Jiang Pengju looked at the old and young in his family, his face grim. "The Empress sent someone to deliver a message, saying her Xiangyun Palace and the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace were robbed clean by thieves. The magnificent palaces were left with not even a needle, so she has no money to give. From now on, she will only give fifty taels of silver each month."
"Fifty taels?" Jiang Da'er suddenly became enraged. "What can fifty taels do? Is it enough to feed this entire family? That's not what they promised us back then! This is clearly a case of crossing the bridge and tearing it down!"
Jiang Da'er's eldest son cried, "They broke their promises. Grandpa, Grandma, I don't want to eat steamed buns and pickled vegetables anymore. I want to eat meat!"
Jiang Da'er's daughter-in-law snorted, angrily saying, "The Empress and Crown Prince's palaces were robbed? Does that story only fool ghosts? And they were robbed so clean there wasn't a needle left. They are really treating us like fools."
The second daughter-in-law, seeing her elder sister-in-law dare to speak like this, decided to go all out as well. "They want the Jiang family to take all the blame for them. Now that we've fallen from grace and are useless, they're abandoning us! You expect them to help us overturn the verdict? Dream on! My son's future is completely ruined."
After speaking, the second daughter-in-law began to sob aggrievedly.
Jiang Er'er sighed, "Perhaps Big Sister really can't come up with that much money. Let's just endure a little longer. As long as Nephew Rongxian ascends the throne, we'll be saved."
Jiang Pengju gritted his teeth. "Second brother is right. We are exiles after all, and we haven't been forced into hard labor. Living so peacefully is also thanks to the Empress and the Crown Prince. Let's bear with it a bit longer. When Rongxian ascends the throne, our Jiang family will return to the capital with great fanfare!"
Madam Jiang let out a long sigh. "That's all we can do for now. The Empress is your elder sister after all; she won't abandon you. Let's endure and wait for Xian'er to ascend the throne. We absolutely cannot cause them any more trouble, or we'll truly be stuck in this poor and remote place for the rest of our lives."
Hearing their parents (in-laws) say this, everyone, though full of resentment, could only suppress it for the time being.
Just then, there was a knock at the main gate. "Is Master Jiang at home? There's a letter for you."
Everyone's faces lit up with joy. Could it be good news from the capital?
The maidservant opened the door and took the letter tube from the little beggar.
The little beggar was reluctant to leave, tilting his head and saying, "The messenger said I can get two copper coins."
The maidservant glanced at Madam Jiang. After receiving permission, she reluctantly tossed the two copper coins into the little beggar's hand.
The little beggar then left with satisfaction.
They still had to maintain the reputation of their Jiang family in Wolf Howl Town. Two copper coins were nothing they couldn't afford.
The Jiang family members eagerly watched the maidservant place the letter tube, as thick as a finger, into Jiang Pengju's hand, their hearts filled with eager anticipation that it was a letter that could save them from their plight.
Jiang Pengju took the note from the thin bamboo tube. After a quick glance, his expression changed drastically. He looked up at his family members who were staring intently at him, and with a stern face, he got up and went to the study.
Seeing their father's expression, the Jiang family members sighed, their hopes dashed once again.
The so-called study was actually a very small utility room.
When they first moved into this courtyard, there wasn't even enough space to live, but Jiang Pengju insisted on making a study.
After all, what kind of impression would a prominent aristocratic family make without a study? At least in Wolf Howl Town, they were the wealthiest family.
A study was essential!
Jiang Pengju closed the study door tightly and sat heavily before the desk, holding the note. He read it carefully several times.
The paper was indeed the Xuan paper commonly used by the Empress; there was no mistake. The Empress was warning him to be careful.
It had been twenty-one years. How could anyone still remember the Baili family's case?
Moreover, the Baili family was completely wiped out. If it were outsiders, who would bother with such an old case?
Could it be that the Baili family was not completely wiped out?
That was impossible. So many coroners had examined the bodies one by one back then. The Baili family was indeed completely dead.
Did Baili Chengyan, that old fox, keep concubines they didn't know about?
But they had sent people to investigate those possibilities, and found nothing. Besides, Baili Chengyan was extremely afraid of his wife, loving her to death. He would never keep concubines.
Jiang Pengju pondered, unable to figure anything out. He stood up and walked to the outhouse behind the courtyard.
The outhouse had clearly been renovated later. Otherwise, in Wolf Howl Town, this outhouse was more luxurious than ordinary houses.
The people of Wolf Howl Town used open-air latrines, choosing a "feng shui spot" in the wilderness. Then they would pull down their pants, squat with their bare buttocks, and either make a few "splish-splash" sounds or a few "grunt-grunt" sounds, and then they would be done.
Jiang Pengju looked back and saw that no one was following him. He closed the outhouse door, then took out a dagger from his embrace and began to dig the soil near the corner of the outhouse door.
Soon, he unearthed something wrapped in cotton cloth. Upon opening the cloth, he found a long, small wooden box.
Inside the wooden box were things that were crucial to him.
Over the years, he had been dealing with those old foxes in the court. Although they were all in the same boat and had common interests, they also had to consider the possibility of capsizing, so they guarded against each other. If others held his handle, he also had to hold something against others.
Jiang Pengju opened the wooden box, took a look, breathed a sigh of relief, and then reburied the wooden box.
The night was deep.
Howling sounds echoed from Wolf Howl Town, sounding particularly eerie. Every household had their doors and windows tightly shut, no longer daring to go out at night.
With so many wolves, it was no wonder it was called Wolf Howl Town.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye changed into their night-blooming clothes. To prevent the wolf pack from approaching, Bai Sheng released Baoyu from her spatial dimension.
Having grown up drinking spring water, Baoyu's physique was almost twice that of ordinary wild wolves. Among the wolf pack, it would undoubtedly become the king.
Taking advantage of the night, after sneaking into the Jiang family's quadrangle, Bai Sheng used knockout drugs to subdue everyone.
Lu Ye walked directly into Jiang Pengju's bedroom, put on gloves, and lifted him from the bed.
Jiang Pengju was wearing nothing. His once exceedingly rich belly was now loose and flabby, leaving only skin, indicating that his life in exile was not comfortable.
Lu Ye dressed him in an undergarment, and Bai Sheng, with a thought, threw him into the spatial dimension.
Hengheng knew that this naked old man was the master's enemy, so it led the wild animals in defecating and urinating on Jiang Pengju's face.
Bingbao directly used the tip of its tail to pry open Jiang Pengju's mouth and accurately defecated and urinated into his mouth.
This made the wild animals cry out in joy.
Jiang Pengju: It's my first time in the spatial dimension, are you guys polite?
Lu Ye went to the outhouse and retrieved the small wooden box that Jiang Pengju had hidden there.
After completing all this, the two were about to return to the spatial dimension, but Baoyu was nowhere to be seen.
"Baoyu, Baoyu…"
"Baoyu, where did you run off to?"