Treason and rebellion are both serious crimes of the Yi people, but the government soldiers just surrounded them but did not enter. Does this mean...
Zeng Xinyu stood up and clasped his fists and bowed, "The eldest son's crime is unforgivable. My husband and I are guilty of the same crime for not raising our son properly. However, the youngest son has never participated in family affairs. Please, young lady, show me a way to save his life."
"Dad..."
"Shut up."
Zeng Xiangyan bit his lower lip. For the first time, he felt disgusted with himself for being so useless. He could not do anything and did not even know how to exonerate his family.
The Zeng family's family tradition is actually upright. Hua Zhi felt sorry again. She stood up and said, "Before he died, the eldest son of the Zeng family made a deal with me. He exchanged the private silver he had hidden for many years for the safety of his family. The leader of the Seven Stars agreed, but Mr. Zeng should also know that once he is associated with treason, it is not easy to get out of it."
Zeng Xinyu calmed down. He could no longer hold on and sat down tremblingly, holding on to the armrest of the chair. Even if he was injured or lost everything, as long as his life was saved, there was a possibility of starting over.
"What do you need my Zeng family to do? Please tell me, young lady."
"I dare not give any orders. The eldest son of the Zeng family has been in contact with the Chaoli clan for many years. I want to search his study, bedroom and other places he often goes to. Even if there is a little gain, it will be beneficial to Daqing. I hope Master Zeng will understand if it is offensive."
"I understand. When it comes to the Chaoli tribe, it's never too cautious."
This is exactly the effect Hua Zhi wanted. She would first use a big move to stun the opponent, and then the subsequent arrangements would have to follow her rhythm.
"Please think about it, has the eldest son of the Zeng family said anything different to you than usual? These are all clues." Hua Zhi turned around and looked at the housekeeper waiting there, "Is the eldest lady here?"
"Yes." The housekeeper stepped aside. A plain-looking woman in white was about to come in, but Hua Zhi stood up and said, "Master Zeng, please give me a quiet room. I want to talk to the Madam alone."
Master Zeng glanced at his eldest daughter-in-law and saw that she had no reaction, so he said, "Housekeeper, take the eldest daughter to the small flower hall over there."
"yes."
The eldest lady remained silent all the way, and did not speak even when there were only two people left in the room.
Hua Zhi was not surprised. As the person next to him, she might know what Zeng's father and son didn't know. She was not in a hurry and slowly sorted out Jin Yang's affairs in her mind. After a while, she heard the woman opposite her softly ask, "Is he dead?"
"Dead."
The woman's face was unexpectedly calm, as if she had known this outcome.
"He didn't sleep last night. I stayed with him and listened to him talk a lot. He probably couldn't talk so much in a year. I don't remember some things, but he remembered what I was wearing when I first saw me, the pair of emerald earrings I wore, every word I said to him, and the time when he carried me on his back when we got married and I nervously pinched his neck... He remembered everything."
The eldest lady even smiled, a smile that was a bit shy and happy, and also had some girlish meaning. It was very beautiful. Hua Zhi felt that Zeng Xianglin must have loved watching it.
"I had been married for three years but had no children. My mother-in-law stuffed several maids into the house, all of them very pretty. I was ready for him to take a concubine, but he sent them all back, saying that the house was too small and could only accommodate one daughter-in-law. I was so happy at that time, and I felt that no woman in the world could be luckier than me."
Hua Zhi listened quietly and did not interrupt her.
“He was unwilling to be trapped in Jinyang. He wanted to go to the capital. He said that the small capital would always be just a small capital and would never become the real capital. He decided to go to the capital to take a look. He was so high-spirited and ambitious. Who could have imagined that purgatory was waiting for him? We just thought he was delayed by something and came back late. After he came back, he fell seriously ill and we just thought he was tired. Only I knew that he was covered in wounds. There was no healthy flesh on his face, and even... there was a bloody mess. Since then, we have never had sex as husband and wife. He was injured to the core.”
The eldest lady lowered her head and adjusted her sleeves slowly. "I don't know what he did outside later. He never told me, and I didn't ask. I just treated him as his wife, loved him and respected him, hugged him when he was tired, picked food for him when he drank, and leaned against him when he was sad. This is all I can do. I can't help him with what happened outside."
The eldest lady looked over and said, "I told you all this because he told me this morning when he left that if he didn't come back, the girl named Hua Zhi would come to visit and let me say whatever I wanted to say. I can tell you anything you ask as long as I know it. And this, he asked me to give it to you. I was in the yard where the maids had been cleaning and sweeping. The account books were tied with stones. If it wasn't you who came, I would have sunk them into the well."
Hua Zhi took the two books handed to her by the eldest lady and flipped through them. The upper one was an account book, recording the officials he had bribed and the amounts they had paid in recent years. With this book it would be easier to convict him.
As for the other book... The more Hua Zhi read it, the more shocked she became. It was actually an account book involving the entire Jinyang City. It listed clearly how much silver Jinyang City produced every year, how much went into the pockets of officials, how much he got, how much went to the noble families, and how much the Chaoli Clan got from him!
Touching the account book that still had body temperature, Hua Zhi looked at the eldest lady, "Does he ask for anything?"
The eldest lady shook her head. "He just said that his things are all in the stable, whether useful or not."
"Got it." Hua Zhi looked down at the account book. Zeng Xianglin might have really been forced into pursuing his ambitions, and he really hoped that Daqing and the Chaoli tribe would fight to the death. However, from the preparation of the account book, it could be seen that he was not very sure about today's events, and it could also be seen that he... was very thoughtful, and he still held a glimmer of hope for Daqing in his heart.
"I made a deal with him and promised him that I would protect the Zeng family. Madam, please accept my condolences."
"I'll follow his instructions."
Since the things were all at the horse farm, Hua Zhi didn't waste her time at Zeng's house. She stood up and prepared to leave. Looking at the eldest lady who seemed to have lost her soul, she finally felt a little reluctant, "I will send someone to send the eldest master back."
The eldest lady raised her head, and her eyes gradually became bright. She stood up and bowed deeply to Hua Zhi.
Hua Zhi accepted her gift and asked gently, "Where is the Zeng family's ancestral home?"
"Chengping County."
"Jinyang has no place for the Zeng family to stay. When things here are over, the Zeng family will move back to Chengping. Whether it's keeping vigil for him or serving his family, you have to be alive to do these things."
The eldest lady looked up in a daze. She had no intention of living. Without the ties of children, and with her parents being taken care of by her brother and sister-in-law, she had no reason to live. The Zeng family didn't care about her, but an outsider saw through it.
Are you living for your husband
Yes, she has to live for her husband. Her parents-in-law are frail and old, and she has an uncle who is not married yet. If she passes away, who will take care of these things at home
She also needs to live a few more years, wait for her uncle to get married, and let her husband wait for her for a few more years.
The eldest lady bowed again, looked up with a smile, and said, "Thank you for the reminder, young lady."
Hua Zhi returned the gift and turned to leave the house.
PS: Three updates. Thank you to the girl whose cell phone number ends with 3834 for the generous tip. I am sorry for the expense. Thank you also to the other girls for the tip. I have read the tips and messages and keep them in mind. Thank you everyone. Everyone should have a nickname. Many people just have their cell phone numbers, which makes it difficult to address each other.