So what if she's a fake heiress? She's being pampered by a powerful figure in Beijing'

The news of my second brother's arrival in Shanxi spread quickly.

At first, my second brother was entrusted with important responsibilities at a young age. The local veterans thought he was an easy target and didn't take him seriously at all.

But who knew that as soon as he got off the plane, he followed the clues in the whistleblower's letter and arrested several people who had no sense of right from wrong. Not only were they stripped of their positions, but their subordinates were also not spared.

That's when the group panicked.

People weren't stupid; they quickly figured out the reason from among those arrested—

They had all received benefits from Huo Qi to varying degrees, and as a result, they would deliberately cause trouble for the Huo Group.

Now everyone knows.

This is like gods fighting, and they, the innocent bystanders, have been caught in the crossfire.

In officialdom, taking sides indiscriminately is the worst thing to do, and now everyone resents Huo Qi for digging a pit for them.

That bastard, didn't he promise them that Huo Shen was already at his limit, and that as long as they helped him, Huo Shen would definitely fall?

Huo Qi spoke with sincerity, even promising him various benefits after taking office, and with priceless antiques offered as a free gift, the group was immediately tempted.

Now look what's happened, they're really going to be ruined by this illegitimate child!

Thinking about this, everyone gritted their teeth in frustration.

With the example set by those who rushed to the front as cannon fodder, the rest of us felt insecure.

In just two days, all the gifts that Huo Qi had sent out were returned to him intact.

There are only five days left until the Spring Festival.

This Spring Festival, the entire fourth branch of the family was gone, leaving the courtyard of the old house almost empty and looking extremely desolate.

At lunchtime, the third branch of the family was still in the south and had not yet arrived, the fourth branch was completely wiped out, and Huo Qi from the sixth branch was nowhere to be found.

Looking at the quiet and deserted room, Fifth Master immediately let out a cold laugh, giving Huo Shen and Xie Junfei, who were seated in the main seat, a sarcastic look:

"You young people are really capable."

"The steward only managed the household for two days, and he caused the family to be torn apart, with wives and children scattered and the population dwindling!"

"Kid, if all else fails, call a fortune teller to come and see if the wife you found is a cursed star, destined to bring misfortune to her father, mother, and family!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Huo Shen slammed down his chopsticks.

Seeing the master's anger, the servants immediately lowered their heads, trembling with fear and not daring to utter a single word.

The man in a high position looked him up and down and said mockingly:

"We've caused our people to be torn apart, their families dwindling? What a joke!"

"Could it be that my wife sent those good-for-nothings to rape underage girls, and poison her own mother for those shares?"

"Or did we let you thieves steal the antiques passed down through generations of the Huo family, use them to bribe outsiders, and let those outsiders deal with our own Huo family members!"

Upon hearing this, the Fifth Master was immediately startled.

How did Huo Shen find out?

Didn't he already make a fake antique and return it?

Or did something go wrong on Huo Qi's side, allowing Huo Shen to capture him?

The Fifth Master quickly determined the answer.

I paid a lot of money to hire a master forger; he would never be discovered. It must be Huo Qi!

Thinking of this, the Fifth Master gritted his teeth. This good-for-nothing illegitimate son!

What a damned thing! He said from the beginning that this illegitimate son was not up to the task, but the sixth master still insisted on pushing him up!

Seeing the look of shock and fear on Fifth Master's face, Huo Shen sneered and said sarcastically:

"Since ancient times, the family has always been a unified whole, with each branch of the family working together to overcome difficulties."

“In our family, I don’t expect you bunch of good-for-nothings to share the hardships. As long as you stay in the old house and don’t cause me any trouble, our first and second branches of the family can support you for the rest of your lives.”

"But if you insist on causing trouble here, and even betray your own people by colluding with outsiders to make things difficult for your own people, then don't blame us for turning our backs on you!"

Upon hearing this, Fifth Master broke out in a cold sweat.

He knew what Huo Shen meant.

Among the four branches of the family, the fifth branch has the smallest share and is the one most in need of being supported in the old house.

So Huo Shen's words meant he wanted them to leave!

No! They can't leave!

If they leave now, my collection of antiques will not be able to be converted into cash in the short term, and my descendants are about to be engaged. Without the protection of the Huo family's old mansion, there will definitely be no wealthy family of equal social standing that would want them!

The thought of his grandson marrying into a lower social class and his granddaughter marrying into a lower social class completely sobered the previously greedy Fifth Master.

He looked shakily at the head table, bowing his head for the first time to the junior he had always resented:

"Huo Shen, we're family! I'm your fifth grandfather!"

"Your fifth grandfather watched you grow up since you were a child, how could you be so heartless!"

"Besides, before your grandfather passed away, he made your father promise to treat us old folks well. Have you forgotten that?"

The man sitting in the main seat scoffed at this belated display of family affection:

"Come on, Fifth Master, stop pretending."

"What right do you have to call me heartless? And you're trying to use my grandfather to morally blackmail me?"

"Haven't you done enough to our eldest son's family over the years?"

Having said that, ignoring Fifth Master's objections, Huo Shen immediately began calculating the accounts:

"You spend a fortune at auctions for the antiques you like; it's my dad who pays for it."

"You were framed, made to spend hundreds of millions on a bunch of fakes, and then you cried and wailed in the old house. It was my dad who helped you get justice!"

"Even in recent years, your sons', grandsons', and granddaughters' weddings have all been paid for with public funds!"

"Our entire family has gone to great lengths for you, spending money and effort, and in the end, we're treated like ungrateful wretches? How can anyone be so unreasonable!"

At this point, the man slammed his hand on the table, causing the mahogany table to shake and spill scalding hot tea all over it.

This was Huo Shen's family matter, and Xie Junfei couldn't get a word in edgewise. He could only try to keep a low profile and observe silently.

These words left Fifth Master speechless.

Because everything Huo Shen said was true.

Seeing that she couldn't reason with them, the fifth old lady stepped in to smooth things over:

"Good child, your fifth grandfather is wrong."

“We have all seen the contributions of your first wife’s family over the years.”

"But you know the situation of the Fifth Branch; we're really struggling to make ends meet. Besides, your younger brother and sister are about to get married. I'm begging you, Fifth Grandmother, please, for the sake of us being family, be kind enough to take us in, okay?"

The Fifth Madam and the Fifth Master, who were also concerned about their reputation, felt ashamed when they saw their mother reveal the financial situation of the Fifth Branch of the family.

But when he thought that his mother was doing it for his own good, he swallowed the complaints that were on the tip of his tongue.

Huo Shen narrowed his eyes slightly, remaining silent.

After a long pause, he finally let out a cold laugh:

"Since Fifth Grandmother has made this request, I will give her face one last time."

"If you want to stay in the old house, that's fine."

"However, you must return to me one by one the antiques you stole from the Huo family's old storeroom!"

After saying this, the butler stepped forward and presented the Fifth Master with a list of antiques and calligraphy.

The old lady readily agreed and thanked her repeatedly when she accepted the order.

Only when the Fifth Madam glanced at the prepared butler did her previously deactivated brain immediately regain its intelligence.

You bastard Huo Shen, how dare you set us up like this!

Looking at the five members of the family below, who were expressing their gratitude profusely, Huo Shen and Xie Junfei exchanged a smile.

Indeed, the Chinese have always advocated for reconciliation.

So if you want to open a window, you have to threaten to tear the roof off.

This method has proven incredibly effective against the Huo family.