Jiang Yan took Dou Zhao’s words to heart and truly stopped worrying about Chen Jia.

After leaving Yizhi Hall, Song Mo felt a surge of frustration with no outlet. As he looked up, he noticed a tall, handsome man walking towards Dong Road, accompanied by a servant from Song Han’s side. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Miao Anping, the brother of Miao Ansu.

At that moment, Miao Anping also spotted Song Mo. He hurried over to greet him.

Song Mo, who had no interest in dealing with Song Han, naturally had no desire to engage with Song Han’s in-laws. He exchanged a few polite words with Miao Anping and then excused himself, claiming he needed to attend court, and left Duke Ying’s residence.

On the way, Wuyi quietly reported to Song Mo that Miao Anping had been inquiring about the position of constable in Jurong County. He added, “Uncle Miao has been visiting frequently these days, and this time he must be here for that matter.”

Song Mo smirked slightly. Song Han was like a meat stall on the Bell and Drum Tower—what a grand display. What ability did he have to help Miao Anping secure the constable position in Jurong County?

After pondering for a moment, Song Mo instructed Wuyi, “Go ask the lady if any of the guards from Zhen Ding are interested in becoming a constable in Jurong County. I will recommend him to leave the residence for the position.”

Wuyi quickly ran back to Duke Ying’s residence.

Dou Zhao, puzzled by Song Mo’s words, was at a loss until Wuyi explained the situation to him. Dou Zhao couldn’t help but chuckle and called for Duan Gongyi, conveying Song Mo’s message.

Duan Gongyi and Chen Xiaofeng had no intention of leaving Duke Ying’s residence, but they both felt this was a good opportunity. If those who followed Dou Zhao could be recommended for official positions, the younger ones would have hope and ambition, which would only strengthen their loyalty to Dou Zhao.

After some discussion, they decided to let the guards volunteer. Some were willing to go, while others were not. Duan Gongyi and Chen Xiaofeng conducted a selection process on the spot, comparing qualifications, loyalty, and skills. In the end, they confirmed a candidate and reported back to Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao wrote down the candidate’s name and family background for Wuyi to deliver to Song Mo. That same day, Song Mo arranged for the information to be sent to Jurong County.

Miao Anping was unaware of all this. He stood there, enviously gazing at Song Mo’s crimson official robe. It wasn’t until Song Mo disappeared from view that he followed his servant to the Green Bamboo Pavilion.

The moving day for Song Han and Miao Ansu had already been set. Miao Ansu was busy packing, and the household items were somewhat disorganized and haphazard. Miao Anping was taken aback and exclaimed, “What happened here?”

Miao Ansu had just gotten up. Song Han had spent the night in the room of one of her accompanying maids, Yuehong. She was being attended to by Jihong as she prepared herself. Upon hearing that Miao Anping had arrived, she couldn’t help but rub her forehead and complained, “Why is he so energetic? Is he afraid of what others might say this early in the morning?”

These days had been chaotic with the division of the family and the arrangement of maids, not to mention the incident with Qixia. Song Han had been extremely irritable, finding fault with everything. Miao Ansu had no opportunity to bring up the matter of the constable in Jurong County. Yet her brother was relentless, pressing for a resolution.

Jihong dared not speak, but a little maid who was unaware of the situation chimed in cheerfully, “Uncle met the Young Master, who was on his way to court. He even stopped to chat with him for a moment before leaving.”

Miao Ansu was taken aback and quickly asked, “What did the Young Master and Uncle talk about?”

The little maid replied with a smile, “He just asked if Uncle had eaten breakfast and mentioned that the weather was getting colder, saying it was hard to write without a fire in the room.”

Miao Ansu sighed in relief and went to the hall.

Miao Anping stood in front of a display case, examining a pair of crimson plum vases. Hearing the commotion, he turned around and saw Miao Ansu. Frowning, he approached her and said discontentedly, “The Duke Ying wants to separate you and your husband? Such a significant matter, and you didn’t even send someone back to inform our family? The Duke Ying’s estate is worth at least a hundred thousand taels of silver; are you not afraid of being taken advantage of? How much property are they dividing for you? Has your husband signed anything? Who is the notary? On what basis are they separating you?”

He sounded as if he were the one being divided.

Miao Ansu, feeling exhausted, replied, “Even if I told you, what could you do to help? Gather a bunch of people to cause a ruckus? The Duke Ying’s estate has a custom—the eldest son inherits the family property, while the second son is separated to live independently.” She was genuinely afraid that her brother’s outburst would offend her proud father-in-law, so she patiently explained, “My mother-in-law’s dowry was divided three-fifths to the second son and two-fifths to the eldest son. Later, the eldest son paid a high price to reclaim that three-fifths of the property, so my mother-in-law’s assets have been settled. As for Duke Ying’s estate, it all belongs to the public; at most, they can only divide half of the property under my father-in-law’s name for the second son. But my father-in-law is still in his prime; how could he possibly divide the property at this time…”

Before she could finish, Miao Anping jumped up, “Are you out of your mind? At this time, if you don’t secure what you’re entitled to, do you expect your father-in-law to leave half of the estate to you when he passes? You know he is still in his prime; what if he remarries and has more children? Besides, who told you there’s a custom at Duke Ying’s estate? Have you or I ever seen such a custom? It’s just their words! If they don’t clarify the property division, you can’t agree to this separation…”

Miao Ansu could only smile bitterly. If Song Han were the legitimate second son of Duke Ying’s estate… no, even if he were a bastard, she could still argue for her rights based on the rules for the separation of illegitimate sons from other families. Unfortunately, Song Han’s status was ambiguous; he didn’t dare to contest anything, and he wouldn’t dare to speak up. How could she, as a daughter-in-law, fight for her rights?

She replied irritably, “The separation was agreed upon by the Duke, and the second son also consented. Are you asking me to confront my father-in-law? You don’t know my father-in-law’s temperament; the more you demand from him, the less he will give. The more obedient you are, the more he will cherish you. That’s why the second son said nothing; he left the matter of the separation entirely to my father-in-law. Didn’t my father-in-law spend over ten thousand taels of silver to buy us a house in the Four Alleys? He also allocated us a farm that yields two thousand taels of silver annually, promising to supplement us with an additional four thousand taels each year for living expenses. So stop meddling here!”

“Pah!” Miao Anping said, frustrated, “Words are not enough; we need written proof. On what paper did he write that he would supplement you with four thousand taels each year? This year is fine, but who knows about next year? You were so shrewd at your family home; how did you become so foolish after marrying? Besides, how can there be a separation without inviting the family to witness it? Did your husband charm you into losing your sense of direction?”

As he spoke, he noticed Miao Ansu’s face suddenly flush with anger, and she shot him a warning glance.

Miao Anping’s heart skipped a beat as he turned around, sensing something was off, and saw Song Han entering with a serious expression.

He wondered how much Song Han had overheard.

Miao Anping dared to be rude in front of Miao Ansu but did not want to offend Song Han, who had his interests at stake. He quickly changed his demeanor, greeting him with a warm smile, “Brother-in-law, have you had breakfast? There’s a place near our home that sells crab roe buns; they’re delicious. I brought a basket for you to try!”

Jihong cleverly brought in the buns.

Song Han had heard everything Miao Anping had said. He couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. What a clueless fool! Did he think everyone came from the streets, ready to throw punches at the slightest inconvenience, only to smile and call each other “brother” afterward?

If he didn’t agree to the separation, the only thing waiting for him would be death! With his life gone, what else could he talk about?

It was better to separate. Once he established his household, he would have an excuse to seek a position. Living under Song Mo’s watchful eye was far from ideal. Who knew when Song Mo might go mad and decide to deal with him?

As long as his father remained silent, Song Mo couldn’t accuse him of being a bastard posing as a legitimate son. With Duke Ying’s second son’s name backing him, who would dare to snub him?

Seeing the sycophantic smile on Miao Anping’s face made Song Han feel nauseated as if he might vomit his last meal.

He stood up and said, “We’re about to move. I need to visit Uncle Lu and several other relatives. I had breakfast outside, so you two can catch up.” With that, he left, ignoring Miao Anping’s repeated calls of “Brother-in-law, brother-in-law.”

Miao Anping felt humiliated and turned to Miao Ansu, asking coldly, “What does he mean by that?”

Miao Ansu shot him a glare and replied, “Who told you to meddle in other people’s family matters?”

“I’m just looking out for you!” Miao Anping muttered defensively. Seeing that the constable matter had no resolution, he quickly stuffed his mouth with the crab roe buns he had brought and returned to Daxing.

His father eagerly asked, “What did your brother-in-law say?”

“Don’t mention it.” Miao Anping recounted his experience at Duke Ying’s residence in detail, adding, “Do you think my sister has lost her mind?”

Miao’s father was stunned by the news of the house worth over ten thousand taels and the annual subsidy of four thousand taels.

He scolded his son, “Why are you meddling in so many affairs? Your sister has a father-in-law and a husband; if she doesn’t listen to them, do you think she’ll listen to you?” As he spoke, his eyes darted around, and he added, “I wonder if that four thousand taels is a one-time payment or if it will be given in installments. If it’s a lump sum, just half of it could serve as a deposit, earning at least a thousand or eight hundred taels a year—our family only needs two or three hundred taels for expenses each year.”

Miao Anping immediately understood his father’s intentions. He leaned closer and whispered, “Let’s not let Uncle and the others know about this. It’s best to say that the Duke Ying’s estate has such a custom.”

Miao’s father nodded repeatedly.

Miao Anping could hardly contain his excitement. “Father, should I check the situation? Not everyone can handle such deposits!”

“Of course,” Miao’s father urged him. “Go find out so we can have a plan.”

“Okay!” Miao Anping happily left, only to return home drunk late that night.

Miao’s father, of course, learned nothing.

The next day, Miao Anping slept until late morning, but as soon as he got up, his friends informed him that the two new constables for Jurong County had been announced. One was the nephew of the county magistrate, and the other was a guard from Duke Ying’s estate.