Chapter 3: The Fake Official Seal

  The villagers of Huatian Village all say that the young master of the village has changed, becoming less talkative and expressionless. They then sigh that perhaps the young master was over-stimulated and became stupid.

  In fact, after Lu Haoshan realized that reporting the case was futile and a life had been murdered in broad daylight, he became silent and taciturn. First, he found out the relics of Old Man Lu before his death, sold them at a low price, regardless of the persuasion from left and right neighbors, and even sold the three mu of thin fields that were about to be harvested by Old Man Lu at a low price. He used the money to buy a good coffin for Old Man Lu, bought a grave, and asked monks to perform Buddhist rituals. He himself also wore mourning clothes and took care of Old Man Lu's aftermath every day.

  Many people think it's a pity that he sold his land, but quite a few people admire his filial piety and voluntarily send him meals and help with the aftermath of Lao Lu's passing.

  After the seventh day of mourning, Lu Haoshan tidied up, locked the door, took a last look at this place that had once provided him with shelter and warmth, and then walked away without looking back. This was his last time here. After today, he would be reborn and no longer linger in this remote mountain village, but instead seek out his own brilliant future in the midst of chaos. Of course, before embracing his new life, he still had to put one thing to rest.

  Lu Lao can't die in vain, he is his own savior, who has given him shelter and warmth. When Lu Haoshan saw Lu Lao's cold corpse, he already understood that justice exists in the hearts of most people, but truth is held by a few. In chaos, what is truth? Power is truth, talking reason and bookish integrity are just the weak showing off.

  Reborn as a human being, must live a wonderful life.

  Lu Haoshan walked for about a mile in the direction of Qi Yang County, then turned around and asked faintly: "Monkey, how long do you plan to follow me?"

  As soon as he left the village, Lu Haoshan discovered that there was an extra tail behind him, and this tail was none other than Liu Jinchu, the clever ghost from the village. Wherever he went, Liu followed, stopping whenever he stopped, always lurking in the back, until he couldn't help but turn around and ask.

  "Brother Shan, I want to follow you, just take me in." Liu Jinzhu suddenly pleaded.

  Lu Haoshan shook his head without hesitation: "No, now I have nothing on me, and the silver was used up during the funeral. Following me is useless."

  "Brother Shan, I'm not after your money. If you're willing, I have several hundred coins here that I've been saving up for my wedding. I'd be happy to give them all to you if you'll just let me follow you."

  "It's no good," Lu Haoshan shook his head and said: "I still have things to attend to, I can't bring you along, you should go back home."

  Liu Jinzhu suddenly said astonishingly: "I know, Shan Ge is going to kill that Li Xiangcai to avenge Lu Dage, Shan Ge, take me with you, I'm familiar with the roads in this area, and I have some strength, when it's time to make an effort, I'll never slack off."

  Lu Haoshan took two steps closer, staring with his eyes wide open: "Who said I wanted to kill someone? Don't talk nonsense."

  "Shan Ge, you can't fool me, I see the murderous intent in your eyes. Don't worry, I, Liu Jinzhu, am not an ungrateful person. Once, when I was on the brink of death due to illness, it was Lao Ye who saved my life. He has a lifesaving grace towards me, and I must repay him. That's one reason. Another reason is that I think Shan Ge is definitely not an ordinary person. Hanging out with you will surely bring a day when we rise above the rest. So, Shan Ge, take me in!"

  "This kid is clever, Lü Hǎo Shān narrowed his eyes and looked at Liú Jīn Zhù, Liú Jīn Zhù stared back at Lü Hǎo Shān without fear, to show that he had no ill intentions. After a while, Lü Hǎo Shān said calmly: 'Even with you added, we are only two people, with no extra wealth and no weapons, whereas Lǐ Xiàng Cái of Zhú Shān Village is a well-known local gentry, with high walls and strong houses, and a large group of fierce slaves guarding the courtyard. Just the two of us going there would undoubtedly be suicidal, aren't you afraid?'"

  "Don't be afraid," Liu Jinzhu said with a serious face: "In these chaotic times, if you're not killed by soldiers, you'll starve to death. Even if you die, it's better that way. Who knows, the King of Hell might take pity on you and let you be reborn into a good family next time."

  "Aren't you afraid?"

  Afraid of nothing

  "Alright, follow me," said Lu Haoshan with a nod. "No matter what you see, don't say anything and don't ask any questions."

  "Yes, Brother Shan." Liu Jinzhu was overjoyed upon hearing this and hastily followed Lu Haoshan. The two of them then headed towards Qiyang County, one in front of the other.

  ........

  Zhushan Village is just an ordinary small village in Qiyang County, because there are many wild bamboo on the mountain, so it is named Zhushan Village. The men and women of all ages in the village have a skill for weaving bamboo baskets and bamboo baskets, but more famous than this skill is that Zhushan Village has produced a big figure: Li Xiangcai.

  Li Xiangcai's ancestors were also poor people, with only a thin field of ten mu in the family, living a life of poverty. However, when Li Xiangcai's generation arrived, his ancestral tomb suddenly emitted a green smoke, and he first passed the imperial examination as a xiucai, gaining the right to food allowance, and began to make a name for himself. Later, he bought land and opened a pawnshop and a rice shop, transporting boatloads of white rice out of Yongzhou Prefecture and selling it all over the country. Li Xiangcai's son, Li Guang, passed the imperial examination and entered the Imperial Academy, and after spending a lot of money to curry favor, he obtained an official position as the magistrate of Guilin Prefecture in Guangxi Province. The father relied on his son's influence, and the son relied on his father's wealth. Especially in recent years, Li Xiangcai took advantage of natural disasters and human calamities to buy land extensively, with fields covering the entire Qi Yang County, totaling over a thousand mu. In addition, he made a lot of money from lending at high interest rates and became a wealthy man known throughout the region, with wealth rivaling that of the nobility.

  When the bandits were like locusts, ravaging Huguang and sweeping through most of Huguang, many landlords and merchants in Huguang suffered family breakups and deaths, while Yongzhou Prefecture escaped disaster. Who knows how many people secretly said that heaven was blind and did not take away such a wicked person as Li Xiangcai?

  At this time, Li Xiangcai was sitting in a reclining chair under the osmanthus tree in the backyard with his new concubine, enjoying the pastries and fruits she fed him, while listening to the steward's report on the latest situation. When he heard that the people of Huatian Village were preparing to write a complaint to the authorities in Yongzhou Prefecture, accusing him of bullying them with his power, he suddenly burst out laughing and said:

  "These damned muddy feet, how dare they be so bold? If I don't give them a few slaps, they really won't know their own name."

  "It's just that the fat steward on the side added fuel to the fire, saying: "Now the young master is at a critical moment in his political performance evaluation. If this matter gets out, it will damage the young master's reputation and hinder his future prospects. Moreover, two of our servants were injured, and several strong men from Zhushan Village were also injured, each with great resentment."

  As soon as he mentioned his son's future, Li Xiangcai suddenly stood up tensely, with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth for a while, before gritting his teeth and saying: "Li Er"

  "Little is in"

  "Send a generous gift to the county magistrate and prefectural magistrate, send as much as you think is suitable, can't lose face. In addition, the injured servants will double their monthly salary this month, and each of the injured villagers will be rewarded with two taels of silver. At this time, people's hearts cannot be scattered." Li Xiangcai said with a gloomy face: "This time I want to uproot Huatian Village completely."

  Cut off the water of Huaxi Creek, first, it can alleviate the drought and protect its own interests as much as possible. Although Huatian Village also has fields, compared to Li Xiangcai who occupies about 60% of the village's fields, protecting Zhushan Village is the top priority; secondly, take advantage of the drought to force the people of Huatian Village to desperation, so that they cannot pay taxes or debts, and then force them to sell their land. With years of hard work, if it must be sold, it can only be sold to oneself. Buying land in a disaster year is just taking advantage of the fire to loot.

  Housekeeper Li Er hastily responded and then quickly retreated to make arrangements.

  "Master, there is an official outside the door who specifically wants to see you." Just as Li Er's footsteps had just left, a servant came forward to report.

  People have come so soon?

  Li Xiangcai hastily ordered: "Quickly invite him."

  "Yes, sir"

  The servant quickly walked to the gate and said respectfully to the constable, who was wearing a small hat with six buttons, a green robe, a red cape on his back, a green silk belt around his waist, and carrying a long sword: "This official brother, my master has invited you."

  A faint glimmer of murderous intent flashed in the eyes of that official, but he quickly recovered and walked in with his head held high and chest out, without even giving a glance to the underling.

  If someone from Huatian Village saw this, they would definitely be shocked: what is the young master of the Lu family doing here? And wearing a catcher's clothes.

  That's right, this catcher is Lu Haoshan. Under the leadership of his subordinates, he walked into Li Xiangcai's mansion for the first time. He saw him walking unhurriedly and still had the interest to look around, measuring this set of mansions known as the largest and most beautiful in the area of hundreds of miles.

  Liu Jin said that this is a nine-in-five-out house, covering an area of nearly 40 mu. In ancient times, one mu was approximately 667 square meters, so 40 mu would be over 20,000 square meters. From the outside, you can see the upturned eaves and corners of the roof, giving people a sense of wanting to fly; when you enter inside, it's even more astonishing. They say that rich monks come from poor temples, and in this remote and impoverished village, a big rich man emerged. Inside, there are carved beams and painted rafters, with pavilions, gardens, artificial hills, and long corridors all present. Between the rooms, there are alleys or steps connecting them, and the door sills, window frames, and roof eaves are all carved with various patterns or figures, giving off an extremely rich and luxurious feel.

  As soon as he saw the luxurious decorations here, he thought of Old Man Lu getting up at dawn and retiring at dusk, barely able to swallow his wild vegetable porridge. This kind-hearted and honest man ended up with a miserable end. A surge of evil fire rose in Lu Haoshan's heart, but when he arrived at the backyard and saw Li Xiangcai, Lu Haoshan smiled and bowed to him:

  "Hello, Mr. Li."