Both the Earl of Pingchang and Madam Fang assumed that Ye Chaoxi had raised 10,000 taels of silver to redeem their house deeds, and they eagerly awaited Ye Chaoxi to send someone to deliver the silver notes.
Ye Chaoxi said, "Father and Mother, please go back first. There will be a result in two days."
The Earl of Pingchang and Madam Fang thought it made sense; ten thousand taels was no small sum, and it would take time to raise the money, so they went back first.
After everyone left, Xie Qinglan leaned back lazily in her chair, stretched out her long arm, and took the soft, tender white hand in her palm, playing with it, kneading and squeezing it; the feel was excellent.
What mischief are you plotting?
Ye Chaoxi glared at him lightly. It was all his fault for coming over again last night, making her oversleep. "You know all about it now."
"Do you need me to step in and resolve this?"
Ye Chaoxi looked up and snorted arrogantly, "I don't need you, I can handle it myself."
Xie Qinglan then stopped insisting. Anyway, with him around, as long as she didn't cause a huge uproar in the capital, he could handle things for her.
...
The day after the Pingchang Earl and his wife returned home, someone came to invite them; it was someone from the Dali Temple.
"Lord Pingchang, Lady Pingchang, yesterday a gambling den owner sued the Lord's Mansion for owing money and refusing to move out, even mortgaging the mansion there. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is presiding over the case. Please come with us."
The Earl of Pingchang and Madam Fang were dumbfounded. How did this escalate to the Dali Temple?!
If the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review finds out, how far is it from the Emperor finding out?
Despite their reluctance, the Earl of Pingchang and his wife had no choice but to go.
When they arrived, they learned that it was Ye Chaoxi who had sent people with the gambling den owner to sue them!
The two of them were absolutely furious!
"That traitor! I really thought she was going to raise money to redeem our house deed, but I never expected she wanted us to move to jail!"
"I really regret having given birth to such an ungrateful child!"
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review slammed his gavel, “Lord Pingchang, Lady Pingchang, please refrain from making a scene in court! Wu Guiren, repeat the contents of your complaint in court again.”
Wu Guiren was the owner of the gambling den. As a small gambling den owner, he didn't dare to offend a big shot like the Earl of Pingchang. Even if the Earl refused to move out, he had no choice but to wait it out.
Unexpectedly, yesterday the wife of the heir of the Yongyi Marquis’s mansion sent someone to tell him that they could take him to the Dali Temple to file a case. With the Yongyi Marquis’s mansion backing him up, Wu Guiren immediately perked up!
In front of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Wu Guiren angrily cursed the Earl of Pingchang for being shameless. He said that his son owed money, but the father refused to pay it back. The whole family was staying at the Earl's mansion and wouldn't leave. They didn't respect ordinary people like them just because they had a high official position.
The Earl of Pingchang was so ashamed by the scolding that he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
After learning the whole story, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was quite surprised. Finally, he said loudly, "The evidence is conclusive, but since it involves court officials, it must be reported to His Majesty for a decision. Rest assured, His Majesty is fair and just and will not let you be wronged."
Wu Guiren knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
The Earl of Pingchang and Madam Fang stood there, their faces ashen.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was extremely efficient, and the matter was reported to the court the next day.
The Emperor was furious and reprimanded the Earl of Pingchang in court, "Ye Dahai, your own character is flawed, no wonder you can't even teach your son well, and you probably can't handle matters in the court either. In my opinion, since you can't even protect the mansion bestowed by the late Emperor, you should stop living in this mansion from now on."
"Today I will strip you of your title and demote you to a commoner. Go back to your hometown and learn how to be a proper person."
The Earl of Pingchang was shocked; the punishment was far more severe than he had imagined! He had thought it would just be a few words of reprimand and a demotion.
"Your Majesty, I did not intentionally delay paying the money; I am simply short of funds!"
"Dismiss the court."
The Emperor was unwilling to waste his breath on him. Ye Dahai had enjoyed decades of wealth and honor thanks to the previous Earl of Pingchang.
He contributes little to the court, spending his days muddling through, feigning ignorance, and claiming to know nothing. The Emperor has long been dissatisfied with him. Now he's even mortgaged his imperial residence—he's really had enough of the good life!
As soon as the emperor gave the order, palace servants immediately stepped forward, removed his official hat and court robes, threw him onto a carriage, and sent him out of the palace.
Even though he was unwilling, Ye Dahai dared not stay at the Earl's Mansion any longer. The Emperor's decree ordered him to return to his hometown, and he could no longer stay in the capital.
Ye Dahai and Fang Shi could only pack up their belongings, dismiss their servants, sell the remaining shops, and leave the capital in disgrace with Ye Zhuo.
Overnight, the Pingchang Earl's Mansion was emptied out, and the signboard for the Pingchang Earl's Mansion was also taken down.
The next day, when Ye Muling returned home as usual to cry and ask for money, she discovered that the Earl's mansion had changed hands, and she was stunned on the spot.
Her family is such a large clan!
...
Three years later.
Xiao Jingshuo and Xiao Muyao are both three years old, and the two children run around the mansion all day long.
Xie Changyu has been keeping a low profile these past few years, and he's been doing quite well; the Marquis's mansion has never shortchanged him.
Seeing the two little ones often playing in the garden, Xie Changyu, who had been waiting for three years, felt his opportunity had arrived. He wanted to cultivate a good relationship with them from a young age and mold them into the next generation of Beijing playboys.
Thinking this, Xie Changyu quietly peeked out from the flower bushes and waved to Xiao Jingshuo and Xiao Muyao.
Two children ran over hand in hand.
Little Muyao opened her big eyes and asked in her childish voice, "Second Uncle, are you playing hide-and-seek here?"
Xie Changyu shook his head. "Second Uncle came to see you. Do you want to go out and play with me? There are lots of fun things to do on the street."
The two little ones looked at each other. "Let's go out and play? Okay, okay!"
So Xie Changyu secretly took his two children and slipped out of the mansion to the street.
The two children were at an age where they were curious about everything outside, and they looked around curiously as soon as they went out. Suddenly, Mu Yao stared at the candied hawthorn vendor on the street and didn't move.
Xie Changyu noticed and pointed to the candied hawthorns, asking, "Do you want to eat candied hawthorns?"
Mu Yao nodded, wanting to eat it; it looked delicious.
Xie Changyu walked over and took two large, red candied hawthorn skewers from the bundle of grass covered with them, giving one to each person.
They didn't pay.
The candied hawthorn vendor yelled, "Hey, you haven't paid yet!"
Xie Changyu turned around and glared at him fiercely, "These are the young master and young lady of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion. It's your honor to eat a skewer of candied hawthorns from you, why would you want money?"
He then turned to Mu Yao, whom he was holding in his arms, and said, "See? From now on, you can take whatever you like when you go out. You don't need to pay for it. If it's something expensive, just have them go to the manor to ask your parents to pay for it."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was kicked in the calf, and it hurt quite a bit.
Looking down, Jing Shuo saw a small shoe print on the hem of his shirt. His face was serious. "Second Uncle has corrupted my sister. He deserves a beating!"
Mu Yao struggled to get down from Xie Changyu's arms, tiptoed to pull off the money pouch from Xie Changyu's waist, and ran to the vendor with small steps, taking out a silver ingot and handing it to him, "Is this enough?"
Xie Changyu: “?!” This is fifty taels!
He quickly ran over and handed over four copper coins, saying, "Take these and get out of here."
Mu Yao puffed out her cheeks and scolded him, "Second Uncle swearing is not good behavior! Second Uncle should apologize!"
Xie Changyu, "..." He apologized? Impossible!
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