Can't a girl be a traitor like Cao Cao?

Fortunately, Master Hui was an upright man who never thought of seizing the family property of the eldest son's branch. He also took good care of his niece, Sister Hui, treating her almost as his own daughter.

Hui Sanmei was able to get through the most difficult period and raise her fourth brother.

Listening to Hui Sanmei recount her past hardships, Hui Zhilan couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

He held her hand and sighed, "You've suffered so much these past years without me by your side."

Upon hearing this, Hui Sanmei smiled and said, "Sister, you married far away from your family. You must have suffered just as much as I have over the years."

And at least my sister has a husband who can support the whole family, unlike my husband... sigh..."

As she spoke, Hui Sanmei sighed again.

Hui Zhilan then looked doubtful and said, "I think my brother-in-law is handsome and has no bad qualities. Why do you seem to have so many complaints about him?"

Hui Sanmei then revealed a complicated expression and replied, "He's good at everything else, and he's usually good to his daughter. It's just that... he's extremely addicted to gambling."

"Ah? This..."

Hui Zhilan was shocked, never expecting that her brother-in-law was a gambling addict.

Hui Sanmei sighed and then recounted to her sister everything that had happened over the past few years.

Hui Zhilan frowned more and more as she listened. She felt uneasy when she heard that Lai Yuanwei had gambled away his land and was in debt, getting worse year by year with no sign of improvement.

After Hui Sanmei finished speaking, she continued, "Compared to him, you, sister, have married a good husband."

Back then, the elder sister was a rare beauty in the surrounding villages, surpassing her younger sister in both looks and talent. But alas… such a tragedy occurred, a truly heartbreaking event…

It was also because Di Cangshan disregarded the fact that his sister was not a virgin and was determined to marry her.

A man like him is truly a rare find in this world…

Hui Sanmei, unaware of the inside story, brought it up, causing Hui Zhilan to frown and hesitate to speak.

Hui Sanmei thought she had said something wrong and apologized to her repeatedly.

Hui Zhilan shook her head and said, "Speaking of this matter, it is not as you think."

"Sister, what do you mean by this?"

Hui Zhilan frowned and said, "Actually... this matter was something Di Cangshan had planned from the very beginning..."

Hui Sanmei was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding what Hui Zhilan meant.

So Hui Zhilan told Hui Sanmei in detail about the crimes Di Cangshan committed when he was young as a lecherous thief.

"Ah? This..."

Hui Sanmei was even more surprised, never expecting that Hui Zhilan's marriage was even more pitiful than her own.

She shook her head in frustration, saying, "If I had known it would turn out like this, I shouldn't have let my sister marry into the Hidden Sword Manor, into that den of wolves and tigers... I've made my sister suffer so much for nothing... This Di Cang Mountain is really... really..."

Seeing her furious, Hui Zhilan gently comforted her, "Now that things have come to this, I've taken it all in stride. After all, Di Cangshan has only himself to blame and deserves his punishment. Even the daughter he raised won't acknowledge him anymore."

Now that I've finally returned home after all my wanderings, I'm far better off than many of the world's most unfortunate people.

Hui Sanmei sighed and continued, "It's just that my sister and I are unlucky..."

"Is that so? I don't think so."

Hui Zhilan then said with a smile, "I think a woman should fight for her own destiny."

Hui Sanmei was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, and then said, "Is that what you think, sister?"

"Yes, and I've encountered it now too..."

At this point, Hui Zhilan blushed slightly, making her look extremely beautiful.

Hui Sanmei seemed puzzled, but based on the familiarity between sisters, she quickly smiled and said, "Could it be that, sister... you have someone you like again?"

Hui Zhilan blushed, seemingly wanting to avoid the topic.

She quickly added, "Let's not talk about that. It's just that you and I haven't seen each other for many years. Why don't you stay here tonight and we can talk some more?"

Upon hearing this, Hui Sanmei smiled sweetly and nodded brightly, saying, "Alright. Let's have a long talk by candlelight tonight."

-

While the Hui family members were inside the Hui residence, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Water Gang's wicked bandits.

However, many people will inevitably stay up all night because of what happened today.

Earlier today, after Qiang Youlong and his group caused trouble at Hui Mansion, they were slaughtered by Wenren Tianxia and Chi Junlin.

The body was then sent to the prefectural government office in preparation for the reward for meritorious service.

However, the other members of the Water Gang seemed to have heard about this, and the group of corpses was snatched away by a group of masked bandits as soon as they arrived at the county office.

Although the bandits were not paraded through the streets, the news spread quickly, greatly boosting morale in Xiangshui County.

Inside the prefectural office, in the inner courtyard of the prefectural governor's residence.

Under the moonlight, a handsome middle-aged man with a long, flowing beard was drinking alone under the moon.

This man was the governor of Xiangshui County, a descendant of a noble family from Nandu, and Li Yi.

Back when Li Yi received his father's merits and was appointed as the local official in Xiangshui County, he was full of vigor and ambition.

At the young age of thirty, he was appointed as a fourth-rank official and held the seal of the prefect.

The future looks very promising.

When Li Yi took office with his beautiful concubine, he was determined to make a difference. He didn't expect to achieve something great, but he at least wanted to benefit the local people and leave a good name for them.

Then, seeing the local people and fishermen suffering from the bandits of Dongting Lake, he decided to overcome all difficulties, eliminate the flood, and demonstrate his abilities.

And then……

There is no more.

Thinking of his current loneliness and desolation, and that even his beloved concubine had left him, and that he feared he would never see her again in this life, tears streamed down his face.

He raised his hand dejectedly, holding a woman's hand fan in his hand.

The fan is broken, and the beauty is gone.

He shook his head and murmured, "Parting has always been painful for those with deep feelings, especially on this desolate autumn day..."

Willow... my Willow...

Wuwuwu..."

Overwhelmed with sorrow, he picked up his wine glass and drank heartily.

This only highlights the tragic fate of heroes and beauties.

It's true that even heaven and earth have an end, but this sorrow will last forever...

Chapter 248 The Sound of Wind and Rain at Night

At this moment, the prefect sitting in the courtyard looked at the moon in the sky and the fan in his hand, his face full of worry.

He was extremely dejected and couldn't help but pick up the entire wine jug and pour it into his mouth again.

A series of "ton ton ton" sounds rang out.

It was like drinking a bitter wine, causing a sharp pain in the throat and heart—

Without her in my dreams, the night is endless...

Just as Li Yi was seemingly drunk, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the courtyard.

Immediately afterwards, a white-haired servant walked into the courtyard.

Then, beaming with joy, she said to Li Yi, "Master, good news! Good news indeed!"

The prefect was already annoyed, so he frowned and said to the old servant, "Didn't you say not to disturb me when I'm drinking? With Liu'er gone, what happy occasion could there be?"

The old servant smiled and said, "Although it is not what you wanted, sir, it is a great joy for you and the people of Xiangshui County!"

Li Yi immediately became interested and asked, "Oh? What is it?"

"The leader of the Water Gang, the Water Dragon You Qianglong, has been killed!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yi's eyes widened, and he sobered up considerably.

He immediately asked, "What happened? Who killed him?"

The old servant hurriedly said, "It's the Hui family of Xiangshui County. The second young lady of the Hui family brought several distinguished guests home today, only to run into You Qianglong and his gang of water gang members causing trouble."

That distinguished guest was highly skilled in martial arts, and it was said that he was some kind of martial arts master. He killed You Qianglong and his gang members who came to cause trouble! Not a single one was spared!

Blood was everywhere, gushing out, I saw it with my own eyes! And Hui's servants were still washing the front door over there!

Li Yi was stunned for a moment after hearing the old servant's words.

He gritted his teeth and nodded, saying, "Good! Good riddance! This villain deserves to die! He deserves to die!"

The old servant was also in tears.

Because he knew that Li Yi had been attacked by bandits when he was full of vigor and ready to make a name for himself in Xiangshui County.

The leader was none other than You Qianglong, the "water dragon".

Since the attack on the prefecture and the abduction of Li Yi's beloved concubine by the river bandits, he has lost his appetite day and night, ending up in his current state of utter despair.

In the current prefecture, Prefect Li Yi also doesn't concern himself with anything, leaving everything to the two local officials, Prefectural Assistant and Prefectural Commandant.

Xiangshui County has maintained a balance for several years, and there haven't been any major troubles since.

Regardless of whether today's events were what the local clans of Xiangshui County wished for, they certainly gave the people a strong boost of confidence.

After a moment of deep thought, Li Yi suddenly burst into laughter, raising his wine cup and gesturing wildly.

Suddenly, she fell to the ground with a sob, tears streaming down her face.

It's like he's gone mad.

The old servant was both worried and delighted, watching Li Yi make a fuss for a while.

I was about to ask what to do next, but I didn't expect that Li Yi was already sitting in a rocking chair, snoring loudly.

She was already asleep.

The old servant sighed, tears streaming down his face.

He hadn't had a good night's sleep like this for several years since his beloved concubine, Lady Liu, had passed away.

He spent every single night in a drunken stupor.

Clearly, the news that arrived today greatly boosted Li Yi's spirits, allowing him to relax and finally get a good night's sleep.

Thinking of this, the old servant brought a blanket and gently covered Li Yi with it.

He put away his wine glass and slowly retreated.

However, not everyone was as overjoyed as Prefect Li Yi tonight.

On the other side, on a flower boat on the shore of Dongting Lake.

Amidst the incessant singing and dancing throughout the night, a greasy-looking middle-aged man dressed in a round-necked nobleman was drinking and making merry with courtesans.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside.

The mustachioed man who had appeared in the gambling den earlier walked slowly to the middle-aged man's side.

He respectfully greeted, "Lord Prefect."

The Prefect was drinking with a beautiful woman when he saw the man with the mustache approaching, which dampened his spirits.

She looked at him, her face full of displeasure, and said, "What is it?"

The man with the mustache leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear.

Upon hearing this, the prefect's eyes widened suddenly, and he asked, "Is this true?"

"It's absolutely true, I saw it with my own eyes!"

The man with the mustache replied very seriously.

The prefect nodded and waved his hand, signaling the group of singers to leave.

Once everyone was alone, the prefect asked again, "So, does that mean the Hui family has already formed a deadly feud with the Water Gang?"

"Yes."