Not two days after arriving in Qili County, Young Master Lin heard about Lin Qingyuan's absurd and outrageous antics.
His half-brother neglected family affairs, did no proper work, and spent his days frequenting brothels, getting entangled with married women.
He was punished several times by being made to kneel in the ancestral hall, but he didn't stop, which angered his elders so much that they stopped caring about him.
His reputation was so bad that even when his family wanted to find a suitable family for a marriage alliance, no one would agree.
Now it seems that if he could really bring Song Liyun home and win her heart, it might not be a bad thing.
Thinking of this, Young Master Lin pulled his scarf tighter around his neck and coughed twice. The servant who was serving him hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Young Master, it's cool by the window. You can't let it blow like that."
Knowing that he suffered from asthma every winter, Young Master Lin didn't try to be brave. He sat back down at the table and asked the servant, "Have the people who went to the prefectural city returned?"
The servant replied, "They've already returned. They said the clerk from the prefectural government is coming to Qili County to investigate past public opinion polls!"
Young Master Lin curled his lip: "Prefect Zhang is so slippery now!"
Tianxianglou had close ties with the garrison and the county government. To prevent the magistrate of Qili County from abusing his power for personal gain, he had already informed the prefectural government and sent someone to supervise the handling of the case.
Although what he wanted was supervision, or to put it nicely, to eavesdrop, what he really wanted was someone who could make Jiang Feng feel fear.
But to everyone's surprise, the person who arrived was just a minor clerk. The prefect of Pingyang was trying to avoid offending either side!
However, nothing I set out to do has ever failed me.
This was Jiang Feng's first time visiting Suijin Town as the county magistrate, and his arrival caused a sensation in the town.
Luo Baihu had already ordered his men to surround Baolinju, so the townspeople could only stand at a distance.
Those outside could only see the yamen runners entering the woods of Baolin Residence, and they immediately began to whisper among themselves.
"What did the Song family do wrong? We're still repairing the house. What if we don't get paid after we finish the work?" Some onlookers worriedly said.
"What's there to be afraid of? So many people are doing it. I heard that the acorn food workshop in town belongs to the Song family. Haven't you seen how many carts come to pick up vermicelli every day? Money comes like water flowing in. Are you worried about losing a few taels of silver?" someone said dismissively.
The first person to speak chuckled dryly: "I'm just worried because that acorn food shop belongs to the Song family. If the Song family gets into trouble, their assets will be seized, and then we'll be broke!"
These words immediately resonated with the surrounding people. Yes, if the Song family's things were seized, they would have nothing left. They all became worried.
Hu Qing, Xue Zhuang, and others were also among the onlookers. Upon hearing these discussions, they all became serious and quickly withdrew from the crowd, gathering towards the Broken Gold Guild Hall.
Inside Baolinju, the Song family of three stared wide-eyed.
They want to find their stuff here and make sure the evidence is conclusive.
This is easy. All you have to do is point to a few pieces of clothing or furniture and say they're from the old house, and who can deny it?
Jiang Feng didn't sit inside the house, but instead had a chair brought over so he could sit under the eaves of the front yard.
Baolin Residence was a mansion in the past, and after a year of living and renovation, the traces of the fire have long since disappeared.
Even though it's winter now, the high corridor is bright and spacious, and it's not crowded even if there are twenty or thirty people standing there.
Under the supervision of the yamen runners, Song Lao Er and several others began to search and rummage through the items.
Song Lao Er was with Song Xiao Bao in the front yard.
Yesterday, when they arrived, they were stopped as soon as they entered the gate. The Song family hadn't even been inside the house. Now, looking at the jujube wood dining table and pear wood chairs on the kang (a heated brick bed) that had been scrubbed clean and shiny, they were speechless with amazement.
These pieces of furniture are far superior to the rough wooden furniture we have at home.
He ran his hand over the smooth tabletop, looking at the delicate texture, and quickly calculated in his mind how much the table was worth and how much the chair was worth!
With one eye swollen, Song Xiaobao, having spent the night in the freezing cold in the cell, was now constantly sniffling: "Dad, these tables don't belong to our family, let's go find somewhere else!"
"Shut up, what do you know?" At this moment, Song Lao Er didn't care what his son was saying; he only wanted to figure out how to move these things away.
Song Xiaobao jumped up and down anxiously: "Dad, what are you dawdling about? We haven't even looked at the side rooms and the cellar yet!"
He had been hanging around with the local thugs in Qingping Town for a long time and knew that wealthy families liked to hide valuables in secret rooms and cellars.
"That's right!" Reminded by his son, Song Lao Er realized that this was only a kang table, and there were still many places he hadn't looked at!
The father and son hurriedly tried to walk to the house next door, but were stopped by two constables who had been following them.
"Song Defu, is there anything of yours in this room?" the constable from Songfeng County asked coldly, holding a scroll in his hand.
They are dedicated to keeping records; they only need to record the stolen goods as soon as they are reported.
Without even thinking, Song Lao Er blurted out, "Yes, they're all from my family."
As the yamen runner from Songfeng County picked up his pen to write, the yamen runner from Qili County coldly said, "Song Defu, you'd better watch carefully. If you admit your mistake, you'll be punished for extortion, and a year in jail will be too lenient."
He was a seasoned constable, and he naturally saw Song Defu touching the kang table earlier; even a blind man could see the greed in his eyes.
There's no Song family furniture here!
Who would treat something they've used for decades like they're touching a new bride?
Go to jail!
Song Lao Er's mind suddenly cleared. Lying in the damp, cold haystack all night, surrounded by prisoners wailing and lamenting, was indeed an unbearable experience.
"No, no, I made a mistake!"
Song Lao Er shook his head vigorously. He said that even if he threw these pieces of furniture away, he couldn't move them. He might as well pick some more valuable ones.
The yamen runner from Songfeng County, who was taking notes, raised an eyebrow: "Song Defu, can't you even recognize your own things? If you keep spouting nonsense, when we get back to Songfeng County, we'll have you charged with lying."
Song Lao Er suddenly realized that he had come here not just for the family fortune.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he quickly lowered his head to apologize, "I didn't sleep well last night, my eyes were playing tricks on me just now."
The constables from Songfeng County and Qili County exchanged a glance, both revealing a knowing look on their faces.
We're all seasoned foxes, so there's no need to pretend to be something we're not.
After a cursory glance at the main house and side rooms in the front yard, beads of sweat dripped down Song Lao Er's forehead.
He never cared about anything at his home in Xiaoshi Village, so how could he recognize whether these similarly sized and styled chests and cabinets were his own?
He was willing to admit it randomly, but the words of the yamen runner from Qili County sent chills down his spine.
If it's not true, I'll get punished!
After looking at the room, he said he wanted to see the cellar.
Song Zhenping, Song Lizheng, and Song Dekui, father and son, stayed next to Jiang Feng without even going inside the house.
Upon hearing that they also needed to check the cellar, Song Zhenping immediately instructed Han Ming to open the cellar door.
Jiang Feng and Luo Baihu could guess how much wealth he had, so he didn't need to hide it.
Especially considering the circumstances surrounding Yun'er's marriage, if the family were destitute, people would look down on them.
As for my second uncle... he's just an outsider, I haven't acknowledged him for a long time!
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