dislike him in many ways.
"Jin'er, your mother and your brother went home with your cousin this afternoon." Zhang Mao shouted.
Jin'er looked at Ping'an in surprise and joy: "Brother, have my mother and the others really returned home? Where is my father?"
Ping An sighed in his heart. This was the first time that the little girl looked at him with such surprise, although the surprise was not because of him.
"Mother and Yan'er are back. Father won't be back until the New Year."
The meal was finished quite happily.
Ping An had just put down his chopsticks when Zhang Jinping said, "Ping An, come with us to the study. I have something to talk to you about."
In the study.
Ping'an really didn't want to say anything, but this time his stepmother really went too far.
It has only been two months since he took office, but he has already accepted various small gifts. Although they are small, they range from dozens to hundreds of taels. That would be fine, but the amount of silver bills this time is not small, so he should definitely return it as soon as possible.
Dingzhou is so close to the capital that any slight disturbance could hardly escape the eyes of officials in the capital. My stepmother was really foolish and bold.
"Grandfather, uncle, there are indeed some things. You have to promise me not to be angry. Before you come back, there will be room for improvement. You should be able to get through this peacefully. This is the letter my father wrote to you the night before yesterday."
He took out the letter and handed it to Uncle Zhang. It was a quite thick letter.
Zhang Jinping took the letter and opened it. Soon, he was shaking with anger and his eyes were spitting fire.
"Jinping, what happened?"
The old man became uneasy.
Ping An took out a quick-acting heart pill and said, "Grandfather, take this first and don't get angry. This should really be over."
The old man raised his head and swallowed it, then took the letter from his son's hand and began to read.
As time passed, the old man's hands began to tremble and he closed his eyes for a long time without saying a word.
Ping An really felt sorry for this wise old man.
He lost his wife early and raised his children alone with great difficulty. His son was pretty good, but his daughter was a hard thing to describe.
Both father and son were shocked.
Zhang Jinping said, "Dad, although our family is not rich, we have never wronged Jinyu since she was a child. We have also raised her in luxury. When she got married, we gave her a small portion of our savings as a dowry. After she got married, although Chang Chunfeng did not have the means, he never shortchanged her of household expenses. Even Ping An has given her many jewelry over the years.
But why is she still so greedy? My brother-in-law has only been in office for two months, and she has already accepted all kinds of gifts from the ladies. Now she is even greedy for other people's banknotes. She doesn't seem like a member of my Zhang family at all.
If Ping An hadn't made a prompt decision to let her pay it back immediately, and accidentally saved someone's life, what would have happened if Madam Xu had really threatened her brother-in-law to help the Hu family reduce their guilt?"
He worked in the Dali Temple, so he naturally knew the seriousness of this matter. Three thousand taels of silver were enough to exile him three thousand miles away.
Jinyu is confused.
If he is not careful, his brother-in-law will lose his job and never be able to get back on his feet, and the Zhang family will also be implicated.
My husband has only been in office for two months and he is so bold. What if he has been in office for one or two years? Wouldn't he be even more audacious?
The father and son had obviously thought about this problem. Both of them looked unhappy and were almost covered in cold sweats.
"Ping'an, tell me in detail what you know." The old man said in a hoarse voice.
Ping An had no choice but to tell the whole story.
"Grandfather, uncle, this time it was indeed dangerous. If Xiao Wu hadn't followed us, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to return easily. As far as I know, the government is already investigating the Hu family's smuggling of salt. If outsiders know about this, even if it's just hearsay and there's no evidence, this matter will also affect my father, including my uncle's future promotion.
That's why my father was afraid, so he asked my mother to pretend to be sick and take her back to Beijing for recuperation. Even if my grandfather and uncle were angry, they couldn't make any noise at this time.
I sent my mother home this afternoon, and she asked me to tell you about this. I knew that I couldn’t hide this, and it couldn’t be hidden. After I left, I thought that she probably didn’t know that I had saved the magistrate.”
The old man sighed and said, "Ping An, if the judge is really dead this time, his wife will make a scene regardless of everything. What will be the consequences? You also said that the chance of saving the judge's life this time is only a few percent. If it's too late, even gods won't be able to save him.
Jinping, Jinyu has to be punished this time, we can't let her not feel any pain and not learn her lesson. If Ping'an's father wants to divorce, that's fine, we should agree to him. It's not easy for him to come this far, we can't drag him down for the rest of his life."
Zhang Jinping sighed. Chang Chunfeng was less than 40 years old, handsome, young and promising, and had a son who was an earl. If they divorced, it would be easy for him to find a good step-wife.
Jinyu has been acting up all these years, treating Ping'an in all kinds of ways. Even her own wife can't stand it. This time is even more so. Even if Ping'an saved the Tongpan's life, there is no guarantee that there won't be troubles later. The position of Dingzhou prefect is favored by many people. If it weren't for the Qiang tribe's buying of people, her brother-in-law might not have been able to take up the job smoothly.
Over the years, my family has been very nice to my brother-in-law. One reason is that I feel guilty, and the other is that I want my brother-in-law to be more tolerant of Jin Yu for the sake of the Zhang family.
This time Jin Yu has become a little lawless.
Did they do something wrong? Maybe my sister should let herself suffer the consequences.
"Dad, Jinyu will be back tomorrow, we will give her a good talk. My brother-in-law is coming home for the New Year's Eve. If she insists on getting a divorce, our family will never drag him down. If my brother-in-law is still willing to forgive her for the sake of the children, he will have to let her reflect on her mistakes for a year and tell others that he is recovering from illness."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
