Chapter 108 No Retreat
Ning Xuanfeng picked up the cup, scratched his itch, and looked at it again and again.
"I'm familiar with herbs that cause itching. There's nothing unusual about this wedding ceremony, so why am I itching?"
Zhuang Xianhui smiled meaningfully.
"Of course there will be no problem with the wedding. No matter how stupid I am, I won't give you any handle."
"Look again, is there anything else that you are suspicious about?"
"You're accusing me without any evidence. I'm going to sue you for slander."
Ning Xuanfeng put down the cup and began to look around, searching every detail but still found no clues.
His body became more and more itchy, and he pulled his hair in a state of emotional collapse.
"What went wrong?"
"How can it be so hard to guard against?"
As he spoke, he was also in torment.
Ah, why are both brother and sister like this?
Didn’t mother say that Zhuang San’s wife is as virtuous as her name suggests?
How could this be?
My mother lied to me?
No way, she clearly said that she loves me the most.
So what is going on?
Ning Xuanfeng scratched his itch and asked, "Why are you teasing me?"
Zhuang Xianhui glanced at him disdainfully, took out a deposit slip from Yuchang Bank and slapped it on the table.
"You'll have to ask your mother about that."
"She said that the entire betrothal gift would be converted into silver and deposited in this deposit."
Ning Xuanfeng lowered his eyes and glanced, not understanding what he meant.
"So what?"
"Most of the betrothal gifts are useless. Wouldn't it be more convenient to exchange them for silver?"
"My mother did the same thing when my third sister got married."
Zhuang Xianhui smiled disdainfully, with great disdain.
"There are four Yuchang Banks in the world."
"As you know, my family was once exiled. When the emperor pardoned the Zhuang family, my father saved many friends in need. It just so happened that there were several good friends of my father in the four counties where Yuchang Bank was located."
"Two days ago, when your family was having a wedding, my father sent a pigeon to ask about it. The number marked on this deposit slip could not be found in any of the four Yuchang banknote numbers."
As she spoke, she slammed the table in a stern voice.
"Your mother used fake deposit slips to defraud my family!"
"Do you know what the crime is for marriage fraud?"
Ning Xuanfeng was startled at first, then smiled bitterly, looking at the deposit ticket in disbelief.
"impossible."
"There are indeed rumors outside that the third sister's dowry deposit is fake, but the rumors cannot be believed. My mother is not that kind of person."
Zhuang Xianhui handed him a porcelain bottle.
"Take the antidote first, then go ask her about it."
"Also, please ask her to give our family a reasonable explanation after careful consideration."
Ning Xuanfeng took the porcelain bottle, took the antidote, and ran to the front hall.
At this time, the guests had not yet left, so Mu Rong was naturally busy entertaining them.
Ning Xuanfeng searched around and finally found his mother.
"Mother."
Mu Rong smiled gently.
"what happened?"
Ning Xuanfeng leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Go to Xianyi Residence. I have something to ask you."
Xianyi Residence was not far from the front hall, and the two arrived there soon.
Ning Xuanfeng told her exactly what had just happened.
When she heard the part about the fake deposit ticket, Mu Rong smiled deeply.
"I didn't expect them to find out so quickly."
Ning Xuanfeng couldn't believe his ears.
"what?"
During the questioning, he was so angry that he knocked down all the teacups on the table.
"Is the betrothal gift deposit really fake?"
"What about the third sister's dowry deposit? Is it also fake?"
"How can you make money from us?"
"Are you worthy of being our mother?"
"Why are you doing this to us?!"
She didn't expect him to get so angry. Mu Rong was frightened and quickly stood up to comfort him.
"When did I say the deposit was fake?"
"you misunderstood."
"Only Ning Yunxi's deposit slip is fake. Yours is real."
Ning Xuanfeng didn't believe it at all.
"But my wife said that she checked the number marked on it and found no such ticket!"
Mu Rong covered her mouth with her hands and smiled, then explained carefully.
"I instructed Yuchang Bank to pretend to say this."
"If they want to sue for marriage fraud, Yuchang Bank will have another story to tell. Moreover, they can come up with enough silver because the deposit slip is real."
"When I go to collect it, or when people from the Eighth Platform go to collect it, we can see the silver, but not for others."
Ning Xuanfeng managed to calm down and began to feel confused.
"What does mother mean?"
Mu Rong told the truth.
"Because I want to use this opportunity to seize the Zhuang family's property."
"In addition to the salary and the rewards given by the emperor over the years, do you know how much extra gold and silver the Zhuang Mansion has stored?"
"I received a top-secret message that half of the national treasury's silver is secretly hidden in the Zhuang Mansion's warehouse."
"Do you know why the emperor trusts Lord Zhuang so much? Because they are brothers from different fathers and different mothers."
"Later, I will give them an explanation. I will return all the dowry and not take a penny. As long as they don't sue me, I will allow you to marry into my family."
Ning Xuanfeng didn't understand again.
"Since you were planning to let me marry into your family from the beginning, why did you go to all the trouble of depositing the ticket?"
Mu Rong tapped his forehead lovingly.
"Silly child, you always have to pretend to be nice to others. If I tell you directly that you are a son-in-law, wouldn't that make you lose face?"
"When the time comes, I will make a request to them to conceal your identity as a son-in-law from the outside world and just treat you as an ordinary couple."
"After you sneak into the Zhuang Mansion, familiarize yourself with the environment, and then set fire to the house as soon as my message arrives."
He said this with emphasis.
"After setting the fire, you must remember to escape and do not linger. Do you understand?"
Ning Xuanfeng understood what she meant, his face full of horror, and he shook his head repeatedly.
"No, no, I won't do this."
"Mother, this is wrong!"
Mu Rong held his hand tightly, comforting and persuading him.
"But you have already married her, what should you do?"
"You've experienced the teasing just now. If you don't do this, will you be bullied by them for the rest of your life?"
"You just need to set the fire, no need to hurt anyone."
"I will take care of the rest."
"Just listen to your mother. I will never hurt you, okay?"
Ning Xuanfeng struggled desperately.
"No, no... I will get a divorce tomorrow morning..."
Mu Rong held his hand even tighter.
There were only two lights in Xianyiju, and the dim candlelight made her face look particularly gloomy, which formed a sharp contrast with her gentle tone, making it difficult to tell whether she was good or evil.
"That deposit slip could be real or fake. If you go to get a divorce, they will sue you. Do you know what the crime is for marriage fraud?"
"The current situation does not allow you to retreat."
"As long as it is accomplished, I will erase all traces, and the Zhuang Mansion's treasury will be in our hands."
"Your brother will ask for an imperial decree to cancel your marriage."
"Mother does this so that you can marry a better wife in the future. Do you understand her painstaking efforts?"
Ning Xuanfeng retreated step by step in panic, and finally retreated to the corner.
"my brother?"
"Is my brother involved in this?"
"How could he be so cruel?"
Mu Rong smoothed his messy hair.
"The current emperor is a hundred times more cruel than us."
"Didn't he also seize his kingdom from the Yan clan?"
"The national treasury during the prosperous years has never been a clean place. We are not cruel in trying to seize his gold and silver. We are acting in the name of justice."
"Do you understand?"