Chapter 5

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Hou Shi didn't dare to anger the crowd, especially since what Liu Houzi said made sense. These hired workers were all good people; if they were caught stealing, it would ruin their reputations and cause more harm than good.

Then who could it be? She suddenly thought of the three little brats who had been sent to the cold palace and shouted, "The sun is about to set, why aren't you working? What are you standing around for?"

"Our stomachs are empty, how can we have the strength to work?" the workers said lazily, unconcerned.

"You're destined to be poor peasants for life!" Hou Shi scolded, "Hurry up and eat, then get to work, or you won't get lunch!"

"Search the whole area, and no one is as unfair as Chen Nangzi!" the workers complained as they scattered, "After this period, see who will still work for you!"

"Those waiting to work for us line up from Shiban Village to Xiali Slope!" Hou Shi, while verbally relentless, walked aggressively toward the northwest corner of the shack.

Chen Sanlang had already been woken by Hou Shi. Hearing footsteps, he knew she was coming to search. He quietly instructed his two younger brothers to keep their mouths shut.

Just as he was dressing Xiao Liulang, Hou Shi burst in, angrily shouting, "Speak up, you little brats, did you steal my chickens?"

"Who are you calling little brats?" Chen Sanlang suppressed his anger and bent down to put shoes on Xiao Liulang.

"I'm calling you little brats!" Hou Shi realized she had been outwitted, her heavily powdered face turning red like a shrimp. "How dare you take advantage of me!" She pounced, her large frame intimidating, and Xiao Liulang was immediately frightened to tears.

"Why are you hitting people, Big Sister?" Chen Sanlang, holding Xiao Liulang, dodged her and retreated to the door. "What did my nephew do to offend you?"

Hou Shi, having been outwitted, couldn't speak, so she demanded, "Where did you hide my chickens?"

"What chickens?" Chen Sanlang feigned ignorance. "How could your chickens end up here?"

"It must be you who stole them! If I find them, I'll send you to the authorities!" Hou Shi began searching inside and out, but found no trace of a chicken feather. However, she noticed the stove still had embers and the pot had been used, and she thought she had found solid evidence. "Speak up, did you cook my chicken?"

"Look in the pot, is there a single drop of oil?" Chen Sanlang said coldly.

This reminded Hou Shi. The pot was built into the stove, and to remove it, the stove would have to be dismantled. If they had cooked a chicken, there would be oil traces. But even after searching thoroughly, she found no oil. She asked suspiciously, "Why did you start a fire?"

"I was sick yesterday and needed hot water. Big Sister didn't give us food, so I had to cook for my brothers." Chen Sanlang said coldly. "I know Big Sister resents us for eating without working and wants to split the family. That's why you treat us so poorly. You've been especially cruel to us while Father is away studying. Why must you be so harsh? This year is the year of the imperial exams, and Father might pass. Then we'll see how you treat us!"

He was using this to divert Hou Shi's attention and protect his brothers. He also wanted to make her more cautious...

Hou Shi had been bullying them because they were young and naive. Now, hearing his well-reasoned arguments, she was startled. She thought, 'How could he suddenly say such things? Can this child see through me?'

Her thoughts were indeed exposed by Chen Sanlang. For years, because her husband wasn't suited for studying, her in-laws had placed their hopes on her younger brother-in-law, naturally favoring his family. The narrow-minded Chen Shi had always been resentful.

But with her in-laws still alive, she had to pretend to be harmonious, fearing that if her younger brother-in-law passed the exams, she would need his support. This pretense made her increasingly resentful, and she began to view her brother-in-law's family as a thorn in her side.

To her delight, her brother-in-law had wasted over a decade, failing even the preliminary exams. This confirmed her belief that he and her husband had no chance of becoming officials. She could no longer tolerate supporting his family of five, let alone paying for their education.

So, they must split the family! She had long decided this, but had delayed it for over two years after her mother-in-law's death, not out of kindness, but fear of the law.

In the Song Dynasty, family division was not just a family matter. The government often praised large families living together, advocating for brotherly harmony. The Song Criminal Code stipulated: "Those who separate from their grandparents or parents while they are alive shall be sentenced to three years in prison. Those who separate during their parents' mourning period shall be sentenced to one year." "Separation" means establishing a separate household, and "division" means dividing the family property.

This meant that anyone who separated from their grandparents or parents while they were alive would be sentenced to three years, and even after their parents' death, they had to wait until the mourning period was over before separating, otherwise, they would be sentenced to one year. This was to prevent brothers from fighting over property immediately after their parents' death.

The Song Dynasty's laws, both in formulation and enforcement, were among the best in history, thoroughly understanding human nature. However, laws are rigid, and people are flexible. Relying on rigid laws to protect everyone was impossible. Although Hou Shi dared not split the family, she could use her position as the elder sister-in-law to bully her brother-in-law's family, easing her long-standing resentment.

Previously, she had only given her brother-in-law a cold shoulder, not given her nephews new clothes or good food, but she had never pushed the children to the brink of death. The Chen family was considered a large family, and treating her nephews this way would damage her reputation.

Hou Shi's sudden cruelty was because the Chen family's mourning period would end in March, the current month, and the legal time for property division would arrive. She was determined to get the majority of the property and had her younger brother-in-law start lobbying the county office.

However, her brother-in-law returned and said that the official clerk had warned that such cases were difficult. The Song laws opposed family division, considering it a violation of public order and good morals. Therefore, the one who proposed the division would receive less property. Moreover, since grandchildren also had inheritance rights, the government would consider the number of people in each family... Both families had only male members, so, except for her, everyone had inheritance rights... The ratio of inheritors was three to five, putting her family at a disadvantage.

Furthermore, the unique appointment system of the Song Dynasty made it impossible for the county magistrate to risk his reputation for a small benefit. If the government decided, her family would definitely suffer.

Hou Shi was stunned. Was she going to shoot herself in the foot?

Her brother-in-law told her that they could either have Chen Er propose the division first or reach a private agreement and then go to the government... As long as it was fair, the magistrate would turn a blind eye.

This became Hou Shi's lifeline. She decided to force her brother to propose the division first, intensifying her cruelty. Since Chen Er was away studying, she began to abuse his three children... She wanted Chen Er to realize that he must either stay home and watch his children or immediately split the family.

If one or two of the children died, it would suit her plans. In this era, the infant mortality rate was extremely high. Even wealthy families, if they had ten children, were lucky if half survived. She had seven children, only two of whom survived, so she didn't consider the death of a child a big deal.

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Suddenly having her thoughts exposed by a child, Hou Shi was flustered, muttering curses like "tear your mouth apart" while backing away, not wanting to face those piercing eyes.

Chen Sanlang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression didn't change.

But Hou Shi couldn't just leave in defeat. She glared around, hoping to find a way to suppress the boy's defiance.

When her fierce gaze fell on Xiao Liulang, she noticed him shifting his body and shouted, "What are you hiding!" She lunged to grab Xiao Liulang's right hand.

"What are you doing!" Chen Sanlang quickly blocked her, but being only ten years old, he was no match for her strength. He stumbled, and in that moment, Hou Shi grabbed Xiao Liulang's sleeve.

"Let him go!" Chen Sanlang grabbed the woman's arm, shouting to Xiao Liulang, "Run!"

But the little boy was too frightened to move. Hei Wulang, realizing the situation, grabbed his brother and pulled. Xiao Liulang's clothes were already tattered, and the sleeve tore, dropping an object.

Seeing the object, even Chen Sanlang was stunned. It was a charred yellow chicken leg...

"Good!" Hou Shi's anger flared. She shook off Chen Sanlang, smoothed her hair, and exclaimed, "I was right, a nest of little thieves!"

"You're lying!" This wasn't Chen Sanlang or Hei Wulang, but Xiao Liulang, his face red with anger, stammering, "My brother is not a thief!"

"How dare you talk back!" Hou Shi, being a fierce woman, wouldn't let up. She slapped Xiao Liulang, sending him to the ground, bleeding from his nose and mouth.

Hou Shi was about to continue her abuse when she heard an angry roar, "Go to hell!"

"You..." Her "you" turned into a scream as she was violently rammed by Chen Sanlang, who had gone into a frenzy.

Caught off guard, Hou Shi fell in a daze. Chen Sanlang, overestimating his strength, also fell.

But then, Hei Wulang growled, pounced, and sat on Hou Shi's stomach, raining punches down.

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I have decided not to use overly academic language in this book, so you won't see long explanations or essays. But this doesn't mean I haven't done my research. While I can't make everything perfectly period-accurate, I have done my best, and it is no less authentic than "A First-Class Official."

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