Chapter 65: The Shadow of the Night and the Cold Light (Part 2)

After the martial arts demonstration, Han Gang led his friends back home to rest. It was no longer the humble cottage at the village entrance from a few months ago, but a two-story residence, the old family home. Han Gang had been recommended, and his three recommenders, Wang Zhao, Wu Yan, and Zhang Shouyue, knowing his family's impoverished condition, each gave him silver to help with his journey. Han Gang accepted it without hesitation, merely saying thank you, showing no signs of overwhelming gratitude. His attitude, unswayed by wealth, only made Wang Zhao and the others value him even more.

With the silver he received, Han Gang redeemed the family home. After half a year, the Han family moved back to their familiar place.

Upon entering the house, the group greeted Han Gang's parents. Han Gang and Wang Hou had a deep friendship, and their families were close. Wang Shunmin and Zhao Long were the same, so Han Aili did not need to avoid them. They sat in Han Gang's room, and after Han Yunniang served tea and a plate of fruits and snacks, she left.

"Yukun, your home still lacks servants..." Wang Hou looked around the old house, which was still sturdy but looked too shabby. "Your parents can't be left alone, and a single maid can't take care of everything. You're an official now; you should hire some servants and maids. Hasn't anyone come to offer their service?"

"Yes!" Han Gang nodded. His situation was similar to Fan Jin passing the imperial exams. Many people heard he was about to become an official and rushed to offer money, gifts, and even themselves as slaves, hoping to serve the Han family. "But I refused them all." Those who offered themselves as slaves were often destitute villagers. They sought to use the power of their new masters to bully others. Han Gang feared that before he even became an official, a group of evil servants would ruin his reputation.

Han Gang's actions solidified his reputation for treating wealth like dirt, but Wang Hou thought he had gone too far. "Yukun, being overly proud is not a virtue. Blending in is the right way. You refused the land offered to you, which was originally yours..."

"It was already sold, how can it still be mine?"

Wang Hou was referring to Li Laizi's situation. The village head of Xiaolongwan had terrible luck. He had relied on Chen Ju to help him escape punishment in the Huang Deyong case, using most of his wealth. Now, he was involved in the Chen Ju case. Despite his distant relationship with Chen Ju, any connection meant he would be harassed by the county officials. The remaining wealth of the Li family was quickly depleted.

The riverbank vegetable fields originally belonged to the Han family. The well-informed officials dared not touch them. Li Laizi came to return the fields, hoping Han Gang would speak on his behalf. But Han Gang refused: "How many people died because of those few acres of land? The soil is soaked with blood. Such an ominous thing would harm my family. I don't want it."

Reflecting on it now, everything started because of the three acres of vegetable fields by the river. Huang Daliu died with regret, and Chen Ju would soon be executed. If you added the nearly a thousand tents of the Moxing tribe, the bloodshed and deaths over those three acres of land were like a dark, bloody joke.

"Indeed, that land is not auspicious. With money, you can buy good land anywhere. Once Li Laizi is finished, we'll see which fool will take it over!"

"I can't do such a ruthless thing. Please help me speak to the county officials to spare Li Laizi..."

Wang Hou was shocked: "Yukun! Li Laizi may not be the main culprit, but he is the instigator. Everything started because of him, and you want to spare him? You can't be like Mr. Dongguo!"

"I have discussed this with my parents. He is a neighbor, not like Chen Ju. There's no need to drive him to the brink." Han Gang's expression was gentle and sincere, the image of a virtuous and forgiving gentleman.

These days, Li Laizi came to beg every day, saying many kind words and bowing many times.

Han Qianliu had a deep attachment to the land and was a good person, so he wanted to accept the land and have his son speak on Li Laizi's behalf. But Han Aili was still angry and refused to agree. She scolded Han Qianliu: "Look at your narrow-mindedness! Li Laizi almost destroyed our family. If it weren't for my third son's efforts, our whole family would have died. Would Li Laizi cry at our graves? The land we mortgaged to him, we don't want back. Whatever it's worth, we'll pay the full price to redeem it, not taking a single coin more!"

Han Gang was even more lenient. He didn't want the land and wanted to spare Li Laizi. He persuaded his parents: "Li Laizi can't harm anyone anymore. A dead dog, why chase it to the end? It would be bad for my reputation if it got out."

Forgiveness is a power of the strong. If Han Gang were in a life-threatening situation, talking about forgiveness would be a joke. Chen Ju, Liu Xian, and Li Laizi would laugh at him and consider him a fool. But now, with his position, sparing Li Laizi would show great magnanimity.

For a Confucian scholar, reputation is the most important. The phrase "an eye for an eye" is never a good description of personal virtue. The world says, "A small-minded person is not a gentleman, and a man without tolerance is not a hero." Extraordinary tolerance and the ability to let go of old grudges are very beneficial for improving one's reputation.

The most critical point is that compared to Xiang Bao, a dangerous insect lurking in the shadows, Li Laizi was nothing, with no ability to harm anyone. Since keeping him alive would cause no harm and would prove his magnanimity, why not do it? On the contrary, if Li Laizi still had the ability to harm, Han Gang would tear him apart.

Han Gang convinced his parents, but he didn't want to use this reason to persuade Wang Hou. Building a personal image requires deep skill. In Gangu City, Han Gang had already shown extraordinary virtue. Now, he needed to demonstrate his intelligence and strategy.

"Chen Ju has a son who escaped, and Huang Daliu has two sons. They are all missing. Although I'm not worried about what they can do to me, how can my parents and younger brother feel at ease? I can't ask Brother Wang or Brother Zhao to guard us day and night. They have important tasks and can't stay at home. It's always easier to be a thief than to guard against one. I can't feel at ease until the remnants of the Chen family are completely eliminated."

"What does this have to do with Li Laizi?" Zhao Long asked, puzzled, while Wang Shunmin looked thoughtful.

Wang Hou explained for Han Gang: "Li Laizi is Huang Deyong's relative and has been ruined by the Huang and Chen cases. If you don't spare him, he might act out of desperation... Yukun, is that what you're thinking?"

Wang Shunmin found it hard to believe: "The escaped criminals Chen Ji and the others wouldn't be that bold, would they? Targeting you would be rebellion..."

"They are already sentenced to death. Even if they rebel, they can't be executed twice. They have nothing to fear and will definitely come!" Han Gang was very confident.

He also thanked Li Xin. His second cousin had escorted his parents from Fengxiang to Qin Prefecture and noticed someone following them suspiciously. But he kept it to himself until he met Han Gang and told him. Han Gang knew the appearance and characteristics of Huang Daliu's two sons. Since they were following from Fengxiang, their intentions were clear.

"If it weren't to deal with the remnants of the Chen family, why would I buy back the old home? Although rural life is good, after becoming an official, I must move the family to the city. Why go through this extra step? It's to lure out the remnants of the Chen family. In the city, there are many people, and a dagger could come from anywhere, impossible to guard against. But in Xiaolongwan village, everyone knows each other. Strangers can't enter, and to gather information about my family, they can only rely on the villagers... who else but Li Laizi could Chen Ji rely on?"

Han Gang's voice was steady and confident, very persuasive. Wang Hou believed him 80%, while Wang Shunmin and Zhao Long had no doubt about Han Gang's judgment. As for Li Xin, his expression remained unchanged, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"Official Han... Official Han..." A child's voice called from the back door.

Li Xin opened the door and brought in Li Laizi's thirteen-year-old son, Li Xiaoliu. He entered the room, knelt down, and bowed to everyone. Standing up, he said, "My father has an urgent message for the official: Chen Ju's second son, Chen Ji, has hired a bandit leader named Guoshanfeng, who claims to have over a hundred bandits, to seek revenge for his father's death and the destruction of his family. The time is tonight. Now, the bandit Huang Er is guarding my house with a henchman, and my father can't escape, so he sent me to urgently inform the official."

Li Laizi's youngest son, though young, spoke clearly. Everyone in the room heard him clearly. Wang Shunmin, Zhao Long, and Wang Hou looked at Han Gang with a mix of surprise and admiration. Wang Hou was especially astonished, as Han Gang's prediction was immediately confirmed.

"Over a hundred?" Li Xin spoke for the first time, his voice hoarse like a rasp.

Han Gang shook his head. There couldn't be such a large bandit group in Qin Prefecture; they couldn't survive just by robbing. "Even forty or fifty is impossible. Cao Cao claimed to have 800,000 troops at the Battle of Red Cliffs. Over a hundred... hum, which bandit group in Qin Prefecture has that many? At most, twenty. Any more, and they would have been eliminated long ago."

"Yukun... the number of bandits aside!" Since they met, Wang Hou had been surprised by Han Gang many times, by his character, insight, and ability, but today's strategy was the most astonishing. "You invited us to the martial arts demonstration, did you already predict that Chen Ji would come tonight?"

Han Gang smiled but didn't answer. The facts spoke for themselves.