Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Zhuang Li followed Qi Wang back to the capital overnight. Before leaving, he wanted to take Zhuang Lao Er, Liu Chunhua, and Zhuang Jiuge with him, but the three disagreed. They were all ordinary people with no greed and could not adapt to the life of royalty.
Zhuang Li went along to treat Qi Wang’s illness, but what right did they have to do so?
Therefore, Zhuang Lao Er repeatedly declined the invitation from the Qi Wang.
“In that case, this villa will be given to my father-in-law. The land deed is on the desk in the study, and my father-in-law’s name is already written on it. You can go and get it yourself.” After saying this, Qi Wang carried Zhuang Li into the carriage and drove off in a carefree manner.
Zhuang Lao Er: “!!!”
The Qi Wang’s entourage had already disappeared into the night, leaving only a few torches flickering in the distance, when Zhuang Lao Er murmured in disbelief, “What did the Wang just call me?”
Liu Chunhua shook her head stiffly: “I didn’t hear clearly either.”
Zhuang Jiuge sneered, “He called you father-in-law, and even called you that twice, then left a house as a dowry for marrying my elder brother and left! He did it on purpose!”
After saying this, Zhuang Jiuge flicked his sleeves and walked into the courtyard, vowing, “In the future, I will definitely study hard, pass the imperial examination, become a high-ranking official, and have power surpassing that of the Qi Wang! One day I will rescue my elder brother! My elder brother did this for the sake of our family!”
Zhuang Lao Er and Liu Chunhua: “…”
….
None of the family members slept well. When Zhuang Jiuge woke up the next day, he decided to go back to Luoxia Village.
When the guards helped him move his things, they forgot to include a stack of manuscripts, all of which were his painstaking works over the past few years. It was a real pity that they were lost.
When he went out, the dozens of guards left behind by the Qi Wang immediately surrounded him, saying they wanted to go with him.
Zhuang Jiuge’s repeated refusals were to no avail, so he had no choice but to reluctantly bring the group along.
Right now, he was wearing a gLaoen-red brocade robe with auspicious clouds, a white jade hair ornament, suede boots, and hLaoing a fragrant ivory fLaoing fan. Behind him was a group of tall and strong guards carrying large swords, walking in a grand procession through the manor.
If someone who didn’t know the situation saw him, they might think he was some kind of prince or nobleman.
“Brothers, is it inappropriate for me to be dressed like this? Where are my own clothes?” When he reached the front door, Zhuang Jiuge hesitated to step out.
“Mr. Zhuang ordered us to burn all of the young master’s clothes,” the guard reported respectfully.
“My Laoer brother tLao you to burn it?” Zhuang Jiuge blinked, then nodded helplessly. “Never mind then, I’ll wear whatever my brother tells me to wear.”
The guard handed over a cloth bag and said, “This is full of amulets. Young master, you can take it down the mountain and distribute it to the villagers of Luoxia Village. With these amulets, they will no longer be bewitched by Zhuang Tian’er. These were also the instructions Mr. Zhuang gave before he left.”
“Brother, you’re so kind! You were still thinking about the villagers before you left!” Zhuang Jiuge immediately took the cloth bag and waved, “Let’s go!”
Three-quarters of an hour later, the group entered Luoxia Village in a grand procession, only to find a crowd gathered in front of Zhuang Tian’er’s house. From the courtyard came the roar of Zhuang Laoda: “Report to the authorities! I will definitely report to the authorities! You stole my family’s silver! Lao Liu, was it you? You are the most agile, you could have easily climbed over the wall without a sound! Lao Dong, and you too, you can make sleeping pills to knock us out!”
“Fine, I’ll report you to the authorities then! I was just about to accuse your Zhuang Tian’er of bewitching people and plotting to seize property; she’s an evil spirit! I’ll have the magistrate burn her alive!” Lao Liu shouted.
Lao Dong looked at the surrounding villagers and proposed, “We’re not the only two who’ve been misled by Zhuang Tian’er; there are many others. Let’s all come with us to the county town to be witnesses!”
Some people responded loudly, some looked timid, and some turned around and sneaked away.
Most people were still afraid of Zhuang Tian’er.
Just then, Zhuang Jiuge walked over, took out the amulets from the bag, and distributed them to the villagers one by one: “These are amulets made by my brother. Take them. With these amulets, Zhuang Tian’er won’t be able to harm you.”
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly gathered around, vying to take the amulets.
Old Master Zhuang glared angrily at Zhuang Jiuge, but he was afraid of the group of guards around him and did not dare to come over to snatch the talisman, nor did he dare to shout at him.
Lao Liu and Lao Dong opened their palms and showed their testimonies: “That’s right, that’s right. We only woke up because of the scholar’s peace talisman. Yesterday, that evil spirit Zhuang Tian’er tried to cast a spell on me, but my talisman immediately burned my palm and protected me. The scholar’s talisman is really effective. With this, we don’t have to be afraid of Zhuang Tian’er at all.”
The idea that their hands were burning hot was just an illusion for the two of them, but the villagers had no idea of the truth. They believed it.
Zhuang Li’s authority had long surpassed Zhuang Tian’er’s, not to mention that Zhuang Jiuge returned to the village dressed in fine clothes and surrounded by guards, looking incredibly impressive. Whatever the two brothers brought out must be of high quality!
Furthermore, Lao Liu and Lao Dong were not polite to Zhuang Tian’er at all. From yesterday to today, they were fine and did not encounter any bad luck. On the contrary, Zhuang Tian’er’s family was very unlucky. This talisman must be useful!
Thinking of this, the villagers completely overcame their obedience and fear of Zhuang Tian’er, and also broke free from her psychological control, becoming clear-headed.
“Let’s go, let’s all go to the city and report this to the authorities! We didn’t steal Boss Zhuang’s silver at all; it’s obvious that Zhuang Tian’er instigated people to seize his property!”
Someone shouted, and everyone raised their hands in agreement, “Let’s go! Let’s be witnesses for Lao Liu and Lao Dong!”
“I’m going to sue the authorities too! I’m the best at climbing trees, and Zhuang Tian’er often makes me climb trees to pick fruit for her. All the sweet fruit her family takes to the market to sell is picked by me. Once, she saw a hawthorn tree growing on the edge of a cliff and asked me to pick hawthorns for her. I almost fell off the cliff and died!” A twelve or thirteen-year-old boy said indignantly.
His mother quickly hugged him and asked in a trembling voice, “Why didn’t you tell me when you came back?”
“Zhuang Tian’er told me to forget those things, so I forgot. I only remembered them when I got the scholar’s talisman just now.” The little boy patted his chest in lingering fear.
His mother glared at Zhuang Tian’er with bloodshot eyes and screamed, “We’ll sue in front of the officials! We must sue the officials! Burn this evil spirit Zhuang Tian’er to death!”
“My Xing’er must have been killed by Zhuang Tian’er! My Xing’er went fishing on the frozen lake and fell into an ice hole and drowned, but his fishing net is gone. During the days of my funeral, the Zhuang family cooked fish every day, do you remember? The aroma of their fish filled the whole village, and you even gathered at my mourning hall to discuss it. You said that Zhuang Lao’er was able to catch fish in the winter because of Zhuang Tian’er, but did Zhuang Lao’er ever go fishing at the lake? Did any of you see him? Those fish must have been caught by my Xing’er!”
A middle-aged woman with a weathered face shouted hoarsely.
Zhuang Tian’er was overconfident in her abilities, always believing that she could easily control anyone, so she acted without caution. Now that the aura of divine intervention has disappeared, the clues she left behind were quickly discovered by everyone.
Since someone had died, the villagers hated Zhuang Tian’er even more, raising their fists and shouting, “Burn her! Burn her! Burn her!”
Seeing this scene, Zhuang Laoda, who was determined to report the theft to the authorities, backed down and begged everyone to calm down. He kept saying that he didn’t want the several hundred taels of silver anymore and that the theft should be dropped.
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