Chapter 41 - Expulsion.

Lin Zhongkun almost got so angry that he almost spewed blood, glaring at the bewildered Laosan.

What's wrong with Laosan? Hasn't he always listened to him?

But now he's undermining him.

Zhou, on the other hand, gave her husband an approving look, well done, later we will have good wine and food to serve when we go back.

林叔齐收到，若无其事地继续喝茶。

要不是周氏告诉他，二嫂掌家期间侵吞了这么多财产，或许今日他还会站在二哥这边，但现在……静观其变吧！

"Third brother, do you agree with the idea of Mo Yuan Ge establishing its own independence?" Lin Zhongkun asked forcefully.

Lin Shuqi responded slowly, "Well... I think it's better to separate for now. Things have already gotten so tense, and if we insist on staying together, who knows what kind of trouble we may stir up. Family harmony is crucial, so we should prioritize peace."

"What does 'temporarily separate' mean? Yanyan said she doesn't trust her second sister-in-law, but isn't her younger sister now in charge of managing the property? Yanyan wouldn't mistrust her third sister-in-law too, right?"

"Second brother, I am currently just assisting my sister-in-law, taking care of financial matters and such. I can't be considered as managing the property." Zhou said indifferently, the personnel power still remained in Yao's hands!

"Then you will be in charge of the household, and the Ink Abyss must return to the Marquis's residence," Lin Zhongkun said gruffly.

Yao Shi looked at the lord in astonishment. Today, you came to settle the score with Yan Yan, but how did you end up giving away my only authority over personnel affairs?

The old lady had an unhappy expression on her face. She had no choice but to ask the Zhou family for assistance in managing the household. Yao family had indeed done some outrageous things, and she only wanted to use this opportunity to teach them a lesson and let the Zhou family take full control of the marquis's mansion. Has she asked for your opinion on this matter?

周氏看了眼老夫人，老夫人那张脸臭的哟！

"Second brother, it is correct for you to make decisions regarding external matters, but mother's authority is still final when it comes to internal affairs."

"Exactly, exactly! Mother has the final say. Second brother, you don't have to cling to the Mo Yan Pavilion. They, as siblings, won't be able to endure it and will naturally come back." Uncle Lin advised in unison.

Lin Zhongkun just doesn't understand. If it was just Yan Yan that he couldn't handle, it would be fine, but how did even the third couple start going against him? Could it be that during this time, something happened that he doesn't know about? Doesn't he have the authority to make the final decision in this family?

@@"Whoever is in charge of the Lin family can be discussed, but the Moyuan Pavilion cannot establish itself as an independent entity. If it wants to become independent, it will be removed from the family genealogy." Lin Zhongkun exerted the authority of being the head of the household, confident that he would be able to handle Lin Yannan.

Everyone was shocked. Is Lin Zhongkun serious?

林晏晏一点也不紧张，更无恼怒，只是笑看着二叔：“二叔，您确定？”

不知为何，林仲坤看到林晏晏那人畜无害的笑容，心里有点发毛，但嘴上强硬道：“此事没有商量的余地。”

"Uncle, don't forget, the reason why it's called the Marquis Hou's residence is because Marquis Ding'an's title still exists. Three years ago, the Emperor issued an edict stating that the title would be inherited by Jingyuan. When Jingyuan comes of age, he will succeed the title, and the title can be extended for three more generations. If you remove me and Jingyuan from the family, we can take away the plaque of the Marquis Hou's residence." Linyan casually said.

Lin Zhongkun: Um...

目瞪口呆如被雷劈了一道。

他怎么忘了这茬。

爵位在景元头上，景元走了，侯府还能称之为侯府吗？

“晏晏，你二叔不过是一时恼怒之言，你二叔也是想一家人和和睦睦，闹的这般势同水火，让人看笑话。”老夫人赶紧打圆场。

She had already spoken to Zhongkun about it. Yanyan is someone who doesn't listen to advice and is difficult to deal with. But Zhongkun didn't believe it, and now the situation has become even more difficult to handle.

Just then, the steward outside said, "Madam, Sir, there is an official looking for Miss."

The old lady furrowed her brows: "Seek an audience with the young miss?"

She then turned to Lin Yannan and asked: "What trouble have you caused?"

Lin Yannan pretended to be clueless: "Granddaughter has no idea..."

It seems that the tenth prince has come to a conclusion, and it's the perfect timing.

Lin Zhongkun got up: "I'll go and take a look."

"I'll go too." Lin Shuqizhen seems to be proactive this time.

"Since the official is looking for me, why not invite him in? Whatever the matter is, we can all listen together. It would be helpful to have grandma and both uncles consult with me as well," Lin Yanyan said. Please note that the translation might not be entirely accurate, as the original text contains multiple grammatical errors.

This kind of face-slapping matter is naturally more satisfying when delivered unexpectedly in front of the whole family with a resounding slap.

Mrs. Old Man thought about it and said, "Butler, bring the person in."

Within a moment, an official followed the steward and entered the Ci'en Hall.

Lin Yannan recognized at a glance that this official was the one who had followed behind the Tenth Prince yesterday.

Guan Sheng respectfully bowed and said, "I am Guan Sheng, the constable of Shuntian Prefecture. I have seen Madam, Mr. Lin, but I don't know who is the young miss?"

Lin Yannan spoke up, "It's me."

Lin Zhongkun replied in an official tone, "What brings you to see the young miss?"

关胜道：“是这样的，前几日顺天府接到报案，具体是哪家卑职不宜透露，总之就是那家发现家中的古董被人换了赝品，顺天府着手调查，今日终于查了个水落石出，起获了一批古玩，其中有一幅字画，叫《霜染晨林》，我家老爷认得这幅画似乎是定安侯所有，故而差卑职来问问大小姐。”

Lin Yannan pretended to be surprised: "Really? That painting is still kept in my father's study. I saw it a couple of years ago."

Mrs. Zhou urged: "Go and check if it's still there."

At this moment, Yao's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her hand hidden in her sleeve was trembling uncontrollably.

This painting was the one entrusted to Qian, in charge of handling the money, to make a fake copy and sell it in another city. However, before she could retrieve the item, it was seized by the government officials.

What should we do?

Yao Shi can't hear anything anymore, her mind is full of thoughts on how to handle the aftermath, and who to push out as the scapegoat.

Lin Yannan called Jinxin and asked her to quickly go to the study and fetch the painting of "Frost Dyed Morning Forest" from there.

锦心一路小跑，不一会儿就抱幅画回来。

林仲坤和林叔齐接过画展开，仔细查看。

“这画果然是假的，当年大哥得到这幅画的时候还邀我一同赏过，我记得很清楚，原画的红枫层次分明，这幅画造假也造的太次了，这一片红都糊成一团了。”林叔齐道。

It is evident that Lin Zhongkun can naturally tell that this painting is fake, but he thinks further.

Obviously, Mo Yuange lacked precautionary measures, allowing petty individuals to take advantage and steal antique calligraphy and paintings from the house to sell. Can this be used as a pretext to revoke Mo Yuange's autonomous authority?

So Lin Zhongkun angrily said, "This is simply outrageous! Who the hell did this? Investigate it thoroughly! Every single one of them must be held accountable and severely punished."

Lin Yanyan, with a mindset of enjoying the spectacle, echoed, "Yes, we need to investigate and get to the bottom of it."