Chapter 169: Lost Both the Village and the Soldiers!

ore the old lady could respond, Jia Yin, who was sitting beside her and nibbling on fruit, spoke first."Brother, are you guys planning on buying a ship to go out to sea How much silver would it take t...The Jo family hadn't been wealthy for very long, so their matriarch, her own birth mother, didn't come from a privileged background and had little education.

She only ever uses money and power to intimidate others. In her eyes, anyone who is not as wealthy as the Jiao family are beneath her.

But she never knew that the lowly people she spoke of had recently filed a complaint against an official and directly brought down a county magistrate. This caused the Jiangnan families to be severely reprimanded by the Emperor and the powerful figures from the north, suffering considerable losses.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have let Hu Lao San investigate the news. After all, they were originally villagers from the same place, making it easier to get close.

Mrs. Jiao was still nagging when she saw General Dingbei stride in from outside. She jumped in surprise and quickly stood up to ask, "General, what brings you here Did Hongjun cause trouble again"

Mentioning that useless, good-for-nothing nephew of his, the Duke Dingbei's face turned even worse.

He truly regrets marrying into the Jiao family. They're not a help at all, just a bunch of useless burdens!

He didn't even glance at his mother-in-law, and instead glared at Jiao fiercely, demanding, "Have you been up to any more stupid schemes lately Did you go and provoke the Cui family again!"

Jiao's face paled in fright, she couldn't understand how the Marquis knew about this.

"That...Lord, what are you saying, I don't understand."

At this time, Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng also came in, followed by guards carrying Mrs. Hu Laosan and Mrs. Wu Gouzi.

Liu Zhiheng laughed and said, “Mrs. Hou wouldn’t say she doesn’t recognize these two people Especially this Hu Lao San, he is the one you personally ordered to go and investigate!”

"How did you get here" Jiao instinctively took a few steps back, unwilling to look at Hu Lao San's ghastly appearance.

Liu Zhiheng sneered, "We don't want to come either, but it seems Madam Hou's reach is too long. We can only draw our swords and visit, helping the mistress cut off the excess."

"Lord, I'm truly innocent! These two servants are new to the estate; I don't even know them."

"I don't know them, how did you even know they were new" Liu Zhiheng didn't even bother to complain anymore, instead turning to face the dark-faced Dingbei Hou.

“My lord, I'm not trying to offend you, but your eyesight is terrible. Even if you divorced my sister, you shouldn't have chosen someone this foolish. Why not spend your time sewing clothes instead You insist on putting a green hat on your own head! Does the lord look like that long-lived turtle”

Lord Dingbei's face turned as white as paper with anger, and he was about to speak when Jiao shi cut him off.

"Presumptuous! How dare you insult our Lord Hou!"

Unfortunately, before she could finish her sentence, the Marquis of Dingbei turned around and slapped her.

"Shut up, you idiot! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state today!" Marquis Dingbei stepped forward, pulling the fallen Jiao Shi up, wishing he could eat her alive.

"When Lady Cui was in Kyoto, I had people watching her constantly. She had no opportunity to leave the estate, so how could she have secretly become pregnant and given birth to a girl Even if she became pregnant on the road fleeing, she wouldn't have given birth yet! What water has gotten into your head to think she cheated on me!"

"My Lord, I...I just saw her holding that child, and it looked so much like her! I just wanted to quietly find out some information, I didn't do anything wrong!"

Jiō shì saw that her disguise had been completely exposed, and she no longer dared to defend herself. She wasn't actually sure herself, so she just wanted to find out by asking around, hoping for a lucky break.

If it's true, wouldn't that be a big leverage, something that could allow her to get revenge and reclaim all the Cui family land.

To their surprise, the revelation angered the Marquis most of all.

Could it be that Lord Hou still has feelings for Lady Cui

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and she cried even harder.

"I'm doing this for the Lord, out of concern for him and because I feel sorry that he was wronged, sniffle. How could the Lord treat me like this"

Seeing her cry with tears streaming down her face, he said she was doing it all for him. He couldn't bring himself to hit her anymore, so he dropped his hand and turned to Mr. Wen, who had been silent this whole time.

"Tell me, what will it take to make you stop Why won't you let go"

"Master Hou, what you say," Mr. Wen smiled disdainfully, "I am an imperial censor, my job is to report on matters I hear. Master Hou's embezzlement of military grain and funds, his appointment based solely on personal favoritism, these are all facts with evidence, how could it become a matter of attack and revenge in your mouth"

Dingbei Hou gritted his teeth in hatred, "Say, what do you want"

"It's simple," Mr. Wen tapped the ground beneath his feet, "By my bed, who dares to sleep Let alone someone with a heart as venomous as a snake! Have your new wife leave immediately. This estate belongs to my younger sister now, as compensation."

"No!" Mrs. Jiao and the Jiao family almost shouted in unison.

"This is our family's dowry for our daughter. What right do you have to take it" Mrs. Jiao almost wanted to rush forward and snatch it back, but she was afraid of Liu Zhiheng's burly guards behind him.

Mr. Wen was also impatient with further entanglement, stood up and said harshly.

"Get out of here right now! If you dare to waste even a second, I'll make your entire family suffer. You and your son-in-law will end up dead without a burial! Don't think I don't know about what your family did – forcing people to sell their farms!"

Mrs. Jiao immediately turned pale, this visit to the estate indeed had shady origins.

But the secret done at home, the original owner's family was also killed cleanly. How did this person find out!

As soon as Dingbei Hou saw his mother-in-law's face, he knew there was no turning back.

This Mr. Wen has probably been under investigation for quite some time.

This time, Jiǎo was calculating against Cui, he only gave him an excuse.

"Pack your things and get out of here!"

Ding Beihou pushed Cui Shi, and seeing that Jiao Shi was still hesitating, he got angry, “Fool, if you want to stay with Zhuangzi, then get a divorce!”

Upon hearing this, Jiao shi finally felt fear. She hurried back to her inner chamber and quickly packed two chests, having the maids carry them out. Lastly, she took out a deed.

Dingbeihou looked at it, directly handed it to Liu Zhiheng, then pulled the Jiao clan and left.

As I passed by Mr. Wen, he threw out a single sentence, "Remember to keep your promise."

Mr. Wen snorted coldly, as if agreeing.

When Mrs. Jiao saw that her daughter and son-in-law had left, she felt a little downcast but also wanted to stir up some trouble and get the estate back.

Mr. Wen only glanced at her, "The silver Mrs. Jiao released amounted to thirty thousand taels, didn't it"

Mrs. Jiao gasped, scrambling backwards and running out, occasionally glancing back at Mr. Wen as if she had seen a demon.

Liu Zhiheng chuckled, trembling the deed in his hand, and sighed helplessly.

"Is the Marquis of Dingbei blind When choosing a new wife, he should pick someone from a scholarly family. How did he end up with such an idiot"

Mr. Wen had a few points of relief in his eyes. He had almost started inquiring about General Dingbei as soon as he arrived in Jiangnan, and naturally, he wouldn't let go of his new wife's family.

I didn't expect this family to be like sea cucumbers, full of flaws. There was no need to search hard at all; a whole bunch just came out.

Just as luck would have it, they don't know when to stop, and they insist on bullying my junior sister again! This gives me a chance to vent my anger at them!

"Big brother, I'll leave this to you. I'm going back to tell my junior sister. Remember, send anything usable from the Suijin Beach over there, as compensation. After all, this manor will be sold soon, and my junior sister doesn't want to leave anything behind."

Liu Zhiheng nodded. “These estates here are never a worry to sell. Just the other day, I heard that Master Guo from Taihua Academy is looking to buy an estate. I’ll have someone inquire about it. With neighbors like this, it shouldn't be wrong.”

"Who's house are you talking about" Mr. Wen looked up in surprise, his voice changed.its head, biting at the master's sleeve, and learning from the old dogs in the village, it wagged its tail like a windmill.Jia Yin couldn't help but laugh, she stuffed the remaining half of the small...