imes.Li Laer came over from home and sat down beside the two old men.The two old gentlemen had long been looking forward to his going to court. Now that they had the chance, they asked him about it in...Everyone burst into laughter.

Meowther poured hot tea for his sister, letting her hold it to warm her hands.

Li Ge'er moved the charcoal basin to his younger sister's feet, afraid she might burn her skirt accidentally, and then set up a cover over it.

Then Li Zhensheng continued what he had just said: "We originally planned that the Emperor would definitely support the Wu family, and we would have to downplay our family's major matters as minor ones, and minor ones as nothing at all."

At that time, our family will pretend to be disheartened and make some investments in Quanzhou, creating an escape route.

To my surprise, the Emperor actually went all out against the Wu family, completely disregarding the Empress's face. This was truly beyond my expectations.

"The news hasn't spread yet, but it won't stay hidden for long. Soon everyone will know that the Emperor punished the Wu family because of my report. Our family will undoubtedly be thrust into the limelight."

"At once, the lord and the fourth son will be back. Before that, the shop in the south also sent a message, saying that Jiayi and Liu Yang have made achievements in Hailan County as well…"

"All these together, flowers blooming and oil sizzling, it's not a good thing for our Li family!"

Li Laoer nodded in agreement and said, "Fortunately, before leaving the palace, the emperor took all the physical evidence and deliberately concealed the fact that the Wu family had a grudge against our family.

"I see, the Emperor doesn't want to drag the Empress into this, he doesn't want to depose her."

This is the only benefit, so Funiu'er won't be dragged into the rumors...

Everyone nodded.

Mr. Wen thought for a moment and added, "Everything should be done in moderation. Our family is now overdoing it."

"The matter concerning the Wu family has already come to light. In the eyes of outsiders, our family appears to be blessed with imperial favor. For now, there's no way to clear up this misunderstanding."

"If the Emperor has other arrangements and needs our family to be a decoy, we shouldn't meddle in the Emperor's affairs.

"

"In this case, we can only start with the Northern Expeditionary Army and Jia Yi's people, trying to find a balance in this 'degree'."

Jia Ren shook his head. "Teacher, the Northern Expeditionary Army probably won't work out."

The victory of the Northern Expeditionary Army belongs not only to my fourth uncle and Big Brother, but also to the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who sacrificed their heads and blood for it. We cannot erase their achievements just to protect our family's reputation...

Li Laer sighed, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, “Jiaren is right!”

"Alright, I'll go ask Jia Yi about his plans tomorrow and we can discuss it further then."

"Well," Li Zhensheng joked, easing the tension in the room, "Other families would be jealous if they heard our conversation tonight! They'd be envious that their kids and grandkids aren't as interesting."

Everyone burst into laughter.

It's tough, being too successful can be a problem too!

After chatting for a while, everyone quietly dispersed.

The second day, as soon as the city gates opened, Jia Huan hurried home to report the news.

The Northern Expedition army has achieved a great victory, and the Marquis will be returning soon!

This news, as if it had wings, spread instantly throughout Xincun and Ercun.

Everyone is in high spirits and overjoyed.

Especially in the second village, almost half of the men are members of the marquis' personal guard.

The pillar of the family is coming back, and almost made the women and children at home ecstatic.

The womenfolk were busy bustling about, airing their bedding, cleaning the house, slaughtering and butchering chickens.

The children were even more dramatic. Besides eating, sleeping, and studying, they were always stationed at the crossroads, hoping their father would suddenly appear on horseback…

Over here in Xincun village, the village head has also organized the villagers to clear the snow.

I went to the pigsty again, planning how many fat pigs I would slaughter when the heroes returned from their long journey. They needed a good feast to celebrate and regain their strength.

The Li family was also very busy.

Not only do we need to help clean the Ye family's courtyard inside and out, but we also need to prepare a lot of food.

Tao Hong's face was blooming with a smile as she bustled in and out.

Seeing this, Old Madam Li's eyes widened with amusement. She would occasionally grumble a couple of words, but then she couldn't help but smile broadly!

Stars and crescents were rolling around like a big ball, inside and outside the courtyard.

Only when they were called into the kitchen, sitting in a line, and holding their bowls of meatballs could they be quiet for a while.

Every time Jia Yin saw them, she would remember her own childhood and lament the downsides of growing up, then grab a bowl and join in the scramble…

Thus, busy for three or four days, everyone estimated that the time was almost up and became increasingly anxious and eager.

Both Li Zhensheng and Li Laoer did not enter the city.

It's rare to have a few days at home to rest, and I also want to wait for my brother to come back.

As a result, that day at noon, everyone was gathered together eating lunch when suddenly there was commotion outside the courtyard.

Everyone thought the Northern Expeditionary Army was back, so they all dropped their chopsticks and rushed out in a swarm.

As a result, someone did come back, but it was far beyond expectations!

Liu Yangzheng was being pulled away by the village head and others to speak, with many villagers watching from the sidelines.

Seeing the entire Li family charging over, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

The Li family was taken aback, but they weren't disappointed.

Li Laotai quickly asked, "Liu Yang, when did you come back Are you traveling with Jiayi Where is Jiayi"

Liu Yang, upon receiving the reminder, immediately remembered why he had run back frantically. He hurriedly grabbed Li Laoer and said, "Uncle, Jiayou has gotten into trouble! He was arrested by the officials of the Metropolitan Procuratorate!"

"What"

The Li family was startled and all asked in unison, "What's going on"

Liu Yang hesitated for a moment, Li Zhensheng understood and immediately pulled him into the courtyard. The rest of the people quickly followed suit.

The village head was thoughtful. When dispersing the villagers, he didn't forget to have someone call out to Liu Biaotou and his wife.

Inside the house, Liu Yang had already explained everything.

They wandered around the city for two days, finding out quite a bit.

Although the specifics are unknown, it is certain that the Wu family bullied Fu Niuer to the point where her family went to the palace to file a complaint.

Jiayi was furious and had made up his mind to seek revenge.

But the entire Wu family is in jail, so the only target left is Wu Jian, the youngest son of Wu.

To speak of it, Young Master Wu is also unlucky.

On the day his home was raided, he happened to be out indulging in pleasure. When he suddenly heard that something had gone wrong at home, he quickly hid himself.

He was never a particularly clever or decisive person. He snuck around and inquired, but found no clues. He assumed that the Empress sister had angered the Emperor, causing their family to suffer as a consequence.

Therefore, he went around looking for someone to plead with the imperial court on his family's behalf.

He's lucky.

Everyone remembered his status as a relative of the emperor and was unwilling to help, yet they also did not proactively report his whereabouts.

Thus, it made Wu the young master even more convinced that nothing would happen at home, and he hardly concealed his whereabouts at all.

Jia Yi and Liu Yang found him without much effort at all.

In the morning, Jia Yi intentionally drank some alcohol, acting drunk, and stayed near the alley of Wu Dashao's villa.

Then, when Wu Dǎshào went out, Jiayi feigned a bump and started fighting with Wu Dǎshào.

Young Master Wu, whose body had long been drained by alcohol and pleasure, was no match for Jia Yi's strength.

Nearly with a few kicks, Wu Dashao was kicked by Jia Yi and vomited blood...

Upon being discovered by passersby, they cried out in alarm and drew a crowd, then summoned the officers of the Jingzhao Mansion.

Young Master Wu had already lost his breath, and Jia Yi was also taken away.

Liu Yang witnessed the whole thing and, according to their pre-arranged plan, hurriedly galloped back to deliver the message!

Having said that, Liu Yang noticed the surprised expressions on the Li family members and was a little worried that he might anger Li Jiayi. He quickly added, “Jiayi wants to avenge the county princess, but there are other considerations…”situation in the north.Seeing him like this, everyone relaxed and started talking freely about whatever came to mind.Especially after a few bowls of wine, the house became even more lively.Although Gu...