Chapter 139
The man Su County Magistrate summoned to teach Wen Shi to ride a horse was none other than a cousin from his family.
Wen Shi now sets aside an hour after each shift to go to the county barracks in the suburbs, where there is a ready-made horse farm, which is convenient for learning and has a large enough space.
At first, it took him a lot of effort. Learning to ride a horse was not as simple as he thought. There were requirements for posture and other aspects. He had ridden in a carriage before, but now that he had changed into casual clothes and was riding a horse, he was a little uncomfortable at first.
The horse was tall and strong. Looking around, all that could be seen was a barren expanse of sand. Wen Shi studied very diligently. Not only did he study, but his two servants also studied together, so that it would be more convenient for them to go out in the future.
Half a month later, he was able to ride the horse. He remembered the key points and could run outside. Most military officers rode horses, but a horse-drawn carriage was not as fast as riding a horse directly.
After Wen Shi learned the skill, he immediately arranged for someone to go to the market and buy a new black horse. He kept it at home, and a groom took care of it. Including the previous horse, he now had two horses at home.
Cattle and horses are currently very expensive, so acquiring these now is considered a form of property, which can be taken back later.
After organizing the manpower, construction began immediately. The work was done by the subordinates, and Wen Shi and County Commandant Su would occasionally go over to check on things.
Especially when it comes to Wen Shi, the time he goes is not fixed. Sometimes it's in the morning, sometimes in the evening, and sometimes at noon.
Because the timing was random, the officials in charge didn't dare to be too perfunctory. There were also a few soldiers in the county government office. These people could ride horses and would usually go out with Wen Shi.
Winter has arrived in the blink of an eye.
That day, the weather was gloomy. After inspecting the last dike, Wen Shi headed towards the county town. Several soldiers on horseback followed behind him. As they approached the city gate, they slowed down.
Suddenly, a woman wearing a patched-up coat rushed out of the woods nearby.
Upon hearing this, he immediately pulled on the reins, his brow furrowed.
"How dare you! Who are you? What do you want?"
The observant soldiers dismounted and walked up to the woman, their faces fierce, even drawing their knives from their waists.
"My lord, my lord, I have a grievance to redress and I beg you to do me justice."
"If there is a grievance, then write a complaint and appeal to the county government."
“I can’t write a complaint, I can’t write one. I can’t write. My family is poor and can’t afford to hire anyone. Nobody is willing to help me. They’re all afraid of the trouble. Sir, please help me. You care about the people’s livelihood and came to Ping County to take up your post. Everyone praises you as a good official. I beg you.”
The woman was sobbing uncontrollably. Upon hearing these words, her expression changed. Seeing that everyone around her was looking over with curiosity, he cracked his whip and rode into the city, leaving her behind with the words, "Take her with you."
The soldiers immediately complied, their actions quite rough. Upon hearing this, the woman's mood brightened considerably.
After the county magistrate sent people to question her, Wen Shi learned that the woman's husband had passed away from illness half a month ago, and their family had already separated. She and her husband had only been married for a few years and had only two daughters.
After her husband passed away, his family took back the land that had been allocated to them. Her brothers didn't help, and her uncle and brother-in-law were both difficult to deal with. The village chief and the head of the village were also unwilling to get involved.
Not only that, the only food the family had left to get through the winter was taken away by the parents-in-law. If it weren't for some sweet potatoes given by a kind neighbor, they really wouldn't have been able to survive.
She had no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure. For the past two days, she has been waiting at the city gate. She doesn't dare to stand at the entrance of the county government office, because she would be immediately driven away by the soldiers.
"Sir, this woman is truly pitiful. Her husband's family is so heartless, not giving her and her children any way to survive."
Upon hearing this, Wen Shi couldn't help but sigh.
"Have someone write a complaint for her, read it aloud, and then have her sign and put her fingerprint on it."
Winter is cold and long, and life is already difficult for ordinary people. If they had no food, the mother and her two children would not have survived. It was truly heartless.
Wen Shi had also experienced a life of poverty, so he knew all too well what it was like.
In the evening, Wen Shi told Ying Xiang about this, and Ying Xiang couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the woman.
"The son is gone, and the granddaughter is still here. They're not even leaving the three of them any way to survive."
"Her in-laws want to use this to get her married off quickly. Daughters can't carry on the family line, so in the end, it all belongs to another family. People in the village generally prefer to avoid trouble. No one thinks this is wrong. As long as she remarries, she can find a family to eat in. Then the house and land that were originally given to her and her husband will return to her original in-laws, and her parents-in-law will definitely divide it among their other two sons."
Land and houses are hard currency in this day and age.
When Wen Shi said this, his expression became somewhat complicated. He suddenly remembered what his teacher had said before: there is no absolute fairness in this world.
Even if the woman appeals, a judgment requires evidence. Her husband left in a hurry, and the land and house originally belonged to her husband. These are all registered with the government, and he has already checked them.
Property is inherited from father to son. He has no sons, but his brothers do. If they use the issue of adoption as an excuse to divide up the property he left behind, the trial will be quite difficult. This case will not be easy.
Some ordinary people are not ignorant of the law, and when they heard this, they did not hide it from their wives. Yingxiang could only sigh in her heart, "What kind of mess is this?"
She had been quite happy looking at the account books during the day, but now that she heard Wen Shi talking about this, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman.
"If she has no evidence, but her husband's family can provide evidence that her husband intends to divide the family property among his nephews and not among his wife and children, then in the end she will get nothing."
He remained silent upon hearing this, which can be considered as tacit agreement.
"If that's the case, then this man is really heartless. The child is still his own flesh and blood."
“Generally, if you get married, the law allows you to add the woman’s name to the house and land deeds. Although you can’t sell it directly, it serves as a form of protection. With her name on the deed, you can live and work there. It also serves as evidence in case of disputes. But many people don’t understand this and often overlook it. If you don’t marry a good man, you really have nothing.”
Yingxiang looked at the ceiling, turned over, and stopped talking.
In the middle of the night, snowflakes suddenly began to fall outside. When Wen Shi got up early and went out, there was already a thin layer of snow in the yard. After having his meal in the dining hall, he headed towards the guardhouse in the front yard.
He had barely sat down when a soldier brought him a thick letter.
"Sir, this was sent to you by the second master of the Fan family."
The officers left the envelope and went out. There was a charcoal fire burning inside. When they took off their cloaks, they weren't cold. After opening the envelope, they saw a stack of silver notes, all of them fifty taels in denomination, totaling about three thousand taels.
He put the money aside, which wasn't a small amount, and began to read the "lawsuit" inside.
After reading it, Wen Shi sneered, put all the money and the complaint back in, and sealed it again.
The Fan family was quite well-known in the county. Their father had passed away not long ago. The old man was also known as the Great Philanthropist Fan. He often distributed porridge and rice to the people and helped some poor families.
The old man passed away suddenly, and not long after his funeral, the dispute over the family property began. As it stands, they haven't reached an agreement at all. The second master of the Fan family wants to seize the opportunity first and bribe him privately to get 80% of the family property awarded to him.
Wen Shi rubbed his temples, then called someone over and returned the letter.
The situation was similar on Yingxiang's side; the second wife of the Fan family directly sent her a box of gold ingots.
She opened the box and saw that it was supposed to be an ordinary gift, but the box was full of bright, golden ingots, which surprised Yingxiang. However, it wasn't that unusual for her.
Besides, there are no free gifts in this world.
"Chunyu, send them back. Tell them it's unnecessary."
She couldn't possibly accept money privately. She could earn it herself. Money is tempting, but it has to be obtained legitimately, otherwise she won't get anything good and will only give others something to hold against her.
Once you start, it will be difficult to stop later.
Human greed is insatiable. She doesn't know why the Fan family is so extravagant right now, but if the profits weren't so great, why would this family need to do this?
She had met all the ladies of the Fan family. The first lady was gentle and kind, the second lady seemed very shrewd, the third lady was easygoing, and the fourth lady was young and beautiful.
His family was one of the wealthiest in the city, with more than thirty shops and thousands of acres of fertile land in the suburbs. Their assets were quite substantial.
At noon, Wen Shi came back for lunch, and Ying Xiang didn't hide it from him.
After hearing this, she understood.
"What if he's bribing his superiors to get the prefect to pressure you?"
“If he wants to bribe the prefect, this amount of money is not enough. It would have to be at least three times as much, otherwise it wouldn’t be enough.”
“The prefect’s family is wealthy and not short of money. Moreover, the other branches of the Fan family also have relatives who are officials. This matter is likely to cause quite a stir.”
He picked up a piece of dried bamboo shoot with his chopsticks and put it in his wife's bowl.
This stuff is dried and stored in the spring, and then soaked in water in the winter to stew with meat. It's not sold in the market.
Yingxiang nodded, not caring much.
The disputes among the wealthy have mostly stemmed from this throughout history. What remains constant is that there are laws in every era, and one should simply follow the law.
A few days later, the couple received a letter from the capital. It was a very thick envelope. After reading it, they looked at each other and smiled.
It was written to them by Wen Leqian to reassure the couple that he was doing well in the capital, studying diligently, and to tell them to take care of their health.
The Wen family doesn't have any trivial matters. Next year, both Wen Xiaowu and Wen Chuanzong will be involved. Wen Shi has confidence in Xiaowu.
He put the letter aside. Yingxiang thought of her son, but she wasn't too worried. The child was very easy to take care of, so she let him study hard in the capital.
"I'll send him money back in a few days."
"rest assured."
For officials stationed away from home, sending letters home was not difficult. The military had a unified system for escorting letters home, and civil officials stationed away from home could also arrange for people to deliver messages along official roads, which was very convenient.
The two of them are not in dire financial straits at the moment, so they have no worries.
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