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

Chapter 507 Means
"you--"

“That’s enough,” Xu Zhichun laughed. “I thought you would have something new to say, so I listened, but it’s just the same old stuff. It’s so boring, I’m not listening anymore.”

“Aunt Bai, you’ve got it wrong. The Rong’an Marquis’s mansion has nothing to do with me. Don’t rush to claim kinship with me. I’m not the Rong’an Marquis’s daughter. I find it absurd to hear you say these things!”

"Come here, see the guests off!"

Aunt Bai was furious: "You clearly are the one, why won't you admit it! You've climbed the social ladder and now you're disowning your own family, aren't you afraid of retribution!"

"I have a clear conscience, what am I afraid of?"

Xu Zhichun sneered: "You've done so many bad things, retribution is waiting for you!"

"you--"

“Send her out! Granny Feng, take a few strong maids and personally escort this Aunt Bai back to the Rong'an Marquis's residence and hand her over to the Rong'an Marquis and his wife. Otherwise, I'm a little worried that she might deliberately cause injuries after leaving our house and falsely accuse us of beating her. It would be troublesome to go to court with them. It's better to avoid trouble. You should personally send her away.”

"Yes, Madam is wise."

Aunt Bai was furious. "Mrs. Xu, what do you take me for?!"

Xu Zhichun sneered: "Aunt Bai is used to throwing tantrums. I've seen plenty of people like you back in the countryside. You have to be careful."

"."

Aunt Bai was thus sent back to the Rong'an Marquis's residence.

Only then did Rong Anbo realize that Bai Shi hadn't gone to the Wuxuan Marquis's residence, but rather that Aunt Bai had gone. He was so angry that he had another big argument with Bai Shi, and he also took his anger out on Aunt Bai.

Fortunately, the Emperor's purge was nearing its end, and the Rong'an Marquis's mansion was no longer involved.

The Earl of Rong'an, his wife, and everyone in the household breathed a sigh of relief.

Lady Rong'an trembled again, sneering, "Our household has acted uprightly and honestly. What can Xu Shi do even if she's not convinced? It's clear that His Majesty is still wise!"

She couldn't help but daydream again, "Maybe it's because Consort Xue has gained favor, and the Emperor will naturally treat our family well because of Consort Xue."

The more they thought about it, the more they realized it. The whole family was overjoyed and wanted to sing and dance, unaware that their end was fast approaching.

Liang Minglang returned to the capital to report back, having handled the matter perfectly. The Emperor was delighted and bestowed upon him numerous rewards. Xu Zhichun also breathed a sigh of relief; the matter of Prince Yuchang's rebellion was now completely over.

From now on, there should be peaceful days, and no more troubles.

The couple, separated for a short time, felt like they were newly married and were overjoyed.

The other officers who accompanied Liang Minglang on his mission also received generous rewards. More importantly, they had their names recorded before the Emperor, meaning they would naturally be the first to be promoted in the future.

This time, Liang Minglang did not ask General Meng to go.

General Meng didn't say anything at the time and pretended not to know. He didn't want to go either, because this task was not easy. Suppressing the remnants of the rebellion was a dangerous job. If he didn't do it well or if he missed anything, he would definitely anger the emperor and probably never be able to recover his life.

General Meng, with his petty mind, secretly wished for Liang Minglang's downfall, hoping he would lose the emperor's favor, plummet in status, and ultimately suffer a crushing defeat.

Unexpectedly, not only did he return, but he also gained the emperor's favor because of his excellent performance on the mission.

General Meng felt a pang of jealousy, and in his jealousy, he complained, implying that Liang Minglang hadn't taken him along when he went on this mission. He wondered if they were even brothers anymore.
Liang Minglang remained calm, thinking to himself, "Don't you know whether we're brothers or not?"
We're all adults now, and the fact that we're drifting apart speaks volumes. Isn't it better to keep it tacitly understood? Why insist on making it explicit?
How could he dare to take on such a dangerous task with someone who wasn't on his side? If anything went wrong, how would he explain it to the Emperor?

Liang Minglang's lukewarm attitude infuriated General Meng even more.

But he didn't dare do anything to Liang Minglang.

Liang Minglang saw through him even more, and from then on, they had no further contact.

After that, General Meng complained all day about his unfulfilled talents. At some point, he began to engage in embezzlement, accepting bribes to settle murder cases, and other such activities. Eventually, his misdeeds were exposed, and he was dismissed from office, his property confiscated, and exiled, meeting a terrible end.

At that time, his first wife, Su Yan, was already the undisputed head manager under Xu Zhichun, overseeing twenty-six cosmetic shops in Hangzhou. After dealing with the remnants of Prince Yuchang, it was next up to Consort Xue.

Before dealing with Consort Xue, the Emperor summoned Liang Minglang and Xu Zhichun for questioning, subtly inquiring about the Rong'an Marquis's residence.

The Emperor meant that if the Rong'an Marquis's mansion was indeed Xu Zhichun's maternal family, then he would definitely show them some leniency.

After all, it's about blood ties and family.

Xu Zhichun vehemently denied any blood relation with Rong Anbo.

She would never admit to this.

The emperor was initially somewhat skeptical, but seeing her resolute attitude, he believed her.

Then he won't show any mercy.

The news that Consort Xue had tried to drug the Emperor, which the Emperor discovered and enraged, shocked the entire court.

Lady Xue was demoted to a commoner, banished to the Cold Palace, and imprisoned for life.

The Rong'an Marquis's family was punished for failing to properly educate their daughter, resulting in the stripping of their title, confiscation of their property, and exile.

Liang Minglang and Ji Yingxuan presented all the evidence they had gathered regarding the sordid deeds committed by the Rong'an Marquis's family, and the Dali Temple and Shuntian Prefecture held a public trial.

The Rong'an Marquis's Mansion was infamous, its crimes compounded, and it collapsed completely!

"No wonder the commoner Xue is so ruthless; it's her family tradition!"

"Like father, like son!"

"Heaven has eyes! Bah, serves you right!"

"Yes, he deserved it!"

The Rong family was crying and wailing, and even Bai was begging Xu Zhichun to save her life, not to mention the Rong family.

But who cares about them?

They never had any evidence to prove that Xu Zhichun was their daughter, so it was shameless of them to try to claim her as their daughter, and they were punished with an extra beating for it.

One night, Xu Zhichun and Lu Yin secretly entered the Ministry of Justice prison and met the lowly former Earl Rong An.

Rong Anbo's eyes suddenly lit up, "Save me! Save me!"

Lu Yin's eyes were filled with tears, but they were filled with hatred.

Xu Zhichun sneered contemptuously: "I won't acknowledge you, I just came to see your retribution. Now that I've seen it, I'm at peace. Everything you've done today is your own fault, so you'll have to bear the consequences."

Ignoring him, Xu Zhichun took Lu Yin's hand and left.

Two days later, the Rong family was exiled and never returned to the capital.

The Empress Dowager in the palace also fell ill.

It is said that she never expected that her savior, Consort Xue, would be so vicious and almost harm the emperor. She was shocked, angry, and guilty, and fell ill and never recovered.

In reality, the Emperor told her the good news that he had wiped out the remnants of the Prince of Yuchang, which greatly upset her.

At that time, the Empress Dowager was still struggling and earnestly advised the Emperor to keep Yulang by his side and raise him properly.

"Children are closer to whoever raises them. He's still young; if you raise him well, he'll surely be closest to you in the future. Your Majesty, I'm doing this for your own good. You have no children, and the Empress finally conceived, but then—who knows when the palace will have another heir? Yulang is your nephew; he's practically your son."