They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 476 Catch him
Aunt Bai cried out, "I'm innocent! I'm innocent! Butler Bai arrested people on his own initiative before reporting his plan to me. What do I, a mere woman, know? I was shocked and thought I'd go see what was going on and if Master Liang was injured. When I saw him, I thought of my poor son and couldn't help but curse him a few times. That's all."

"If you say I was the mastermind, I absolutely refuse to admit it, even if you beat me to death!"

Aunt Bai burst into tears again as she spoke.

The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture disgusted her to no end.

If she were just an ordinary woman, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture would not have given her any face at this time. He would have had her dragged away and beaten half to death with a board, to see if she would still dare to argue or act like a shrew in the street.

But she happens to be the younger sister of the Lady of Rong'an Marquis, whose biological daughter is now the Consort Xue in the palace.

Then he couldn't help but give Aunt Bai some face.

However, the Marquis of Wuxuan's residence also sent word that this matter would not be so easily resolved.

Upon receiving the news, Marquis Rong'an turned ashen-faced and hurriedly returned to his residence, heading straight to his wife.

Before the Lady of Rong'an could even ask what was wrong with his expression, she was given a severe scolding.

She was furious, but she had no chance to retort; she was completely stunned.

"My lord, what did you say? My sister bribed someone to kidnap the Marquis of Wuxuan's brother? She even went herself? And she got caught red-handed? This is impossible! Impossible!"

That's ridiculous! It sounds fake.

"The news has spread far and wide. Right now, everyone's in the main hall of the Shuntian Prefecture government office. Do you think it's possible?"

"No way, how could a woman do such a thing? Even if she did give some instructions, she couldn't possibly be there in person! Granny Yu, go and see what the concubine is doing, and ask her to come over."

"Ah? Yes, yes."

Granny Yu hurriedly went to invite someone herself.

Marquis Rong'an sneered disdainfully, "Fine, I'll wait here. I want to see where Granny Yu will come up with this person."

Granny Yu returned after a while, bringing only Bai Jinfu with her; Aunt Bai was nowhere to be seen.

Bai Jinfu's eyes were filled with tears. "Aunt, my mother has gone out. She really has gone out. Aunt, please, you must save my mother!"

Lady Rong'an felt dizzy, "This..."

"Aunt, please! Please!"

Bai Jinfu knelt on the ground, heartbroken.

Her brother had an accident, and her mother had an accident too. She was all alone and helpless, and she was terrified.

Marquis Rong'an sneered: "What did I tell you? I told you to keep an eye on her. Look at what she's done! She's completely disgraced the Marquis's mansion!"

Lady Rong'an Marquis ordered her men to forcibly send Bai Jinfu back to rest, tearfully pleading with Marquis Rong'an to save her.

"Now I have nothing to say, I really don't know what to say. But even if it's not for anything else, for the sake of the Marquis's reputation, please, Marquis, find a way to bring my sister back. Once she's back, I promise I'll discipline her properly and there will never be a second time."

She cried again as she spoke, "It's the Marquis of Wuxuan's mansion again, it's the Marquis of Wuxuan's mansion again! Does Madam Xu hate him that much? Does she even have the slightest bit of respect for the Marquis? What sins has she committed?"

Marquis Rong'an was struck in the chest again, and enraged, he shouted, "Shut up!" He suddenly couldn't help but wonder if none of this would have happened if he had agreed to let Xu Zhichun return to the Marquis's residence earlier. In fact, returning her wouldn't have done anything bad for the Marquis's residence, would it?

It's all the Bai family's fault!
Marquis Rong'an glanced at his wife with some dissatisfaction. If she hadn't been always talking nonsense, he wouldn't have been led astray by her and made the wrong decision.

Yes, she wasn't actually as magnanimous as she thought. She was still wary of the An family, but the An family had been dead for so many years.

And then there's Zhichun; she's his daughter, no matter what. He didn't hold it against her for losing his daughter back then, so what right does she have to stop her from recognizing her ancestors?
Marquis Rong'an secretly resolved that once this matter was over, he would have Xu Zhichun reclaim the Marquis Rong'an residence.

Lady Rong'an was unlikely to go to the Shuntian Prefecture government office in person, and Marquis Rong'an did not want to go either, so he sent his steward instead.

Unfortunately, Liang Minglang was personally overseeing things in the back hall of the Shuntian Prefecture government office at that moment. His only remaining blood relative in the world had been kidnapped, so it was only natural that he was concerned.

One steward in the Rong'an Marquis's mansion is simply not enough.

The prefect of Shuntian Prefecture thus discerned the attitude of the Marquis of Rong'an's household: it was clear that they did not value this Lady Bai very much.

This is easy to handle.

The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture would no longer tolerate Aunt Bai's commotion. With a flick of his finger, Aunt Bai truly began to wail and scream.

She finally realized she was afraid. She had thought that with the Rong'an Marquis's mansion backing her up, the yamen wouldn't dare to really do anything to her, but now she understood that they dared.

With witnesses and physical evidence, she was caught red-handed on the spot. She personally assaulted Liang Mingxuan and verbally abused him. The constables are all there as evidence.

She can't deny it.

Whether she admits it or not, it doesn't matter anymore.

Aunt Bai was taken into custody.

Similarly, he was sentenced to exile.

It was a bit more serious than her son's case, lasting five years.

As for Steward Bai, he was beaten half to death with thirty strokes of the cane and then imprisoned, and was also exiled for five years.

When the news reached the Rong'an Marquis's residence, the Marquis's wife broke down in tears.

Marquis Rong'an then realized that Liang Minglang had actually been present at the time, and that he must have coerced the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture to impose a severe sentence.

Marquis Rong'an couldn't help but curse, his anger rising: Did he even know that he should actually call him father-in-law? How dare he be so outrageous!
Marquis Rong'an could not avoid it and had no choice but to rush to the Shuntian Prefecture government office to demand a severe punishment.

The same old rhetoric: the mastermind is definitely not Aunt Bai, but Butler Bai. It's not hard to understand why Aunt Bai was there and did what she said and did. Her son was exiled, and as a woman, she doesn't have many thoughts or rules. She only knows how to dote on her only son, so it's understandable that she spoke recklessly and did anything excessive in the heat of the moment.

This momentary impulse should not be used as the basis for a judgment.
The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture knew perfectly well that this was a contest between two noble families, and the matter could be serious or minor. He didn't interfere and let them discuss it among themselves.

Marquis Rong'an had no choice but to reluctantly visit Marquis Wuxuan's residence.

When Liang Minglang met him in the front courtyard flower hall, he refused to budge on Liang's reserved apologies or his offer of compensation.

“Mingxuan is my younger brother. Does the Marquis know what the officers of the Nine Cities Garrison and Shuntian Prefecture heard that poisonous woman say to my brother? She said she would personally break his hands so that he could never hold a pen or write again, and that I had harmed her son. This is my retribution!”