0p0 Chapter 452 No Peace
Chapter 452 No Peace
Chapter 452 No Peace
That evening, at Hou Xun's residence, the entire household was plunged into grief. Even the servants, who weren't truly heartbroken, had to feign sorrow.
In the mourning hall, Hou Xun sat before Hou Fangjiang's coffin, his heart breaking. Although Hou Xun had no evidence to prove that Wang Wenzhou was responsible for the car accident, the accident was too suspicious; it was highly likely that Wang Wenzhou was behind it. Hou Xun's mind was filled with plans for revenge against Wang Wenzhou.
Outside the Hou Mansion, Wang Wenzhou led a group of men in black to secretly climb over the wall.
Little Monster 001 asked, "Sir, shall we make a move?"
"Take action!" Wang Wenzhou said. "Make as much of a commotion as possible!"
"Yes!" Little Monster 001 quickly lit the firecracker in his hand and threw it out.
"Crackling and popping..." In an instant, firecrackers went off all over the Marquis's mansion.
Inside the mourning hall, Hou Xun heard the sound of firecrackers outside and flew into a rage: "How dare you! Who set off firecrackers? Chaozong, go out and check!"
"Yes!" Hou Fangyu was also a little angry. Although he and Hou Fangjiang did not get along, they were brothers after all. The servants in the mansion were really outrageous. They dared to set off firecrackers during the mourning period.
Hou Fangyu walked out of the mourning hall and asked loudly, "Who set off the firecrackers?"
A servant rushed over and replied, "Master, I don't know either. The firecrackers were thrown in from outside, and suddenly they were everywhere in the mansion."
"Damn it! Take some men and come with me to investigate immediately!" Hou Fangyu felt that someone was deliberately causing trouble.
Hou Fangyu, accompanied by a dozen or so servants carrying torches, was trying to capture the troublemakers when suddenly a barrage of hidden weapons came flying at them.
"Young master, be careful!" A loyal servant quickly stepped in front of Hou Fangyu.
"Pfft pfft pfft..." The hidden weapons hit everyone, the outer paper ball tore apart, and the excrement and urine inside splashed all over everyone.
"Haha!" Wang Wenzhou, sitting on the wall, laughed loudly when he saw Hou Fangyu and the others turned into shit-covered people. "Hou Xun, just wait and see how I'll make you suffer!"
The little monster and his gang immediately shouted, "You old bastard Hou Xun, I'll make sure your whole family pays the price!"
Wang Wenzhou waved his hand and said, "Let's go back to the manor! Little Monster 001, you take some men and stay nearby. Every now and then, throw firecrackers at the manor."
"Yes, sir!" Little Monster 001 exclaimed repeatedly. Hou Xun, you idiot, how dare you provoke Lord Wang! The sir will surely make your life miserable!
Although Wang Wenzhou desperately wanted to kill Hou Xun, Hou Xun was no ordinary person; he was the Minister of Revenue and a high-ranking member of the Donglin Party. Even Zhu Youjian (Emperor Zhu Youjian) wouldn't dare kill Hou Xun without any evidence, let alone Wang Wenzhou. He could only annoy Hou Xun, making sure the old man couldn't even sleep soundly.
Wang Wenzhou had considered assassinating Hou Xun, but the risk was too great. Assassinating Hou Fangjiang wasn't a big deal; even if the plot failed, Wang Wenzhou wasn't afraid, he could simply find a scapegoat. But Hou Xun was different. His status was undeniable; if Hou Xun were assassinated, even without evidence, the Donglin Party would fight Wang Wenzhou to the death.
The Donglin Party wielded too much power in the court; even Zhu Youjian (Emperor Yongle) might not be able to save Wang Wenzhou.
So Wang Wenzhou came up with a brilliant plan: to use someone else to do the dirty work.
……
Seven days later, Hou Fangjiang's funeral was held.
Hou Fangyu, with dark circles under his eyes and looking listless, appeared to have not slept well. He carried Hou Fangjiang's memorial tablet, acting as a dutiful son, and walked at the head of the funeral procession.
These past few days, not only has Hou Fangyu not slept well, but no one in the entire Hou residence has had a peaceful night's sleep. Every so often, someone would throw firecrackers into the residence. In the end, Hou Xun was forced to ask Liu Zongzhou to send yamen runners to protect the Hou residence.
But Little Monster 001, being a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was not afraid of the yamen runners of Shuntian Prefecture at all. He led his men and set off firecrackers outside the Marquis's mansion as usual, and from time to time, he would beat drums and gongs and dance the Yangko.
Everyone in the Hou family was filled with righteous indignation, but they had no other choice. After all, Little Monster 001 and the others had not violated any laws of the Ming Dynasty. In this era, there was no such thing as disturbing the peace with noise.
The funeral procession of the Marquis's residence moved slowly to the accompaniment of mournful music.
Suddenly, another procession, banging gongs and drums and setting off firecrackers, paraded past the Hou Mansion's funeral procession as if it were a bustling city.
Throughout history, the greatest fear has been that weddings and funerals would coincide, as it is considered unlucky.
Hou Xun asked somewhat angrily, "Which prefecture are they from? Why didn't you stop them?"
The steward rushed over and replied, "Master, it's not that we didn't want to stop them, but that we didn't dare to. The group that just passed by was from the Zhongyi Duke's Mansion. They said they were celebrating the 8th birthday of Wang Wenzhou's eldest son."
"Pfft..." Hou Xun was so angry he almost vomited blood. Wang Wenzhou, that mad dog, had gone too far! An eight-year-old child celebrating his birthday? Okay, even if your family is rich and you're throwing a birthday banquet for your son, what are you showing off for?
"Hoo..." Hou Xun took a deep breath. "I'm not angry. I have to attend my son's funeral."
"Let's go, ignore them!" Hou Xun ordered.
"Yes!" Although the butler was angry, he had no choice but to do as the master said.
But after a short while, the Zhongyi Duke's entourage turned back.
As the two processions passed each other, Wang Wenzhou lifted the sedan curtain, looked at Hou Xun with a smile, and said, "Lord Hou, are you here to send off your son at his funeral?"
"Hmph!" Hou Xun snorted coldly. Wang Wenzhou, that mad dog, had been tormenting him for the past few days. Now Wang Wenzhou was clearly trying to make him angry, but Hou Xun deliberately refused to get angry.
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "It's a tragedy for an elderly person to outlive their child! Old Hou, I'm not trying to criticize you, but try to do less of those immoral things in the future. Otherwise, you'll be childless! Look at me, I've always treated people kindly, and I have a whole bunch of sons. I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going home to celebrate my son's birthday."
"Haha! Let's go!" Wang Wenzhou waved his hand, and the group continued to move forward.
Hou Xun glared fiercely at Wang Wenzhou's sedan chair. "You mad dog, just you wait. After I finish handling my beloved son's funeral, I will definitely tear you to pieces!"
Wang Wenzhou hugged Wang Ying and kissed her, saying helplessly, "That old fox Hou Xun is really good at holding back."
Wang Ying frowned and gently advised, "Husband, why are you doing this? You are both officials in the same court, why are you pressuring me so hard?"
"Sister-in-law, don't try to persuade me anymore. The knife is already drawn; it's either him or me who dies. I'm sorry to trouble you and Yuanyuan today," Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
Wang Wenzhou invited Zhu Youjian to dinner at the Zhongyi Duke's residence today, ostensibly to celebrate Jiang Xuyang's birthday, but in reality to set a trap for Hou Xun. The trap was dug, and now he was just waiting to provoke Hou Xun so he would jump into it himself.
Wang Ying shook her head with a wry smile. She couldn't persuade her enemy, but she hoped that Liu Rushi could keep a close eye on him and prevent him from doing anything reckless.
"Sister-in-law, it's not that I don't want you to attend Xiao Yangyang's birthday party, it's just that it's inconvenient. Don't be angry!" Wang Wenzhou wasn't stupid. He wouldn't let Wang Ying meet Zhu Youjian, so he had no choice but to send her to Tian Wan's residence.
"Hmph!" Chen Yuanyuan snorted coldly and said irritably, "My sister and I don't care at all!"
"Good boy, Yuanyuan!" Wang Wenzhou patted his waist.