Favoring the concubine and killing the wife? She divorced the concubine and lived with her concubine

When Xiao Fei saw several men coming in with knives, she was naturally shocked. She knew that most of the gambling houses were desperate criminals, but it was rare to see men coming in with knives, especially now that these men were standing behind Xiao Zongwen.

She had thought that Xiao Zongwen was going to use Xiao Cheng to take back the family business, but now it seems that this is not the case. If Xiao Cheng had his methods, Xiao Zongwen would not have had to escape back then.

"Just say it straight." The servants Xiao Fei brought with him were not worth mentioning in front of these people, and his son on the side had a knife at his neck.

"I want to use a merchant ship."

Xiao Zongwen gently stroked the patterns on the hand warmer and spoke casually.

"Merchant ship? Merchant ships are not under our family's jurisdiction. What's the point of kidnapping my son?" Xiao Fei glanced at Butler Wu.

"I want to be absolutely sure."

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The morning mist hadn't completely dissipated when a rapid knock on the vermilion-lacquered door of the Xiao residence shattered its tranquility. Xiao Fei, looking hurried, rushed all the way to the inner hall, carrying an urgent letter. Upon seeing Xiao Wu, he immediately dismissed his attendants, leaving only Xiao Wu behind.

After everyone left, Xiao Fei carefully took out the letter from her bosom and said with a slightly panicked look, "I don't know who sent this letter to me early this morning. I saw my name on it, so I opened it without thinking much." Seeing Xiao Fei's anxious look, Xiao Wu's heart tightened. She hurriedly took the letter, opened it quickly, and asked in confusion, "How did it get to you?"

"Xiao Lan said that something was wrong with the old butler, so he didn't dare to send the letter easily, so he resorted to this last resort." Xiao Fei explained hurriedly, with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.

"Any doubts?" Xiao Wu frowned slightly, her eyes moving quickly across the letter. She quickly finished reading the contents and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "That girl Xiao Lan actually said she wanted a private seal? Didn't they just use that seal before?"

"In the past, Zongshan was the one who handled these matters personally. Now that it's Xiao Lan, a stranger, it's inevitable that people will become suspicious. Let's quickly send the things to her. If she can't get the money, the second house will definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble. By then, this family will probably have no peace again." Xiao Fei paced anxiously, her words full of anxiety, urging Xiao Wu to act quickly.

However, Xiao Wu didn't immediately produce her private seal as Xiao Fei had expected. Instead, she narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she was thinking about something. After a moment, she said, "Butler Wu has been with the master for so many years and has always been loyal. When he left, Xiao Lan even specifically instructed him on something. How could he suddenly be suspected?"

When Xiao Fei heard this, her face suddenly became gloomy. She immediately frowned and raised her voice a few degrees: "What? You don't believe me? Well, if you don't believe me, then I won't care about this matter anymore. You can clean up the mess in your family yourself!" After saying that, she turned around and was about to leave, her steps hurried, with no intention of stopping at all.

Mrs. Xiao Wu watched Xiao Fei leave without stopping her. She just sat quietly in her seat with a deep look in her eyes, wondering what she was thinking. At this moment, Mrs. Zhang, who had been waiting outside the door, saw Xiao Fei leave and hurried into the house, asking softly, "Madam, what's going on?"

Mrs. Xiao Wu raised her head, glanced at Mother Zhang, and said slowly, "Mother Zhang, do you know what Butler Wu has been busy with recently?"

Mother Zhang bowed slightly and replied respectfully, "Oh, Madam, this matter has spread throughout the courtyard. It's all because of her unworthy youngest son. I heard that the debt is quite large, and Butler Wu is raising money everywhere. She is so old, she should be enjoying a peaceful life, but this son keeps her from resting."

After hearing this, Xiao Wu's heart suddenly moved. She suddenly remembered what Xiao Fei had said before, and couldn't help but wonder: Is this the so-called suspicious point? But Xiao Lan was not here during this period. How did she know about the matter of Wu Guanjia's youngest son?

"I heard that the case has been reported to the government. The county magistrate is away these days, so Captain Xue is handling the matter. Wu Zhi was beaten badly and is in a terrible state." Mother Zhang's eyes revealed a trace of pity and a sigh.

Xiao Wu's brows furrowed even more tightly. "That means Captain Xue discovered something suspicious and sent a letter to Xiao Lan."

She knew Magistrate Su favored Xiao Lan, so it made sense for Captain Xue to help Xiao Lan to curry favor with the magistrate. Xiao Lan had been gone for five or six days, and the letter had already gone back and forth? That was too fast.

Thinking of this, Xiao Wu hurried to Xiao Zongshan's study. Pushing the door open, she found the room clean and bright, as if Xiao Zongshan had been there yesterday. But Xiao Wu didn't care. She knew no one knew where the private seal was, not even herself, who had only discovered it in recent years.

The private seal would only be taken out when the head of the Xiao family wanted to issue a death order, and the seal that Xiao Lan took away was only used for transactions between merchants.

Upon entering the study, Xiao Wu paused, slowly turned, and her gaze fell on Mother Zhang. Her gaze was a mixture of hesitation, trust, and resignation. Ultimately, she sighed softly and refused to let Mother Zhang leave. In these precarious times, Xiao Wu knew the only person in the family she could trust wholeheartedly was Mother Zhang, who had been with her for decades. Mother Zhang, childless throughout her life, had devoted all her life to him.

Seeing Xiao Wu looking at her like this, Mother Zhang bowed her head, understanding what she meant, and prepared to quietly withdraw. However, just as she turned and took a step, Xiao Wu called out softly, "Mother Zhang, please stay with me." Mother Zhang turned around with some confusion, only to see a hint of unprecedented sadness and uneasiness in Xiao Wu's eyes. Xiao Wu continued, "If anything happens to me, you can also tell Xiao Lan to be careful."

When Mother Zhang heard this, she was immediately frightened and the color drained away from her face. She waved her hands in panic, her voice trembling a little: "Oh, what are you talking about, Madam! You are so lucky and have a long life, how could you have an accident? No, no, please don't think like that." Tears welled up in Mother Zhang's eyes, "You still love the young lady, but you are just hard on yourself."

Mrs. Xiao Wu gently patted Mother Zhang's hand, trying to soothe her emotions, but her voice was still heavy: "Mother Zhang, we have no choice in this situation. Everything depends on whether Xiao Lan can bring the money back! I'm afraid she must have encountered many difficulties on her journey, and it's not certain whether she can come back safely." After that, Mrs. Xiao Wu waved her hand weakly, signaling Mother Zhang to close the door.

Turning around, she opened a painting. It was a painting of a schoolboy under the moon, a painting Xiao Zongshan had always kept hanging. Behind it, there was a secret compartment. Xiao Wushi pressed something, and the compartment popped open with a click.

Inside was an exquisite private seal, which was the old lady's private seal.