Although Li Qingkui feigned shock and indignation on the surface, he was actually very excited inside because he could get a large sum of money from the Jiang family again.
He made an outrageous demand, setting four conditions.
First: We need 1,000 acres of fertile land.
Second: His second daughter, Li Huiqiao, married Jiang Juncai as his legal wife.
Third: Find a proper job for his son, Li Xuenong, at the Hanlin Academy.
Fourth: 100,000 taels of silver.
Li Guiqie directly scolded him: "A man's greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant! Don't go too far. The Jiang family has plenty of ways to make the Li family suffer losses without daring to utter a sound!"
Li Qingkui threatened with a ferocious expression: "Don't you understand the principle of 'a life for a life'? Jiang Juncai killed my daughter, so he should pay with his life. I won't make him pay with his life. I'll exchange these for Jiang Juncai's life. The Jiang family won't lose out."
Li Guiqie was severely scolded by her brother, but in the end, she still gritted her teeth and told Jiang Zhengqing about the Li family's demands.
Although Jiang Zhengqing scolded Li Qingkui for being greedy, he had still been very fond of Li Guiqie over the years. This little bit of stuff was nothing to the Jiang family, so Jiang Zhengqing grumbled a few words and then agreed.
Li Qingkui, carried away with her pride, said to her sister, "Am I right? The Jiang family is getting away with this in exchange for their eldest son's life. I told you he would definitely agree. What do you say now? Did he agree?"
Li Qingkui returned to the Li family home that very night to share this joy with her elderly parents.
The next day, the Li family slaughtered pigs and sheep to celebrate.
As Li Qingkui passed by the lotus pond, she noticed that a large koi carp in the pond looked listless, with many of its scales missing, and it didn't look like it would live for many more days.
"Catch that carp and stew it!"
Although the carp had cultivated for many years and was about to transform into human form, it had lost its vital energy a few days ago when Li Huilin sat on it, which caused it to lose its scales and become much slower.
The carp didn't want to die and desperately tried to escape in the lotus pond, but the servants, some with fishing nets and others with forks, caught the carp in less than half an hour, and it was served on the table that noon.
The Li family ate and drank heartily, showing no grief whatsoever over Li Huilin's passing.
As luck would have it, the last time the Li family lost a large amount of valuables, it was because two bandits went into the city to buy things and accidentally discovered that the Li family was a wealthy and unsuspecting household. These two bandits received a reward and reported the situation of the Li family to their leader. The leader then sent people to scout the area and observe the Li family for many days, learning their daily routines and security arrangements in detail.
Just after noon that day, Jiang Zhengqing sent his steward to deliver the promised items to the Li family without missing a single one: the deeds to a thousand acres of fertile land and silver notes for 100,000 taels of silver. As for Li Huiqiao, she could only be made a concubine; it was impossible for her to be the principal wife.
Li Xuenong's job also required Jiang Zhengqing to pull strings, and it would take some time.
The bandits happened to witness the Jiang family delivering land deeds and silver notes to the Li family.
The bandit leader was a ruthless and greedy man, and he decided right then and there to make his move that night.
In the middle of the night, a wind rose, and a group of mountain bandits, numbering in the dozens, climbed over the wall into the Li family mansion and headed straight for the main house where 100,000 taels of silver notes were hidden.
Li Qingkui and his wife were so excited they couldn't sleep, so they counted silver notes in bed.
When the door was kicked open, the two were startled. Li Qingkui saw the bandits who didn't even bother to cover their faces, and the gleaming knife in their hands. She immediately covered the silver notes and hid them under the covers.
"What are you doing!" Li Qingkui shouted, trying to scare away the bandits. He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Help! Help!"
With a "thud," the gleaming knife pierced a hole in Li Qingkui's chest.
The bandits were experienced killers. Without drawing their swords, they grabbed Li Qingkui and threw him off the bed, then collected all the silver notes from his bedding.
Li Qingkui's wife was stunned and kept screaming.
The bandits noticed that Li Qingkui's wife was not particularly attractive and had no interest in her; she was far less appealing than the silver notes.
A bandit with a thick beard killed her with a single blow.
The Li family compound wasn't large, and the bandits, having broken in without making a fuss, caused quite a stir. Many members of the Li family woke up, and the place became a chaotic scene of chickens flying and dogs barking.
However, the Li family soon fell silent. Most of the Li family members died at the hands of the bandits, and only a few young girls were raped by the bandits but were not killed on the spot.
After the bandits had their fun, they killed the girls, including Li Huiqiao.
Before leaving, the bandits set a huge fire, which, fueled by the wind, burned the Li family's house to the ground.
When Consort Li received the news the next day, the Li family's house had been reduced to a wasteland, with no survivors.
Strangely, despite the strong fire and wind last night, the Li family's neighbors were completely unharmed.
The carp spirit had satisfied its pent-up anger and left the area. In truth, the carp spirit hadn't done much; it had merely allowed the fire to spread to every corner of the Li family's residence.
Li Guiqie demanded that the government conduct a thorough investigation and find the murderer, but the scene was burned to ashes, and the people were all burned to charcoal, making it impossible to identify who was who. The traces left by the bandits had long been burned away, and the Li family's case became an unsolved mystery.
Li Guiqie sought out Yuan Qi, hoping he could start by investigating the ghosts of the deceased members of the Li family and provide clues to the authorities.
Yuan Qi refused: "The Li family is doomed. All the advantages they have gained over the years, and all the troubles they have caused outside, they will eventually have to pay for."
Concubine Li was filled with remorse, believing that she had ruined the entire Li family, and Yuan Qi did not offer her any advice.
As the weather gradually warms up, there has been no movement from Crown Prince Xiao Yi for some time now. It seems that the Ghost King has learned his lesson and settled down, or perhaps he is brewing a new plan.
When Yuan Qi had nothing to do, he would set up a stall under the big locust tree on Tianshui Street and earn a lot of merit.
Bai Youhui came over again that day, carrying a pot of chilled grape wine.
He took out two glass cups and poured one for himself and one for Yuan Qi: "Seventh Sister, my grandfather wants you to take a look at Bai Fujun. His illness has gotten worse these days. He doesn't sleep all night and makes a scene in his room. He not only throws things around, but he also curses people, even cursing my grandfather. It's really too much."
Yuan Qi had wanted to see what was going on with Bai Fujun for a long time, but since the Bai family didn't invite her, she couldn't take the initiative, so it was delayed until now.
"Let's go." Yuan Qi packed up his stall and followed Bai Youhui to the Bai family home.
Although the Bai family's fortunes are not as good as before, on the surface they look no different from the last time they came, still surrounded by servants and living a life of extravagance.
Upon entering the Bai residence, Bai Youhui took Yuan Qi to meet Madam Shen, the eldest wife of the Bai family.
Shen's complexion was not good, she was very thin, and her white hair was very noticeable.
If anyone's son is like this, they won't be able to sleep or eat properly. Yuan Qi stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Madam Bai."
Madam Shen said, "My son has been like this for five or six years. I secretly asked Master Kongqing of Wuji Palace to come and see him. Master Kongqing said that my son has an extra soul and a spirit compared to others, which is why he is mentally confused. What should we do?"
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