It's really hard to just farm peacefully.

Half an hour later, the officials from the Song and Xie families, who were waiting in the reception room, finally saw the belated Inspector Fu.

After a hasty bow, the Xie family official asked first, "What is your explanation, Lord Fu, for the joint accusation by the Jiang, Zhao, and six other families that the Fu family is abusing their power to oppress and seize property?"

Fu Jian sat down at the head of the table and said, "You'll have to ask Lord Xie why he turns a blind eye to the local tyrants oppressing the people and seizing their farmland."

The Xie family official frowned: "Lord Fu, this is your fault. Why drag our young lady into this and slander the victim's innocence?"

The displeasure that had arisen in the prosecutor's heart from Jiang Yan's veiled sarcasm and indirect insults had not yet subsided when Xie's family official spoke out against him again. He immediately snorted coldly, half-closed his eyes, and did not want to pay any attention to her.

Fu Jia, who followed closely behind, could only respond gently: "Lord Xie has acted with propriety in the capital, and my master has shown him great respect. Why should your subordinates drag men and women into this and create unnecessary conflict? We have already investigated what the Jiang and Zhao families have done. These petty scoundrels have illegally seized land, and we are sure they are the victims."

"As for why they fled to my Fu family for protection, it is naturally because our lord is kind and benevolent, which is known to all and admired by all. On the other hand, those six families are cruel and perverse, and everyone is afraid of them, so they flee whenever possible."

The Xie family official's lips twitched, and he cursed inwardly: "Their faces are thicker than city walls, yet they boast of their benevolence. Who doesn't know that these mountain bandits act recklessly and are used to robbing and plundering?"

He argued with Fu Jia several times, but he couldn't get the Fu family to hand over the culprit. In the end, he could only leave in anger.

The Song family officials stood by silently, not interfering in anything, and quickly took their leave after the others left.

Fu Jia turned to Fu Jian and asked, "My lord, what are Jiang Yan's plans?"

It wasn't the first time Fu Jian knew that Jiang Yan would do some uncontrollable things, but since it didn't harm him afterward and even helped him, and occasionally she would come up with something new and amusing, he tacitly approved of it and even somewhat welcomed it.

But this time he went too far, putting him in a somewhat passive position.

He hesitated for a long time before saying, "Let's arrange for her to return to Rongcheng County. She is quick-witted, but when she's setting traps and causing trouble, it's hard to distinguish friend from foe. Now that she's being targeted by those people, it's not appropriate for her to stay in the capital any longer."

"Also, relay what that subordinate said to Xie Changqiong verbatim. There's still one unruly character she overlooked. I'll use this as an excuse to curry favor with her. Ask her if she's willing to cooperate on this matter."

One of the reasons why Udande was able to maintain firm control over Kyoto, even when he was physically weak, was that he offered huge rewards. The original powerful clans of Kyoto were forced to leave, while the remaining smaller forces seized the opportunity to take over the land in the outskirts of Kyoto.

Jiang Yanxun's excuse was that there was no contract before the new year, but everyone knew in their hearts that contracts were not always effective.

Even though the six families led by Jiang and Zhao started late and lacked manpower, and were unable to resist external attacks and had to abandon their defenses to save their lives, it would not be difficult for them to do some destructive things now that they have regrouped.

Jiang Yan lay half-crouched on the horse's back, feeling the arrows whistling past behind her, and all she wanted to do was curse those families with hatred.

The guards who were accompanying her on their way back to Rongcheng County to change shifts only knew to be on guard against "bandits" on the return journey, but they did not expect to encounter them head-on just outside the outskirts of Beijing.

Jiang Yan, as the culprit who harmed everyone, now focused most of her attacks.

She had just glanced at them briefly and realized that perhaps due to the contempt those families held for people of lower status, they hadn't sent enough men—only one and a half per person. This allowed them to quickly create distance and escape despite the deliberate ambush.