Cross the doghouse to save Party A, Your Highness owes me ten mines

"Have you rearranged all the things that the young lady left in the mansion?"

An old woman over fifty years old, hunched over and looking very old, was supported by someone and hurried out. She asked a series of questions to the talented man from the Lin family who was walking back and forth in the yard with a pale face.

Zhang Tanzhi, the talented man of the Zhang family, was so confused that he had no time to think about these superficial things. He just said perfunctorily: "Mother, don't worry!"

After saying this, he hurried out.

The old woman couldn't catch up with him, so she hurriedly shouted from behind: "Son, you said that you had no choice but to marry a new wife. The Miss Gu family has been childless for four years. Four years, you are already thirty years old, and our family can't be cut off. Even if she got pregnant later, who knew there would be a fire? I just wanted to let her go out to avoid the limelight, but I was afraid that it would implicate our family... It's all the fault of those bastards..."

The old woman kept chattering behind him, which made Zhang's talented man more and more confused. He stopped and ordered, "Mother, stop talking. Hurry up and help the old lady go back!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

As the old woman was dragged away, she was still shouting in worry: "Son, send someone to beg for mercy again, saying that it was all because of my mother's impoliteness and that the people in the shop offended the young master. They are all villagers in the clan who have become rich and don't know their place..."

The old woman kept mumbling until she was finally dragged away.

Zhang Caizi pulled over his attendant and asked, "Has Yan'er Hutong been cleaned up?"

The follower said in a low and nervous voice: "It's clean, sir, it's been cleaned up a long time ago!"

"No, I still have to go and take a look!" He hurried out, and hurried back: "No, go to the study first and grind the ink quickly!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

"Go!"

The Zhang family mansion was in chaos and noise.

As the Gu family began to collect dowry shops one by one, his family became completely panicked.

……

In a century-old teahouse in front of Zhang's mansion, Lou Junze sat by the window on the second floor, sipping tea and occasionally glancing at the street while processing complicated paperwork.

"Master, this is the account book of the army's food and fodder!"

"…This is the roster of the new generals from various places in Wucheng after the rotation!"

"...The secret letter from the Wulin Alliance has arrived. Thirteen large ships and twenty cargo ships have been assembled and are all parked at the Xiangshui Wharf in Huai'an. The convoys heading to Huai'an have prepared vehicles and horses and are temporarily stationed outside the city. They are asking when our caravan will set off?"

"Master, Yan Yun has replied, and he sent a letter via official route..."

"There have been unusual movements in the twelve occupied counties on the border. It seems that they are sending more troops. It also happened to be snowing heavily and it was very difficult for our spies to communicate..."

"An envoy from the West Sea is visiting, and he brought a letter of credence. He has been sent to the post station, and someone is watching him..."

"The victims of the disaster in Zhongzhou rioted."

"...The coffin of the fifth master of the Gu family has been retrieved. The remains of the second and third masters are on Yashan Mountain. The old soldier who was in charge of collecting the remains has found them and has gone to collect them a long time ago. He should be back soon. The body of the eldest master has not been found yet. The fourth master was thrown into a mass grave. There are many wild animals there. I'm afraid... it's very difficult to find him. After all, the remains are hard to identify. What do you think? Should we build a cenotaph or let the seventh master perform a ritual to collect the remains?"

"We are preparing for the funeral. We have found the best fortune teller and selected a few dates. Your Highness, please review and make your decision."

"At that time, the mansion was ransacked and all the people were killed. Only the eldest grandmother and the young lady escaped, but they were killed along with her family and all buried in Qingzhou. Should the coffin be brought back? Where should the young lady be buried during her unmarried leave? Your Highness, please make the decision."

"The wife of the Second Master who was not married yet died with him. She is still in the temple. According to her last wish, it would be best if she could be buried with the Second Master. However, the Lin family has moved to the south, so we have to inform her family. The Seventh Master is young, and he will have to take care of the funeral in a few days. He cannot be away. I have drawn up a list of several great scholars. Please decide who is suitable to go south."

"The maids that came with the eldest lady as a dowry included two cooks, a wet nurse, six older maids, twelve younger maids, seven guards, three handymen, five doormen, a female doctor, and six embroiderers... a total of eighty-seven people. Apart from the mute slave who escaped, only one handyman was found these days. He was crazy and had been cleaned up and brought here. He is waiting outside now."

"A young master named Yang has sent a visiting card to ask for an audience, saying he has something important to report."

"The talented man Zhang Tanzhi from the Zhang residence sent someone to ask for an audience for the seventeenth time, but he was turned away as usual."

(Xia Shi: It sounds like she is very busy. Fortunately, she is not here, otherwise the skinning boss would have to assign her more work, (〃?w?)!)

"Master, Master Qi is on his way to Zhang's house. Miss Xia and the chief steward Xiyan are taking people to the third rouge shop to check the goods. They quarreled with people twice and got into a fight once..."

The subordinate asked in confusion: "Master, Miss Xia is such an important person, such a noble person, why do you let her deal with such a dirty thing?"

Because she came to this world just to see people's hearts clearly.

Lou Junze: "You have crossed the line. No more objections to this matter!"

"Yes!"

"Your Highness, the person has been brought here!"

With a plop, the mute slave who had been prevented from going to Zhang's house knelt in front of Lou Junze.

The mute slave gestured anxiously, and every word he said was about revenge.

Lou Junze put down his pen, turned around and looked at him, patiently explaining, "The military situation is urgent, and we can't wait a moment to deal with the rebels. People are treacherous, and it will take some time to deal with those who have changed their minds."

Mute slave: How long will it take?

"It would be too easy for him to die immediately. A scholar values his reputation, so it is better to destroy his reputation first!"

Lou Junze stood up and looked out the window, looking at the mansion that Gu's cousin had built with great joy. In just a few months, several parts had been repaired and changed. There were panicked figures inside, and it was no longer as elegant as before. He said:

"Mute slave, your master is watching from heaven. A heartless person will lose everything he cherishes!"

He once abandoned the eldest daughter of the Gu family to preserve everything, but now he can no longer keep it.

Let his perfidious creeds serve as his epitaph!

……

That night, Zhang Tanzhi went to Yaner Hutong again under the cover of darkness.

Strictly speaking, Yaner Hutong is no longer an alley, but a ruin. A few months ago, a fire burned from one end of the alley to the other, reducing many households to ashes.