Miss and farmhand

Shen Jingzong was so frightened by Zhao Yuze that he stayed at home for several days, restless and uneasy. When the men he sent out returned, they finally told him that Zhao Yuze's men had gone to Haiphong.

Shen Jingzong was terrified and stood there dumbfounded for a long time.

"At sea? What's at sea? Isn't this how things are here? Why are you checking the coastal defense?"

The clerk was somewhat capable. The coastal defense garrison was now completely surrounded by Zhao Yuze, and no information could be obtained from inside. So he went to the outer village, to the residences of some relatives of the garrison personnel and merchants who supplied the garrison with daily necessities, and mingled there to listen for news.

"They were all terrified. Some of the men in the village had official positions, and they came to the village at night and kidnapped women and children. The rest of the villagers were scared out of their wits."

"Stop with the nonsense, have you found out any crucial information?"

"Yes, yes, sir, please don't worry. I asked a peddler who delivers vegetables and fruits. He's well-informed, travels all over the prefecture in his fine donkey cart, and heard from his superiors that things are not peaceful on the northern seas. They've been attacked by Japanese pirates, and the court is furious. They're asking why the defenses are so weak, that they can't even fight back. They're ordering a thorough investigation. But the investigation revealed that there are too many cases of false reporting and embezzlement of military funds in the north. The population of a thousand households is less than a hundred households. It's because our own people are incompetent that the small Japanese pirates have taken advantage of the situation. The losses are so great, it's obviously not just a problem in the north. We need to investigate from south to north, which is why they've been dispatched here so swiftly."

Despite the clerk's serious tone, Shen Jingzong breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it's not an investigation into corruption, he's not afraid of anything else. The coastal defense post is basically economically independent of his area, so let them make false reports, it's none of his business anyway.

However, there is still a concern: the longer Zhao Yuze stays, the sooner or later the investigation will reach him.

Moreover, he had an enemy like Huang Xingtong, so he wasn't afraid Huang Xingtong wouldn't expose his past. He and Huang Xingtong had become so bitter enemies that there was no turning back. Huang Xingtong had even been stripped of his position as headmaster by him, and he had almost given a portion of his family's wealth to his elder brother. Huang Xingtong must hate him to death. Now that a superior official who seemed like a "righteous official" was staying at his house, it would be strange if he didn't spill all his secrets.

Shen Jingzong even had some self-awareness; there was no need to embellish his story.

"This won't do. We're already a step too late, but we can't just give up and do nothing. We have to find a way to remedy the situation."

After thinking it over, he realized that if Huang Xingtong could throw dirty water, he could do the same.

However, Shen Jingzong was a cunning old fox; he was unwilling to get involved himself, nor could he. He had just been accused, and it would be too obvious for him to rush in and smear the accused. He needed to use someone else to do this.

So he called Huang Xingyu to his study. Huang Xingyu was easy to fool, and everyone could see that he was jealous of his younger brother. If he took the lead, people would only think that he himself couldn't stand it.

Shen Jingzong told Huang Xingyu, with a mix of truth and falsehood, about Huang Xingtong's past relationship with the Zhou family and how he met Ji Zheng at sea. He seemed to be furious and heartbroken at Huang Xingtong's lack of ambition, and then flattered him with two compliments.

"Some people are quick-witted and intelligent, showing their talents from a young age and enjoying smooth sailing. However, as they grow up, they become arrogant and reckless, thinking they understand all the causes and effects of the world. They have no sense of awe and dare to mess with even the most notorious pirates and dabble in such businesses. In the end, they bring ruin upon themselves. If they are born more honest and understand that there are always people more capable than themselves, experiencing some setbacks in their youth can actually benefit their character and conduct."

The first part is about the younger brother, and the second part is about the older brother.

Huang Xingyu immediately felt as if he had received a great favor. No one had ever said such things to him before, and no one had ever seen the suffering and grievances he had endured. Moved by this, he had no doubt about anything Shen Jingzong said, and was completely convinced that Huang Xingtong had gone astray.

"Don't worry, sir, I understand what you mean."

Shen Jingzong feigned concern, saying, "If I hadn't been truly desperate, I wouldn't have come to you. I know you've severed ties with him, and he has nothing to do with you anymore. I wouldn't have needed to ask you for help with this matter otherwise."

"Severing ties with the family and cutting off kinship was for the sake of the family; we cannot let him tarnish our reputation. However, I also bear responsibility for how he has come to this point, as I am, after all, the eldest brother. Now that the family's reputation has been preserved, it would be fine if he behaved himself. But to cause such great trouble for you, sir, I cannot shirk my responsibility and will certainly share your burden."

It's hard to say what the real reason was, or whether it was to seek revenge for the humiliation and lack of respect he felt in front of his superiors during the village drinking party.

When he got home in the evening, he hadn't told Shen Yurui about these things because he looked bad. Now that he was getting his revenge, he not only wanted to tell her, but he also wanted to call Yongge over to listen.

He said to Shen Yurui, "You were only thinking about money at first, which is really a woman's view. How can a grown man care about such trivial things? If you had done it then, it would have given others a pretext to criticize you. Now it's easier to do this."

Shen Yurui dismissed his words as utter nonsense. He spouted grand theories, but in reality, he was only after money. Huang Xingyu, having climbed the official ladder, wanted to drive his brother to his death, yet he had the nerve to speak so righteously. However, she had long since lost faith in her neighbor, harboring a twisted resentment towards seeing her relatives live well, and secretly, a desire to see her neighbor suffer.

She was just wondering how much she could profit from if things really went as Huang Xingyu suggested and the neighbor went bankrupt.

Huang Xingyu then said to Huang Yuguang, "You used to call him Second Uncle. Although our two families are no longer related, he was still a role model for you for so many years. Now that he has fallen to this state, you must take this as a warning and never follow his example."

She deliberately belittled him in front of her son because Huang Yuguang grew up in an environment where his family always praised his second uncle for being capable and knowledgeable, and told him to learn from him. Now, everything has completely changed.

Huang Yuguang has two parents who are practically invisible at home and never dare to speak loudly.

He wasn't tall, nor did he inherit Huang Xingyu's physique. He was short and handsome, even beautiful from certain angles, with skin as white as his mother's. He used to be timid and submissive at home, which wasn't a problem when he didn't attract Huang Xingyu's attention. However, the servants often said that the young master had been acting strangely lately, becoming quiet and rarely speaking even to the servants. He used to be a very mischievous boy when he was young, quite a handful at the academy. It seemed that in just one year, he had changed drastically. Now, he didn't go out to socialize, and his friends at the academy had become distant. Suddenly, he only stayed in his room reading. Occasionally, he would come out for a walk in the courtyard, and when someone greeted him, he would always seem startled as if he had been caught red-handed, pausing for a moment before smiling mischievously and nodding.

Shen Yurui didn't think there was anything wrong with this. She always thought he was still young, and as long as he was willing to study, that was good. Wasn't this much better than before when he didn't study at all? It was actually a good thing that he talked less and didn't go out much; it meant he was becoming more mature and sensible. Actually, he was already sixteen or seventeen years old and had passed the preliminary examination. He would be taking the county-level examination next year.

Huang Xingyu, however, seemed to have always disliked him. When he was mischievous, she thought he wasn't steady enough; now that he was steady, she felt he was sneaky and sinister, like a rat, and his smile was even less endearing. So she was even more annoyed with him.

"Did you hear me?" He tapped the table in front of Huang Yuguang, his fatherly and headmaster identities overlapping, exuding great authority. "Don't let him learn the wrong things instead of the good ones."

Unexpectedly, the son, who was always as quiet as a mosquito in front of his father, suddenly spoke up.

"...I don't think this is appropriate. When family members expose each other, no matter what the reason is, outsiders will only say that we are heartless and ungrateful."