The Prodigal Son

Yunhuai.

The Shi family had already prepared three million taels of silver, and the other salt merchants had also dutifully delivered their silver.

At the same time, Shi Yi also received news that Qin Yu was reforming the bureaucracy in Taozhou.

At present, historians seem to have completely weathered the crisis.

However, Shi Yi and Shi Wang were not happy.

Invitations to the Shi family's eldest grandson's one-month celebration had already been sent out.

In two days, it will be time to hold the full moon celebration.

Many prominent figures in Yunhuai also sent gifts, including quite a few longevity locks.

However, many people made various excuses and did not come to the banquet in person.

Or perhaps they said they had something to do and could only send a younger member of their family.

And so, they received another longevity lock sent by the governor of Yunhuai County.

The prefect, who used to try every means to curry favor with the Shi family, said that Qin Yu was in Taozhou reforming the administration and would be coming to Yunhuai at some point. He had to go to the counties below to inspect and reform beforehand and was really unable to spare the time. He asked them to be understanding.

The words were well-chosen, and the reasons were quite valid.

However, there are some things that everyone knows perfectly well!

"Alright, I understand."

The man sent by Shi Yichong, the prefect of Yunhuai, waved his hand and said, "You may leave!"

"This humble servant takes his leave!"

The visitor bowed and withdrew.

As soon as the visitor left, Shi Wang couldn't help but curse, "That bastard! Why did he have to pick this moment of all times to rectify official corruption? It was clearly intentional!"

What a load of rubbish about rectifying and inspecting various counties!

It's obvious they see that the historians seem to have lost power and are eager to distance themselves from them!

"Alright!"

Shi Yi glanced at the third brother indifferently, "People's hearts are most vulnerable to testing! This is a good thing! How can we know who is willing to share hardships without going through this?"

Shi Wang retorted indignantly, "That's true, but..."

As Shi Wang was speaking, the steward suddenly came running over, "Second Master, Third Master, Lord Qin just sent someone with a letter!"

"Qin Yu?"

The two exchanged a surprised glance.

Why did Qin Yu send someone to deliver a message?

Is it asking whether the fine has been collected in full?

Filled with doubt, Shi Yi took the letter and opened it.

Shi Wang, out of curiosity, also went over to take a look.

However, the contents of the letter were quite different from what they had imagined.

Qin Yu and Lü Si are coming to Yunhuai to celebrate the full moon of the eldest grandson of the Shi family. They told Shi Yi to focus on his business and not to come and greet them.

Upon reading the contents of the letter, Shi Wang was somewhat lost in thought.

For a fleeting moment, he even wondered if someone was impersonating Qin Yu and harassing the Shi family.

However, the seal on the letter already says it all.

"this……"

Shi Wang was somewhat lost in thought. "Second Brother, what does Qin Yu mean by this?"

"What else could it mean?"

Shi Yi put the letter away, a smile suddenly spreading across his face. "A slap followed by a sweet treat!"

Shi Wang realized what was happening. "You mean, Qin Yu is using this to appease us?"

"To be precise, it was His Majesty who was reassuring us historians!"

A glint of light flashed in Shi Yi's eyes. "My Shi family still has value to the court. The court just took three million taels of silver from us, so His Majesty should give us something in return!"

These are all common tricks used by those in power!

He seemed to hear Zhao Luan say in his ear: "I invited such an important figure as Qin Yu to attend the full moon celebration of the eldest grandson of the Shi family. Isn't that enough face for the Shi family?"

She probably wants the historians to be grateful to her!

Shi Wangming understood immediately, and then said with a smile, "Doesn't that mean we can give those who think our Shi family has lost power a good slap in the face?"

"certainly!"

Shi Yi raised an eyebrow and smiled, then instructed the butler, "Don't reveal this to anyone. Just pretend you know nothing!"

Those who come to celebrate the full moon will be friends of the Shi family.

Let those who don't come regret it!

Disregarding historians comes at a price!

"yes!"

The butler bowed and took his leave.

"etc!"

Shi Yi suddenly stopped the butler, "Has anyone in the household caused trouble outside recently?"

Well, Qin Yu is coming, so we need to be careful about this.

The butler paused slightly, then quickly replied with a forced smile, "No, no!"

Shi Yi noticed the butler's unusual behavior and demanded sharply, "Did it or didn't it?"

The butler was startled and dared not hide anything any longer. He cautiously said, "Yesterday, the Third Miss had a little conflict with a merchant from Shangzhou. She broke his arm and knocked out three teeth..."

"What?"

Shi Yi's face suddenly darkened, and he roared, "Go, bring that unfilial daughter to me!"

The butler dared not delay and hurried off.

"Second brother, it's not a big deal, don't be angry."

Shi Wang offered his advice with a smile.

Upon learning that Qin Yu was coming, Shi Wang's mood instantly improved.

He can't wait to see those who looked down on historians regret their actions!

"This isn't about whether you're angry or not!"

Shi Yi's face darkened. "We need to rein ourselves in now, to show the court that the Shi family has a change of heart! Qin Yu and Lü Si have always been at odds with her. Is she being so arrogant and domineering now because she's afraid Qin Yu won't have a reason to teach our Shi family a lesson?"

That's it!

Shi Wang suddenly realized, then patted Shi Yi on the shoulder and stood up, "I'll go do my thing, you talk to Lian'er properly."

Shi Yi nodded with a dark expression and watched Shi Wang leave.

Soon, a pitiful-looking Shi Lian'er arrived at Shi Yi's courtyard.

Seeing that Shi Yi's expression was off, Shi Lian'er's heart pounded. She cautiously stepped forward and asked, "Father...did you call for me?"

Snapped!

Shi Lian'er was greeted with a resounding slap.

Caught off guard, Shi Lian'er was spun around by the slap before collapsing to the ground, seeing stars.

"Waaah..."

Shi Lian'er raised her hand to cover her cheek, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why did you hit me?"

"On what grounds?"

Shi Yi was furious. "Didn't I warn you not to cause trouble lately? What did you do yesterday?"

Originally, historians should not have suffered this undeserved calamity.

If she had married Lü Si properly, there wouldn't have been so many problems.

As a result, she insisted on publicly beating Lü Si on the first day of the Lunar New Year, causing the marriage between the two families to fall through completely.

Her beating cost the Shi family three million taels of silver!

When asked about yesterday's events, Shi Lian'er not only didn't admit her mistake, but instead burst into even more tears of grievance: "Who told her to call me toothless? Now so many people are laughing at me for being missing two teeth. Did I want to be missing these two teeth? Waaah..."

Shi Lian'er became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and tears fell like beads from a broken string.

Lu Si knocked out two of her teeth, one abutment and one incisor.

After returning to Yunhuai, she spent a lot of money to have her front teeth fixed.

But these dentures are somehow different from her own, and they're bound with silver wire, so when she opens her mouth, people can see her dentures.

She is now most sensitive about people talking about her teeth.

But yesterday, that blind fool dared to point his finger at her and call her toothless.

If she doesn't teach that ignorant fool a lesson, won't everyone dare to laugh at her in the future?

Seeing his daughter not only failing to reflect on her actions but also arguing back, Shi Yi was even more furious and almost kicked her.

After struggling to suppress his impulse, Shi Yi growled coldly, "Go apologize to them immediately, apologize however you should!"

What?

Should I go and apologize to that bastard?

If I go, where will I put my face?

Shi Lian'er grew increasingly grief-stricken and indignant, and screamed at the top of her lungs, "I won't go! I'd rather die than go!"

"Fine, you're not going, huh?"

Shi Yi clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and growled, "Don't say I didn't warn you, Qin Yu and Lü Si are coming to your nephew's one-month celebration. If this gets to Qin Yu, don't expect me to plead for you!"

Qin Yu?

Lü Si?

Upon hearing those two names, Shi Lian'er's eyes suddenly filled with hatred, but her body inexplicably trembled.

The fear of being dominated by Qin Yu and Lü Si resurfaced...