She had a slender figure, but her steps were steady and there was no panic in her eyes.
She walked up to the leading man and spoke softly, her voice gentle but firm: "Ten taels of silver, right? I'll pay for it."
The big man was stunned, obviously not expecting Fang Qingyue to speak suddenly, and there was a hint of suspicion in his expression.
He looked Fang Qingyue up and down, and seeing that she was not dressed like an ordinary person, he raised his eyebrows and said with a hint of greed: "Oh? You are willing to pay? Very good, ten taels of silver, bring it to me immediately."
Fang Qingyue took out a bag of silver from her sleeve and opened it casually. There were exactly ten taels of silver inside.
She handed over the silver and said calmly: "I'll give you the silver, but from now on, I hope you won't make things difficult for this family again."
The big man took the silver, his eyes full of pride.
He weighed the silver in his hand, a satisfied smile on his face: "Hey, this is a girl who knows how to deal with current affairs!"
"Now that I've taken the money, I won't bother this old man anymore."
After receiving the silver, the big man waved his hand and prepared to leave with his two men.
But before leaving, he turned back and glared at the old scholar fiercely, gritted his teeth and said, "If you can't pay the rent next time, no one can save you."
Only after the several big men left the yard did the originally heavy atmosphere relax a little.
The old scholar's face was full of shame. Although his wife and daughter were relieved, they couldn't help sobbing softly.
The woman in labor leaned weakly in the chair, her eyes full of gratitude.
"Miss...how can we ask you to pay for this? You've already saved our family, and now you're paying our rent. We...really feel bad."
The old scholar said in a trembling voice, his expression full of shame.
Fang Qingyue shook her head and said softly, "Old sir, silver is nothing. Compared to your safety, this little money is not worth mentioning."
When the old scholar heard her say this, he felt even more grateful, but he also knew that this money might not be easy for Fang Qingyue.
He was about to say something else, but saw that Fang Qingyue was calm and did not give him any chance to refuse.
"Old sir, you don't have to blame yourself, and you don't have to be afraid."
"The most important thing right now is to take good care of my wife and children."
Fang Qingyue spoke softly, then she looked at the dilapidated house in the courtyard, frowned slightly, and continued, "It's just... it looks like these people won't give up. If you want to live in peace, I'm afraid you need to find some other way."
When the old scholar heard this, he looked a little embarrassed.
Finally, the old scholar couldn't help but speak, his voice bitter: "Miss, to be honest, everyone in this town is suffering, especially us scholars, who are almost forced into despair."
"Those rent collectors are just running dogs. The ones who are really making it hard for us to survive are the town's officials!"
At this point, he slammed the table with anger, his voice rising sharply, "This place far away from the capital has become the land of their local tyrants, extorting money and taxes with impunity!"
"They collect rent, extort money, and collect 'protection fees' – they take everything. They are completely inhumane!"
Fang Qingyue frowned slightly. She didn't expect the situation to be so bad.
In such a remote place as the frontier, the laws of the capital are obviously difficult to implement effectively, and it is expected that local officials will take advantage of the opportunity to act recklessly.
But when she heard the old scholar scolding the government like that, she felt worried for him. After all, publicly criticizing the government in such an environment was extremely dangerous.
As Fang Qingyue pondered this, the old scholar's rage grew. His hands trembled, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke, "Back then, before my eldest son got married, he contradicted some officials and got his leg injured."
"Today, these beasts are still oppressing us powerless common people, and they have even increased the rent several times!"
"Ten taels of silver! What does that even mean? Even if we work ourselves to death, we can't save up that much money!"
As his voice became more passionate, the atmosphere in the room became more tense.
The woman in labor and her husband looked at each other, their faces full of worry.
Just when the old scholar's anger was almost out of control, the woman in labor suddenly struggled to stand up, rushed to him anxiously, and covered his mouth with force.
"Dad! Stop talking! Stop talking! You can't say that!"
There was a pleading tone in her voice and fear in her eyes.
She was afraid that if her father said one more word, the authorities would find out and bring disaster upon her.
The old scholar was held tightly by his daughter, and there was still anger on his face, but when he saw his daughter so anxious, he barely calmed down a little.
His eyes dimmed and he whispered, "I know, I know I can't say this. We don't even have the right to live."
Fang Qingyue watched this scene quietly, feeling mixed emotions.
She originally thought that this was just an ordinary border town, where life was poor but peaceful.
Now, the old scholar's words woke her up like a bucket of cold water.
She realized that the water in this place was much deeper than she had imagined, and might even be more dangerous than the open and secret struggles she faced in the capital.
She sighed softly and her expression gradually regained composure.
It was not advisable to stay here for long, and this thought became increasingly clear in her mind.
If I continue to stay here, I can't guarantee that I won't be targeted by corrupt officials or other forces.
She was pregnant, Chi Yue was blind, and although Cheng Qingyuan was skilled in martial arts, he was ultimately outnumbered.
Thinking of this, Fang Qingyue couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency in her heart.
She turned around, pulled out a bag of silver from her sleeve, and handed it to the husband of the woman in labor. Her tone was gentle but decisive: "Take this silver and use it to deal with the current difficulties for the time being."
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