The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 28 Three-Inch Golden Lotus
Seeing her hesitation, Ximen Qing snorted coldly: "Madam Zhang, you know very well what methods your Zhang family has used to acquire these lands over the years."

"Do you think I don't know that the county magistrate has a lot of petitions piled up on his case file? If we really investigate, and he gets involved in this case, going through all these petitions, I'm afraid there will be dozens more charges against him."

Yu's heart skipped a beat again.

She looked at her husband, who was slumped unconscious in a chair, and then at the Zhang family members outside the courtyard who were crying incessantly. Finally, she steeled her heart, clenched her teeth so tightly that they almost bled!
She kowtowed deeply again in the direction of Ximen Qing and Commander He:
"This humble woman... On behalf of the entire Zhang family, I thank Lord He and Master Ximen for saving our lives! We are willing to offer up our land as well! We only beg... we only beg you, sir, to have mercy and spare our entire family's life! Please... please give our Zhang family a place to live and a meal to eat..."

By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

Ximen Qing and Commander He exchanged a glance, their eyes full of smiles.

As for what Yu Shi and the crying outside the courtyard are, they are nothing.
The cries of refugees throughout the land shook the heavens!
Who can control that?
Who cares?
Many more were driven to tears or even hanged by the Zhang family, a wealthy couple.

Now that it's happened to me, I realize that everyone cries the same way.

"Very well!" Commander He waved his hand sharply, his voice shaking the rooftops. "Since that's the case, I will show leniency and grant her a reprieve! Men! Bring paper, pen, and inkpad! Have Madam Zhang sign a document! She shall offer 1,800 shi of grain and 1500 mu of land to atone for her crime! Within three days, the grain and land deeds shall be clearly handed over! If there are any delays, or discrepancies in the amounts or boundaries..."

He snorted coldly, his killing intent overflowing, "Don't blame me for not warning you! When the time comes, not only will I be ruthless, but even the Heavenly King himself won't be able to save you!"

Military guards had already brought over writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and ink paste.

Ms. Yu picked up the pen with trembling hands.

The brush seemed to weigh a ton, and the ink dripped onto the snow-white Xuan paper, spreading out in patches of despairing black.

Each stroke is like a dull knife cutting into one's own flesh:

"This deed is made by Zhang Yu, a member of the Zhang family, who, because of her husband Zhang Dahu… knows the enormity of her sins and is filled with remorse and fear. Now, by the grace of Commander He, who has shown mercy beyond the law and granted her permission to atone for her sins, she willingly offers all her possessions to fund the military and make amends for her transgressions. After this offering, she will never object. To ensure there is no proof in the future, this deed is made as proof. Zhang Yu (signature)"

After finishing writing, Yu was exhausted. He dipped his finger in ink and pressed it with all his might onto the character "献" (xiàn, meaning "dedicated") and his own name, leaving a bright red, blood-like fingerprint.

Ximen Qing looked at the still-wet ink on the document with satisfaction, cupped his hands to Commander He and smiled, "Lord He, your insight is remarkable and your handling of the matter is appropriate. You have not only severely punished the lawbreakers and deterred the villains, but also replenished military supplies and stabilized the region. You are truly a pillar of the nation! I admire you the most!"

Commander He clapped his hands and laughed: "Hahaha! It's all thanks to Master Ximen's timely intelligence and insight into the traitors that we were able to solve this earth-shattering case! I hope Master Ximen will continue to take care of us in the future!"

Although Commander He coveted all the fine items in the hall, he knew that his methods were far inferior to those of Master Ximen.

Since he didn't speak, I'll just let him have his way.

Our Master Ximen naturally knows that the matter of annexing Master Zhang cannot be rushed.

Even if a python swallows an antelope whole, it will still suffer from the horns goring it.

If this matter escalates to the point of the Zhang family being wiped out and attracting the attention of higher authorities, they'll probably end up with nothing.

It would be better to resolve this quietly; that's the right way.

He already knew everything about this wealthy family's assets.

The 1500 mu of fertile land outside the city was naturally the primary target, but the silk and cloth shop at the South Gate that made a fortune every day, the two thriving pawnshops on Lion Street, and that considerable sum of usurious loans...

How can we let these industries go?

However, to annex Zhang, a man of equal renown, is like cooking pufferfish—it cannot be rushed; it requires slow simmering and careful, step-by-step progress.

By taking over the land today, we have already severed their foundation.

Cloth shops, pawnshops, and usury are all forms of fictitious wealth.

As the saying goes, "Man has his ups and downs, and the moon has its phases of waxing and waning."

If disaster strikes, these fleeting fortunes will be the first thing to be lost.

In the future, I will have plenty of opportunities to slowly devise a plan, whether by clever means or by force, but they will all eventually fall into my hands!

Ximen Qing and He Qianhu flattered each other, oblivious to everyone else around them.

But Madam Yu saw it all.

His heart was filled with boundless hatred.

Looking at the ruthless faces of Ximen Qing and Commander He, I wish I could devour their flesh!

Her mind raced, and a wicked idea popped into her head.

Since you are so greedy, I will add fuel to the fire!

Madam Yu struggled to lift her head, forcing a fawning smile that was more like a grimace. Her voice carried a deliberate air of mystery and ingratiation: "Master Ximen, Lord He! This humble woman... this humble woman knows the enormity of her sins. My meager grain and land are insufficient to express even a fraction of the Zhang family's repentance! At home... at home there is still a treasure, which I wish to offer to you two esteemed gentlemen as a token of my heart, and also... and hopefully to alleviate some of the burdens you two have borne..."

Upon hearing this, both Ximen Qing and Commander He were taken aback and exchanged a glance, filled with doubt.

Has this Yu family member lost his mind?
Is bleeding yourself not enough?
They even offered up treasures?
But then Madam Yu continued, her tone filled with exaggerated praise: "To my shame, this treasure is not gold, silver, or jewels, but a person. It is a maid I recently bought. This girl... alas, Heaven truly favors her, bestowing upon her all the beauty and talent in the world!"

"She was born with an absolutely stunning beauty! Her skin was as white as snow, so delicate it seemed like it could be broken with a touch; her eyebrows were naturally dark, and her lips were naturally red; her appearance goes without saying, I dare say that, not to mention Qinghe County, even in the capital city where all kinds of beauties gather, there might not be a woman who could match her seven-tenths, especially her pair of small feet..."

Madam Yu paused deliberately, as if to whet their appetites: "I've lived to this age and considered myself to have seen a bit of the world, but I've never seen such natural feet before!"

"Those feet... truly natural golden lotus feet! Small and exquisite, less than three inches long, as pointed as spring bamboo shoots and as slender as red water chestnuts! Wearing those soft-soled embroidered shoes, when she walks, she is graceful and swaying like a willow in the wind, with each step a lotus blossom!"

"What's even more remarkable is that the skin on those feet is so delicate and smooth, like it was carved from the finest mutton fat jade. It's warm and flawless, soft and boneless, pink and sweet. Even I couldn't help but touch it, smell it, and admire it closely, feeling a sense of envy!"

"I am also a woman, but I dare to utter a boastful word: such a beauty, such golden lotus feet, you could search the whole world and find no other pair like her! She is truly a rare gem, an unparalleled beauty! To keep her in our sinful household is to waste a pearl on a platter. It would be better... better to offer her to Master Ximen and Lord He, to keep her by their side to serve tea and water, to add fragrance to their lives. That would be... a blessing for her, and a small token of our Zhang family's atonement for our sins..."

She sneered inwardly after saying this.

As the saying goes, "If one monk carries water, two monks will have no water to drink."

There's an old story about a peach that supposedly killed three warriors.

Now that you have 1500 acres of fertile land, I don't know how you're going to divide it up. I'll also add a beauty to your collection.

I want to see just how close these two, crawling like wolves and snakes, really are!
[Gentlemen, if you enjoyed this, please consider giving me two months' worth of tickets. I, Jinlian, am deeply grateful!]

(End of this chapter)