Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Although Grandpa Han and the others were eager to help their grandson, there's a saying: "Something offered too eagerly isn't worth having."

So, after settling Fifth Aunt's affairs, they only briefly introduced Han Zhang's situation and didn't dwell too much on him.

However, Seventh Grandpa Han and the others were worldly-wise old foxes; some things didn't need to be spelled out—no words were needed between them.

Thus, after Han Zhang and his party left, the stronghold also convened a meeting.

Seventh Grandpa Han mused while stroking his beard, asking the old brothers at the table, "What do you all think of Sixth Brother's grandson?"

"Don't mess with him."

"Very dangerous."

"He's spilled blood."

The old men thought for a moment and gave their assessments with pinpoint accuracy.

Men who made their living on the edge of a knife had the sharpest instincts, and although Han Zhang concealed it well, he couldn't hide from so many probing eyes.

Seventh Grandpa Han heard this and saw no problem with it; instead, he nodded with a gratified smile: "Good, he shouldn't be messed with. If Nephew Qinzhang were just a bookish fool, Sixth Brother and the others wouldn't have brought him here."

"I've also caught wind of this kid recently—he's not just top of his class, he's also a crack shot with a bow, able to hit a willow leaf from a hundred paces. Calling him 'master of both pen and sword' isn't an exaggeration in the least."

"What's even rarer is that this kid has an iron will and doesn't go easy on himself."

"To gain the Shen family's support, he went all in, swearing a vow to be with Master Shen and only Master Shen for life, severing any future route to taking concubines or building power through marriage ties."

"...A man like that, even if he never reaches the very top, is sure to carve out a place for himself at court."

The others had not yet heard of these matters and couldn't help but be taken aback.

Eighth Grandpa Han said thoughtfully, "Isn't this all-or-nothing attitude too risky? What if he backed the wrong horse?"

"Backed the wrong horse?" Seventh Grandpa Han shook his head. "You all know full well what connections Lord Shen has—I don't need to spell it out. He's no mere fifth-rank official. Marrying his son would bring advantages no less than marrying into a third-rank official's family."

"Even if he doesn't receive Lord Shen's full support, Lady Shen, from a wealthy merchant family in Jiangnan, has deep pockets that shouldn't be underestimated... Whichever support he gets, this marriage won't be a loss."

"Moreover, the current emperor needs a sharp blade to counterbalance the power plays between court nobles and great families."

"And a lone minister—humble-born, skilled in both letters and arms, loyal, and cut off from marriage alliances—is the perfect blade for the job, don't you think?"

At these words.

Eighth Grandpa Han and the others were stunned and alarmed: "This kid—does he have a death wish?!"

Since ancient times, how many lone ministers have come to a good end?

"But this is the only path for the Han clan to rise quickly. Otherwise, with the court full of talented men like fish in the sea, if he doesn't play a risky hand, how can he snatch power from those old foxes?"

"If we don't make our move now, once these old bones of ours start dropping one by one, and our kids and grandkids stay stuck at the bottom, how many will even remember our dream of restoring the family's name?"

"That child Qinzhang is not foolish. Having chosen this path, he knows full well what the outcome will be."

At this point, Seventh Grandpa Han sighed softly:

"Knowing all this, he still chose to go ahead... This kid is dead set on paving a smooth road for the Han clan with his own life."

Outsiders who don't know the Han clan's inner workings just think Nephew Qinzhang is sucking up to his in-laws, or that he's genuinely head over heels for Shen Geer.

But those on the inside can tell that Nephew Qinzhang is definitely using this marriage to build himself up, molding himself into exactly what the emperor needs.

Nephew Qinzhang... has really sacrificed a lot!

"Since Nephew Qinzhang has such big ambitions and such guts, and Sixth Brother and the others have brought him here, it's time for us to do our part for the clan and win a future for our good-for-nothing kids and grandkids."

Seventh Grandpa Han looked around at the others: "What do you brothers think?"

"We'll follow Seventh Brother's lead. Lending a hand when times are good is nothing compared to helping when times are hard. After all, things aren't easy for us right now either. Rather than waiting to get taken down by those 'masters' one day, we might as well throw in our lot with Nephew Qinzhang and take a gamble!"

The stronghold men pounded their fists on the table, their voices and eyes full of determination.

If Nephew Qinzhang could sacrifice himself for the family's revival, how could they, old as they are, not have the guts to fight one more time for their kids and grandkids?

Who cares if the road ahead is smooth or a cliff—just go for it!

Han "Master Schemer" "Family Sacrifice" Zhang: "..."

Can't he just genuinely love his husband and be head over heels for him?

...

Seventh Grandpa Han and the others cooked up a whole elaborate story in their heads, and the more they thought about it, the more they were convinced Han Zhang had a bright future ahead.

So naturally, they put even more effort into their work.

The day after they filed the lawsuit at the yamen, the Han family laid out a feast in the village to thank the Shangpo Village folks who had come along to back them up.

Over at Liu Family Village.

The remaining Liu family members hadn't even recovered from the shock of their elders being arrested and exiled, when a gang of gambling den thugs showed up at their door.

With a thunderous crash.

Seven or eight burly, mean-looking men barged into the courtyard.

The Liu family shook with fear, huddling together like scared rabbits, their voices shaking: "Who... who are you... what do you want?"

The gambling den thugs didn't waste any time on pleasantries, just pulled out an IOU: "What do we want? Collecting a debt, of course! Liu Baogen owed us 100 taels at our gambling den a while back—in black and white, with his red thumbprint on it. Today, we're here to collect the debt!"

Liu Baogen was Liu Wangshi's good-for-nothing youngest son.

It's that third branch causing trouble again!

The Liu family was both furious and scared, quickly shoving Liu Baogen out front and desperately distancing themselves:

"Gentlemen, seek the one who wronged you and the one who owes you! This wretch is the one who owes the money—it's got nothing to do with us! If you want to grab him or go after him..."

Liu Baogen couldn't possibly pay back the debt, wailing and crying in terror: "Don't grab me! Don't grab me... Please, sirs! Please, grandpas! I... I only borrowed ten taels in the first place! How... how did it turn into a hundred? Even if you chopped me up and sold me piece by piece, I couldn't pay it back..."

"Pah!" The lead thug took a half step back in disgust, spitting a thick wad of phlegm right next to his face. "Ten taels? You think our gambling den is a charity house? You think we lend money without interest? You said you'd pay it back in three days—how long have you been dragging it out now? With interest piling up, a hundred taels is already letting you off easy!"

"A debt must be repaid—that's just the way it is. Don't worry, our gambling den is a legitimate operation—we don't kill people. No money? No problem—you'll work off the debt!"

With a wave of his hand, the thugs lunged at the Liu family like starving tigers.

The Liu family, who hadn't expected to be dragged into this, struggled and screamed: "Let go! Let me go! It's Liu Baogen who owes the money—what right do you have to grab us! This has nothing to do with us!"

"What's all the shouting about? A father's debts fall on the son, and brothers are in it together—understand? Your Liu family hasn't split up; you've all been eating out of the same pot for years. Now you're trying to wash your hands of it? Too late!"

"Since you're all one family, Liu Baogen's debt belongs to all of you! If you have no land or silver, then come quietly with us and work it off!"

The gambling den thugs finished their threats, then gagged the whole family.

They dragged them off to the black kiln, a hard-labor camp.

The headman of Liujia Village and the other villagers cowered in their own yards, peeking through the cracks of their doors, not daring to step in—and not wanting to either.

The Liu Laoshu family was a blight on their village. Yesterday they got hauled into court, and today they brought gambling den trouble. Their village would be a laughingstock for miles around now.

They just hoped the Liu family would never come back—and die out there!

"Kick them out of the clan! We need to open the ancestral hall and strike Liu Laoshu's branch from the family records! Otherwise, the whole Liu clan won't be able to hold our heads up around here..."

"And that Wang woman—raising that daughter and marrying her into our Liu family was pure sabotage! Round up the men; we're going to Wang Family Village to demand answers..."

The Liu clan chief stomped his foot and cursed.

Meanwhile.

In the city, Liu Zhenzhen was tied up and sold to a broker by her husband—the constable she'd once been so proud of.

Because Constable Ge wasn't a constable anymore—he'd been stripped of his position!

Though his superiors hadn't said why, Constable Ge put two and two together and knew exactly why he'd lost his badge.

"You idiot! I told you to cozy up to the Han family. You screwed that up, and on top of it, you turned out to be a fake!"

"That dead mother of yours was a fool too—swapping someone else's kid without finishing the job, leaving loose ends, and even daring to mistreat and humiliate her, leaving proof behind... Now look—my whole career is ruined because of you two!"

Constable Ge was livid. Back then, he'd greased a lot of palms and called in a lot of favors to get that constable job.

Now it was gone because of his wife's stupidity. He'd have to go back to farming, and who knew how the people he'd crossed would get back at him.

If he was going to suffer, that idiot Liu Zhenzhen was going to suffer even worse.

Liu Zhenzhen sobbed in regret: "No, husband, you can't sell me! I gave you two kids! I was wrong—I'll go back to the Han family right now and apologize, get my nephew to give you your job back! Don't send me away, please... My parents loved me the most; they're just mad right now, that's all."

But would Constable Ge buy that? What normal parents would show mercy to their enemy's daughter?

Especially given everything Liu Zhenzhen had done.

She still couldn't see reality, still thought the Han family would go soft. Utterly stupid.

Constable Ge sneered: "The Han family did love you—but now you're Liu Zhenzhen, not Han Zhenzhen!"

And so.

Liu Zhenzhen, sold to the broker, soon reunited with the Liu family at the black kiln.

Liu Wangshi's other three daughters were likewise divorced or thrown out by their scared husbands' families, and... eventually ended up at the black kiln too.

From then on, the rest of the Liu family was reunited, starting their life of hard labor in the dark.

They now got a taste of the "good life" Xiang Lian had once endured—hungry three days out of nine, beaten and scolded whenever the mood struck.

...

Dingbei Marquis Manor.

The Liu family's fate hadn't been kept secret, so Xiang Lian and her husband naturally heard about it.

Kang Zhanxun said: "There's no proof the Han family did it, but what a coincidence—the Liu family's downfall has to be tied to Uncle Han and the others."

He'd never expected the Han family, who seemed so honest and simple, to have that kind of guts and cunning.

Still, the outcome finally loosened the knot of resentment that had weighed on Xiang Lian for years.

Don't give her that "ignorance is bliss" crap—during those years in the Liu family, the bullying and beatings she suffered were all too real!

If not for her own scheming and luck, she'd have died in that brothel, ruined and disgraced.

Now these people were just getting a taste of what she'd gone through.

Thankfully, it was all over. She was never some lowly servant girl—her real parents and brothers had loved her all along.

The gloom that had hung over Xiang Lian for years finally lifted. She shot Kang Zhanxun a teasing look and smiled: "Still calling him Uncle?"

"Right—Father-in-law. Should be Father-in-law."

Kang Zhanxun blinked, then laughed heartily, correcting himself right away.

With the Han family making their stance so clear, this marriage was definitely worth recognizing.