Chapter 22

Lin Yanzhao pointed at Xie Laohu and accused him. Before Xie Laohu could respond, the ruffians under him started cursing.

"Damn, a kid who hasn't even grown hair, dares to challenge the head of the village."

"Can you even call Xie Laohu by his name?"

Lin Yanzhao ignored their provocations. This was the perfect opportunity to strike at Xie Laohu.

Lin Yanzhao said to the villagers, "Fellow villagers, do you think I am right?"

The villagers, seeing Lin Yanzhao stand up for them and render Xie Laohu speechless, all cheered in agreement.

"Right, well said."

"Truly the son of Scholar Maocai, he knows how to speak."

"Xie Laohu, dare you answer our Chao Jie's words?"

Seeing his advantage, Lin Yanzhao pressed on, creating public opinion to force Xie Laohu to stay on topic. Xie Laohu coldly said, "I have already admitted my mistake regarding my third son. I will pay whatever is due. Do you think you can use this as an excuse to blackmail me and exempt your Hongshan Village from corvée labor?"

"Do you even know who I am, Xie Laohu? I don't back down from soft talk, only from hard action!"

Xie Laohu's words were echoed by his supporters.

"That's right, do you even know who our head of the village is? People beg and plead for his favor."

"Originally, our head of the village was considering waiving some of the corvée labor for the village."

"Since you are siding with that kid, there's no room for negotiation!"

Hearing this, the people of Hongshan Village's morale dropped. If Xie Laohu was determined to assign them the labor, they had no way to resist. Some of the more timid villagers even blamed Lin Yanzhao for escalating the conflict, leaving no room for private mediation.

Lin Yanzhao sneered, "Xie Laohu, do you really think you can rule the village with an iron fist? Do you know the Great Ming Code..."

When Lin Yanzhao mentioned the Great Ming Code, Xie Laohu's eyelid twitched. He thought, "Is this kid bluffing? In this remote village, where most are illiterate, someone actually knows the Great Ming Code."

"Don't make noise. The Great Ming Code is not something a mountain village kid should mention. Be careful, or the constables will take you to the county office!" Xie Laohu threatened.

Lin Yanzhao sneered, "Xie Laohu, the Great Ming Code was established by Emperor Hongwu. I am not wrong. What will the constables do to me? Do you know that for every person assigned to corvée labor unfairly, the penalty is twenty strokes, and for every five people, the penalty increases by one level, up to sixty strokes. Xie Laohu, you claim to enforce the law impartially. Do you dare go to the county office with me to seek a fair judgment? If I lose, I will take sixty strokes. If you lose, you will take sixty strokes. Do you dare?"

Xie Laohu was speechless. His son, standing beside him, said, "Father, what's there to fear? Let's take the bet. When have we ever backed down?"

"Aren't you very close to the clerk Huang in the county office? What do we have to fear?"

No matter what others said, Xie Laohu remained silent. His son and the Xie family were getting anxious.

Lin Yanzhao stepped onto the field ridge and pointed at Xie Laohu, shouting, "What about it? Afraid to answer? You scoundrels, you only dare to hide in the shadows, not in the light of day. Xie Laohu, I ask you again, do you dare?"

Lin Yanzhao's fingers pointed at Xie Laohu.

"Do you dare!"

"Do you dare!"

"Xie Laohu, do you dare!"

The people of Hongshan Village all raised their fists and shouted in unison.

Xie Laohu's face turned ashen, being repeatedly challenged by a child. He had lost all his dignity.

"I am a respected head of the village, I won't stoop to your level, child! Let's go!" This was a face-saving statement, and everyone could see through it. Xie Laohu led the Xie family away, leaving the people of Hongshan Village cheering.

"Chao Jie, you are amazing."

"Even Xie Laohu is afraid of you."

Faced with the praise from his fellow villagers, Lin Yanzhao only smiled slightly.

Xie Laohu and his third son walked on the bumpy field ridge.

Xie Laohu suddenly stopped and turned, slapping his son to the ground, scolding, "You fool, you made me lose face today."

Several Xie family members tried to calm him, "Uncle, don't be angry."

Xie's third son, holding his face, said, "Father, I am not convinced. For the past ten years, our family has ruled the village. When have we ever been afraid of anyone? Today, we were bullied by a brat."

"Can you swallow this? Do you understand? If I had gone to court with that kid today, I would have fallen into his trap."

"The corvée labor is assigned by the head of the village. The sixty-stroke rule is just for show. When has the county office ever punished us for unfair labor distribution? Besides, we are close to the clerks. Even if we lose, we have nothing to fear. But if the kid loses, sixty strokes could kill him."

"You fool, you are a fool!" Xie Laohu scolded, spitting on his son's face, "How could I have such a foolish son? Do you think that kid is fighting for the village's labor distribution? Wrong, he is trying to get out of his own labor."

Xie's third son's eyes lit up, "Father, you mean this kid... is cunning, using a feint to achieve his real goal!"

"You haven't wasted your studies. The Great Ming Code stipulates that households are assigned labor based on their size and wealth. The labor is divided into those with land and those without. Those without land are called 'widowed laborers' and are prioritized for labor. Lin Gaozhu's family has ten acres of paddy fields and five acres of dowry land from your sister, making them a middle-class household. They should only be assigned silver labor. They are not eligible for heavy labor like the granary."

"If the matter is escalated to the county office, and the truth is revealed, even with Clerk Huang supporting me, the law will prevail. They can avoid the heavy labor and only pay silver. If I let this happen, all my efforts will be in vain!"

The others were suddenly enlightened and praised, "Uncle, you are truly wise and clever! You saw through the kid's trick."

Xie's third son cursed, "That kid can't be that smart. It must be Lin Gaozhu behind it. But Father, if Lin Gaozhu understands this, why doesn't he appeal to the county office to avoid the granary labor?"

Xie Laohu sneered, "What's there to fear? As long as the matter doesn't get too big, I can suppress it."

The others asked, "Uncle, you are so cunning. Teach us, let us understand."

Xie Laohu played with two iron balls, "Fine, I'll teach you. If Lin Gaozhu appeals to the county office, he must first prove his household status, which requires checking the land registry. I will personally guarantee it. I have someone in the county office who will delay the process. If we drag it out for two or three months, by the time the order comes, he will have to comply. If he refuses, he will be charged with evasion, which carries a penalty of one hundred strokes and forced labor."

"Uncle, brilliant, truly brilliant!" the younger members of the Xie family praised.

Xie Laohu, somewhat pleased, said, "Today, I pretended to back down, making them think I am afraid of them going to the county office. I will write to Clerk Huang to expedite the order, forcing Lin Gaozhu to comply."

"Father, why not let them hit a wall and come back to us for help."

Xie Laohu scolded, "What do you know? I wanted Lin Gaozhu to kneel and beg to bring your sister back. Now, I need to thoroughly defeat the people of Hongshan Village. This is Lin Gaozhu's own doing, forcing me to take this path. He can't blame me for being ruthless."

Two days later, Clerk Huang in the county office acted swiftly, issuing the order early. Xie Laohu read the order, satisfied, and called his third son to deliver it to Lin Gaozhu's home in Hongshan Village.

Xie Laohu sat at home, brewing a pot of tea, waiting for good news from his son.

Speaking of Xie Laohu's house, it was one of the best in Yong'an Village, with three courtyards and expanded side rooms.

Xie Laohu poured himself a cup of tea and said to his wife, "I raised my daughter for eighteen years, never scolding her. How could Lin Gaozhu and his son treat her like this? Don't worry, for every slap he gave you, I will make him give you ten. For every time he drove you out, I will ruin his family."

His wife looked somewhat haggard, her teeth grinding, "Father, do whatever you want. I have worked hard for the Lin family for years. Lin Gaozhu had the heart to drive me out. You can do whatever you want to others, but... but Yanshou, I think about him day and night. That old man, Lin Gaozhu, won't even let me see Yanshou."

"Good, I will do as you wish. When my third son returns, Lin Gaozhu will be in tears." Xie Laohu spoke with affection for his daughter, unlike his usual harshness.

As noon approached, someone shouted outside the Xie family's door, "Father, Father, I'm back."

"My third son is back, let's go see." Xie Laohu smiled at his daughter.

When Xie's third son, out of breath, entered the house, Xie Laohu confidently asked, "I thought you wouldn't be back for lunch. Did Lin Gaozhu and his son give in?"

"Father, this is really strange," Xie's third son said, wide-eyed.

"What happened?"

"I delivered the labor order, but they used some trick. They managed to get their second son into the Loyalty Shrine, and the county office exempted them from labor for two years. The order is already issued."

Xie Laohu's expression changed, "How is this possible? The Lin family has asked the county office many times before, but never succeeded. Why did it work this time?"

"Lin Gaozhu must have planned this. He has connections in the county office, just like we do." Xie's third son said.

Xie Laohu slammed his hand on the table, cursing, "This time, I can't get to the Lin family, and I've lost face. How infuriating!"