How did such immense wealth fall into my family?

Chapter 77 A big fight
Lord Tang was instructing his subordinates when his attendant suddenly entered and whispered a few words in his ear. Lord Tang nearly stood up upon hearing this. "I understand. You may leave."

"Yes."

Lord Tang gave a few more instructions and then dismissed his subordinate.

As soon as he left, Steward Tang came in. "My lord, what should we do now? Lord Chen should have already gone to the palace to report to the Emperor."

What else could he do? He couldn't very well stop Lord Chen from entering the palace, could he? Besides, even if he did, it wouldn't make a difference. That old scoundrel had produced that half of the land deed in front of everyone.

Lord Tang closed his eyes briefly. "I'm going to the palace to apologize to the Emperor. You go back and have your wife find a few people to take the blame for this. Among them, there needs to be someone of influence. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood. I'll go find Madam right away."

After saying that, Butler Tang hurriedly left. They wouldn't benefit from his master's downfall either.

When Lord Tang arrived at the palace, Lord Chen had not yet seen the Emperor.

Lord Chen bowed slightly to Lord Tang. "Lord Tang, I apologize."

Lord Tang waved his hand. "It's alright, it's my fault. I shouldn't have entrusted all the affairs of the inner quarters to my wife. When I see the Emperor later, I'll ask Lord Chen to put in a good word for me."

"That's natural."

Just as the Emperor finished reading the memorial and was about to take a stroll in the Imperial Garden, the chief eunuch said, "Your Majesty, Magistrate Chen from the Capital Prefecture has arrived. Magistrate Chen says that the owner of Taipingpu gave the other half of the land deed to an old farmer surnamed Qian, and that old farmer went to the Capital Prefecture a few days ago to complain that Magistrate Tang was not managing his household properly."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor immediately said, "Let Lord Chen in."

"Yes."

A moment later, Lord Chen entered. "Long live the Emperor!"

"Rise. How did that old farmer surnamed Qian obtain that half of the land deed?"

"Your Majesty, the old farmer said that a veiled lady asked a little beggar to give it to his granddaughter. The old farmer's surname is Qian, and his name is Qian Laifu. Qian Laifu said that the lady asked the little beggar to tell his granddaughter that taking that half of the land deed to the Prefect of the Capital to file a complaint is almost the same as beating the Dengwen Drum."

"The lady said that she gave him the half of the land deed for two reasons. First, he not only didn't use his eldest granddaughter and eldest daughter-in-law's affairs to gain benefits, but he was also willing to offend Lord Tang to seek justice for them. Second, his youngest granddaughter was named Gousheng. The lady said that she had met a child named Gousheng before, and she liked that child very much."

The Emperor was somewhat disappointed. "Why is his granddaughter called 'Dog Leftover'? Isn't 'Dog Leftover' a name for boys?"

"I also found it strange, so I asked him about it." Minister Chen told the Emperor why Qian Laifu had given his granddaughter a boy's name.
"This man certainly cherishes the women in his family." The Emperor glanced at the memorials on the table. "Tell me, with that lady's abilities, couldn't she think of any other way?"

Lord Chen: "..." What does the Emperor mean by this? Is he upset that the lady gave away that half of the land deed so easily? Or is he just asking casually?

"Your Majesty, Lord Tang may have other questions." Regardless of the Emperor's thoughts, he couldn't say that the lady didn't care about that half of the land deed. Not caring about that half of the land deed meant not caring about the Emperor.

Lord Chen sighed inwardly, "One really shouldn't be too greedy." If the Tang family had known when to stop, they wouldn't be in this predicament today. This predicament will be difficult to overcome.

The Emperor looked over to the chief eunuch. "Bring Ziyan here."

"Yes," the chief eunuch replied and went to fetch someone.

Lord Chen: "..." No way? It's not what he thought, is it?
A moment later, Zhou Ziyan arrived. Zhou Ziyan was the commander of the Imperial Guards.

Zhou Ziyan bowed to the Emperor. "Long live the Emperor!"

"Yes. Take some men and surround the Tang family and the place where Lord Tang is handling official business."

Zhou Ziyan was a little surprised, but he quickly answered "yes" and left.

Lord Chen: "..." My goodness! It really is just as he thought! The Tang family didn't just try to steal a chicken and lose the rice instead; they've lost everything!
After Zhou Ziyan left, the Emperor summoned the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review. When Zhou Ziyan went in, Lord Tang didn't feel anything, but after the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review went in, Lord Tang realized something was wrong.

Lord Tang wanted to ask around, but Zhou Ziyan had left and the others hadn't come out yet.

Just as Lord Tang was at a loss for what to do, the chief eunuch approached. "Lord Tang, come with me."

Lord Tang breathed a sigh of relief. However, he then realized that the path he had taken was not the way to the Imperial Study at all. His heart leaped into his throat again. "Chief Steward Wang, where are you taking me?"

Steward Wang glanced at Lord Tang and whispered, "Lord Tang, you've come at the wrong time."

Alright, no need to think about it anymore. The Emperor summoned those men to deal with him. "Chief Steward Wang, could you..."

"Stop. I wouldn't dare meddle in court affairs. I'm just reminding you because you're usually quite friendly to the palace eunuchs."

"I was being presumptuous." How did things turn out this way? What grudge did that lady have against him that she would do this to him?
On the other side, Xiaogou Sheng was strolling in the courtyard of the Prefect of the Capital when she suddenly saw Dong Laoqi waving at her from around a corner.

The little dog slowly strolled over. "Why are you here?"

"The Imperial Guards have surrounded the Tang family's residence."

The corners of Xiao Gousheng's mouth instantly curled up. "It seems that the person behind the Tang family is probably not the Emperor."

Dong Laoqi also felt that the person behind the Tang family wasn't the Emperor. "How do you know the Emperor would take such drastic action?"

"First, I helped him raise so much military funds, so he owes me a favor. Giving that half of the land deed to my grandfather is equivalent to repaying that favor to my grandfather. He will repay that favor by helping my grandfather investigate the matter. Second, our war with the Northern Barbarians is not over yet. Fighting costs not only manpower but also money."

"You mean, His Majesty wants to use this opportunity to thoroughly investigate the Tang family?"

The little dog nodded. "If the Tang family has other problems, the Emperor will most likely confiscate their property. If a few more families can be implicated, the Emperor will have even more money."

"So that's the reason. No wonder the Imperial Guards arrived so quickly. I was almost surrounded by them. Didn't they feel bad about wasting so much effort on that half of the land deed?"

“I feel bad.”

"Then why are you still using it?"

The puppy pouted. "If I keep holding back, I'll turn into a tortoise."

Old Dong laughed as soon as he heard that. "Turtles are great. They can crawl on land and splash around in the water."

"Hmph! You can stay here by yourself. I'm going back. Lord Chen should be back soon."

"I'm not staying here, I'm just delivering a message to you."

After saying that, Dong Laoqi flew away.

As Xiaogou Sheng watched Dong Laoqi's retreating figure, he thought to himself, "When will I be as handsome as Dong Laoqi?" before turning back.

As they approached the main hall, Xiao Gou Sheng saw Lord Chen leading a woman towards them. Xiao Gou Sheng glanced at her casually and continued walking towards the main hall.

After taking a couple of steps, Little Dog Sheng turned back. Once back, Little Dog Sheng carefully examined the woman.

Upon seeing it clearly, the puppy's eyes instantly filled with tears.

(End of this chapter)