The system asked me to chase his wife

Doctor Wang walked briskly into the lady's yard. He was shocked to see the lady sitting in the main room eating porridge from a distance.

When Qiao Yuandong saw Doctor Wang coming, he immediately asked him to take the lady's pulse.

Doctor Wang didn't say anything more. He just put a handkerchief on the lady's wrist and started to feel her pulse.

After a thorough inspection, Doctor Wang exclaimed three times, and finally sighed, "How wonderful! How wonderful!"

Qiao Yuandong asked: "How?"

Doctor Wang said in disbelief: "Madam's pulse is steady and even, and is even better than before!"

When everyone heard this, they all believed that the old lady was fine. They all smiled happily. The huge rock that had been weighing on their hearts for many days suddenly disappeared, and they all felt extremely relieved.

Xiang Xiu'an also reacted at this time. He looked at Xia Mang through the crowd, and saw that she was also looking at him.

This medicine works!

After Doctor Wang wrote out a prescription for peace and nourishment, the servant politely sent him out.

The lady sent the servants away and then called Qiao Yuandong and Xiang Xiu'an to her side to talk.

"Grandma, you've been working hard for a long time today, so you should take more rest." Qiao Yuandong was concerned that she had just recovered from a serious illness and wanted her to take good care of herself.

The lady waved her hands and said, "I have been lying down for a few days, and my bones are stiff. Now I feel more comfortable sitting down and talking."

Qiao Yuandong stopped forcing it.

Xiang Xiu'an came over and took the lady's hand, saying, "Grandma, whatever you want to say, I will listen to you."

The lady smiled and patted his hands, saying, "Grandmother wants to teach you a lesson today. When dealing with relatives like the Xiang family, we can be unjust if they are unkind. If we stick to the old rules, we will only suffer."

Xiang Xiu'an thought of the threats that the old lady had made to Guo just now, and couldn't help but hesitate: "Ah? Grandmother, are you saying that we really have to do those things to my cousins?"

The lady smiled and said, "You are a good person, so naturally you think everyone is good. But people's hearts are hidden. Look at the Xiang clan. They are said to be a family, but they do things that are comparable to bandits. Should we treat such people with courtesy?"

Xiang Xiu'an frowned and thought, but Qiao Yuandong accepted it quickly and directly pointed out the crux of the problem.

"But the Duke's Mansion is from the same clan as the Xiang family, so it is quite constrained."

The lady looked at Qiao Yuandong approvingly and said, "Since ancient times, the clan has been one. The clan members are protected by the clan and should give back to the clan. However, if the clan does not protect us but becomes a burden, it would be better to cut off the tail and live in peace."

This is the case with the Xiang family. Today, the Xiang family can no longer be relied upon by the Duke's Mansion. Instead, they are being harassed by many parties. If this continues, the Duke's Mansion will probably be drained of its blood.

Qiao Yuandong felt that what the lady said made sense. She glanced at Xiang Xiu'an who was deep in thought and said, "But how do we cut off the tail?"

No matter how rude Mrs. Guo was, what she said made sense.

You can't write two "Xiang" characters with one stroke. The Duke's Mansion and the Xiang family are from the same clan. How easy is it to separate them?

They still hope to climb up by relying on the Duke's Mansion, so how could they let go easily?
The lady's eyes flashed with brilliance: "It's not like we haven't divided it before. Now it's just another division. The Xiang clan leader is a short-sighted person. This time, we must make him beg us to expel him from the clan."

As she spoke, the old lady pulled Xiang Xiu'an aside and said to him, "Grandmother knows that you have a kind heart. Today, in addition to teaching you to fight back, I also want to teach you a principle. If you want to fight an enemy, you must keep a low profile and don't make a sound until you are sure to hit the target."

"Ruining the reputation of the younger generation of the Xiang family is just a threat to the Guo family. If we really want to deal with the Xiang family, we must seize what they care about most. Only by hitting the snake at its weakest point can we defeat the enemy!"

Xiang Xiu'an nodded, not quite understanding. Qiao Yuandong seemed to have realized something and asked, "Grandma, are you talking about the great uncle?"

The lady smiled at her, her eyes and eyebrows raised, and she could vaguely see her heroic figure in the past.

She said, "My cousin has been a purchaser for so many years, and he has embezzled a lot of money. Add up all the evidence, and it's enough to make him lose his head."

Xiang Xiu'an frowned when he heard this: "But won't this implicate the Duke's Mansion?"

The lady smiled at Xiang Xiu'an and said, "Silly child, grandma didn't say that you should hand over the evidence to the government."

Xiang Xiu'an was a little puzzled: "Why?"

"Grandma is going to teach you one more lesson. The arrow in your hand is the most threatening at the moment it has not yet been shot."

After being reminded by the lady, Xiang Xiu'an seemed to understand, but Qiao Yuandong suddenly understood the key.

Her beautiful eyes lit up instantly, and she looked at the lady with admiration and surprise: "Could it be that Grandmother has been planning this for a long time?"

The lady nodded slightly, a look of determination and ruthlessness flashing across her face.

"If the Xiang family is willing to make peace with our Duke's Mansion, my efforts would be in vain, but now it seems that my initial preparations were exactly what I wanted."

Xiang had always planned to adopt a son, and especially after Xiang Xiukai's death, Xiang's behavior became more and more vicious, which made the lady start planning early.

She knew very well that she was old and would die sooner or later.

At that time, there was no support of his own in the Duke's Mansion, and An'er was not yet grown up. It would probably be very difficult for his granddaughter-in-law to fight against the ferocious Xiang family alone.

Therefore, she collected evidence of corruption by the eldest branch of the Xiang family as a backup for Qiao Yuandong after her death.

But judging from today's situation, this backup plan can be launched in advance.

The Xiang family couldn't wait any longer, so there was no need for the lady to give them a chance.

In order to ensure the condition of the lady, Qiao Yuandong asked the imperial physician to see her.

When the director of the Imperial Hospital heard that the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo had regained consciousness and seemed to be in good condition, he thought there was something wrong with his ears.

So the Dean went to the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion in person.

He went in with a look of shock on his face, and finally came out doubting his life.

The lady is indeed much better now. She is in good spirits, her hands and feet are nimble, and her blood circulation is smooth. How does she look like someone who has had two strokes?

really? !

Regarding the lady's condition, the director just said a few words to her to get more rest.

However, the lady did not have time to rest. She took Qiao Yuandong with her to visit Xiang's family. Xiang Xiu'an also wanted to go with them, but she yelled at him to go to school.

"How many days have you been delayed because of my matter? The teachers of the Imperial College have come to your house to ask about it. If you don't go to study again, the Master of the Imperial Academy will expel you."

Xiang Xiu'an shrank his neck, picked up his book box and ended his vacation.

Since the establishment of the Zhenguogong Mansion, the Xiang family followed into the capital, and gradually took root under the protection of the Zhenguogong Mansion. Today, the eldest branch of the Xiang family is the branch where the patriarch is from, and it is also the most promising.

The clan leader's eldest son, Xiang Yingqi, got a lucrative job as a palace purchaser and supported the entire Xiang family.

Thanks to Xiang Yingqi's support, the Xiang family has now raised several scholars, and is only waiting for one of them to pass the imperial examinations, so that the Xiang family can move to a higher level.

The lady-in-waiting brought Qiao Yuandong with her, as well as ten servants to protect the mansion, in case Xiang Shi became desperate and made desperate moves.

The Xiang family lived in the outer city area. Since they were not a family of merit, they could not live in the inner city.

The Xiang residence was built to be very large. Except for a few branches of the family who were still guarding the ancestral land in their hometown, all the other branches of the main family were gathered together.

The huge house was built by expanding and connecting several courtyards together so as not to exceed the regulations.

When the lady and her entourage arrived at Xiang's residence, the doorman was about to announce the news, but she simply ordered the servants to kick the door open.

Now that they are about to fall out, who will talk to them about etiquette and morals?

After kicking the door of Xiang's residence, the lady ordered the servants to grab the gateman to lead the way, and she wanted to go directly to the clan leader to discuss the matter.

The patriarch of the Xiang family is already over sixty years old this year. He pays attention to taking care of himself and is very energetic even at this age.

At that time, the old man was sitting in the courtyard patio wearing a scholar's robe and basking in the sun. The sunlight shone on him, giving his white clothes a layer of golden light.

He looks like a kind-hearted old god.

When the lady and her entourage appeared in the courtyard, the serene look on the clan leader's face broke for a moment.

It was like a complete mirror suddenly cracked, revealing the jealousy and greed inside.

"Uncle, you seem to be in a good mood!" The lady's voice, neither too loud nor too soft, struck the clan leader's heart, making it impossible for him to remain calm.

Her dignified look is exactly the same as it was back then.

At that time, the old Duke was still alive, and even though the clan leader was an elder, he could only flatter in the Duke's Mansion.

He still remembered the look on the lady's face when she looked at him then. It was exactly the same as it is now, with such disdain and arrogance.

At that time, he would always be like a humble servant, accompanying others with great fear and caution.

But things are different now.

The clan leader sat in the rocking chair and rocked calmly. He squinted his eyes and didn't look at the lady. Years of being pampered had made him learn to be disrespectful.

"When a person gets old, he needs to take good care of himself. It's really unkind of him to mobilize so many people just because his niece-in-law is seriously ill."

The lady didn't care about the clan leader's attitude at all. The servants had already brought two chairs for her and Qiao Yuandong to sit on.

The patriarch raised his eyelids, took a look, and said nothing.

After the lady sat down, she got straight to the point. She waved her hand, and Ji Tong, who was accompanying her, opened the wooden box he had been carrying all the way.

"Today is a good day with clear skies and bright weather. I came here specially to give my uncle a big gift."

Ji Tong took out an account book from the wooden box and handed it to the patriarch.

When the clan leader saw that the "great gift" the lady was talking about was actually an account book, he knew in his heart that it was not a good thing.

The lady's voice sounded: "I wonder what your uncle's eyes look like. Can he still see the significance of this gift?"

The clan leader's gray eyebrows trembled slightly. He saw a teasing look on the lady's face. He stammered but said nothing.

Finally, the patriarch reached out and took the account book. He gently opened the account book with his dry branch-like hands, and when he saw the contents of the first page, he was stunned.

Seeing that he did not move for a long time, the lady leaned back in her chair and began to recite the contents of the account book.

"In the second month of Gengchen, the palace was renovating the Dehui Hall and preparing to purchase 50,000 cubic meters of white marble. The palace allocated 200,000 taels of silver. Xiang Yingqi bought a batch of white marble from Westerners and mixed it with the white marble, passing it off as good quality, and embezzled 50,000 taels of silver."

"In May of Jiashen, Nanhai imported a batch of pearls and two night-shining pearls. Xiang Yingqi got in touch with the others and seized a bucket of top-quality pearls, making a profit of 20,000 silver coins."

"Enough!" The clan leader suddenly shouted, interrupting the lady's words.

The lady looked at the clan leader leisurely and said, "When a man gets old, he should be calm and peaceful. That is the way to longevity. Uncle is so angry. He really doesn't care about himself."

The same words were returned by the lady to the clan leader, which was the most sarcastic tone to the extreme.

The patriarch was so angry that his chest heaved violently, and his carefully groomed white beard was blown up.

He glared at the lady in anger, tightly clutching the thick account book in his hand.

Those were all evidence of Xiang Yingqi's years of corruption. The reason why the clan leader was so sure was because he knew all these things.

When the eldest son embezzled public funds for the first time, the patriarch was a little frightened.

However, the Xiang family had grown in number and it would cost a lot to gain a foothold in the capital, so this money came at a very timely moment.

After the first time, there will be a second time, and a third time. After so many years, even the clan leader himself can't remember how much wealth the Xiang family has made with the help of Xiang Yingqi.

Now that the lady had handed him the account book, he finally understood clearly.

But, how could it be?!

Yingqi obviously did it so secretly. The Duke's Mansion is usually very high-handed, how could they know such a small thing?
The old lady seemed to see through the old patriarch's suspicion. She said with a half-smile, "If you don't want others to know, then you better not do it yourself."

This sentence instead reminded the patriarch. A cunning look flashed across his eyes, and his old body stood up at an unreasonable speed and ran to the corner of the yard.

There was a large vat filled with clean water used to control feng shui.

Just throw the account book into the water and the evidence will be destroyed. Who will know about this?
How could the lady not know what the clan leader was thinking?
She smiled as she watched the patriarch tear up the account book and throw it into the large water vat, stirring the water in the vat so that the words on the paper would dissipate faster in the water.

Then, in front of the old patriarch, Ji Tong took out another similar account book from the wooden box.

The tribe leader, who was sweating profusely from exhaustion, said: “.”

(End of this chapter)