Chapter 308 Disaster Approaching
Xu Dani was no match for Peng Chunlan at all; her little schemes were shattered by Peng Chunlan's words.
Xu Erni felt that Peng Chunlan was cunning and more capable than the four sisters, so she couldn't wait to ask:
"What do we do next? What if they protect each other and the Xu family refuses to pay hush money? Wouldn't we have made a wasted trip?"
Peng Chunlan glanced at her, and from the bottom of her heart thought these sisters were stupid:
"Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. If the Xu family dares not to give, we'll just sit in a restaurant or teahouse and see if they want money or official positions."
The four Xu sisters' eyes lit up – this was a great idea!
I've mistreated them for decades. This time, they've traveled all the way to the capital to seek justice for me. If I can get this generous hush money, I think I can die in peace.
The four sisters were silently plotting in their hearts, already figuring out how to divide the hush money they were about to receive.
After receiving the land, should I buy a few acres of fertile land or build a house for my son to get married?
To save money, the four sisters only booked two rooms; they lived in one room, and their respective husbands lived in the other.
After leaving Peng Chunlan's room, Xu Sini tentatively asked, "Jin Nian is also an official in the capital. Should we go and find him?"
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Dani interrupted him sharply: "Don't even think about it!"
After saying that, she glanced at her husband, Hu Aniu, with a hint of fear, afraid that he would remember the stupid things she had done before and rush over to hit her again.
Hu Aniu did not lay a hand on Xu Dani, but stared at Xu Sini with a warning look in his eyes: "Go if you want to, don't drag our whole family into this."
Last year, his wife did something stupid and ruined his job as a dockworker. For the past six months, the family has been struggling financially and they don't even have enough money to pay for their son's wedding.
If this happens again, my family might really be ruined.
Xu Sini was still somewhat unwilling to give up, and looked at Xu Erni and Xu Sanni:
"What about you? Don't you want to go and try? What if Jin Nian, for the sake of his reputation, reluctantly accepts us? Wouldn't we be set for life? Maybe we can even get our children a government position, and we'll be destined to be officials' wives."
Xu Sini's eyes grew brighter as she spoke, and even Xu Erni and Xu Sanni were somewhat tempted.
Even their husbands looked at each other, hoping that the other would bring their wives to their door to give it a try.
Seeing this, Hu Aniu sneered inwardly, grabbed Xu Dani, and left.
"Go to sleep right now. If you dare to have any funny ideas, I'll divorce you right now!"
Xu Dani dared not. She glanced at her three younger sisters before being dragged away by Hu Aniu.
The six people who remained huddled together and discussed it, but ultimately decided against going to the relatives' home to make their own admission.
The risk of failing to reunite them with their relatives is far too great; it's something they can't afford to take.
Xu Sini, filled with resentment, complained bitterly to Xu Erni and Xu Sanni:
"It's all our parents' fault. If they hadn't been so stupid to fall for our fourth uncle and aunt's trick and abandon Jin Nian in the mountains and then have her adopted by our second uncle, we would be his older sisters and be able to enjoy wealth and luxury with him!"
Xu Erni agreed wholeheartedly and couldn't help but curse Xu Laosi and his wife:
"It's all those two despicable bastards' fault. This time, we're going to take a big bite out of them!"
Xu Sanni nodded vigorously, while also expressing her dissatisfaction with Xu Chenglin:
"Third Uncle isn't a good person either. He must have seen that Jin Nian was extraordinary back then, which is why he was willing to be scolded and cursed by Grandpa and Grandma to adopt what others considered a jinx. Now he's living the high life with Jin Nian. He's really getting off easy!"
Xu Sanni was filled with envy and jealousy, completely ignoring the fact that even without the cursed star and the adoption, Xu Laosan and Ma Dahua simply couldn't afford to support Xu Jinnian's education and imperial examinations.
Xu Jinnian's success today is inseparable from Xu Chenglin's more than ten years of dedicated support.
The three sisters cursed and complained about their father, mother, uncle, and aunt, and didn't stop until very late.
That evening, after Sheng An finished feeding Zhuo Zhuo and coaxed her to sleep, she finally lay comfortably in bed and was pulled into a pair of large hands.
"Have the Liu and Xu families arrived in the capital?"
Sheng An played with the man's slender fingers, eager to know what he would do next.
"Yes, they arrived a couple of days ago. Yesterday, they went to the Jingzhao Prefecture to accuse Xu Laosi of murdering Liu Huazhi and Ma Dahua. Ning Sihan happened to be there to investigate an old case."
Ning Sihan served in the Dali Temple, where he was mainly responsible for reviewing criminal cases across the country and working with other officials to identify and improve the laws.
The "coincidence" that Xu Jinnian mentioned was not a coincidence. He had specifically informed Ning Sihan to prevent the Prefect of Jingzhao from "overlooking" the petitions submitted by the Liu and Xu families due to his busy schedule.
"Even my sworn brother has gotten involved. It seems that Xu Laosi is doomed this time."
Sheng An had no liking for Xu Laosi, who had hurt her husband and was suspected of having two lives on his hands, and wished he would go to jail immediately.
If Xu Huaining were to lose his official position because of this, it would be a double blessing.
"Xu Laosi will definitely die, but there's no rush. Let them panic and reveal more of their true colors first."
Xu Jinnian took Sheng An's hand in his palm and leaned down to kiss her lips: "This time, I will make Princess Shanmin suffer a big fall and avenge you and Zhuozhuo."
This matter is not enough to completely bring down Princess Shanmin; we can only drag her down first and add a name to her list of crimes.
"Yes, thank you, my husband!"
Sheng An changed her address in a coquettish manner and took the initiative to lean in to continue the kiss that had just ended.
Xu Jinnian was momentarily stunned by the word "husband," and the softness of the lips shattered his usually strong self-control. He couldn't help but hold the person in his arms tightly, his voice tinged with desire:
"An'an, is tonight okay?"
Hearing the man's cautious question, Sheng An felt a pang of heartache and took the initiative to untie the belt of his pajamas: "It's been three months, it's okay."
The moment he finished speaking, he was pinned down.
In an instant, the room was filled with the warmth of spring.
With Ning Sihan personally overseeing the case, no one in the Jingzhao Prefecture dared to be negligent. They immediately blocked the news and sent people on horseback to Qingzhou to investigate the case.
The Xu family, including Xu Huaining, had no idea that the evil deeds they had committed were about to be exposed.
Xu Laosi, having grown estranged from Xu Huaining and his son, conceived the idea of making a fortune to retire in Qingzhou. He instructed Feng Lianhua to exchange some of the valuable items she had previously purchased for silver.
Xu Huaining noticed the couple's little scheme, but he was eager for them to leave so they wouldn't stay in the capital and cause him trouble. So he turned a blind eye to their actions and even gave them some money.
Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua, seeing this, felt even more that their son was cold-blooded and heartless, and that they had raised him in vain.
If they had a second son, they wouldn't have put all their eggs in one basket before, which has now made providing for his old age and funeral arrangements a pressing issue.
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