Chapter 481 A Family of纨绔 (Wán kù, a spoiled and dissolute family) Causes the Death of the Entire Court (34)

In the original storyline, Li Yuzhi loved Jin Chuyao but could not have her. After accidentally hearing that Jin Chuyao was being mistreated in the Jin family, she was determined to help Jin Chuyao get revenge.

His chosen method of revenge was none other than deliberately approaching Jin Shu at the autumn banquet and taking the opportunity to embarrass her in public.

This plot point initially seemed illogical to Jin Shu.

A top scholar in the imperial examinations should possess extraordinary talent and unparalleled genius.

Such a person, however, would secretly resort to underhanded tactics to bully an innocent person in order to avenge their beloved.

This character portrayal is too disjointed.

Fortunately, Jin Shu has become accustomed to the existence of such characters with contradictory personalities in the small world.

Jin Shu has always been too lazy to bother with unimportant people.

After giving a perfunctory reply, Jin Shu turned and left.

Li Yuzhi stepped forward and took the initiative to invite him.

"I will be participating in this autumn hunt. Do you have any game you'd like to hunt? I can help you get it."

"Wolf."

"Um?"

"I said I like wolves. Since Young Master Li has taken the initiative to invite me, I will respectfully accept. Then I will trouble you."

"..."

Jin Shu looked serious, and Li Yuzhi couldn't tell for a moment whether she was serious or joking.

“Miss Jin is too kind. Everyone knows the rumors that the wild wolves in the mountains eat people. It has always been a major concern for Uncle Jin. Since Miss Jin thinks so highly of me, I will do my best to help Uncle Jin eliminate these wicked wolves in the future.”

"You've said so much, so can you actually help me catch a wolf?"

"My abilities are limited. I can try with other animals, but wolves are indeed a bit dangerous..."

"Alright then, I'll go catch it myself."

"..."

Li Yuzhi looked at Jin Shu as if she were looking at a fool.

He realized that Jin Shu was deliberately making things difficult for him, using the pretext of catching wolves to discourage him from taking the challenge.

She actually looks down on me?

Li Yuzhi sneered inwardly, knowing that Jin Shu couldn't see, so she made no attempt to hide the coldness in her eyes.

If it weren't for wanting to avenge Chu Yao, she would never have spoken a single word to Jin Shu in her entire life.

Unfortunately, the Jin family actually regarded their daughter as a rare treasure.

Putting aside her identity as the daughter of Magistrate Jin, Jin Shu is nothing but a good-for-nothing and a half-blind woman!

Mrs. Jin even tried to make amends for her, saying that she just had bad eyesight.

Suppressing her dissatisfaction, Li Yuzhi said "Goodbye" and turned to leave.

Upon seeing this, Madam Jin, who had been secretly observing from the side, quickly stepped forward and anxiously asked.

"What's wrong? How did the chat go? Young Master Li is a kind and talented man, truly a rare gem in the entire He'an County."

You know what your mother is thinking. I can't take care of you forever. My biggest wish now is to find you a good home.

mother……"

"Mother, I know, but he doesn't like me. He only says a few words to me out of respect for Father."

The most valuable quality in a person is self-awareness.

This is what Mrs. Jin often says.

Upon hearing Jin Shu's words, Madam Jin frowned silently.

"How could that be? Young Master Li just asked you about your preferences. I told him you like rabbits the most, and he even said he would catch a wild rabbit for you."

Jin Shu lowered her eyes, her tone calm.

“Mother, put aside your favoritism towards your daughter and think from his perspective. He is the son of an official with a promising future. Although he is the third child, he is highly regarded by his parents.”

He is also very handsome and has an excellent reputation.

Such a fine young man could easily marry the daughter of an official in the capital, so why would he choose me?

Did they covet my father's position as county magistrate, or did they take a liking to me, a partially blind man unable to care for myself?

These words really hit Mrs. Jin right where it hurts.

She was well aware of what Jin Shu was saying, but for a moment she was blinded by Li Yuzhi’s excellence and initiative.

yes.

Why?

What's the point?

"Mother, Father is in the court, working with the governor and following the second prince."

The second prince is currently in power and is the most likely prince to ascend the throne after the crown prince's disappearance.

The father of Prince Li was once an advisor to the missing Crown Prince Li Yong.

"Given this relationship, Mother, we must be extremely careful now."

Jin Shu's words were like a thunderclap, suddenly exploding above Madam Jin's head, making her shudder and sending chills down her spine after she came to her senses.

She was good at business, but knew very little about the petty scheming in officialdom.

Furthermore, since Magistrate Jin never discussed matters of the court at home, Madam Jin never considered Li Yuzhi's initiative as a potential threat to the throne.

"Ah Shu, who told you these things?"

Mrs. Jin felt that her daughter was not capable of thinking that far ahead.

Jin Shu was prepared and said without changing her expression.

“I overheard Uncle Zhang coming to see my father last time outside.”

The missing crown prince doesn't seem to be dead; there are even rumors that Crown Prince Li Yong is currently in our He'an County.

That explains why there were so many unfamiliar faces at this year's autumn banquet, and they were all from prominent families in the capital.

Madam Jin really thought these people were just visiting An County.

It now appears that this is because the current emperor is critically ill, and many people in the court have begun to actively form factions and seek new patrons.

"In that case, you should stay away from Li Yuzhi. In this critical moment, our Jin family only seeks to protect ourselves."

"Hmm, how much food have you prepared?"

“I listened to you and stockpiled grain in three whole granaries. Not only in He’an County, but also in other counties, I bought up almost all the grain.”

Luckily I listened to you. Now the price of grain in the city has skyrocketed. The fine grain that used to cost thirty coins a pound is now selling for one hundred coins!

Fortunately, I've made quite a bit of money doing business over the years, otherwise, with your father's meager salary, we probably wouldn't even be able to afford food by now!

Fortunately, the grain was stockpiled by our Jin family. If it were someone else, the price of grain would have been inflated to who knows how much.

Moreover, with the food in our hands, we estimate that most of those refugees will starve to death.

Madam Jin was both wealthy and benevolent, and Magistrate Jin was honest and righteous. The couple never hesitated to use the grain they had stored up, and they never went hungry again from the moment the first refugee migrated to He'an County.

The number of refugees is currently still within the control of the Jin family.

But Jin Shu knew that when the autumn harvest season was over and there was no harvest of grain in the fields, not only the migrants from outside the county, but also the people in the county would suffer from food shortages, run out of food, and become part of the migrant population.

When that time comes, there will truly be too many monks and not enough porridge, too many people and not enough food. No matter how much grain the Jin family hoards, it will be far from enough to supply the endless stream of refugees entering the county.

(End of this chapter)