Previously, the imperial court suddenly moved south, and many powerful families in the capital followed suit and moved to the new capital.
If shops are to be set up in the city, then naturally a farm outside the city is also needed to provide firewood, rice, and vegetables.
As a result, local villages became highly sought-after.
As a result, all parties are vying for power, employing every means at their disposal.
Some people forcibly seized it, some traded it, and some bought it at high prices!
In short, after several years, the various forces have finally found a balance.
Of course, as the Empress's maternal family, the Wu family could not compromise themselves. In the end, after some maneuvering, they acquired two estates.
The first one is Yong'an Village, which is seventy miles southeast of Xindu. The second one is Anle Village, which is several dozen miles further east.
Yong'an Village has fertile land, totaling more than 200 mu, which is flat and easy to cultivate, and a small river flows through one side of the village.
Even in slightly worse years, this place is not afraid of drought or flood; 70-80% of the grain can still be harvested.
This year's favorable weather has resulted in an even greater harvest!
Originally, the village planted sorghum and millet, but since Tianwu obtained high-yield corn and potatoes, the Wu family followed suit and switched to planting these two types of crops.
The autumn harvest has just ended. The potatoes have been put into the cellar, and the corn has been dried enough and stored in the granary.
For safety and to prevent fires, the granary was built outside the village, and guards were assigned to protect it in three shifts.
With the master's house far away and no master to supervise them, how could the guards possibly do their best?
During the day, they just put on a show, patrolling around twice.
Once it got dark and the warehouse door was closed, everyone went to sleep or gambled, enjoying themselves immensely.
So, in the middle of the night, someone slipped in through the ventilation window at the back of the warehouse, took away all the grain sacks, and then poisoned the water buckets—it was incredibly easy.
No one noticed anything amiss the entire time!
It wasn't until the guards had all passed out like dead dogs and been carried out of the warehouse, and a large fire had been set on fire, that the villagers nearby noticed.
Countless people, young and old, rushed to put out the fire, banging on copper basins and carrying buckets of water. Unfortunately, the warehouse was already burning and starting to fall apart, making it impossible for anyone to get in.
However, just over an hour later, in Anlezhuang, even further to the east, flames also engulfed the area...
Under the cover of night, the bright red fire was particularly eye-catching, and many people in Xinduli noticed it and were terrified.
Soon, the city defense battalion sent several hundred soldiers to investigate.
The next day, almost before breakfast was served, news that the Wu family's two large estates had been burned to the ground reached the ears of the heads of various families.
"Who has the Wu family offended? They were just impeached a few days ago and are still reflecting on their actions behind closed doors. How come their estate has been burned down now?"
"Could it be that the vengeful spirits of the former owners of the manor are still lingering, taking advantage of the Wu family's weakness to seek revenge?"
The mistress of a certain household was serving her husband a meal while gossiping quietly.
As a result, the old man, who was drinking his goji berry porridge, snorted coldly and whispered a rebuke: "Don't say such things outside. There aren't that many gods, Buddhas, ghosts, or spirits in the world."
"It's just that the Wu family's methods were too crude, and they were caught out."
The mistress retorted, "I just heard it. They said there wasn't a single grain of grain left in the estate; all that was burned was the granary frame."
"Even the guards watching the granary were carried out, but they weren't killed. This is the Five Ghosts Moving Technique!"
"It must be that the previous master died unjustly and refused to be reincarnated. Hearing that the Wu family was sued and that someone was backing them up, they came to seek revenge!"
The head of the household was unwilling to waste words arguing with his wife, so he could only instruct her: "Think whatever you want, just don't go around saying it."
“Someone suggested making a crown prince before, and not long after, the Wu family fell into misfortune. There are too many things involved. Don’t be so careless with your words and cause trouble for the family.”
Hearing this, the mistress became somewhat more obedient, and reluctantly replied, "I was just talking to you at most, who else could I possibly gossip to..."
Instead of each family sitting back and watching the tigers fight, quietly observing the Wu family's misfortune, they waited for the situation to clear up.
Ordinary people don't have so many concerns.
If a few lazy men were to loiter in front of a young widow's house in the alley, she would be the subject of gossip for days. How much more so would a major event like this, which combines exciting elements of the supernatural, suspense, grudges, and revenge?
Restaurants, eateries, and even tea shops of all sizes on the streets were almost bursting at the seams.
The shopkeeper and his staff were so busy they barely had time to breathe, their smiles stretching from ear to ear.
"Did you see the fire last night? I happened to be out of town, and the place I stayed was only a dozen miles away from the Wu family's manor."
"That fire was absolutely raging! There were screams everywhere, and I don't know how many people died." A small merchant picked up his teacup and spoke animatedly, eager to be asked for details.
Unfortunately, someone immediately retorted, "Come on, stop bragging. People say both farms were burned down, but no one inside was hurt."
“Yes, I’ve heard about it too.” The old man next to him nodded. “I guess it was done by a group of chivalrous thieves, otherwise they wouldn’t be so righteous.”
"That's what I guessed too!" a boy exclaimed, his face full of regret. "I just don't know where those chivalrous thieves went. I really wanted to become their apprentice!"
Everyone laughed. Someone recognized the boy and shouted, "Young Master Zhou, if you don't hurry up and go to school, your mother will chase you for blocks again!"
It turned out that this boy was from a wealthy family who lived nearby, and he had come to join in the fun on his way to school.
The boy, feeling helpless, grabbed his schoolbag and headed out, muttering, "Once I learn some skills, my mom won't be able to hit me anymore!"
Everyone laughed even harder, and the shopkeeper said, "Young Master Zhou is truly blessed but doesn't know how lucky he is. Studying is such a rare thing."
"Yes, but that's normal. Who didn't want to learn skills and become a chivalrous knight-errant when they were young?" a familiar customer chimed in, then asked, "I just wonder what the Wu family did to deserve this trouble."
"I don't know, but they must have done something wrong! How many of these families are honest and upright?"
There was a cynical but courageous man who spoke his mind, saying exactly what everyone was thinking.
Following his lead, everyone subtly chimed in with their own comments.
Of course, no intelligent person would dare to openly criticize the Empress's maternal family, but everyone harbored little goodwill towards the Wu family.
He only got his current status because of his daughter. He has never made any contributions to Tianwu. First, the censor exposed a bunch of crimes, and then the chivalrous bandit burned down his estate.
If they were truly a kind and benevolent family, they wouldn't have encountered so much trouble...
In the Princess's mansion behind Broken Gold Beach, Jiayin was sleeping soundly, wrapped in her quilt.
I was so tired last night, I didn't get home until almost dawn...
Seeing that the sun was high in the sky and her granddaughter still hadn't returned to the old house, Grandma Li became worried and came looking for her.
Shui Ling and Shui Yun dared to stop others, but they didn't dare to stop the old lady!
So, Jiayin wore a fine cotton nightgown, her legs bare, and was sprawled out in bed, which was clearly seen by Grandma Li.
Grandma Li was both angry and amused.
This girl seems to behave well in public, but it's all just a facade. In private, she's still the same person.
You know, young ladies from other families sleep lying flat with their hands on their lower abdomen, and when they wake up in the morning, their blankets are almost always perfectly tidy.
Unlike my own granddaughter, who rides the blanket like a horse...
Jiayin slept soundly until her stomach rumbled, and she was still a little dazed when she saw her grandmother sitting next to her doing needlework.
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