After several days of back and forth, the biological father finally spoke up.
Liu Xu smiled faintly.
“No matter how big the past events were, they can't compare to Ruoning's life or death. Father, I'm currently working for the Prince of Zhenbei, so I can still help my brother, but…”
"But what?" the man asked.
“However, the Prince of Zhenbei will not help people without a reason. Even if it is my brother, Father, think about it. I am just a servant, better than a maid. Ruoning committed a serious crime that led to the confiscation of his family property. If it were only to protect the family, I might be able to offer some benefits.”
Liu Xu lowered her head, looking pitiful, and casually frowned as she poured tea, making it impossible to tell whether what she said was true or false.
"What should we do?" Master Liu asked anxiously.
"Unless our entire Liu family pledges allegiance to the Prince of Zhenbei, Father, this powerful tree is not one that just anyone can rely on. The Prince of Zhenbei has been in Jiangnan for some time now. Have you heard who he's been getting close to?"
"Would the Prince of Zhenbei possibly take a liking to our Liu family?"
The beautiful woman smiled and said to her father...
"This will depend on our daughter. However, the prince is somewhat suspicious and doesn't trust outsiders."
"In other words, Father, you have to put the Liu family under my care so that the Prince will believe in the Liu family's loyalty."
Why is that?
Madam Liu, who had just been serving tea and water, asked in a cunning voice.
Liu Xu raised her eyes, glanced at her, and then continued speaking to Master Liu.
"Father, you don't know this, but in the border town, it's not uncommon for women to be in charge. As a woman, the Prince of Zhenbei naturally trusts women more. You see..."
This is all nonsense; she just wants to make Master Liu willingly hand over the Liu family to her.
The man frowned, seemingly struggling with a decision, and then Liu Xu continued...
"If you don't want to, that's fine, but our Liu family... a century-old family business, cannot go down with Ruoning..."
"I'll bring you the keys tomorrow."
"master!"
Madam Liu glanced at Liu Xu, then turned back and grabbed Liu Weian's sleeve, refusing to let go. This vile woman clearly had ill intentions.
"I'll take your mother back first."
"Father, please take care. It's my turn to be on duty today, so I won't see you off."
Liu Xu stood up, bowed to the two of them, and breathed a sigh of relief as she watched their backs disappear.
finally……
"Oh my sister, you're such a smooth talker! I never knew you were so good at conning people."
Huo Xiaolong suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Liu Xu's arm and shook it vigorously. Bu Hui, who was next to her, followed suit and kept shouting.
"Mom is amazing!"
"Where did you come from? And you brought Bu Hui along to watch the show." She flicked the girl's nose and then said.
“I was afraid your father would bully you, so I came back as soon as I finished the case.”
"Sister, where is Master Miao?"
These past few days in Jiangnan, Miao Cuifang has been inseparable from willow catkins, but today she has disappeared without a trace.
"He was just inside the house, didn't you see him?" Liu Xu asked.
"No, Mother, my aunt and I just climbed down from the roof beam."
The woman ignored where her husband had gone and asked him a single question.
When will the execution take place?
"The day after tomorrow, at noon," Huo Xiaolong replied.
Tomorrow her father will bring the keys to the Liu family's private treasury, and the day after tomorrow Liu Ruoning will be beheaded. Liu Xu smiled and was happy just thinking about it.
—Noon the day after tomorrow
The area around the market was packed with people. It had been a long time since there had been such a spectacle of beheadings being displayed in public, so everyone came to watch. Besides, they had heard that the men being executed were all young masters from wealthy families.
"Isn't that young master in the lead the eldest son of the Liu family? What? Did he fail to pull any strings this time?"
"What kind of operation? This case was personally tried by the Prince of Zhenbei, and there are witnesses and physical evidence. What kind of operation is this? A rebellion?"
"You really have a big mouth; you just blurt everything out."
"Okay, okay!"
The families of the victims from back then couldn't help but burst into tears and cheer as they watched the group of people trembling like leaves. After so many years, they could finally give those who had passed away some closure.
I wonder if those girls can see this from the afterlife.
"It's noon, carry out the execution!"
At the prefect's command, blood splattered everywhere, and heads rolled to the ground.
Upon seeing this scene, Madam Liu fainted.
Meanwhile, inside the Jiangnan villa of the Fengyuelou group, Liu Xu, still dressed in plain clothes, quietly sipped tea, facing her father whose eyes were red.
“Father, if it weren’t for me, our Liu family would have been like the other families, with our property confiscated and us exiled.”
"I never said I could save Ruoning."
"Are you willing to give up this century-old business?"
Master Liu was reluctant to part with his son. A son could be reborn, but the family business was truly gone once it was gone. However, there was a problem: the key to the private vault had been given to Liu Xu yesterday, and the family business was no longer in his hands.
"Father, you must not displease the Prince of Zhenbei, especially by making trouble over military rations. What happened to the Xu family, who tried to make trouble over military rations?"
The Xu family was once at the height of their power, serving as imperial merchants!
Liu Wei'an dared not think about it, but quietly observed his daughter drinking tea at the table. Green snakes would occasionally dart out and scare him, while his daughter teased them without changing her expression.
From the very beginning, Liu Xu's target was the entire Liu family.
She didn't want to talk about it, and the Prince of Zhenbei didn't want to discuss the issue of military provisions with him either.
"Father, go and collect Ruoning's body."
The woman said this with a smile, a smile as beautiful as the spring sunshine in Jiangnan in April, but her words were as cold as ice and winter water.
The man took a few steps back, nodded, and it was unclear whether his expression meant resignation or defiance.
But Liu Xu didn't care anymore.
When a person stands high enough, money is truly within easy reach.
“My dad isn’t doing well either; he hasn’t earned as much as we have over the years.”
Liu Xu couldn't finish calculating the private treasury ledger by herself, so she pulled Ruyi and Zhihua along to do it together. Huo Xiaolong, just like when they were children, sat on the ground and started hammering away, scattering wood chips all over the place.
"Sister, could you hand me your hairpin?"
The three people at the table were writing furiously, while the girl on the floor was making a clattering sound, and the woman even had to take a moment to hand her the hairpin from her hair.
"What's wrong? Does he not earn enough?" Huo Xiaolong then looked up and asked.
“That’s for sure. You don’t even need to compare with him; he can’t beat me even with several of my strength,” Liu Xu said.
"That won't do either, it's too bad."
"That's right, all my spittle was wasted."
"So annoying."
Liu Xu frowned slightly as she looked at the account books on the table. The three women neatly arranged and stacked them one by one, then turned her gaze to Huo Xiaolong, who was fiddling with things, and said...
"Here you go."
"hold head high?"
The girl was studying an offensive tank. For some reason, whenever her older sister or mother was working, and she was tinkering with them, she would have a lot of inspiration.
Hearing this, she looked up, somewhat bewildered.
How much does it cost?
"Less than one million taels."
"..."
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