"Really?" Zou Yuwan was overjoyed; she had long since grown tired of this wretched countryside, but still felt a lingering resentment: "What about those several families that fled the famine? They haven’t received their retribution yet." If they just leave , wouldn’t it have all been for nothing? Seeing her bring up the issue they should least discuss, Zou Yuzhen’s face darkened once more. Zou Yuwan’s face turned pale, and she quickly called out to Hua’er, "You useless girl, what are you staring at? Hurry back to the room and pack our things." "Yes, I’ll go right away." The maid and her mistress hastily left, not daring to linger. Before the Zou siblings departed, they visited Lu Laosan and said to him, "Uncle, we’re leaving first. You take care of yourself. Once Yuanfei passes the exams for an official position and becomes an officer, we’ll bring an Imperial Physician back for you to cure your illness." "Hmm~Go~Go~" Lu Laosan was still slurring and could only speak in two or three word bursts. Hearing that the Zou siblings were leaving, he hastily called out, "No~can’t go~" Old Master Lu said, "Old San, don’t hold back your nephew and niece. If they don’t return now, County Magistrate Zou will soon forget about them." They had to let them return; the more they stayed in view of County Magistrate Zou, the more they could secure his favor and prevent it from being divided with the legitimate children. Lu Laosan was clearly unwilling and, summoning all his strength, called out, "No~not right! No~can’t~let them off..." Before he could finish, his strength gave out, and he could not go on, merely gasping for breath. Zou Yuzhen, looking at Lu Laosan who was flopping like a fish out of water, felt extreme disgust. What sin had he committed in a past life to encounter such an in-law family in this life? This bunch of crude, penniless, burdensome wastes—he truly wished he could strangle them one by one. After catching his breath for a while, Lu Laosan spoke again, "Zhang~Zhang Niu~let him..." "No!" Zou Yuzhen, with a stern face and clenched teeth, said, "Uncle, don’t be rash. If the Lu Family makes trouble again, Father will definitely not let you off lightly." He continued, "Remember the Sun Family. The entire family was sentenced and exiled, their wealth dissipated. The Lord County Magistrate is now looking for meritorious deeds. If the Lu Family makes trouble again and it’s discovered, he will not be lenient." He didn’t fear the Lu Family getting into trouble; he simply didn’t want to be dragged down by them again. "Zhang Niu and his gang will definitely be put to use, but now is not the time. When the right moment comes, I will naturally have them make their move." Hearing this, Lu Laosan’s eyes lit up, knowing that Zou Yuzhen had a plan in mind, and hurriedly agreed, "Good~good~good..." Zou Yuzhen was fed up with Lu Laosan and did not wish to stay longer. As he led Zou Yuwan out of the house, he instructed Old Master Lu, "Grandfather, don’t act rashly in the meantime; I will handle those few families." Old Master Lu replied, "Rest assured, Brother Zhen’er—your grandfather knows the stakes. Without certainty, I won’t let Zhang Niu deal with those families." After the Sun Family’s fall, Old Master Lu was also constantly anxious, fearing that the Lu Family might suffer the same fate. Moreover, the Lord County Magistrate had changed; previously, he merely muddled through, seeking a peaceful transfer. But now, for the sake of merit, he was quick to wield the knife, and Old Master was afraid it might be brought down upon the Lu Family. "As long as Grandfather understands, that’s fine. Revenge isn’t about acting in haste; what’s important is to wipe them out in one fell swoop." Having instructed Old Master Lu, Zou Yuzhen left with Zou Yuwan by carriage. After traveling for four hours by mule cart, they returned to the Zou Mansion. The servants at Zou Mansion were quite surprised to see them back. Third Young Master and Fifth Miss had been away in the countryside for many a day, and now they had suddenly returned, and at night no less. Could it be that something else had happened to the Lu family? Concubine Lu’s people were very worried, while Mrs. Zou’s people were quite pleased. Servants from both sides hurried to inform their respective masters. Zou Yuzhen paid no heed to the servants sneaking around and said to Zou Yuwan, "You go see the lady first, I will go to the study to greet father." Now that they siblings had returned, he had to show his face to the old man. County Magistrate Zou was working late in the study. Since County Magistrate Xu had dismissed half of the village chiefs in the county, it had become difficult for him to manage things. Sixty percent of the dismissed village chiefs were his people, all coming to him and pleading for a way to be reinstated. But the order came from Lord Magistrate himself, who had even submitted a memorial to the Capital, proposing to dismiss half of the village chiefs in Great Chu to save expenses. Such a great contribution had Lord Magistrate’s eyes turning red with excitement. What could he, an Assistant Officer, do to oppose it? The only strategy for now was to find some excuses to demote the current village chiefs slowly and then replace them with his own people. "Old Master, you have been busy ever since you returned from the government office, nearly four hours already. Take a break, have a bowl of soup, and then talk to your son," said Zhong Cuilan, grabbing County Magistrate Zou’s hand and pressing it against her belly with a coquettish smile, "You don’t know, your son can be very naughty. I guess he didn’t see you during the day and he started making trouble in Lan’er’s belly, longing for his daddy~" Zhong Cuilan’s words, at the end, carried a drawn-out and rising tone, combined with her soft, bone-melting voice, making even a serious statement sound quite different. County Magistrate Zou wrapped his arm around Zhong Cuilan’s waist, pinched her waist, and staring at her belly, said, "Is it a little monkey you’re carrying? How come it can make trouble even before three months?" Zhong Cuilan snug up close to County Magistrate Zou, twisting her waist and said, "Like father, like son. It’s all thanks to how formidable the Old Master is~" These words were music to County Magistrate Zou’s ears, and he laughed heartily, "Indeed, I am quite formidable." Looking across the entirety of Tianfu County, how many men over the age of sixty could still father a child? Standing outside the study, Zou Yuzhen felt nauseated by the conversation, thinking to himself, this old thing. Not young in years but lusty in spirit, watch out lest he dies on the bed one day! Suppressing his disgust, he said to Zou Jiang, guarding outside the study, "Uncle Jiang, these are a few articles written by Yuanfei. Please help to deliver them to my father. Also, tell my father that Yuanfei has already reprimanded the entire Lu Family, and they dare not cause any more troubles. Please assure father to be at ease." Zou Jiang wasn’t originally a Zou; his surname was Jiang and he was ten years junior to County Magistrate Zou. Once, he was a renowned prodigy in Luchang County, having mastered the Four Books and Five Classics by age ten and became a student by thirteen. Because of his reputation, County Magistrate Zou, along with other scholars, had especially visited him. However, at the age of fifteen, Zou Jiang faced a great calamity. While traveling to the Prefecture for the college examination accompanied by his widow mother and newlywed wife, they encountered bandits. His mother and wife were killed, and he himself was severely injured, only surviving thanks to the rescue by County Magistrate Zou who was also on his way to take the college examination. After his tragic losses and an injury that caused his handwriting to shake, prospects of an official position were dashed, and in gratitude for County Magistrate Zou’s life-saving assistance, Jiang sold himself into servitude to him. County Magistrate Zou deeply trusted Zou Jiang and often kept him close by – a practice that went on for many years. Zou Jiang had a fair amount of influence in the Zou family, and even Zou Yuzhen had to show him some respect. Taking the articles from him, Zou Jiang said, "Please wait a moment, Third Young Master. I shall deliver these articles to the Old Master right away."