The Heir

Сhарtеr 76: What a Grаnd Shоw (Соmbinеd Chaptеr Sеeking Supрort)

When Zhеn Niаng аrrivеd аt thе Li Family Аncestral Residencе with Мanаger Zhеng, thе рlаcе wаs in uttеr сhаos. Еntering the front соurtyаrd, she saw sevеral yаmen runners lоitеring bу thе gаtе. Аfter a mоmеnt’s thought, shе signаlеd Mаnagеr Zhеng to entеr thrоugh the sidе door first, heаding straight for the rеаr hаll. She nеeded to sее hеr eldеst аunt-in-lаw first.

“I’m nоt оnе to сritiсize, but suсh a lаrge ink workshоp, а fаmilу legасу рassed down thrоugh generations—and уou actuаlly entrustеd it to а girl frоm the Еighth Branch? The Eighth Branch was long ago expelled from the Li Family Ink Workshop. Are you out of your minds? Well, now that you’ve brought such a disaster upon yourselves, I’d like to see how you plan to clean up this mess!”

“This was decided by Mother’s written instructions—her last words before she fell unconscious. How could we not follow them? Besides, since Zhen Niang took charge of the workshop, she has been doing quite well, managing everything properly,” Chen Shi explained from the side.

“Even if Mother entrusted it to her in writing, you shouldn’t have let her run wild! ‘Quite well,’ you say? Then what’s all this about now? Who can explain this to me?” the voice continued coldly.

Zhen Niang had just reached the second gate of the rear hall when she heard the scolding from a distance. The voice was unfamiliar, and she couldn’t tell who was speaking.

Who could be so bold? This was practically pointing fingers and scolding the Li family’s eldest madam right to her face.

But hearing her refer to Seventh Grandmother as “Mother,” could this be the eldest aunt?

The Seventh Branch of the Li family had three sons and one daughter. This was clearly the eldest aunt of the Seventh Branch, whose maiden name was Li Ninghong. As the only daughter, she was doted on by Seventh Grandfather and Seventh Grandmother, and even her brothers had always yielded to her at home. Later, she married into a family in Nanjing surnamed Han, who were in the textile business. They weren’t particularly noble, but they were certainly wealthy.

Zhen Niang turned to Manager Zheng beside her. “Is that my eldest aunt?”

“Yes, the eldest young lady arrived early this morning to visit the old madam,” Manager Zheng replied.

“Oh,” Zhen Niang nodded.

So it was indeed the eldest aunt. Over the years, the Eighth Branch of the Li family had little contact with the Seventh Branch, and Zhen Niang, having arrived here midway through her life, had naturally never met this aunt.

She just hadn’t expected their first meeting to be under such circumstances. The eldest aunt’s timing was quite coincidental.

This drama seemed to be getting more and more interesting, Zhen Niang thought.

At the second gate, Manager Zheng naturally couldn’t enter further, so Zhen Niang went in alone while he busied himself outside, attending to the guests.

“Eldest Aunt-in-law, Second Aunt-in-law, Third Aunt-in-law, Eldest Aunt, I’m here,” Zhen Niang said as she entered the rear hall, greeting everyone. She glanced at the eldest aunt sitting on the right.

She resembled Seventh Grandmother, though she was younger, of course. However, there was a hint of restlessness in her expression, making her seem less imposing than Seventh Grandmother.

“Well, let me take a look. So this is Zhen Niang from the Eighth Branch. How accomplished she is,” Madam Han Li remarked, sizing up Zhen Niang with a trace of disdain in her eyes.

“I dare not accept such praise from Eldest Aunt,” Zhen Niang replied calmly, ignoring the sarcasm in her tone.

“Dare not? I think you dare quite a lot! You even dared to take on business with Sea Bandits. What do you take the Li family for?” Madam Han Li pressed on with her accusations.

“The matter is not yet clear. Eldest Aunt passing judgment like this—I cannot accept it,” Zhen Niang replied, still composed.

“Yes, Eldest Sister…” Chen Shi opened her mouth, intending to mediate. She had many things she wanted to say to this eldest aunt, but as soon as the aunt entered, she launched into accusations without even discussing anything, leaving Chen Shi unable to voice her thoughts."Sister-in-law, don't make excuses for Zhen Niang. This time, Zhen Niang not only dared to do business with sea bandits, she even let them run up a debt. I heard the price for that batch of ink was particularly low, and I've been thinking—Zhen Niang must have made quite a profit from this deal." Madam Tian sneered from the side.

"Third sister-in-law, don't talk nonsense," Da Huang Shi glared at her. How could such words be spoken carelessly?

"How am I talking nonsense? You know all about the troubles their family has been having lately. Such a disaster, yet the Eighth Branch is so capable—not only did they settle the matter, they even got the oil workshop. I'm just wondering, where did the Eighth Branch get so much money to resolve this? Zhen Niang, what do you say?" Madam Tian asked. She knew the second sister-in-law and others had pooled funds, but that was far from enough.

"Third Aunt, there's one thing you probably don't know, right?" Zhen Niang asked with a faint smile.

"What is it?" Madam Tian raised an eyebrow.

"A while ago, my elder brother and Zhengsheng cousin went to Wuyuan and dug several inkstone pits. By heaven's grace, they unearthed a batch of high-quality inkstones and made a small fortune. Thanks to that small fortune, we were able to settle the matter from a few days ago," Zhen Niang explained.

"Hah, what a coincidence," Madam Tian said disbelievingly.

"Whether it's a coincidence or not is hard to say, but this caused quite a stir in Wuyuan. Anyone who inquires there will know the truth," Zhen Niang replied.

Madam Han Li also raised an eyebrow on the side.

"Enough, what time is it to still be arguing about this?" Chen Shi scolded from the side, then turned to Zhen Niang and asked, "Zhen Niang, how do you think we should handle this situation now?"

As she spoke, the two exchanged a glance. Ever since Wang Cuiqiao had privately paid that batch of goods money to Chen Shi, Chen Shi had understood there was more to this business deal. Now, she wanted to see what kind of tricks were being played behind the scenes.

After giving Chen Shi a look that said to wait and see, Zhen Niang replied, "I think there must be some misunderstanding. We should clarify things first. We only did business with Huiyuan Bank. As for whether it involved sea bandits or not, we had no idea."

"You make it sound so simple. Do you think saying you didn't know will be enough? The Commander of the Brocade Guard has to agree too," Madam Tian interjected again.

"I can't help but feel Third Aunt hopes something happens to the Ink Workshop," Zhen Niang said calmly.

"Nonsense! Where are your manners? I'm just worried," Madam Tian glared at Zhen Niang.

Zhen Niang ignored her and asked Chen Shi, "Aunt, what did the Commander say?"

"Arrest people and seal the Ink Workshop," Chen Shi replied.

Zhen Niang narrowed her eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "Aunt, I'll go to the front to take a look. I suppose if they want to arrest anyone, it'll be me." After all, Zhen Niang was currently in charge of the Ink Workshop.

"I'll go with you," Chen Shi said.

Then the two of them left the back hall and entered the front hall. Madam Tian and the others followed them out.

In the front hall at that moment, Steward Shao and Li Jingdong, along with Clerk Yun from the county office, were accompanying a Commander of the Brocade Guard dressed in a Flying Fish Uniform.

The Commander sat in the guest seat, eyes narrowed, sipping tea with an indifferent expression.

As soon as Chen Shi entered, she took the host's seat, with Zhen Niang sitting beside her."Your Honor, this matter is truly an unwarranted disaster for our Li family. Huiyuan Bank is a local merchant establishment in our area. Although it has not been open for long, its operators are all locals, considered to be well-known and trustworthy. Who could have imagined they were involved in maritime smuggling behind the scenes? As for our Li family, we would never dare to collude with sea bandits. We implore Your Honor to investigate thoroughly."

Chen Shi spoke, her voice steady, fully displaying the composure of a matriarch in charge.

Today, Huiyuan Bank had remained closed all day, with yamen runners loitering outside.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, is it? Logically speaking, if your transaction with Huiyuan Bank was so substantial, how could other competitors in the same trade not know about it? How could they not participate in the bidding? Yet, from my inquiries last night, not a single competitor in Huizhou was aware of such a deal beforehand. How could there not be hidden circumstances? Isn't it precisely because this was a shipment bound overseas, handled discreetly? To claim ignorance beforehand is nothing but a lie to fool ghosts. However, Madam, you need not worry. We will naturally get to the bottom of this. Therefore, I must ask the person in charge of the Ink Workshop to accompany me to the Nanjing branch of the Imperial Guards." At this moment, the Imperial Guards officer spoke with a cold tone, lifting his eyes to glance at Zhen Niang.

He clearly knew that Zhen Niang was the head of the Ink Workshop. Zhen Niang curled the corner of her mouth. Since Li Jincai had set this trap, this officer naturally knew who he was targeting.

"If Your Honor insists, then I, as the matriarch, shall go with you," Chen Shi replied calmly, her intentions impossible to discern.

"Your Honor, I believe it would be better for me to go. We are all women; it would be more merciful for Your Honor to show some compassion." At this, Li Jingdong addressed the Imperial Guards officer. His tone was always harsh, and these words were not particularly pleasant to hear.

"Indeed, Your Honor. It would be more fitting for us old folks to accompany you." At that moment, Old Shopkeeper Li hurried over with Li Dalang and others.

"What? Everyone wants to go? Then I shall grant your wish," the Imperial Guards officer said with a sinister tone. With a wave of his hand, he called to the yamen runners outside, "Take them all away."

Li Jingdong wore a cold smile, while Zhen Niang watched Li Jincai slip inside. She couldn't help but curl her lips again—it was time for him to make his entrance.

Sure enough, Li Jincai now wore a puzzled expression and spoke hesitantly to the Thousand Households officer, "Brother Yang? Is that you?"

Hearing the voice, the Imperial Guards officer scrutinized Li Jincai carefully. After a moment, he clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Isn't this Brother Jincai? What are you doing here?"

"Me? I am the son-in-law of the Li family," Li Jincai replied with a hearty laugh.

"You are the son-in-law of the Li family?" Lord Yang still wore an expression of disbelief.

Seeing Li Jincai nod, Lord Yang forced a bitter smile and said, "Then isn't this a case of the flood washing over the Dragon King's temple—family failing to recognize family?" He then turned to Clerk Yun beside him and added, "When we were in Suzhou, Brother Jincai saved my life."

"In that case, Your Honor, how should we handle today's matter?" Clerk Yun, ever quick to seize the moment, chimed in.

At this point, Li Jincai spoke with an air of righteousness to the Imperial Guards officer, "Brother Yang, I can guarantee with my life that our Li family has absolutely no involvement with sea bandits. I implore you to investigate thoroughly, Brother Yang.""I can doubt others' words, but I cannot doubt Brother Jincai's. Very well, in gratitude for Brother Jincai's life-saving grace, regardless of whether the Li family is colluding with sea bandits, I will take full responsibility for this matter today," declared Lord Yang with a touch of boldness.

He then added, "But this batch of goods remains troublesome after all. After all, it was seized on a sea bandits' ship—this is material evidence that cannot be denied. If it truly comes to an investigation, it will be difficult to explain."

"May I ask where this batch of goods is now? Could our Li family purchase it? We will cover all expenses for smoothing out the necessary channels," said Li Jincai, glancing at Chen Shi.

Chen Shi remained silent, merely looking at Li Jincai with a meaningful expression. After all, she knew some inside information.

Meanwhile, Li Jingdong frowned on the side, agreeing with Li Jincai's approach. If this could be resolved by spending money to avert disaster, it was the only feasible solution.

"Very well, since this matter involves Brother Jincai, I naturally have an inescapable duty. I will handle the necessary channels and do everything possible to retrieve this batch of goods," said Lord Yang, slapping his hand as he spoke.

"Thank you, Brother Yang," replied Li Jincai with a grateful expression.

Zhen Niang watched as these individuals performed their coordinated act—this play was truly spectacular. Uncle-in-law Jincai had executed a complete reversal, using his past favors to help the Li family resolve a major crisis during their most perilous time.

From now on, the Li family would owe him a debt of gratitude. Moreover, with Lord Yang as his backer, the Li family would have no choice but to view Li Jincai in a new light. It could be said that with this appearance, Li Jincai had fully achieved his intended goal.

"Actually, I have always wanted to ask this lord a question," said Zhen Niang at this moment. Having watched enough of the play, it was time for her to take the stage.

"What question? Go ahead," said Lord Yang.

"Are you certain that the ink seized from the sea bandits' ship belongs to our Li family?" asked Zhen Niang.

"What do you mean by that, Miss Li? Are you suggesting I have wrongfully accused your Li family?" retorted Lord Yang, raising his eyebrows.

"Haven't you wrongfully accused our Li family? As far as I know, just last night, the batch of ink our Li family sold to Huiyuan Bank was still in Huiyuan Bank's warehouse. I truly cannot understand—could this batch of ink have flown overnight to Zhoushan? Flown onto a sea bandits' ship?" said Zhen Niang with a sarcastic expression.

Upon hearing this, everyone except Chen Shi was greatly shocked. Li Jincai began to sweat on his forehead, sensing that something was amiss. How did Zhen Niang know that the goods were originally stored in Huiyuan Bank's warehouse?

"Zhen Niang, what exactly is going on?" asked Li Jingdong gravely.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" snapped Lord Yang fiercely at Zhen Niang. He then turned to Li Jincai and said, "Brother Jincai, it's not that I am ungrateful, but your family's Miss Zhen is truly unreasonable. Since she wants to confirm whether the seized goods belong to the Li family, fine. Let her come with me—seeing it with her own eyes would be best." As he spoke, Lord Yang waved his hand again.

Before the nearby constables could rush forward, the Li brothers had already positioned themselves in front of Zhen Niang.

"I think before going with Lord Yang, it would be better to first visit Huiyuan Bank's warehouse. In just one night, that batch of goods clearly couldn't have flown to Zhoushan. Perhaps it is still in Huiyuan Bank's warehouse at this very moment," said Zhen Niang coldly."Let's go take a look at Huiyuan Bank." Li Jingdong said coldly at that moment, for he understood Zhen Niang's character well. Zhen Niang always spoke with great prudence, so if she said this, they should indeed first go check Huiyuan Bank.

Although the details of the matter were still unclear for the time being, everyone present began to feel uneasy, sensing that today's events were growing increasingly strange.

Lord Yang now had fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He glanced discreetly at Li Jincai beside him, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. Li Jincai had always been meticulous in his work. As a precaution, he had already entrusted Sun Baiyi to move the goods out last night. Going to check now would only lead them to an empty warehouse.

Seeing Li Jincai's signal, Lord Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "Very well, let us make a trip to Huiyuan Bank."

Subsequently, the group set out, their procession so grand it drew sidelong glances from passersby.

Huiyuan Bank had remained closed all day.

Lord Yang stepped forward and knocked on the door. It was opened by another yamen runner, and Sun Baiyi hurried out to greet them, sweating profusely, with two officials following closely behind him.

"Your Honor," the two officials saluted Lord Yang with cupped fists.

"Take us to the warehouse," Lord Yang ordered.

At this point, the Li family members who had come along grew worried again. Seeing Lord Yang's straightforward actions, they wondered if Zhen Niang had been mistaken.

Only Zhen Niang knew the truth. This was all arranged in advance with Wang Cuiqiao. Once the hiding place was revealed, everyone would inevitably go to inspect it. Wang Cuiqiao had promised her a grand surprise for everyone, and Zhen Niang was eagerly anticipating this gift from Wang Cuiqiao.

The group soon arrived at the warehouse. A yamen runner opened it, revealing several crates filled with ink boxes, each bearing the Li family's seal.

Lord Yang was dumbfounded, forgetting to conceal his shock as he turned to glare at Li Jincai standing beside him.

Li Jincai's face darkened as well. He turned to look at Sun Baiyi, who wore a bitter smile. Last night, when he had intended to move the goods to another location, he was caught red-handed by Madam Xu. Now, he could hardly protect himself.

Seeing Sun Baiyi's expression, a chill ran down Li Jincai's spine. He felt as if he had fallen into a trap.

No, he had to save himself. He turned to Lord Yang and said, "Brother Yang, what is the meaning of this? You must give me an explanation, and an explanation to the Li family!"

"You..." Lord Yang clearly hadn't expected Li Jincai to suddenly turn against him. He was momentarily speechless, nearly choking on his anger.

Just then, the sound of applause echoed through the air.

"Seventh Grandmother, did you enjoy today's show?" Wang Cuiqiao emerged from behind the crowd, supporting an elderly woman with one hand.

The old woman's face was frosty, yet her eyes held a mocking glint.

Everyone was stunned at the sight of her.

For this old woman was none other than the Seventh Grandmother of the Li family—the head of the household who had been bedridden for over half a year.

But wasn't she supposed to be paralyzed at home? Wasn't she said to be unconscious all this time? Why had she suddenly appeared here?

Was this the grand surprise Wang Cuiqiao had spoken of? Had Seventh Grandmother suddenly recovered from her illness, or had she been feigning it all along?

In a flash of insight, Zhen Niang was certain: Seventh Grandmother had been pretending all along.Regarding Seventh Grandmother's situation, Zhen Niang had vaguely suspected something like this over the past few days. The main reason was that since the family's troubles began, Madam Tian's actions had been completely out of character. Madam Tian had always been steady-tempered and mild-mannered, yet in recent encounters, her words and deeds closely resembled Seventh Grandmother's, carrying that unique domineering air characteristic of Seventh Grandmother.

Now, thinking back, all of this must have been taught to her by Seventh Grandmother.

But when did Wang Cuiqiao get in touch with Seventh Grandmother? As she wondered, Zhen Niang glanced at Madam Tian and understood. Ever since she had Wang Cuiqiao deliver that payment directly to Madam Tian, the two had been in contact. From there, it made sense that Wang Cuiqiao would also have connections with Seventh Grandmother.

And so, this grand gift was arranged—truly a grand gift, one that stunned everyone into silence.

"I've been watching operas since I was little, but I've never seen one as thrilling as this. It's just that the plot is rather distressing. I must have made a fool of myself in front of Madam Xu," Seventh Old Madam said self-deprecatingly. After all, it was a family scandal.

"Old Madam, we're in the same boat. Don't I have my own share of troublemakers here?" Wang Cuiqiao said, casting a cold glance at Sun Baiyi beside her.

Sun Baiyi's face was pale, and he kept wiping sweat from his forehead—and this was the middle of winter.

"Master Yun, you've worked hard too," the old madam then said to Clerk Yun, who had been accompanying Lord Yang all along.

"You flatter me, Old Madam. I must say, I've never acted in a play before, but today I've had my fill of drama. Moreover, Madam has also gifted me a great merit. This fellow here has been impersonating an Imperial Guard for quite some time—not just a day or two. From Suzhou all the way here, many have suffered losses at his hands. Now, thanks to Madam's guidance, I've managed to crack this major case," Clerk Yun said, clasping his hands in gratitude.

"Then let me give you another merit. Not long ago, wasn't there someone selling Qimen's Luowen stone as Wuyuan's Luowen inkstone? That was also this man's doing. Several shops on our Four Treasures Street were deceived. Master Yun, you can now give them an explanation as well."

"In that case, I thank Seventh Madam once again," Clerk Yun replied.

By now, the so-called Lord Yang had collapsed to the ground. Officers had already shackled him with chains.

Zhen Niang looked at Seventh Grandmother, truly impressed. Li Jincai was setting up schemes, she was digging pitfalls, but the one truly controlling the situation was Seventh Grandmother. From the moment she appeared, Seventh Grandmother had been commanding the scene with ease—her ability to control the situation was simply extraordinary.

Listening to the conversation between her Seventh Grandmother and Clerk Yun, Zhen Niang now realized that this Lord Yang was the same swindler who had deceived Jiang Laiyun. Back then, if she hadn't happened to come across it, Uncle Jingdong would have lost everything.

In other words, the fake inkstone incident back then wasn't a coincidence—it was premeditated, part of Li Jincai's scheme. That scoundrel's plan ran deep. First, he used fake Luowen stone to cheat Uncle Jingdong, then he lured her and Steward Shao and Manager Zheng into a trap involving Sea Bandits. That way, the Ink Workshop would become his alone.

With someone as ungrateful as Madam Tian around, no wonder Li Jincai managed to seize the Li Family Ink Workshop in the clan records.

"Sister-in-law, what is going on?" Old Shopkeeper Li spoke up at this point, his face filled with agitation. To think that his sister-in-law, who had been unconscious all this time, had suddenly appeared before everyone in such a manner—it felt like a dream."Old Eighth, this matter is a long story. Let's leave it to Lord Yun to handle here, and we'll talk more at home," Seventh Old Madam said calmly to Old Shopkeeper Li, then beckoned to Zhen Niang.

Zhen Niang hurried forward to support Seventh Old Madam's arm, but couldn't help complaining naturally, "Seventh Grandmother, you've kept everyone in the dark for so long."

"But just now, you didn't seem the least bit surprised," the old madam patted Zhen Niang's hand, finding it rather odd. Indeed, her eldest daughter-in-law hadn't told Zhen Niang, yet this girl's reaction had been the calmest of them all.

"I had some suspicions earlier," Zhen Niang replied as she helped the old madam walk.

"Oh? When was that?" the old madam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A few days ago, during the Tung Oil Poisoning Incident, when Eldest Aunt appeared at the yamen gate," Zhen Niang said.

Chen Shi, who was supporting the old madam on the other side, paused: "So it was me who gave it away?"

"Hehe, Eldest Aunt has a steady but gentle temperament. You couldn’t have spoken with such boldness that day. The tone that day was exactly like Seventh Grandmother’s. Plus, I visit Seventh Grandmother every day. Although she was unconscious, her complexion wasn’t too bad, and her breathing was steady and even—not like someone seriously ill and unconscious. So, I made a bold guess. Of course, it was just a wild thought, but I never expected it to be true." Zhen Niang said with a playful smile.

"In that case, it really was me who gave it away," Chen Shi laughed.

"I told you earlier. It’s easy to fool anyone, but not this girl. She’s sharp as a tack," Seventh Old Madam teased Zhen Niang. In her heart, she sighed—only Zhen Niang, who truly cared for her, would pay attention to her complexion and breathing. This girl is truly kind-hearted.

"But, Seventh Grandmother, you really went too far this time," Zhen Niang said now with a serious, choked-up voice, her eyes reddening.

Ever since Seventh Grandmother left that letter, she had borne too much alone. Now, the grievances she had held back could no longer be contained.

Even Old Shopkeeper Li on the side gave the old madam a reproachful look. Sister-in-law could play her games, but she shouldn’t have pushed Zhen Niang into such a storm. Zhen Niang was just a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl.

Fortunately, she proved herself capable. An ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to withstand such pressure.

"Yes, Seventh Grandmother owes you an apology, Zhen Niang. I had no other choice. Alright, I’ll take whatever punishment you give me. How about I prepare a dowry for you that will make everyone in the world envious?" Seventh Old Madam teased.

At this moment, Seventh Old Madam’s heart was filled with emotion.

In truth, ever since she woke from her first stroke and saw the chaotic state of the family, as if they had lost their backbone, she had been gripped by panic.

She wondered, if she died, what would happen to the Ink Workshop? What would happen to her daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law? What would happen to You Ge’er?

There were so many things she couldn’t see clearly or understand. Moreover, the Ink Workshop was the Li family’s centuries-old foundation and her husband’s legacy. If she let go, given the state of the workshop at the time, it would likely be unsustainable.

But she had faith in Zhen Niang. Zhen Niang’s recent ink-making and her diligent study of Ink Craft made her feel that reviving Li Mo might very well fall on Zhen Niang’s shoulders. However, Zhen Niang was, first, a girl, and second, a granddaughter of the eighth branch. Even if she wanted to entrust the Ink Workshop to Zhen Niang, it seemed improper and lacking in justification.

Besides, whether Zhen Niang could truly revive the family business was something she wasn’t entirely sure about. That’s why she painstakingly staged this second stroke, pretending to be a living corpse. By passing the Ink Workshop entirely to Zhen Niang, she could, on one hand, test Zhen Niang’s abilities, and on the other, even if Zhen Niang failed, she could step in to clean up the mess. By keeping Zhen Niang by her side, after one failure and with her personal guidance, the resistance to Zhen Niang taking charge of the Ink Workshop would likely lessen significantly.

These were her thoughts and considerations.

And through this, she could also see everyone’s true faces.Now, things had indeed turned out as expected. The only thing that surprised her was Zhen Niang's performance, which truly opened her eyes. Zhen Niang hadn't just done well—she had done far too well, exceeding her expectations by a wide margin.

Of course, the girl had suffered quite a bit of injustice, but Zhen Niang's grievances would not be in vain. The Eighth Branch would surely repay her.

"Grandmother, are you making fun of me?" Zhen Niang said with a hint of annoyance.

As they spoke, the group returned to the Li family mansion.

"Mother, weren't you said to have had a stroke? I was wondering why I didn’t see you in the Buddhist hall earlier and thought Sister-in-law had taken you somewhere. Mother, you scared me to death. I was even blaming Sister-in-law for not sending me a message earlier. If Third Sister-in-law hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have known so much had happened at home." At the entrance, Madam Han Li saw Seventh Old Madam and let out a long sigh of relief, stepping forward to ask.

Chen Shi had known all along that the old madam was feigning illness, so naturally, she hadn’t written to Madam Han Li.

"So you came as soon as someone mentioned it, and as soon as you arrived, you started lecturing this one and scolding that one. Madam Han, you certainly put on quite a show," Seventh Old Madam said sharply, her words stinging Madam Han Li’s face like fire.

"How could I not come when something happened to Mother?" Madam Han Li said with a pained expression.

"Stop pretending. Do you think I don’t know what you’re up to? Wait over there for now. I’ll settle accounts with you later," Seventh Old Madam glared at her. She knew her daughter well. Although the girl had come because of her illness, as soon as she arrived, she started suppressing Chen Shi and Zhen Niang. Wasn’t it just because she was jealous of the Eighth Branch gaining the Ink Workshop and wanted a share of the spoils? With such petty motives, she deserved to be used by others.

Scolded by Seventh Old Madam, Madam Han Li retreated to the side with an embarrassed expression.

By now, everyone had entered the main hall. Even Sixth Grandfather and Aunt Jinhua from the Sixth Branch had arrived. The two of them looked at Seventh Old Madam, who appeared perfectly fine, with excitement, though they still had no idea what had actually happened.

"Light the lamps!! Close the doors!!!" Seventh Old Madam sat upright in the seat of honor and coldly ordered Steward Shao outside.

The dark red doors slowly closed.

Seventh Old Madam was about to begin purging the household!!!!