"The county magistrate is privately imposing taxes, and the prefect doesn't know about it? Didn't you go to the prefect? Beat the drum to protest, to file a complaint?" Zhao Jiaqi continued to ask.
"We did, let alone the prefect, we even went to the prefectural office of Hedong. But they simply didn't care. Either the prefect was absent, or he was inspecting other prefectures. We told the scribe, and he responded well, but there was no result. We waited for a year, and the prefect is still not in his residence. Haha, what can we do?"
Old Man Chen sighed and continued, "But ever since we filed the complaint, this town chief has been making us work every few days, calling it corvée labor. In fact, we all know it's a way of tormenting us!"
"Otherwise, why would only those who complained to the prefect be subjected to corvée labor? We are all in our forties, and though we look old, we are clear-headed. We went twice with no result, and when we returned to do corvée labor, Yuan Xi would torment us even more. So, for the sake of our lives, we won't look for trouble anymore. Surviving is enough for now."
By the time Old Man Chen finished speaking, he sounded weak and listless.
The two talked for a long time, and the topic only ended when Fan Zehao returned.
Seeing Fan Zehao return, Old Man Chen awkwardly stood up, tugging at the hem of his clothes unnaturally. He forced a smile and said, "Master Fan is back. Um... I'll be going back now. If you need more firewood, just say the word, and I'll have my son collect some more."
With that, he hurried out of the room as if a ghost were chasing him.
"Look at how scared he is, he can barely speak coherently. Why is your face so sour after going out? Who upset you?"
Zhao Jiaqi smiled as she looked at the person entering the room. His face was as sour as a stone in a latrine. Without thinking, she knew that her husband must have gotten some news from Chen Yusheng's mouth, otherwise, who could have angered him so much!
As expected, his wife's words provoked him. He sat by the bed, clenched his fists, and smashed them hard onto the bed. A slight cracking sound was heard.
Zhao Jiaqi put her hand to her forehead. The bed was likely to break soon. If it wasn't fixed in the afternoon, they would definitely have to sleep on the floor!
"Can you be more low-key? If you're angry, you're angry. Smashing the bed will deal with those scoundrel officials? You need to be able to endure humiliation with equanimity. With your temper, you'll be angered to death by these bastards sooner or later!"
Zhao Jiaqi got up from the bed, grumbling at him, and then called Shi He, who was guarding the door, into the room.
"Yes, Madam!" Shi He replied.
"Mm, you and Chen Yusheng fix this bed. Otherwise, if it breaks tonight, we'll have nowhere to sleep!"
As soon as Zhao Jiaqi finished speaking, she heard someone behind her snorting heavily, "Don't call Chen Yusheng. You and Feng Xiao, fix this bed frame sturdily, so it doesn't break at the slightest provocation."
Even though he said that, he secretly thought he couldn't let his wife meet Chen Yusheng. For some reason, he had been finding his wife more and more beautiful lately, much more attractive than naive young girls.
She was still charming and sensual, exuding the aura of a mature woman with every gesture.
Zhao Jiaqi didn't notice her husband's little trick. She just felt he was very angry and didn't pay much attention.
She waved to Shi He, "Go ahead. Borrow some tools from Chen Yusheng or Old Man Chen. Once it's repaired, we'll have dinner!"
Shi He glanced at Master Fan, and seeing that he had nothing more to say, he nodded and left the room.
Inside the room, Zhao Jiaqi sat on a chair and asked the person who was still sulking, "Tell me what you heard."
"Heard?" Fan Zehao's voice rose. He pointed to his nose and said with a laugh, "I saw it with my own two eyes. That scoundrel town chief actually snatched a woman in broad daylight. He did such a thing in public, and finally, the woman couldn't bear the humiliation and bit her tongue to death. Even then, that dog didn't let up and even let his subordinates..." Damn it!
Zhao Jiaqi could hardly believe that the town chief Yuan Xi was so outrageous!
He was a beast who wouldn't let even a corpse go.
"And then?" Zhao Jiaqi quickly asked about the follow-up.
She didn't believe her husband would stand by and do nothing after witnessing such a thing!
Fan Zehao snorted coldly, "I kicked him away with one foot. If he ever enters the palace in this life, I won't let him become a eunuch!"
She didn't understand what her husband meant and asked, "What do you mean?"
Seeing her husband's wicked sneer, he said, "The sorrow of the eggs!"
Zhao Jiaqi: "..."
That kick was indeed fierce, but it was satisfying. Although she disliked violence, facing such a situation, she felt that resolving it with violence was extremely satisfying.
"Good. Next time you encounter such a thing, just turn him into a woman and sell him cheap to a brothel, so he can taste this humiliation too!"
Her husband nodded vigorously at his wife's words and responded earnestly, "Yes, this suggestion is very appropriate. Don't worry, wife. Yuan Xi is not dead. After he recovers, I will send him off again. I will definitely watch him suffer endlessly, unable to live or die!"
Destroying his entire clan wouldn't quench his hatred. Fan Zehao decided that he had to resolve the matter here thoroughly.
If a mere town chief could so wantonly prey on the villagers and enjoy himself, he wouldn't dare to act like this without someone above backing him?
Shi He and Feng Xiao, holding the tools to repair the bed, stood outside the house and exchanged knowing smiles as they listened to the couple's conversation.
"The master is quite angry. It seems that the local officials really don't put the Emperor in their eyes. When we catch these bastards, we'll have to give them a good lesson!"
Feng Xiao wagged a finger and said, "Don't insult dogs. Dogs are better than him!"
As they were talking heatedly, Chen Yusheng rushed back from outside and went straight to Shi He, saying anxiously, "Quick, quick, you all must leave! Yuan Xi's thugs have entered the village. If you leave by carriage, you can go faster, and they won't be able to catch up!"
Shi He and Feng Xiao sneered. They hadn't found him yet, and he had come to them. He was even faster than Cao Cao.
Feng Xiao looked at the anxious Chen Yusheng and asked him, "If we leave, and Yuan Xi can't find us, won't that implicate you and your father? Aren't you afraid he'll deal with you?"
Hearing this, Chen Yusheng's face lost its youthful vigor. He forced a helpless smile, shrugged, and spread his hands, "It doesn't matter. Even if they don't kill me now, they will beat me to death when I can't pay the grain tax by the end of the year. It's better to be dead; then I can close my eyes and worry about nothing. Living is the real torment!"
He had long made up his mind to die, it was just a few months earlier than he had planned. But that didn't change his decision.
"Alright, we really can't talk anymore. You must hurry and run, or it will be too late. Yuan Xi's subordinates are all ruthless, and their methods are vicious. Yuan Xi is seriously injured by Brother Fan, so he definitely won't let you off easily. Believe me, I won't lie to you!"