Chapter 423: Chapter 423: Do You Feel Wronged?

The imperial decree claimed no detection of the Tong Family’s rebellion nor any connection between the Tong Family and the Prime Minister. It only held onto the fault of the Tong Family losing the hidden treasure and hence the decision to confiscate their property.

Though the treasure was forcibly seized by Prince Pingnan, it had come from the people.

If it wasn’t for considering that the Tong Family had already spent thirty million taels on the people, they would have been doomed to imprisonment.

Losing something that belonged to the people was indeed a mistake!

The village was in an uproar when the imperial decree was released.

These days, villagers knew that there was a secret tunnel in the mountain, which likely held a vast treasure.

But for them, the key word in this matter was “likely”.

If it might be there, then it was not.

Even though the Emperor Emeritus had arrived, they had all treated this matter as a tale.

This kind of story was too distant for them, so distant that they didn’t even entertain the notion that it was truth.

But now, the Emperor Emeritus has issued an imperial decree, claiming the Tong Family was the descendants of Prince Pingnan, that there was indeed a treasure trove in the mountain’s secret tunnel, and that the Tong Family had lost it.

Who was Prince Pingnan? Hardly anyone knew.

But a hidden treasure? Wasn’t that too far-fetched?

Looking at the Tong Family’s daily appearance, they did not seem to be people who had a treasure trove.

Their farm was not even as large as Qiao Xiaomai’s. They mostly wore linen clothes, and though they had white flour to eat at every meal, it was normal considering they had land and a shop in town.

This family, whether judged from the top down or bottom up, did not seem to be people who possessed a hidden treasure!

Not only were the villagers puzzled, but the Tong Family themselves were as well.

Regarding the treasure, only Tong Tiehu, Tong Xingda, and Tong Sanlang from the entire Tong Family knew. Everyone else was clueless.

When the imperial decree came down from Yang Wenxiao, everyone was completely dumbfounded.

The treasure was too distant and too alien to them, so they didn’t take it much to heart. What they cared about was their confiscated property.

Their vinegar shop was sealed off.

Leading to Tong Dala and his family having to move back to the village.

Their farmland was also completely taken.

Despite having a shop in town, at the end of the day, the Tong Family were country folk, and to such people, the land was their lifeblood.

The Tong Family had lost almost two hundred acres of land, including that which was bestowed upon the Tong men and that which was purchased over the years, all gone in an instant.

Their family savings were also completely taken.

The Tong Family had never split up. The produce from the land and the income from the vinegar shop were all managed by Tong Tiehu. Their accumulation over decades had amounted to thousands of taels of silver.

Therefore, previously, Lady Zhang was not afraid of splitting up the family. Knowing that they had a solid foundation, even after the split, their living conditions would still be better than most families in Anping Village.

But now, thousands of taels of silver were gone.

The vinegar shop, the land, the savings,

These three most important things were gone in a blink of an eye.

They didn’t enjoy any blessed event when the treasure was there, and now they had to fall from prosperity to barely making ends meet because of their losing of this unknown treasure.

Without a vinegar shop, without farmland, without any savings, the house only held the thousands of pounds of grain harvested at Mai Shou.

With just a little bit left, how would they survive the future?

How would they survive the future!

And now that their names were posted before the Emperor Emeritus, would he bestow any further punishment when he recalls this matter?

Heavens!

Would they have to live in endless fear from now on?

It’s not fair! It’s just not fair!

With this in mind, those Tong Family members who were kept in the dark immediately pointed their fingers at Tong Tiehu, Tong Xingda, and Tong Sanlang.

In the past, they never dared to do such a thing.

Now that they suspected they couldn’t make a living anymore, if they didn’t vent their bottled-up anger, they would go crazy!

When faced with the angry family, Tong Tiehu was surprisingly calm, his face still holding the usual seriousness. He said, “What is it? You feel wronged?”