"Alright, stop crying. Where are you going? I told you a few days ago to keep a close eye on Junzhang. What did you think? He's immature, and so are you! County Magistrate Cheng was just beheaded. I'm trying to avoid him, but he has to cause me trouble."
Upon hearing this, Madam Qi stopped crying and simply said, "I've already said it, what can I do if he won't listen?"
Young Master Qi was spoiled by his grandmother as he grew up. He was the most pampered one in the Qi family. Madam Qi had said what needed to be said, but it was of no use.
Master Qi wanted to say that it was all because of his incompetence, that his son didn't listen to him, but then he thought about how his son relied on his mother's favoritism and didn't even listen to him, his father, much, so he didn't say it.
"Alright, I'll handle it. You can go back now."
Madam Qi has returned home.
Master Qi was writing and drawing in his study when he went out again.
We have to find someone; Qi Junzhang is his own son, we can't just ignore him completely.
After leaving, Master Qi went to see Master Yuan and Master Luo. Both of them already knew about Qi Junzhang's imprisonment.
The three families are closely connected; if the Qi family is in trouble, the other two families will not be able to either.
“Brother Qi, we’ve heard about your son’s situation, but as you know, we have no idea how things work out in the government. If things get out of hand, none of our families will be able to make a living because of your son.”
“Brother Luo’s words make some sense. I told you earlier that we should wait a while before making any moves. The governor is still here. If we rush to bribe him, we’ll just be walking into his trap. It’s not worth it. Once the governor leaves, he’ll just be a county magistrate. We can give him some benefits and get him to release his nephew. It’s not a big deal.”
Master Qi knew from his consultation with the two that the chances were slim. He wouldn't have been so anxious if his mother hadn't been urging him so much. But as long as his son wasn't released from prison, his family probably wouldn't have a single day of peace.
But now that the governor is still in power, there's really nothing he can do.
After thinking it over, he could only do as they suggested and wait until the governor left, then he could try to make some connections.
He just didn't know how to appease his mother at home, and thinking about this gave him a headache.
Actually, it's not just the Qi family that's having a good time; the Yuan family has also been quite lively lately. Speaking of which, this matter involves a lawsuit between the Yuan family matriarch and her daughter-in-law, Fan Min. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law don't get along, and the matriarch is old and obviously no match for her daughter-in-law.
These days, Master Yuan is also getting annoyed with his mother. There are problems both at home and outside, making Master Yuan feel that this year is really unlucky, otherwise why would everything be going wrong?
As soon as Master Yuan returned home, he found his mother's maid waiting for him at the gate of his courtyard. Master Yuan immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
"Why are you here? Is something wrong with my mother again?"
The old woman's surname was Chen.
Upon seeing Master Yuan, Granny Chen immediately cried out, "Master, please go and see! The Old Madam is so angry with Madam that she can't get out of bed. What are we going to do if this continues?"
Master Yuan didn't quite believe this, after all, just a couple of days ago this old woman had come over saying that her mother was so angry she couldn't breathe, but his wife had exposed her as faking illness. It would be strange if he believed her now.
"Have you called a doctor?" Master Yuan asked, without any sign of urgency on his face.
Granny Chen said, "We've already invited the doctor. He said we need to rest and recuperate properly and not get angry."
Master Yuan said, "Then let the old lady rest well. You should serve her diligently. If she is unwell again, it will be because you did not serve her well enough. I will find you another place. My mansion is small and cannot accommodate so many people who do not work."
Granny Chen was startled by these words. What did they mean?
Does the master really intend to sell her off? She is the most trusted person in the old lady's service. But considering the old lady's situation, she can't compete with the madam, and her son is also impatient with her. Dealing with a few servants around her would be an easy thing.
Thinking of this, Granny Chen dared not say anything more and slunk away.
Master Yuan wasn't without methods, but after all, she was his own mother. It wouldn't be a good thing to get rid of all the servants she was used to.
This time, I'll give Granny Chen a little nudge, hoping to calm things down for a couple of days and give him some peace of mind.
Compared to the Qi and Yuan families, the Luo family didn't have as many problems, but that only meant fewer "problems"—they still had their share of minor issues.
For example, the story of Miss Luo being ridiculed after her attempt to seduce him failed.
Luo Xiaojia was born out of wedlock. Madam Luo had no daughters. Although she did not mistreat her, sometimes the things Luo Xiaojia and her aunt did really made Madam Luo uncomfortable. So, after learning that Miss Luo's honey trap had failed, Madam Luo leaked the news to her cousin, who had a bad relationship with Miss Luo.
The Luo family's backyard is also constantly embroiled in infighting, it's just that the fighting hasn't reached Master Luo's doorstep yet.
Just as the three families were hoping for the governor's departure, news suddenly came from the yamen that Qi Junzhang was sentenced to be executed in three days.
Although Qi Junzhang was imprisoned for forcibly abducting men, he had done much more than one thing over the years, and his hands were stained with the blood of innocent people.
The scene of the abduction of a commoner that Kangxi and Youqing witnessed that day was actually intentional. The abducted man used to have an older brother who was better looking than him. His brother studied in the county town. Although his family lived in the countryside, they were well-off. His parents were capable, his brother was good at studying, and he was quick-witted and could do some small business to earn a little money.
His elder brother was quite promising in his studies, becoming a student at the age of seventeen. His teachers all said he was certain to pass the county-level imperial examination. However, before the exam, Qi Junzhang saw him and took him to the Qi mansion. By chance, he found his brother in a mass grave.
His parents were devastated when they found out about this and fell ill one after another, passing away. The once happy family was now reduced to just him. He was a man of strong character and planned to take revenge. However, he was not easy to meet with the young master of the Qi family. It was said that he liked handsome men, which led to the scene of him forcibly abducting a man in the street.
When the news of Qi Junzhang's impending execution reached the Qi family, the old lady and the madam of the Qi family immediately fainted.
Master Qi was somewhat bewildered.
"Have you found out? There's no mistake?" Master Qi asked again, still in disbelief.
"Master, I've checked and there's no mistake." He was afraid there might be a mistake, so he checked several times to make sure it was true.
Master Qi had a bad feeling.
He had originally planned to wait until the governor left before making any plans, but it seemed the other party was determined not to give him the chance.
"Go quickly and invite Master Yuan and Master Luo over here."
"Yes, sir."
The servant had barely run out, and hadn't even reached the Yuan and Luo families, when the yamen runners came over, surrounded the Qi family, and went in to arrest people and confiscate their property.
The Yuan and Luo families learned of the news on their way to the Qi family. Upon learning this, they naturally could not go to the Qi family and could only return home. Once home, they began to sigh and lament.
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