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Chapter 28.1

Qian Pei had indeed explained some things to An Zhifu in Fu’an County, and An Zhifu happily promised  to cooperate with him. However, after returning to the residence and thinking about it, he became insecure. He summoned An Ping and Mrs. Tan from the second house to discuss how to proceed.

It turned out that in Fu’An County, Qian Pei asked An Zhifu to write a statement according to the one he had prepared beforehand. He said this was not the right time to use it, but he wanted to save it for the future and sue the government. Their two families, An and Qian, were bullied by Yao Kun and Big Long and couldn’t leave things the way they were.

At that time, the tiger was on one side, accompanied by a fierce servant on the other, and Qian Pei’s smile was in front of him. How could An Zhifu dare to say ‘no’? He copied the statement hurriedly and earnestly,  then pressed his handprint on it. But when he finished copying and wanted to take it away, Qian Pei said it was better to keep it at his place. After all, he knew more people, and when the time was right, it would be more convenient for him to ask someone to sue the government.

An Zhifu thought about it carefully and felt that it was a threat.

Similarly to the release of his batch of jade goods, information on whom Qian Pei would entrust the case with, and what exactly he would do, An Zhifu did not know anything about it. But the complaint has been written by him, with his handprint on it, and the one he would sue are the Governor and the Protector General. What Qiao Pei does with it, and what way he chooses to go against them, who will handle it, An Zhifu did not know.

He was just a humble citizen who wanted to live a peaceful life. He hated his eldest daughter, but fixing her was one thing. He didn’t want to fight hard with the court officials, openly and publicly.

An Ping and Mrs. Tan were shocked when they listened to this matter and sucked in a breath of cold air.

An Ronggui said at the side: “Father had to do it. The situation at that time did not allow Father to refuse to write it. Don’t be too upset. Master Qian has just left himself a backup, perhaps betting on it, wanting to use this to anger the Governor. After all, his friendship with the Governor is not ordinary. This time, the Governor forced him to withdraw from the marriage, and he was upset. But he will not go to the government to sue. Master Qian has been through more than us and knows the importance of the matter.”

Mrs. Tan glanced at her son and said: “He will use this to blackmail the Governor? I think he’s blackmailing the Master with this. It was the Master who withdrew from this marriage. Master Qian was not happy in his heart and wanted to prevent the Master from doing anything in the future without consulting him first, so he created this handle to hold him by. If he is upset again, he will use this to bring trouble to our An House.”

An Zhifu was shocked and finally realized what his heart’s insecurity was.

Yes, there is no worry about the jade store for the time being, but the letter is in Qian Pei’s hands, and he is securely holding it. There’s no need to send the letter to the capital, it’s enough to just put it in front of the Governor, and his family will already look bad.

At that time, Qian Pei would just brush himself off this issue, saying that he, An Zhifu, became restless and wanted to sue the Lord, while Qian Pei acted as a good Samaritan and cut the paper off before it was sent. At that point, there would be no need to guess which side the Governor will stand on.

An Zhifu was so anxious that he couldn’t sit down. The people in the room could not think of any countermeasures for the time being.

An Ronggui said comfortingly: “If we do not oppose Master Qian, he will not go against us. Moreover, if he filed the complaint, he would not be able not get away with it either. Master Qian’s affairs are unclean. Wouldn’t he face more difficulties when strictly investigated? I think he’s just being too ambitious and wants to have more leverage in his hands.”

Mrs. Tan asked, “Besides writing this complaint, what else did Master Qian say?”

“Mostly just some angry words.” An Zhifu thought about Qian Pei’s words that if anything happened to An Ruochen, it would be the work of the spies, and they would have nothing to do with it, and a chill ran down his spine.

He can’t mean that, right? It is better not to publicize it, in case there really is ‘something’ behind this speech. Their family will have to leave themselves a way out of it. The fewer people who know, the less problems they will have to face.

An Zhifu looked at An Ronggui, pursed his lips, and did not speak. An Zhifu reminded him several times on the road. Those harsh words of Qian Pei are not to be spoken out, even in their homes. An Ronggui saw An Zhifu giving him that glance, so he knew he was warning him again.

An Zhifu asked: “What’s going on at the government’s and the General’s end these days? Has that bitch An Ruochen come back to make trouble?”

An Ping replied: “General Zong came to visit but left without saying anything because the Master was not here. I went to the government office to inquire, but the Governor was busy with other cases and did not mention the matter of the eldest girl. I also went to the Purple Cloud House twice, but the military officers guard it. I didn’t see any ordinary servants, so it’s difficult to get information from there.”

“Well.” An Zhifu said: “Although that bitch is hateful, we cannot be too hostile with her. It is also what Master Qian means ……”

Mrs. Tan couldn’t resist but snatch the words, “Master Qian doesn’t dare to make a mess with her anymore. It means he still fears the Great General Long. It is clear that the letter of complaint the Master wrote is to blackmail our An family.”

An Ronggui was anxious: “Mother, this is not what Master Qian meant ……”

“What nonsense!” An Zhifu glared at An Ronggui and turned to Mrs. Tan. “That bitch looked timid and didn’t dare to disobey us, but who knew she had hidden tricks behind her back and managed to fool General Long and the Lord Governor? We can’t get to the bottom of her now, so who knows what she’ll do? We don’t want to offend the General and the Governor for her. Now that things have come to this, we have to turn back. You should find a chance to go to the General’s office at the Purple Cloud House and meet with that bitch. Say that, in the end, we are all a family. Ask her whether she is doing well, show that we are concerned about her. That we won’t blame her anymore. When she serves the General well, our family will get the glory too. If she needs any help from the family, let her come to us and ask. The marriage has been canceled, and that’s the end of it. Just say that I’ve talked my way through Master Qian’s side, and no one will bother about it again. She can rest assured.”

Mrs. Tan’s brow furrowed tighter as she listened. Isn’t this asking her to kiss that bitch An Ruochen’s ass?