"My son wanted to go to the county government office to beat the drum and appeal for justice to save his father, but Aunt Yan stopped him. Even an outsider like her is so considerate of me, and my mother..."
Deng Bizhong looked dejected. He lowered his head and choked up, barely able to speak.
"And what about Mother? She knows perfectly well that her son is determined to take the imperial examinations, and she even caused Father to suffer imprisonment. Although my son's household registration is not under my parents' names, if someone with ulterior motives finds out, my son's life will be ruined. It's a small matter if his career is affected, but if Father gets into trouble, what's the point of my son taking the imperial examinations? Father, let's sell the shop and go far away. If you stay here, I'm afraid Mother will still harm you—"
"My mother is incredibly foolish. She listens to a few words of advice from my maternal grandmother and uncle. If they wanted my father dead, she wouldn't hesitate to hand over the knife. Father, let's go. Your son really can't afford to gamble." Deng Bizhong said, tears streaming down his face.
“Zhong’er, one cannot always choose to run away. Your father has always been soft-hearted and unwilling to be ruthless towards your mother and your maternal family, which is why we have ended up like this. If your father had been a little harsher on them back then, they wouldn’t have dared to act so recklessly. You’re right, your uncle will kill your father sooner or later. Your mother is really stupid. If she weren’t stupid, how could she have married your father for so many years and still blindly helped her own family? Your father can say with his hand on his chest that he has helped your maternal family more than enough, but your mother is still not satisfied. Well then, the fate of husband and wife has come to an end.”
"Father has been lenient with them repeatedly out of consideration for you, but from now on, Father will not be soft-hearted towards them anymore. Don't worry about this matter; Father has his own way of handling it. Go back to the academy early tomorrow morning, otherwise your mother will come looking for you, and you won't be able to get away easily, and you'll get into a lot of trouble. Come back after the New Year; by then, Father will have prepared a house, and it's not convenient for you to always stay at your Aunt Yan's house."
Deng Qiuzhi's gaze drifted out the window.
I have no idea what he's thinking.
The father and son chatted for a long time until Deng Qiuzhi's eyes were too tired to keep open. Only then did Deng Bizhong leave the house. He looked back every few steps. His father told him to leave early the next morning, and the next time they met would be during the New Year.
After returning to Yan Xia's house, he went inside and started reading. The county examination would be held next February, and he couldn't let his father down.
Grief and indignation were transformed into motivation.
During dinner, he quickly ate a few mouthfuls of rice and went back to his room to read.
Yan Xia was a little puzzled, but she didn't ask any further questions.
Because she had something important to do that night.
This rescue of Brother Deng cost too much money.
That's enough for her to buy a house in Jiangnan County.
She had no other choice but to bribe Madam Xu with silver notes and jewelry, but the more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Why should the money she worked so hard to earn be spent by corrupt officials?
Moreover, the original owner's ex-husband was the brother-in-law of a corrupt official.
Sure enough, all the bad seeds have gathered in one family.
Yan Xia planned to ransack the Xu residence that evening.
As we waited, the summer heat subsided, and all things fell into tranquility.
Taking advantage of the dark and windy night, Yan Xia changed into a dark-colored top and trousers, tied her hair up tightly with a black cloth, and wore a black mask on her face, only revealing her eyes.
In the dim moonlight, it looked like a small, weak man.
Yan Xia flashed into the space; the Xu residence wasn't far from her house.
Just enough space to teleport.
She had already familiarized herself with the route after visiting the Xu residence twice.
In just one second, Yan Xia, who was originally in her own house, suddenly appeared in the main hall of the Xu family's old lady.
To the right of the main room was where Old Madam Xu slept, while to the left was a resting area, containing a mahogany display cabinet and a chaise lounge, on which a maid was fast asleep.
Yan Xia quietly entered the room on the right.
By the moonlight, one could see jewelry boxes, dressing cases, and combs placed on the ebony wooden table.
Without exception, they are all inlaid with jade and agate, displaying extreme luxury.
Without thinking, Yan Xia put the jewelry box into her spatial storage without opening it. This time she hadn't prepared any sleeping incense, so she didn't dare to make any big movements. After all, the jewelry box was made of wood, and opening it would make a sound. It wouldn't be good if it woke up the two people inside.
As for the makeup box and comb, they were just filled with rouge, face powder, and hair-combing supplies, which weren't worth much. So she didn't take them.
After putting away the jewelry box, she looked around again.
The room contained nothing but a long ebony table with a waist, a round-cornered cabinet with double auspicious symbols for longevity, and a nanmu clothes rack with clothes on it.
Through the thin, single-layered bed curtains, one could clearly see the sleeping face of Old Madam Xu.
Seeing that there weren't any valuable items in the room, Yan Xia quickly slipped into her spatial dimension.
As for the ornaments on the display shelf on the left, she had no interest in them. They were just some corals and vases. Although they were expensive, they were too conspicuous. Whether she used them or sold them, they were not suitable and could easily bring trouble.
After all, there were quite a few people who came to visit Madam Xu's main room.
They must be very familiar with the decorative items as well.
Then, Yan Xia flashed into the space and began searching the other rooms.
Some rooms were uninhabited, with nothing but empty furniture. After passing through four rooms, we finally arrived at an extremely luxurious bedroom.
It doesn't look like a man's house.
Could it be...?
Yan Xia quietly walked to the bedside, where Xu Wenshan and the original owner's ex-husband were sleeping.
The two embraced, seemingly unbothered by the heat of the summer.
Yan Xia pursed her lips.
They began to search inside the house.
After taking a rosewood jewelry box with copper double clasps, she set her sights on a chest.
It was a red lacquered and gilded official leather trunk with a handle on each side, similar to a modern suitcase.
She had heard that Xu Wenshan came from the border, a place famous for its jade and fine brocade. Thinking of this, Yan Xia's eyes shone like cat's eyes in the dark room. She stepped forward and touched the box. It was secured with a small iron lock and required a key to open. She could pry it open by force, but that would wake the people inside.
Yan Xia simply threw the entire official leather trunk into her spatial storage.
"Hmm~" Xu Wenshan on the bed suddenly turned over and let out a soft groan.
Yan Xia was so frightened that her hair stood on end. She didn't dare to move and didn't dare to stay any longer, so she slipped into the next room.
This room is quite large, and its furnishings are not as rich and luxurious as Xu Wenshan's room. They are simpler, but they reveal something extraordinary in every way. Every item on the table is worth a fortune, and even the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall are works by famous artists. If you had to describe it in one word, it would be "elegant".
It seems this is Xu Wenyan's room.
Yan Xia walked to the table by the bed and was about to reach out and rummage through the things.
"Cough cough cough—"
The woman's cough startled her so much that her hand trembled.
I almost broke the vase.
Recalling what Mrs. Xu said when she attended the birthday banquet, she said that her daughter-in-law seemed to be in poor health.
It seems that the one coughing is Madam Xu.
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