“Over the years, our family has put in a lot of effort and earned a lot of wealth. Why should it all go to Sun Changyuan? Feng’er, you need to know that we are family. No matter how outsiders try to sow discord, you should stand with us!”
No one knows a son better than his mother. Madam Yin knew that her eldest son must have heard some rumors, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a fuss.
"Whatever it is, let's go outside first and then deal with it. Stop making a scene; it will only hurt your loved ones and please your enemies!"
Yin Shi was able to stand out among Zhang Laozei's many daughters-in-law and take charge of the household affairs. She was definitely not a foolish woman without any scheming. Everything she had gained over the years was inseparable from her calculations. Naturally, she would not let Jiang Jiu Niang succeed easily.
Hao Da'er knew that Jiang Jiu Niang had only said those things to provoke him and wouldn't actually do him any good. In the end, his mother was right; they should wait until they got out of the house to talk about anything.
However, now that he knows the truth, once the property is returned, he will definitely not let his mother and the magistrate secretly give the larger share to Zhang Duo. He is the eldest son, and he is the one who should receive the larger share!
After Yin had said so much, he hadn't said a word, so Yin knew he agreed. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the nearby haystack.
The magistrate didn't sit idle. After learning that Jiang Jiuniang hadn't gotten anything out of her, he made arrangements, found many relevant cases and documents, and personally went to see Jiang Jiuniang.
Jiang Jiuniang had barely arrived home when the county magistrate, seizing the opportunity, rushed after her.
This was something she had expected, so she didn't say much and let them in, but didn't invite them inside; instead, they talked in the courtyard.
"I just got back and haven't even had a sip of hot tea yet, and you've already come chasing after me, Magistrate. Isn't that a bit too hasty?"
Jiang Jiuniang sat at the stone table drinking tea, Gou'er carried his younger sister back to sleep, and the county magistrate stood alone in the courtyard, in a somewhat awkward situation, but he didn't feel awkward at all. He smiled from beginning to end, showing an exceptionally good mental fortitude.
“I know you’re upset, young lady, but I sent someone to investigate the Zhang family’s situation. It’s really terrible. They came to cause trouble just to take back some of their things. With this sudden change in environment, all of their children have fallen ill. The resettlement money they received was all used to pay for their medical treatment, and they are still in critical condition. They had no other choice but to cause trouble.”
"Young lady, how innocent are these children! You are also a mother. If you cause the death of several young lives because of this momentary lapse in judgment, then the sin will be immense!"
The magistrate stood still without moving an inch, yet that didn't stop him from using moral blackmail.
When Jiang Jiuniang heard him threaten her with the lives of several children, she couldn't help but laugh coldly and retorted, "What a joke! What do they have that belongs to them? They've been occupying our place for so many years, do they really think it's theirs? You might say they made money in business later, but without the Sun family's previous foundation, what kind of business could they have done? For example, now that they're penniless, why don't they go into business and make money? Instead, they just come here to cause trouble and fight for the inheritance."
"They've been occupying the Sun family's property for so many years, and I'm already being lenient by not asking them for compensation. They still want more? What a ridiculous joke! As the county magistrate, instead of helping the victims seek justice, you're aiding and abetting the evildoers, and you even have the nerve to come to my door. It seems you're tired of being in this position."
In the past few days, Jiang Jiuniang has investigated the background of this county magistrate. He was just a minor compiler before, but he later became the county magistrate by some unknown means, and has been in this position for more than ten years without changing his status.
He probably benefited from the Zhang family's influence; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken such a risk by threatening the Zhang family's children.
The magistrate's smile froze for a moment. He gritted his teeth, swallowed his emotions, and then smiled again, saying, "Miss, you are too kind. I just feel that the descendants of the Zhang family have not done anything wrong, and there is no need to exterminate them. Those children are not very old, about the same age as your children. Are you really so heartless as to watch them die?"
Jiang Jiuniang immediately said, "I never said such a thing, don't try to pin this on me! Since you have such a kind heart, why don't you pay for the children's medical treatment yourself, instead of just talking big while not actually spending a single penny?"
The magistrate's face darkened at her words, but he remained unyielding, relying on his thick skin: "Miss, please consider my situation. As an official here, I can't afford to offend anyone completely. I always need to leave myself a way out. Please, for my sake, make an exception and let Sun Changyuan give up some of his business for them to inherit. Consider it an act of charity."
Jiang Jiuniang took a deep breath; this person seemed unable to understand human speech.
She didn't intend to say anything more to him, and simply shouted, "Doggy, show the guest out!"
"Mother's here!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the dog rushed out carrying a large broom, startling the magistrate. Seeing the broom about to fall on him, the magistrate clenched his buttocks and ran as fast as he could.
Jiang Jiuniang exhaled a breath of stale air: "If I had known, I would have just called you out directly. Why did I have to make my ears suffer?"
The dog smiled and comforted her, "It's alright, Mommy. There are all kinds of people in this world, and you can learn a lot by observing them!"
"My son is right!"
Jiang Jiuniang praised her and then asked, "Is my little sister asleep?"
"They're asleep."
Jiang Jiuniang nodded and went to the kitchen to fuss over.
Since she was going to open a workshop here, she needed to research the processes and production methods. Although she had modern knowledge, she couldn't necessarily replicate the ancient methods one-to-one; there would still be changes and deviations. She needed to figure it out herself before she could do this business. This was being responsible to herself and to the consumers.
In the evening, Lu Baichuan returned and told Jiang Jiuniang that everything had been taken care of. The prefect had sent people to investigate with him, and the rest depended on the prefect's performance.
If he can't even handle this small matter, then he shouldn't be a prefect.
With everything arranged and having achieved some small successes in the kitchen, Jiang Jiuniang was in a good mood, and the family went out for seafood hot pot.
Jiang Jiuniang thought to herself that once she overcame the problem of long-distance transportation, she would definitely open a seafood buffet in the capital. She couldn't even imagine how well the business would thrive.
Long-distance transportation requires addressing issues such as water exchange and oxygen supply, as well as ensuring the roads are easy to travel on.
It really proves the saying: if you want to get rich, build roads first.
But now the national treasury is empty, and it's not easy to build a few broad roads. We still need to ask the emperor's opinion first.
She nudged Lu Baichuan's arm and asked, "Do you think if the emperor wants to make money, he should try to target foreigners? It's no fun making money off his own people!"
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