Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Fu Yun said, "Chen Jingang is from a collateral branch of the Yangzhou princely family, a hereditary prince, and wields considerable power in Yangzhou Prefecture, with a very long reach. He has a very secret but widely known fetish—he prefers married women. If he sets his sights on someone, he will stop at nothing to get his hands on her. Especially those female relatives of officials who have just arrived in Yangzhou and have no relatives or friends there are the easiest targets for him."

"Two years ago, the prefect of Taizhou was traveling to his post with his wife when Chen Jingang happened to see them while they were changing boats in Yangzhou. Chen Jingang tricked the prefect into getting drunk and then sent someone to lure his wife to a separate residence under the prefect's name. Afterwards, the woman drowned herself in the river. The prefect filed a complaint in the capital, but the complaint was intercepted on the way, and Chen Jingang escaped unscathed. Also last year, the magistrate of Jiangdu County was sent on an official mission while on his way to his new post. Chen Jingang took advantage of his absence and invited his wife to his residence under the guise of a banquet, where he got her drunk. After the magistrate returned, he tried every means to get her back, but he couldn't even see her. Not long after, he requested to be transferred out of Yangzhou, and no one knows where he is now."

Jiang Sese was shocked: "...Isn't anyone going to do anything about it? Don't the local officials care? Don't the Censorate care?"

Fu Yun glanced at Jiang Sese, pursed her lips, and said, "It's not that no one cares, it's that they dare not care. The case of the prefect of Taizhou caused quite a stir back then. The prefect of Taizhou personally wrote a letter in blood and submitted it to the Censorate. But Chen Jingang is a prince of the imperial clan. If the Censorate wants to investigate him, they have to get past the Imperial Clan Court first. By the time the official documents and procedures are completed, the evidence has long been dealt with. The person who filed the complaint was either demoted and sent away or the matter was dropped. His mother was a concubine of the late old prince, and her seniority in the imperial clan is not low. His shops also occupy the best locations at the canal wharf, and his business on the canal alone brings in tens of thousands of taels of silver every year. He has money, a title, connections in the imperial clan, and a group of local thugs who work for him. Bringing him down is much harder than bringing down a corrupt official."

Fu Yun paused here, her tone becoming more serious, and reminded her, "Young Madam, this person acts without any restraint in Yangzhou. During your stay in Yangzhou, please do not go out alone. Wherever you go, please have enough people with you."

Jiang Sese looked incredulous and said, "He's just a local prince, he shouldn't have that kind of guts, right?"

Fu Yun gently shook her head and said earnestly, "It's always good to be more careful in everything you do."

Jiang Sese didn't say anything more, but she kept this matter on her mind.

The Xie family's ancestral home in Yangzhou is an old house passed down from the previous dynasty, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and three courtyards.

Upon entering the house, the layout is clearly defined.

The front courtyard housed the outer hall and study, which were used by Xie Jue to receive local officials from Yangzhou and handle urgent matters related to salt transport along the way.

All male servants, guards, and clerks were confined to the front courtyard, and even visiting guests who came to deliver greetings stopped there.

The central courtyard was the main residence for the two of them. It was lush with flowers and trees, and a small study was set up by the window. Under the window was a pear wood desk, and when you opened the window, you could see the whole courtyard full of new greenery.

The entire backyard belonged to Jiang Sese, complete with maids and side rooms. No man was allowed to approach the courtyard wall without being summoned.

The cooks and servants in the mansion were all from the inner courtyard. Local officials could only deliver greetings in the front courtyard and were not allowed to approach the wall of the middle courtyard without being summoned.

Jiang Sese took a walk around the backyard and discovered that the bathhouse had hot spring water, and the bath was built with a single piece of bluestone.

Jiang Sese couldn't help but ask with slight surprise, "Why is hot spring water piped into the bathhouse in the backyard?"

Xie Jue: "There is a hot spring vein hidden beneath this old house. I know you are not used to the cold water on the canal boats, so I had someone prepare it in advance, dig a culvert to bring the water into the house, and use a whole piece of bluestone as a pool, so that it is warm and not cold."

"You've suffered while sailing on the open sea, but now that you're back in your own home, we'll make sure you're comfortable."

Jiang Sese was still puzzled: "Isn't the Xie family's main residence in Yuezhou? Why would they own such a large mansion in Yangzhou?"

Xie Jue said, "My ancestor once served as the head of the Jiangnan Waterways in his early years, and was stationed in Yangzhou to manage the important affairs of the canals. He settled here for many years. This mansion is the ancestral property acquired at that time, and it has been repaired and preserved through generations. Later, most of the clansmen moved back to Yuezhou, but this courtyard was always preserved. I also lived here for a period of time when I was young. Now that I am returning to my hometown, I can use it as a place to stay."

Jiang Sese didn't say anything after hearing this, but silently glanced at Xie Jue, "There's something I want to ask, but I don't know if I should..."

Xie Jue smiled and said, "Go ahead and ask."

Jiang Sese finally blurted out the question: "How come the Xie family is so rich?"

From the moment she transmigrated, Jiang Sese discovered that the Xie family was incredibly wealthy.

She was very particular about her food, clothing, and daily necessities. At first, she thought that those expenses were supported by Princess Anning's dowry and royal subsidies, but later she found out that was not the case.

The princess's expenses are one thing, but the Xie family's entire foundation is another.

This house is said to be ancestral property, but looking around, the Taihu stones in the courtyard and those few century-old locust trees alone are quite valuable.

The dowry list Xie Jue gave her included many estates, shops, and farmland, all of which were his private property, not listed in the Xie family's public accounts. Therefore, she had always wanted to ask about them, but had been holding back, unsure how.

If I ask that question, it's easy for it to sound like your family is so rich that it's probably ill-gotten gains.

Xie Jue raised an eyebrow slightly after hearing this, clearly not expecting her to ask this.

Xie Jue: "People only know that the Xie family has been officials for generations, but they don't know that our Xie family has been engaged in farming, studying, official careers, and business for dozens of generations. Some members of the family have devoted themselves to studying and entered the court to become officials, while others have been in charge of managing the family's business affairs. The division of labor is clear and there is no interference between them."

"Generation after generation, they acquired vast tracts of fertile land, shops along the streets, printing houses, and silk trading companies, and each year's profits were used to acquire new businesses... Do you understand now?"

Jiang Sese: "I understand, I understand."

"So your family are typical compound interest investors, using farmland as the base, shops for income, and cash to maintain liquidity. Each generation is increasing their assets, and the annualized rate of return is not low. No wonder you're so rich..."

Xie Jue didn't understand: "What?"

Jiang Sese quickly changed the subject and started talking about Chen Jingang.

"Do you know anything about Chen Jingang?"

Xie Jue glanced at Jiang Sese and said, "I know a little."

Jiang Sese leaned forward and lowered her voice to recount the two cases that Fuyun had mentioned in detail.