Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

"The Ma family was poor and couldn't afford to raise the two poor girls. Just then, Old Madam Sun, out of compassion for the elderly and the poor, heard about this and sent someone to say she was willing to take them in. I thought this was an act of kindness..."

Gu Yansheng leaned back in his chair and waved his hand. "I see. But does this have anything to do with Zhang Qianxing? Since it's come all the way to the torture chamber and to me, there has to be an explanation."

Chen Youde's forehead began to sweat again. "Registrar Gu is right. It seems that the servant misunderstood my intention. I will go back and bring the two maids back to Ma Dashou."

Gu Yansheng picked up his teacup. "Master Chen, a family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings. You should take good care of yourself."

Chen Youde's face darkened upon hearing this, but he dared not retaliate, and with a forced smile, he left the signing room. The steward followed behind, and the two of them left the county government office one after the other.

As Yu Shoufen carried a stack of case files through the corridor, he saw Chen Youde emerge from the signing room, slowed his pace, and turned into the torture chamber.

Kong Youan looked up. "What brings Chen Youde here?"

Yu Shoufen shook his head. "I don't know. Clerk Gu sent someone to summon him, and Clerk Feng also went in around noon."

Kong Youan put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Destroy the two case files of Zhang Sanlang."

Yu Shoufen was taken aback. "Destroy? Not archive?"

"No evidence found, no case to be filed. Registrar Gu interfered, wouldn't keeping the file be leaving a handle?" Kong Youan's voice was not loud, but every word was like a nail.

Yu Shoufen responded and turned to rummage through the case files in the cabinet.

After the bell rang three times to signal the end of the shift, Zhang Sanlang tidied up the books on his desk and left the office.

He bought a serving of braised chicken feet and a serving of braised pig liver from a dried meat shop for twenty-five coins. He wrapped them in oil paper, put them in his pocket, and walked towards Kujing Lane.

Now he has more than ten strings of cash in his hands, receives a monthly stipend of 1,500 cash, and is also entitled to various subsidies from the county government. In addition, he has two sources of income: rent from his old house and rent from his ancestral land. He is no longer the poor clerk who only had a few dozen cash in his pocket.

Although they still mainly eat porridge for two meals a day, they are willing to buy some meat every now and then, since their two children are growing up and they can't be allowed to grow into bean sprouts.

There was no one by the old well at the alley entrance; the well pulley dangled from the edge, the hemp rope damp. He had just turned the corner when he saw a blue-curtained carriage parked in front of his own courtyard gate.

A golden peony was embroidered on the carriage curtain, and the character "Chen" was attached below the peony.

Zhang Sanlang slowed his pace.

He recognized the emblem.

Chenjiazhuang.

Two burly men sat on the cart, their waists bulging as if they were carrying short sticks. Two servants, dressed in short blue cloth robes, squatted on the cart shaft, each holding a hemp rope.

Four people, plus a coachman.

Zhang Sanlang was shocked. He quickly stuffed the food in his hand into his pocket and strode over.

The courtyard gate was open.

As expected, Chen Youde has arrived!

He was wearing a gray-blue silk robe, twirling two walnuts in his hand, standing at the entrance of the main house, blowing his beard and glaring.

Sun's wife and A-Yun squatted at the door of the west wing, washing clothes, their washing sticks resting on the edge of the basin, too afraid to move.

Zhou Qing stood at the entrance of the main house, a forced smile on his face, his hands hanging at his sides. Zhou Chenshi stood behind him, clutching the hem of his clothes with one hand, her face pale.

When Chen Youde saw Zhang Sanlang enter, he paused for a moment while twirling the walnut in his hand, then resumed twirling it, a smile appearing on his lips. "Zhang Qianxing, you've finished your shift? I'm here handling some family matters. Sorry to bother you."

Zhang Sanlang walked over and stood in the middle of the courtyard. "Master Chen, this is my home."

"I know." Chen Youde nodded. "As I said, this is a family matter."

He gestured with his chin behind him. Four servants surged in from the courtyard gate; two stood blocking the entrance to the main house, while the other two walked towards Zhou Qing.

"Father!" Zhou Chenshi's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the courtyard heard it. She looked at Chen Youde, her lips trembling, but her back was ramrod straight. "Do you really have to do this?"

Chen Youde didn't look at her, but simply nodded to the two servants.

Zhou Chenshi gripped her hand even tighter, her nails digging into the corner of Zhou Qingyi's dress. She raised her head, her gaze passing over Chen Youde and landing on Zhang Sanlang. "Zhang Qianxing, you are from the county government. He wants to take me back; you can't just ignore it."

As she finished speaking, her lips were still trembling and her eyes were red. Where was her usual haughty and arrogant demeanor? Instead, she looked pitiful.

Zhang Sanlang shook his head. "Master Chen, you say this is a family matter?"

Chen Youde looked at him. "Zhang Qianxing, this is my youngest daughter. She's been on the run for two years. We've found her today, so we're taking her back to discipline her. What else is this but a family matter?"

Zhang Sanlang cupped his hands in greeting, "Master Chen, once a woman is married, her husband's family becomes her home. Madam Zhou is already Zhou Qing's wife, not a member of the Chen family. If you want to take her away, you must ask her husband for his consent."

Chen Youde spun the walnut in his hand faster. "Zhang Qianxing, I respect you as a member of the Chen family and don't want to fall out with you. This is a family matter of the Chen family, and you, an outsider, are meddling too much."

"Zhou Qing is a tenant of my old house. You brought people to take her away, is this a family matter?" Zhang Sanlang looked at him, "Master Chen, isn't it inappropriate for you to just take her away like this?"

Chen Youde's face darkened.

The butler leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear.

After listening, Chen Youde's lips twitched, and he turned to Zhang Sanlang, "Zhang Qianxing, my steward secretly had Ma Dashou file a false accusation against you without my knowledge. It was my fault for not disciplining you properly. I admit to this."

He gestured with his chin toward the steward, who opened his satchel, took out a silver ingot, and placed it on the stone table in the courtyard. "This is an apology. Zhang Qianxing, accept it, and the matter will be considered settled."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at the silver ingot but did not reach for it.

Seeing that he remained unmoved, Chen Youde softened his tone, "I've already had someone bring Ma Dashou's two girls back from the Sun family and handed them over to Ma Dashou. Let's settle our past grievances and leave each other alone from now on, okay?"

His gaze passed over Zhang Sanlang and landed on Zhou Chenshi. "Now I am looking for my daughter to take back and discipline. Zhang Qianxing, you are an outsider, so please refrain from speaking."

Zhang Sanlang remained silent, and the courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Seeing his predicament, Zhou Chenshi steeled herself and stepped out from behind Zhou Qing. "Father, when you forced me to marry Young Master Ma, why didn't you say I was your daughter? When you had Uncle Huo tie me up and force me to marry, why didn't you say I was your daughter then?"

Chen Youde's expression changed, and his eyebrows gradually stood up.

Zhou Chenshi gritted her teeth, "I'm not your daughter anymore. I haven't been for two years! I'd rather die than go back to the Chen family! If you keep forcing me, I'll kill myself right here!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Youde's face turned ashen, the flesh at the corner of his mouth trembled, and the walnuts in his hand cracked loudly.

No one spoke in the courtyard.

Aunt Sun squatted at the door of the west wing, the mallet in her hand fell to the ground with a thud, and no one went to pick it up.

"Good, good, good." Chen Youde said "good" three times in a row, his voice sounding like it was squeezed out from between his teeth. "Since you don't acknowledge me as your father, you can forget about ever stepping into the Chen family again. Even if you die in the street, the Chen family won't collect your body."