Chapter 48: Ruining the Family

Words : 1242 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Ruining the FamilyDuring the fire at the Tianxiang Building, someone actually said to forget about the study. It seems the inn doesn’t know the study belongs to Xie Jingchen. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made such a statement. Watching the still smoldering inn— Su Jin was exasperated. Left speechless. These people have such vivid internal dramas; they’re like top-notch drama graduates from a drama king academy. She hasn’t been eyeing them at all, but they feel targeted, desperately struggling. She hasn’t done anything, yet they managed to damage themselves. And then, they blame it on her. The steward of the study spoke. The innkeeper and the young assistant glared at him. Having done business on the same street for three years, always encountering each other. Never realized they were such treacherous people. Actually stepping on them to curry favor with the female bandit, thinking this would make one let him off?! The study’s steward spoke at a moderate volume. Surrounded by onlookers who were initially sympathetic toward the burned inn, now realizing how it got burned, those sympathetic looks were retracted. Pointing fingers, discussions erupted. It’s rare to see someone gleefully take themselves down. The inn burning down—it’s deserved. Those looks made the innkeeper and the young assistant feel pierced by needles. And even more heart-wrenching— As they turned to leave, Xingxing called out to them. "Hey, don’t leave yet. Why aren’t you displaying your sign today?" "...." "Could it be that the sign was burned too?" "...." "So, how much is the land where your inn stood selling for now?" "...." This piece of land— These three words stabbed sharply into their hearts, causing breath-stealing pain. Yesterday it was your inn, and today it’s just your land. The inn’s misfortune was already bad enough, couldn’t she spare them the salt rubbing?! Not wanting to bother with Xingxing, the innkeeper and the young assistant turned and left. Over there, Chu Shun and others rode by on horseback. Seated on the horse, Prince Annan asked, "How much are you selling your ruins for?" Without comparison, we’d think Xingxing’s land talk was still polite. Unfortunately, the question came from Prince NanAn. Still sporting a bruised face. The inn’s steward dared not remain silent. "Thirty thousand taels, does Prince NanAn want to buy it?" "Can’t afford it." "...." Seeing Prince NanAn about to leave. The innkeeper hurriedly tried to stop him, "Prince NanAn, you must be joking. How could you not afford it? If you really want it, the price is negotiable." "You discuss it and give me a bottom price. Anything over twenty thousand taels, I can’t afford," Prince NanAn said. "...." You might as well say twenty thousand taels and let us decide if we should sell or not. The innkeeper felt the pain. The young assistant whispered, "Are we really going to sell the shop to them?" "What else? Who else can we sell it to?" the innkeeper replied sullenly. "...." "Didn’t the master say, no matter what, don’t sell the shop to bandits?" the young assistant said. "They’re not bandits." "You forgot, they’re with Young Master Xie," the young assistant reminded. "I know they’re with him!" the innkeeper snapped. "Then why...?" "Just act like you don’t know." "...." "If the master asks, just say they were robbed by Young Master Xie a couple of days ago and already fell out, that the shop was sold to fellows in the same boat." "...." After some self-deceptive discussion, the innkeeper and assistant both agreed to sell the inn. Prince NanAn extended his hand, and Chu Shun and the others each reluctantly took out five thousand taels from their bosoms and slapped it into his hand. Each contributed five thousand taels, just reaching twenty thousand taels. Prince NanAn handed the silver note to the innkeeper, who gave Prince NanAn a folded piece of paper. Prince NanAn opened it, glanced at it, then looked at the innkeeper, "Really daring, house is gone but you give me a house deed, what about the land deed?" "Burned away." "...." Prince NanAn was stunned. "The house burned down, the house deed survived." "The land can’t burn, but the land deed is gone?" Chu Shun asked with a dark expression. The innkeeper’s face was as awkward as their inn. Originally, the house and land deeds should be in the master’s hands. Because the inn was to be sold, they were handed to him yesterday. Scared of losing them, he had them tucked under his pillow. Last night, in a daze, he heard a fire call, threw on clothes, came out to check, and forgot to take the house and land deeds. When he remembered, his room was already engulfed, he dashed in desperately, but the land deed fell to the ground. He tried to pick it up when a beam fell. He watched the land deed turn to ashes. In ancient times, house and land deeds were the only proof of ownership. Without the land deed, even if litigated in the government office, there’s no proving this land belongs to the inn. But with the house deed, it proves the house is theirs, no one can seize it. Xingxing blinked, understanding the situation, she went to find Su Jin, "Miss, Miss, Prince NanAn and the others bought a few piles of broken bricks for twenty thousand taels." Chu Shun, "...." Prince NanAn, "...." Heir of Marquis Beining, "...." Eldest Young Master of Duke Dingguo, "...." The four simultaneously exasperated. As if they were squanderers. But without the land deed, the house deed only proves those broken bricks are theirs. Saying they spent twenty thousand taels for a few broken bricks isn’t wrong. Prince NanAn and the others’ glances weren’t kind. The innkeeper felt the silver note in hand grow heavy with heat. Su Jin and Xie Jingchen weren’t far away. They knew about Prince NanAn buying the inn. The inn had hostility toward them, certainly unwilling to sell to them, it was better for Prince NanAn and the others to step in. Now without the land deed, the problem became significant. After all, deeds can be faked, if the shop gets going and someone shows up with a land deed, what then? This issue must be solved first. Su Jin looked at Xie Jingchen. "Can the land deed be replaced?" "Yes, but it’s cumbersome," Xie Jingchen replied. "As long as it’s possible." Su Jin stepped forward. The innkeeper was trying hard to convince Prince NanAn and the others that they did have a land deed, just that it was burned. Chu Shun and the others looked at each other. "What to do now?" the Heir of Marquis Beining asked. Chu Shun looked toward Su Jin and Xie Jingchen. Su Jin asked, "Did you buy the house and land deeds for twenty thousand taels?" Prince NanAn looked at the innkeeper. With reluctance, the innkeeper nodded, "Yes, the house and land deeds." "That’s good, Prince NanAn and the others only got the house deed, just half. They pay half the price; the remainder when you deliver the land deed, with a written agreement," Su Jin said. seaʀᴄh thё NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "The land deed was burned." "It can be replaced." "...." "What if it can’t be replaced?" "Then you won’t get the remaining ten thousand taels; with an agreement, if future land deed disputes arise, your master will be responsible." "...." "Let’s proceed with this," Prince NanAn decisively concluded.

Chapter 48: Ruining the Family

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