Chapter Seven, The Ruin of the Family

"Aunt, although Zhang Kuguan agreed to release Third Brother, he has a condition," Wang Liang said with a serious expression, but inside he was following the plan he had devised step by step.

"Oh, it is the esteemed official." Upon seeing his own master, Wang Liang hurriedly bent down to pay his respects. He bowed and took two steps back, following behind Zhang Hong

The Li family is indeed in a dire situation, even selling their house would not raise such a large sum of money

Wang Liang's mother gritted her teeth and said, "Sister-in-law, I still have twenty acres of land at home. You can take it first to rescue Sanlang."

Today, Wang Liang accompanied Zhang Pangzi to go shopping and happened to encounter Li Jing, who was carrying grain out of the city. He harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Li family and, upon seeing Li Jing, was filled with the desire to humiliate him. He then spoke to Zhang Pangzi about it. Initially, he only intended to annoy Li Jing by forcing a purchase, but unexpectedly, Li Jing was unyielding. This matter could have ended there, but later he spotted a carp among the fish, and a malicious scheme suddenly came to mind. He quietly confided in Zhang Pangzi, intending to use this opportunity to take down Li Jing and extort some money. Zhang Pangzi, being particularly greedy, would not let such an opportunity for easy money slip by. This matter could have ended there, but later he spotted a carp among the fish, and a malicious scheme suddenly came to mind. He quietly confided in Zhang Pangzi, intending to use this opportunity to take down Li Jing and extort some money. Zhang Pangzi, being particularly greedy, would not let such an opportunity for easy money slip by.

Not bad, not bad. Little by little, it adds up, little by little. Sixty acres of land, it's worth taking action this time. This matter, I will entrust to you; if you handle it well, I will reward you with two acres of mulberry fields. Zhang the Fat was in a great mood and said cheerfully. In this day and age, managing the warehouse to make a little profit is fine, but ultimately it is not as stable as owning land.

Wang Xiaomei exclaimed, "Aunt, as soon as my brother heard about this matter in town, he immediately ran back home. My mother was also extremely anxious upon hearing this, so how could she possibly come to watch the joke?"

"Adding these makes exactly one hundred acres of land," Wang Liang said from the side

Han did not want to accept the land from Wang Tiejian and Wang Liang's family, but at that moment, she was worried about her son, and the family could not come up with more money. She could only helplessly nod her head, unaware that the Li family was gradually falling into Wang Liang's trap.

At that moment, Wang Liang entered the Li family's courtyard with his mother and sister

As dusk approached, the women of the Li family did not wait for Li Jing to return, but instead awaited the arrival of Wang the Blacksmith and Little Shitou. The father and son brought back a shocking piece of news that left the women and young girls of the Li family pale and weeping. Over the years, the Li family had already lost three of their main male figures, and if anything were to happen to Li Jing as well, the family of widows and orphans would truly have no reason to live.

The wrinkled blacksmith Wang squatted on the ground, constantly sighing with his head down. Last time, his eldest son planned to build a house and get married next year, but he took the Li brothers to gather seaweed, which not only resulted in his own son's death but also caused trouble for three other young men from the same village, leaving only the three Li brothers to escape unscathed. This incident had not even been two months ago, and today his youngest son asked Li Jing to take two bunches of fish, which ended up implicating him in a major crime, resulting in a death sentence. The Wang family owed a great debt to the Li family. In front of the women of the Li family, he did not even dare to lift his head.

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother turned around and delivered a fierce slap to Wang Liang's face. The Wang family and the Li family indeed had a history, but that was merely a private matter. If, because of this, they were to resort to underhanded schemes against the three young men of the Li family, leading to loss of life, such actions would be absolutely unforgivable to her. If things were to unfold in this manner, the Wang family would no longer be able to establish themselves here in the future

Although he no longer spoke, everyone understood the underlying meaning. Zhang Kuguan first sent the person to prison, and now if he were to release them, it certainly would not be without conditions

If you have any requirements, just let us know. Regardless of the circumstances, we will find a way to address them

Sister-in-law Li, this matter is all the old man's fault. If it weren't for the old man asking him to bring this fish, there wouldn't have been any trouble. My family still has twenty acres of land, you can take it all, sister-in-law. Wang the blacksmith has been working away from home for many years and has also acquired twenty acres of land.

Wang Er, what are you thinking? You said, can the Li family really come up with the money to protect that kid? Zhang Kuguan, whose full name is Zhang Hong, is said to be the brother of a concubine of Cui Zhen, which is why he landed such a lucrative position managing the warehouse

Han said through gritted teeth: "Uncle Wang, you know many acquaintances in the town. Could you please help me inquire if anyone is willing to buy my courtyard? As long as the money is offered, I will sell it."

"Aunt, we have also heard about Sanlang's situation. Do not worry; there will always be a way to resolve things," Wang Liang's mother advised.

At this point, Wang Liang fell silent

Esteemed Sir, the Li family has lost three heads of the household over the years, and now Li Jing is the only man left in the Li family. Although the Li family has fallen into decline, there are still fifty acres of prime farmland and an additional ten acres of mulberry fields. In order to secure a future for Li Jing, the women of the Li family would certainly be willing to exhaust their fortunes. While several dozen acres may not be much, it still constitutes a small fortune

Mother, if others do not believe me, do you not believe your son either? Today, I was the one who first urged San Ge to buy fish, and I was the one paying for it. Originally, San Lang and I had agreed to buy a string of fish. Later, Zhang Ku Guan suddenly demanded two strings and offered only one amount of money. It was San Ge who refused, and that is why Zhang Ku Guan turned hostile and took San Ge to the yamen over the matter of the carp. I had been pleading with Zhang Ku Guan for a long time, and only after much effort did I manage to persuade him to release San Ge. I didn't even have time to drink a sip of water before I rushed back to deliver the news.

Everyone exclaimed that the Li family only had a total of 50 mu of land. Even if the 10 mu of mulberry fields were included, they were still short by 140 mu. During the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty, land was precious, and a mu of good farmland could sell for over 100 guan. However, in the current Tang Dynasty, with heavier land taxes, land prices have declined somewhat. Yet, a mu of good land is still worth at least 10 guan. Forty mu of land amounts to 400,000 coins, which could be exchanged for 2,000 dou of rice. Not to mention that in this year of famine, even at the peak of the Li family's prosperity, they would have to go bankrupt.

Wang Liang stood alone in front of the warehouse, contemplating the soldiers and laborers coming and going to transport goods. At that moment, the plump Zhang, the warehouse officer, waddled over with a distinctive gait.

Upon hearing that Han was willing to release Li Jing, the person became excited and hurriedly grasped Wang Liang's hand, asking, "Has Sanlang returned to the town? Then why hasn't he appeared yet?"

The Li family's courtyard, built with seaweed, has only been standing for fifty years. Seaweed houses are not comparable to ordinary thatched or brick houses. A house like the Li family's, if well maintained, can last for two hundred years without issue. This nine-room courtyard, being only fifty years old, originally had a considerable value. When the Li family built this house, they spent nearly 200,000 yuan on the land and construction. Two hundred thousand yuan is equivalent to 2,000 strings of cash, worth twenty acres of land. However, now that they are in urgent need to sell, the best they can hope for is to sell it for around 70,000 to 80,000 yuan.

Aren't you just running errands for Zhang Kuguan, who harmed Sanlang? Tell me, isn't this a bad idea of yours?" Wang the Blacksmith hurriedly said. Although Li Jing is not his son, he feels more anxious and guilty than anyone else when something happens to Li Jing.

Wang Liang's mind was still replaying the scene from earlier when he and Li Jing locked eyes. Li Jing's profound gaze was like two bottomless wells, making Wang Liang realize that Li Jing must have already guessed the schemes he had plotted behind the scenes. Regardless, Li Jing had already been sentenced to death by hanging and was imprisoned in the military garrison's dungeon. At most, he had only one year left to live, as the execution was scheduled for autumn next year

Wang Xiaoshitou suddenly rushed forward, grabbing Wang Liang by the collar and shouting, "I heard from the people in town that today it was you who stopped Xiucai Ge from buying fish, which ultimately led to the incident. Tell me, was it you who caused this trouble?"

Aunt, this house is the ancestral property of the Li family. Even if the ancestral land is sold, it can be repurchased in the future, but if the ancestral house is sold, where will you live? Aunt, if everyone contributes a little, we will have a hundred acres of land. Let us first rescue Third Brother to avoid any complications arising from prolonged delays. As for other matters, we can discuss them later.

one hundred acres of fertile land

Han bit his lip and said, "How much does Zhang Kuguan want to release the person?"

"No, your entire family relies on these twenty acres of land for sustenance. Without the land, how will your family survive?" Han shook his head in refusal.

Wang Liang hesitated for a long time before finally saying: "Everyone knows that the magistrate of the town has already sentenced Third Brother to death by hanging, and it is only waiting for the official document from the town to be sent to the Ministry of Justice for review, after which it will be a done deal, and the execution will take place as soon as autumn arrives. The official document has not yet been submitted in the town, but there is not much time left. The brother-in-law of Zhang Ku, who is the town's general Cui, has the final say on all matters in the town. As long as the document is withdrawn before it is presented to the court, then they can be released directly at that time." The brother-in-law of Zhang Ku, who is the town's general Cui, has the final say on all matters in the town. As long as the document is withdrawn before it is presented to the court, then they can be released directly at that time.

However, he could not feel any happiness in his heart, nor did he experience even a fraction of the pleasure that comes from revenge; instead, he was somewhat unsettled by Li Jing's final gaze.

At this moment, Han had completely lost her composure. This woman, who was once so strong, now seemed as if her very bones had been stripped away, her eyes vacant and her face devoid of life. Upon hearing Wang Liang's mother's persuasion, she suddenly turned around and cried out to the Liu family, "You came here to watch our family's misfortune, didn't you? Look, look, are you satisfied now? My Li family's men are all dead, are you happy now?"