Chapter 20: The Bustling Market is in Chaos

Han Gang was not without consideration of going to the prefectural office to drum and appeal for justice. However, the experience from his previous life taught him that rash appeals would never have a good outcome. Being stopped was a minor issue, but if someone found an excuse to throw him into prison, that would be a disaster. Han Gang never believed in the so-called upright officials. Although he did plan to use the power of the officials in Qinzhou to deal with the clerks in Chengji County, he would never pin his hopes on the character of those officials.

"Han Tanue, the head constable Huang from the county has come. He wants you to go out and pay your respects quickly!"

At the call of the old monk Daoan from outside, Han Gang, hearing the voice inside, felt a surge of killing intent. His sharp eyebrows, like knives, arched up, as if ready to slash someone.

Han Gang had long figured out the reason for Li Laizi's elaborate scheme. Li Laizi did not want the Han family to redeem the riverbank vegetable field, and there were only two ways to achieve this. One method was to tamper with the land deed stored in the county office, making it impossible for the Han family to redeem the land. However, there was a problem: the Han family and Li Laizi's sale contract, to save on contract taxes, was not registered at the county office. It was only a 'white deed' with fingerprints and signatures, not a 'red deed' with the official seal. Although this tax avoidance method was common, the land deed stored in the county office still bore Han Qianliu's name. In this situation, tampering with the contract was not a problem that could be solved with just a few strings of cash.

The other method was to find a way to make the Han family spend all their money, leaving them unable to redeem the land. What could be more costly than serving as a conscript? As long as Huang Dayou could persuade the clerks in the household department to issue a conscription notice, it would take just a few days to reduce the Han family to abject poverty. And Huang Dayou... Han Gang suddenly sneered. Hadn't Han Aili mentioned a few days ago that Huang Dayou lusted after the little girl? Using the Han family's money and people to ruin them, Li Laizi... No! It should be the Huang Dayou behind him, who truly had a cunning plan! A mere Li Laizi would never think of using conscription to harm others.

Han Gang hated Huang Deyong, who took advantage of the situation, and he was more than willing to confront him. One of the scenarios he had prepared was exactly this. However, Huang Dayou came too quickly, and before everything was settled, he had already rushed over, truly pressing him step by step.

'Well, let's stir things up first!'

Han Gang's eyes turned cold, and he strode out of the room. Turning from the courtyard, he saw three attendants surrounding Huang Deyong in the main hall. Huang Dayou's round face was raised high, and his tumor was even higher, like an inverted gourd, waiting proudly for the three scholars of the Han family to bow and kowtow.

"Han San, why don't you come and pay respects to Head Constable Huang!" As a follower, Liu San urged his master. Seeing Han Gang, he felt a deep dislike. Han Gang's tall stature made Liu San envious, and the demeanor of a scholar was something Liu San, who mingled with the lower class, could never match. Han Gang, in his wide-sleeved robe, walked out from behind the hall with a calm and composed demeanor, something a monkey could never imitate.

"Han Gang greets Head Constable Huang." Han Gang walked over and casually saluted Huang Deyong without even bending his waist. "I still need to go to the market to buy some things and then to the county office to inquire about the conscription assigned to me. If Head Constable Huang has any business with me, please speak while we walk!"

Without waiting for Huang Deyong's reaction, Han Gang walked out of the temple gate on his own. His actions were a clear show of disrespect, extremely impolite. The face of Head Constable Huang Deyong from Chengji County immediately darkened, his tumor turning blood red. In recent years, who besides the officials and the young masters dared to embarrass him like this?

"Han Gang! Stand still!" Seeing his master angry, Liu San hurriedly shouted at Han Gang.

Han Gang ignored him and quickly walked to the gate of Puxiu Temple, then stopped and turned around. Huang Deyong, with a scowl, led the three men out. Han Gang's face was half-smiling, half-serious, while the four men, including Huang Dayou, were full of anger. The confrontation at the gate of Puxiu Temple immediately drew the attention of the people on the street.

Han Gang, weakened by long illness, still retained the demeanor of a scholar. The blue robe he wore exuded an unhidden literary aura. His smile was gentle and serene, and even his sharp, knife-like eyes softened under the smile. In contrast, the four men, including Huang Dayou, looked like demons and devils.

"Han Gang, you have guts!" Liu San pointed at Han Gang's nose and shouted, but standing at just over five feet tall and as thin as a bamboo pole, he clearly lacked the presence to face the six-foot-tall Han Gang, looking like an angry, skinny monkey.

Han Gang ignored the screeching monkey and turned to Huang Deyong, asking coldly, "What does Head Constable Huang have to say?"

Huang Deyong sized up Han Gang for a moment, his sinister eyes like a venomous snake that had spotted its prey. He slowly said, "... Scholar Han, you have courage."

"Since childhood, I have studied the teachings of the sages and read many poems and books. I have a sense of righteousness in my heart. Even if some evil spirits disturb my peace, how could I be afraid?"

"You can just keep talking." Huang Deyong leaned in and whispered sinisterly in Han Gang's ear, "Let's see if your sharp tongue can protect your family's maid!"

Hearing this, Han Gang's eyes narrowed, and his gaze turned sharp. 'So it really is you.'

His suspicions were finally confirmed, and he found the culprit who had designs on his family's women. Han Gang suddenly smiled in a refined manner. He took half a step back, bowed, and earnestly advised, "I see that Head Constable Huang has many growths on your neck, indicating a deficiency of qi and blood. If you do not abstain from women, you may not live past the age of sixty. I speak from the heart, and I hope you will give it serious thought!"

Han Gang's cutting words, spoken in a refined manner, left Huang Dayou stunned for a moment before he finally reacted. Many in the crowd had already understood and burst into laughter.

Huang Dayou's face turned iron gray, his tumor blood red. He had almost never been so humiliated in his life. He glared at Han Gang, gritting his teeth, "You have guts!"

Han Gang, as he had hoped, had enraged Huang Dayou. His face changed, and his voice suddenly grew louder, "Not as much as you! To plot to seize my family's land, you tampered with official documents and forced me, a single man, to serve as a conscript. For the sake of the country, I will not shirk this responsibility! Now you are being even more greedy, targeting my family! If you have the courage, drive my family to extinction and see if I dare to go to the prefectural office, present a blood petition, and drum for justice! I have studied under Master Hengqu for years and have many classmates and friends. If anything happens to me, don't think no one will seek justice for me!"

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