Things became more and more complicated. At first, it was just a matter of an escort agency committing a crime. Although the person abducted was the granddaughter of Lord Xu, according to common sense, they would just deal with it severely. At most, they would pick out a typical person and behead him, and the rest would be exiled. But looking at the current momentum, it is clear that they are going to implicate everyone involved.
It's such a serious matter...
The censors' attacks were far from over. Emperor Longqing kept all the previous memorials in his possession and did not make a decision. The censors under him seemed to have sensed the direction of the wind and frantically began to settle accounts with the Wei family and Shen Chen.
For example, when he was in Fujian before, Shen Chen had done a lot of extraordinary things with the Wei family.
For example, this matter was originally related to the Wei family. Everyone knows that the Xie family and the Wei family had already had dealings with each other and the two families interacted constantly.
Some people also suggested that Emperor Longqing order the three courts to send the members of the Xie family to the capital in prison and collect the account books of the Xie family over the years to see if there is any foul play.
Under such circumstances, anyone in the court who had some information channels began to worry about the Wei family and Shen Chen.
Tsk tsk, huge wealth was right before my eyes, but who would have known that something like this would happen at the last moment
It looks like the Wei family is about to fall.
Under such heavy pressure and rumors, the Wei family acted more cautiously and even cancelled the tea party that had been invited long ago.
Those who like to gossip make fun of the Wei family - saying that the Wei family is really unjust. After all these years, they can't even hold a decent tea party.
Whenever something is done, something always goes wrong, and every time it goes wrong it's a big deal.
People in the capital who were watching the fun all wanted to see how unlucky the Wei family had become this time. The Wei family, which used to be packed with guests, was suddenly deserted. Even beggars stopped walking around the nearby streets, for fear of meeting some bad luck.
Everything was normal in the Dingbei Marquis's mansion, and even the servants did not look abnormal.
After the second and third wives paid their respects to Old Madam Wei, they talked about what happened this time: "The master and his men were so scolded that they dared not go to court anymore and took sick leave..."
The Third Madam had already guessed that Old Lady Wei and Wei An had already made plans for this matter, so she was not as nervous as usual when talking about this topic. She continued calmly, "We haven't even announced that we will not hold our tea party yet, but many people have already sent in their invitations..."
The Second Madam never talked about other people's affairs, but this time she couldn't help but sneer, "They say that when a person leaves, the tea gets cold. We haven't even left yet, but the tea is already cold. Although that group of people is powerful, they are too powerful."
"It's human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm. There's nothing to complain about." Old Madam Wei glanced at them and was very pleased that they were so calm now. After a pause, she continued, "Besides, although there are those who are snobbish, there are also those who help in times of need, right?"
This refers to the Chen family and the Ping'an Marquis Mansion.
The Ping'an Marquis's Mansion also specially sent many potted flowers, saying that they were left for Old Madam Wei to raise and enjoy.
The Third Madam and the Second Madam looked at each other and smiled as they talked about this: "You are right. Those fence-sitters are unreliable. It is worth it to see their true colors at this time."
The Second Madam hummed, and then continued, "And just like the old lady said, when disaster strikes, one can actually see people's true nature and know who is worth associating with and who is not."
Mrs. Wei didn't say anything else. She frowned and asked again, "Have the servants in the mansion been disciplined? Although we are stable above, we can't guarantee that the people below will be uneasy. After all, the rumors outside are very scary. There are those who are ignorant and inexperienced. I'm afraid they will be really scared and think that our family will be destroyed in an instant. Sometimes the people below are prone to do bad things. You are in charge of the affairs of this mansion, and these things depend on you. Don't let those ignorant people ruin things and cause big mistakes."
The second and third wives had already been prepared. They had suffered such losses before. In the previous few times, they had put a lot of effort into controlling the people in the mansion, for fear that their subordinates would do something wrong and bring trouble to everyone. This time, as soon as the imperial censors heard the news, they had already ordered their subordinates to do their best to restrain their subordinates and strictly forbade them to go out and inquire about the news.
Now that Old Lady Wei said so, they hurriedly agreed.
A few people were just talking about how they should stabilize the family first when the second and third masters came in. After greeting each other, they sat down at the signal of Mrs. Wei and carefully talked about the latest news outside today.
"Mother, the situation is getting worse and worse. I heard that the emperor has ordered the Xie family to be escorted to the capital." The third master spoke first, with deep worry in his tone: "Before, many censors had impeached the Xie family, but the emperor remained unmoved. Now he suddenly issued such an order. Could it be that... Could it be that he really believed what those censors said?"
What worries the Third Master is not these things, but the fact that the Xie family and the Wei family really have a deep connection.
The Xie family does give the Wei family a lot of money every year.
The most important thing is that the Xie family really has a criminal record in the past - the things that the first and second masters Xie did are still fresh in people's minds. How can they not find out anything if they really want to investigate
Furthermore, if the Xie family was escorted to the capital for trial, would they be able to bear the punishment imposed by the three courts? Would the Wei family lend a hand or not
Each and every one of them is a life-threatening test, and the slightest mistake may cost the lives of the entire family.
The Second Master has always been more timid than the Third Master, but this time he managed to keep his composure. He shook his head and said, "I, the Taoist priest, think that being escorted to the capital is a good thing. Although they are being sent to the capital in prison, doesn't that mean they will be taken back to the capital for retrial? It's better than directly convicting the Xie family from afar and making us bear a false charge, right? In comparison, I think escorting them to the capital is much more beneficial to us."
At least the Xie family was given a chance to speak.
Mrs. Wei smiled, obviously thinking that what the second master said hit the mark. She glanced at him and said with a smile, "No matter what happens, we can only listen and watch. Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor, and we should just accept them. Since the emperor has allowed the Xie family to come to the capital, we will just wait for them to come. As for the rest, we can't control it and can't intervene, let alone intervene. We just need to wait for the news, and there's no need to worry."
She said this so calmly and composedly, and the Second Master stopped talking and just glanced at the Third Master before nodding. (To be continued)