The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 147 Angel Round Investment

"Magistrate Liu, now that the village chief has been chosen, the clan head of our Xu family has not yet been appointed. We humbly request Magistrate Liu to select a new clan head for our Xu family." Old Master Xu, who was driving an oxcart, boldly asked Magistrate Liu to select a clan head for the Xu family.

The selection of a clan chief is a matter for the clan, and Magistrate Liu was not keen to interfere.

But since he had already been brought here, he couldn't just ignore it, so he casually asked Grandpa Xu, "Who do you think is suitable to be the patriarch of your Xu family?"

Grandpa Xu laughed and volunteered, "I think I'm quite suitable. You can ask around about my reputation in the village. I've never relied on that bastard Xu Yong to bully anyone, and I often try to persuade and scold Xu Si. If I become the clan leader, I'm sure I can control the Xu family members. If any of them don't obey, I'll whip them to death with a bullwhip."

It doesn't matter who becomes the head of the Xu family, as long as nothing goes wrong in Magistrate Liu's jurisdiction. He waved his hand and said, "Granted."

Magistrate Liu agreed, and no one else in the Xu family dared to object.

Even some members of the Xu family who were on good terms with Grandpa Xu but had a relatively weak presence in the clan praised Magistrate Liu for his wisdom.

Thus, Grandpa Xu successfully became the patriarch of the Xu family.

Xu Zaohua gritted her teeth in anger.

Xu Kun had promised her father, Xu Jin, that once he retired, Xu Jin would succeed her as clan leader.

To prepare for the next clan chief, her father contributed a great deal of money and effort to the clan, repairing the ancestral hall, providing education for the Xu family's nephews and nieces (though they haven't graduated yet), and arranging marriages for Xu family daughters to wealthy families in the Yanguan Town area.
Her father, working at the brickyard on the mountain, was unaware of what had happened today. The fruit of becoming the next clan chief had been taken by that insignificant old man, Xu He.

Xu He is nothing more than a cart driver; how dare he be a clan leader?
Now that Xuhe has received the "appointment" of Magistrate Liu and the support of the new village chief Liu Tielian, isn't he just wielding his authority like a chicken feather?

Finally, Xu Si was eliminated, and incidentally, the village chief was also removed, suppressing the arrogance of the Xu family.

Tong Huaqiong was overjoyed.

Does her reputation matter?

As long as she carries the title of widow, even without the Xu Si incident, there will always be gossip.

She doesn't care at all!

It doesn't interfere with her business and making money.

Ever since Xu Si touched Chen Sufen's buttocks at the village entrance, Tong Huaqiong had been looking for an opportunity to get rid of Xu Si, and finally she got her wish.

Xu Si can only wait to die in the miasma-filled Lingnan.

Liu Tielian deduced that Magistrate Liu had something to say to Tong Huaqiong and that it was inappropriate to keep the villagers watching, so he waved his hand and told everyone to disperse.

Everyone had been watching all morning, and it was already noon, so it was time to go back and cook.

The young wives and girls walked briskly across the ridges of the fields. With that rogue Xu Si gone, they felt an unprecedented sense of security as they walked through the village.

The young wives even made a pact to go to the market in Yanguan Town after the wheat harvest and buy pastries from Tong Huaqiong's peach blossom dessert shop.

After all, it was Widow Tong who eliminated that devil, wasn't it?

Gu Xiaocao and Liu Qiaoyun mentioned the shop to Tong Huaqiong, then took their leave and went to town.

Soon, only Tong Huaqiong's family, Magistrate Liu and his son, and Lu Zhaozhao remained at the threshing ground.

"I haven't yet thanked Aunt Tong for saving my son's life."

Tong Huaqiong waved her hand and said, "Lord Liu, you don't need to be so polite."

Magistrate Liu praised Tong Huaqiong's righteousness, comforted her, and advised her not to let her reputation be a burden. Tong Huaqiong agreed "with tears in her eyes."

What's my cousin doing here?

Magistrate Liu had already discovered Lu Zhaozhao, but he held back until now to ask her.

As he asked this question, his eyes swept over Gu Jingzhe.

This young man is quite good. I heard he has already passed the preliminary examination. Magistrate Liu suspects that Gu Jingzhe is a poor scholar favored by the Lu family, so he has sent Lu Zhaozhao to provide Gu Jingzhe with angel investment.

“Cousin, Aunt Tong is Yan Hong’s benefactor, and also my brother’s benefactor.”

Lu Zhaozhao then recounted how Tong Huaqiong had "saved" Lu Zhaoyang. Magistrate Liu was extremely excited to learn that Lu Zhaoyang had recovered.

Magistrate Liu grew up with his widowed mother and suffered all kinds of bullying from his clan. It was thanks to Old Master Lu that he was able to support his mother and son and support his education.

He had been worried about Lu Zhaoyang's condition and had helped invite many famous doctors, but to no avail. He sighed and felt heartbroken whenever he thought about Lu Zhaoyang's health.

Everyone knows that Lu Zhaoyang is the most talented scholar in Wanliu Academy. In the past, he was limited by his health, so no one had much hope for his career in government. Now that Lu Zhaoyang is healthy, wouldn't he be able to ride the wave of success and soar to great heights?

Thinking of this, Magistrate Liu felt even more favorably toward Tong Huaqiong.

It was almost noon, and Magistrate Liu, who had been dealing with cases all morning, was exhausted under the scorching sun. Tong Huaqiong invited him to her home for lunch.

Magistrate Liu waved his hand in refusal, as he had to rush to the next village.

Tong Huaqiong exclaimed that Magistrate Liu was truly diligent and caring for the people, and that it was a blessing for the people of Pingchuan County to have such a benevolent official.

The flattery pleased Magistrate Liu greatly.

"Dad, I'll stay at my godmother's house." Liu Yanhong said, hugging Tong Huaqiong's leg.

He missed his godmother's pastries very much.

"Alright, don't cause trouble at your godmother's house." Magistrate Liu readily agreed.

After Magistrate Liu and his yamen runners had gone far away, Tong Huaqiong pinched the chubby Liu Yanhong's bouncy little face.

Since she left her son behind, it meant that Magistrate Liu had accepted her as his wife.

"It's the Great Cold, you should go back and check on your wife first."

Tong Huaqiong slapped her thigh, realizing she had been so focused on arguing with Xu Si and Granny Yan in the threshing ground that she had completely forgotten about Chen Sufeng.

She has the soul of a modern person and doesn't care much about reputation and innocence. Chen Su-fen is different.

Chen Sufeng was a pure-hearted old-fashioned person. Being dragged behind the haystack by Xu Si, even if it didn't cause any real harm, was like the sky falling down for her. She probably wouldn't be able to get over it for a while.

Gu Dahan didn't understand why his stepmother was sending him back to see Chen Sufen. He always listened to his stepmother, and when Tong Huaqiong told him to hurry back, he ran home as fast as he could.

"Sister-in-law, really! We're all here arguing with Mother about the Xu family, and she doesn't even bother to show her face," Liu Yue'e couldn't help but complain.

She had wanted to mention Chen Sufeng for a while, but she was so happy that her uncle had replaced Xu Yong as the village chief of Qinghewan that she forgot to bring it up.

She refused to believe that her sister-in-law hadn't received the message.

I have no idea what she's doing hiding at home.

The mother-in-law wasn't angry at all; instead, she asked the eldest brother-in-law to go home and check on his sister-in-law. Was his sister-in-law really that delicate?

“I told you to stay home and not come out,” Tong Huaqiong said, glancing at Liu Yue’e.

Liu Yue'e immediately shut up.

Gu Taohua frowned slightly, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she said, "Mother, what is Xu Si going to bully today?"

“Xu Si is trying to bully me,” Tong Huaqiong interrupted Gu Taohua.

Gu Taohua shook her head.

Why doesn't she believe it?

Who is her mother? According to Xu Yong, she would make a scene regardless of whether she was right or wrong. She is a big shot in the village. Would Xu Si dare to bully her mother so openly?

She originally thought that everything that happened today was just a trap set by Tong Huaqiong to get rid of Xu Si and Granny Yan.

Now that I think about it carefully, could there be some unspeakable secret?

(End of this chapter)