Chapter 16: Pretense Will Lead to One's Own Downfall

It was as if a cold current from the far north had swept through the hall, freezing all movement within.

"What? A clerk in the government office?"

A clerk in the government office was a position that involved running errands within the government. There were two types of such clerks. One was the permanent clerk, who held a position for a long time and could take advantage of their authority to benefit themselves, making it a highly sought-after job. The other was the conscripted clerk, a labor duty specifically assigned to first-class households, often used to exploit the wealthy. If a wealthy household was selected, the unlucky ones might face family ruin, while the luckier ones would still lose a significant portion of their wealth.

The government office had many miscellaneous tasks, some of which were very costly, so they often tried to shift these burdens onto the conscripted clerks. They would assign tasks like escorting goods or guarding the treasury to the conscripted clerks. If there were any shortages or damages, the clerks had to compensate. This was the lesser of the issues; the conscripted clerks were also targets for corrupt officials to extort money. If they knew how to behave and offered enough silver, they could get a good assignment. If they didn't give enough, they might end up with a disastrous task, like escorting silver to the capital, where they might spend three years in Tokyo with less than one tael of silver!

The conscripted clerk duty lasted for a year, from the beginning to the end of the year. It was only assigned temporarily if the government office suddenly had more work. There were no major events happening now, at most, the Western Xia people would raid as they did every year. How could the Han family, out of nowhere, be assigned such a ruinous labor duty? Everyone in the hall knew there must be some foul play, and it was likely that Li Laizi had tampered with the process.

Han Qianliu understood this clearly. He slammed his hand on the table and angrily said, "Li Laizi, are you trying to destroy the Han family? Using such a despicable method! Isn't it just because you covet the vegetable garden by the river? You don't want us to redeem it, you want to take over our land completely, so your land by the river can be contiguous!"

"Brother Han, I am truly wronged!" Li Laizi shook his head with a bitter smile, as if he was genuinely misunderstood. "For the past few years, your family has never been assigned the conscripted clerk duty. It's your turn now. The county was supposed to come and take someone two months ago, but I saw that your son was sick and couldn't leave, so I asked my relative, who is a head in the county office, to speak on your behalf and delay it for two months."

"You can stop pretending!" Han Qianliu sneered. "The conscripted clerk duty is assigned to first-class households. After my third son fell ill, our family has no surplus wealth left. We only have one and a half acres of land, barely qualifying as a fourth-class household. Besides, my third son is only eighteen this year and won't be of age until he's twenty. I, Han Qianliu, am the only able-bodied man in the family, a single male household. We shouldn't be assigned any conscripted clerk or labor duty!"

"Han Caiyuan, don't you know that the five-class household register is only remade in leap years? It's still two months before the next remake. In the county, your family is still listed as a first-class household with two able-bodied men!"

Han Qianliu snorted coldly, "If I report to the government office, do you think they can force a single male household to serve as a conscripted clerk?"

Li Laizi hadn't expected Han Qianliu to be so clear about the rules. He was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "That would require me, the village head, to vouch for you!"

"You... you..." Han Qianliu hadn't expected Li Laizi to be so shameless. He was so angry that his hand trembled, unable to say a word. He had always been a good-natured man, rarely getting into arguments, and now he was almost on the verge of a stroke.

"Li Laizi, we are all neighbors. Why push someone to the brink?" The first to stand up was Han Qianliu's drinking buddy, Liu Jiu. His courtyard had a tall ancient locust tree, and he was known as Liu Huishu. He and Han Qianliu had been friends for decades.

"Ah, it's Liu Huishu. You're quite the righteous one!" Li Laizi said sarcastically. "If you want to speak for Han Caiyuan, go ahead. Who goes isn't fixed. The county just needs someone. This time, let your family provide the conscripted clerk."

Liu Jiu was stunned. Given his family's wealth, serving a year as a conscripted clerk would certainly lead to ruin. He sighed and turned to Han Qianliu, "Brother Han, I'm sorry." He bowed his head in guilt and sat down.

"Is there anyone else who wants to serve in place of the Han family?" Li Laizi was triumphant, his gaze sweeping the hall. Everyone lowered their heads, none daring to meet his eyes.

Li Laizi became even more arrogant, "Brother Han, listen to my advice. Sell your vegetable garden to me, and your concubine is quite charming. Take the money and bribe the officials in the county. After two months of hard work, everything will be fine."

But when he turned to the Han family, he saw Han Gang's cold, icy gaze, which made all 48,000 of his body hairs stand on end.

Han Gang had thick, dense eyebrows, not coarse but finely drawn, like the ink made by the famous Li Tinggui. They were neither thick like caterpillar eyebrows nor sharp like sword eyebrows, but rather slender and sharp, like a pair of finely crafted Guanxi knives. With these eyebrows, Han Gang's otherwise plain face came to life. His eyes were sharp, and his eyebrows arched like two swift knives.

Li Laizi had once been stalked by a tiger in the mountains and escaped by luck. Han Gang's gaze gave him the same feeling. Li Laizi's arrogance immediately diminished by seven-tenths. At that moment, Han Aili and Han Yunniang, who had just heard the news, rushed out from the kitchen.

"Li Laizi, you have the nerve!" A roar that shook the dust from the ceiling was hard to believe coming from a woman in her forties. Han Aili's voice had barely faded when she swung her arm, and a shadow whistled through the air, carrying a wave of killing intent straight toward Li Laizi.

Han Aili's grandfather had once used three spears to pierce seven Tangut soldiers in a battle, securing his position as a battalion commander and gaining a small reputation in the Jingyuan army. The object Han Aili threw was like a spear, fast as a meteor, but it narrowly missed Li Laizi's earlobe and crashed into the temple door. The loud bang echoed in everyone's ears. The shadow landed on the ground, revealing it to be a rolling pin Han Aili had brought from home.

Han Aili's fierce attack made Li Laizi lose his last bit of courage. He coughed dryly, "Han Caiyuan, Sister Aili, don't say I didn't warn you. In two days, you should go to the city to serve as a conscripted clerk. If you don't, you'll be beaten, and your third son's future will be ruined!"

Li Laizi left with these words, running away. Han Aili chased him out, cursing and shouting, before returning angrily. The hall was silent, and the guests looked at each other, unsure whether to stay or leave.

Han Qianliu hung his head and sighed, Han Aili's face was cold, and she tightly gripped the rolling pin she had picked up. Han Yunniang was on the verge of tears, looking pitiful. When she heard Li Laizi's words about the Han family selling themselves, her heart felt like it had fallen into an icy sea, and she trembled all over. She instinctively moved closer to Han Gang, almost pressing against him, as if only this could dispel the cold in her heart.

Among the four Han family members, one was worried, one was angry, one was anxious, and only Han Gang remained calm, sitting steadily. He held the little girl's cold hand, comforted her, and said softly, "Don't worry, it's not a big deal! Your third brother can handle it."

After comforting the little girl, Han Gang stood up with a cup of wine, his smile full of confidence, "What's the matter? The banquet has just started... Don't let Li Laizi ruin everyone's mood!"

"Third Brother..." Liu Huishu looked at Han Gang in confusion, feeling guilty for not helping the Han family, "But what about Li Laizi's relative..."

"What about Huang Daliu?" Han Gang laughed heartily, his laughter hiding a deadly intent, "Li Laizi bullies the weak and disregards the law. One day, the law will deal with him. When that happens, all of you can be witnesses."

Han Gang's words were arrogant, but his confident and heroic demeanor made everyone believe him. They looked up at Han Gang as if they were seeing the third son of the Han family for the first time. After all, he was a scholar, and even the county magistrate would speak to him politely. Huang Daliu, though a confidant of Chen Ju, couldn't compare to a scholar!

Han Gang raised his cup, and his graceful demeanor made the guests不敢怠慢. They all raised their cups, though not as enthusiastically as at the beginning, the banquet for the gods and the vows continued smoothly.

Han Aili and Yunniang ran in and out of the kitchen, bringing out hot dishes, and Han Qianliu kept urging the guests to drink. At least on the surface, there was no sign of the crisis the Han family was about to face.

Han Gang lowered his head, the clear wine in front of him shimmered in the cup, and his cold, icy eyes reflected in the liquid, distorted and ominous, just like his heart. He murmured softly:

"Heaven's punishment can be forgiven, but self-inflicted punishment cannot be lived with!"

He raised his head, drank the wine in one gulp, and when he looked up, his face was like a spring breeze, and the ferocity in his eyes was completely hidden. 'Heaven's punishment can be forgiven, but self-inflicted punishment cannot be lived with!'

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