It's really hard to just farm peacefully.

Jiang Yan asked the chef to stew some old duck soup, but she never got to drink the most delicious bowl of it.

She was basking in the sunlight while lying on her newly assembled minimalist recliner when someone came looking for her.

"Jiang Shuzuo".

Jiang Yan, her eyes half-closed, was one of the men accompanying Twenty-Five on his spring plowing inspection. "Guard Huang, what's the matter?"

"The Twenty-Fifth Lord sent me to ask you: Six days ago, did you have a disagreement with the visiting guests, and then order the people in the manor to beat them severely and dump them in the woods three miles away?"

Six days ago, on the day she got frustrated plucking the duck feathers.

Jiang Yan nodded and then shook her head: "I did have a verbal argument with a few people, but the whole thing was just a minor physical shoving. There was no serious injury, not even a nosebleed. They even politely saw me out of the manor."

Guard Huang crossed his arms: "They were very polite in sending the decree, yet they still managed to come to the lord with bruises and blood all over their bodies to complain?"

Jiang Yan was stunned for a moment, then said incredulously, "They are so shameless, they actually turned black into white."

Surprisingly, there was no schadenfreude. Guard Huang glanced around casually, and Steward Mu, who had rushed over after hearing the news, very considerately had a busy servant in the distance bring a long bench, and then gave him half to sit on.

Jiang Yan stopped lying down and straightened her back, saying, "First of all, let me state in advance that our manor did not use any violence at all. They were sent away in the same manner as when they entered. As for being beaten up later, it is very likely that their behavior was so unpleasant that they were punished by people of insight."

Guard Huang coughed lightly, covering his mouth with his fist, a slight smile playing on his lips. Seeing Jiang Yan and Steward Mu looking at him, he silently lowered his fist and said seriously, "The lord also thinks you have a good temper. You may have been framed, so he asked Lord Twenty-Five to ask you for details."

Jiang Yan felt something was off, but seeing the guard Huang's clear and honest eyes, she didn't think too much about it. She simply recounted what she knew about the words and actions of everyone present that day.

In the end, she emphasized with personal anger: "They came to our door claiming the estate belonged to their family, and even called themselves the master's in-laws, but they had no witnesses and no tokens of proof. Isn't that just swindling?"

"I was already thinking they were mentally challenged and decided not to argue with them, but they started making a fuss and refused to leave. One minute they were bossing everyone in the village around, and the next they were nitpicking that we were too lazy and they couldn't afford to serve us. Who do they think they are, trying to put us above them? They can't understand human language, so I had four of us carry them away in a sedan chair."

Four men carrying a sedan chair... immediately, the image of one man carrying a pig appeared in Huang's mind.

Huang, the guard, cleared the screen and said, "This estate originally belonged to that family. I never expected that they would claim to be the in-laws of the master outside, but when they came to complain, they still kept it completely hidden."

Jiang Yan and Steward Mu's eyes widened. One thought, "Oh no, this 'real aggrieved party' has come to us so rashly asking for help without even inquiring about Fu Jian's ways." The other thought, "My lord is kind and wouldn't hand the estate back to this 'real swindler.' My job as steward is probably over."

Huang, pleased with their surprise, continued, "This farm and the surrounding hundred acres of land originally belonged to the Jiang family. They fled in panic when Kyoto was in chaos, and now they are trying to persuade someone to take it back."

"The Jiang family, surnamed Jiang." Jiang Yan quickly recalled his memories. In recent years, the only prominent landowners or officials in Kyoto with the surname Jiang were... "Jiang Fangji?"

"It's him," Guard Huang confirmed.

"Then it's alright." Jiang Yan relaxed even more; this aggrieved party wasn't really sincere. The estates and lands that Jiang Fangji and his relatives had registered with the government were not located here, and were far smaller in scale.

They're either taking advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters, or they're hiding assets, but if it's the latter, they probably don't have the ability to get them back from the Fu family.

“But the Jiang family did indeed have the idea of ​​sending their daughter to the lord's side as his bedmate,” Guard Huang said with concern.

No, can this news be leaked to the public, or is it already widely known in Kyoto?

Most importantly, what is he worried about if she is sent to the lord's side? Isn't this still in the planning stage? She, the person involved in this conflict, is not worried at all.

Jiang Yan looked at Guard Huang with suspicion, but then thought that Guard Huang might have offended the Jiang family without her knowledge, so she asked with concern, "What did you do to the Jiang family?"

Steward Mu then asked nervously, "Does the master intend to accept it?"

"It's not decided yet." Before Steward Mu could breathe a sigh of relief, Guard Huang added, "But who knows, what if? I'm not sure."

"So, you mean we should unite and solemnly tell our lord not to marry the Jiang family's daughter?" Jiang Yan interlaced her fingers, her expression serious. "But what stance should we take? It's going to rain, and our lord is going to marry. Once our lord decides to marry, he won't give up because of the conflict between a few of his subordinates and the Jiang family."

Manager Mu nodded in agreement and earnestly asked, "Guard Huang, do you think we could forgive and forget if we apologize properly? Or could we be transferred to another place ahead of time?"

Jiang Yan turned her head to stop him: "Wait, Mu Guan, don't back down so quickly. It's not too late to consider your escape route after we've confirmed that the Jiang family's daughter will become the master's wife. If it's just a false alarm, not only will you be exhausted from your journey, but all your current efforts will be wasted."

"But you never know what might happen. The Jiang family is so confident, and the master's attitude is so ambiguous, which means she must be either a stunning beauty or a woman of great talent. Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman," Manager Mu sighed.

Jiang Yan scratched her head: "But those Jiang family members who came to the manor, they just seemed decent-looking. Guard Huang, have you seen any Jiang family girls who want to be the master's wife?"

Jiang Yan and Steward Mu were already plotting their escape route, exchanging words back and forth. Guard Huang seemed distracted; had he hinted to his lord that he wanted to marry the Jiang family's daughter? And why was he loudly planning their escape route right in front of him…?

Huang, the guard, began to doubt his ability to relay the truth. It was clear that Lord Twenty-Five had said that the lord had sent him to the manor to inquire about the attack on the Jiang family, and that rumors were circulating throughout the capital that the Fu family was going to marry a Jiang family girl. How come he hadn't misunderstood, but Jiang Yan and Steward Mu had?

He abruptly interrupted their rambling plan: "Don't even think about deserting at the last minute." Pshaw—that's not what he meant.

"What Lord Twenty-Five means is that you should not be idle in the manor, but at least do your part and think about how to trip up those who spread rumors about the lord. The lord's reputation cannot be slandered for nothing, and we should get some benefits in return."

Hiss~ A clean reputation. Jiang Yan's curiosity was piqued: "Has the lord met his sweetheart?" Those guys who used to call him a bandit to his face seem to be still alive and kicking, but now they're actually paying attention to their conduct.

Huang, the guard, was speechless: "Jiang Shuzuo, if you keep being so gossipy, I'm afraid the lord will take it seriously and punish you to your face first."