After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Granny Chen grinned from ear to ear, "What do I need those things for at my age? They're just a waste!"

Despite saying that, Granny Chen couldn't put the dressing case down.

Su Tai, who was standing nearby, quickly coaxed, "Grandma, we don't have to wear the headdress now, but we can't not wear the clothes that Tian Tian made for you! Look at this material, it's top-quality silk, so festive!"
It's probably stuffed with cotton inside; it feels really warm to the touch.

Granny Chen was increasingly delighted as she listened.

Su Tai gave Huang Xinghua a wink, and Huang Xinghua quickly led Wei Erya and Shen Xiang forward to help Granny Chen change into the clothes made by Shen Tian.

While she was at it, she combed Granny Chen's hair and pinned a luxurious gold hairpin to it.

After Granny Chen finished dressing up, Huang Xinghua couldn't help but exclaim, "Mother! You look so beautiful! Like a wealthy old lady."

"You're just trying to flatter me!" Granny Chen was overjoyed.

Shen Yi and the others quickly offered their praise as well.

Just then, Shen Dagou rushed in and whispered something to Shen Yi and Tang Yu.

The two men's expressions changed slightly, and they quickly went outside.

Murong Chen noticed the movement of the two, then continued to keep his gaze on Granny Chen, his face always bearing a gentle smile.

Shen Yi and Tang Yu walked out the door and saw Zhu Yixuan and the coffin beside him. Their usually cold faces became more somber. "What does Young Master Zhu mean by this?"

Zhu Yixuan dismounted, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "County Magistrate Shen, I have come here today with a request. The coffin you bought from the coffin shop in the county town was actually prepared for my father by the shop owner's father."

We later learned that he had sold the coffin without our consent, so we came specifically to retrieve it. Manager Wu said he received five hundred taels from the county magistrate, and he had specially prepared one thousand taels and a fine nanmu coffin to ask the county magistrate to return the coffin to us.

"Your family's coffin?" Shen Yi raised an eyebrow. "Young Master Zhu, when we bought this coffin, we asked Manager Wu. He said the Zhu family neither put down a deposit nor gave him a definite answer. So Manager Wu is playing a trick on me?"

Zhu Yixuan calmly said, "I don't know whether Manager Wu was playing a trick on the county magistrate, but this coffin was specially made for my father by Manager Wu's father. Manager Wu passed away early, and the rest of the work was left to his son."

My father had made an agreement with Manager Wu's father back then!

Shen Yi shook his head, "These are just your side of the story. If Manager Wu had mentioned this matter when we were in the shop, we definitely wouldn't have wanted that coffin. But Manager Wu took our money and made a guarantee. Now that Young Master Zhu says it's yours, it's ridiculous!"

Zhu Yixuan's face immediately darkened. "Shen Yi, I know you're just doing this for someone else. You didn't buy this coffin. In that case, I'll talk to this family myself!"

Tang Yu chuckled and slowly stepped forward. "What do you have to say to me?"

"Who are you?" Zhu Yixuan looked at Tang Yu carefully for a moment. Seeing that he was unfamiliar and had a refined demeanor, he was obviously not an ordinary person. He immediately frowned. When did Shen Dagou's family get such a person?
Tang Yu chuckled and shook his head. "A nobody, let's not even talk about him! I paid for it, the item is mine, and I'm taking this coffin. You can leave now!"

Zhu Yixuan narrowed his eyes dangerously and raised his chin meaningfully. "You're not a local, are you? Although my Zhu family is just a local gentry, we still have some influence in Zhaohua County. Are you sure you want to offend my Zhu family for a coffin?"

"what's up?"

Murong Chen's voice rang out behind Tang Yu and Shen Yi.

The two quickly turned around and bowed in greeting.

Zhu Yixuan looked at the scene with suspicion and uncertainty, weighing what to do.

Tang Yu couldn't wait to complain, "Young master, I bought the best coffin in the county as you instructed. The shopkeeper assured us that the coffin was unclaimed and charged us 500 taels. But now, the eldest son of the Zhu family in the county has come to demand it back, bringing some unknown thing and 1,000 taels, insisting that we return the coffin."

"Insolence!" Murong Chen roared. Tang Yu and Shen Yi both knelt down.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yixuan quickly knelt down as well.

Although he didn't know Murong Chen's identity, the fact that even Shen Yi, the county magistrate, had knelt down meant that the person in front of him was clearly of noble status and not someone he could afford to offend.

Murong Chen took two steps forward, looking down at Zhu Yixuan with an air of nonchalance. "Is that so?"

"No! No! It's a misunderstanding. It's all a misunderstanding!" Zhu Yixuan denied it outright.

Murong Chen chuckled, his voice laced with languor and impatience. "Since it's a misunderstanding, then get lost! Remember, all land under heaven belongs to the emperor. A place like Zhaohua County can only be peaceful and tranquil. I don't want to hear anything about bullying others, understand?"

"Yes!" Shen Yi and Tang Yu replied respectfully.

Zhu Yixuan panicked even more, repeatedly kowtowing and admitting his mistakes, before fleeing Shen Family Village in a disheveled state with his people and belongings.

As soon as he left the village, he hurriedly ordered his men to ride back to the county town at top speed. On the way, he saw Steward Zhu and his group making things difficult for the coffin bearers. Enraged, he lashed out with his whip, yelling, "You worthless wretch! Get back here right now!"

Butler Zhu covered his face in bewilderment, at a loss for what to do. "Young Master, this coffin..."

"Father my ass! Take your men and deliver the goods to Shen Family Village properly. If anything goes wrong, don't come back!" Zhu Yixuan vented his anger on Steward Zhu.

After he finished cursing, he led his men back.

Butler Zhu's face turned pale and then flushed, unable to make up his mind.

Zheng Ergui quickly called on his companions to carry the coffin.

When they arrived at Shenjiazhuang, the group was exhausted.

The coffin was placed in Shen Mu's yard.

Shen Yi carefully checked everything, confirmed there were no problems, and immediately paid.

The group of people all laughed when they saw the money.

Zheng Ergui complained, "Lord Shen, you have no idea how arrogant that Zhu family steward is. He insisted that the coffin belonged to his master and kept blocking us from leaving. He even made us carry the coffin back to the city."

I realized something was wrong! Lord Shen hadn't spoken personally, so we couldn't listen to them. So we gritted our teeth and carried the coffin over. Luckily, we hadn't listened to them.

"That's right! That Steward Zhu wouldn't let it go and kept making things difficult for us. Luckily, there were many of us, so we weren't afraid. It just took up a bit of time."

Fearing that Shen Yi might misunderstand and think they were slacking off, the group made a point of explaining.

When these words reached Murong Chen's ears, he was furious.

"Men! Tell Lu Tong to seize Master Zhu and his entourage!"

No one dared to provoke the enraged Murong Chen; even Tang Yu and Shen Yi remained silent in fear.

The Shen family was trembling with fear.

He was a bit bolder, and stepped forward to ask, "Your Highness, do you plan to stay overnight in the village or return to the county town tonight?" (End of Chapter)