In the years of famine, I led a comfortable life with my husband

The hotel owner was thrown into jail because of this. Xie Chengjin originally wanted to take this opportunity to find out from the hotel owner who was the mastermind behind the incident.

I just don't know what kind of magic potion Lord Xiao used on the hotel owner. No matter how Xie Chengjin threatened or tempted him, the hotel owner insisted that he was the mastermind behind the incident and had nothing to do with anyone else. Xie Chengjin was so angry that he wanted to cut the hotel owner into pieces, but he was not so irrational. The hotel owner took all the responsibility on himself, which was an unforgivable crime and he would definitely die.

After holding the hotel owner accountable, Xie Chengjin returned home exhausted. Su Zhizhi noticed Xie Chengjin's grim expression and couldn't help but step forward to comfort him, "What happened? Why do you look so gloomy? It's rare to see you like this in recent years."

Facing Su Zhizhi's concern, Xie Chengjin shook his head and then said, "It's not a big deal. It's just that the hotel owner still refuses to reveal that Lord Xiao is the mastermind behind the incident. Instead, he took the entire responsibility himself. He has been sentenced to death and will probably be executed soon."

"Why don't you say it?" Su Zhizhi was also very confused. She didn't quite understand what the hotel owner was insisting on.

Xie Chengjin sighed deeply, "I don't know either. I've tried everything, but the hotel owner still won't say anything."

"It's okay, there will always be other ways. I think Lord Xiao must have found the weakness of the hotel owner. As far as I know, this hotel owner should have a family." Su Zhizhi comforted, but she didn't say it explicitly, but Xie Chengjin understood what Su Zhizhi meant.

The day of the hotel owner's execution soon arrived. Xie Chengjin did not choose to go and watch, but instead stared at something in his mansion.

However, the secret guards sent by Xie Chengjin to keep an eye on Lord Xiao discovered something.

After the hotel owner was executed, Lord Xiao was the first to receive the news. Lord Xiao just sighed, with some pity in his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking.

The secret guards were also observing silently from the shadows. Not long after, they saw Lord Xiao calling a trusted confidant over and saying, "Now that he's dead, take some money and go to his house. Consider it a token of my...kindness."

Upon hearing this, the confidant took the order and left, but the secret guard was a little surprised. However, his duty was to keep an eye on Marquis Xiao. As for Marquis Xiao's confidant, the secret guard thought for a moment and sent a message to another secret guard to follow and investigate.

Lord Xiao's confidant came to the hotel owner's home outside the city with a considerable amount of silver.

The hotel owner may have known for a long time that he would die a violent death one day, so he never settled his home in the capital. He was afraid that one day his wife and children would become a handle for others to threaten him.

Marquis Xiao's confidant knocked on the door, which was soon opened by a rather ordinary-looking woman. When she heard the knock, she came out to greet him with a smile on her face. She thought it was the hotel owner who had returned, but the moment her eyes met the secret guard, she froze in place.

Seeing that the woman was still not coming back, a half-grown boy came out of the house behind her. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he looked at the woman and said in a soft voice, "Mother, is father back? Why don't you come in?"

Before the boy could say anything else, the woman anxiously pushed him back into the house. She anxiously warned him, "Son, stay in the house. Don't go out. Don't go anywhere. Mom will be back soon. Be obedient, okay?"

The boy was very confused and didn't know why the woman said that. But before the boy could ask any more questions, the woman closed the door, gathered her emotions, and then looked at her confidant calmly and said, "Sir, who are you? Why are you knocking on my door?"

The confidant naturally noticed the woman's actions, but did not do anything else. He just handed the silver he brought to the woman, left the message that the hotel owner was dead, and turned away without staying any longer.

The woman was left standing there in a daze, unable to say anything.

The secret guards who followed the confidant naturally witnessed all of this with their own eyes. After the confidant returned to Lord Xiao's mansion, the secret guards immediately came to Xie Chengjin.

"Master, there is something going on with Lord Xiao." The secret guard's words instantly attracted Xie Chengjin's attention.

"What's going on?" Xie Chengjin asked quickly.

The secret guard told Xie Chengjin what he had discovered while following Marquis Xiao's confidant. Upon hearing this, Xie Chengjin fell into deep thought.

Seeing that Xie Chengjin remained silent for a long time, the secret guard couldn't help but speak: "Master, the matter between Lord Xiao and the restaurant owner, I think the restaurant owner's family should know about it. Why don't we..."

Before the secret guard finished speaking, Xie Chengjin shook his head and said, "No need. The family won't be in trouble. This matter is only between the hotel owner and Lord Xiao. Why bother these orphans and their widows?" Xie Chengjin still had a kind heart. The clue of the restaurant owner was now completely cut off.

However, after this incident, the feud between Lord Xiao, Xie Chengjin and Su Zhizhi was completely established.

As soon as the hotel owner died, Lord Xiao took advantage of the fact that there was no evidence to prove the crime and began to target and suppress Shen Wenjun and Xie Chengjin in the court.

But it happened that Marquis Xiao was an old minister. Even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to stand on the side of Xie Chengjin and Shen Wenjun, he was ultimately unable to do so and could only watch Marquis Xiao set a trap for Xie and Shen.

Shen Wenjun was fine. For Xu Miao's sake, Lord Xiao gave Shen Wenjun a break. But for Xie Chengjin, Lord Xiao was unscrupulous. No matter how careful Xie Chengjin was, he still couldn't escape. In the end, Xie Chengjin was one step behind and fell into the trap that Lord Xiao had dug long ago.

But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could do nothing but watch as Xie Chengjin was framed by Marquis Xiao and forced to go on an inspection tour to Jiangnan.

After the morning court session, Xie Chengjin was filled with rage, but he was in the Golden Palace and could do nothing. What made it even more infuriating was that Lord Xiao seemed to think the incident was not big enough and deliberately came to Xie Chengjin to provoke him.