Zhao Qianci's actions surprised not only the county magistrate sitting in the courtroom, but also the entire Zhao family.
The most unexpected thing was Zhao Qianren lying on the door panel.
He never expected Zhao Qianci to pull off such a bizarre move.
This happened so many years ago, it's incredible that Zhao Qianci still has his mother's dowry list from back then.
Besides, even if there were one, it would be over sixty years old. No matter what the dowry list was written on, it would have been torn to shreds long ago.
But things often turn out the most unexpectedly.
Zhao Qianci not only produced his mother's dowry list from back then, but it was also a well-preserved dowry list.
However, the paper used for this dowry list was the finest Xuan paper, and the ink used for writing was also the finest pigment used in painting.
Therefore, it will not fade even after decades or even centuries.
The dowry list was framed as a scroll and hidden in a paper tube about an inch long.
Upon closer inspection, besides the traces of time on the paper,
The dowry details are written in detail, including the style and origin of each piece of jewelry.
The county magistrate looked at the dowry list and thought to himself,
"Could it be that Zhao Juren's mother already knew that her husband was unreliable, which is why she gave this list to her son to keep?"
The magistrate has seen the truth.
This dowry list—back then, Zhao Qianci's mother had indeed discovered some clues about it.
Feeling that the man was unreliable, she went to town and changed the names of the dowry list and the shops and land properties that were part of her dowry to Zhao Qianci's.
The dowry list was given to Zhao Qianci first.
She died before she could give Zhao Qian the deeds for the farmland and houses that were part of her dowry.
Whether it was an accident or intentional remains unknown.
After Zhao Qianci's mother passed away, Zhao Qianci's father put away those contracts and later wanted to sell those shops and fields.
As a result, a famine struck and no one wanted to buy them, so the plan was abandoned.
After the famine, he returned to his ancestral home with his entire family.
Because they had the house deeds and land deeds, none of their property was lost.
His family survived on the land and shops left behind by Zhao Qianci's mother.
When the county magistrate checked the dowry list, he found a shop and ten acres of fertile land still under Zhao Qianci's name.
Looking at Zhao Qianren lying on the ground, the county magistrate didn't know whether to scold him for being stupid or to sympathize with his bad luck.
It would have been better to just stay quiet and doze off; why did you have to try to take advantage of me?
Now look what's happened, everything's gone. Oh my, how satisfying!
After spending a whole day in the yamen, the final result was that Zhao Qian resigned and took back the property.
Zhao Qianren needs to compensate for the rent of more than 30 years.
Of course, the relationship eventually ended.
However, it was at the cost of thirty years' rent that Zhao Qianren was forced to sever ties with his family.
After all, that's no small sum.
Zhao Qianren also treated his own broken ribs.
The reason remains the same: thirty years' rent.
Holding the letter severing ties with his family, Zhao Qianci felt a mix of emotions.
The shops and farmland that were taken back were handed over to the county magistrate for sale.
The silver obtained was used to help the poor.
As for whether the magistrate is corrupt or not, Zhao Qianci really couldn't guarantee it; it all depended on whether the magistrate was thinking clearly.
Zhao Qianren's family was thrown into chaos after suddenly losing their shop and ten acres of farmland.
Zhao Qianren's wife, in particular, went on a rampage, crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself in front of Zhao Qianren's door.
When they arrived at the inn where the Zhao family was staying, they were told that the entire Zhao family had left early that morning.
Yes, the Zhao family all went to the grave three days later.
However, after paying respects to her great-grandmother, Zhao Qingyan set up a formation to hide the place.
Even if the same geomancer from before came, he wouldn't be able to find this location again.
Therefore, my great-grandmother can rest here forever.
Don't ask Zhao Qingyan why she knows these things. Zhao Han's biological father wouldn't just let people call him "Dad" without teaching his child any skills.
Zhao Han taught Zhao Qingyan almost everything that didn't require spiritual energy.
The next time you come to worship, you will need to follow a specific method to find the place.
However, with Zhao Qingyan around, none of these things are difficult.
After paying their respects to the deceased, the Zhao family checked into another inn.
The food at this guesthouse tastes better than the one I stayed at before.
Seven days later, the Zhao family visited the old lady's grave again, burned paper money, and kowtowed. After activating the formation, the group left.
This time, the Zhao family completely left their ancestral homeland.
After searching for several days, Zhao Qianren's wife finally found the inn where the Zhao family was staying again.
They were told that the Zhao family had checked out and left the day before.
This infuriated her, and she insisted that the inn had lied to her and so on.
She cried and made a scene at the entrance of the inn, and only stopped when the yamen runners came to her aid.
After returning home, she naturally didn't take good care of her husband.
What should have been a 100-day recovery took Zhao Qianren half again as long as others to heal.
After all, he's getting older, and after that injury, his body isn't what it used to be.
They also age very quickly.
Because of Yingsheng's passing, the family's life became much more difficult.
They wanted to open a new shop, but because of their terrible reputation, no one wanted to rent them a shop.
The family eventually returned to the countryside.
Luckily, he still owned several dozen acres of land; otherwise, his entire family would have been starving.
Life in the city and in the countryside is worlds apart. Zhao Qianren's wife couldn't bear the difference in their feelings and argued with him every day.
In the end, Zhao Qianren had no choice but to separate the family property from his children, and only by threatening to divorce his wife could he keep her in check.
After the Zhao family left their ancestral home, Zhao Qianci seemed to have been freed from all his shackles, and his spirits improved considerably.
He no longer seemed so gloomy. He was cheerful all day long.
It takes more than a month to travel from our ancestral home to the capital.
But right now, the temperature in the north is getting lower every day.
You need to wear a light jacket in the morning and evening.
The children have also changed from wearing bibs to being completely covered up now.
The downside of cold weather is suffering, but the upside is that food is easier to store and there's no need to make ice along the way to keep it fresh.
We sped up our journey to Beijing, hoping to arrive before the Chinese New Year.
It's alright now, it hasn't started snowing yet. It will be really troublesome to travel when it starts snowing later.
They hurried along, and just as the first snow fell, the Zhao family entered the Yuan Tai Mansion.
Despite their hurried pace, the group still missed celebrating the New Year in Beijing.
We entered the capital on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month.
Upon receiving the message delivered by a flying eagle, Chang Yi led his men to the city gate early in the morning to welcome their master's return.
"Master, you're finally back. All the brothers and sisters in the pavilion have been missing you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com