Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Li Sheng stood still, motionless.

His face was expressionless, but his hand had somehow gripped the iron halberd standing beside him, his knuckles turning white.

Wang Mao's face had changed from pale to ashen, and then from ashen to a nearly transparent grayish-white.

His lips trembled, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his legs shook uncontrollably.

He looked at the angry crowd, then at Li Sheng, and then at the blood-stained iron halberd in Li Sheng's hand.

"Li...Li the brave warrior..."

His voice had changed tone.

"You...you mustn't listen to these scoundrels' nonsense! They...they're all thieves! How can you believe what they say? My Wang family...my Wang family is known for its philanthropy and generosity, and we have a good reputation in this village..."

He swallowed hard, as if grasping at the last straw, and his voice suddenly rose several decibels.

"Li Zhuangshi! My daughter! My daughter has been given to the Xu family of Xiapi as a concubine! The Xu family! The 'Hidden Tiger' Xu family! You... you should know what the Xu family means in Xiapi County! If you mess with the Wang family, the Xu family will not let you off!"

By the end, his voice was almost screaming.

Li Sheng looked at him and slowly spoke.

"Are you done talking?"

Wang Mao was stunned.

Li Shengsong opened the halberd handle and took two steps forward.

His steps were light, but each step felt like a blow to Wang Mao's heart.

"Master Wang, you just said that these people are traitors and should be executed."

Li Sheng's voice was calm.

"But what I'm hearing now is that your Wang family has used trickery and force to seize property, driven people to their deaths, colluded with the government, and oppressed the local people."

He paused.

"According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, what is the combined punishment for these crimes?"

Wang Mao's face completely lost its color.

"You...you can't..."

"I can't?"

Li Sheng suddenly laughed.

That smile was cold.

"You said your daughter married into the Xu family as a concubine, and that the Xu family is a 'hidden tiger' we can't afford to offend? Don't worry, soon that 'hidden tiger' will become a dead tiger!"

Li Sheng leaned forward slightly, looking directly into Wang Mao's eyes.

His voice turned somber.

"Moreover, you will die at the hands of bandits today."

Wang Mao's pupils suddenly contracted.

"You...you want to kill me? You...you dare..."

His voice trembled uncontrollably.

Li Sheng had already gripped the iron halberd, its blade gleaming coldly in the morning light.

"Wang Mao of the Wang family, through trickery and extortion, drove people to their deaths, colluded with the government, oppressed the people, and ran rampant in the countryside. His crimes deserve to be punished by death."

Li Sheng's voice was clear and distinct, each word distinct and deliberate.

"Today, I, Li Sheng, will act on behalf of Heaven to punish this wicked villain."

"You dare! My daughter is a member of the Xu family! The Xu family won't—"

Wang Mao turned and ran.

He ran incredibly fast, showing no signs of being frightened.

Fear gave him unprecedented strength.

But he only ran three steps.

A cold light flashed.

The halberd pierced through his chest from behind, and the tip of the halberd, dripping with blood, protruded from his chest.

Wang Mao let out a short scream, his whole body stiffening on the spot. He looked down at the cold halberd blade in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Li Sheng drew his iron halberd.

Wang Mao swayed, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, twitched twice, and remained still.

Blood seeped from beneath him, staining the soil red.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Wang Mao's corpse on the ground, as if they hadn't yet realized what had happened.

Liu Wu and his brothers were also stunned.

They knew Li Sheng was decisive, but they never expected him to kill so readily without the slightest hesitation.

That's related to the Xu family, the "Hidden Tiger" family, by marriage!

After a brief silence, a suppressed sob suddenly rose from among the people.

However, there was no sadness in the crying; instead, it was filled with joy.

"Dead... That old skinflint Wang Mao is dead..."

An old man muttered to himself, then suddenly burst into tears, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly to Li Sheng.

"Your Honor! Your Honor!"

This shout was like lighting a powder keg; all the people knelt down, some crying, some shouting, and some kowtowing.

"Your Honor, the Just Magistrate!"

"You are our savior!"

"That old scoundrel Wang family has finally gotten his comeuppance!"

Cries and shouts mingled together, echoing over the fortified village.

Li Sheng did not move.

He stood beside Wang Mao's corpse, his iron halberd planted firmly on the ground, the blood on his leather armor still wet.

Once the crowd had calmed down a bit, he raised his hand to signal them to be quiet.

The crying gradually subsided, and all eyes were on him.

Li Sheng took a deep breath and spoke loudly.

"Listen up, everyone. Wang Mao, the head of the Wang family, was killed by bandits when they stormed the fortified village. Does anyone have any objections?"

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Then, a young man shouted.

"No objections! That old dog from the Wang family was killed by bandits!"

"Yes! Killed by bandits!"

"We all saw it with our own eyes!"

"It was the bandits who killed him! It has nothing to do with anyone else!"

The people shouted all at once, each voice louder than the last, as if they wanted to seal the matter.

Li Sheng nodded slightly.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the people kneeling on the ground, his voice softening.

"There's one more thing."

The people quieted down.

"You just said that the Wang family seized your land and drove your relatives to their deaths. Now that Wang Mao has been executed, those fields that were taken away..."

He paused.

"You can take it back now."

The arena fell silent once again.

The people looked at each other in disbelief.

Take it back?

The land that was taken away by the Wang family... can it be taken back?

An old man spoke, his voice trembling.

"Li...Sir Li, are you saying...that those lands can really be returned to us?"

"It was originally your land, so why can't it be returned to you?"

Li Sheng countered with a question.

"But...but the Wang family has land deeds..."

These words dampened the hopes that had just been rekindled in the crowd.

Title deed.

That thin piece of paper was the shackle that had been around their necks for more than a decade.

Li Sheng frowned slightly.

He was only thinking about getting things done quickly, but he forgot about the land deed.

Even if Wang Mao is killed, the land will still nominally belong to the Wang family if the land deeds are not removed. Once the matter is over, if a member of the Wang family takes the land deeds to the county court, these people will still lose their land.

I am still young and lack experience in struggle.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Liu Wu!"

"exist!"

"Take a few brothers and search all the land deeds in Wangjiawu Fortress. Don't miss a single house, don't overlook a single hidden compartment."

"promise!"

Without saying a word, Liu Wu selected a few men and rushed into the fortified village.

"I think I know which room the Wang family's land deed is in!"

At this moment, one of the Wang family's tenants stepped forward.

Li Sheng was very satisfied with the person who had stepped forward.

"You follow them and lead the way for the brothers!"

"promise!"