Chapter 1383: Chapter 1383: Putting on an Act
"Thatâs good to hear." Young Master Dou smiled, "Magistrate Xi, please send someone to the Hu Mansion."
Gu Jinâan was a smart person. On the day he set out to make a complaint at the county office, he asked for his help to send the Shadow Guards to Jiangnan to invite Hu Xueyaoâs mother over.
The reason given was that Hu Xueyao had won against Mrs. Jia, making Lord Jia agree to hold a ceremony for her sonâs hundredth day. Mrs. Lin, as the grandmother, should come quickly, and it was said a grand gift would be given to Mrs. Lin.
As for Hu Xueyaoâs fake father Hu Dawen, he was not invited.
He was just a servant. As Hu Xueyao mentioned in her letter, she didnât want her official son to bow to a servant and call him grandpa.
After receiving the letter, Hu Xueyaoâs mother came joyfully with the servants and is currently residing in Hu Mansion in Guiye Lane, East City.
Young Master Douâs people sent another letter to Hu Xueyao, telling her that her biological parents had arrived, and that the plan to seize the Gu familyâs wealth was going smoothly. But if they were to give half to Assistant Judge Jia, she and her son would end up with nothing. After all, Assistant Judge Jia had several sons, and once the wealth entered the Jia familyâs shared wealth, her son would only get a fraction.
Manager Feng felt it was a loss, so he suggested she go to the Hu Mansion to discuss splitting Assistant Judge Jiaâs portion in half: one half for her son, the other to enter the Jia familyâs shared wealth.
Knowing the Gu familyâs business was lucrative, Hu Xueyao, naturally, did not want the wealth her own father had seized to fall into the hands of Assistant Judge Jiaâs other sons. As soon as she received the message, she immediately ordered the servants to prepare a cart to go to the Hu Mansion.
She even brought her son along, wanting Manager Feng to meet this grandson, and then have Manager Feng split the half of the Gu familyâs wealth that he seized, giving half to this grandson.
Hu Xueyao, being just a concubine, was not originally free to go out often. But because she had a son, and an old Taoist said she had a blessed fate that aided her husbandâs career, she was favored by Assistant Judge Jia and was permitted to go out without needing Mrs. Jiaâs permission.
Mrs. Jia was also lazy in managing Hu Xueyao, allowing her to go out. Only when Hu Xueyao went out too many times would she look for an excuse to accuse Hu Xueyao of adultery.
Young Master Dou was cunning and, after drugging Manager Feng, took him by mule cart and waited at the entrance of Guiye Lane.
When the mule cart carrying Hu Xueyao arrived, Old Lady Chai came out to stop her and called out, "Yaoye, is it Yaoye?"
Upon hearing the voice, Hu Xueyao asked the servant to stop the cart and, upon seeing Old Lady Chai, asked, "Who are you?"
Old Lady Chai said, "Iâm from the Chai family. My family members Dafu and Sanfu have recently been helping the Old Master with some things."
Hu Xueyao knew that Manager Feng had enlisted the Chai Family People to trap the Gu Family. Hearing this, she asked, "Why have you come? Where is my father?"
As Mrs. Lin had said, for her to meet Manager Feng, and since even Assistant Judge Jia knew that Manager Feng was her biological father, the driver, maid, and old woman she brought were all given by Manager Feng. With no one at the laneâs entrance, Hu Xueyao simply used the term âfather.â
"Heâs napping in the cart, waiting for you till he got sleepy." Old Lady Chai motioned to Chai Dafu in the cart, "Dafu, Dafu, lift the curtain and let your niece see her father."
"Okay." Chai Dafu sat in the cart, supporting Manager Feng with a servant, and lifted the curtain, allowing Hu Xueyao to see Manager Feng, who was dozing with half-closed eyes.
After Hu Xueyao saw Manager Feng, Chai Dafu quickly lowered the curtain again, his heart pounding with fear.
But even Magistrate Gu helped the Gu Family, signaling the end for the Feng Family. If he wanted to live, he had to help Young Master Dou, or else the Dou Family person driving the cart would kill him on the spot!
Judge Tang said their Chai family had committed a capital crime. Even if the Dou Family people killed them, they wouldnât be sentenced, so he should not cause any trouble, or they would die for nothing.
Old Lady Chai began crying outside, "Yaoye, your third uncle died because he helped you with your work. You must look after us more!"
After crying for a while, she hastily called Chai Dafu, "Dafu, Dafu, come quickly to meet your niece, the future Deputy Magistrate Madame."
Chai Dafu quickly got down from the cart and came over to greet Hu Xueyao.
Hu Xueyao initially did not quite trust Old Lady Chai. However, upon seeing her cry and observing the profit-driven behavior of the mother and son, she felt assured and said, "As long as you do your jobs well, my father and I will not treat you poorly."
She then put on a stern face and warned, "Also, remember, Chai Fujiao is just my fatherâs concubine. You are not my grandma or uncles, donât call yourselves that, or donât blame me for being unkind!"
"Yes, yes, yes, Yaoye, rest assured. We are people who understand the situation and will not put on family airs." Old Lady Chai and Chai Dafu nodded and agreed humbly.
Hu Xueyao snorted coldly. Her father was right: the Chai Family was both greedy and cowardly. Given a bit of benefit, even if it meant poisoning Chai Sanfu, they wouldnât dare to say a word.
"Letâs go home." Hu Xueyao instructed the driver to drive into Guiye Lane.
The driver, actually Douzi, hurried to follow.
Soon, they arrived at the innermost part of Guiye Lane, stopping before the largest house.
The accompanying old woman got out of the cart to knock on the door, saying that the young madam had returned to her maiden home.
The gatekeeper quickly invited Hu Xueyao into the residence, but as soon as she entered the guest hall, she froze.
She looked at Mrs. Lin and Squad Leader Shi and others in the room, realizing things had gone wrong. Panicked inside, she quickly calmed down and smiled, "Mother, why are the government officials here in our home? Did Lord Deputy Magistrate send them with a message for me?"
Mrs. Lin, also coached by Manager Feng, immediately cried out upon hearing this, "Yaoye, my dear daughter, itâs outrageous that Squad Leader Shi from the Tongâan Prefecture government dared to say Hu Dawen is not your real father, but that Manager Feng from Hukang County, Heâan Prefecture, is. Boohoohoo...theyâre accusing me of adultery! You must have Lord Deputy Magistrate stand up for your mother, or I will have no face to live!"
After hearing this, Hu Xueyaoâs eyebrows shot up, and her face darkened. Pointing at Squad Leader Shi, she said, "You, this squad leader, are truly going too far, donât you know I am the favored concubine of Lord Deputy Magistrate? How dare you slander my mother, attempting to ruin her reputation...Tell me, did Old Lady Xu instruct you to do this?"
Old Lady Xu was the primary wife of Assistant Judge Jia.
"Boohoohoo... Ms. Xu has such a vicious heart, falsely accusing my mother like this. I must find the Old Master to demand justice!" Hu Xueyao wailed continuously and signaled the accompanying old woman to hurry out and have the Chai Family People take Manager Feng away and not bring him inside.
The old woman was sharp and quickly ran out.
Squad Leader Shi didnât stop her but stood up and said, "Enough wailing, come with us to the government office. Itâs a cold day, and we donât have time to watch you cry."
With that, the accompanying government officials went to grab Mrs. Lin and Hu Xueyao. The mother and daughter were so frightened they screamed in terror, threatening, "Stop! I am the favored concubine of Assistant Judge Jia. If you dare touch me, none of your families will live peacefully in Tongâan Prefecture!"