Category: The Big Landlord

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Chapter 119.3 – Mayor Xu Wei Ye

Fu Wu Tian lifted his sleeve. With a sly expression he surveyed Xu Wei Ye.

“There is no need to be so troublesome, this prince has a faster and better way.”

“What way?” For some reason, Xu Wei Ye suddenly felt a chill.

Fu Wu Tian stood up without warning and slowly walked up to Xu Wei Ye. Under the latter’s gaze full of dread, he suddenly picked him up by the neck. With just a subtle application of strength, he lifted the portly Xu Wei Ye into the air. The latter’s face turned red, and his legs kicked hard in the air.

“Ah, murder!”

Seeing this scene, the Xu Manor’s servants suddenly screamed in fright. They turned and tried to run out the door to call for help, but Fu Wu Tian’s subordinates stopped them. Several soldiers blocked off the door.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

The servant’s screams did attract some people, but they were all blocked as well. The steward of the Xu Manor wanted to break in. He tried to push through the blockage of soldiers, but one of them hit him on the back of the neck with the blade of his hand. The steward fell to the floor with a loud thud.

A servant was about to scream, but when a soldier glanced over with a cold look, his screams stopped in his throat.

Main Hall

Fu Wu Tian emitted bloodlust. He said: “If I kill you, then I won’t have to prove anything to you.”

Xu Wei Ye was so angry that his lips trembled uncontrollably, but he couldn’t say a word. He had a feeling that Fu Wu Tian really wanted to kill him. It wasn’t until his eyes were about to roll to the back of his head did he feel the hand around his neck loosen. In the next moment, he fell to the floor.

Xu Wei Ye gasped violently for air until he felt better. He pointed to Fu Wu Tian and said in a trembling voice: “You, do you still value the law? I am the mayor of Ali Xiang. Kill me, and your days won’t be any better.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt everyone’s eyes focus on him once again, but this time the gazes were different. It was as if he had said something amusing.

“It seems that being the head of Ali Xiang for ten years has made you completely forget who the master of Ali Xiang is. This prince will tell you that in Ali Xiang, this prince is the law. Who dares to say anything if I kill you?”

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The voice of the cool, handsome tyrant resounded throughout the main hall. Even the Xu Manor’s servants who were outside of the door were so intimidated that they did not dare to let out a single peep. Compared to their dignified lord, this man was simply a devil.

This was Da Ya’s god of war!

Xu Wei Ye finally realized that he had underestimated Fu Wu Tian.

But that was no surprise. After all, Ali Xiang was simply too far away. It was impossible for news of Fu Wu Tian to be transmitted here word for word. Even Xu Wei Ye only knew that Fu Wu Tian followed his father to battle since childhood. As for all other information regarding Fu Wu Tian, he had never heard about them.

“Mayor Xu, you are a wise man. There are some words that this prince does not want to say again.”

Fu Wu Tian’s voice echoed in Xu Wei Ye’s ears. He was like a fiend, making Xu Wei Ye tremble and go cold from head to foot.

Finally, for the sake of his little life, Xu Wei Ye had no choice but to lower his head in submission.

“This little one, Xu Wei Ye, kowtows in salute to wangye…”

“Oh?”

“(This little one) salutes to wangfei.”

Shao Fei’s eyes were round like saucers. He just knew that things would not go well for Xu Wei Ye once he met the wangye, as a matter of fact, that arrogant and haughty attitude he had when he first interacted with them had shriveled up within a matter of seconds. He resembled a mouse trembling in fear before the presence of a lion.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

He was not as tolerant as Guan Su. If he had known ahead of time, he would not have come with them no matter what. Instead, he ended up living in that run-down cottage for so long and was stung by mosquitoes all over. Furthermore, he had to watch that bastard Xu Wei Ye’s smug face strutting by in front of him everyday.

Every time he thought of this, he got so angry that his teeth ached, just itching to draw the sword by his waist and cut that man down.

Finally, they moved into Xu Manor.

There were not many wealthy people in Ali Xiang, so the best place to live in Ali Xiang was in the Xu Manor.

Xu Wei Ye was almost scared stiff by Fu Wu Tian’s behavior. This time, he did not dare to resort to his little tricks. He stayed with Guan Su and the rest of the soldiers in the Xu Manor’s guest rooms.

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T/N: There will be slight changes to the way I translate as I experiment to find a translation style that suits me more.

Before, I thought it was proper to separate each pinyin if I were to keep a word in Chinese (i.e. wang fei), but stylistically I always thought it looked better when I combine the pinyin together. I felt the same way with names, which is why I’ve always translated the names as An Zi Ran instead of An Ziran.

When I first started translating I was really concerned with what was the proper way to translate Chinese into English, but now that I’m more comfortable with translating, I think I can don’t be so rigid and just go with what feels right. I will start combining words like wangfei and gongzi, but I will keep the characters’ names as they are, because I think we’re used to seeing them like this, and I’m afraid it’ll be confusing if I were to suddenly combine them.

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Chapter 119.2 – Mayor Xu Wei Ye

Xu Wei Ye was the mayor of Ali Xiang and could be counted as a bureaucrat, but his status was lower than a fourth rank official.

According to Da Ya’s laws and decrees, officials lower than fourth rank did not have the qualifications to refer to their place of residence as a manor. In this matter alone, Xu Wei Ye had already violated the laws and decrees of Da Ya. According to the law, he should be punished.

“Halt, this isn’t some place you can just enter casually, hurry up and get lost!”

The doorman had took note of their presence long ago, and when he saw them walking towards the front doors of Xu Manor, he immediately stood in front of them with a disgusted expression, as if they were pests.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

The guard’s attitude was reflective of the master’s attitude. There was a reason for this kind of saying.

Not a single person of the group responded.

Zhong Yue was the most direct. She went over and grabbed the doorman by his collar. Before he could even react, she had already tossed him away. He rolled in a few circles before falling flat on his back.

The doorman was stunned. This was the first time he met someone that dared to raise a hand against him. It has been a long time since this kind of thing happened in Ali Xiang.

A lot of people were afraid of the Xu Manor’s lord, so they did not dare to raise their hand against the people of Xu Manor, not even against a servant.

“You people…”

The guard crawled back to his feet right away. He opened his mouth and was just about to give them a few fierce words.

The group of people did not wait for him to speak. Without so much as a by your leave, they entered the Xu Manor.

The doorman blanked out for a second. Then his complexion went through huge changes and he quickly chased after them. Have these people consumed the heart of a bear and the guts of a leopard?

Very soon, a servant reported this matter up the chain of command.

However, Xu Wei Ye had already known about their whereabouts for a long time now. He deliberately did not tell the doorman because he wanted to take them down a few notches, so even he did not expect that they would directly charge inside.

A dozen people squeezed into the main hall of the Xu Manor, and the place quickly became crowded.

Xu Wei Ye soon appeared at the entrance to his lobby. When he looked in, he immediately saw two men sitting in the main seats of the lobby without the permission of the manor’s lord.

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The one on the right looked like a mild and cold elegant youngster. Next to him was a tall and sturdy man. The man had a profound silhouette, sharp and clear-cut facial features, and a calm gaze. One look was enough to determine that he was a high-ranking person. The imposing aura around him was definitely not something an ordinary person would have.

Xu Wei Ye’s thoughts went around a circle and he immediately guessed the man’s identity.

Daring to sit in his seat without any scruples, this man must be Fu Xiao’s son, Fu Wu Tian, the real lord and master of Ali Xiang.

When he thought of the word master, Xu Wei Ye couldn’t help but sneer. Ali Xiang was the place that he and his father ran for nearly thirty years. No matter how good this Fu Wu Tian was, wanting to reap where one has not sown as soon as he got here, how could it be so easy? He had strategized for ten years, all for this one moment.

His heart was full of thoughts, but his face did not betray a single one.

Xu Wei Ye gathered up the clothes on his body, lifted his head, straightened his back, and went in.

Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on him. Xu Wei Ye not only did not retreat, but he enjoyed this kind of gaze. He was someone who adored false reputations. He loved it when people’s gazes were all focused on him. It made him feel extraordinary.

“Who are you people? You actually dare to break into my Xu Manor?”

Instead of bringing Fu Wu Tian’s identity out into the open, he pretended to be ignorant. As long as they did not admit their identities then he would not acknowledge them.

Zhong Yue shouted sharply: “The nerve! You see the wangye and wangfei before you yet you’re not kneeling!”

Xu Wei Ye sneered: “Wangye? Wangfei? Do you people take me for a fool? If some random person comes out and says that they’re the wangye or wangfei, do I have to kneel to them? If there is no evidence to prove your identity, then as the mayor of Ali Xiang, I am fully capable of driving you out of Ali Xiang!”

Zhong Yue’s expression turned cold. This Xu Wei Ye really was not easy to handle.

“How do you want to prove it?”

At this moment, a voice that seemed to be smiling but not really rang out. It carried a hint of something that could not be ignored, as if this whole affair was something very amusing.

When Xu Wei Ye turned his head, he was met with the dark eyes of the man sitting in the head seat.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

He took a moment to steady his nerves and said: “It’s very simple. Wait for me to send a letter to the capital, as long as they can prove your distinguished self’s identity, then you can have me kneel to you everyday and I still won’t complain.”

As soon as this remark came out, everyone couldn’t help but look at him again.

He had really come up with a good plan.

It took more than half a month to make a one-way trip from Ali Xiang to Jun Zi City. If there were a little delay on the road, it would probably take a month. A round trip back and forth could take up to two months. During this time, he would not have to bend over backwards entertaining them as guests. This was clearly a way for him to earn a gratuitous period of happy time for himself.

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T/N: There’s a note from the author, Yin Ya, at the beginning of this chapter. Looks like there was a discrepancy in the story? So the author changed the placement of the characters, and now Zhong Yue is in Ali Xiang with them.

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Message from the author:

[Yin Ya is here to celebrate the New Year with everyone. I wish you all a Happy New Year, and I wish you all the best. P.S.: The Ge Qian An that was mentioned earlier was left behind in Jun Zi City, so it was changed to Zhong Yue.]

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Chapter 119.1 – Mayor Xu Wei Ye

“Zhong Yue? Why are you here?”

A look of unexpected surprised colored Shao Fei’s face as soon he saw the valiant, formidable-looking, and dashing woman jump down from her horse. That was because there was no mention of this in the letter, so he did not know that the person coming would be Zhong Yue.

An Zi Ran left Ge Qian An behind in Jun Zi City to help Fu Yuan Fan, so Zhong Yue replaced him in accompanying An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian here. Zhong Yue looked even more agile than usual in her purple clothes. During the journey here, she performed her duties with utter loyalty.

Zhong Yue glanced at him coldly and said, “Only you can come, and I can’t come?”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Shao Fei scratched his head. “Of course not. I just wondered why Qian An didn’t come. He usually follows close behind the wang fei.”

Ever since An Zi Ran married into the Imperial Fu Palace, it was as if Ge Qian An had became his personal guard. Wherever he went, Ge Qian An’s shadow would be nearby, so it gave Shao Fei the impression that if the wang fei was there then Ge Qian An would be there too.

“He stayed behind in Jun Zi City to help,” Zhong Yue said concisely and comprehensively, and then she didn’t pay attention to him anymore. She gave a nod to Guan Su on the side and then left.

Guan Su guided the group to the place where they were staying.

“This is where all of you are living?”

An Zi Ran looked at the dilapidated thatched cottage in front of him with surprise. Only homeless beggars would live in this kind of place. But what really surprised him was that even someone as smart as Guan Su did not have any means to deal with Xu Wei Ye. It would seem that this Xu Wei Ye was indeed a troublesome character.

Guan Su knew that living here was a disgrace to his image, but there wasn’t an iota of embarrassment on his face. He just shrugged and said: “That Xu Wei Ye really treats Ali Xiang as if it were his. He ganged up with many of the villagers to target us. Having a hut like this to live in is already not bad.”

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Moreover, he didn’t bring that many people with him. It was not good for him to start a conflict. Besides, he had to borrow land from Ali Xiang to plant the cottonseeds. If the conflicts intensified, it would be difficult to guarantee that Xu Wei Ye would not do something sinister to the cotton.

When he first arrived in Ali Xiang, he had sent people to investigate this Xu Wei Ye, and he found that this person was notorious for his misdeeds. Once, there were farmers who rebelled against him, and as a result, the crops in the field were destroyed overnight. Similar things happened one after another, so he could only temporarily hold back and suffer.

“Do you want the wang ye and wang fei to live here too?” Zhong Yue looked at Guan Su with contempt. And he was supposed to be the most intelligent person in the army. Looks like this title should be given to someone else.

Guan Su laughed and said nothing.

Shao Fei failed to comprehend the meaning of their conversation. He gripped his hair in distress. “Of course the wang ye and wang fei cannot live here, but where are we going to find a house to live in?”

“There is no need for us to go looking anymore.”

Guan Su looked meaningfully at the two people standing together. No matter how much nerve Xu Wei Ye had, he could be not completely unbridled in front of the real owner of Ali Xiang. Genuinely smart people understood that great plans could be ruined by just a touch of impatience.

As a man, how could Fu Wu Tian wrong his wang fei by making him stay in such a dilapidated cottage? So he immediately decided to go look for Xu Wei Ye.

Xu Wei Ye was like the “regional mafia boss” of Ali Xiang. They could not possibly hide their arrival from him. He received news of their arrival as soon as they stepped foot into Ali Xiang. But he did not know that the two people in the horse carriage were the proper masters of Ali Xiang.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Compared to the thatched cottage where Guan Su and his men were staying, Xu Wei Ye’s place of residence was like a mansion. The house’s floor area surpassed a thousand square meters. The whole family, old and young, all lived there. In front of the door were even two carved lion statues. Above the front door was a great signboard with the words “Xu Manor” written on it. It was especially lofty.

However, how could the little mayor of a township afford such a big house?

From the looks of the house, it could be seen that Xu Wei Ye has clearly embezzled a lot in recent years, and he also boldly changed Xu House to Xu Manor.

The reason was that generally only the main houses of nobles and bureaucrats qualified for the word “manor.”

[T/N: In case you’re wondering the word being used here is “府 fu” and I’ve been translating it as “palace” in relation to FWT’s place of residence, which is a “王府 wang fu” or “imperial palace.” However, big houses of rich people or officials can also use “府 fu,” and in those cases I translate it as “manor,” but in Chinese it is the same word with different situational meanings.]

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Chapter 118.2 – Ali Xiang

Ali Xiang was far away from An Yuan County. Riding a horse at full speed would take a maximum of ten days to get there. It would take longer to get there on a horse carriage. At the fastest, it would take half a month, and at the slowest, it would take twenty days.

In order to rush back before the New Year, they didn’t make many stops along the way. Fortunately, the people they brought along were all soldiers under Fu Wu Tian. They have all went through rough terrain on foot before. Traveling for one or two months was a common thing for them. So this bit of arduous travel was as easy as a hand’s turn* for them.

[*T/N: as easy as a hand’s turn = as easy as flipping one’s hand over; very easy; no effort at all]

The reason why Ali Xiang was remote was not only because of its distance.

Ali Xiang was located on the southwestern border of Da Ya. It bordered Gao Ze. But there was a huge mountain range between the two pieces of land. And Ali Xiang was a province surrounded by mountain ranges. When snow from the mountains melted, it formed numerous rivers. In addition, it had two geographical depressions embraced by mountain ranges. It possessed comparatively model ecological characteristics, giving it great developmental prospects.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

However, because it was so far away and because it was Fu Xiao’s land, the Chong Ming Emperor never cared much about Ali Xiang.

Ali Xiang’s transportation was lagging, and its location was remote. Plus, it’s master, Fu Xiao, died in battle, so the entire place has been in a state of autonomy all along.

At the beginning, Fu Xiao accepted the previous emperor’s bestowment and obtained this piece of land, which was not a small area, but he was not interested in governance.

Later, he appointed the head of the township to help him manage Ali Xiang, who was the father of the current township leader. Before leaving office, he had passed on the position of village head to his son.

The current village chief, Xu Wei Ye, was an ambitious person.

He knew that Ali Xiang belonged to a wang ye from the Imperial Capital, named Fu Xiao, but he had already died on the battlefield, and his only son has inherited his father’s career, and became the god of war in Da Ya. If there were no unforeseen circumstances, then Ali Xiang would always be under his management.

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In order to completely control Ali Xiang in the palm of his hands, the young township leader used ten years to continually gather money and cultivate his own people.

Ten years was not a short time.

There were not that many decades in a person’s life.

But Xu Wei Ye did indeed succeed.

However, Xu Wei Ye might be an ambitious person, but his ability was ultimately limited. He only turned Ali Xiang into his own land, but he did not drive the people of Ali Xiang to make a fortune together. There were still some people who passed their days with not enough food to eat and no warm clothes to wear.

Xu Wei Ye did not anticipate the sudden arrival of Guan Su, but it was still within his planning. He had arranged things for ten years, not just for this moment.

The problem that Guan Su mentioned was precisely this Xu Wei Ye.

After learning that Guan Su was Fu Wu Tian’s subordinate, Xu Wei Ye did not show the slightest bit of flattery or fawning, nor did he reveal an attitude of fear and trepidation. Instead, he acted like he was the real owner of Ali Xiang. When Guan Su raised the issue of needing a wide expanse of land for planting crops, Xu Wei Ye only produced a small area of land. The reason he gave was that Ali Xiang did not have excess land for them to plant crops, and to be able to squeeze out a small piece of land was already very good.

Xu Wei Ye was secure in the knowledge that he has backing. In the final analysis, ten years of life as the mayor of Ali Xiang has made him forget his origins.

Ali Xiang has been under the management of father and son for approximately thirty years. The time was too long, almost making them forget who the real master was.

However, for the people of Ali Xiang, apart from the older generation, most of the young people now did not know about the existence of the Imperial Fu Palace. This was one of the things that Xu Wei Ye relied on.

Because when he took over the position as head of Ali Xiang, he ordered the older generation not to mention the words Imperial Fu Palace anymore, which reveled that he was already scheming for this when he took over as the village head.

No matter how capable Guan Su was, in the end there was a limit to all things.

Xu Wei Ye sent people around to spread rumors all over the place, saying that some people wanted to grab their land and plant something strange on it, which cause the people of Ali Xiang ot be very resistant to their arrival.

It was really difficult to grow cotton. If they couldn’t settle these affairs, then they would not be able to harvest cotton until next year over.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

The sound of horse hooves thudded on the narrow path. Dozens of strong men riding on horses surrounded a black carriage as they headed straight for the tall mountain in front of them. This was the only gateway into Ali Xiang.

This huge team of people belonged to An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian.

After half a month of traveling, they finally came to Ali Xiang, a piece of land known as an oasis.

There were very few people along the road, and the closer they got ot Ali Xiang, the numbers dwindled even more.

Passing through the two tall mountains, the convoy finally came to the real entrance of Ali Xiang.

It was a hexagonal pavilion, and there were a few figures hidden in the pavilion. It was Guan Su and Shao Fei, who had come to pick them up. When they learned that the traveling party was arriving on this day, the two had come here early in the morning to await their arrival.

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Chapter 118.1 – Ali Xiang

The news that An Ke Xin and her mother, Zheng Bi, were expelled from the An family soon spread throughout An Yuan County.

Almost no one sympathized with the mother and daughter pair. Instead, they were saying that An Zi Ran did well, and that such people should not be allowed to stay in the An family.

The things that An Ke Xin did at the Lin family, and the incident of Zheng Bi going crazy at the Lin house had already spread to An Yuan County. At that time, the number of people who scolded this mother and daughter pair was numerous. They were even anticipating when An Zi Ran would come back to deal with these two women. Don’t know if the heavens heard their voices or what, but the An family’s young master really did come back to An Yuan County.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“In my opinion, it’s a fairly light punishment to just drive the mother and daughter out of the house.”

An aunty who was selling vegetables had a face of revulsion when she thought about the mother and daughter pair. She absolutely abhorred this type of jealous woman, especially someone like An Ke Xin, who was so envious that she caused two pregnant women to have miscarriages.

“Exactly! They ought to be taken to the authorities. This type of woman, it’s not even a pity if she dies.” Another person promptly agreed.

The aunty selling vegetables sighed. “The young landlord is precisely too benevolent.”

“If it were me, I would not even help this type of person look for a house. Simply chasing them out of the house would already be too kind.”

The two spoke very loudly, and from time to time, other people would echo their sentiments. The group of people chatted so vigorously that no one noticed the two people standing in an alley behind them.

While they listened, their expressions twisted into something inhuman. These two people were precisely An Ke Xin and Zheng Bi, who were driven out of the An family house.

To get to the house that Steward Su found for them, they had to go through the market, but the most unbearable thing for them was that the house was like earth compared to the An family house, which was like heaven.

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Both of them had gotten used to living in a comfortable mansion like the An manor. Now they were suddenly forced to move into this kind of house that was no different from the slums in their eyes. They almost threw up with disgust.

The two ran back to the An family’s house to argue with An Zi Ran, but the doorkeeper refused to let them in.

An Zi Ran had already ordered all the servants. No one was allowed to let them into the manor. The An family had already drawn a clear distinguishing line between them and the mother and daughter pair, these two were no longer a part of the An family.

As soon as this statement was declared, all the servants were cheering behind An Zi Ran.

Finally, they didn’t have to see these two women in the An family’s house again. All of the servants in the An family hated An Ke Xin and Zheng Bi. They clearly didn’t have the means to be so arrogant and aggressive, but they always acted like they had a big supporter to lean back on. Did they really think the young master would help them? In their dreams perhaps!

The day after An Ke Xin and Zheng Bi were driven out of the house, they used the dowry to buy another house. This house was bigger, cleaner, and more stylish than the one that Steward Su had found for them. For this reason, the house ate up a big portion of their money, but they did not understand the situation at all.

The two women had never lived outside before, and naturally they did not know the market price of the house. Furthermore, the two women’s affairs were a hubbub of gossip fodder. Who in An Yuan County did not know that An Ke Xin and her mother were driven out of the An family house with her dowry? So it was easily predictable that they would be greatly cheated.

After leaving the An family, these two squandered money by the handful. After a short while, an entire box of dowry was spent.

However, the opportunists out there did not wait for An Ke Xin and Zheng Bi to squander all of the dowry by themselves. Late one night, a few thieves came and stole all of the dowry, not leaving a single box behind.

The bank in An Yuan County was run by the An family. An Ke Xin and Zheng Bi did not trust An Zi Ran, so they did not dare to store the dowry in the bank.

Without the dowry, the two had a difficult life, and finally they had to sell the house that they had just lived in for less than a month and move to the lousy house that Steward Su had found for them.

When they were trying to sell the house, an interesting little episode happened.

The buyer was not from the county. His estimated house price was half that of what the mother and daughter pair had spent when they bought the house. And he also told them that this house was only worth that price.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Naturally, An Ke Xin and Zheng Bi did not believe that buyer, and they thought that he wanted to cheat them because they were women. The two parties’ opinions were not unified, and the sale was not completed.

In order to confirm that the buyer lied to them, An Ke Xin and Zheng Bi found several more buyers. When they all reached the same conclusion as the first buyer, the two women then realized that they were cheated from the start.

If the two were smart enough, then they should not have sold the house.

Selling a house and renting out a house were short-term and long-term investments. The latter was obviously better, but how could two women who had never paid attention to this kind of thing know about this kind of thing in the first place?

In the end, the two had to go find the first buyer again, because his price was the highest.

An Zi Ran did not know these things, and even if he knew, he would not have the slightest shred of sympathy for them.

The next day, after driving out An Ke Xin and Zheng Bi, he and Fu Wu Tian left An Yuan County on the pretense of going sightseeing.

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[T/N: I wasn’t sure how to translate Ali Xiang at first, so I left it all in pinyin. Ali is the name of the place, and Xiang is the type of place. Xiang can be translated as countryside, village, town, or township, and I wasn’t sure what kind of place Ali Xiang was since the story has yet to go there, but as I’m translating I’m seeing that it is most likely a township. For continuity’s sake, I’m going to leave the place name as Ali Xiang.]

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Chapter 117.2 – Punishment and Coercion

The third concubine’s eyes widened in disbelief. Why was her lord husband asking her this question? Didn’t he clearly see what happened that day? Her eyes fell on An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian. She seemed to realize something in a flash, and her face turned white.

Was her lord husband planning to sacrifice her?

Lin Xin spoke with a steady face, “You don’t need to quibble. Your maid has already admitted that it was you who did it. Now, in front of the An family’s young master, just draw a cut onto your own face.”

Then he took the dagger that a servant brought forward and threw it in front of her.

The iron dagger hit the floor with a heavy sound.

The third concubine sunk to the floor. Her face was paler than paper. To make a woman, delicate as a flower and refined as a precious jade, ruin her own face; such a thing was way too cruel. There was no woman on earth who could do such a thing to herself.

“If you don’t want to do it yourself, I will get someone to help you.” Lin Xin said cruelly.

The third concubine’s entire body shuddered. She raised her head. Her pale face turned towards the man she loved the most. This man gave her a rich and plentiful life, but now he wanted to personally push her into hell. This was the so-called man she loved!

She hated, but she still picked up the dagger.

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At the very least, if she was the one holding the dagger, she could control the pressure. But if someone else did it, they would not have such considerations for the gravity of things, and might really end up destroying her face. Then her life would really be ruined.

She gathered up her courage. The sharp dagger cut into the right side of her face, but it was not a deep cut.

Lin Xin frowned. Such a shallow cut…

“All right.”

Just as Lin Xin was about to speak, An Zi Ran’s cold voice suddenly sounded, not to tell her to continue, but to say that it was okay, which meant that the third concubine could stop destroying her own face, and it also meant that the wound on her face could still be cured. The bloodstained dagger fell to the floor.

The third concubine covered her face and hung her head. No one could see her expression, but everyone thought that she must be very happy. In actuality, her eyes carried a trace of resentment.

After that, An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian left the Lin family’s house.

Back at the An manor, An Ke Xin found out that they went to the Lin’s house to get her dowry back. Early in the morning, she ran out to the lobby to wait for them. This time, she didn’t bother to care whether the servants saw her face or not.

Her face was ruined and could not be cured no matter what treatment was used. In addition, she was now an abandoned woman. When she thought about how no men would want to marry her now, her only reliance in the future would be on her dowry.

Zheng Bi’s thoughts were the same, but she was more worried that An Zi Ran would lie to them. For example, they obviously got the dowry back, but then lie to them and say that they didn’t get the dowry back.

This way of thinking was purely gauging the heart of a gentleman with one’s own mean measure.

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Even if An Zi Ran did not like the mother and daughter pair, he didn’t need to go so far as to take a woman’s dowry.

When she saw the boxes of dowry before her without a single one missing, An Ke Xin was so happy that the scars on her face twisted up, becoming more and more ugly. Several of the servants closed their eyes.

An Ke Xin did not notice that some of the dowry items did not match up to before. After looking over the dowry with her mother, she immediately had the servants move the dowry to her room. But before this, she did not forget to ask one thing.

“Brother, when you went to the Lin’s place with brother-in-law, did you avenge me?”

An Zi Ran found that her skin was as thick as a wall. If some uninformed person heard this sentence, they might mistakenly think that their relationship was really good.

“Lin Xin has already punished his concubine.”

“That’s it?” An Ke Xin’s eyes widened.

An Zi Ran’s gaze thickened, and he said with displeasure: “What else do you want? Do you think you can bury the entire Lin family, because they ruined your face, when you killed two innocent lives? Think about what you did wrong!”

An Ke Xin’s face suddenly twisted.

An Zi Ran continued: “There is one more thing I have to tell the two of you. Lin Xin has divorced you, but you’re still someone who has married out of the house. Furthermore, you even did that kind of thing. Therefore, tomorrow I will have Steward Su find a new house for you. The day after that, you move out with your mother.”

“I don’t want to move out!”

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

When An Ke Xin heard that he wanted to drive her out, her response was explosive. She knew it, how could An Zi Ran be so kindhearted as to help her get her dowry back from the Lins? It was because he wanted to chase her out of the An family. She was already so miserable, yet An Zi Ran still wanted to throw stones at her while she was down. Resentment could not help but bubble up within her heart.

“I also disagree.” Zheng Bi looked worried and anxious.

Moving out meant that they would have nothing to do with the An family anymore. They were able to bluster and strut around up until now, all thanks to the An family. If they did not have the protection of the An family, what would they do?

The two were resolutely unwilling, but An Zi Ran was determined this time. Keeping them in the family would only corrupt the An family’s reputation. He worked hard to wash the An family clean. He could not let them destroy it.

Steward Su’s efficiency was high. An Zi Ran said tomorrow, but Steward Su completed the task today. Furthermore, the house that he was found was in the place furthest from the An family’s new house.

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Chapter 117.1 – Punishment and Coercion

Pawnshops under the An family name wasn’t just the one in An Yuan County. Tong Tai County was not far from An Yuan County. When An Chang Fu was alive, he had already established pawnshops in the nearby counties.

But it was also the bad luck of Lin Xin’s fourth concubine. There were other pawnshops too, but she ended up choosing one run by the An family. An Zi Ran had discovered this when he was going through the account books yesterday, so he had indeed come prepared.

Lin Xin’s expression was heavy, and his disgust for the fourth concubine got even deeper.

Lin Xin’s father and mother have already understood the situation from their conversation. So their son’s fourth concubine had taken An Ke Xin’s dowry and sneakily went to pawn them off. Furthermore, of all the places she could have taken the dowry to, she went to the An family’s pawnshop.

Lin Mother’s vision went black, and if it weren’t for Lin Father supporting her, she would’ve fell right to the floor.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Back then, when he found out about the fourth concubine’s background, he had opposed his son taking her as a concubine, but his son did not listen to his advice, and in the end took the fourth concubine into their home. Just great, this unlucky star turned out to have unclean hands.

“An gong zi, this matter, I did not know about it in advance, but I will give you a satisfactory explanation.”

After a while of silence, Lin Xin finally spoke, knowing that he was in the wrong. This time he dared not speak uprightly, and his momentum dropped a lot.

An Zi Ran looked at him and said: “The items have already been squandered by your concubine. What kind of explanation can you give me? There are some things that you cannot pretend not to have happened just because you supplemented the void.”

Lin Xin had already guessed that An Zi Ran would not be willing to give up. Originally, he had planned everything so well, but who knew that this kind of thing would happen? Lin Xin’s advantage suddenly disappeared.

“Then what does An gong zi want to do?”

“The scar on An Ke Xin’s forehead is indeed her reaping what she has sown. I have no complaint about this. I have already said this, but that does not mean that someone can make a cut on her face. No matter what, she is still the second miss of the An family.” An Zi Ran said lightly.

Lin Xin’s expression changed. He knew about the scar on An Ke Xin’s face, and not only did he knew about it, he was also very clear on its origins, because at that time, he had watched the scar being drawn on her face, and the person who cut the scar into her face was his third concubine.

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The third concubine was resentful that An Ke Xin had caused her to miscarry, so after An Ke Xin was locked into the firewood shed, she had went and deliberately scratched her face with a sharp blade.

Lin Xin walked in at the time and happened to see this scene, but he didn’t stop it, and he didn’t even get a doctor for An Ke Xin to see to the injury afterwards.

At that time, he didn’t think too much. He only knew that he did not want to give An Ke Xin, this vicious wife, any good days, so he was ruthless and resolute. If he knew that An Zi Ran would return to An Yuan County at this time, no matter what, he would not have let his third concubine harm An Ke Xin and give the An family a chance to fight back.

Lin Xin took a deep breath, “Since that is the case, I will give An gong zi a face-to-face account. That’s okay, right?”

“That is naturally the best.” An Zi Ran looked at him with a pair of black eyes that seemed to see through people’s hearts. “But Lin gong zi, please don’t look for just any person to come and deceive me with.”

Lin Xin’s heart trembled with fear.

He had indeed just thought of finding any old servant to replace the third concubine for her crime, because among all of his concubines, the third concubine was his favorite. Not only because she looked good. The second concubine was even prettier than the third concubine, but her biggest disadvantage was that she was a prostitute.

No matter how much Lin Xin liked the second concubine, as long as he thought about how she used to be a prostitute, and how she had slept with many people, the little tiny bit of love he had for her would get weaker.

But in Lin Xin’s original plan, it did not include the third concubine. It was just that he never thought that the third concubine would get pregnant at the same time as the fourth concubine.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Although it was a bit unexpected at the time, in order to prevent others from seeing the clues, he did not send someone to protect the third concubine. He had thought that the third concubine was smarter than the fourth concubine, so even if she went up against An Ke Xin, the third concubine should have the ability to protect the fetus in her stomach, and even if that were not the case, it should at least be after the fourth concubine.

However, there was a huge discrepancy with what he had guessed. The third concubine miscarried, but the fourth concubine was lucky enough to protect the fetus in her stomach.

Unfortunately, Lin Xin encountered An Zi Ran, whose IQ was above his.

An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian were not easy to fool. The husbands guarded each other. There was no one more difficult to deal with then the two of them together.

Lin Xin had no alternative. He could only hand the third concubine over.

The uninformed third concubine was soon brought in front of the crowd, and the atmosphere in the main hall was a little strange. Her lord husband’s face was not very good-looking, and there were two men she had never seen before. The third concubine felt a little uneasy in her heart.

“Lord Husband?” The third concubine looked at Lin Xin pitifully.

Lin Xin shook his head, unable to bear it. He hardened his heart and said, “Liu shi*, one month ago, you deliberately cut An Ke Xin’s face with a knife and ruined her appearance. You were the one who did this, correct?”

[*T/N: 氏 shi means maiden name, it is often added to the end of a married woman’s maiden surname to indicate which family she came from. It is a term of address, and also the way to differentiate her from all the other concubines in the harem.]

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Chapter 116.3 – Inviting Disaster

Lin Xin didn’t pay attention to his fourth concubine anymore. He called for several servants to come in and move out the dowry. Then he walked away with out looking back. His top priority was to make up for the missing dowry. Otherwise, the An family was very likely to use this as a pretext and make a fuss.

Fortunately, An Ke Xin’s dowry list was also there.

Lin Xin first had his servants move the other boxes to the main hall. Then he took two servants with him to go pick out things from the warehouse. Because he was not clear about the specific dowry that was lost, he could only make up for the rest using something similar.

After a lap around the warehouse, Lin Xin dared to ensure that the items he used as substitute was definitely a higher quality than the original dowry.

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In the main hall, just as Lin Xin’s parents could no longer handle the atmosphere around An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian, Lin Xin finally arrived leisurely with the last two boxes of dowry. One of the boxes was originally full. He did it like this in order to pull the wool over other people’s eyes.

“An Ke Xin’s dowry is all here. Not a single thing less.”

Lin Xin said calmly to An Zi Ran. He tried as hard as possible to make himself look magnanimous, so that An Zi Ran wouldn’t find something fishy with the box.

An Zi Ran glanced at him. Then he had the servants that came with him open the lids of the boxes. He roughly looked over the contents. “It is indeed An Ke Xin’s dowry, but…”

An Zi Ran stopped in front of the box that was emptied by the fourth concubine and then refilled by Lin Xin.

An Zi Ran’s sudden turn made Lin Xin clench his fists slightly, but Lin Xin didn’t know that the change in his demeanor had been noted by Fu Wu Tian who was standing behind An Zi Ran.

Fu Wu Tian stepped forward. “What’s wrong with this box of dowry?”

“There is a small problem.”

An Zi Ran bent over and picked up a string of coral prayer beads that was placed on top as a cover up. The jewelry that Lin Xin tried to hide underneath was all exposed in front of them.

Lin Xin was sure that An Zi Ran had found out.

An Zi Ran had a headache over An Ke Xin’s dowry for some time. He had picked out these things personally. Although it has been a while, he still had some impressions.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Did Lin Xin think that putting something familiar on top would cover up the things that he substituted underneath?

“Lin gong zi, how do you explain this?”

An Zi Ran put the coral prayer beads back into the box, and then looked at Lin Xin’s face. His expression obviously revealed that there was something wrong. It was just a few boxes, but Lin Xin took so long to retrieve them.

“An gong zi, the dowry has already been returned to you. What else do you want to do? Could it be that you suspect the Lin family took your little sister’s dowry?”

Lin Xin’s mother did not understand the situation. She only remembered that her son warned her repeatedly that she must gain the initiative by striking first.

“Mother!” Lin Xin stopped her loudly. “Stop talking.”

Lin Xin’s mother looked at her son in a daze, not understanding why he wanted to stop her. Wasn’t he the one who told her to act like this? She wanted to ask, but Lin Xin’s father caught her by the wrist and shook his head at her.

Lin Xin was unable to explain and also he could not explain. If they let other people know that the fourth concubine he married was so uncultivated, it would also implicate the Lin family. Taking other people things without permission, this behavior was no different from a thief.

“If Lin gong zi cannot say it, maybe I can speak for Lin gong zi. This box of dowry was actually added by Lin gong zi. The reason is because the fourth concubine that Lin gong zi married in September stole my sister’s dowry and pawned it off outside. Moreover, it was not just one or two things, but an entire box. Am I right?”

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

An Zi Ran stared at Lin Xin with a cold and pressing gaze. The words he said doused Lin Xin’s entire body in cold sweat. He finally understood that An Zi Ran had come prepared. He already knew that Lin Xin’s fourth concubine had pawned off An Ke Xin’s dowry.

“How did you know about this?”

Lin Xin knew that he could not conceal the truth from An Zi Ran, so he spoke plainly. He was also very curious. Even he did not know about this matter, and An Zi Ran had only returned to An Yuan County for two days. It stood to reason that he should not have known so quickly.

An Zi Ran said lightly, “You think, who opened the pawnshop where your concubine sold the jewelry?”

Lin Xin’s face changed.

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Chapter 116.2 – Inviting Disaster

The fourth concubine was frightened by Lin Xin’s malevolent look. “Lord Husband, I, I…”

“‘I’ what? I asked you why are there things missing?” Lin Xin finally got really angry, and his voice rose sharply.

She had never seen Lin Xin’s terrifying side before. The fourth concubine fell down on the ground, and her tears fell with her. She kept crying, but she did not explain why some of the dowry was missing.

Now she knew how to act pitiful? Why didn’t she think of the consequences when she touched An Ke Xin’s dowry?

Lin Xin couldn’t wait to strangle this woman. He immediately called for the little maidservant who served the fourth concubine.

Faced with the livid gong zi, the frightened Xiao Lu spilled everything in full detail.

The fourth concubine was indeed the one who took the missing dowry. The fourth concubine was different from the second and third concubine. She came out from the countryside. She didn’t know much and she was narrow-minded. Because she grew up in a family where there were many mouths to feed, as a child she knew the importance of money. Under the influence of her parents, she developed a habit of thinking of nothing but personal gain.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

After marrying Lin Xin, her days took a turn for the better. She could eat well and dress well every day. Her simple life was very comfortable. Consequently, she understood even more how good money was.

After An Ke Xin was divorced, the fourth concubine moved into An Ke Xin’s courtyard with her pregnant belly. Incidentally, she found An Ke Xin’s dowry in the room next door, which had not been taken away. She was immediately enticed by all those beautiful jewelry.

She thought that An Ke Xin could never return to the Lin family now, furthermore, her Lord Husband said that this courtyard belonged to her henceforth; therefore the things within the courtyard naturally belonged to her.

The fourth concubine vaguely felt that it was a bit wrong, but once she did it once, there would be a second time and then a third time.

It was like she had become addicted. Every day she would take some dowry from the box and have Xiao Lu pawn it off outside. After exchanging the jewelry for money, she would give a portion of it to her family, and then she would use the rest to buy lots of luxurious tonics.

The fourth concubine’s family was also outrageous. Knowing that their daughter’s money was obtained by improper means, they not only did not try to stop her, but also encouraged her to steal and pawn more dowry. The fourth concubine was someone without her own definite opinions. Whatever her parents told her to do, she did it.

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The whole family ate more and became rounder, but the dowry decreased little by little. In only half a month, the family used up an entire box of An Ke Xin’s dowry.

Lin Xin stared at his fourth concubine incredulously. No wonder, no wonder someone he had business dealings with said a strange thing to him once. At that time, the man said, “Who could have thought that Young Master Lin is so good to his concubine.”

At that time, he couldn’t figure out why that person said that sentence, because only he could know whether he was good to his concubines or not. If he didn’t treat them unfairly, that was already considered pretty good. But for him to take care of his concubines in every possible way was impossible. Now that he thought about it, the other person must have seen the fourth concubine’s family living well, and that’s why he said that sentence.

Now that the truth was out, Lin Xin wanted to kill this woman.

Thinking like this, he suddenly kicked the woman on the ground. It was all because of this lowly girl. Unexpectedly, she invited disaster for him!

The fourth concubine screamed and sprawled on the ground while covering her stomach. His kick landed precisely on her stomach. A heart-tearing and lung-splitting pain traveled up from her stomach. Her face turned white from the pain.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

“Blood!” Xiao Lu looked at the blood oozing out from the skirt of the fourth concubine in shock. She was so scared that she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to tell the young master, but when she turned around she saw that the young master was sneering. His expression was completely uncaring.

“It’s better if the child is gone. I didn’t plan to let the child be birthed in the first place.”

Lin Xin said coldly and heartlessly. If it wasn’t to set An Ke Xin up, it was impossible for him to get all of his concubines pregnant so quickly. In his mind, the Lin family’s first son must come from the main wife.

Hearing what should not have been heard, Xiao Lu bowed her head in panic.

“Lord Husband, save me, save our child…”

The fourth concubine was about to grab on to Lin Xin’s clothes with her bloodstained hands, but he took a step back, and she grasped at empty air.

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Chapter 116.1 – Inviting Disaster

Lin Xin never thought of returning the dowry to An Ke Xin.

It was not that he did not want to return it, but after expelling An Ke Xin from the Lin family, he gave the courtyard where An Ke Xin lived to the pregnant fourth concubine, along with all the contents within.

At that time, he was so happy that he finally got rid of that poisonous woman An Ke Xin that he forgot all about the dowry. He only remembered about the dowry when the An family showed up at their door this time. What made his face change was that he did not know what the fourth concubine did with An Ke Xin’s dowry. If it was still there, then that was good, but if it wasn’t, then things would get messy.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“What is it? Could it be that Lin gong zi does not want to return An Ke Xin’s dowry?”

An Zi Ran stared at his changing facial expression and narrowed his eyes slightly. An Ke Xin’s dowry, whether it was before or after she married into the Lin family, that dowry was hers. He could not take it away, and the Lin family definitely could not swallow her dowry.

A husband seizing his wife dowry was by no means a glorious thing. If news of that spread, even if the Lin family originally had reason on their side, they would lose that reason.

“Of course not. I will have the servants move her dowry out right now. Please wait for a while.” Lin Xin’s expression was a little unsightly. He whispered to his father and mother, “Father, Mother, entertain them for a while. I will be back soon.”

His parents nodded. “Son, you hurry and get people to move that dowry out and give it back to them. Our family does not lack for those things.”

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Lin Xin responded stiffly and went back to the courtyard. His feet rushed into the fourth concubine’s courtyard like wind. He opened the door with a loud bang, giving the pregnant fourth concubine a scare. When she looked up, she saw her husband out of breath with a gloomy expression on his face. She quickly stood up.

“Lord Husband, why are you in such a hurry?”

The fourth concubine supported her waist and walked up to him. She reached out and tried to hold his hand.

Lin Xin firmly grasped her wrist, not caring whether she was pregnant or not. He asked sharply, “I ask you, where is An Ke Xin’s dowry? I remember her dowry was kept here all along. Where are her things?”

The fourth concubine showed a painful expression. “Lord Husband, you are hurting me.”

Although Lin Xin was anxious, he saw that she did not seem to be lying, and then he thought about how she was pregnant with his child, so he released her hand and asked softly, “Quickly tell me, where is that dowry?”

“Why is Lord Husband asking about what happened to the dowry without rhyme or reason? Did something happen?” The fourth concubine cradled her wrist, but her expression flickered.

Lin Xin suddenly lowered his face. “Don’t make me ask a third time.”

The fourth concubine’s heart gave a thump. Her Lord Husband was so determined to find An Ke Xin’s dowry, it looked like she could not hide it anymore. Hesitantly, she said, “The dowry… it’s all in the room next door.”

Lin Xin immediately walked over to the room next door.

The fourth concubine was very apprehensive. She thought about it and then hurriedly followed after him. She didn’t understand why her Lord Husband would suddenly ask about An Ke Xin’s dowry. If her Lord Husband found out, she didn’t know if he would get angry or not.

Her speed was comparatively slower. By the time she got to the next room, she saw that Lin Xin had already dragged out a few boxes of An Ke Xin’s dowry, but the boxes were still closed. Then she saw that he had opened one of the boxes and found that the dowry inside was completely gone. There wasn’t even a fragment of its contents left behind.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

An Ke Xin really treasured her dowry. When she was still the first wife of the Lin family, she was unwilling to use her own dowry. Now one of her boxes of dowry was gone. There was an eighty percent chance that the fourth concubine took it.

Lin Xin turned sharply. His eyes glared at the fourth concubine with a fierce light.

The fourth concubine’s heart drummed uneasily from the force of his glare. “Lord Husband, I…”

“Tell me, what is going on here?” Lin Xin pointed at the box angrily. In his heart, he regretted marrying such a coarse woman.

Back then he had married her just to get rid of An Ke Xin. Fortunately, she was somewhat good-looking and her family background was not great. She was a village girl, so she shouldn’t be very good at trickery. That’s why he didn’t think about it too much when he took her in. But he never thought that she did not have even the slightest good upbringing. As expected, a country hick was a country hick!

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