Chapter 26 Let's Die Together "This land won't be yours anymore..."

After the meal, You Sheng went to the haystack and carefully selected long, tough hay of uniform thickness. He washed it clean with water and then dried it next to the stove.

Seeing Mu Chuan looking at her, she said, "It needs to be washed, otherwise there will be dirt on it when you weave it, and some of it will have tiny, invisible bugs on it. If you don't wash it clean, bugs will grow in it when spring comes."

She was probably referring to insect eggs. Mu Chuan nodded: "Aren't those few too close together? What if they get burnt?"

He laughed and said, "They're specially charred, so they can be woven with warp and weft, making them look nice."

Okay, he doesn't need to worry about much anymore, except for one question: "What are you planning to make up?"

You Sheng tilted his head, looking a little embarrassed: "I'm best at weaving insects, but I've heard that girls in the capital are afraid of insects, so I'm thinking of weaving some tables, chairs, and benches. Uncle, what do you think?"

"Then let's have tables and chairs," Mu Chuan said with a smile. "I'll ask her later if she likes insects."

"No one likes bugs," You Sheng said with a grin, jumping into the kitchen to rummage through her straw.

After chatting like this, Mu Chuan also decided what to give Miss Lin.

Cashmere, the best cashmere.

Although girls from noble families generally don't have to worry about keeping warm in winter, they have cashmere, cotton, and fur.

However, when it comes to cashmere alone, Beili's is still the best.

Although cashmere is also produced on the northern grasslands, the herders there are still individuals. It's different in Beili, where slavery still exists. Serfs are a means of production, just like cashmere, but serfs are not as valuable as cashmere.

If anything goes wrong, you'll lose your life.

Although it sounds a bit hellish, the cashmere produced in Beili is creamy yellow in color and has no fishy smell at all. It looks much more luxurious than the yellowish-brown cashmere produced in the north.

Not only is the color and smell better, but it is also fine and dense, with a slight elasticity, making it very warm to wear.

Mu Chuan sent a letter to the capital, instructing them to prepare several cashmere garments for Miss Lin, and to send them over once the tables, chairs, and benches made by You Sheng were finished.

That morning, it was time to visit the Empress once a month.

Lady Wang hadn't slept well since last night. She got up early this morning, dressed herself up, and boarded the carriage full of fighting spirit to go to the palace.

However, once they reached the gate of Beian, Madam Wang's fighting spirit vanished completely. A warm smile appeared on her face, and as she got out of the carriage, she handed each of the eunuchs at the gate a red envelope containing twenty taels of silver.

"It's cold, Father-in-law, take this and have some hot tea."

This attitude was much friendlier than it was towards her niece.

The eunuch who led her in next was a red envelope containing fifty taels of silver.

Upon arriving at Jinghua Palace, all the palace maids and eunuchs surrounded Yuan Chun as she came out to greet Lady Wang. Lady Wang smiled happily and scattered another large handful of silver notes.

The head eunuch and the chief palace maid each received 100 taels of silver, while the remaining palace maids and eunuchs each received 50 taels.

Otherwise, why would Wang Xifeng think that the second wife's family should at least pay half of the expenses?

First, according to the size of the palace, Jinghua Palace had two head eunuchs, one chief palace maid, twelve other eunuchs, and eight palace maids.

Yuan Chun was a Noble Consort, and her standard rank included eight eunuchs and eight palace maids.

Every time Lady Wang came, the tips alone amounted to two thousand taels or more, which added up to nearly thirty thousand taels a year. This doesn't even include the eunuchs' extravagant spending.

What was the salary of a first-class duke in the Great Wei Dynasty? Two thousand five hundred taels.

Of course, becoming a duke would certainly bring other income, but... none of the men in the Jia family are capable; they can't monetize their wealth and only know how to eat, drink, and have fun.

A ducal family of exceptional rank earned less than even the officials of rank.

So even if they have to put on a brave face, the Jia family has to maintain its dignity, otherwise it would be even more embarrassing.

Lady Wang lagged half a step behind and followed Yuan Chun into the room. After the palace maids and eunuchs bowed and left, Lady Wang smiled and said, "It's been a while since we last met. Your Highness looks a bit haggard today."

Baoqin personally served tea and said with a smile, "Your Majesty didn't sleep well last night and was waiting for Madam to come."

Lady Wang was kind and gentle, quite unlike her apathetic demeanor at the Jia family.

She pointed to her eyes and laughed, "I didn't sleep well last night either. Look at my eyes. If I hadn't put on some powder, I'd probably look terrible today."

Baoqin put down the tea and snacks: "Madam is talking to Her Majesty, I'll go outside and keep watch."

After Baoqin left, Madam Wang pulled up a stool and moved closer to Yuanchun, lowering her voice to ask softly, "When will you be able to give birth to a son or daughter? I will be content then."

Yuan Chun lowered her head, pretending to be shy, but inside she was going crazy.

How could she possibly have a child? The emperor never comes; how could she possibly conceive? She's still a virgin!

If she were to actually give birth, not to mention giving birth, the very act of getting pregnant would result in the immediate execution of her entire family.

“Madam,” Yuan Chun said hesitantly, “this can’t be rushed. Perhaps I’m getting too old and it might be difficult for me to conceive.”

"What do you mean by 'big' or 'not big'? I was already in my thirties when I gave birth to Baoyu, and I was perfectly fine!" Madam Wang said, feigning a scolding, before turning to comfort Yuanchun, "This matter can't be rushed; it has to be left to fate."

Yuan Chun was already tired of this monthly performance, but she had no choice but to perform. She pushed a small plate on the table and said, "Madam, try this. It's a dish made in the palace."

In the exquisite eight-treasure set of dishes, each compartment contained four delicate bite-sized pastries piled together. Madam Wang ate one, and meeting Yuan Chun's expectant gaze, she planned to try one of each.

While Lady Wang was eating, Yuan Chun finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "How is Bao Yu? How is Grandmother? How are the sisters at home? This winter is cold, so if you have anything to do, tell them to go out as little as possible so they don't catch a cold."

A series of questions would at least ensure that Madam Wang would have something to do for a while after finishing her snacks, so that she wouldn't feel too uncomfortable.

Yuan Chun's encouraging gaze lingered on Madam Wang, and she would occasionally say, "Is it delicious? Try this one too."

Lady Wang felt a pang of heartache. Although her daughter lived a life of luxury in the palace, she had no relatives by her side. How good could her life be?

Although they were bite-sized snacks, eating eight of them in a row still made her a little choked. Madam Wang then drank two more cups of tea and told Yuan Chun about the latest news from home.

“I suspect your grandmother probably realized that I don’t actually want Baoyu to marry a Xue family girl, and she hasn’t been praising the Lin family girl as much lately.”

Yuan Chun thought to herself, how could she not see it?

Who did Brother Zhu marry? Baoyu... Madam only has this one son left, and she pins all her hopes on him, so she married him off to a merchant's daughter?

"The Xue family's daughter is still a bit short of being a good match for Baoyu. But Grandmother should also know that the Lin family's daughter is also not a good match for Baoyu. If it were before, it would be alright, but what can we do when her parents died early? Not only did she not provide any assistance, but her family property was also less than that of the Xue family, and her health was poor. At least the Xue family's daughter is qualified to be a concubine."

Yuan Chun said coldly, "There's no affection whatsoever."

Madam Wang didn't care about that. She continued, "When you send New Year's gifts, Baoyu's and Xue's daughters' gifts should be the same. I need to provoke your grandmother, otherwise I'm afraid the Xue family will become suspicious and won't be close to me anymore."

Yuan Chun nodded: "I'll send some things over in a few days, around Laba Festival."

To put it bluntly, Lady Wang only wanted to extract things from the Xue family. Even if Yuan Chun had been made a concubine and Jia Baoyu had become the emperor's brother-in-law, Lady Wang would never have invited Xue Baochai into the family when Yuan Chun was still a palace maid.

What's the point?

Was it because she was old? Because she came from a merchant family? Because the Xue family was of low social standing? Or because her family had a murder case?

Lady Wang had discussed this with Yuan Chun long ago, seeking a balance, waiting for the right price, and waiting until the old lady passed away before finding a noble lady from a high-ranking family to marry Bao Yu.

Over the years, Mrs. Wang felt that she and the old lady seemed to have developed a tacit understanding.

They exchanged cryptic messages, each hinting at something, without uttering a word, keeping the Second Master completely in the dark.

Lady Wang hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Have you heard any news about the Marquis of Zhongyong while you were in the palace?"

Yuan Chun had indeed heard of this. She smiled casually and said, "Of course I have. His Majesty wants to arrange a marriage for him, and the Empress has already summoned quite a few girls to the palace for a selection. However, His Majesty is not satisfied with any of them. They all say that even if it were a selection of girls for His Majesty, it wouldn't be this troublesome. With so many girls, even His Majesty could choose three or five."

"Ah?" Madam Wang said with difficulty, "I heard that he has a past relationship with the Lin family and wants to recognize a Lin family girl as his younger sister. He has come to our place several times already, and he has brought quite a few things. I haven't looked at them closely, but I heard they are all good things."

Yuan Chun frowned and said, "In all my years, I've never heard of anyone recognizing a younger sister. Besides... this morning when I went to pay my respects to the Empress, I chatted with her and heard her say that the Marquis of Zhongyong is a womanizer. I also saw that Lin girl when she visited her family. Although she looked sickly, she was a beauty like a celestial being."

Madam Wang shook her head: "Then where did he hear about the reputation of the Lin family girl..." She fell silent as she spoke. Who else could it be but Baoyu?

Baoyu once took his sisters' needlework out to show off, and he also took their poems out to show off. He even had a disagreement with Lin Daiyu over these things. She only asked Wang Xifeng to manage the household for her. She wasn't deaf or blind; she knew all these things.

“It shouldn’t be Baoyu,” Yuanchun comforted Lady Wang. “I taught Baoyu to read and write since he was a child. He is kind-hearted and knows proper etiquette. He wouldn’t do such a thing. I guess… it’s for the Lin family’s property.”

"Ah!" Madam Wang understood immediately, "...the Lin family's assets."

The Lin family's assets were long gone. The Rongguo Mansion had 1,400 to 1,500 servants. The male servants' monthly wages were twice that of the female servants. They also needed to eat and wear clothes, and received a considerable amount of bonuses on a daily basis. Just these expenses alone amounted to no less than 100,000 taels of silver every year.

In addition, the Rongguo Mansion's daily social interactions and the expenses incurred by these ladies when they went out also amounted to a considerable sum of money, roughly the same amount each year.

Where is the money in the account?

Unless the Rongguo Mansion is completely drained and everything in the house is pawned, including the old matriarch's private savings and the dowries of the legitimate wives, the deficit can barely be made up.

She wouldn't admit to such a thing, so she quickly changed her story.

“You know me. I usually discipline the girls in the family strictly, especially Baoyu who lives in the garden. He and Lin’s daughter are cousins ​​and grew up together. With the old lady’s indulgence, if I loosen my grip a little and give her a kind look, and something happens, she can marry Baoyu directly, but the reputation of our Jia family’s girls will be ruined, and it will also implicate you.”

Lady Wang offered a lengthy explanation, then sighed, "Perhaps I've been too strict. She never smiles at me anymore; she probably already hates me. If she really becomes the wife of the Marquis of Zhongyong, I wouldn't care, but what will happen to our Jia family? No wonder—"

Lady Wang paused, then said as if suddenly realizing something, "Baoyu is terrified of the Marquis of Zhongyong, he must have been scareming Baoyu in private!"

Yuan Chun patted Lady Wang on the shoulder and laughed, "What's so difficult about that? Just make sure she can't be the wife of the Marquis of Zhongyong."

“Our family has four princes and eight dukes,” Yuan Chun said to Lady Wang. “Let’s not even talk about the eight dukes. Their titles have been downgraded by at least two generations, and they might not dare to face this first-class earl who is currently in the limelight. But there are still four princes. The Prince of Nan’an and the Prince of Beijing are on good terms with our family. If all else fails, there’s the Prince of Zhongshun. We can just say that we’re apologizing on behalf of Bao Yu. We can send her in with a small sedan chair, and that’s it. Can we even give her a dowry? What family has a dowry for a concubine? Does that mean the princess has no face?”

These words delighted Madam Wang, but she was always one to avoid trouble, so she asked, "What if your grandmother... disagrees?"

Yuan Chun sneered: "In my opinion, she'll probably be even more anxious than Madam then. Madam, do you think the old lady would rather leave her many years of accumulated treasures to Baoyu, or give them to the Earl of Zhongyong?"

“My good son, it’s amazing how insightful you are. After hearing what you said today, I have no more worries at all. That Lin girl is always encouraging your brother to go astray and not even study. Even if I could tolerate her, your father wouldn’t allow it. You don’t know how much your father wants Baoyu to improve himself.”

“Madam,” Yuan Chun said with ill intent, “In my opinion, you should loosen your grip a bit these days and let her fool around with Bao Yu and have fun. When you send her away, just say you had no choice. Once she becomes a concubine, she will inevitably have too many worries, but in three to five months, she will be free of troubles.”

Madam Wang sighed, finally unable to hold back her words, and said the truth: "Actually, I had thought about it before. Given her condition, unless she stayed in our family and married Baoyu, she was doomed either way—who could have known that the old lady would be so heartless? She always grieved for her husband, but my sister-in-law… died young, and even this last bit of her flesh and blood…"

Madam Wang wiped away her tears.

“That’s why she’s my granddaughter.” Yuan Chun drew out the word “granddaughter” with a sarcastic tone, and then said, “As for the marriages of our younger sisters, you don’t need to be too anxious. I’ll take care of them anyway.”

Lady Wang sighed and said, "My child, you have suffered. If it weren't for your Consort sister, none of your sisters would have been able to marry into good families."

Whenever this topic comes up, Madam Wang feels that whether it's Yingchun, Tanchun, or Xichun, they all took advantage of her, Yuanchun.

"The eldest son's wife is unreliable; her brother and sister-in-law don't even acknowledge her. Tan Chun is usually respectful, but Aunt Zhao... if Tan Chun marries well, she'll inevitably become arrogant. Anyway, I don't expect Tan Chun to help Bao Yu. As for Xi Chun... people from the East Mansion, in the capital, the mere mention of the Ningguo Mansion is enough to make them want to avoid it. It's tough!"

"There's no rush," Yuan Chun said with a smile. "Now that the country is peaceful and prosperous, we should keep our daughters for a few more years. The girl who married off at the beginning of the year in Prince Zhongshun's family is already nineteen. Besides, let's wait until I give birth to a son or daughter..."

She touched her belly and began to comfort Madam Wang with the same words that Madam Wang had used to rebuke her at the beginning: "There will be plenty of suitors coming to ask for your hand in marriage."

Madam Wang wanted to say something more, but Baoqin coughed outside, and both mother and daughter knew it was time to leave.

Lady Wang looked sorrowful, while Yuan Chun, though inwardly laughing wildly, wore the same sorrowful expression as Lady Wang.

"My son..." Madam Wang stood up, wanting to seize the last moment to say something.

“I’ll come again next month,” Yuan Chun said with a forced smile. “Besides, it’s my birthday on the first day of the Lunar New Year, so I can come in again then.”

Lady Wang, holding Yuan Chun's hand, suddenly said, "Have you gained some weight?"

Yuan Chun's face stiffened, and she quickly lowered her head.

What could she do?

What could she do?

The Empress said that she was a lady-in-waiting and literate, so she would ask her to teach palace rules to the maids every few days. She also asked her to copy books such as "Biographies of Exemplary Women" and "The Four Books for Women" and distribute them to the ladies in the palace.

She's incredibly busy every day, having to get up before dawn and copy books by lamplight at night. What else can she do besides eat?

"It's getting cold, and His Majesty said he prefers... someone a little rounder."

Madam Wang smiled sheepishly at first, then looked proud: "I misunderstood, but you should also be careful, so that the child won't have a difficult delivery."

“I know that the imperial physician comes to check my pulse every three days, and my health is in good condition.”

Yuan Chun accompanied Lady Wang out, and amidst the disrespectful and even somewhat threatening gazes of the eunuchs, she chose one of them to escort her out.

After Lady Wang left, Yuan Chun returned to her inner room and collapsed there.

She was exhausted. It had been five years since she had been made a concubine. The madam would come once a month and twice a month in the first month of the lunar calendar. She didn't know if she was acting too well or if the madam was pretending not to see anything, but she didn't notice anything unusual in her palace.

Baoqin came in and said softly, "Your Majesty... are you still not going to tell the truth? How much longer can the family hold out?"

"What can I do!" Yuan Chun suddenly burst out, tears streaming down her face, but the corners of her mouth curled up, and her eyes were filled with a mad light.

“When I visited my family, I said it myself. With so many palace maids and eunuchs watching me, and me saying so many bad things about the palace, I wished I could drag them all down with me! And what was the result?”

Yuan Chun laughed maniacally: "It's been five years, and I've been talking incoherently, my words contradicting each other, but Madam has pretended not to hear. I—then let's die together!"

“Miss.” Baoqin suddenly called her by her old name from home, and then wiped away Yuanchun’s tears. “I won’t tell the Empress this. You’ve always been the obedient and virtuous concubine who played the role of a favored concubine well.”

Yuan Chun felt utterly powerless: "None of them can even find a proper job, and the emperor doesn't offer them any preferential treatment. What else can I do?"

The Consort's father should have held a noble title, but her father did not.

The Imperial Concubine's birth mother deserved a first-rank imperial title for her meritorious childbirth, but she did not receive one.

The Imperial Concubine's brother should at least have a nominal position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but her brother didn't.

She also hinted that it was useless for those eunuchs to go to the Rongguo Mansion to freeload.

The Rongguo Mansion still maintained an image of pride in the Imperial Concubine, spending their days indulging in pleasure and living a life of debauchery.

She asked Mrs. Wang a few years ago, what did she say at the time?

“My son, don’t worry about that. Our family is the Rongguo Mansion, the founding duke family, which is naturally more noble than those people.”

What could she do?

What else could she do?

Yuan Chun began to cry softly.

She quickly wiped away her tears and murmured, "I'm living a life worse than death, and nobody else can live a good life."

That morning, before dawn, Mu Chuan got up, put on a full set of the ceremonial robes of a first-class earl, wore a Liang crown on his head, had a large sash hanging behind him, and held the ancestral tablets in his arms. He waited at the entrance of the newly built ancestral hall.

Village chief Lin Dashan stood in front of him. He had struggled with his decision all night, but finally decided to hold the golden hoe. As for the ancestral tablets, they were in the arms of his eldest son, who was standing next to him.

Of the ninety-three households in Linjia Village, four have lost their male heirs and have not yet had the opportunity to adopt sons. The ancestral tablets of these four households are being carried by male members of the Mu family.

When the newly constructed solar pointer reached the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), Lin Dashan shouted, "Open the ancestral hall!"

A thousand firecrackers were lit, crackling and popping. Lin Dashan led the way, followed closely by Mu Chuan, as they crossed the gate of the ancestral hall, amidst swirling smoke and fluttering red paper scraps.

Unlike other activities, the more important a person is, the more work they have to do in a sacrificial ceremony.

Just like Mu Chuan, he was in charge of lighting the yellow paper and burning paper money. Lin Dashan also said, "No wild ghost dares to snatch our village's paper money from the adults!"

After everyone placed their memorial tablets on the altar, lit incense in the incense burner, and recited some eulogies, the sacrificial ceremony was almost over.

Mu Chuan was very fire-conscious; he kept his eyes on the brazier, intending to wait until it was extinguished before leaving.

Mu Dazhuang had to wait until the very end because he needed to help several families without male heirs set up memorial tablets.

Seeing his son staring at the brazier, he assumed he had something on his mind and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions himself.

Mu Dazhuang stood next to Mu Chuan, staring at the ancestral tablets at the top of the list, and muttered to himself, "Things are better now. Da Niu and I can go to the capital in a couple of days and he can get his leg checked. From now on, we'll be enjoying life."

After saying those two sentences, Mu Dazhuang inexplicably became sad.

"Father, please bless Third Brother, bless him to give birth to a big, healthy son, bless our Mu family to have many descendants, a prosperous population, and endless blessings."

Mu Chuan listened from the side and felt increasingly uneasy. How many wishes had they made already?

Starting with him, his younger siblings, cousins, and even his grandchildren all had different expectations for each of them.

Mu Chuan cleared his throat and whispered, "Dad, my grandfather is dead, not that he's become an immortal. That's enough. What they want to do in the future is up to them. Besides, if you really want to make a wish, you have to come to me."

Mu Dazhuang's eyes widened: "You—!"

Mu Chuan was chased out of the ancestral hall.

Lin Dashan, who was instructing the old gatekeeper at the door, couldn't help but laugh: "Mu Dazhuang usually seems quiet, but I didn't expect him to be so fast."

Further afield, the newly hired tutor, Liao Jincai, has already been visiting each household to assess the students' abilities.

Although this person is only a scholar, we still need to consider who he is teaching and what his teaching objectives are.

In Linjia Village, there was no formal education. The basics were literacy, memorizing the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic, learning a few catchy ancient poems, discussing the strange tales that have been passed down to this day, and talking about local chronicles, especially the talented and virtuous ancestors of Linjia Village.

Hiring a scholar who has passed the imperial examination to teach is not only a waste of talent, but also unsuitable for teaching such a basic class.

Mu Chuan also hired an arithmetic teacher, but this teacher won't arrive until after the New Year.

The only difficulty was finding a resident doctor.

Experienced and capable doctors were unwilling to come, and Mu Chuan, who was only half-baked, was not satisfied. In the end, he invited an old man who had spent his whole life processing medicinal herbs.

Having grown up surrounded by these ailments, he had developed a good understanding of various illnesses, able to treat simple ones and even instruct villagers on how to process herbs gathered from the mountains. Mu Chuan felt this was the community's first line of defense, also guiding triage.

Unlike the cheerful atmosphere in the village, where everyone was preparing for a big spring harvest, even the usually confident Granny Liu didn't dare to speak at Wang Gou'er's house not far away.

"They opened the ancestral hall without inviting me!" Wang Gou'er's eyes were red, almost dripping blood.

He said through gritted teeth, "They want to drive me out of Linjia Village!"

Enraged, Wang Gou'er swung his hand forward, sweeping everything off the table, shattering it all over the floor.

“My grandfather was a high-ranking official in Beijing. He bought land and built a house in Linjia Village. He used his connections to get a year's rent waived for Linjia Village. They have all benefited from the Wang family’s kindness! They cannot be ungrateful! They cannot repay kindness with enmity.”

"dog--"

*Slap!* Wang Gou'er slapped Liu across the face: "Shut up! The Mu family has also benefited from the Wang family! If we hadn't exempted them from land rent back then, where would they have gotten the money to buy such good land! It should have been returned to the Wang family in the first place!"

After yelling at Liu Shi, he yelled at Granny Liu: "Is this what the Rongguo Mansion meant by 'it's all done'? They're just fooling us!"

Tears streamed down Liu's face. She was about to pick up the broken pieces from the ground when Grandma Liu pulled her aside. The two children trembled with fear.

Wang Gou'er, his eyes red with rage, suddenly found the door kicked open.

The one who kicked the door was Mu Chuan's subordinate, a big, burly man wearing armor, carrying a long stick, and with a large sword tucked behind his back.

Following behind them were village chief Lin Dashan and several clan elders.

"Wang Gou'er," Lin Dashan said coldly, "the clan has reached an agreement; you have three days to move out."

Wang Gou'er squinted and remained silent.

One of the clan elders said, "You have to move, whether you like it or not."

"I'm going to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor!" Wang Gou'er shouted, his neck stiff.

The people opposite him didn't say a word, but looked at Wang Gou'er with smiles on their faces.

"If you move now, you can still leave with some things. Your mother-in-law has a house and land. If you don't move out within three days, it's hard to say what you'll have left."

Lin Dashan remained calm and collected. He took out a sturdy cloth bag, but instead of throwing it onto the table, it fell to the ground with a thud. He frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with his strength.

“Your family owns a total of 135 mu of land, including 20 mu of paddy fields, 50 mu of dry land, and 65 mu of sandy land. The village will take it back and register it under the village school's name. Your homestead will also be taken back. This is the money for buying your land.”

Wang Gou'er sensed something was off about the voice, but he couldn't argue with the officials. If it were a lot of money, he would have gone along with it.

There were two men with knives standing at the door, especially the one on the left. He was always the one who held me down... It hurt, it hurt so much!

He stepped forward, untied the rope, and exclaimed, "Copper coins! They're all copper coins! You're bullying us by taking advantage of your power!"

It turns out he knew those four characters too.

"Twenty mu of paddy fields, five hundred coins per mu; fifty mu of dry land, two hundred coins per mu; sixty-five mu of sandy land, one hundred coins per mu; and the homestead, valued at five hundred coins. Count them yourself. If you are short one coin, I will compensate you tenfold."

"You can't...you're trying to kill me!"

"Come on, 125 acres of land is one of the best anywhere. Your family must have saved up a lot of money. How could you die? Besides, I've given you plenty of money. Stop pretending to cry and get out of here. This land is no longer yours. Don't come wandering around here unless you want, or I'll beat you up."

This sentence was provided by Mu Dazhuang. More than ten years have passed, and he has never dared to forget it. He even dreams about it at night.

Unfortunately, judging from Wang Gou'er's expression, he had already forgotten everything.

Granny Liu suddenly stepped forward and said, "Gentlemen, the Prime Minister is magnanimous; there's no need for him to stoop to the level of us commoners. Our family... we also asked the Rongguo Mansion to mediate. They plan to visit the Imperial Concubine on the first and fifteenth of each month, and the Imperial Concubine knows about it. His Majesty has probably heard as well. Perhaps—"

Grandma Liu paused, feeling that something seemed amiss.

"How about this?" Lin Dashan laughed in anger, and retorted, "You want to stay in the village? Do you think you can even stay? Or do you want more money? Do you even deserve it? Or do you want the adults to come and offer you a toast? It's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Let's just let bygones be bygones?"

“That doesn’t make sense,” an elder said doubtfully. “When I went to the capital last time, I heard them say that visits to the palace are on the 2nd and 6th of each month. I even saw the carriage of Consort Wu’s family; it was quite magnificent.”