The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

Li Guiren's five hundred mu of land were connected in one piece, but the boundary was not straight, but crooked and meandering.

Overall, it is long from east to west and narrow from north to south.

There is a manor located in the middle of five hundred acres of fields.

Normally, it is used by farmers to live in, but the main house is vacant. If the owner comes down to the farm, he can move in immediately.

In a house.

Li Chen was drinking, and his wife was sitting next to him talking.

Li Chen is forty-two years old this year. He has a dignified appearance, a strong physique, and an air of righteousness.

The clothes worn by the couple, though also made of coarse cloth, were far better than those worn by Zhang Fei.

Li Chen drank homemade wine, accompanied by pork. Whether one is a noble household or an ordinary citizen, farmers rarely eat meat more than a few times a year, but he could eat it frequently.

"I've been living a life of luxury. These past few years, I've found it increasingly difficult to do farm work. This year, I've decided to quit and hire farmhands." Li Chen put down his wine glass, his expression a mix of感慨 (feelings of regret) and 扬精扬 (spiritedness) at the same time.

Originally, Li Chen was nothing. He first joined the Li family and then became a farmer of Consort Li.

Now that I'm middle-aged, I've built a huge business empire.

He has two sons, both of whom are married. He plans to have his eldest son stay here, take over his position, and continue his career. He will spend money to get his younger son registered as a citizen of Guangdu, making him a law-abiding citizen.

In this way, his youngest son could rely on his one or two hundred acres of good land in Guangdu to support himself, and even send his grandson to school. Within one or two generations, their family could become a poor family.

Those who are literate and have some influence are called "poor families".

Those who are illiterate and whose families own only a few small plots of land are called "Qianshou" (黔首).

He had a clear plan for the future of his family.

"Who says otherwise?" Li's wife agreed with a smile. She was the same; when she first arrived, she wanted to save money for a better life, so she wove cloth day and night. Now she only weaves in her spare time during the day.

As the couple talked, the conversation turned to their grandchildren. Li Chen already had a teacher in mind.

He was just waiting for the right time to send someone to present him with a gift of silk and formally become his disciple.

The two were enjoying themselves immensely, their mouths agape. Suddenly, they heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

Li Chen and his wife looked up and saw an old man rushing in with a look of fear on his face.

Li Chen chuckled and said, "Old Ding, what's the rush? Did your grandson fall into the latrine again?"

It was Ding Da, one of the five households in the village. Yesterday, Ding Da's grandson fell into the latrine and almost died.

Li Chen then made a joke about it.

Li's wife was also amused and laughed beside him.

"What's the big deal about my grandson dying? It's a disaster, a disaster! Our estate is surrounded. They claim to be palace guards, and that it's Prince Chen."

Ding Da was in no mood for jokes; he stomped his feet repeatedly, his face turning pale.

"What did you say?" Li Chen and his wife were shocked, their smiles freezing instantly. They then exchanged a glance, both seeing fear in each other's eyes.

So many years have passed. Consort Li, a concubine in the palace, has never visited the estate, nor has young Master Chen, who is still young at the time.

They've almost forgotten that they have an owner.

Moreover, when Young Master Chen first came to the manor, he actually led his men to surround it. The atmosphere was menacing.

Not good.

Li Chen suppressed his fear and said calmly, "Don't be afraid. Calm down. Young Master Chen is only a teenager. As long as we stay calm, we can..."

As he spoke, sweat began to pour from his brow.

The imperial guards who had surrounded the village entered and made Li Chen and the other villagers, regardless of age or gender, line up in the courtyard.

Call out names from the roster to confirm everyone is present.

Only then did the Imperial Guards send someone to invite Prince Chen.

"Clang, clang." The sound of the carriage wheels was extremely unpleasant. Eunuchs, imperial guards, and officials escorted the carriage to the gate of the manor.

Young Master Chen was dressed in magnificent robes, holding a sword hilt, his hair tied up and decorated with ribbons. With his heroic appearance, he was truly of inestimable nobility.

The carriage stopped, and a eunuch brought over a small stool and placed it down. Liu Chen, sword in hand, stepped off the carriage onto the stool and entered the manor with Zhang Fei and the others, arriving in the courtyard.

When Li Chen and the others saw Zhang Fei, their eyes widened in shock, their hearts trembled, and despair filled them.

The young child looked completely bewildered. What happened?

"This humble one, Li Chen, pays his respects to the young master." Li Chen suppressed his inner despair and bowed obsequiously.

Liu Chen, however, had no interest in speaking to him and asked the Imperial Guards, "Have you found the land deed?"

"Yes." The imperial guard nodded and handed Liu Chen a scroll of bamboo slips. In Guangdu County, Li Chen owned 150 mu of fertile land.

There are also two adorable households.

Ironically, Li Chen himself had no official status, so the land was registered under the name of Consort Li.

This is a case of a servant stealing money, buying land, raising his own servants, and planning to establish his own household.

"Being a young master in a wealthy family isn't easy," Liu Chen sighed. Reality isn't like online novels; you can't read people's hearts. Throughout history, countless young masters have been killed by their servants.

"Young master, spare my life!" Li Chen could no longer hold on, sweating profusely, and knelt down, kowtowing.

His wife and the others also knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy. The young child, seeing this, burst into tears.

Liu Chen said expressionlessly, "Kill Li Chen and his wife, and hang their heads in the fields. Castrate their son, and then send them and the rest of the people to be sold."

"Young master, spare my life!!!!" Li Chen's face turned pale and his voice cracked.

Li's wife kept kowtowing.

The others were also pale.

The imperial guards ignored them. Two guards stepped forward and beheaded Li Chen and his wife in front of everyone. They then unzipped the pants of Li Chen and his wife's two sons and castrated them in public.

If not handled properly, both sons will probably die.

Moe-ho.

They are unregistered residents.

Legally, they don't exist. Whether to kill or dismember is entirely up to the master's whim.

But they evaded the country's taxes and corvée labor.

There are advantages and disadvantages to ordinary people seeking refuge with wealthy families.

This was the first time Liu Chen had witnessed such a bloody scene. His stomach churned, and he felt like vomiting. But he held it in and didn't regret his decision.

If you can't even cure your own family, how can you talk about saving the country?

If he is as weak as his mother, then let him wait for the country to fall and his family to perish.

These four farming households were soon taken to Chengdu by the Imperial Guards. Someone will buy them, but they probably won't fetch a high price.

After all, they were treacherous and disloyal servants.

Let alone Liu Chen. The Imperial Guard soldiers were all greenhorns who had never been on the battlefield; they looked imposing, but were actually weaklings. Some of the Imperial Guard soldiers even felt like vomiting.

Zhang Fei turned pale and almost couldn't stand up.

"Fei, you're not bad. This estate will be in your care from now on. As for your salary... I'll give you the yield from twenty acres of land. But as you've seen, I'm not my mother. I really can kill." Liu Chen turned his head and said calmly.

Zhang Fei had been looking forward to this day, but he was also greatly shocked. Liu Chen wanted to give him a scroll of the Book of Han, which made him happy. But Liu Chen was also ruthless and decisive, which terrified him.

Liu Chen's face even became blurry. Half god, half ghost.

He barely suppressed his fear, swallowed hard, and bowed, saying, "Thank you, young master. I am willing to serve you. However, I am just a single household, and even if I work day and night, I cannot manage five hundred acres of land."

Liu Chen gripped the hilt of his sword and said, "Of course. I'll soon arrange four households for you. You just need to manage the estate well and give me my share of the money every year."

Menghu. His uncle's family should have many; if they don't, he can go and buy some.

"Yes," Zhang Fei replied without further ado.

He dared not refuse, not knowing if he had angered this young master Chen and his entire family would be sold off as well.