At night, the Xu family was not very peaceful.
Although the government officials had already come, no one dared to ascertain that the stolen gift tributes were indeed hidden in the alcove of the North Mountain.
"Dear, have we acted in a rush? What if they don't find anything in the mountain?"
Mrs. Xu had thought of this issue after Mr. Xu left for the county, but since he had already left, there was nothing she could do.
"Don't worry, County Magistrate Zuo is a good official. Even if the items are not in the alcove of North Mountain, they must not be too far away. It will just take more time to search, that's all, so calm down!" Mr. Xu comforted Mrs. Xu with all his heart, looking extremely confident.
However, deep down, Mr. Xu was also a little uncertain.
For this kind of thing, before everything was settled, anything could happen. Even if Zuo Qiu was a good official, when the news reached the main city, no one could know what changes would occur.
One really could not think too much on this type of matter.
...
The night passed and dawn soon arrived.
Guan Laoqi once again organized the people to make food and bring it to the North Mountain.
When everyone had eaten, a search at the alcove of North Mountain began.
After about an hour, cheers rang out.
A large number of boxes were found, and according to the marks on the boxes, they were indeed the stolen enthronement tribute gifts for the new emperor.
After midday, the prefecture officials arrived, bringing along the inventory for the tribute items that year, matching the items to those on the list.
By the time the sky turned dark, the inventory was completed and all the items were accounted for.
When Zuo Qiu informed Mr. Xu of the news, Mr. Xu let out a deep sigh, finally finding relief.
As for the rewards from the government, it seemed insignificant at the moment.
After sending off Zuo Qiu and the others, everyone in the Xu family was smiling.
"Dad, what reward do you think the government is going to give us?" Second Xu asked, the most excited out of all of them.
Mr. Xu did not say a word, but Eldest Xu gave his brother a direct slap. "I'll give you two slaps. Do you want them?"
"Mother, did you see that? Eldest brother is hitting me once again," Second Xu complained to Mrs. Xu. "The reason my mind isn't as bright is because he has been hitting me from a young age."
Mrs. Xu glanced dismissively at her second son, retorting, "Don't blame your big brother for your foolishness. If it weren't for his occasional slaps, your cement-filled head would have turned into concrete!"
It was a critical hit! A heart-wrenching blow from his own mother!
Second Xu was extremely embarrassed, obediently going to a corner to draw circles.
"All of you go back and rest early. This thing has come to a conclusion, so don't mention it again!" Mrs. Xu ordered, still rather frightened.
Luckily, the things had been found!
"Dad, Mom, you two should rest early too. We will return first," Eldest Xu spoke up, bringing Zhou and their son back to their room.
Second Xu did the same.
However, Youngest Xu's wife, Wang, stayed behind.
"Father, Mother, what was going on?"
Both Eldest and Second Xu were aware of what was going on, so they would be able to tell their wives, but Wang knew nothing.
"It's nothing. Second son and I just happened to find the tribute gifts that had been stolen from prefecture 20 years ago."
"What!"
Hearing what Mr. Xu said, Wang's expression changed drastically.
"Father. Such a big event occurred, yet you did not tell me earlier?
"If we reported this to the government, will the people from the previous dynasty let us go?"
"Father, you- You…
Wang did not know what to say at the moment. She was filled with panic and frightened out of wits.