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The death of Huang did not attract much attention from Chen Xiaode. He reported to the Huang Family that it was due to illness; after all, she was just a concubine, and no one came to pay their respects. Moreover, the Huang Family was too preoccupied with their own troubles to care much about it. Even Huang's death did not cause them any significant inconvenience. Despite this incident, Chen Xiaode continued his self-indulgent ways, seemingly unfazed, and even Aunt Rou paid him little mind. It wasn't until one day when he needed money that he suddenly realized something was amiss.
"Someone!" he shouted, shocked to find that only a few coins remained in the household treasury. He turned to the steward and demanded, "Who is in charge of the accounts here?"
Seeing the master's grim expression, the steward hurriedly replied, "It's Aunt Rou. Since you haven't been managing household affairs lately, she's been taking care of everything. The monthly wages for the servants were distributed by her just a few days ago. Master, what's wrong?"
Aunt Rou was well-liked; she never delayed payments and was generous with rewards for the servants, unlike Huang, who was harsh and stingy, making her unpopular.
"Aunt Rou?" Chen Xiaode murmured in confusion as he tried to recall who she was. As a familiar figure flashed in his mind, he immediately shouted, "Quick! Go find Aunt Rou and see if she's in the residence!"
The steward was taken aback but quickly nodded. "Yes, I'll go right away," he said before turning to search for her.
However, despite searching high and low, there was no trace of Aunt Rou; it was as if she had vanished into thin air. This left everyone in the household feeling uneasy.
The guards at the entrance swore they hadn't seen Aunt Rou leave, nor had her maid appeared anywhere. Her mysterious disappearance sent chills down everyone's spines.
"Damn that wretched woman! How dare she betray me! I will make sure she pays dearly for this," Chen Xiaode fumed as he slammed his hand on the table, not even noticing that his palm had swollen from the force of his anger.
"Steward, draw up a portrait of Aunt Rou and put out a warrant for her arrest. Let's see if she can escape my grasp," he said, his hands clenching tightly as a sinister look spread across his face.
"Yes," the steward wanted to speak up for Aunt Rou but found Chen Xiaode's terrifying demeanor too overwhelming and could only nod helplessly.
Where could Chen Xiaode search for Aunt Rou? By the time he realized something was wrong, Aunt Rou had already left the capital under Qing Luan's arrangements, starting a new life with a new identity.
"It's time to reel in the net!" Qing Luan whispered upon learning that Chen Xiaode had issued a warrant for Aunt Rou's arrest.
"Heh heh, Chen Xiaode is really done for now," Yun Yiqing said with a smug smile as she stood beside Qing Luan.
"That is his retribution," Qing Luan said seriously, not even considering that he was her father—he didn't deserve it!
"If that heartless wretch knew that not only had the money from the Chen Residence disappeared, but also the shops and the estate, what do you think he would do?" Chen Xiaode remained relatively calm, not as angry as one might expect. Perhaps he was unaware of the severity of the situation, which was why he was thinking about issuing a warrant.
If he knew soon that he had lost not only his money but also his shops, estate, and official position, how would he react? Would he go mad or lose control?
She eagerly anticipated whether this drama would unfold as spectacularly as she expected.
"Send someone to inform him; I don't want him to feel too comfortable," Qing Luan instructed Little Luo, who stood behind her.
"Yes!" Little Luo replied and turned to leave.
"Master, there is someone at the door looking for you," the butler said. He had been feeling quite uneasy these past few days; the master was unpredictable, Aunt Rou was missing, and everything felt extremely strange. It made some of the more timid staff consider leaving; he was truly at his wit's end!
"Who?" Chen Xiaode sat up and asked with a facade of composure.
"It's someone from the estate; they say they have important matters to discuss with you," the butler quickly relayed, hoping to get some fresh air and avoid being crushed under the master's cold gaze.
"Let him come in," Chen Xiaode said, still seething with anger, directing his frustration at the servant.
Without another word, the butler turned to fetch the visitor.
A middle-aged man entered, looking honest but nervous. Seeing his master’s grim expression, he hesitated before speaking. "Master, about the estate... after it was sold... what will happen to this year's harvest? The new owner wants us to sell it to them. What is your decision?" He had thought the master would send someone to inform him, but after so many days without news, he had no choice but to come himself.
"The estate? What do you mean it has been sold?" Chen Xiaode was completely stunned. He stood up and shouted angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about?" Damn it, what on earth is going on?
The man, after being scolded, took a few steps back and anxiously said, "The estate outside the city was brought here by someone sent by the master, saying it was to be sold... They’ve all signed the Deed; the estate now belongs to someone else!" It wasn’t him who sold it, so why was the master angry at him?
"Who sold it? Who stole my deed?" Chen Xiaode felt like he was going insane. How could everything change in just a few days?
"A very beautiful girl, said to be the master's Aunt Huang, brought the deed and said the master was being transferred from the capital, so he needed to sell these estates... Several surrounding estates have already been sold..." The honest man reported everything without realizing his life was in danger.
"All sold?" Chen Xiaode muttered in disbelief. After a moment of shock, he suddenly stood up and ran madly toward the study... All his possessions were in the study. He had once mentioned that because Aunt Rou was pregnant, he pampered her and promised that if she had a son, he would leave everything to her...
The door to the study was slammed open with a bang. He rushed over and opened the drawer, only to find the box lying there as if untouched. Trembling, he opened the lid and discovered that all the silver notes, deeds for the estates, and shop deeds were gone, leaving only a piece of paper that boldly stated: Retribution has come!
With a crash, he threw what was in his hands onto the floor. Chen Xiaode leaned against the corner of the table, fearing he might faint. His whole body trembled; he could barely stand.
"What happened? Who did this? Who did this?" he murmured in disbelief. That was all his wealth! Some of it he had accumulated after becoming an official, and some were dowries from the Zhu Clan. After divorcing her, he had turned everything into his own; now it was all gone—everything was gone.
After struggling for so many years to accumulate even a little wealth, now it was all empty—nothing left. At that moment, Chen Xiaode finally felt the pain of betrayal; his entire being felt numb.
"It must be her; it has to be her," he thought of the words on the paper, and suddenly his nerves jolted awake as he screamed out loud...
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