In the main room, the family sat together eating breakfast.
The chicken porridge was soft and smooth. Lu Qiqi was still a little dizzy, but it no longer affected her normal movements.
After finishing her porridge, Lu Qiqi put down her bowl and asked, "How is Tongzi?"
After a moment of silence, Lu Dahai said, "He was taken back by the people of Tianmiao Village last night, who said they were preparing for his burial tomorrow."
Lu Qiqi nodded. Tongzi was still young, not even thirty years old yet.
A person who dies unjustly at such an old age cannot have their body left at home for an extended period, unlike a person who lives a long life.
Lu Qiqi said, "I went there today because he met with misfortune because he was helping me with something."
Li Changlong opened his mouth, wanting to persuade Lu Qiqi, but he was afraid that Tongzi's family would take their anger out on her.
But the words wouldn't come out. The burial was tomorrow, and if Lu Qiqi didn't go to pay her respects today, everyone would feel heartbroken.
Finally, after pausing for a moment, Li Changlong said, "I'll go with you."
“Yes, let your second brother go with you. It would be best to invite Zhu Zi and Zhou Yi as well,” Lu Dahai thought Li Changlong’s idea was good. With more people, Lu Qiqi wouldn’t be afraid of getting hurt. Three grown men could protect a little girl.
Lu Qiqi refused, "No need, too many people would be bad, and people would think I have ulterior motives."
Third Uncle, don't worry, I'm just going to pay my respects. Nothing will happen. Second Brother can come with me.
"Besides, I have something I need to ask Zhou Yi and Zhu Zi to do."
After explaining what had been entrusted to her, Lu Qiqi went inside to change into a plain white dress and went to Tianmiao Village with Li Changlong.
Tongzi is considered an unlucky person who died unjustly, and in the village, it is seen as a sign of bad luck; to put it bluntly, it means someone who died young.
Therefore, not many people came to pay their respects; only one person from each household in the village came as a token gesture.
"Sister-in-law, the village head has arrived."
Miao Dashu has always been in charge of presiding over funerals and weddings in the village. The courtyard gate is wide open, and the door of the main room faces directly into the courtyard, so he can see clearly who comes in.
He saw Lu Qiqi, dressed in plain white, walking into the courtyard and reminding the woman kneeling on the ground in mourning clothes.
The woman remained unmoved, her eyes fixed straight ahead, as if her life force had been drained away, like a puppet on strings, her gaze utterly devoid of emotion.
Lu Qiqi stood at the door and saw the white banner hanging on the gate. With a heavy heart, she stepped into the courtyard and went straight into the house.
"Lord of the Township," Miao Dashu said with a simple bow.
Lu Qiqi hummed in agreement and nodded. "I'm here to offer my condolences."
The coffin of the child was placed in the very center of the main room, with Wu and her son kneeling to the right front of the coffin.
Lu Qiqi lit three incense sticks for the gong, and then heard Wu Shi say, "Xiao Fa, kowtow."
As a filial son, Xiao Fa naturally had to kowtow in return, and immediately kowtowed to Lu Qiqi.
"Sister-in-law, please accept my condolences."
Wu looked up at Lu Qiqi and could no longer hold back her sobs, bursting into tears.
Lu Qiqi stepped forward and knelt down on both knees next to Wu Shi, whispering, "Sister-in-law, do you want revenge?"
The crying stopped abruptly. Wu slowly raised her head, and a tear fell from her eye, landing on the ground.
She glanced at the black coffin beside her, then met Lu Qiqi's eyes, her gaze resolute, and said, "Yes!"
“Then do as I say!” Lu Qiqi.
...
The magistrate's residence, inside the pavilion in the backyard.
"What did you say? Someone died!"
Aunt Zhang's eyes widened, but she had to lower her voice because there were servants beside her.
Upon hearing this news, she was furious.
How could someone have died at this critical juncture!
Steward Zhang stood to the side with his head down, not saying a word. There were many servants in the courtyard, and he couldn't get too close to Aunt Zhang.
Because of her brother's situation, the county magistrate arranged for several people to come to the courtyard to work, ostensibly to do chores, but in reality to monitor her.
This has made it inconvenient for her to do anything.
Aunt Zhang whispered, "I'm leaving the manor today, let's meet at our usual spot."
Upon hearing this, Steward Zhang left Aunt Zhang's courtyard and headed towards the old place they had mentioned.
After he left, Aunt Zhang called out, "Come with me to change your clothes. Today, the tea merchant wants to talk business with me. If we succeed, it will be a big deal."
Upon hearing this, the maidservant quickly helped Aunt Zhang up and led her into the house.
Aunt Zhang was quite capable in business, owning many shops. Zhu Datou liked Aunt Zhang not only because of her looks, but also because she could help him make money.
With a concubine who could bring him ecstasy on the bed and also work tirelessly to earn money, Zhu Datou's life must have been incredibly comfortable.
Even the legal wife, out of consideration for the money, would not usually make things difficult for Aunt Zhang.
Therefore, Aunt Zhang's days in the county magistrate's mansion can be considered quite comfortable.
The servants who were monitoring Aunt Zhang were adept at changing their tune depending on the situation.
Nowadays, Aunt Lu only wins the magistrate's favor with her looks, but the profitable shop is still in Aunt Zhang's hands. As long as she holds onto the shop, her status in the magistrate's heart will not be low.
Given this situation, they would still assess the situation carefully, and when Aunt Zhang said she was going to discuss business, she withdrew on her own.
This made it extremely convenient for Aunt Zhang to go out.
The carriage stopped at an inn in the East Market, a favorite lodging place for wealthy merchants and also a popular spot for Aunt Zhang to meet with Steward Zhang in secret.
Aunt Zhang pushed open the door to the top-tier room, and her personal maid skillfully closed the door, standing outside to keep watch for the two of them.
"What exactly happened?!"
Aunt Zhang strode into the room, plopped down on a round stool, and said, suppressing her temper.
Steward Zhang also sat down and poured a cup of tea for Aunt Zhang.
"Yesterday we sent people to seize the land, but we never expected that those unruly people would be so fearless and would fight to the death as soon as they got their hands on the land."
"His men, not knowing the gravity of the situation, killed one of them."
Steward Zhang slowly took Aunt Zhang's right hand and said, "This is also my fault. I didn't manage my subordinates well."
The submissive and humble demeanor did not appease Zhang Jie'er. She forcefully pulled her hand away and cursed, "You're all idiots!"
"I told you to arrest people, force them to submit, and hand over the land deeds, and everything would be fine. I didn't tell you to kill anyone!"
"Now that you've been blinded by that lowly maid, do you think we'll have a good ending once the truth comes out?"
Manager Zhang didn't take it seriously and continued to pull Zhang Jie'er's hand, "We've killed more than one or two people. Haven't we been making money this way for so many years?"
Do you think the adults don't know what we've been doing?
It's just a matter of turning a blind eye. As long as it makes money for the adults, you can appease them a bit, and the matter will be over.
Zhang Jie'er ignored him and ultimately did not pull her hand away, letting Steward Zhang rub his knuckles.
"There's one more thing. Release that person you caught immediately, or he'll cause any more trouble!"
Manager Zhang seemed lost in thought, silent and with a dazed look in his eyes.
Zhang Jie'er glared at him fiercely, her voice unconsciously rising, "Did you hear me?!"
Manager Zhang then leisurely replied, "I understand."
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