Chapter 672, Counterattack
In mid-December, when every household in Ningmen Prefecture was happily preparing for the New Year, the Fan family was in a gloomy mood. Fan Tongzhi was imprisoned in the lower yamen.
Mr. Fan was running around to save his father, so he didn't even remember the Li Wang family.
Daohua sent someone to tell the Li Wang family the news. After that, the Li Wang family became completely quiet, and no more shouting and cursing coming from the guest house could be heard in the Yan family's backyard.
Rice Flower Pavilion.
Wang Man'er was helping Daohua pack her things for the New Year celebrations in Taohua Village. Because the old man didn't want to come to the Yan family for the New Year, the mistress and the master asked the girl to go over and spend the New Year with the old man.
As Wang Man'er packed her things, she smiled and said, "When the Li clan leader comes and takes the Li Wang family away, this matter will be resolved, and our family can have a peaceful and happy New Year."
Daohua was sitting at the table by the window, looking at the account books of various shops. When she heard Wang Maner's words, her expression paused: "The matter has not been resolved yet."
"From the very beginning, the Li Wang family was merely a pawn used to damage the Yan family's reputation. Even if the Li Wang family is taken away, the Yan family's reputation has already been ruined unless this matter is corrected at the source."
Wang Maner was stunned. Isn’t the source the Guo family?
Wang Maner hesitated for a moment and reminded: "Miss, the Guo family is your brother-in-law's uncle's family." For the sake of your brother-in-law, this matter cannot be made too awkward.
Daohua put down the account book, stood up and looked at the snowy scene outside the window. After a while, she murmured, "Tell me, if I had a dispute with the Guo family, whose side would Xiao Yeyang stand on?"
Wang Maner couldn't answer this question.
It is true that the son-in-law is good to the girl, but it is also true that he respects Governor Guo.
Daohua turned her head and saw Wang Maner looking hesitant and uncertain in her heart. After a while, her eyes gradually became firm.
The gap between her and Xiao Yeyang is objective. She cannot choose to tolerate and compromise from the beginning because of this gap. Once some things start, they will fall into endless troubles.
Guo Mansion.
Mrs. Guo impatiently sent away Mrs. Fan who came to seek help.
Watching Madam Fan sobbing as she left, Guo Xueming walked into the house. "Mother, why is Madam Fan here again? There's solid evidence that Co-Minister Fan was involved in corruption, and it was discovered by the Jinling Guards. How can our family help with this? Instead of begging people, you'd better find a way to raise money and make up for the embezzled money. Then you can even reduce your sentence."
Mrs. Guo sneered, "Mrs. Fan said that the corruption case involving Mr. Fan was discovered at this time because he helped our family deal with the Yan family. They asked our family to find a solution."
Guo Xueming frowned and looked at Mrs. Guo: "This timing is indeed too coincidental."
Mrs. Guo snorted coldly: "I underestimated the Yan family. Yeyang is a Jinling Guard, and Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao of the Yan family have been working with Yeyang. I think he has accumulated some connections."
Guo Xueming looked worried. "Mother, without the Fan family's support, the Li family won't have the guts to cause trouble in the Yan family anymore. The Yan family already has a bad reputation in Ningmen Mansion, so let's not get involved. If we really make too much trouble, it will definitely not look good on my cousin."
Mrs. Guo smiled and said, "Don't worry, I haven't thought about doing anything to the Yan family. I still have to give Ye Yang some face."
"The censors from the Censorate who are coming to the capital to assess the performance and moral conduct of officials should be arriving soon in the next couple of days. Given the Yan family's current reputation, Yan Zhigao won't be able to get an excellent rating in this year's assessment. Furthermore, with the incident of him losing military rations, he will have no chance of being transferred to the capital to serve as an official."
"Once the matter in Northern Frontier is resolved, Ye Yang will definitely be recalled to the capital. As long as the Yan family cannot enter the capital, the matter between him and Yan Yiyi will be left unresolved."
Hearing this, Guo Xueming's expression also relaxed.
The Li family no longer made noises from time to time, the beggars who spread the messages were also controlled, and the voices about the Yan family in the city gradually became smaller.
The censor from the Censorate who was in charge of inspecting the performance of officials from outside the capital arrived on the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month. As the prefect, Yan Zhigao had no choice but to take on the task of receiving him.
After the autumn harvest this year, the high yield of potatoes was reported to the court, along with the detailed data recorded by Yan Zhigao. After reading it, the emperor was very happy and decided to start promoting potatoes next year.
Because of this incident, several censors in the Censorate had a very good impression of Yan Zhigao. After seeing the improvement in the living standards of the people in Ningmen Prefecture, they were full of praise.
When Mrs. Guo learned that several censors of the Censorate had given Yan Zhigao a good evaluation, she frowned and thought for a while, then sent a letter to the censors of the Censorate in the name of Governor Guo, and invited several officials who did not share the same political views as Yan Zhigao to accompany him.
All this was known to Cao Chuan, who was keeping a close eye on the Guo family's movements, and he immediately went to tell Daohua.
After hearing this, Daohua sighed silently, then said, "Go and call over the eldest daughter-in-law of the Li Wang family who has been in contact with the Guo family's housekeeper."
Wang Maner nodded, turned around and walked out quickly.
Soon, Li Wang's eldest daughter-in-law came over trembling with fear. After being scolded by the Li clan leader, she no longer had her previous arrogance and aggressiveness: "Miss, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Daohua: "If you see the housekeeper who encouraged your whole family to come to my house again, will you still recognize her?"
Li Wang's eldest daughter-in-law nodded repeatedly: "Of course, I will definitely recognize him." Thinking of her lame son and the clan leader's words that he wanted to expel them from the clan, she regretted it so much that her intestines turned green. She really shouldn't have listened to that old woman and encouraged her mother-in-law to look for her third sister.
Daohua: "Okay, I'll take you out later. If you see that housekeeper again, you know what to do, right?"
Li Wangshi nodded quickly: "I know, I know. As long as the young lady doesn't let the clan leader expel our family, I am willing to do anything." Without the clan, their family would become rootless, and after death they would just be lonely ghosts.
Daohua's expression was indifferent: "Don't say that. If someone doesn't know, they might think I'm forcing you. You have to know that because of your family's arrival, the good reputation our family has worked so hard to build over the years has been completely destroyed. Don't you think you should bear this responsibility?"
"I don't want you to do anything against your will. You just need to tell everyone everything that the housekeeper said to you."
Li Wang's eldest daughter-in-law nodded repeatedly: "I understand."
Daohua looked at Wang Maner and said, "Go prepare the carriage. Oh, and ask Yan Shouhou to take along the beggars who have come into contact with the Guo family."
At the Guo residence banquet, several officials from the Censorate heard about the Yan family's treatment of Li Wang's family and shook their heads repeatedly: "Yan Zhigao is a good official, but I didn't expect his personal morality to be so shameful."
An official smiled apologetically and said, "Everyone in Ningmen Prefecture knows about this, but because of the prefect's authority, they dare not mention it openly. If the censors don't believe it, you can go out and ask on the street. Everyone knows that the prefect's wife doesn't recognize her stepmother."
Several imperial censors looked at each other without responding. They wanted to investigate the matter.
Governor Guo, who was unaware of the situation, looked at the officials sitting with him and frowned.
After the banquet, Governor Guo personally escorted out several censors from the Censorate. As soon as they walked out of the door, they saw a woman in ordinary clothes holding the housekeeper beside Mrs. Guo and crying.
(End of this chapter)
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