After the cannon fodder father and daughter married into the family, the whole family regretted it

Even if we take a step back and assume that people today also want to break free from the checks and balances of aristocratic families, they would never choose the method of exterminating all members of these families.

That would only cause turmoil in the court, and might even lead to a complete upheaval.

The Jin family must adapt to changes in the situation.

How can one stand against the emperor prematurely because of something that hasn't happened yet, or because of a worry?

Isn't that self-realization?

Moreover, Jin Yunting also has his own ideas about the future of the aristocratic family.

He acknowledged that historically, many dynasties later encountered land annexation problems, mostly caused by powerful clans.

Nowadays, many established families have crossed the line, either unknowingly or intentionally.

Some members of the Jin family are like that.

But is the existence of aristocratic families entirely without benefit? Not at all.

Without the checks and balances of powerful families, are we to allow the emperor to become all-powerful and do whatever he pleases?

Such dangers are no less than those faced by aristocratic families.

From this perspective, the existence of aristocratic families is not without its drawbacks.

Jin Yunting believed that the current situation between the imperial power and the aristocratic families was because neither side had positioned themselves correctly.

The problem lies in the flawed relationship dynamics. Over time, the emperor will become wary of powerful families, while the powerful families will also desire an emperor who is easy to control.

It's not good for either side.

For both sides to have a lasting relationship, perhaps someone needs to make a change.

Jin Yunting hadn't figured out how to change it yet.

But he knew that the man in question was no ordinary talent, and he couldn't afford to oppose him so easily, lest he find himself with no way out.

“Father, you mustn’t be stubborn and refuse to turn back until you hit a wall.” Jin Yunting bowed deeply to his father.

Jin Ke's face twitched slightly with anger: "How do you know that the path I chose is definitely wrong? I have been the clan leader for ten years, leading the clan to grow and become one of the top families."

The Jin family wasn't always powerful; there's a hierarchy of strength among aristocratic families.

The Wang family was a prime example. Jin Ke was quite proud that he could elevate the Jin family to the same level as the Wang family.

“Father, experience is valuable, but it is not infallible. Your mindset is unbalanced, and you have fallen into Ying’s trap, which makes it impossible for you to act calmly.”

Jin Yunting spoke calmly.

Jin Ke's anger surged. Wasn't this an insult, calling him stupid for falling for Ying Tianwei's trick?

"Ting'er, how dare you!"

“Let me tell you, the clan has already invested far too much in Chen Zijun’s case and in the salt of the two prefectures. If this comes to light, do you know how much we will lose?”

That's the kind of heartache that even the clan leader, Jin Ke, would feel just thinking about.

They lost not only manpower, but also money, property, and reputation.

"If a piece of flesh is rotten and isn't ruthlessly cut off, it might become terminally ill," Jin Yunting said expressionlessly.

"Father, for the sake of the family, please think twice before acting."

“If you insist on going your own way, Father, as the young master of the Jin family, I will not stand by and watch you go astray.”

Jin Yunting bowed again, then turned and left.

Jin Ke slammed his hand on the desk in anger. Was Ting'er threatening him, her father, with her last words?

Where did he get the guts?

Before the door was even closed, a gust of cold wind blew in, extinguishing the warmth in Jin Ke's heart.

He gradually calmed down.

In fact, as the head of a clan, he was a man of deep cunning, and there were few things in the world that could anger him.

Unless you encounter a local thug like Fang Tong who uses his position to bully others.

Indeed, after the last incident, Fang Tong became a scoundrel in Jin Ke's mind, lacking any demeanor of an official.

Then there's the matter of facing off against one's own son.

Ting'er was raised with the care of his father, and was intelligent from a young age. How could he not love him? It's just that this child chose a different path from his.

Jin Ke wondered, how did his son find out the news?

"Did they plant someone around him?" Jin Ke shook his head. "That's unlikely. Ting'er wouldn't use such methods against his own father."

Jin Ke was angry, but also somewhat relieved, relieved by his son's abilities.

Then he really calmed down and began to think about what his son had said.

It's inappropriate to impulsively side with the Ying family.

Ying Tianwei dared to kill the Crown Prince, which shows he's completely desperate, but the Jin family doesn't need to.

The worst outcome would be to relinquish the private salt profits of Jinzhou and Quanzhou prefectures. While this would weaken the clan, it would not sever its foundation.

In fact, the most precious thing for aristocratic families is always their outstanding offspring.

As long as there are offspring to carry on the family line, the family can prosper for a long time. However, if a spendthrift son is encountered, even a large family fortune will be ruined.

The Zhao family, for example, was more prominent than the Wang family a few years ago, but because no outstanding offspring appeared for two consecutive generations, the clan has become somewhat desolate.

As a result, the Zhao family's assets were targeted and a portion of them were taken over by other prominent families.

Thinking about this, Jin Ke also wondered what would happen if he were bullied by other aristocratic families after suffering a serious injury.

And there's also the Crown Prince's place.

Sigh, the investigation into the smuggled salt in the two prefectures started because Jin Ke offended the Crown Prince. Even if the imperial envoy hasn't found any dirt on the Jin family yet, wouldn't he desperately investigate further just to please the Crown Prince?

Jin Ke felt a bit of a headache. That's what being the head of a clan is all about. You have to think about everything and try to be thorough.

But there's no such perfect solution in the world.

At this point, he didn't have many options left.

Jin Ke sat in his study all night, but ultimately did not send anyone out of the manor to allow those who had been withdrawn to return.

Jin Yunting slept soundly through the night. When he woke up in the morning and heard that his father had not yet left the mansion, he understood what was going on.

He was actually relieved; if his father had insisted on going his own way, he would have definitely stopped him.

I'm afraid it will damage the father-son relationship in the end.

On this day, Jin Ke only summoned a few brothers who had a voice in the clan to discuss matters together.

Jin Yunting didn't listen; he knew his father could handle the aftermath.

He simply sent someone to the general's mansion to write a letter to Fang Nanzhi.

Fang Nanzhi was quite surprised. She opened the letter and found that although the letter was addressed to her, the contents were not.

Jin Yunting wrote a letter instructing Langyue and Qingfeng, who were sent by him, to launch an operation to track down the assassin's identity.

The reason he gave it to Fang Nanzhi was that he felt that since the person had already been lent to the young girl, Fang Nanzhi was their rightful master during this period.

He was unwilling to cross Fang Nanzhi.

Fang Nanzhi had someone summon Langyue Qingfeng, as she was quite curious about how they would investigate.

After these two were sent here, they were treated much like secret guards. They were highly skilled in martial arts, living up to their reputation as martial arts masters, but they were not particularly outstanding.

I didn't see their true abilities.

When Jin Yunting sent the person away earlier, he said that they could help find the assassin, but they haven't taken any action yet.

Is it time to get serious now?

After reading the letter, Langyue Qingfeng cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to Miss Fang, we need three days."

A look of surprise flashed in Fang Nanzhi's eyes as she asked, "Do you need any help?"

She didn't even ask how they found it.

Even the General's Mansion couldn't find the assassin's whereabouts. The Jingzhao Prefecture and Qingyan Prefecture, which claimed to be searching on imperial orders, also failed to find him.

Of course, Fang Nanzhi suspected that the imperial court had already found it, but they hadn't told her, not even Qingyan.

"No need, too many people will cause problems," Lang Yue said bluntly.

Fang Nanzhi thought about it and decided not to force them. She let them take action and was actually looking forward to the surprises they might bring her.

She has a lot to do today: investigate the Chen family's troops, go to the Ministry of Justice prison, and ask Ninth Grandfather a lot of questions.

Zhu Guanfeng wasn't there this time, but the guards at the prison gate still let her in.

They've already shown off their jade pendants.

They weren't officials of any rank, so how dare they stop us? Without the emperor's decree, even the crown prince couldn't come.

The higher-ups didn't give any instructions this time, and there was no such requirement.

Fang Nanzhi didn't go to see Chen Yong. She had helped Zhu Guanfeng set a trap last time, and she didn't know how things were going with him.

Anyway, she didn't want to show her face, lest she say something wrong and disrupt Lord Zhu's plans.

Master Chen was sitting in his cell drinking porridge, a white rice porridge with minced meat.

He got fat, and not only him, but all the clansmen who were "invited" with him got fat.

When I was first imprisoned here, the guards and officials were very kind and said that they had no choice but to keep me here.

But the Chen clan members were also worried; who would willingly go to jail for no reason?

But they really didn't bully them. From the beginning, they fed them white flour buns and white rice porridge.

This was better than what they ate at home. After being exiled, the Chen clan members relied on farming for a living, and they were still not full even though they ate chaff and wild vegetables every day.

After eating this refined rice and flour for two days, some people were no longer in a hurry to get out of prison.

Although the cells were small and dirty, the food was good, and they didn't have to do anything all day. It was a rare opportunity for them to rest, so they were happy to stay.

Later, when Fang Nanzhi came to visit them, she thought about bringing some things in, like meat, jars, washbasins, and the like.

But Zhu Guanfeng wouldn't allow it, lest outsiders guess it again.

Moreover, the Ministry of Justice doesn't allow people to come and go freely, but fortunately, Fang Tong gave Chen Jiu and the others some silver, which they could use.

Later, when Wansheng came in, the Chen family's lives became more refined, really.

Wansheng treated them exceptionally well, especially Master Chen. He treated Master Chen like a respected elder, sending him whatever he ate himself.

Even Master Chen Jiu can now enjoy bird's nest.

Actually, he's quite old and has experienced many ups and downs in life, so he's really easygoing about his love of food and drink.

The only thing I can't let go of is Chen Zijun's death.

He was anxious and frustrated, hoping day after day for a resolution to the case, but also fearing that the outcome wouldn't be what he wanted.

Even if Ziju fails to clear her name, and they are reduced to their original state, it doesn't matter. They have already endured many years of hardship and can adapt.

But what about Fang Nanzhi? Will she be implicated? She's Zixi's only daughter.

Master Chen was genuinely worried. He wasn't worried about Chen Zijun's daughter, the Princess of Yiyang, because her mother was the Grand Princess, and she was unharmed when the Chen family case came to light.

Thinking deeper, Chen Zijun and Chen Zixi are the legitimate bloodline of the Chen family.

Both of them are gone, and the children they left behind are all girls. Does this mean that the direct line of the Chen family has ended?

The thought of this old man makes me feel choked up.

Fang Nanzhi came to see him, and only then did Master Chen Jiu cheer up.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Fang Nanzhi got down to business.

"Ninth Grandfather, you were the one who managed all the clan's businesses back then. Do you remember if there were any estates, fields, or shops that required a lot of investment?"

Just think about it, raising so many followers must cost money, right? It must cost a lot of money to raise them.

Master Chen Jiu sometimes had to carefully consider his answers to Zhu Guanfeng's questions, for fear of saying something wrong that would affect the progress of the case.

But when facing Fang Nanzhi, he was sincere; when the child asked, he would recall carefully.

"Shops can have large investments, but also high returns. The accounts can all be reconciled, but the inventory is too large."

It means there is no possibility of taking money from the middle to support people.

"The farmland isn't anything special. Every year it's just about adding farm tools or cattle, and spending money on seeds."

"Some of the people we hire are from poor families in the clan, and some are from families near the fields. They are all skilled farmers who have been farming for generations."

"As for the estate, there is none. Ziju doesn't like extravagance. The estate that the family bought is only repaired regularly. They rarely spend money on renovations or buying flowers and plants."

In other words, the expenses on the land and the estate were not high.

In fact, Fang Nanzhi felt that these two places were more suitable for raising herds of fowl.

But it didn't cost any money...

"Grandpa Jiu, is there anything special about your estate? Like, is it off-limits to people who can't go there at will?"

Fang Nanzhi had no choice but to change her approach.

Master Chen thought about it seriously again. It was because the old man's memory was still good, and over the years, he had been thinking about the matter of Chen's exile over and over again.

I just remembered one.

"Yes, there is one, but that estate isn't in the clan's territory. It's all your uncle's private property, and it was a gift from the late emperor."

"That estate, Ziju didn't send anyone to manage it; she must have hired someone from outside... or maybe not..."

As Master Chen Jiu spoke, he still seemed somewhat hesitant.

Fang Nanzhi quickly asked, "What do you mean by 'yes and no'?"

Master Chen frowned: "Back then, I was in charge of managing the clan's businesses, but your uncle's private property should all be in the hands of Grand Princess Mingzhu."

"Perhaps that Zhuangzi is also there."

"However, although the private property was not handed over to me, I know most of it. It mainly involves the use of people from the clan to some extent."

"As for the estate bestowed by the late emperor, I heard that Princess Chang wanted to arrange for someone to take it over, but Zijun wouldn't allow it."

Master Chen tried hard to recall, but he didn't actually know much.

However, because of this manor, some bad things were spread back then.

"It is said that the late emperor spent a fortune at Chunmanlou to redeem the courtesan, and after the redemption, he settled her in an estate."

Master Chen Jiu looked at Nan Zhi's clear gaze and felt that it was not appropriate to talk about such things with the young girl, lest he offend her ears.

Fang Nanzhi had read many storybooks and unofficial histories, and had already guessed it.

"Is it rumored that the estate was bestowed upon my uncle, but actually belonged to the late emperor? So that it would facilitate the late emperor's secret rendezvous with the courtesan?"

The little girl's eyes were bright.

Actually, this is easy to guess. The emperor did redeem the courtesan, but given her status, there was no way she could enter the harem.

what is it now?

If you still miss her, you should come out to see her often, otherwise wouldn't that be a waste?

But if he keeps showing up, people will have to realize that he's keeping a mistress.

But the censors were about to impeach him for neglecting his personal morals. They argued that for the emperor to do such disgraceful things was simply...

Therefore, giving Zhuangzi to a trusted minister and then using the excuse of enjoying the scenery and having a meal is a very good pretext.

If we find out that a courtesan is being kept in the manor, it doesn't matter. We can just say that Chen Zijun is keeping her.