northernbook Chapter 114 Abandonment
Chapter 114 Abandonment
"The relief food will stop when it's gone. I'm not doing charity. As long as my soldiers are well fed, that's all that matters."
It is the time to collect summer money as usual.
Pingxiang asked Hong Wenju to arrange this summer harvest and not collect money, only grain.
Anyone who fails to pay will be exiled.
The people of Changjia Prefecture suffered greatly this year. Just a month ago, they paid a year's tax in accordance with the imperial court's order. Now the new mountain king also wanted food. If they could not pay the summer grain, they would be recruited into the bandit group. No matter how Magistrate Hong brainwashed himself, it was still difficult for him to accept that he was working for the bandits.
He went to Xu Siyu to complain.
Xu Siyu could only persuade him: "Bandits can rob and kill, but it's good enough that they're willing to follow the rules now. You can choose not to collect taxes, and you can choose to die for your country, but I tell you, your death won't protect the people of Changjia Mansion, and they will never find their place. On the contrary, if you can make them use less violence to govern the people, that will be your merit as an official at this time."
This is the living environment we are in now, so we can only look forward.
Because of the start of grain collection, Hong Wenju discussed with Pingxiang the extension of free time and freedom within the jurisdiction of Changjia Mansion.
The people of Changjia Prefecture always have to work in order to hand over grain.
Pingxiang agreed, after all, he had almost killed all the officers and soldiers.
Of course, he also emphasized that everyone must abide by the curfew. If they do not, they are seeking death. His soldiers will kill them without any reason.
After being able to move freely during the day, some of the families who had fled to Heqing County moved back.
The people in Changjia Mansion thought they were living a hard life, but compared to the battlefield everywhere outside the city gate, they were safe as long as they hid at home. How lucky they were.
The Lin family suddenly brought news to Lin Yiqing - the Zhou family's land was burned down, and asked him to return to the South House.
The Zhou family's house was burned down. To Lin Yiqing, this was extremely unrealistic news, but it was easy to understand.
The Zhou family is an imperial merchant family. Although they are not officials, the fact that they have the word "imperial" in their name is enough to become a thorn in Pingxiang's heart as he is determined to fight against the Dali court.
Xu Siyu brought the child back to Nanzhai with him.
At this time, the family did not want to separate.
Not surprisingly, Lin's mother fell ill again.
Xu Siyu brought her children to visit the patient first. In Lin's mother's room, Aunt Meng, eldest sister-in-law Pei, younger sister-in-law Lin Huiyan, and the children were all there.
She originally planned to leave the child with Lin's mother. She went to the study to listen to what the men were discussing. Her sister-in-law kept her because she knew.
Yes, Lin Huiyan married back into the Zhou family.
The two men left the main house and went to the garden. They sent the servants away before they started talking.
"You said that my uncle and cousin Zhangtai ran away?"
Xu Siyu was a little confused.
The eldest uncle is Lin Huiyan's uncle and also her father-in-law. Zhou Zhangtai is her cousin and also her husband.
They all ran away? Then why is Lin Huiyan still here?
"Aunt, you..."
"I've been abandoned." Lin Huiyan was wearing a light blue gauze dress, her sleeves fluttering in the wind. She stood straight, her face gentle and resolute.
Only the eyes looking at Xu Siyu were filled with a layer of mist that could not be dispersed.
"Sister-in-law, I'm so pitiful." Unlike Lin's mother, Lin Huiyan was particularly envious of Xu Siyu. She could never hope for the kindness her second brother showed to her second sister-in-law in her lifetime.
"He wanted to escape without telling me, and he deliberately sent me to the ancestral hall to light the immortal lamp for the Zhou ancestors. He took away the banknotes, jewelry, and concubines, and left Feng'er and me behind." Lin Huiyan's tone was unwilling, but she did not cry.
Perhaps, my tears have dried up.
"what's your plan?"
The men of the Lin family would not let it go, but based on Xu Siyu's understanding of Lin's mother, although Lin's mother loved her daughter, she would definitely not agree to the Lin family causing too much trouble for the Zhou family.
"My father wants to take Feng'er and me home to raise us. My mother said that I am the wife of the main branch of the Zhou family. Even if my husband is not at home, I have to consider my son and protect the Zhou family land."
Lin's mother's thoughts were indeed... Xu Siyu didn't know how she could be sick after saying such words. Shouldn't Lin Huiyan be the one who should be sick?
Xu Siyu walked closer and took Lin Huiyan's hand, and asked carefully, "Sister, sister-in-law is asking about you, what do you think?"
“Sister-in-law, I am the Zhou family’s clan wife, a clan wife who is disliked by my husband and disrespected by my clan members.
My father-in-law and husband ran away, and the clansmen rushed into my courtyard one by one, asking me what to do. They also wanted to escape, and they stole the gold and silver in the storehouse and the vases that couldn't be moved, and they also stole my dowry...
The question is, which family's daughter-in-law can live like me?
There was no other way, I could only take advantage of the darkness, turn down the lights in the ancestral hall, and take Feng'er back to the Lin family.
You said that's it, my mother was still looking forward to me using the Lin family's connections to prop up the Zhou family's door lintel and wait for Zhou Zhangtai to come back. My mother is really sick, isn't she? "Lin Huiyan said with a smile, but slowly, the corners of her mouth straightened.
"Don't worry, my second brother and his wife will help you." She stood with Lin Huiyan. Apart from comforting her, she didn't know what else to say. Lin Huiyan's matter ultimately depended on the attitude of Lin's father and Lin Yiqing.
In the Lin family's study, Lin Yiqing was of course furious and threw the cup directly in front of Lin's father.
"What does Zhou Zhangtai mean? It's fine that he treats me badly on ordinary days, but now he even remembered to take his concubine away and leave me and Feng'er behind. Dad, if they escape, they will anger the bandits. My sister and Feng'er will not survive."
"Yiqing is right, Dad. I heard that some branches of the Zhou family were killed while fleeing. My little sister has to stay and sever ties with the Zhou family as soon as possible." said Lin Wangyou, the eldest brother of the Lin family.
"Yan'er will naturally stay at home, but the Zhou family is our in-laws, so how can we just cut off our relationship?"
"It can't be severed, and it must be severed, otherwise our Lin family might be implicated. Dad, look how cruel our uncle is, he doesn't even want his own grandson. Does our uncle really regard us as family? Why should we take the blame for them?"
"Yes. But how do we prove our separation from the Zhou family? Ask the government to issue a divorce agreement?"
"Wait, I'll call Siyu over and we can figure out a solution together."
When Lin Yiqing went to Lin's mother's yard to invite Xu Siyu over, Xu Siyu also brought Lin Huiyan to the study.
Xu Siyu always believed that the thoughts of the parties involved were the most important.
"Is it still too late to ask the county government to issue a divorce agreement?" Her husband had run away, and the divorce was just a formality.
"If we want to sever our ties with the Zhou family now, shouldn't the best way be to kill our relatives for the sake of justice?"
"Do you want Yan'er... to die?" No one else dared to ask Xu Siyu's words, only Lin Yiqing tried to understand.
"Am I crazy?" Xu Siyu couldn't believe Lin Yiqing's explanation. What on earth did he think of her?
"So what does sister-in-law mean?" Lin Huiyan felt that this was the most appropriate question.
"Report the Zhou family."