Chapter 822: The Disabled Young Master 35

Tang Wan's heart ached when she heard this.

Humans were social creatures by nature. There was no one who didn't hope to have family and people who cared about them.

But after Tongtong's parents died, these relatives had not only failed to comfort him, they had taken the opportunity to scheme against him and seize the assets of the third branch, breaking his heart.

Tongtong said that he didn't care, but she knew that he must have once hoped for care and concern from the relatives of the other branches.

Yet they had never given him even the slightest bit of concern. Instead, they had only thought about using him and taking away his assets.

……

He Jiantong's heart stirred when he saw the expression on Tang Wan's face.

The next moment, his expression suddenly became slightly dejected, though he deliberately put on a strong front and continued, “Besides, I've long since gotten used to their attitude.”

Seeing him looking so lonely yet pretending that nothing was wrong, Tang Wan immediately reached out and hugged him tightly.

“Tongtong, don't be sad! You still have me from now on!”

“Mm! You won't leave me, right?” He Jiantong said.

“Of course!” Tang Wan nodded firmly, her tone solemn.

Only then did He Jiantong look relieved. “That's good. Wanwan, you're so good to me.”

Tang Wan immediately said, “Tongtong, you're good to me too!”

She had no idea that at this moment, He Jiantong was thinking very darkly: I should act a little more pitiful. That way, Wanwan will feel even more sorry for me.

Although it was shameless to use her sympathy to gain her attention, as long as it could make her eyes remain fixed entirely on him, no matter how despicable it was, it would be worth it.

……

Half a month later, the He residence was surrounded by the Imperial Guards. An official from the Ministry of Revenue led soldiers into the second branch of the He family and began confiscating their property.

As expected, the third son of the second branch was sentenced by the emperor to immediate execution for embezzlement and cheating in the imperial examinations, while all the assets of the second branch of the He family were confiscated.

When the Imperial Guards searched the residence, they actually found a full two hundred thousand taels of silver, along with numerous antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and other valuables.

It was clear from this that the second branch's usual claims of being poor were nothing more than an excuse to fleece money from other people.

When Tang Wan heard about this, she couldn't help being secretly astonished.

Two hundred thousand taels of silver.

The people of the second branch of the He family really had some nerve.

They had finally managed to produce an official from a merchant family, only for him to end up losing his life over money. Not only that, but they had also lost the entire family fortune.

Why bother?

The He family wasn't lacking money to begin with.

However, she also understood that once people came into contact with a certain amount of power, it was difficult for them to remain clear-headed while caught in the whirlpool of power.

The only fortunate thing was that the emperor had not killed many people this time, nor had he ordered the extermination of the entire clan.

So apart from the third son of the He family, no one else in the He family suffered any consequences.

……

After the third son of the second branch was executed, his family didn't even dare hold a funeral for him. On top of that, the clan refused to allow him to be buried in the ancestral grave, so the people of the second branch had no choice but to find some random place and bury him there.

After this incident, the rest of the He family became much more well-behaved.

No one dared come and harass Tang Wan and He Jiantong anymore.

As a result, the two of them enjoyed a period of considerable peace and quiet.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the New Year.

Since He Jiantong had never properly celebrated the New Year after his parents passed away, Tang Wan planned to prepare plenty of New Year goods this year and celebrate the New Year properly and lively.

Before the New Year, the two of them went out together to buy New Year goods.

When they passed a highly skilled embroidery shop in the capital, Tang Wan said to He Jiantong, “Tongtong, let's go inside and have a look at some new clothes!”

In fact, He Jiantong had people from the shop send her the newest fabrics and clothing designs every month. But since Tang Wan wanted to go and have a look, he was naturally happy to accompany her.