Chapter 25 He hated the ruler hitting him most of all...

After gnawing on half a chicken leg and feeling half full, Meng Yuanxiao remembered what Cui Xintang had just said.

"Brother Tang, are we going back to the capital?"

“Yes,” Cui Xintang said, “I will stay in the village for a few more days, then return to the county government, stay there for a few more days, and then set off for the capital.”

When he went to the palace to see the Princess that day, he did not expect to bring Meng Yuanxiao with him. Thinking of the day she learned that he was leaving the capital and her tearful appearance, he softened his heart and specially asked the Princess for only one month.

Staying too long will arouse suspicion from the Xu family.

Moreover, "Winter is just a few days away, and the roads will be icy and difficult to travel after that."

Meng Yuanxiao rarely gets to leave the capital, but he didn't expect to have to return so soon. The capital is nice, but it has many rules, while Huai Shu Village is much more comfortable.

She followed Li around the entire village, and still feeling the novelty hadn't worn off, she was actually a little reluctant to leave.

So she asked, "But you've only been out for half a month? Also, Brother Tang, how's your mission going?"

She looked so worried in front of her that day, surely it couldn't have been settled so quickly?

Cui Xintang casually said a few words, then suddenly asked, "Did you see Madam Ye today?"

"Hmm." After saying that, she recounted in detail what Madam Ye had said that day.

Cui Xintang listened carefully but said nothing.

It was a rare treat to eat meat, and while they were talking, they ended up eating too much without realizing it. After dinner, Meng Yuanxiao took Cui Xintang out to digest.

They hadn't walked far when they bumped into a woman. The woman paused for a moment when she saw them, then quickly turned into a side alley.

Meng Yuanxiao tugged at Cui Xintang's sleeve, "Brother Tang, today it was that woman who went to capture Ye Shi."

Cui Xintang responded and glanced into the alley the woman had turned into. He seemed preoccupied with something else and didn't say anything more.

Meng Yuanxiao blocked his way. "Just now, Madam Mao told me that Madam Ye's younger brother was so angry when he caught her cheating that he threw himself into the river and drowned."

"..." Cui Xintang snapped out of her daze and looked at her with a half-smile.

Meng Yuanxiao choked for a moment, then stammered, "These words were said by Mao Shi, not by me."

After saying that, seeing that Cui Xintang was still staring at her, she couldn't help but blush and whispered, "Brother Tang, I won't say such things again."

Cui Xintang then stopped teasing her and led her forward, asking, "Is that what Madam Mao said?"

His tone was somewhat casual, and Meng Yuanxiao nodded, "Mm."

Cui Xintang scoffed, "Perhaps, this is just what she wants you to hear."

“I don’t believe it either,” Meng Yuanxiao said. “Brother Tang, was Ye’s uncle killed by the Wang family?”

After all, as long as Ye's uncle was still alive, the Wang clan could not rightfully seize Ye's land.

Cui Xintang paused, but did not answer.

Meng Yuanxiao continued, "That day, Sister Li said that Ye wanted to seduce... and get involved with the officials in the county government. I didn't believe it, but today Niu Niu told me that Xu, the registrar of the county government, had even visited Ye's house!"

Perhaps because Xu Zhubu was mentioned, Cui Xintang turned to look at her, her phoenix eyes filled with a teasing and playful smile.

Meng Yuanxiao felt embarrassed. She had only glanced at Registrar Xu that day, yet he had remembered it for so long.

Feeling embarrassed, she gave a soft snort and ignored him.

However, since Tang-gege's official business was more important, after hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but tell him what Mao-shi had said again.

When she mentioned that the Wang family had concealed the death of Wang Dalang in order to trap Ye Shi and had not reported it to the authorities, Cui Xintang suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" Meng Yuanxiao looked at him, puzzled.

Cui Xintang frowned slightly, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "Did Mao really say that to you?"

"Yes," Meng Yuanxiao nodded.

Cui Xintang's handsome face turned noticeably cold, and Meng Yuanxiao's expression also became more serious.

"Brother Tang, what's wrong?"

Cui Xintang's brows furrowed even more deeply.

Before leaving Beijing, he had been secretly investigating the Xu family, but he could not find any evidence against them.

The land of the Ye family, as well as other widowed women like her, was seized by the clan, yet no connection could be found between this and the county government or the Xu family.

But for people in their clan to act so blatantly, they must have someone protecting them. Besides the Xu family, who else in Yunping County has such power?

Magistrate Huang was panting heavily, having long since stopped concerning himself with the affairs of the county government, and was only waiting to retire and retire.

If what Mao said is true, and that Wang Dalang's death was concealed under the guise of protecting the clan's reputation in order to prevent Ye from remarrying, then...

Putting aside other matters, the land seized by the Wang clan still had to pay taxes because Wang Dalang was "still alive" and the head of the household.

Thus, the taxes levied on Wang Dalang for two seasons each year amounted to a considerable sum, nearly a third of the harvest from those fields.

This is just the Wang Dalang and Ye family. In Yunping County, there are nearly a hundred women who have been widowed since three years ago, just like the Ye family.

These taxes, taken together, amount to a considerable sum each year. These "taxes" naturally do not need to be handed over to the imperial court; if they all flow into the Xu family…

That makes sense.

The Xu family has more than one way of accumulating wealth, but this one method alone is astonishing enough.

Meng Yuanxiao was unaware of these things, but seeing Cui Xintang's cold and stern expression, she couldn't help but call out to him and whisper, "Is the Wang family forbidding Ye from remarrying because of her land?"

“Hmm,” Cui Xintang paused, then said in a deep voice, “If Ye remarries, most of her land will be confiscated by the government. How can they be willing to accept that?”

By trapping Ye in Huai Shu Village, they could both embezzle her family's land and prevent the smooth implementation of the Princess's new policies, thus benefiting both the Xu and Wang families.

Meng Yuanxiao felt sullen. "The Wang family is too wicked. Humph, men can have three wives and four concubines, but women can't even remarry. Why is that?"

Feeling resentful, she couldn't help but ask, "Brother Tang, can you help the Ye family?"

As dusk settled, her almond-shaped eyes shone brightly as she gazed intently at him. Cui Xintang remained silent for a moment, but did not reply.

Meng Yuanxiao's heart sank slightly. She pursed her lips and asked, "Brother Tang, did you bring any books?"

"Um?"

Meng Yuanxiao said, "Could you get me a book? Like the Thousand Character Classic or the Hundred Family Surnames?"

"...Did the Ye family ask you to get this?"

Meng Yuanxiao said somewhat awkwardly, "No, will you help me with it or not?"

Perhaps realizing that she had been too serious and might have frightened her, Cui Xintang softened her expression and said, "If you are bored these days, you can go and visit Li Shi, but don't go to see Ye Shi again."

"Why?" Meng Yuanxiao asked, puzzled.

Cui Xintang refused to explain, only smiling as he said, "Who warned me a few days ago not to speak with Madam Ye? She only said a few words to you today, and you've already forgotten?"

"..."

Cui Xintang deliberately spoke lightly, but his brows were slightly furrowed, clearly indicating that something was on his mind.

Neither of them spoke again. When they returned to Chief Sun's house, Qingzhu was waiting outside. Upon seeing them return, she came forward to greet them.

Cui Xintang paused slightly, squeezed Meng Yuanxiao's hand, and said gently to her, "Yuanyuan, go in and wait for me first."

Once Meng Yuanxiao went inside, the smile on his face turned cold, and he looked at Qingzhu and asked, "Did you see him return to the county town?"

"Yes, I followed Young Master Lin and only returned after watching him enter the door."

After saying that, he whispered, "I think there are people secretly following Young Master Lin."

Cui Xintang wasn't surprised. He figured it was just a member of the Xu family, and he didn't care much.

That day, Lin Yu deliberately acted warmly towards him, which must have aroused suspicion from Registrar Xu. It's likely that the Xu family had already investigated Lin Yu's background and found out about his past relationship with the Lin family, which is not surprising.

He wasn't afraid that Registrar Xu would find out about these things, and even deliberately condoned it.

Before leaving the capital, the Princess ordered a play to be staged, in which he was publicly reprimanded. In addition, since he had previously been in the Ministry of Revenue and had not been enthusiastic about the Princess's new policies, no one in the court considered him to be one of the Princess's people.

Even Meng Xu kept it a secret; otherwise, Meng Xu would never have agreed when he suddenly wanted to marry Yuan Yuan that day.

This incident would further lead people to believe that the eldest princess was already dissatisfied with him and that she had sent him here to make things difficult for him.

His sudden trip to Yunping County must have been announced to the Xu family by Grand Tutor Xu.

He was sent by the eldest princess after all, and even with these preparations, the Xu family was still very wary of him. However, the Xu family did not dare to do anything openly, for fear of arousing his suspicion.

From the brief conversation with Registrar Xu that day, it was easy to tell that he was a very suspicious person, meticulous in his thinking, and thorough in his actions.

So he investigated secretly for a long time, but found almost nothing.

So when Lin Yu suddenly came to Fengshui Town to find him today, he didn't hide it. Instead, he went to find him in person and deliberately let him follow outside the carriage so that people could see him along the way.

The less he avoided the topic, the more open and honest he appeared.

Originally, he only wanted to make Lin Yu suffer a bit, and also deliberately wanted the Xu family to see it, so that the Xu family would mistakenly think that his mind was elsewhere and lower their guard.

But after listening to Meng Yuanxiao's words, he suddenly changed his mind.

Since the Xu family is so wary, why not use Lin Yu to provoke them and make them reveal their true colors?

He remained silent for a moment, then looked up as if to speak, but saw Qingzhu looking at him, hesitant to speak.

Cui Xintang frowned. "Has your mouth been sewn shut? Speak your mind."

"..." Qingzhu choked for a moment, then said, "Master, there is one more thing. I have found out that the Lin family has just bought a farm in the suburbs of Yunping County."

“Although that estate is not large, it will still cost two or three hundred taels of silver. We haven’t heard from the Lin family recently, so I’m afraid they can’t come up with that much silver to feed them right away.”

Cui Xintang's expression darkened.

Qingzhu glanced at her master's expression and forced a smile, asking, "But... Madam?"

Cui Xintang was silent for a moment, then said, "It's alright. Come with me to the county town first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes," Qingzhu replied immediately.

The two were talking under the elm tree when Li came from the south carrying a bamboo basket containing a white cabbage.

It was unclear whether she had overheard their conversation. Qingzhu immediately became wary, but Cui Xintang didn't seem nervous at all, only glancing at Li Shi.

The sky had darkened, and the moon hung on the treetops, casting sparse shadows.

Cui Xintang's skin was pale and cold, and his handsome face was so white in the moonlight that it was almost unreal. Li stopped in her tracks and stood there stunned.

She was just picking a vegetable in the garden when she unexpectedly ran into these two people.

She was just a peasant woman, and she would tremble with fear whenever she saw a clerk from the county government, let alone a high-ranking official from the capital.

Li was terrified, unsure whether to leave or stay. After a long while, she forced a smile and greeted him in a trembling voice, "Young Master Cui, have you eaten?"

Cui Xintang nodded to Li Shi and said, "Yuanyuan often mentions Sister-in-law Li to me, saying that Sister-in-law Li takes good care of her. Yuanyuan is young and loves excitement. She has been bored in the village for a few days. I would appreciate it if Sister-in-law Li could take her around the village more often to relieve her boredom."

Li was flattered and quickly replied, "Don't worry, Lord Cui, there's no problem at all!"

Cui Xintang nodded to Li Shi again, then turned to Qingzhu and instructed, "It's getting dark, take Sister-in-law Li home."

Qingzhu agreed, strode forward, and took the bamboo basket from Li's hands without giving her a chance to refuse. "Please, I'll take you back."

The next day, Cui Xintang arrived in Yunping County early. He went into a teahouse alone, and two quarters of an hour later, Qingzhu brought Lin Yu in.

Lin Yu was dressed in a blue long robe today, and at first glance, he did indeed look like a well-behaved scholar.

He entered the private room and sat down casually. As soon as he opened his mouth, Cui Xintang gave him a cold look.

Lin Yu choked for a moment, then changed her tune with a grin, "Brother Cui, didn't you want me to go to the county school today? Why did you have Qingzhu call me here?"

Cui Xintang looked at him coldly, "You never take what I say to heart?"

Lin Yu's expression changed, but he said with a smile, "How could I dare? You asked me to go to the county school yesterday, and I went today, didn't I? If you hadn't called me here, I would be at the county school now, sitting down and reading."

Cui Xintang remained silent, only coldly staring at him.

Lin Yu was ultimately afraid of him. After a moment of stalemate, his expression stiffened, and he finally gave in, saying, "I will never shout randomly again in the future."

Cui Xintang coldly swept her phoenix eyes over him, then called in a waiter and casually ordered a few desserts.

Lin Yu was puzzled. After the waiter left, he said, "Didn't you want me to go to the county school today? If I'm any later, I won't be able to go today."

Cui Xintang replied, "Didn't you say you didn't want to go? I've already spoken with the county school official; it's fine to go a few days later."

Lin Yu was taken aback. "Do you want me to go back to the county government office?"

Cui Xintang took a sip of tea, glanced at him, and did not answer.

Lin Yu's eyes darted around, and he sneered, "Brother Cui, the news that you pleaded for me and let me return to the county school has spread throughout the county government. Should I tell people that you forced me to go to the county school, and that I refused to go?"

Cui Xintang glanced at him but did not deny it. "You might as well put these petty tricks into the right path."

Lin Yu chuckled twice, "With you here, what can I do even if I'm a bit of a scoundrel?"

After saying that, he curled his lip and said, "Didn't you say yesterday that you didn't want me to get involved in the county government's affairs anymore? Why have you changed your mind today?"

Cui Xintang didn't say much to him, only saying, "You don't need to do anything. Just go to the county office every day and stay there as before. Once you've had your fill of hanging around the county office, go back to the county school."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Sit here until noon, then go to the county government office in the afternoon."

Lin Yu continued to loiter around, which aroused Xu, the registrar, to suspicion. He would inevitably send people to various villages to investigate and give instructions. His men secretly followed the people sent out by the Xu family and were always able to catch them in the act.

Bringing down the Xu family is no easy task. He only needs a month for this trip, and the eldest princess has agreed to it. It seems that the eldest princess is unwilling to let him fall into the hands of the Xu family so easily.

The eldest princess did not intend for him to confront the Xu family directly, but rather to use his trip as a "trigger" to find a sufficiently fatal handle against the Xu family.

Once he finds this weakness, he can give his answer to the eldest princess.

Lin Yu wasn't stupid, though. "Brother Cui, you don't care about my life at all."

After saying that, he rolled his eyes and said, "I told you everything I knew yesterday. If you really want to investigate the Xu family and I help you, I'm afraid I won't be able to stay in Yunping County anymore. You'll have to take responsibility for me."

Just then, the waiter came in and served some snacks. After the waiter left, Qingzhu closed the door, and Cui Xintang let out a cold sneer.

"Isn't what the Cui family gave you enough? I heard that your family just bought a farm a few days ago."

Lin Yu choked, then said with disgust, "How is this my home? My mother and sister are in the capital. Who are they related to? I absolutely loathe their faces. Brother Cui, I don't ask for anything else, I just ask that you take me back to the capital."

Cui Xintang glanced at him. "I don't want to repeat myself. If you stay here obediently, I will find a way to protect you. But if you have other ideas, the Cui family can take back everything they've given away."

Lin Yu's expression stiffened, but Cui Xintang had lost patience to continue dealing with him.

He stood up, flicked his sleeves, and said, "I'll pretend I didn't know about the past, but if I find out again that you've been contacting the Cui family behind my back, or that you've been secretly plotting something else, don't blame me for being ruthless."

After saying that, he stepped out of the private room.

Now that we've arrived in the county town, the Xu family is watching us closely, so we'll have to go to the county government office.

As they left the teahouse and before boarding the carriage, Cui Xintang whispered to Qingzhu, "Find one or two of those villages Lin Yu mentioned, and have someone find a way to make them cause some trouble."

*

When Meng Yuanxiao returned to Sun Lizhang's house, Cui Xintang had already returned.

He returned so early for two consecutive days, which surprised Meng Yuanxiao. But she didn't have time to talk to him and instead gulped down half a bowl of water.

Cui Xintang, puzzled, chuckled and asked, "How much useful information did you gather today that you're so speechless?"

Meng Yuanxiao put down his bowl and said, "Brother Tang, you have no idea how hard it is to swallow the steamed buns at Sister Li's house. They are made of bean flour and millet flour, mixed with some wheat flour. And even then, only men can eat them."

After saying that, she pointed to her throat and said exaggeratedly, "Half a day has passed, and that steamed bun is still stuck in my throat. I can't get it down!"

"Really?" Cui Xintang chuckled, pulled her onto his lap, and gently smoothed her chest with his large hand.

But as he went along with it, his hands started to wander. Meng Yuanxiao slapped his hand away and asked suspiciously, "Brother Tang, did you scare Sister-in-law Li yesterday?"

"Huh? Why would I scare her?" Cui Xintang asked, puzzled.

Meng Yuanxiao snorted, "Sister-in-law Li said you told her to take good care of me, and Qingzhu even took her vegetable basket and insisted on taking her home!"

Cui Xintang: "..."

He did have some ulterior motives; he wanted Qingzhu to find out about Li's character and check on her family situation. After all, Meng Yuanxiao often played with Li, and he was afraid that Meng Yuanxiao would be mistreated.

She also wanted Qingzhu to find out from Li what Meng Yuanxiao had been doing these past few days, and whether he had heard anything he shouldn't have, such as about the Lin family and Lin Yu.

But he didn't think he had scared Li.

However, seeing Meng Yuanxiao's serious expression with a furrowed brow, he smiled and readily admitted his mistake, "Then my husband will be more careful in the future."

"Hmph, we're about to go back, what's the use of being careful now? If you hadn't scared Sister Li, she wouldn't have insisted on giving me her family's steamed buns today."

She was genuinely afraid of the steamed buns at the Li family's house, but the Li family was very hospitable and insisted that she eat them.

Li's youngest daughter watched longingly from the side, wanting to share half with the baby, but Li wouldn't allow it.

She could only swallow the whole steamed bun with water and a drop of sesame oil in the pickled vegetables.

Meng Yuanxiao drank half a bowl of water and rested for a while, and finally felt less choked.

Cui Xintang teased her, "What have you seen and heard today?"

“Today I went to the South River with Sister Li,” Meng Yuanxiao said. “Sister Li’s husband got her a job washing clothes and sheets at the town’s inn. The water was so cold, and Sister Li washed for half a day.”

"But Sister Li's husband just chatted with people on the village road and refused to help her. After washing the clothes, Sister Li had to go back and cook and steam buns. Humph, even so, she couldn't eat the steamed buns herself and could only eat cornbread."

"Yeah?"

“Yes, Sister Li said that only the men and boys in the family can eat the steamed buns. It’s not just her family; other families in the village eat them too,” Meng Yuanxiao said indignantly.

"...Besides this, what else did you hear?"

"Today I asked Sister Li about the situation of the village's fields. Sister Li said that her family has not yet divided the family property. There are ten people in the family and only about twenty mu of land. If there is a famine, after paying taxes, the harvested grain will not even be enough to feed the whole family."

“Some families in the village have even less land and can only rent land from others to cultivate. However, it is said that when the Ye family was still alive, they had seventy or eighty mu of land and were a wealthy family in the village. They could rent out half of it to others to cultivate every year.”

“When I asked about the current state of the Ye family’s land, Sister-in-law Li refused to tell me.”

Cui Xintang paused.

Mentioning Ye Shi, Meng Yuanxiao felt disgusted but also sighed. She whispered, "I heard that these past few days, women from the Wang family have been watching over Ye Shi, not allowing her to go out freely."

After saying that, he went to look at Cui Xintang, only to find that his brows were slightly furrowed, and he seemed to be thinking about something.

Meng Yuanxiao nudged him, "Brother Tang, if we also lived in the countryside, would you treat me the same way?"

"Hmm? How should I treat you?"

Meng Yuanxiao said, "I have to do all the laundry and cooking, and I have to work in the fields. You eat steamed buns, but I get to eat cornbread."

"..." Cui Xintang seemed to think about it seriously for a moment, then smiled and teased her, "Maybe it is? After all, aren't most families in the village like this?"

Meng Yuanxiao was immediately annoyed. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and she was about to speak when she smelled a fragrance.

Sniffing the air, I followed the aroma and spotted the clay pot simmering on the stove, steaming gently.

Meng Yuanxiao's eyes lit up. "Brother Tang, what delicious food did you bring me this time?"

Cui Xintang glanced at the stove and smiled, "Roasted pigeon, three in total, keep one for your breakfast tomorrow."

Meng Yuanxiao beamed, immediately forgetting her annoyance, "How did you know I wanted to eat roast pigeon?"

"Would you like to eat now?"

"I'll eat later, I'm not hungry yet."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "I'll eat one less and save one to give to Sister Li tomorrow."

Cui Xintang found it amusing, "Then I won't eat it. I've already eaten in the county town."

Meng Yuanxiao asked in surprise, "You went to the county town?"

"Hmm," Cui Xintang said, taking a brand-new copy of the Thousand Character Classic from his pocket and handing it to her. "Didn't you want this?"

Meng Yuanxiao thought he wouldn't care, but he was pleasantly surprised that he actually managed to get it.

She opened the Thousand Character Classic and looked at it, then heard Cui Xintang laugh in her ear and say, "Do you still remember that day when Meng Xu and I came to the Cui residence after school? When I was waiting for Meng Xu under the corridor, who was it that ran up and hugged me, crying and showing me her fair and rosy palms?"

Meng Yuanxiao choked. Who else could it be? Of course, it was her. But she was only four or five years old at the time, just beginning her education, and she had long forgotten these embarrassing incidents.

Cui Xintang's tone was full of teasing, but the smile in his eyes was faint, as if he was somewhat absent-minded.

“Yuanyuan was not even as tall as my leg back then, so she would shirk her duties and ask me with teary eyes, ‘Your palms are red from being slapped by the teacher, and you’re afraid to write anymore, but the teacher assigned a lot of homework today, what should we do?’”

What he hated most was the ruler, and the feeling of it hitting his body and tearing his skin.

She must have been too naughty to be punished by her teacher, who slapped her palm. The teacher probably just wanted to scare her, so he didn't use much force when he hit her palm with the ruler, but the little girl's palm was chubby and fair, and even so, it still turned red.

That day, he stared at Yuanyuan's palm in silence for a long time. Although she had only been hit on the left palm and it didn't prevent her from doing her homework with her right hand, he still wiped away her tears and led her to her little study.

Then, avoiding Meng Xu, he used his left hand to imitate her clumsy and childish handwriting and wrote out the homework assigned by the teacher for her word for word.

He still remembers that the homework assigned by the teacher that day was the "Thousand Character Classic".

That was the first time he did her homework for her, and once he did it, he did it countless times. Later, when Yuanyuan got used to it and wanted to slack off, she would shed a few tears in front of him, and he couldn't help but soften his heart.

"Hmph, how come I'm not as tall as your legs?" Meng Yuanxiao retorted, unable to save face.

Cui Xintang stopped teasing her and said, "If you want to give it to the Ye family, just give her the book. You don't need to say anything else to her."

Why?

Cui Xintang paused for a moment, then said, "With you so unguarded, I'm afraid you'll be sold out in a few words and end up helping someone count the money."

"..."

Cui Xintang added, "There's no need to try to get information out of Ye Shi."

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Author's note: Updates will begin tomorrow at 9 PM.