Chapter 679 Their Retribution Has Arrived
Old Master Zhou stared at the two people, his body trembling once again. He quickly turned to look at Manager Shang and Madam Shang, who had rushed over from the door.
Before they could even speak, Old Master Shang's expression hardened, and he asked the two men on the ground, "Quickly tell me the truth, were you the bandits from back then?"
The two men lowered their heads and stammered, "Grandpa, we really are...we really are."
Old Master Shang was a man of the world. His face immediately darkened, and he said in an extremely fierce tone, "Listen to me carefully. If you are really the ones who killed my son, I will not only behead you, but I will also investigate your families and make them pay with their lives for my son!"
The two men were shocked. They had agreed to do this for the sake of their families. If Old Master Shang really did kill their families, then all their efforts would have been in vain.
They began to hesitate.
Old Master Shang noticed something was wrong and raised his voice, continuing, "Tell me quickly, did you do it?!"
The two men jumped up. One of them, who had children at home, couldn't bear to see his young child die with him. Helpless, he kowtowed and said, "Sir, I'll talk, I'll talk."
Old Master Shang, whose hands were trembling, stopped and said, "Alright, go ahead."
The man lowered his head and said in a trembling voice, "I... am just a farmer. I am... Manager Shang, also known as the second young master. He said he would raise my young children, so I came to your mansion pretending to be a bandit."
Old Master Shang frowned, his face turning ashen, and slowly turned his head to look at Manager Shang.
The shopkeeper's legs stopped abruptly, and he suddenly knelt down on the ground.
"Father...I..."
Before he could speak, Madam Shang knelt down in front of them with a thud. "Master, it was me. I did it all. You haven't been sleeping or eating well these days because of the eldest young master's matter. I was worried about your health, so I came up with this idea."
"The bandits who killed the young master back then have long since fled. To help you vent your anger, we found two people to impersonate the bandits."
Her statement was reasonable and well-founded.
But Old Master Shang didn't believe her. He had been suspicious for a long time, ever since his eldest son's accident.
He simply couldn't believe it; he couldn't believe his son would commit the crime of murdering his own blood relative.
Over the years, he has been wary of them and refused to give them the keys, fearing that they might kill him as well.
A few days ago, his second son suggested burning down the Zhou family's granary so that the Zhou family would have to use all their money to buy rice and grain. They would then use this opportunity to reopen their cloth shop outside the capital and drive the Zhou family into bankruptcy.
He immediately objected, arguing that the Zhou family's granary was no longer just the Zhou family's granary, but the granary of the Xuan Yue Kingdom.
What he did harmed not the Zhou family, but the people of Xuan Yue Kingdom.
He tried to persuade his son many times but was swayed. From that moment on, he realized that his second son had long since lost his conscience.
At this moment, Old Master Shang felt no anger or resentment, but rather disappointment.
He slowly turned his head, waved his hand and said, "Alright, you can all step back now. Release these two. I want to catch up with Er Yatou."
Madam Shang and Manager Shang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they had escaped a disaster. "Yes, sir."
Old Master Shang brought Er Yatou to the courtyard they had prepared for her.
He looked around the courtyard and said earnestly, "I'm afraid we can't stay here any longer."
Er Yatou was startled. They had just reunited after a long separation, and now they were about to part again?
Old Master Shang raised his head slightly and said slowly, "Did you already know that the person who killed your father was your second uncle?"
The second daughter was shocked, "Grandfather, you...!"
Old Master Shang stroked his beard and sighed, "You haven't dared to look him in the eye since you came in. Don't worry, after you come back, I'll protect you, and no one will dare to hurt you."
At this moment, Er Yatou could no longer hold back and threw herself into Old Master Shang's arms, bursting into tears.
After spending some time in the courtyard, the two of them pretended that nothing had happened.
Three days later, early in the morning, Manager Shang got up happily, ready to watch the Zhou family's good show.
He went into the courtyard, intending to call for the servant, but no one responded after calling for a long time.
Just then, Madam Shang rushed over and said, "Second son, have you seen your father?"
The shopkeeper shook his head. "No, what happened to my father?"
Madam Shang, pale-faced, sat down on the ground and said, "This very morning, all the maids and servants in the manor disappeared, and all the money in the house was gone."
"And the second daughter and the third son are nowhere to be found either."
"Second brother, do you think your father has abandoned us?"
The shopkeeper was shocked and hurriedly asked, "Where is the shop? Where is our tea shop?"
Madam Shang's eyes were red, and tears were about to well up in her eyes. "The tea garden and the shops have all been sold off. We have nothing left. We have nothing now!"
"No, no, our house is still here." Manager Shang said, quickly looking around.
Only then did he realize that the calligraphy, paintings, and antiques he had treasured in his house had disappeared, leaving only an empty room.
Not only that, but even the bedding was left behind.
He was shocked and rushed out in a panic, checking each courtyard.
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