They were clearly enemies, almost irreconcilable.
As a result, after receiving the lady's undergarments, the group of children still brought them over immediately, risking misunderstanding and the danger of not being able to return.
Both morally and logically, He Chengzhang should feel respect for him.
But thinking of the agreement he made when he left Fengjing, he could only struggle to say, "You helped me this time, and I will thank you... but our positions cannot be changed."
This means they're going to deal with the siblings as well.
Xu Mo was not surprised at all. He cupped his hands and said loudly, "I brought these undergarments not to seek favors. Since the Prefect has received them, I will take my leave now."
After performing the formalities with neither arrogance nor servility, the brother and sister took their leave.
Back in the carriage, Zheng Ruqian couldn't help but mutter, "I knew it was a wasted trip. The prefect doesn't take it seriously at all and insists on dealing with us. We might as well have just thrown the undergarments out and let them do whatever they want."
He felt it was unfair to his siblings.
Jiang Sheng poked her head out and said in a clear voice, "But second brother, what we were initially afraid of was that the prefect would make things difficult for us."
Zheng Ruqian's voice then abruptly stopped.
Humans are insatiable monsters. They were initially worried that the brother and sister would be lambs to the slaughter, but they escaped safely and then blamed the prefect for being ungrateful and not knowing how to repay kindness.
Thinking about it, they avoided being framed, saved a lady's reputation, and walked out of the prefect's mansion unscathed, which was already a series of good things.
Zheng Ruqian imagined himself pulling out two sets of undergarments in front of everyone. Even if it was unintentional, Prefect He would definitely not let him off the hook.
It would be terrible if you forced yourself to get married.
Marrying Hao Xiangxiang would only make things worse.
Zheng Ruqian shivered, then suddenly felt incredibly content. "It's fine as it is now."
“Yes, that’s great,” Jiang Sheng chimed in loudly. “We should treat ourselves to some extra ribs tonight.”
Xu Mo couldn't help but chuckle and touched her pigtails.
Prefect He's methods were as swift and decisive as ever. After obtaining the two sets of undergarments belonging to the lady, he had no more scruples and acted coldly and ruthlessly.
Since the person behind him wanted him to deal with the siblings in the Zanhua Courtyard, he took the opportunity to reveal his scheming against Xu Mo and his sister, and wavered between several options, unable to make up his mind.
At this point, some people started to panic.
A servant from the prefectural governor's office suggested, "Sir, what kind of workshop is that in the flower-adorned courtyard? We don't know if it's clean or not. Why don't we send someone to inspect it? Maybe we can uncover their sinister intentions?"
If they could also find out the prefect's wife's undergarments, that would be even more interesting.
He Chengzhang nodded coldly, his gaze falling on the servant, and said, "Grab him and interrogate him properly."
We should interrogate them to find out who they were bribed to sow discord here.
As the governor of a prefecture, he controlled the entire government office, and his collection of torture instruments was numerous.
Although the laws of the Dayu Dynasty stipulated that local officials should not use torture without cause, if he did, there was nothing anyone could do.
Not long after, the servant confessed.
"It's the Sun family."
Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall. The fact that the Sun family could produce a prefect was enough to prove the family's strength. However, after being targeted by Prefect He several times, they had long harbored resentment.
This move was intended to teach Prefect He a lesson while also taking the opportunity to target the Zanhua Courtyard, achieving two goals at once.
Unexpectedly, Xu Mo and his sister delivered the undergarments directly to the prefect's residence.
To everyone's surprise, the prefect did not indiscriminately resent Xu Mo and his sister, but instead took the opportunity to uncover the mastermind behind it all.
The Sun family.
Upon learning that the informant planted in the prefectural governor's mansion had gone missing, Sun Ning, the head of the Sun family, was extremely anxious and summoned several of his right-hand men overnight to discuss the crisis.
"Master, you've made a fool of yourself!" an old man with a goatee cried out in anguish. "Prefect He should have been on our side. Why did you target him? Now you've made him hate us. It's a losing proposition, a complete loss!"
Sun Ning's face darkened. "It's He Chengzhang who doesn't play by the rules. I only gave him two beautiful concubines, yet he's causing chaos in my household. What did I do wrong?"
Besides, the Sun family isn't some nobody; why should they keep getting messed with?
The plan has failed now. If it had succeeded, they could have reaped the benefits once He Chengzhang dealt with those brats.
“But we’ve already failed.” The Sun family shook their heads. “We have completely offended the Prefect.”
Officials who should have been supportive have now become adversaries.
The Sun family is in trouble, in really bad shape.
Sun Ning was still being stubborn, "He's just the Prefect of Anshui County, what's so scary about him? Our Sun family has been an old family for decades. As long as Yuyao can marry into the Fang family, He Chengzhang is nothing."
In the end, the man surnamed He was just a dog sent by the Fang family.
This dog is just not obedient and has a wild streak.
The following day, the Sun family's business suffered another fierce attack, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
If Prefect He showed some mercy last time, this time he was pushing him to the brink. He was completely indifferent, and every move he made was ruthless and cruel.
The Sun family could no longer hold out and sent a messenger to the prefectural governor's office.
The letter was simple, just one sentence: "Have you forgotten what you promised the Fang family, sir?"
He Chengzhang sneered, took the package and tore it up completely, "Tell the Sun family that I promised the Fang family to make Fang Heng disappear, but I did not promise the Fang family that I would guarantee your Sun family wealth and prosperity."
As the saying goes, "a local official is more powerful than a distant one." Although the Sun family sent a distress message to the Fang family, the month-long delay in communication allowed He Chengzhang to retaliate and utterly destroy the Sun family.
A once glorious and powerful family has thus faded away.
During this time, the Zanhua Courtyard enjoyed a rare moment of tranquility, with the siblings quietly going about their own business.
With the year-end approaching and only three or four months left until the provincial examination, Xu Mo, despite having achieved the top score in two examinations, was still feeling nervous.
The provincial examination differed from the previous two examinations, becoming increasingly difficult as it progressed, and the candidates involved were getting older, with some having participated more than ten times and possessing a wealth of experience.
In comparison, the inexperienced Xu Mo has no advantage whatsoever.
But since he had promised the former prefect, Xu Mo would definitely study hard and try to pass the imperial examination.
He wanted to become a scholar who passed the imperial examination, to protect his younger siblings, and to strive for a brighter future.
But that's easier said than done.
Xu Mo had been reading for a long time without understanding anything, and feeling frustrated, he simply put down the book and strolled to the entrance of the Zanhua Courtyard.
After lowering the bolt and opening the wooden door, one could see the eight-foot-tall prefect standing outside, along with a dozen or so yamen runners.
It was somewhat aggressive, yet inexplicably awkward.
Xu Mo was puzzled.
He Chengzhang coughed and said in a deep voice, "I am following orders from above to inspect the hygiene of the workshop. If it does not meet the standards, it must be closed for rectification."
But in this world, when is there ever a prefect who personally comes to inspect hygiene?
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