Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Xie Jingyuan originally thought that by canceling the Zhou family's marriage and driving away the third branch, Xie Jingliang would at most be reprimanded and the matter would be over.

Who would have thought that the situation would change suddenly at the next morning court session.

First, several censors jointly filed a petition, impeaching him and Xie Jingliang for forcing a young girl to marry, resulting in a death, disregarding the law, and violating human ethics.

Immediately afterwards, another censor came forward and pointed the finger at Minister Zhou, revealing that except for his first wife who was of the same age, his subsequent wives were all girls who had not yet reached the age of marriage, and the causes of their deaths were strange and full of doubts.

Emperor Yingtian reclined on the dragon throne, his eyes blank. Suddenly, his gaze narrowed slightly. The current atmosphere in the court was quite strange.

Among the kneeling censors at the steps were the upright followers of the Third Prince, the mouthpieces of the Crown Prince's faction, the hidden pawns of the Meng family, and even... some loyal ministers who were only loyal to him. However, today, as if they had made an appointment, all of them pointed their knives at the Zhou family.

Emperor Yingtian's fingertips slowly traced the gilded cloud patterns on the dragon throne, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. He wondered if one of his sons couldn't wait any longer, bringing all these forces together. His gaze was like a knife, sweeping over the several princes in the hall one by one. Each of them stood straight and had a humble expression, revealing no clues.

While he was thinking about it, another censor suddenly came out and impeached Minister Zhou for corruption and dereliction of duty, and also presented a set of account books.

Emperor Yingtian took the account book from the eunuch, and his expression grew darker the more he looked at it. But a faint glimmer of excitement flickered in his eyes. What a fat, slick sheep! Killing him would solve the urgent need for disaster relief.

He threw the account book down with great force, shocking all the civil and military officials in the court to kneel down in unison, their breathing stagnating.

"You're such a jerk, Zhou Liangcai!" Emperor Yingtian's voice was as cold as ice. "My treasury is so empty that horses could run through it, but your cellar is so full that even rats have to squeeze through it."

His face turned ashen as he sternly declared, "Zhou Liangcai and his son will be imprisoned immediately and executed at the Meridian Gate in ten days! All property belonging to the nine clans will be confiscated! The women will be enslaved and exiled to the frontier!"

Minister Zhou trembled violently, and the Imperial Guards immediately stripped him of his official uniform and ripped off his black gauze hat. He raised his head in panic, his eyes fixed on Prince Zhong, the master he secretly served, and most of the money he had embezzled had been presented to Prince Zhong's palace.

But Prince Zhong just stood there with his hands behind his back, not even glancing at him. The Imperial Guards quickly dragged Minister Zhou, whose face looked ashen, out of the hall.

The problem of disaster relief funds had been solved, and Emperor Yingtian was delighted. Just as he was about to issue an order to dismiss the court, he caught a glimpse of Xie Jingyuan kneeling in the hall, and his eyes suddenly turned cold.

Today's chess game, using the forced marriage of the Marquis of Jing'an as bait, actually delivered Zhou Liangcai, a fat sheep, to him. Regardless of who was behind the scenes and what their purpose was, now that Zhou Liangcai had been severely punished, how could the Xie family, a pawn that had crossed the river, escape unscathed?

He tapped his knuckles lightly on the dragon table, his voice as cold as ice: "The Xie brothers have flouted the laws of Dongling. They are hereby stripped of half their official rank and fined one year's salary to maintain order in the court!"

……

Xie Jingyuan returned to the Marquis' Mansion in a daze. He had suffered this unexpected disaster and was filled with anger with nowhere to vent. He smashed the yard where Xie Jingwen's family had lived to pieces, but he still felt depressed.

He vaguely recalled the past, when he always sought counsel with his mother whenever he encountered difficulties, and staggered towards Songhe Hall.

He seldom set foot here since the old lady became paralyzed. Today, when he pushed the door open, he saw the room was deserted. The smell of medicine mixed with the smell of feces and urine hit him in the face, choking his throat.

Old Madam Xie's skinny body was sunken in the brocade quilt, and she was vaguely calling for water, while the maids who were supposed to be serving her were hiding in the corridor, laughing and playing, and they didn't even notice that their master had come in.

Xie Jingyuan's face suddenly turned as gloomy as iron, and he shouted sternly: "Come here, beat these disrespectful slaves to death!"

Before he could finish his words, several servants stormed into the yard. Before the maids could even beg for mercy, they were roughly pushed down onto the bluestone slabs.

The cane came crashing down, and the courtyard was filled with heart-wrenching screams. The clatter of the cane continued uninterrupted, and after only twenty strokes, the maids were beaten to a bloody pulp, barely breathing.

Xie Jingyuan stood in the corridor, hands behind his back, observing the torture with cold eyes. When the screams in the courtyard gradually faded and finally returned to dead silence, his restless heart finally calmed down completely. He coldly ordered, "Wait until dark, and throw him into the mass grave outside the city."

"Yes!" The servants responded in a rough voice and dragged the bodies of the maids out like dead dogs.

Aunt Xu hurried over and saw this horrifying scene. She couldn't help but tremble in her heart. She calmed herself down and bowed deeply to Xie Jingyuan: "This old slave deserves death! Today, the accountant called me to check this month's expenses. I was not careful and let these lowly servants slack off..."

Xie Jingyuan's face was as gloomy as water and he said nothing.

Nanny Xu felt a cold sweat on her back. She swallowed hard, her voice trembling, "My Lord, I wish to serve the old lady well, but since An left the mansion, I really don't know who to hand over the household chores to."

She stole a glance at Xie Jingyuan's expression and said boldly, "I'm so bold, why don't you let the young ladies learn to manage the household?"

Xie Jingyuan pursed his lips. This vast mansion was indeed in need of a capable hostess. Xie Qingli, that evil creature, was a formidable figure. Xie Qingqi, like her parents, was as dull as a pig. Yao'er, the most intelligent and competent, was the most suitable.

Thinking about this, he nodded slightly, his voice revealing a bit of fatigue: "Madame Xu, from now on, just serve the old lady well." After a pause, he said to the servant beside him: "Go and invite the second young lady to the study to talk..."

……

In the inn's wing, candlelight flickered.

Upon hearing the news that the Zhou family had been raided, Xie Jingwen's teacup clattered to the ground, sending shards flying everywhere. Xing was so shocked that she covered her mouth, her breath stagnating for a moment.

Xie Qingrong suddenly jumped up from the embroidery cushion, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She grabbed Xie Qingli's sleeve, her eyes almost overflowing with admiration: "Big sister, this... did you plan all this? You are so amazing!"

Xie Qingli's eyes flickered as he smiled brightly, "Sister Rong'er, you're joking. I'm just a girl, how could I have such extraordinary abilities? I guess the Zhou family has committed many evil deeds, and this is the punishment from heaven!"

She pulled a purse from her sleeve and said softly, "Uncle and Aunt, Father and Second Uncle have suffered a great loss this time. Given their personalities, they will definitely not let this go. You should leave the capital as soon as possible. Although this money is not much, it is enough for you to buy a small courtyard."

Before she finished speaking, Xing suddenly raised her hand and pressed her wrist.

Xie Qingli raised his eyes and met Xing's smiling eyes. "We appreciate your kindness, Miss. However, my family has been doing business for generations. Although we have no power or influence, we are not short of these valuable things."

Xie Qingli turned to look at Xie Jingwen without any hesitation, "Uncle San, do you have any plans? Li'er has set up a few shops in Qizhou, doing some business selling medicinal herbs and grains. If Uncle San doesn't mind, why don't you go to Qizhou and help Li'er take care of these businesses? We can split the profits 50-50..."