Chapter 890: The Savage Yan Yan (4)  

The Liu family mother and daughter couldn’t just watch Wei Mama being beaten. They quickly rushed forward to stop it. In her anger, Liu Tinglan grabbed a feather duster from the table and fiercely swung it at Du Laizi’s back.  

However, before she could strike again, Du Laizi’s two older sons rushed forward to stop her.  

These two weren’t any better. After snatching the feather duster from her, they disgustingly reached out to grope Liu Tinglan’s chest.  

Mo Yan burst into the room and was immediately enraged by the scene. Without thinking, she picked up a nearby tea table and swung it hard at Du Laizi’s eldest and second son.  

Having refined her body with spiritual spring water and trained with the help of Xue Tuanzi, Mo Yan’s strength was enough to easily lift a large round table, let alone a small tea table. When the table struck, both of Du Laizi’s sons were knocked to the ground with a scream that sounded like a dying pig: “Ah—!”  

Fresh blood poured from the wounds, quickly soaking their thin clothes and spreading across their backs, filling the air with a faint smell of blood.  

The sudden turn of events stunned everyone.  

Seeing the cold fury on Mo Yan’s face, the Du family was frozen in fear. Hearing the agonized screams of Du Laizi’s eldest and second sons, they were gripped by an overwhelming fear, wishing their parents had given them more legs to flee faster.  

Du Laizi, who had been beating Wei Mama earlier, froze with his raised fist under Mo Yan’s sharp gaze. He was too afraid to strike, fearing the tea table in her hand would strike him instead.  

Seeing that the Du family was paralyzed in fear, Mo Yan calmly walked over to Du Laizi’s eldest and second sons, who were still groaning in pain. Noticing that they couldn’t move and were bleeding from their backs, she sneered and kicked both of them before walking over to the Liu family mother and daughter, who were still recovering from their shock.  

“Aunt, Sister Lan, are you alright?”  

When the Liu family saw Mo Yan holding the tea table, they exchanged a glance and nodded, shaking their heads.  

“Glad you’re okay!” Mo Yan sighed in relief, then turned to Du Laizi, who was still in disbelief. With his shocked gaze upon her, she lifted the tea table once again and smashed it down onto him.  

If it weren’t for the fact that killing would tarnish her moral standing and the crime wasn’t severe enough to warrant death, she would have aimed directly for Du Laizi’s head with the blow.  

Looking down at Du Laizi, who was wailing on the floor, clutching his broken arm, Mo Yan dropped the tea table and stepped on his chest. “You Du family spread rumors and slandered my Sister Lan. I didn’t go to your family to settle the score, so you should be thanking your ancestors. But now, you dare to come to my door and cause trouble. Since you delivered yourselves to me, I won’t let you go unpunished.”  

As she spoke, Mo Yan’s eyes scanned the room. When she noticed Du Wencai was absent, a flash of regret crossed her face. If that scoundrel had been here, she would have dealt with him as well. Now, she had to come up with another way to rid herself of this trouble.  

The rest of the Du family, seeing Du Laizi knocked down by Mo Yan, were completely terrified. When Mo Yan’s gaze turned to them, they shrank back in fear, not daring to speak a word, afraid that they would be the next target.  

Seeing that they were subdued, Mo Yan couldn’t be bothered with the group of old, weak, women, and children. With her sleeve concealing her movements, she took out a name card from her spatial ring and handed it to the hastily arriving Uncle Sun. “Uncle Sun, take this name card to the yamen and tell them that this group of troublemakers attacked us. Ask them to come quickly for reinforcements.”  

With her status as a county princess, she held far more weight than any jinshi. This time, she would make sure the Du family would never rise again!  

Uncle Sun, overjoyed, quickly took the name card from Mo Yan’s hand. “Thank you, County Princess! I’ll go at once!”  

After speaking, he nodded at the Liu family mother and daughter before rushing out.  

The Du family, seeing Mo Yan hand over the name card to Uncle Sun for the official report, were filled with fear. But they hadn’t realized how serious their situation was until they heard Uncle Sun refer to Mo Yan as “County Princess.” At that moment, it was as if the sky had fallen down on them.  

Only now did they recall that Du Wencai had mentioned that the Liu family was close to a county princess. They had been calculating, thinking that once Du Wencai married Liu Tinglan, they could use the princess’s connections to send Du Wencai to the Changshan Academy, and find good positions for Du Laizi’s sons, possibly even in government jobs. The dream of living a life of luxury was within their reach.  

But they never imagined that today, their entire family would be crushed by the very princess they had planned to use.  

Ignoring the desperate wails of the Du family, Mo Yan turned to Madam Liu and asked, “Aunt, how do you plan to deal with these people?”  

Madam Liu hesitated before answering, worriedly asking, “Yan girl, will this affect your reputation?”  

People sympathize with the weak. The Du family had been beaten so badly at the Liu household, but if they were then dragged away by the authorities, it would raise suspicions that Mo Yan, using her status as a princess, was acting recklessly. If it escalated, her reputation could be tarnished.  

“Yes, Yan Yan, we can’t let you bear this bad name,” Liu Tinglan also nodded, worried about her friend’s involvement.  

Seeing that they were truly concerned for her, Mo Yan smiled and reassured them, “Aunt, Sister Lan, don’t worry. I have everything under control.”  

Mo Yan’s confident demeanor eased the worries of the Liu family somewhat, but they were still determined to protect her from the mess she had gotten herself into.  

[End of Chapter]    

 Chapter 889: The Savage Yan Yan (3)  

Looking at the greedy Du Laizi, Madam Liu would never believe his lies! A person like him, who was insatiable, would only ask for more. If they compromised this time, the next time they would ask for even more. Even if the Liu family had vast wealth, it would never be enough to satisfy their greed.  

But if they refused, the Du family might really stay in the house and refuse to leave. Even if they reported it to the authorities, it might not do much. Madam Liu was truly in a dilemma. She hated herself for being so useless that she allowed the Du family to manipulate them. If her husband hadn’t gone to the academy today, he would have certainly thought of a way to get rid of these people.  

Seeing her mother’s hesitation, Liu Tinglan understood her concerns and rushed forward to grasp her mother’s hand, decisively saying, “Mother, we can’t give them the silver. Let’s report it to the authorities!”  

Seeing her mother still wavering, Liu Tinglan knew what she was worried about and persuaded her, “Mother, if the Shen family believes these rumors and calls off the engagement, I would never want such a family! This shameless bunch has no credibility. If we give in now, they will come back tomorrow and ask for more. Let’s just report them for extortion and have them locked up for the rest of their lives. That way, they will never be able to trouble our family again.”  

Madam Liu, who had never been willing to use money to silence the Du family, was now resolute after hearing her daughter’s words. If the Du family was convicted of extortion, they would be locked away for ten or more years, and by then, her daughter would be married. Even if the Du family continued to spread rumors, Madam Liu wouldn’t be afraid anymore.  

With this thought in mind, Madam Liu made up her mind. She turned to Wei Mama, who had served her for many years, and instructed, “Go to the study and bring Master’s name card to the yamen. Tell them that we have unwanted visitors and need them to come immediately.”  

Wei Mama, who was loyal to the Liu family, hated the Du family deeply. She nodded quickly and said, “I’ll go right away. Madam and Miss should be careful and not confront these shameless people head-on. I’ll return as soon as I can.”  

After giving her instructions, Wei Mama hurried to the study.  

When the Du family saw that Madam Liu and her daughter were not concerned with their reputation and were going to report them to the authorities, they were taken aback. They quickly got up to stop Wei Mama from going. Du Laizi’s wife screamed at the stunned Du Laizi, “Husband, quickly stop her, stop that dog servant!”  

Du Laizi suddenly snapped back to reality and immediately chased after Wei Mama, who was already nearly out of the room.  

Wei Mama was older than Madam Liu, and her legs were not as quick, so she couldn’t outrun the strong and tall Du Laizi. He soon caught up with her.  

Realizing she couldn’t escape, Wei Mama scratched Du Laizi’s face in desperation, shouting, “You shameless dog, I’ll scratch you to death!”  

Du Laizi was caught off guard, and the scratch landed directly on his face. He touched his face, and his hand was covered with blood. The pain made him furious. With his fist clenched, he began to beat Wei Mama viciously, cursing, “How dare you scratch my face! I’ll beat you to death, old hag, beat you to death!”  

Du Laizi’s booger-covered grandsons cheered, clapping their hands and urging him on, “Grandpa, beat her! Beat her good! Break her legs, so she can’t report us to the authorities!”  

Encouraged by his grandsons, Du Laizi intensified the beating, throwing punch after punch at Wei Mama.  

Wei Mama, unable to dodge, took several hits. Her whole body felt like it was falling apart, but she refused to beg for mercy, only shouting curses at Du Laizi.  

[End of Chapter]    

 Chapter 1702: Telepathic Connection

 Chapter 1701: Two Sets of Sleeve Arrows

 Chapter 255.1: He Also Misses the One in Jiangnan

Chang Suining accepted it and saw that it was a neatly folded letter.

She unfolded it and, borrowing the flickering firelight, read for a moment before raising her head to look at Wei Shuyi. “...Grand General Cui?”

Wei Shuyi, who was taking another object out of his sleeve, looked surprised. “How did Young Miss Chang come to know of that?”

Chang Suining put the letter away and replied calmly, “I also have a copy of that list.”

Wei Shuyi’s expression shifted to one of understanding. He then revealed the object in his hand with a teasing smile. “Young Miss Chang has the list, but I wonder—do you also happen to have this as well?”

He said it in jest, yet when Chang Suining looked over and nodded lightly, “I do,” Wei Shuyi could not help but laugh in disbelief.

“I was wondering why Grand General Cui sent someone out to handle affairs, yet only allowed them to carry half of the copper talisman,” he said, looking at the half-piece in his palm with a faint smile. “So the other half was with Young Miss Chang all along.”

Grand General Cui Ling’an—when he cares for someone, it seems he spares no effort, holding nothing back.

A fleeting silence passed. Something flickered behind Wei Shuyi’s downcast eyes—part contemplation, part astonishment. When Chang Suining handed the list back to him, she said evenly, “So, Lord Wei, this time you came aided by the list of usable men and the token Grand General Cui provided?”

“Exactly so.” Wei Shuyi sighed with a wry smile. “And to think I toiled so long, only for all the credit and glory to end up belonging to him... Now Young Miss Chang must understand why I was so reluctant to speak of it earlier?”

Listening to his self-mocking tone, Chang Suining stoked the fire with a branch, letting the flames leap higher, and said leisurely, “Your achievements are real and plain to see, Lord Wei.”

If victory could be gained simply through a copper talisman and a list from Cui Jing, she would have gone herself long ago.

Wei Shuyi’s success owed not only to Cui Jing’s aid but also to his own courage, insight, and resourcefulness—combined with his Imperial Envoy title and the Imperial Edict authorizing the punishment of Li Yi.

In truth, this was a matter of heaven’s timing, earth’s advantage, and man’s harmony—none could be lacking.

Wei Shuyi smiled faintly and turned slightly toward her. “Then, in Young Miss Chang’s opinion, between me and Cui Ling’an, whose merit is greater? If there are ten parts of merit, how many do I hold, and how many does he?”

Chang Suining gave him a sidelong glance. “The division of merit and rewards is a matter for the Holy Emperor, not me.”

Wei Shuyi chuckled, amused.

But he was not truly asking for reward.

Seeing that she had little interest in his teasing, he instead asked, “Then, may I know when and where you obtained Grand General Cui’s token?”

“Before entering Shouzhou,” Wei Shuyi replied. “It came from General Cui Yuanxiang himself.”

Chang Suining was surprised. “Yuanxiang came to Jiangnan?”

Judging by the timeline, Wei Shuyi’s entry into Shouzhou must have been over ten days ago. That would mean Yuanxiang left the northern front at least half a month prior.

Half a month ago, the battle at Hezhou had not yet ended.

Could it be that after hearing of the Hezhou situation, Cui Jing sent Yuanxiang south bearing his token to provide aid?

Wei Shuyi’s tone grew more reflective. “It seems Grand General Cui, though confined to the northern frontier and unable to leave his post, has nonetheless kept the Jiangnan campaign close to his heart.”

And also the people of Jiangnan—someone in particular.

Wei Shuyi turned toward the girl beside the fire, smiling. “Thanks to his concern for Jiangnan, I got to reap an easy victory.”

“Lord Wei does have a knack for good fortune,” Chang Suining said lightly, “but tell me, where are Yuanxiang and the others now?”

“They escorted me and General Xiao secretly all the way as we went to rally the eighty thousand troops,” Wei Shuyi explained. “The journey was not smooth—avoiding Xu Zhengye’s spies was perilous, and each stage of the route had to be carefully scouted.”

Once in the military camp, dangers multiplied. The deputy general, Yu Zai, was fiercely arrogant, and several skirmishes broke out before order was restored.

Wei Shuyi recalled the scenes vividly. “General Xiao and I brought with us some of the finest men, yet we were no match for Yuanxiang’s group when it came to handling the battlefield. After all, they are the elite of the Xuanzhe Army, battle-hardened under Cui Jing’s command for years.”

Even though Cui Yuanxiang often acted like a simple-minded man... seeing him in action, Wei Shuyi realized those missing wits had merely been put to other use.

This “loss and gain” of wits made his aide, Chang Ji, once fall into utter despair—convinced that the only fool among them was himself.

Wei Shuyi smiled faintly at the memory. “To ensure General Chang’s safety, General Xiao and I led the vanguard forward while the rear troops moved more cautiously. Yuanxiang’s men followed at the rear, maintaining formation and securing the route.”

Chang Suining nodded approvingly. “That was a prudent arrangement.”

Wei Shuyi’s expression softened. “It’s thanks to Yuanxiang and his men that we succeeded. No matter how the Holy Emperor decides to divide the credit, I must still thank Cui Ling’an.”

He then smiled at her. “And I must also thank you, Young Miss Chang, for once again letting me gain great merit without lifting a finger.”

The word “again” naturally referred to the incident with Zhao Fu in Hezhou.

At that time, he had watched two “thieves” sneak into his carriage from a teahouse window. One of them, oddly courteous, had left behind a piece of broken silver as “payment” for temporary shelter—beneath which lay the confessions of the Zhao family’s accomplices.

That was his first encounter with her.

Because of those confessions, he easily captured Zhao Fu’s crimes with minimal effort.

This time was even easier—he had been sent to apprehend Li Yi, yet before he could so much as touch the man’s sleeve, the deed was already done for him.

Wei Shuyi laughed lightly. “It seems every time I am sent as Imperial Envoy, I complete my mission smoothly—all thanks to you, Young Miss Chang. You might be my lucky star.”

Though his tone was playful, his thoughts drifted back to that first meeting in Hezhou—to the rain-soaked temple night when Cui Jing had said, “I’m sorry, I cannot say,” and to that mysterious Heavenly Maiden Tower.

“I should thank you too, Lord Wei,” Chang Suining said suddenly.

Wei Shuyi raised a brow, smiling. “And what would you thank me for?”

“For letting me kill Li Yi.”

“For not becoming a burden to you, perhaps?”

They both spoke at once.

Chang Suining looked at him calmly. “Both, I suppose.”

Wei Shuyi laughed heartily, his laughter open and bright.

Then, growing thoughtful again, he said, “Speaking of Li Yi—his advisor mentioned Xu Zhengye’s so-called secret weakness...”

He paused to warm his hands above the fire. His fingers were long and slender, fair and smooth—the hands of a scholar, not a soldier.

Unhurriedly, he continued, “It turns out the secret was simply that Xu Zhengye is fond of women.”

Chang Suining raised a brow. “That’s hardly a secret worth dying over. For such a trivial reason, he really went to all that trouble?”

The interrogation had almost reached the point of listing Xu Zhengye’s daily habits—eating, drinking, and visiting the latrine—as “secrets.”

The advisor’s fate was pitiful indeed, loyal to a master who, even at death’s door, left him a pit to fall into.

But remembering how much Li Yi’s depravity had been encouraged by this same man, Chang Suining thought perhaps it was poetic justice—each made the other what they were.

 Chapter 254.2: Rules Are Dead, But People Can Be Too (Part 2)

“…As commander, he never valued his soldiers; as a royal, he showed no mercy; commanding two hundred thousand troops yet doing nothing. Such a man is useless, heartless, and wicked. Allowing him to live is injustice.”

He was correct: Li Yi’s father had served the court well. Li Yi was skilled in feigning regret.

If someone used the father’s merits to plead for him, he might be spared.

Even if reduced to a commoner, imprisoned—what then? The political situation could change. Someone might overthrow the Empress, turning rebels into heroes. Who would remember those who died because of him?

Chang Suining could not allow such reasoning to manifest.

From the day she received the edict from He Wei, she resolved: Li Yi must die.

Finally, she asked Wei Shuyi: “Do you think these reasons are sufficient for me to kill him a hundred times?”

Lady Jicai gripped her chopping knife, recalling Hezhou’s defense, wishing she could tear Li Yi apart.

Wei Shuyi hesitated, “But he claims… he knows Xu Zhengye’s secrets.”

He glanced at Li Yi’s aide: “Then leave one alive for the secrets. You may decide.”

Li Yi panicked: “Wei Shuyi, how dare you!”

“I have surrendered! I am of royal blood!” he cried.

“The Holy Emperor said: rebels who resist may be executed on the spot.” Wei Shuyi pointed to Li Yi’s fallen men: “Evidence enough.”

“Rules are dead—” Chang Suining raised her knife.

The blade grazed Li Yi’s neck, leaving a thin red line.

With a soft seng, she sheathed the knife. Calmly, she said: “But people… can be too.”

Rules are dead; so can people.

Wei Shuyi saw Li Yi’s neck almost severed, blood gushing.

“Stop staring, or you’ll have nightmares,” she teased, walking away.

She did not look back, mounted her horse, and said: “Follow me.”

Wei Shuyi had Li Yi’s body removed for later use and ordered his aide guarded. The army surged behind them.

Chang Kuo’s battle had subsided. With the commander gone, morale collapsed.

Now the commander had returned—but only as a corpse.

Li Yi’s body was displayed; Wei Shuyi showed the imperial edict, declaring Li Yi executed and ordering surrender. Soldiers panicked and laid down weapons.

The winter sun set; a cold moon rose.

The army consolidated, camped, and lit fires.

Chang Suining sat by the fire with Ah Dian. She had changed into a dark red robe with black cloak, hair tied in a ponytail, watching the stars.

Ah Dian stared, then buried his head in her shoulder, crying, “I miss Your Highness!”

She gently patted his back.

Wei Shuyi approached, smiling: “Tell me, and I will uphold justice for you.”

Ah Dian sniffled: “Xiao Ah Li wouldn’t bully me… she’s just like Your Highness.”

Wei Shuyi smiled, “You mean the former crown prince?”

Chang Suining asked, “Minister Wei, how did you secretly secure those eighty thousand troops near Yangzhou?”

“To deploy forces everywhere wastes time and energy; better to remove the problem at its source. Though risky, it worked because I anticipated Miss Chang and General Chang intercepting Li Yi. I wanted to try.”

“Though I arrived late, Miss Chang had already captured Li Yi using troops borrowed from Chuzhou. My risk was wasted,” he sighed.

Chang Suining replied, “Not wasted. Many lives were saved. You have merit, Minister Wei.”

He laughed, adding, “And I did not hold back Miss Chang either.”

Chang Suining asked: “But how did you bring eighty thousand troops under control?”

He produced an item from his sleeve. “Here lies the secret to victory, not to be shared.”

 Chapter 888: The Savage Yan Yan (2)  

The man before them was none other than Du Wencai’s father, Du Laizi. Due to his high self-esteem but lack of abilities, combined with his laziness and tendency to loaf around in the streets, Du Laizi had earned the nickname “Laizi” from the neighbors. Over time, this nickname stuck, and his real name was largely forgotten.  

Madam Liu’s face turned blue with anger. Thinking back to how she had once foolishly arranged such a disgraceful match for her daughter, she was filled with disgust and wished she could grab a broom and chase them all out.  

Suppressing the urge to shout, she stopped Liu Tinglan, who was about to step forward to argue, and coldly said, “You and I both know why the engagement was called off. If you want to make a scene, go ahead. Let’s see how far your Du family is willing to go. If you want to extort my Liu family, let the word get out. I wonder if your precious son’s future will still be intact.”  

In the Da Chu Kingdom, those who followed the imperial examination route to enter the officialdom not only needed talent but also a good reputation. Those with poor character, who earned a bad name, were often stripped of their titles, and examples of such cases were not rare.  

It was like the third-place scholar from three years ago, who had drunkenly drowned in a river, or those who had disrupted their household and caused scandals that led to their rejection by higher officials. Such people were unable to find success in the bureaucracy and had their careers cut short.  

Du Laizi was hoping that his youngest son would pass the imperial exams next year and lead a life of luxury. When he saw Madam Liu using this threat against him, he immediately lashed out, shouting, “You foul woman, how dare you curse my son! Do you think I won’t beat you?”  

Madam Liu looked at Du Laizi with disdain, as though she were looking at a rat in the gutter. “If you dare to lay a hand on me, perhaps it will make you look a little better. But if you’re not afraid of ending up in prison, then go ahead and strike. Just be careful your precious son doesn’t end up ruining his chances of passing the exams because of you.”  

Du Laizi, enraged by Madam Liu’s contemptuous gaze, lunged forward, but something seemed to stop him. He paused and, with a menacing tone, sneered, “Hmph, do you think I would dirty my hands personally? I have many ‘brothers’ who can make your Liu family’s life miserable. If you don’t hand over a thousand taels of silver today, I’ll make sure you regret it.”  

Having spent decades idling around, Du Laizi didn’t possess any real skills, but he knew a lot of petty criminals. These thugs weren’t powerful enough to take on influential families, but they were experts at causing trouble. While they couldn’t be easily caught by the authorities, they were adept at spreading rumors or disturbing families without being noticed.  

They couldn’t do anything to wealthy families, but for a common family like the Liu’s, they could easily harass them at night or spread malicious rumors about them during the day, causing enough trouble to tarnish their reputation.  

“Du, don’t you dare!”  

Upon hearing Du Laizi’s words, Madam Liu’s face grew tense with worry. She wasn’t afraid of the other threats, but she feared the rumors would spread to the Shen family. The Shen family was still in the capital, preparing for the engagement ceremony, and any misunderstanding could ruin the match.  

If that happened, then everything she had tried to avoid earlier—allowing this shameless family in—would be for nothing. She had feared that these troublemakers would cause a public scandal, which might lead to the Shen family’s involvement and drag the whole engagement into jeopardy.  

Noticing Madam Liu’s hesitation, Du Laizi smirked triumphantly, tossing a peanut into his mouth and crunching it loudly. “You’re a smart woman. Why bother arguing with people like us? Your Liu family is rich and powerful, a thousand taels isn’t much. Consider it a charitable donation for us poor folks. I, Du Laizi, guarantee that once we have the silver, we won’t bother your family again.”  

[End of Chapter] 

 Chapter 887: The Savage Yan Yan (1)  

The engagement ceremony between the Liu and Shen families had been set for the 15th of May, with invitations already delivered to family and friends.  

Liu Tinglan had been confined to the house by Madam Liu to study household management. In the past, she hadn’t cared who she married and had been content staying at her own home. But now that she was going to marry into the Shen family, not knowing how to manage a household was no longer an option. She had taken to the lessons willingly.  

As a result, she had no chance to visit Mo Yan. It had been more than a month since they had seen each other.  

Mo Yan had gone to a shop to buy two boxes of pastries and, with her younger siblings in tow, knocked on the door of the Liu household.  

After knocking for a while, the door was finally opened by the Liu family’s coachman, Uncle Sun. Seeing his sour expression and hearing the faint sounds of arguing from inside, Mo Yan’s face remained calm as she softly asked, “Uncle Sun, is there a guest at the house?”  

Uncle Sun, with a look of disdain, spat, “A bunch of scoundrels and thugs, how can they be called guests?”  

Mo Yan frowned upon hearing this. Uncle Sun was usually mild-mannered, so the fact that he was this angry meant that today’s visitors weren’t ordinary guests.  

The Liu family had many relatives, but most of them were from the same clan, and they didn’t interact much. Moreover, they were all respectful people, so it was unlikely that any of them would cause a scene. Mo Yan had never heard her friend mention any troublesome relatives in the Liu family.  

With this in mind, Mo Yan made a guess and cautiously asked, “Uncle Sun, is it the Du family?”  

Uncle Sun, without hiding his frustration, nodded in resignation. “Who else could it be? I don’t know how they found out about the engagement between Miss Liu and Young Master Shen, but today, they came banging on the door, accusing the master and madam of being snobbish and breaking off the engagement with the Du family to align with a wealthier family. They’re demanding an explanation and compensation for their loss. Otherwise, they’ll spread the word and ruin the Liu family’s reputation.”  

At this point, Uncle Sun spat vehemently. “Loss? The Du family took the two hundred taels of silver that the master gave them to pay off their debts. The engagement gifts were sent by the Liu family to the Du family. After the engagement was broken off, the Liu family didn’t take a single coin. If there’s any loss, it’s the Liu family’s. And now, these scoundrels come knocking, trying to extort money. It’s a whole family of worthless bastards! Thankfully, the master is wise enough to cancel the engagement. Who knows what would have happened otherwise?”  

Since the Mo and Liu families were close, and Mo Yan was like a sister to Liu Tinglan, the Mo family was well aware of the ongoing conflict between the Liu and Du families. That’s why Uncle Sun didn’t hold back.  

After hearing this, Mo Yan’s disgust for the Du family reached its peak. She hadn’t even had the chance to deal with that scoundrel Du, but now, his entire family dared to show up at Liu’s door. If she didn’t teach them a lesson and get the Liu family’s losses back, then she didn’t deserve to be called Mo Yan!  

Not wanting the younger ones to hear about these messy matters, Mo Yan asked Uncle Sun to take them to another room while she made her way to the Liu family’s drawing room.  

At that moment, except for Du Wencai, the rest of the Du family—old and young—were sitting arrogantly in the Liu family’s drawing room, littering the floor with discarded melon seeds and fruit peels. Even the elderly couple, who were usually frail, had come along. They grabbed the pastries from the tea table and shoved them into their mouths as if they hadn’t eaten in ages.  

Some of the Du family’s grandchildren even sat directly on the tea table, clutching the pastry plates, eyes bulging as they stuffed their faces.  

“I’ll make this clear today: If you don’t give me a thousand taels of silver, I won’t leave! If you have the guts, go report to the authorities, and then let’s see if the Liu family can keep its reputation intact!” A middle-aged man, about forty years old with a sleazy look, slammed the table and loudly threatened Madam Liu, whose expression had darkened.  

[End of Chapter]