Divorced woman with child travels through time

Qian Zheng poured himself a drink. This tea was so delicious, it suited his taste perfectly. After finishing a cup, the fragrance lingered on his lips and teeth...

Two days later, the county government posted a notice confirming that Zhou Bapi was indeed dead. The people immediately spread the news, overjoyed, and every household set off firecrackers. Liu Xuetian made another small profit.

Qian Zheng watched the commotion with a heavy heart. It seemed the people of Li Family Town were all unruly. Perhaps Zhou Bapi had gone too far in his actions, but this blatant celebration with firecrackers was disrespectful to the government. What if he insisted on collecting taxes? What should be done? It seemed he would have to resort to some underhanded methods.

Qian Zheng summoned his subordinates to thoroughly investigate Chen Ji. "I thought he had some powerful backing. He just has a slight friendship with Ouyang Junyan. How could he be so difficult to deal with? Zhou Zhengyu is a complete waste. Once the army arrives, we'll take care of all the monsters and demons. We'll deal with them all without a second thought." He just needed to wait patiently.

Like Ah Li, Wang Erniu was also asking someone to investigate this Master Qian. Ah Li wrote a letter to Ouyang Junyan, who replied quickly with only a few words, avoiding any direct confrontation.

Wang Erniu had asked someone to investigate, but there was still no reply. Ah Li saw that Wang Erniu also knew about investigating Qian Zheng, so he didn't remind him anymore. Little did he know that this matter would leave a source of trouble.

A few days later, Wang Erniu's messenger still hadn't sent any news, while Ali had already sent someone with a message that the army would arrive in town in three days.

"Husband, what should we do?" Chen Wenfang was at a loss. In her time, everyone was a law-abiding citizen. Even corrupt officials would at most charge some extra fees. How could this be? They were asked to pay taxes right off the bat, and in such a huge amount. Zhou Zhengyu had said that Chen's business would have to pay five thousand taels of silver in transaction tax, which was equivalent to several months' worth of net profit, and this was only the first installment.

"Don't worry, my wife. I've already asked Hanyang to spread the word. Everyone will know the truth. It's not just our family that has to pay. If he does this all at once, won't he owe us tens of thousands of taels of silver in taxes? How could our family possibly have enough? Our silver isn't even enough for him to have a treat," Wang Erniu reassured her. "Besides, the army hasn't arrived yet. My brothers should bring us a message in the next couple of days. I know what's going on, my wife. Don't be anxious."

Chen Wenfang disagreed. In this corrupt feudal society, how could they possibly resist the higher-ups? Besides, they had families to support, with so many children. He really hoped that the new official would be a good one.

In mid-March, the weather had just thawed and was still a bit cold. Three days passed in a shivering manner. Some melons and vegetables had just been planted on Chen's farm. Uncle Liu Hai and Brother Nie, two people with the same hobby, got together and thought about clearing land and planting crops every day. They led a group of big men to clear land and collect stones. The field was filled with laughter and joy.

Brother Nie shouted, "Everyone, let's work harder, plant some chili seedlings, and sell them. Then every household can eat chili peppers!"

"You're right, my mouth waters just thinking about stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and I'm so hungry," Lü Xiong laughed.

"You're just greedy!"

Just then, a middle-aged man with a thick beard and an official-like appearance, riding a tall horse, rushed into the village.

"Whoa..." The horse's hooves neighed, and the man stopped his horse and shouted, "Where is Wang Erniu? Come out and see the officials!" As he spoke, the sound of hooves rose all around, and more than a hundred armed and fierce-looking officials on horseback followed behind.

"There's murderous intent!" Lü Xiong's eyes narrowed sharply. This was bad! The newcomers were up to no good. He exchanged a glance with Brother Nie, and the two nodded in tacit agreement. Lü Xiong then turned and disappeared into the mountains.

The farmers clearing land in the fields were all bewildered, looking at each other in dismay, not knowing what to do.

“Sir…” Brother Nie stepped forward respectfully and bowed, “Our master has gone to town and is not at the manor.”

The man glared at him fiercely, "Go and call him back..."

"Yes!" The common people can't fight with officials, so Brother Nie bowed and pointed to a man driving an oxcart to town. Aunt Liu peeked out from the courtyard, then slammed the door shut. Inside, she discussed the matter with Aunt Nie and the other women.

The man dismounted and stared at the tightly closed courtyard gate, banging on it repeatedly. The hundred or so officials behind him remained on their horses, watching them intently.

"Open the door!" the man roared. The women inside seemed flustered. Sister-in-law Nie touched her hair, opened the door, and came out to greet them.

"Greetings, sir. The house is full of women, so it's inconvenient to open the door. The master hasn't returned yet either. Why don't you wait outside?" Sister-in-law Nie replied calmly and without fear in the face of his anger.

Yang Shouzhen looked at her coldly and said, "So what if I'm a woman? My surname is Yang. I'm here on Lord Qian's orders to collect taxes. I'm tired, so I'd like to go inside and sit down."

Sister-in-law Nie remained silent, standing motionless and unyielding. Brother Nie had unconsciously approached the two men as Yang Shouzhen entered the courtyard, his hands clenched tightly in his sleeves, fearing a fight might break out. Fortunately, it was still early, and no merchants had yet come to buy anything.

"Please forgive us, sir, but the courtyard is full of women and children, so it is really inconvenient to receive guests. Please wait a moment while our master comes in." Brother Nie and Sister-in-law Nie stood side by side, blocking the door. Facing the hundred-man constables, the two showed no fear.

In the fields, Wang Xiaoguang and his brother, who were inspecting the sugarcane, hid in the dense green sugarcane grove. They had already drawn their bows and arrows. If the thief dared to force his way in, they would definitely not let him leave alive. It was a pity that they were too few in number, otherwise they could easily take down this hundred or so men.

Yang Shouzhen's face darkened, half of it turning black. He turned the other half of his face away and said sullenly, "What if this captain insists on going in today?"

"Drink!" The hundred or so officers dismounted in unison, drawing their swords in a menacing manner. Although they were somewhat unsteady on their feet, their murderous intent was still palpable.

"How about it?" Yang Shouzhen gave a sarcastic sneer as he looked at the two overconfident ants.

"Please calm down, sir!" Brother Nie quickly bowed and stopped him. "You've come here only to pay the tax. Once our master arrives, he will surely hand over the tax to you. It would be bad for you to get sick from anger."

“This old man is quite the talker,” Yang Shouzhen said, his tone shifting. “What if I insist on going in today? I’d like to see if the two of you can stop me, huh?” With that, he drew his dagger with a “whoosh” and pointed it at Sister-in-law Nie.

Sister-in-law Nie was startled and naturally leaned back, but still stood in front of the door.

"Huh? Get out of the way, do you think I'm afraid to kill?" Yang Shouzhen's face was grim and extremely ugly. How dare they block him time and time again in front of his subordinates? Did they really think he wouldn't dare to kill?

Brother Nie was also startled. He quickly pushed Sister-in-law Nie aside, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "How could that be? Your Excellency's reputation is widespread. We'll open the door right away." He could tell that Lord Yang was truly determined to kill. If they didn't open the door, hundreds of people in Wang Family Village might die on the spot.