Time passed little by little, and finally the inventory was completed before dawn.
Looking at the boxes of valuables piled in the yard, Gao Hongbin couldn't help but sigh, "This guy must be the richest man in Jiangnan. Look at this family's confiscated wealth. It's equivalent to dozens of Shangshu Mansions."
Those watching outside also sighed, "As expected of the Ling family, they actually have so many treasures. What a shame, they've gotten away with it!"
There was no doubt that the next big knife was already hanging over his head.
Chi Xingyue didn't expect that even after she emptied the Ling family's house, she could still find so much gold and jewelry.
No wonder they say a lean camel is bigger than a horse. At this moment, the Ling family is like a rotten ship with three hundred kilograms of iron nails.
He stared at the boxes with a painful look on his face and glanced at Ling Jiheng with resentment.
Ling Jiheng remained calm, as these things were merely superficial and their actual value might not even be as great as the two boxes in Chi Xingyue's space.
Chi Xingyue hesitated for a few seconds before finally letting it go. This was a society ruled by the emperor, and ordinary people had no say.
If the official announcing the decree did not find anything, or if the Ling family's wealth was obviously not enough, would the official announcing the decree suspect that the Ling family was hiding something, or would he tie them up and take them to the capital to punish them for deceiving the emperor?
Rather than losing your life for money, it is better to spend a little money to avoid disaster.
What's more, neither of them is someone who is easy to bully, and the things they stole will be taken back sooner or later.
Chi Xingyue comforted herself in this way and felt much better.
The other members of the Ling family couldn't hold back any longer. Looking at the gold hairpins and jade pendants they had used, they wanted to rush over and grab them back.
It was only when the guards drew their swords and pointed them at the Ling family that they calmed down.
Seeing that the old man still had no reaction, the old lady was afraid that something might happen, so she hurried to comfort him: "Don't worry, old man, we still have children and grandchildren. We can live anywhere, okay?"
The old man turned his head and looked at his wife who had been with him for many years. Suddenly, tears fell like rain: "Ah, it is my incompetence. I am ashamed of my ancestors!"
The old lady sighed and patted the old man's back gently: "It's okay, it's okay, baby, Heng'er and Cheng'er are here!"
The old man nodded, as if accepting this bolt from the blue.
Although Ling Weiyuan and Ling Weicun hadn't been very close to the old man over the years, he was still their father after all. Furthermore, the old man hadn't taken his anger out on them because of their mother's affairs.
Everyone reacted and immediately went over to support the old man: "Dad, don't worry, as long as we two brothers have something to eat, you won't starve!"
Although Geng Suhua and Liang Zhijun were unhappy, they did not make trouble at this critical juncture.
Chi Xingyue thought that the next step was to get on the road. After all, the inventory of the family property had been completed and there was nothing else to do.
Unexpectedly, Gao Hongbin took all the members of the Ling family to the prison, and handed the slaves over to the pawnshop to be resold.
The morning sun shone on the earth. The bustle of Ling Mansion last night had already spread throughout the streets and alleys through word of mouth among the guests.
Some of the brave ones gathered around Ling's house to watch the excitement, while the timid ones kept the door closed and did not show up for two or three days.
The Ling family members once again became the focus of attention, but no one was happy. They all hung their heads, wishing they could crawl into the ground.
It was so embarrassing. The Ling family was always envied whenever they went out, unlike now, where not only were they pointed at and criticized, but they also had to earn sympathy and pity.
Chi Xingyue didn't care. They were all leaving anyway and no one would know each other in the future.
What's more, the Jiangnan region is about to be flooded, and it is hard to say whether these people will still be alive in a month.
The group came to the yamen prison in a mighty procession, and the men and women were separated and locked up in two rooms.
The cell was dark, damp, and smelled foul. Straw was piled haphazardly in the corner, and occasionally, a gigantic cockroach would crawl by.
"I don't want it, mother, I don't want to be here, I want to go home!" The crying ones were Gu Youlian's two children, who were also the only two great-grandchildren of the Ling family.
Chi Xingyue looked at his little cousin who was implicated by the Ling family, and found that the little guy's eyes were rolling around, with only curiosity, not panic, and he couldn't help but feel a little good about him.
The old lady was old and couldn't bear to hear the child crying. She scolded the child with a dark face and ended up coughing herself.
Chi Xingyue hurriedly helped her to the corner, turned over the straw to drive away the cockroaches and rats, and then let the old lady sit down.
The old lady took Chi Xingyue's hand, her face full of gratitude: "You have suffered so much. Marrying into the Ling family, you have not had a good day, and now you have to go into exile. Good child, when life gets better, grandma will make up for it by giving you a meeting gift!"
Chi Xingyue smiled and shook her head: "Grandma, I'm not miserable. Although I didn't expect the Ling family to suffer such a disaster, I am now a good citizen, and I am very happy."
That's right, the Ling family was only confiscated and exiled, but they weren't convicted. Their identities were still clean.
Moreover, Chi Xingyue and Ling Jiheng had learned that exile for ordinary people was just a minor punishment. They would not be shackled along the way, as long as they reached their destination, that was all.
Although I'll need to serve in the military upon arrival, there's a way to avoid it. I have the money anyway, so I'll figure it out later.
Official exile was different. In addition to wearing shackles, some adult men also had their feet shackled, depending on the severity of their crimes.
Although women were not subject to many restrictions, their hands were still tied, leaving them with neither freedom nor dignity.
Seeing that Chi Xingyue was still in the mood to joke, the old lady pursed her lips.
I leaned against the wall and sighed, feeling that everything that happened last night was just a dream, which would end when I woke up.
Seeing that the old lady was relatively stable, Chi Xingyue came to the wooden fence and whispered to Ling Jiheng.
It was at this time that she recognized all the members of the Ling family.
The old man Ling Youda married two wives.
The eldest son of his first wife, Ling Weiyuan, married Geng Suhua and had two sons and one daughter.
The eldest son, Ling Jiren, the eldest grandson of the Ling family, married Gu Youlian and had a son, Ling Mingyue, now eight years old, and a daughter, Ling Weiwei, now six years old. He also had a concubine, Wan Chunqin, with whom he had a son, Ling Minghao, now five years old.
The second son, Ling Jiyi, was seventeen years old and was engaged to the eldest daughter of the wealthy Chen family in Jiangnan. However, the engagement was broken off during the house raid.
My little daughter Ling Jiran is fourteen years old and still unmarried.
Ling Weicun, the youngest son of his first wife, married Liang Zhijun and had a son, Ling Jihao, who is sixteen years old this year and is also unmarried.
Ling Weicheng, the second son of the Ling family, was born to his second wife, Rong Fangqing. He married Shu Muyun and had a son, Ling Jiheng.
As to why he is older than Ling Weicun, there is a story behind this.
Back then, the Ling family was wealthy and powerful. The old man's first wife was afraid that he would have children with concubines or mistresses who would compete with her own son for the family property, so she gave the old man a sterilizing drug when she was pregnant with her second child.
By some strange coincidence, the old man discovered it and locked up his original wife in a Buddhist temple.
Due to fear and malnutrition, the original wife eventually gave birth to a premature boy and died of hemorrhage after giving birth to him.
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