TGCFNM -Chapter 357 Going to Find Uncle Hong

About an hour later, Steward Liu personally escorted Miss Shiyu out and arranged a carriage to take her back to the house.

When he returned to the rear garden, he found Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin looking utterly dejected—while Su He, astonishingly, had a smile on his face.

Steward Liu let out a soft sigh and consoled them, “My lord and Young Master, it’s probably your first time playing. It’s normal not to get the hang of it right away.”

Chu Ling suddenly realized, “Right, exactly. It must be because it’s our first time playing.”

Wan Sanjin clutched his head in misery. “Miss Shiyu said she was experienced. I thought she was joking!”

Su He calmly counted his banknotes. “Judging from her technique, she really is experienced.”

Wan Sanjin turned to him. “Then why did you win so much too?”

After finishing counting, Su He calculated and said, “My lord lost two hundred taels, you lost three hundred taels. Miss Shiyu won two hundred taels, and I won three hundred taels.”

Chu Ling: “……”

Wan Sanjin: “……”

“But since all the banknotes were taken out by Sanjin, that means Sanjin lost five hundred taels in total. That makes sense.” Su He neatly stacked the banknotes and handed them to Steward Liu. “Steward Liu, use this to add some extra dishes for everyone in the household.”

Steward Liu smiled as he accepted them and tucked them into his sleeve pouch. “Many thanks, Coroner Su.”

Wan Sanjin felt utterly miserable. He turned to Chu Ling and said, “My lord, let’s go to the temple and pray. I think our luck is terrible.”

Chu Ling shook her head and refused decisively. “This time was just a mistake. Next time I definitely won’t lose. I’m not like you.”

Next time, she would have Master and Aunt Su sneak a look for her. She refused to believe she couldn’t win.

Steward Liu looked at the three of them and couldn’t help but laugh as he went over to tidy up the domino tiles. “My lord, Young Master, Coroner Su—the carriage sent by Manager Hong has arrived outside. Please.”

Chu Ling straightened her clothes and stood up, stretching her back. “I hope Uncle Hong is in a stable mood.”

Wan Sanjin looked puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

Chu Ling placed her hands on her hips. “Because Uncle Hong knows martial arts.”

Wan Sanjin sucked in a sharp breath, quickly stood up as well, and decided to warm up first.

Watching the two of them, Su He simply rose and walked straight outside…

—

Uncle Hong was resting with his eyes closed on the second floor of the money house. Recently, he had been reconciling accounts, so he was temporarily staying in the rear courtyard. He had just finished settling the books when new information arrived from the Wan residence.

The key issue was another piece of bad news: the eldest young master had matters to attend to and would be delayed for several more days.

“My head hurts.” Uncle Hong pinched the bridge of his nose gloomily.

“Manager Hong, they’ve arrived.”

“Send them up!” Uncle Hong immediately opened his eyes, his aura suddenly turning imposing and intimidating.

The man quickly retreated. A short while later, Chu Ling and the other two carefully made their way upstairs.

Uncle Hong simply stared at the three unusually well-behaved figures before him. Suppressing the anger in his heart, he beckoned at them.

“Come here.”

Chu Ling gave an awkward smile and pushed Wan Sanjin forward.

Who would have thought Wan Sanjin would react even faster? He grabbed Chu Ling in one swift motion and shoved her to the front instead.

Uncle Hong looked at the three of them and let out a long, heavy sigh. “On your first day, you went to prison. On the second day, you offended the Si family. And you even stuck a needle into the Painting Sage’s forehead… Do you really have no idea that you’re quite famous now?”

At the mention of the Si family, Wan Sanjin immediately pulled Su He forward, signaling him to explain.

Su He directly recounted the matter of the Si family’s murder. “Uncle Hong, this was actually Lord Mei acting out of righteous indignation.”

Uncle Hong almost laughed in exasperation. “…If Lord Mei was truly acting out of righteous indignation, would Prince Rui go out of his way to send a letter to the Wan residence?”

“Maybe… to protect us?” Chu Ling replied with a smile.

Uncle Hong sighed deeply again. “Forget it. Since you can all manage to get yourselves out unscathed, I won’t interfere too much. But after this incident, you must not only be wary of the Si family—you must also watch out for the other great clans.”

The three nodded obediently, promising they would remember.

Uncle Hong sighed helplessly once more. After motioning for them to sit, he looked at Wan Sanjin and said, “The matter you asked me to investigate regarding Zhao Linlang now has results.”

“Zhao Linlang’s mother was originally from a collateral branch of the Shangguan family. Many years ago, when the current Old Madam of the Shangguan family was out inspecting the estate, she was bitten on the calf by a venomous snake hidden in the grass. At the time, Madam Zhao was still quite young. She immediately sucked the poisoned blood out for the Old Madam, and later ended up poisoned herself.”

“After Madam Zhao was cured, the Old Madam, grateful for her actions, brought her from the collateral branch into the main household. She served the Old Madam diligently afterward and was later married into a decent family. But then the Zhao residence… was confiscated by you, my lord. With nowhere else to go, Madam Zhao returned to seek refuge.”

Chu Ling glanced lightly at Uncle Hong. “I did not misjudge Prefect Zhao. He was a corrupt official who preyed upon the common people. As for Madam Zhao… covered in jewels from head to toe, that’s not something a prefect’s salary could afford. And as someone from a collateral branch, she couldn’t possibly have had such valuable dowry items. That means it was funded by the people’s hard-earned money. The confiscation was well deserved.”

Uncle Hong nodded. “Naturally, I know it was deserved. When Madam Zhao returned seeking refuge, the Shangguan family certainly investigated the matter clearly. The reason they were still willing to accept her was because Madam Zhao knows certain methods that supposedly help women conceive male heirs.”

Chu Ling’s head filled with question marks. “And that’s her immunity token?”

Uncle Hong also found it somewhat absurd, but replied, “In fact, many ladies in the capital are in need of such methods. She’s living quite comfortably now—and has even managed to get her daughter onto this year’s list of palace candidates.”

“The Emperor is already so old, and he’s still selecting consorts?” Chu Ling clicked her tongue in disdain.

Uncle Hong immediately felt a chill at his neck. “My lord… mind your words, mind your words.”

Chu Ling quickly nodded and put on an obedient expression again.

Su He suddenly spoke up. “If a woman was originally pregnant with a daughter, and Madam Zhao somehow turned it into a male child… does that mean poison altered the baby’s sex?”

Wan Sanjin gasped. “So that’s how it works.”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s how it works’?” Uncle Hong said, half laughing, half exasperated. “It’s a medicinal broth taken before pregnancy.”

“Then why did she herself give birth to a daughter, if she wants male heirs so badly?” Su He asked again.

Uncle Hong paused. That was… actually a fair point.

“The birth of sons or daughters is natural. Forcing a change would be defying the natural order and could bring heavenly retribution,” Chu Ling said seriously.

Wan Sanjin immediately turned to Uncle Hong. “Our lord is quite accurate when it comes to these matters. He wouldn’t say such things without reason.”

Uncle Hong rose from his seat, walked to the stairway, and called someone over. After whispering a few instructions, he said, “Be quick about it. And spread it widely.”

“Yes, Uncle Hong.”

After giving his instructions, Uncle Hong turned back to the three of them. “Once certain rumors are spread, some people will hesitate. But if others still insist on trying… then there’s nothing we can do.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Chu Ling raised an eyebrow. “At the very least, she won’t be treated as an honored guest in public anymore. The family of a corrupt official who preyed upon the people—letting them live was already an act of mercy. If she dares to cause trouble by relying on her status, I won’t be lenient.”