The Lin family has three branches.

  Zhuang handed her husband a set of clothes and asked worriedly, "Is this matter really harmless?"

  She was worried that the emperor seemed to have nothing against the Lin family on the surface, but had already formed a prejudice against them in her heart. After all, accompanying the emperor was like accompanying a tiger, and his thoughts were not something ordinary people could guess.

  Lin Ying's face relaxed, and while tying his belt, he said: "Don't worry, even if something happens, it won't be our family's problem." With a hint of pride on his face, he continued: "I may have acted impulsively at times, but do you think I wouldn't anticipate the Yangs' revenge after seizing their horse farm and grain? After the matter was settled, I quickly wrote a memorial and had it delivered to the Emperor by fast horse, explaining the circumstances."

  After receiving the emperor's reply "to be convenient outside, all things are easy", he also forcibly seized the Yang family mine.

  Lin Ying raised an eyebrow, snorted, and continued: "The Yang family is really something. They haven't even wiped their own backsides clean, yet they dare to come and grab at the Lin family's tail. They really think that just because they're in a remote area, no one knows about the things they've done. When it comes to annexing land and bullying people with power, which family can compare to theirs? The northwest region was already poor, but now half of the good land is in the Yang family's hands. They've forced countless good citizens into slavery. Just you wait, this time I won't let the Yang family get away with it. I'll make them pay, and the Lin family will be written in reverse."

  Zhuang said: "As long as you and Second Brother have a plan in mind, that's all that matters." She then prepared to go out and let the maid come in to clean up the bathroom.

  Lin Ying pulled her into his arms at this time, and asked with a warm smile: "Xian Niang, do you miss me? In these two or three months when you weren't by my side, I missed you so much."

  Zhuang's face turned red as he listened, and she pushed him, saying: "What are you doing? The maid is right outside. Aren't you still going to see Second Brother and Mother? Hurry up and go, or they'll be kept waiting."

  Lin Ying sighed deeply and said, "Really don't want to be apart from you for a moment."

  Zhuang patted him on the back and said with a red face: "Really getting more and more unscrupulous with age."

  Lin Ying burst out laughing and pecked his wife on the cheek, saying "You wait a bit and call over Yuan Yuan and You Yu, we'll have dinner together as a family tonight." Only then did he leave.

  Lin Ying was still hesitant about whether to call Lin Chenggang and Lin Xiao, the eldest son and daughter, together, but looking at his wife's face, he thought about it and didn't want to make her unhappy, so he ignored this pair of eldest children.

  As for Zhuang, since Lin Ying didn't say anything, she pretended not to know and blushed as she wiped the face her husband had kissed. She then went out to instruct the maid to inform their two daughters to come over for dinner that night. However, after a while, she felt somewhat guilty towards her two younger children and instructed the maid again: "Tonight, have the kitchen prepare a few more dishes that Fourth Young Master and Second Miss like. Also, I remember that we received some new silk and soft smoke gauze from the estate a few days ago, take them out and divide them up to be sent over to Fourth Young Master and Second Miss."

  The maid answered yes and then left.

  In the evening, Lin Huan brought Lin Wan over. Seeing that neither Lin Chenggang nor Lin Zhong had appeared at this reunion dinner for the three rooms, he didn't say anything.

  Lin Ying placed a wine-steamed bun in the bowl of her eldest daughter, smiling and saying to Lin Xiao: "I heard you're doing very well, your second uncle and grandmother have been praising you to me."

  Lin Xiao smiled and tried to please her father, saying: "It's all because of Father's teachings."

  Lin Ying laughed out loud and gently patted her head, saying: "You're so slick, I just praised you for one sentence and you've returned to your original shape."

  Lin Xuan then fidgeted in her chair, raising her hand to ask: "And what about me? Did Father and Grandmother praise me?"

  Lin Ying hugged her and smiled, pinched her little daughter's face, saying: "Of course, Grandma praised Yu Yu as the most obedient and sensible."

  Lin Xiang couldn't help but smile with a mix of pride and embarrassment.

  After Lin Ying returned to the capital, within three days, two Yang clan members who had followed Lin Ying back to the capital and some northwestern civilians jointly accused the Yang family of occupying good land, privately mining copper, and slandering court officials. Those civilians testified together that the "ten-thousand-people petition" in which the Yang family listed Lin Ying's crimes was entirely fake, and those who signed it were just some local rascals from the northwest whom the Yang family had bribed with money to sign the petition. At the same time, they brought a genuine "petition of ten thousand people" from northwestern civilians to plead on behalf of General Lin, who protected his home and defended the country in the northwest.

  Afterwards, the Emperor rebuked the Yang family for being lawless and deceitful, and had the head of the Yang clan arrested on charges of deceiving the ruler. The good land and copper mine that the Yangs had seized were confiscated, and the grain in the Yangs' storehouses was used as military rations under Lin Ying's control. The copper mine was returned to imperial ownership.

  It seems that this incident has nothing to do with the Wu family, so it did not have any impact on them. The only thing that can be said is that while dealing with the Yang family, the Emperor took some time to review the homework of the Second Prince and then scolded him for being lazy and not striving to improve.

  As for Lu Yushi, the Emperor did not say anything, but transferred him to Yu Ma Temple as the Minister of Yu Ma Temple.

  Ukon no jōshi and Umayado no kami were both of the senior third rank, but one could reach the heavens to monitor officials, being the emperor's confidant, while the other was in charge of horses for the emperor.

  Li heard this and said to her two sons, "Anyone with eyes can see that this time Wu's family has thrown out Lu Guangtian as a sacrifice. Lu Guangtian has been in the official circle for so many years, he should understand this point, it is really incomprehensible why he is willing to be used by Wu's family."

  Lin Yong replied to his mother's words: "Lu Guangtian is already over sixty years old, and he will have to retire in a few years. He came from a humble background and later became an imperial censor, but he never had the opportunity to build up his own foundation. His son doesn't seem as capable as him, and at thirty-something, he still hasn't even passed the imperial examination. His grandson is young, so it's hard to tell if he has potential or not. If Lu Guangtian retires, the Lu family will only decline further, so he must be thinking about the future of the Lu family. He's probably allying with the Wu family for the sake of the Lu family's future."

  Lin Ying snorted and said disdainfully, "Why rely on the Wu family when you have a good emperor? If he is loyal to the emperor, then the emperor might look out for him in the future. Just wait and see, with the Wu family's style of burning bridges after crossing them, once they no longer need Lu's family, they will abandon them."

  Li said, "This old man is prone to confusion. It's not easy for a humble family like his to rise to the position of Grand Inquisitor. He thinks that by marrying a Wu family daughter, the Wu family will take him seriously. By the time he comes to his senses, it'll be too late."