Chapter 93

All day long, Zhang Yueyun, with her worries unresolved, had not eaten a single grain of rice. After making her family members watch over her younger brother as he studied and wrote, she wandered alone through the dilapidated house. Although there were many relatives outside, none of them were true kin. The moment she thought about how her entire family had either died or scattered, she was overwhelmed with sorrow and tears streamed down her face.

The Zhang family had always been small. Zhang De's great-grandfather was the only one of his generation to survive, and among Zhang De's father's generation, there were five siblings in total, with one brother dying young and another falling in battle before he could marry.

By the time it came to Zhang De's generation, there were only eight siblings in total, including four blood siblings. Zhang De was the fifth in the family line and the third in his immediate family, at the tender age of sixteen. Sadly, all those above him had died. Zhang Yueyun was only thirteen years old, and Zhang Yu was seven, fortunate enough to have escaped the disaster.

The Zhang family was accused of treason, and all adult men and women within three generations of the family were executed. The most tragic fate befell the Zhang family's married daughters, whose husbands and adult children were also killed. The remaining relatives and those with ties to the family were mostly exiled to the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, with no hope of return unless there was a special reason. Some unmarried daughters and maids were sent to the teaching workshops, and some disappeared within days.

There was no one in the world capable of rescuing all the surviving members of the Zhang family, not even the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. The law was the law; while it could occasionally be lenient, it would never allow such events to happen repeatedly, or everyone would follow suit, and the dignity of the Ming Dynasty would be lost.

Zhang Yueyun knew that her two young cousins were still alive. When she met the emperor, she had requested their pardon, but the emperor remained silent. Finally, he said that in consideration of the family's past contributions, her two cousins and the named servants would be transferred from the teaching workshops to the palace to serve as maids. They would work diligently in the palace for a period of time to atone for their family's sins and would be released when a general amnesty was granted.

The chances of a palace maid surviving and being released were almost negligible, but at least the emperor had given a response. Now, she could only pray daily for the safety of her sisters.

Unconsciously, she arrived at the entrance of her own chamber, the Jade Emerald Pavilion. The walls were half-collapsed, the yard was overgrown with weeds half a foot tall, and the spider webs were thick, making it look very eerie and frightening. Zhang Yueyun did not dare to enter and stood there in a daze. The flowers and plants in her beloved peony terrace were all withered and dead, the grapevine had fallen, and the ground was littered with broken tiles and debris. The windows and railings had all been removed.

Thinking back to the family's former glory, how clean and elegant this place used to be, where she wore the most beautiful clothes and ate the most exquisite dishes, and all her relatives were by her side, Zhang Yueyun, regretting her past, could not stop the tears from flowing.

Just as she was shedding tears and feeling sad, Xu Hao, leading thirty strong and young family members, burst into the gate of the mansion, looking fierce and intimidating.

As the saying goes, a villain is always punished by a more powerful villain, especially in ancient times when family ties were highly valued. As an outsider, Xu Hao had no right to criticize, so he had no intention of being reasonable.

As soon as he entered, Xu Hao, without a word, directed his guards and servants to rush into the various courtyards. He beat anyone he saw, smashed anything he could, and brutally assaulted any man who dared to resist, even women and children were not spared. For a moment, the relatives cried out in pain, covering their heads and fleeing, while the women and children wailed.

Seeing the ferocity of this group, no one dared to resist, and they were quickly herded into an empty courtyard.

Xu Hao walked out calmly, facing the bruised and battered crowd, including the elderly Sixth Uncle, who had been kicked by several servants and was limping, looking very pitiful. The men were in front, and the women, with disheveled hair, were hiding behind them.

Xu Hao stood there arrogantly, looking like a hooligan, and began to spout lies.

"I am a man who never speaks reason. If I see something I don't like, I just let my men beat the person to death or injury, and there are always nobles to back me up. After all, I am a royal relative. I do good deeds, so even if I end up in prison, I am treated well and released after a few days. I want to tell you that no one in this entire city can do anything to me!"

The Zhang family was stunned. Wasn't this the kind of royal relative who was rumored to be a bully? They had never heard of anyone being so ruthless and reckless! And why did he come to them?

Xu Hao ignored their reactions and continued, "But today, I will make an exception and explain myself. I am here to vent my emperor grandfather's anger.

I heard that you all dared to bully that poor sister and brother. Do you know? They are the ones my emperor grandfather cares about. Yes, you are the Zhang family, and the authorities can't do anything to you, but I can!"

Xu Hao glared, his eyes wide with a fierce look.

"So from today, I will come here every day and beat you all, regardless of gender or age. If you have the nerve, go to the authorities and see who can make the other's family fall apart first."

Xu Hao turned to leave, but after a few steps, he turned back and said with a smile, "By the way, be careful when you go out these days. If you get beaten, don't say I didn't warn you. See you tomorrow."

After Xu Hao and his group of hooligans left, the relatives, who were still in shock, began to discuss their options. Some said, "Is there no law in broad daylight? We need to report this to the authorities and get the officials to protect us and arrest those criminals."

The respected Sixth Uncle, seeing this, said irritably, "Go cool off somewhere. You ignorant people. As the saying goes, those who come with ill intentions are not good. Who would dare to come to a marquis's mansion and commit violence without some noble backing? Besides, he keeps mentioning the emperor, so he is most likely a royal relative. Even if the authorities investigate, it will just cost him some money. When he comes back and beats you again, he will throw some silver, and this will go on and on. Who can bear it?"

"What should we do? We can't be beaten every day, can we?" someone asked.

Sixth Uncle pondered and said, "I think this has something to do with Yueyun. Otherwise, who would come to our house to meddle? The problem is that we are in the wrong. If the officials come and Yueyun asks us to leave, what can we do? We are not the main family, so we have no reason to stay."

No one is a fool. After some thought, they realized the root of the problem. The relatives never imagined that Zhang Yueyun would be so heartless and ruthless, to the point of bringing in a royal relative who would not listen to reason.

It seemed that the saying "a villain is always punished by a more powerful villain" was true. The relatives found this situation very difficult to handle. After some discussion, since they could not fight back through official channels, they decided to seek help from unofficial means. There were a few notorious ruffians living in the house who had been eating and drinking for free for a long time. They should step up and help, right? Or they could find some righteous heroes to help, and with enough people, they could drive the other side away.

However, those who had been boasting and promising to help disappeared as soon as they stepped outside. Only one person with a conscience came back, crying and said, "You need to think of a way. The area is full of the most notorious hooligans in the capital, and they are blocking the door."

The relatives were terrified. In this era, officials were not as scary as the ruffians. Although they were not as exaggerated as in historical novels, they were like leeches and thorns, and if you got entangled with them, you would never have a moment's peace.

Many of the relatives came from the lower classes and knew how to handle such situations. They would not fight back or argue but would pick up a broken tile and cut their faces or bang their heads against the wall, then stand in front of you with blood streaming down their faces, smiling and asking for money. If you refused, they would stand guard at your door every day, hiding when the officials came and returning as soon as they left. Who could stand up to such people?

The underworld had its own rules. The big hooligans, once they took someone's money, had to do their job. The ruffians would get beaten, but they would accept it. The same applied to the other side.

The usual tricks of the ruffians were useless because the other side was even more ruthless and powerful. The most aggressive relatives immediately lost their nerve. They said they dared not go out, or they would be stabbed and have to accept their fate. As for the others, they could go out, but someone would follow them, and whoever beat them would not be a hooligan. No amount of money would help, and everyone was stunned.

The professional ethics of the underworld were not to be underestimated. Now everyone understood that the other side was determined to drive them away. All the talk about justice and the emperor was just a cover.

They couldn't be trapped in the house and starve to death. The relatives, unwilling to give up, were at a loss. Finally, the respected Sixth Uncle said, "The only way now is to appeal to their emotions. If Yueyun is heartless, then we will go back to where we came from. You can see that we cannot stand up to their power. We need Yueyun to speak up."

Actually, no one needed to be told. Everyone knew that the Zhang family was in a dire situation. Zhang Yueyun was young and weak, but she was not stupid.

There were always people who knew how to change with the wind. After the discussion, everyone went to find Zhang Yueyun to plead for mercy and then dispersed.

As soon as they got home, several families quietly slipped out the back door with their belongings. The heroes stopped them, and the relatives bowed and apologized, admitting their mistakes, slapped themselves twenty times, left a ransom, and signed a document promising not to harass the Zhang family again. They then left with their families, feeling relieved.

With some leading the way, others followed. Soon, half of the population had left. The remaining relatives, including Sixth Uncle, looked at the empty courtyard and cursed.

The page is over.

The page is over.