Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

"how?"

Jiang Xiuwen stared blankly at Lin Ping, his two dark eyes unmoving, as if he thought he was having an illusion.

No one has ever dared to speak to me like this since we were kids. Even if you, Lin Ping, are in the right, there's no need for you to stand up straight with your hands on your hips. Besides, you did indeed take the City Lord's treasure.

Jiang Xiuwen was so angry he laughed, as if he had rediscovered the feeling of being full of passion. That's right, he had already regarded Lin Ping as an enemy... an utterly wicked enemy!

“Ping’er, it’s one thing to take the things, but you can’t talk to your uncle like that.”

The city lord's wife revealed a barely perceptible smile, followed by a seemingly serious lecture to Lin Ping.

The city lord's wife's statement that it's no big deal to take the things already proves her attitude. In other words, it's the city lord's property that's lost, what does it have to do with you, Jiang Xiuwen?

Furthermore, the city lord's wife disliked the city lord's obsequious manner in front of Jiang Xiuwen, as if he owed her an indebted debt. Now that Lin Ping openly defied Jiang Xiuwen, it seemed... quite satisfying.

Lin Ping smiled knowingly at the city lord's wife, meaning: Mother-in-law, rest assured, this time we will definitely make Jiang Xiuwen lose face and also save face for you, so that he will not forget his identity.

"Nephew-in-law, may I ask, uncle, what is this treasure?" Following the instructions of the city lord's wife, Lin Ping lowered his attitude slightly, but then launched a powerful counterattack.

“Of course it’s something valuable!” Jiang Xiuwen said, puffing out his beard and striking a rough, uncouth pose.

"As Uncle said, valuable things are called treasures, but if treasures are not used to exchange for money, can they still be called treasures?" Lin Ping spread his hands and explained with a smile.

That seems... to make some sense!

Jiang Xiuwen was a rough and uncultured man, not very bright. He could argue back against ordinary people, but against Lin Ping... he could only resort to force.

"Hmph! You stole the treasure and still want to deny it? I'll teach you a lesson!"

Jiang Xiuwen gripped the leather whip tightly in his hand in a fit of rage, but put down his sharp sword.

Neither the law nor family rules dictate that stealing is a capital offense. Jiang Xiuwen only wanted to teach Lin Ping a lesson and didn't intend to kill him outright.

In fact, Lin Ping took all the blame in order to change the charge.

He can't be killed for instigating the crown prince, but he can be killed for squandering the family fortune.

He could use this opportunity to complete his mission, but leaving now wouldn't be a perfect ending, since he hadn't even seen Jiang Yunying's true face yet.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, the city lord would never allow Jiang Xiuwen to kill him; at most, he would beat him half to death.

Therefore, Lin Ping must try his best to avoid punishment.

"You're in the wrong and still want to hit me?" Lin Ping truly admired Jiang Xiuwen's shamelessness and continued, "My nephew-in-law did take a lot of treasures, but he used them to exchange for a lot of money. The nanmu table that I just smashed with one palm was also a treasure, as were the paintings and calligraphy I broke. I didn't even get a single tael of silver in return. If you say my nephew-in-law is wasteful, then what kind of behavior did I, my uncle, exhibit?" Lin Ping bowed and clasped his hands, explaining calmly and patiently.

Jiang Xiuwen slammed on the brakes and stopped in his tracks, a slight blush appearing on his dark cheeks.

Lin Ping is right. Weren't the tables and paintings he destroyed treasures?

If I teach the other person a lesson, shouldn't he also be punished?

"Alright, alright, it's just a trivial matter. Don't let it ruin the harmony of the family." The city lord quickly acted as a peacemaker, then walked up to Lin Ping with a smile, extending a large hand that seemed to want money, and said, "Ping'er, how many treasures have you sold? How much silver have you gotten?"

This is going to cost you money...

Lin Ping hated two kinds of people the most: those who didn't give him money and those who asked him for money!

This city lord seemed to possess both qualities simultaneously, immediately earning him a disdainful look from Lin Ping.

However, despite the disdain, the money still had to be given to his father-in-law. After all, he was an elder, and Lin Ping wanted to woo his daughter. Besides, Lin Ping had sold the city lord's treasure, so he had to give a token amount.

So he respectfully took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and said with a fawning smile, "I only sold a few items, but I got a full ten thousand taels of silver! I kept one thousand taels as a running fee, and I'm going to hand over the remaining nine thousand taels to Father!"

The city lord snatched the silver note from Lin Ping's hand, a glint of light in his eyes. He nodded in satisfaction and said, "Ping'er, isn't a thousand taels of silver a bit too much for a delivery fee? Why don't you take out another five hundred taels?"

"Cunning!" Lin Ping thought to himself, but still obediently took out five hundred taels of silver.

If we're talking about cunning, the city lord has no chance against Lin Ping. He managed to make 100,000 taels of silver appear as 10,000 taels. To be honest, if Lin Ping hadn't clearly presented the silver notes, he might have ended up pulling out 10,000 or 18,000 taels, leaving him with no way to explain himself.

A few years ago, 10,000 taels of silver would have been nothing to the city lord's mansion, but now that the treasury is empty, even 10,000 taels of silver would make the city lord's eyes light up.

Lin Ping secretly chuckled as he resolved the matter with ten thousand taels of silver. However, he wasn't lying; he had indeed sold several treasures. As for exactly how many treasures there were, even Lin Ping himself probably couldn't count them.

Jiang Yunyu was deeply impressed by Lin Ping's incredible acting skills. In order not to give himself away, he pressed his entire face to the ground.

"Father, I'm a little tired. May I go back to sleep?" Lin Ping deliberately yawned, putting on a lazy appearance.

Now that the matter has been resolved, there is no need for him to stay here. On such a romantic night, he should go to his wife's room and flirt with her a bit. What kind of hero wastes his breath on Jiang Xiuwen, this roughneck?

Seeing that the city lord did not stop them, Lin Ping's heart finally settled down. The little fat boy was also kneeling on the ground, secretly crawling backward. Once they were outside the hall, the two of them could let loose and no longer have to be so timid.

"Wait!" Jiang Xiuwen's eyes flashed coldly, his voice even more stern. "Was that golden sword left by our ancestors also sold?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, except for Lin Ping, who seemed somewhat bewildered.

A golden knife? Is it that valuable? Could it be more important than a treasure bestowed by the emperor himself?

Lin Ping muttered to himself, not taking the mere golden knife seriously at all, and answered without hesitation, "Sell it!"

poof...

With a muffled thud, Jiang Yunyu collapsed to the ground, his hands weakly clutching Lin Ping's trouser leg, on the verge of tears.

Jiang Yunyu naturally knew the special significance of the Golden Knife to the City Lord's Mansion, but this was only after the fact. When he went into the storeroom to steal things, he was masked and just stuffed them into a cloth bag. He didn't pay attention to whether there was a Golden Knife or not.

Now, Lin Ping openly says he'll sell the Golden Knife too—that's courting death!

This golden knife was a treasure of the Jiang family's ancestor when he followed the founding emperor to conquer the world. It killed countless enemies and was later sealed in the most secure place in the city lord's mansion. It was worshipped as a sacred object, and the city lord only dared to peek at it from afar. Now, Lin Ping has actually sold it!

Moreover, it only sold for ten thousand taels of silver!

"Selling the City Lord's sacred artifact, damn it, absolutely damn it!" Jiang Xiuwen rushed over through gritted teeth, swinging his thick leather whip without saying a word, seemingly intending to beat Lin Ping until his skin was torn and bleeding.

Lin Ping was in a panic, regretting that he hadn't learned about the legend of the Golden Knife beforehand. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to admit it even if he sold it. Now, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep his reputation as the most handsome man in Jiangcheng.

Just as Lin Ping was curling up, bracing himself for the beating, a soft body embraced him tightly, followed by the sound of a whip falling.