Chapter 77

(Seeking recommendations...)

In the end, Zhou Dalin ruled that Cheng Zhicai was guilty of false accusation, sentencing him to forty strokes of the cane and two years of hard labor. Additionally, the lawyer who incited the false accusation was to receive double the punishment. However, in the Song Dynasty, wealthy people could pay fines to avoid punishment... This was also the reason why the Cheng family acted so brazenly. After promising to pay a hefty fine, Cheng Zhicai was taken to a side room and forced to write a divorce letter on the spot.

On the Su family’s side, someone had to go and retrieve the document, so Chen Ke volunteered for the task.

As soon as he entered the room, he closed the door, pulled a chair over, and sneered at his former classmate.

Cheng Zhicai put down his pen, his face ashen, and asked, "What do you want?"

"Feeling pretty lucky right now, aren't you?" Chen Ke said with a playful smile.

"What do I have to be lucky about?" Cheng Zhicai frowned.

"Kind-hearted Eighth Daughter repaid your evil with kindness, saving your face," Chen Ke said with a cold laugh. "But I can't stand people who repay evil with kindness!"

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Cheng Zhicai said, his voice strained. "I don't have any such preferences..." Although he said this, his voice dropped, clearly afraid of being overheard.

"Do you think I've been idle these past few days?" Chen Ke said with a cold smile. "I've already found your lover in Qingshen County. I was planning to bring him to court to reminisce about old times!" He paused. "But it's not too late. I wonder if your mother will recognize this 'worthy son-in-law.'"

"You..." Cheng Zhicai's spirit was completely broken. "What do you really want?" He wasn't stupid; he knew that if Chen Ke really wanted to expose him, he wouldn't be wasting words.

"Smart," Chen Ke said, letting him go and wiping his hands with a handkerchief. "I know your family is still obsessed with Huang Jiaojiao. Your cousin is jumping around, trying to bring it under official control."

"I never get involved in business matters," Cheng Zhicai straightened his clothes, clearly displeased with Chen Ke's gesture.

"Fine, I'll bring your ex-boyfriend in then," Chen Ke nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait..." With his weakness exposed, Cheng Zhicai had no choice but to comply. "What do you want me to do?"

"That's more like it," Chen Ke turned back, his face expressionless. "I want the exclusive rights to buy Huang Jiaojiao for the next ten years. If you can do it, I'll make sure that person leaves Shu forever..."

"I'll do my best..."

"You have two years. You can definitely do it," Chen Ke smiled brightly. "Otherwise, there will be a show!"

Actually, for a scoundrel like Cheng Zhicai, Chen Ke didn't need to give him any face. But the reason a weakness is a weakness is that it hasn't been exposed; its threat lies in the unspoken. If it were exposed, it would only provoke a desperate retaliation.

The Cheng family was a massive entity, far beyond what Chen Ke could handle at this stage. If he completely disgraced them, they would retaliate fiercely. At that point, the Su family, the Chen family, and the Huang Jiaojiao brewery would all suffer. Chen Ke was about to leave Sichuan and couldn't afford such a big trouble.

It was better to keep the weakness in hand, making the Cheng family wary.

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Throughout history, such lawsuits have never had a winner. The Su family won the case, and Eighth Daughter regained her freedom, but the psychological trauma suffered by the entire family would take a long time to heal.

If there was any benefit to the Su family from this incident, it was the immense stimulation of Su Xun's ambition. He deeply understood the hard truth that "poverty is inferior to wealth, low status is inferior to high status, being in the wild is inferior to being in the court, and eating vegetables is inferior to eating meat." To avoid being bullied by the rich and powerful, one must become one of them; to avoid being bullied, one must have the ability to bully others. Guided by this thought, he not only urged his two sons to study hard but also traveled extensively, submitting letters to seek fame and quickly enter the circle of scholars.

Of course, this is a later development. The most direct impact of the lawsuit was that the Su family decided to move from Qingshen back to Meishan. Although Su Xun claimed it was for the convenience of the Su family's annual sacrifices, everyone knew it was to avoid suspicion.

Erlang naturally was reluctant, but he also knew that under the current circumstances, it was better to separate for a while. This would allow public opinion to cool down, help Eighth Daughter move past the trauma and accept a new relationship, and allow him to focus on his studies as the imperial examination approached.

As for Chen Ke, perhaps due to his experience in a previous life, he took the parting lightly. After returning to Meishan, he went to Zhongyan Academy to bid farewell to his teacher, Wang Fang.

Regarding his actions in the valley, Wang Fang only commented, "Ridiculous." Then he changed the subject to Fan Zhongyan, his voice low. "I carefully read the latest gazette. In the first month of this year, Fan Gong was transferred to Yingzhou, but he fell seriously ill in Xuzhou. The emperor sent envoys several times to offer medicine and inquire about his condition. I don't know how he is now."

"I don't know if it's a coincidence or not," Wang Fang continued, mentioning Ouyang Xiu. "Last month, Ouyang Taifu passed away in the official residence in Nanjing. Ouyang Yongshu submitted a petition to return to Yingzhou to observe the mourning period. The court wanted to recall him from mourning, but he firmly declined. I imagine he is on the road to Yingzhou, if not already there."

"Does that mean my destination should be Yingzhou?" Chen Ke asked softly.

"Yes," Wang Fang nodded. "I've also written a memorial. We should pay our respects to Taifu."

"Understood," Chen Ke replied respectfully.

"Go on, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, especially for us Sichuanese," Wang Fang said with a deep gaze. "The saying 'young people should not enter Sichuan' is not just a saying. Although Sichuan is beautiful, it is isolated from the world. Only by going out can you truly understand what the Song Dynasty is like."

"Understood," Chen Ke nodded again.

"Do you plan to travel alone?"

"Song Duanping also wants to go with me," Chen Ke answered. "He has already submitted a long leave request to Mr. Yuan. After entering the Lixing Hall, the academy can teach us very little. Students mainly study on their own. The academy also encourages traveling to broaden our horizons and avoid being confined to a single place... It also gives students time to make connections, though it's not explicitly stated."

"Very good," Wang Fang stroked his beard. "You two traveling together is a good idea." He paused and smiled. "I was a bit worried about you traveling alone, so I found you a bodyguard..."

"Oh," Chen Ke smiled. "To be honest, I had the same idea... It's our first time leaving Sichuan, and having an experienced bodyguard would make us feel more secure."

"Ha ha..." Wang Fang's smile was a bit awkward as he touched his brow. "The person is a disciple of Emei, with very high martial arts skills, but in terms of experience, he is even less experienced than you."

"Uh..." Chen Ke stared at the old man curiously. "Is that person related to you, teacher?"

"Even closer than a relative," Wang Fang chuckled. "He is my son..."

"I've heard that you have a son and a daughter, but I've never met your son," Chen Ke realized. "He's been on Emei Mountain?"

"Yes," Wang Fang nodded. "He was weak and sickly from a young age, almost not surviving. He had to become a monk on Emei Mountain and follow Master Baiyun in his practice. It has been ten years, and he is now required to travel the world." He smiled bitterly. "I really don't feel at ease with him, so I want him to travel with you..."

"Teacher, you really..." Chen Ke smiled bitterly. "Alright, I'll take him along."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After taking leave smoothly, Chen Ke attended his last half-day of classes and packed all his books into his trunk. Song Duanping did the same.

Knowing that the two were going on a study tour, their classmates were eager to join, but their families would not allow them to leave Sichuan, so they could only express their envy and ask them to write letters often, sharing their experiences.

The two naturally agreed, packed their trunks, and went down the mountain with the Su brothers.

On the mountain path, the stream flowed gently, and the trees were lush. The Su brothers were very dejected. They had planned to leave Sichuan together, but their father, after being deeply affected, firmly refused to let them "wander around and neglect their studies"... Su Xun had once loved traveling, which delayed his studies, and to avoid the same for the next generation, the ambitious Su Laoquan would not allow it.

After the incident with the Su family, the two brothers had grown up a lot. Su Shi would no longer run away from home, and Su Xun would be even less likely to. But no matter how sensible they were, seeing their friends about to set off, they felt a deep sense of loss.

Chen Ke and Song Duanping comforted them along the way, and by the time they reached the bottom of the mountain, their moods had improved. On the dam, Su Zhe gave Chen Ke a look, and the two fell behind.

"What's up?" Chen Ke asked.

"There's something," Su Zhe looked at the setting sun in the distance and said slowly, "The Prefect Lei came to propose marriage to my sister."

"..." Chen Ke fell silent for a moment, then looked at him and asked, "Is this your father's idea, or yours?"

"Both. Even a blind person can see that my sister is fond of you. My father's original intention was that if your family didn't propose, he wouldn't either," Su Zhe sighed. "But after what happened to my sister, my father no longer cares so much about face... If it were before, he would never have let me hint at it."

"I understand," Chen Ke nodded, took a deep breath, and said, "This time, I'm leaving Sichuan to visit my father. I'll talk to him and ask him to send a matchmaker to propose."

"Hey," Su Zhe, unusually dissatisfied with his attitude, said, "Is proposing to my sister making you so depressed?"

"Please," Chen Ke put his hand on Su Zhe's neck and smiled bitterly, "Your sister is only fifteen, flat-chested and hipless. To be honest, I've always seen her as a little sister. Do you think marrying a little sister would make me happy?"

"If you're not happy, forget it," Su Zhe tried to shake off his arm.

But Chen Ke held him tightly and said, "How can I? Feelings can develop over time, but seeing someone else marry her would be unbearable."

"You guy," Su Zhe smiled bitterly, "still the same old you, wanting to claim something even if you don't want it!"

"Right, that's me," Chen Ke chuckled. "But don't tell her that, or I'll be in trouble."

Su Zhe suddenly shook off Chen Ke's arm and laughed loudly, "Do you think I'm closer to her or to you?"

"Little brother-in-law, where are you going!" Chen Ke shouted and chased after him.

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