Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Zhang Jingwei blushed upon hearing this, looking somewhat embarrassed. He stammered, "Ah, this... Father-in-law, you don't know. Ling'er is still young. I think it would be better to wait a little longer."

Huangfu Changshui sighed helplessly, waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. It's not convenient for an old man like me to interfere too much in the affairs between you young people. Since you said we are a family, then naturally I hope you will live a good life in the future."

Zhang Jingwei quickly replied respectfully, "Thank you, father-in-law, for your understanding."

……

After each conversation with Huangfu Changshui, Zhang Jingwei felt exhausted, as if he had just gone through a fierce battle. The pressure emanating from Huangfu Changshui was so overwhelming that it was hard to breathe. At this moment, Zhang Jingwei's face was pale, cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and he walked slowly back to his courtyard with unsteady steps.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Zhang Liu came up to him and asked with concern, "Master, are you feeling unwell? You don't look well."

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand and replied weakly: "It's nothing serious. I'll just go in and rest for a while." Then he walked into the house.

Zhang Liu quickly followed and said, "Master, don't forget, we'll have to move out of here after you take over. All those things we packed up have been sitting in the warehouse, untouched. Now they can be put to good use."

Zhang Jingwei nodded slightly, indicating that he understood, and replied casually, "Sixth Uncle is always very considerate in his work. I'll trouble you to take the trouble to arrange this matter."

At this moment, a hurried voice suddenly came: "Young Master, I have something important to report!" It turned out to be Wang Ergou jogging over.

Zhang Liu frowned upon hearing this and scolded, "How can you be so disrespectful, kid? Can't you see I'm talking to the young master?"

However, Zhang Jingwei didn't take it seriously and said to Zhang Liu, "It's alright, Uncle Six. You can handle these chores. Dahai and Qian Ming will also assist you. Since Ergou said he has something important to tell you, please step aside for now."

Zhang Liu replied respectfully, "Yes, young master," and then turned and left.

After Zhang Liu left, Zhang Jingwei looked at Wang Ergou and asked, "What's so urgent?"

Wang Ergou looked solemn and said in a low voice, "Master, Tian Cao's parents... they're dead. They hanged themselves!"

Zhang Jingwei frowned tightly, his face full of suspicion: "This...how big of a deal is this?"

Wang Ergou, who was standing aside, quickly explained: "Young master, you don't know that the Tian family has now openly gathered in the Yuquan area! They have been extorting the Yang family all day long, making the Yang family miserable. What's more hateful is that even the chief clerk of Hunyuan County has turned a blind eye to this matter!" At this point, Wang Ergou couldn't help but be indignant.

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei slammed the table in anger and shouted, "These beasts are simply shameless! How dare they act so recklessly in broad daylight!"

Wang Ergou continued, "Also, Master, you've purchased a lot of tea from the Yang family before. Now, the Tian family is getting even more jealous after seeing this!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingwei stood up suddenly and ordered firmly, "Quickly prepare my donkey. I want to go to Yuquan Township myself to see what the Tian family is up to!"

Wang Ergou was immediately worried when he heard this. He quickly advised, "Master, the Tian family is so powerful. If you go there alone, you'll probably suffer a loss!"

However, Zhang Jingwei didn't care. He waved his hand and said, "It's okay. I'm not going to fight with them. Let Mu Tou go with me. Having him by my side to protect me is enough."

……

Yuquan Township is a village close to Hunyuan County. It has a large population and is a large village with more than 300 households and over a thousand people.

The Yang family in the village was not poor. They had three daughters. The youngest daughter was still young, and the second daughter eloped with someone to another place. The eldest daughter, Yang Xier, was married to a young man in the county town because the head of the Yang family wanted to marry into a wealthy family. The family sold everything they had, one to make dowries for the daughters, and the other to help their son-in-law who was studying in the provincial capital.

In the years since Yang Xier married into the Tian family, she often ran away home, but was always driven back by Yang Laoguan, who said he didn't love his daughter. He gritted his teeth and prepared a large dowry for his eldest daughter. Even if he loved her, he had the heart to let his daughter endure domestic violence. Yang Xier's mother called him a coward who didn't dare to challenge the Tian family.

The setting sun, like a golden scroll, slowly spread across the horizon, tinting the entire village in an orange-red hue. Yang Xier and her family were sitting around the table, enjoying a warm dinner. However, a sudden commotion shattered the tranquility, followed by a dull thud—the door was violently kicked open.

A group of uninvited guests stormed in, their leader a middle-aged man with a face full of flesh. He said sarcastically, "Hey, are you eating? We're still hungry. So, we won't be polite." With that, the group walked straight to the table, sat down without any hesitation, and began to devour the food.

They ate with their mouths full of oil, wolfing down their food as if they had been hungry for days. However, these scoundrels from the Tian family neither smashed things nor beat anyone up, but were only focused on eating and drinking.

Yang Xier's mother was so angry that she was shaking all over when she saw this scene. She couldn't help but yelled, "What on earth do you want to do?"

The middle-aged man raised his head, a sneer on his face, and replied viciously: "Killing means paying with one's life! My elder brother and sister-in-law can't die in vain."

When Yang Xier heard this, she flew into a rage. She stepped forward and shouted, "Just tell me whose life you want. I'll die right now!"

A middle-aged woman from the Tian family, seeing this, curled her lips in disdain and sneered, "Who wants your life? How much is your worth? You worthless!"

At this time, the middle-aged man turned his gaze to the silent Yang Laoguan and asked coldly, "Yang Laoguan, have you thought it through? Either give the money or give it to the person!"

Yang Laoguan argued helplessly, "Didn't I pay you yesterday?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "That little money is not enough! How much will my brother and sister-in-law's funeral cost? And my eldest nephew is still in jail. Doesn't he need money to take care of him?"

Old Man Yang shouted innocently, "My parents-in-law committed suicide on their own. What does this have to do with our family?"

Yang Xier's mother, who was standing nearby, spat fiercely and retorted with her eyes wide open, "Bah! What in-laws? Our Xier divorced his family a long time ago, and now we have no relationship at all!"

The middle-aged man stepped forward and said to Yang Xier's mother with a gloomy face, "Sister-in-law Yang, what you said is a bit unreasonable! After Xier married into my Tian family, she has been eating, drinking, defecating and urinating in my house for many years! Now that something like this has happened, you must give us a reasonable explanation!"