HBBMAWH Chapter 44

Madam Yan's bright red nails were as long as the claws of an old Black Mountain monster, and she couldn't hide the jealousy on her face.

"Husband! That tea mountain is making so much money, that kid is getting it too cheaply," Madam Yan, not willing to give up, couldn't accept the fact that the boy, who was clearly picked up from outside, was benefiting from the Yan family's resources.

"I inquired about it from others; he's making this much money!" Madam Yan flipped through her hands. "I heard he made tens of thousands of taels. It hasn't been that long, husband. Tell me, how is that brat so lucky?"

Rumors always took creative liberties during their spread. In just a few days, they escalated to tens of thousands. No one bothered to verify their authenticity.

"The Tea Mountain has already been given to someone else; what more do you want?" Master Yan was impatient, clearly not eager to deal with his wife at the moment. The money earned from the tea mountain meant nothing to him anymore; it was no longer in his hands. "Can we disregard what is clearly written in black and white?"

"Can't we go and take it back from him? After all, he's not a member of the Yan family..." Madam Yan was persistent. She needed money lately; the old man had cut off her monthly allowance, and she wasn't allowed to touch the household funds.

She had only taken a few pieces of jewelry, was there a need to be so watchful?

Money can make the world go round. Madam Yan didn't believe she couldn't get the tea mountain back. County Master Xu had a bit of a connection with them.

County Master Xu received a new official document, which also included a gesture of goodwill. The goodwill seemed sincere, but when it came to the person being sued...

The new wife the eldest son of the Jiang family. Forget it. He couldn't afford to offend the Jiang family. County Master Xu initially wanted to refuse, but his nephew Chen Yi happened to be there and persuaded him.

"Uncle, you don't know, this eldest son of the Jiang family doesn't have much status," Chen spoke with feigned concern. "Otherwise, why would he be abandoned in Qingqu for several years without a word? The influence of the Jiang family's main branch is all in the capital."

Chen paused as he spoke, glancing at Lord Xu's expression. Although his uncle favored him, he was cautious not to say anything that might offend him.

That's true. The Young Master of the Jiang family is not favored at all. No one would be surprised if he died. Lord Xu smiled and encouraged his promising nephew to continue.

"Moreover, we don't necessarily have to convict him. Uncle, you're a high-ranking official, go along with public opinion, just investigate the truth. This is a gesture of goodwill from the common people to you, Uncle..." Chen Yi patted the table, emphasizing the "goodwill" pressed under the petition.

"As for whether we can investigate this thoroughly, it depends on whether Jiang Manyue has the sincerity for it. As long as he shows willingness, proves his innocence, you can naturally release him. Uncle, what do you think?"

Chen Yi acted like a good nephew who thought about his uncle, but in his heart he was thinking about how to hinder Jiang Manyue and Yan Cai.

Having lost face, Chen Yi was already displeased. After escaping in a hurry from under Yan Cai's house wall that day, he discovered he had been poisoned. Now, looking back, wasn't he set up by them?

Now, upon hearing that those two people were so much in love,  his anger flared up. The more one couldn't obtain something, the more one deMy Lord,ed it. Due to several chance encounters, Chen Yi increasingly wanted Yan Cai to pay some price.

That day, Jiang Manyue and Yan Cai were summoned to the county yamen.

The constables rushed in with a fierce and evil demeanor, ready to arrest them.

"What's going on?" Yan Cai was puzzled and went out upon hearing the commotion. He saw the constables looking embarrassed.

Jiang Manyue stood calmly to the side.

"It's nothing. Someone wants our tea mountain."

Yan Cai immediately knew who that "someone" was, certainly someone from the Yan family. He had long suspected that these people would regret it one day after seeing the tea mountain making money. Knowing this, he was not as nervous as he might have been.

With the land deed in his hands, what was there to be anxious about? Unless the Yan Cai family exposed that he was not a true member of the Yan Cai family, but if Master Yan didn't dare...

If that were the case, Master Yan's act of forcing his nephew to commit suicide and arranging a replacement marriage for him would be exposed.

After realizing these things, Yan Cai became much calmer.

On the other hand, the two detectives, who had barged in aggressively and fiercely at first, ended up standing in the corner without daring to say a word, waiting for Yan Cai to finish changing his clothes before going out. They couldn't muster their previous fierceness.

Initially, when encountering Jiang Manyue, after suffering a big loss and feeling reluctant, they didn't dare to assert themselves. But when encountering Yan Cai again, the inexplicable reluctance vanished, and they willingly waited at the door.

The plump and the thin constables exchanged glances and simultaneously said, "Why are we obediently waiting at the door?"

Jiang Manyue, with his scholarly achievements, didn't need to kneel, but Yan Cai did. He felt very uncomfortable about it. He had always lived together with only Jiang Manyue, so they hadn't followed some of the traditional etiquette. They never made the servants in his house kneel. This was the first time Yan Cai knelt down after getting married.

Jiang Manyue clenched his fist secretly, why should Yan Cai kneel to that person in the hall?

Just a brief kneeling, like a dragonfly touching the water, and then he stood up. The county magistrate was originally displeased, and he hadn't even given the order to stand up, but he still didn't say anything.

The county magistrate, Master Xu, was fat, with thin mustaches on his lips, and one leg cocked high. He was also one who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He cast a glance at Jiang Manyue, then focused on Yan Cai.

"Are you Yan Cai? This official asks you, do you plead guilty to occupying the family's mountain?"

Yan Cai's black and white eyes reflected County Magistrate Xu's fat face.

"There was no crime to begin with, why should I plead guilty?"

"Bold! How dare you defy this official?" County Magistrate Xu slammed the gavel, startling the crowd of onlookers in the courtroom.

"My Lord,, my wife is just young and ignorant, he did not defy you. Regarding the matter of occupying the mountain, it is pure fabrication. The tea mountain is part of my wife's dowry, and we have a deed as proof."

County Magistrate Xu was momentarily suppressed, intending to slam the gavel again, but for some reason, his hand slipped, and the gavel flew out, landing at Yan Cai's feet with a clatter.

Yan Cai took a step back; it had nothing to do with him.

The momentum was lost, and County Magistrate Xu, unwillingly, sat back down, glaring at the Yan family on the other side.

Blaming these two people for making him lose face.

"Since you have evidence, then present the 'evidence' for this official to examine." The word "evidence" was drawn out, and Jiang Manyue narrowed his eyes dangerously.

As Yan Cai reached for the deed in his bosom, Jiang Manyue stopped him.

"Hmm?"

"The evidence he wants isn't..." Jiang Manyue lowered his voice, grabbing his hand. What the fat magistrate wanted was not evidence but a bribe.

Seeing the delay, County Magistrate Xu blew his mustache and knocked on the table, "Why haven't you presented the evidence yet..."

However, Yan Cai didn't want to give money to such a person for no reason. He handed over a genuine land deed. The county magistrate picked up the deed, examined it, and even tried to tear it apart to see if there was a hidden layer. It took him a while to realize that this might just be a legitimate deed.

There was no so-called sincerity.

County Magistrate Xu's originally kind face suddenly froze and turned gloomy. His face tightened and the corners of his mouth turned downward.

"Is this your evidence? This official thinks it's not enough, right?"

"It's clearly written in black and white, so why isn't it considered evidence?" Yan Cai had never bribed anyone in his previous life. Surviving in the zombie apocalypse was all done by himself, relying on his own two hands. The law of the apocalyptic world dictated that might was right.

He had always been a lone wolf, rarely interacting with people in high positions like Master Xu, at most being invited by the bosses of the bases for medical treatment. However, modern people and ancient people were fundamentally different. No matter how authoritative a person was in the apocalyptic era, they wouldn't have the same superior attitude as the officials in ancient times.

Jiang Manyue understood this better than Yan Cai. He had held a higher position before. The saying "one more rank crushes a person to death" held true, and the common people didn't dare to confront officials.

Jiang Manyue didn't approve, but he didn't stop Yan Cai either. Whether it was good or bad, it shouldn't be obstructed. He would be a mountain behind, a forever solid wall, but shouldn't block a person's unstoppable momentum.

"I have the land deed for the tea mountain as proof. Originally, the tea mountain belonged to me. Otherwise, on that day, how could Uncle and Aunt allow me to take the tea mountain without objection?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Madam Yan stared at Yan Cai, "You're not a real member of the Yan..."

Her voice was abruptly cut off, and Madam Yan's face turned bright red, like a rooster whose neck had been forcibly pinched, croaking a few times before deflating.

"He's not what!?" The county magistrate's eyes gleamed, but Madam Yan couldn't finish the second half of her sentence.

Yan Cai squatted down and whispered next to Master Yan, "Don't forget how the real Young Master of the Yan family was forced to commit suicide by you. In front of everyone, I think you also don't want to end up in a desperate situation. Nobody benefits from it."

Master Yan's face changed, he twisted Madam Yan's arm, making her shut up. He really shouldn't have been influenced by this woman and lost his composure. But this woman was so confidently claiming that they would win this lawsuit.

How can we win this? The written deeds are all there, plain as day.

"My Lord,! This humble woman also has evidence proving that the tea mountain belongs to the Yan Family!"

Madam Yan quickly presented a box with both hands, which the county magistrate had someone bring up. On top of it was a deed, identical to the one Yan Cai had presented, and underneath were several silver taels. The county magistrate revealed a smug smile; this woman was quite sensible.

He closed the box after taking out the land deed, shaking the deed a bit.

"Both of you have deeds for the tea mountain, and this complicates matters." Originally, considering Jiang Manyue's identity as the Young Master of the Jiang family, he wanted to save them face, settle the matter by taking some money. But unexpectedly, it turned out they were unyielding, completely lacking in manners.

"Which one is real and which one is fake?"

The onlookers were in an uproar. There were actually two identical deeds, both stamped with the same red seal and bearing the same text.

Yan Cai was stunned; they were indeed identical. Whenever he encountered doubt, he subconsciously sought Jiang Manyue's gaze, hoping to get an answer from him.

Receiving the pleading look, Jiang Manyue straightened his chest. With his partner trusting him so much, he naturally had to provide an answer.

"Fake," Jiang Manyue asserted firmly. "Theirs is definitely fake."

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