At this moment, Jin Shu was reading a book at her desk in the Jin family courtyard. After feeling the wind around her subside, she slowly got up and stretched.
If you're tired of sitting, get up and take a walk.
During the still time, Jin Shu appeared more relaxed and at ease. She first strolled around the street, and then walked along the street all the way to the Duke's Mansion, whose gates were tightly closed.
Compared to the gates of other prominent families, the decline of the Duke's Mansion is evident in its long-neglected lintel, with its peeling paint and interior riddled with insects.
The door was no different from paper in Jin Shu's eyes. After easily entering, she went to the Buddhist hall first.
Sure enough, just as she had predicted, the family was arguing fiercely.
Jin Shu wasn't interested in seeing any of that; she went straight to the main courtyard.
Not long after I moved out, Deng Qiao took over the main courtyard. The house was decorated in a very luxurious way, and even a small ornament was a rare treasure.
No wonder Deng Qiao was so eager for Lu Mingqian to sell the shop. With her spending power, the money the Lu family's shop earned might not be enough for her to squander.
Since we've come all this way, there's no reason for us to go back empty-handed.
Jin Shu took out a burlap sack she had prepared in advance and took away everything of value that she could see.
Jin Shu easily found the money Deng Qiao had hidden under the floor tiles under the bed.
The box was full of silver notes, each worth a hundred taels, and there were also many precious pieces of jewelry.
It's clear she's ready to leave at any moment; she's packed all her most important belongings.
That's good, it saves Jin Shu a lot of trouble. The most valuable thing in the whole house is in this box, so she can just take it with her.
Before leaving, Jin Shu even pried up the most valuable money trees in the Lu family's courtyard and took them away by the roots.
After finishing these tasks, the static time ended.
The two people arguing so fiercely in the Buddhist hall almost came to blows.
In the end, it ended with Lu Mingqian having a bloody gash on his face.
The two of them finally calmed down, and Deng Qiao spoke first.
“All the land deeds and house deeds for the shops are gone, but we received a deposit from Prince Liang. If Prince Liang finds out, will he punish us?”
"Yes, so we need to return the money as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Deng Qiao raised her eyebrows in shock.
"Give it back? What will we do if we give it back? All the valuables in our house have been stolen, and now we don't even have the shop anymore!"
Lu Mingqian stood up shakily.
"We must report this to the authorities! We need to report this to the authorities right now!"
"You're really confused! What's the use of reporting to the authorities! These days, government offices are useless, they're completely incompetent!"
Besides, if we report this to the authorities, King Liang will definitely find out and force us to return the deposit!
In short, Deng Qiao didn't believe in these officials from ancient times. Without cameras or detection devices, it would be a miracle if they could catch thieves!
Deng Qiao already knew that Lu Mingqian was a cowardly and indecisive man who lacked his own opinions, so she absolutely could not listen to his orders at this time.
"Listen to me, take all the valuables tonight and leave the capital immediately. Go as far away as you can. We can't stay here."
"If the King of Liang finds out, he will definitely hunt us down!"
"What's the difference between returning the money and taking our lives? Lu Mingqian, wake up! At this point, we only have one option left."
Lu Mingqian was reluctant to give up so many shops.
However, this is how the laws of this dynasty are: all transactions require proof of land deeds and property deeds, and the imperial court conducts random inspections every year to check the completeness of these items. If the original deeds are missing, then these properties belong to the imperial court.
Deng Qiao slapped him awake.
"What are you all standing there for? Pack your things!"
Seeing that Lu Mingqian was still lost in thought, Deng Qiao ignored him and went back into the house to pack her things.
Anyway, the manor where she used to live still has the savings she's accumulated over the years, enough for her to live a carefree life for the rest of her days.
With this hope in mind, Deng Qiao quickly opened the hidden compartment under the bed and reached inside.
Suddenly, she frowned.
Where the wooden box should have been, now it is empty.
Suppressing her panic and unease, she crawled under the bed to search. When she saw that the hidden compartment was empty, a scream came from under the bed.
"Where's my money?! Where did my money go?!"
Deng Qiao rushed to Lu Mingqian without hesitation, grabbed his collar and asked him a question.
"Where are the things? Where are the things I put under the bed? You're the only one who knows about them besides me. Did you secretly hide the money?"
Lu Mingqian hadn't even recovered from the anger of his family business being stolen when Deng Qiao launched into a tirade of abuse.
He angrily flung his arm away and glared at Deng Qiao.
"You're asking me? Didn't I entrust all my money to you for safekeeping? How dare you ask me?"
"I'd like to ask you, didn't you hide the money? And then come to me crying 'stop thief' like a thief in the eyes of a thief?"
Deng Qiao stared at him in disbelief, her eyes bloodshot and her expression distorted.
"You actually think that way about me?! Lu Mingqian, is that what you see me as?"
"Then what am I in your eyes? Deng Qiao, you've really opened my eyes! Your first reaction in this situation is to grab the money and run away!"
I really don't know if you're stupid or malicious!
"This whole world belongs to the emperor. Prince Liang is His Majesty's own brother. You swindled his money, where do you think you can run to? Are you trying to kill me?!"
Deng Qiao's entire body stiffened.
What was even harder for her to accept at this moment was not whether she could escape or not, but Lu Mingqian's sharp and explicit evaluation of her.
She was secretly delighted to have found her ideal husband, thinking she could live a peaceful life like in novels with him, but she never expected that he would turn out to be a selfish and useless good-for-nothing.
She stared at him, as if she had just realized something.
"I know you and your mother are conspiring to lie to me, aren't you? Who could steal the thing from that godforsaken place? Unless your mother moved the place herself and is trying to force me out!"
Lu Mingqian! How could you so blatantly disregard our years of friendship!
The two started fighting again, arguing back and forth all night long. In the end, no one realized that the old lady was still lying on the ground.
In the end, Lu Mingqian reported it to the authorities.
Since the deposit was gone, there was no way to run away with the money now, so they could only place their last hope on the government.
Once the matter was reported to the authorities, the news of the theft at the Duke's mansion would spread far and wide.
Jin Shu quickly received firsthand information from A Yu.
"This is truly gratifying! I heard that many things were stolen from these dukes' mansions! The authorities investigated, but so far they haven't found a single clue!"
Jin Shu squinted her eyes and basked in the sun.
It would be a miracle if she could find any clues; since she did it herself, she naturally did it flawlessly.
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