CHAPTER 285: CHAPTER 275: I KNOW PRINCE JIN

Yu Xiaolian’s actions frightened the onlooking villagers quite a bit.

Even though selling Old Wang wouldn’t be worth twenty taels of silver, injuring someone so they’re disabled and then giving twenty taels of silver for their medical expenses seems excessively cruel.

This little girl looks kind enough; how could she have such a ruthless heart?

So young, and yet so cruel!

Whoever marries her will definitely have bad luck.

Not to mention, her family is wealthy, so she’s a bit arrogant. With such ruthlessness, she’s definitely not someone to be trifled with.

Yu Xiaolian reined in her horse and looked at Wang Zhanming, "Yo, why are you running so fast? Don’t you want the money? I thought you’d want money more than life!"

Wang Zhanming was thoroughly scared by Yu Xiaolian. He thought she would run him over with the horse. He only saw the Yu Family become wealthy and wanted to extort some money, but he didn’t plan to risk his life.

Having money but no life to spend it, how does that work?

Wang Zhanming collected himself, dusting off the dirt on his body, "Everyone saw this, not only do they want to beat people without reason, but they also want to kill. Do they see us common folk as nothing?"

"Exactly, what’s so great about having money! Dare to run over people with a carriage, this little girl, why are you so bad at such a young age?" Wang Zhanming’s wife Zhang pointed her finger, questioning Yu Xiaolian.

Even Wang Zhanming’s seventy-year-old mother also pointed at Yu Xiaolian and cursed, "You heartless thing, you actually wanted to run my son over with a carriage. Let’s see if this old woman doesn’t beat you today."

Old Lady Wang wobbled with her cane and headed towards Yu Xiaolian, "Since your parents won’t discipline you, I will. I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of them for being so heartless."

With a swipe, Yu Xiaolian pulled out her token, "I am an official of the Ninth Grade, if you want to hit me, sure, let me read you the law.

Commoners assaulting court officials are subject to three years of penal labor. If injured, they will be exiled two thousand miles, and if a bone is broken, they are sentenced to death."

Old Lady Wang’s cane drew a circle in the air, and then she put it down, turning to ask her son Wang Zhanming in a low voice, "Son, what is penal labor?"

Wang Zhanming didn’t understand either.

Finally, it was Village Chief Qi who explained to them, "Penal labor means imprisoning the criminal in a place and not letting them out, making them work inside."

Old Lady Wang’s cane fell to the ground with a clatter, and her lips trembled twice, "Is this little girl really an official?"

Qi Lizheng replied, "She truly is. And she is also Teacher of the benevolent society!"

Old Lady Wang bent to pick up the cane, feeling incredibly anxious. Since ancient times, commoners do not contend with officials. Her son tried to extort someone without even finding out that their family had an official.

Having offended this ruthless Ninth Grade official, won’t they be seeking revenge on their family in every conceivable way?

Old Lady Wang was quick to adapt, immediately bowing and apologizing to Yu Xiaolian and Sun Fengshou.

"Child... no, Sir, we didn’t mean to trouble your family intentionally. The truth is we have no rice left to cook. The half bag of cornmeal your father lent us was eaten up days ago. Right now, it’s just before the harvest, and we have no food. Our family has been living on wild vegetable soup for days, our faces are nearly turning green from it.

The child’s uncle, please understand, we are poor folk, ignorant, and incompetent. We just made a foolish mistake, please speak to your niece on our behalf, and spare us from blame."

Sun Fengshou snorted and turned his face away, refusing to plead for them.

Old Lady Wang thought that since she was old, her face was not worth much, so she shamelessly continued to cry poverty, "We have been driven to desperation. Why must the heavens be so unfair? The rich have white rice every meal, while the poor can’t even get a bowl of coarse rice porridge..."

As she continued to speak, Old Lady Wang became more despondent and ultimately broke into tears.

Wang Zhanming, having heard that Yu Xiaolian was some kind of official with rank, became frightened and knelt down with a thud, "Sir, we truly have no way out, acting foolishly trying to extort your uncle’s money. Please be merciful, don’t hold it against us simple folks."

Seeing their son kneel, Old Lady Wang and Old Man Wang also shakily knelt, along with the other sons and grandchildren of the Wang Family, covering the ground.

Yu Xiaolian felt she was being morally coerced, but she knew she absolutely couldn’t give them special treatment, especially since the Wang Family didn’t have a good reputation in Taohua Village. If she helped them now, they might consider her long-term easy prey in the future.

"Even if there’s no rice in the pot, you shouldn’t have such vile ideas. I see you have many able-bodied people in your house; going out to work is the right path.

Moreover, my father already gave your family half a bag of cornmeal. If you’re ungrateful, fine, but you demand more and even slander us around the village, saying our family is bad. Others are good, then why didn’t they give you half a bag of grain?

Besides, that half bag of grain was given to you just around half a month ago, and you’ve already eaten it all? Knowing food is scarce in your house, shouldn’t you stretch it by accompanying it with wild vegetables for a longer period?"

Wang Zhanming felt guilty, knowing that if they extended their grain with wild vegetables and ate more vegetables, less grain would be consumed, making it last longer. But they didn’t do that; they thought once eaten up, they could borrow again from the Yu Family, thinking the Yu Family was wealthy.

The Yu Family paid their relatives thirty coins each daily for labor; in just one month, the wages alone amounted to dozens of taels. How could they possibly be stingy with a mouthful of food?

Truth be told, when Yu Changhe ladled cornmeal for him in the warehouse, he peeped in through the door crack. Inside were piles of grain sacks, must have been several thousand kilograms in there, what a concept!

At a time when the government limited grain sales and everyone paid high prices for it, the Yu Family never lacked grain.

"Our family has labor, but jobs are hard to find now, wanting to carry bags or unload, they’re not lacking people."

Seeing another opportunity, Wang Zhanming slyly suggested, "Sir, please take pity on us, let us work in your workshop?"

Yu Xiaolian chuckled; Wang Zhanming’s eyes were constantly moving while he spoke, clearly crafty.

Ungrateful and vengeful, such a person she dared not recruit into the workshop.

If she put him in the workshop, it’d be like letting a big rat into a warehouse full of grain.

Moreover, her family’s ten mu of pepper had not been harvested yet, production was limited, and the household could handle it just fine without the need for hiring outside help.

Yu Xiaolian was not the least bit polite, "Even if our workshop needed people, I wouldn’t take someone like you.

Remember, don’t come to trouble our family again; I happen to not just be a Ninth Grade official. You see this token, right? Given by Prince Jin. I know Prince Jin, we’re distant relatives from Prince Jin’s maternal family. Before causing more trouble with us, weigh your standing.

I’ll let this matter slide for now. But try again, and I’ll have County Magistrate Ma lock your whole family up."

With Yu Xiaolian’s declaration, the mood of the Wang Family shifted from anxious to sheer panic.