Chapter 10

Huang Ziren gave Li Jing a way out, which was actually a very simple sentence, but this sentence revealed Li Jing's current predicament.

According to Huang Ziren, Li Jing was brought to this prison because he had offended someone. Based on what Li Jing had just said, the most likely culprit was Wang Liang. Although Li Jing was now sentenced to await execution, it did not necessarily mean there was no way out.

Huang Ziren, with a playful smile, told Li Jing that if the fat man really wanted his life, he wouldn't need to go through the trouble of increasing his sentence or sentencing him to await execution. The sixty strokes for catching the carp could have been enough to beat Li Jing to death right there, and no one would have been able to say anything about it. But now, even though Li Jing was sentenced to await execution, he hadn't been beaten at all. What did this mean?

Li Jing was not a fool. In Huang Ziren's smile, he immediately understood. The sudden arrest by the storehouse official might have been due to Wang Liang. However, Zhang Fat had no grudge against him, and there was no reason for him to go to such lengths to take his life. In the end, it was all about interests. Wang Liang was out for revenge, while Zhang Fat was definitely after his money.

"Quickly get someone to give that fat man some money from your family, and this matter will be settled," Huang Ziren said, lying on a pile of straw while his two subordinates diligently massaged his legs.

"Thank you, Brother Huang, for showing me the way. If there's anything I can do, please let me know."

"No need for now, we'll talk about it later. I see you have a good face, with a full forehead and a square jaw, which means you have good fortune. You won't die so easily. In the future, I will have use for you, just don't forget today."

Chishan Town's Commander Cui was a rough man but loved to play Go. Although he wasn't very good at it, he encouraged everyone in Chishan Town to study Go. Zhang, the storehouse official, was Cui's brother-in-law and naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to please Cui. Although Zhang was a minor official, he was a well-educated man. He had always been good at Go, and with his recent dedicated study, his skills had greatly improved, making him one of the best players in Chishan Town. However, Zhang was smart and never won when playing with his superiors. Not only did he not win, but he also made sure they had to struggle to win. Because of this, Zhang was very successful in Chishan Town.

Zhang Fat was hunched over in his room, studying a Go board. Thinking about the sixty acres of land he was about to get, his mind became active, and a smile spread across his face. When he heard Wang Liang's voice outside the door, he didn't even look up and said, "Come in!"

The door opened, and Wang Liang bowed as he entered. Zhang Fat placed a white stone and gestured for Wang Liang to come forward.

"How did it go? What did the Li family say?"

Wang Liang pretended to be slightly uneasy and said, "Sir, at first, the Li family was reluctant to part with their ancestral land. After some persuasion, I managed to convince them. They have agreed to offer fifty acres of land and ten acres of mulberry fields to you."

Zhang Hong's eyes narrowed, and he smiled, showing his white teeth. "Good, you did well. I thought this would take some effort, but you managed to do it so quickly. I won't let you down; I'll give you five acres of mulberry fields. You can also handle the land transfer. By the way, go to Wang Tui and withdraw the official documents for Li Jing. Also, release him."

"I'll do it right away, but..."

"But what?"

"Sir, Li Jing has been well-educated and was once recommended to take the imperial exams. He is a man of both literary and martial talents. Releasing him now is easy, but I'm afraid he might bear a grudge against you. If he takes the exams and becomes an official, he might cause trouble for you. If he starts spreading rumors, it could damage your reputation."

Zhang Fat was an official, and Li Jing couldn't do much to him. But Wang Liang was just a subordinate, and Li Jing might blame him for losing his ancestral land. He couldn't forget the look in Li Jing's eyes when they last met, which made him uneasy.

The grudge was already formed, and he couldn't let Li Jing off so easily.

This time, he had secretly plotted against the Li family, and Zhang had taken sixty acres of land, but he had taken a hundred acres in Zhang's name, including twenty acres for himself. After giving sixty acres to Zhang, the twenty acres from the Wang family would be his. He had taken such a big risk to get this land; he couldn't give it back.

Zhang Hong held a black stone, hesitating to place it. He sighed, "I only want money, not to harm anyone and lose my virtue. We can't go too far."

Seeing Zhang Fat's hesitation, Wang Liang felt relieved and quickly added, "Sir, we don't have to take his life. We can sentence him to exile. There are four major exile locations: Fang County in the Shan'nan East Circuit, Yazhou in Hainan, Fengzhou in the Guannei Circuit, and Yizhou in the eastern part of the Longyou Circuit. You can choose one of these places to exile Li Jing. He will never return, and he won't be able to cause any trouble for you."

"That's a good idea."

"Sir, the Li family only has one man left. Once Li Jing is exiled, the remaining widows and unmarried daughters will be safe. This is a permanent solution."

"Alright, take two jars of good wine to Wang Tui's house and discuss the matter with him. Have him change Li Jing's sentence to exile for three thousand miles, to Yizhou. It's far from the capital and close to the Uyghurs and Tibetans. Li Jing will never return."

"Yes, I'll do it right away."

After Wang Liang changed the sentence with Wang Tui, he felt relieved. The next morning, he returned to Wang Li Village, found the village headman to act as a witness, and transferred the sixty acres of land from the Li family, as well as the twenty acres from the Wang family and his own twenty acres, signing the necessary documents.

When Lady Han saw that Wang Liang had really used his twenty acres of land to help the Li family, she was deeply grateful to the Wang family.

When Lady Han and the other women were about to go to town to welcome Li Jing back, they were surprised to find that the long-absent matchmaker Ma had come to their door. Ma directly stated her purpose: she was there to arrange a marriage between the Wang and Li families.

"You mean you're here to propose a marriage between Wang Liang and my fourth daughter?" Lady Han asked in surprise.

"Not just that, this is a double blessing. Today, I'm not only here to arrange a marriage between Wang's second son and your fourth daughter, but also between Wang's third daughter and your third son. I heard that when your third son got into trouble, the Wang family didn't hesitate to give up twenty acres of land to help you. You two families have been close for generations, and now these two marriages will make things even better. Your third son is coming back, and this marriage will help dispel the bad luck."

No one expected the Wang family to bring up the old matter at this critical moment. They not only proposed the marriage between Wang Liang and Wan Jing but also the marriage between the third son and Wang's youngest daughter. Lady Han was taken aback. On one hand, the Wang family's actions seemed somewhat coercive, but on the other hand, they had just used their land to help the Li family, making it hard to refuse.

The eldest sister-in-law said anxiously, "How can the Wang family's aunt act like this?"

At this moment, Wan Jing spoke up, "Mother, eldest sister, Aunt Ma, please tell the Wang family that I agree to the marriage."

Lady Han sighed, "Aunt Ma, marriage is a matter decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. The Wang family hasn't forgotten our family's current difficulties and still remembers our old friendship. Since my fourth daughter has agreed, I have no objections. As for the marriage between our second son and the Wang family's youngest daughter, I also agree. Please convey this to the Wang family."

Ma, seeing how smoothly things had gone, was pleasantly surprised and ran to the Wang family to report the good news.

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