Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 57 It’s your own fault
Zhang Qi was pinned to the ground before he could hold on for long, but fortunately, the servants managed to pull him up in time.

He sat on the edge of the bed, disheveled, on the verge of tears.

He's lost his silver shop and now he's completely offended the Su family. What sins has he committed to deserve this fate?

"It's all your fault!" He pointed at Zhang Laosan through tears. "You bastard, you're the one who ruined me! You were the one who cried and made a scene demanding a share of the shop. Tell me, did this Qin fellow conspire with you to swindle my eldest son's family fortune?!"

Zhang Laosan had already been beaten up by Lao Er, so he took this scolding for nothing. He retorted, "I didn't ask you to increase the fifty thousand taels of silver to sixty thousand taels! I didn't ask you to sell the shop! You were greedy and made a mess of things, causing us to lose everything. Aren't you the one who's a scoundrel?!"

Zhang Qi was trembling with anger. He sat down and then stood up again, stumbling to the side. He opened the box and took out the document he had signed for the assignment: "I'm going to sue that guy surnamed Qin! I have his documents, and I'm going to have the authorities issue an arrest warrant for him!"

"Pull him down!"

Zhang Lao Er pulled him back: "Last night you only verbally explained the Su family's affairs to him, but it turned into a confession with your fingerprints on it, and then it ended up in the hands of the imperial envoy. Don't you think there might be something fishy going on behind the scenes?!"

Zhang Qi felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water, and suddenly shivered: "What do you mean by that?"

Zhang Lao Er's fists were clenched so tightly they turned white: "Someone must be trying to frame the Su family and is using us as pawns!"

Zhang Qi seemed to have lost his soul and spirit, and immediately remained rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Yes, if that man surnamed Qin wasn't one of the imperial envoy's men, how could he have that confession? And how did the confession end up in the hands of the imperial envoy? And how could the imperial envoy have acted so quickly to interrogate Su Mingxing?
"master!"

Just then, the gatekeeper came in again: "Master, something terrible has happened! Madam has been questioned in Taizhou Prefecture and imprisoned! The prefect himself presided over the trial and sentenced her, and the notice has already been posted on our door!"

"imprison?!"

A metallic taste rose in Zhang Qi's throat. "Why was she in jail?!"

The gatekeeper opened his mouth several times but couldn't say anything. Finally, he slapped his thighs and said, "Sir, go and see for yourself!"

Zhang Qi snapped out of his daze, rushed out the door in a few strides, and bumped into his son and daughter. They then rushed out the door together.

The notice was posted in the alley outside the Zhang family's house, and by then it was already surrounded by layers of neighbors and passersby.

The father and his two sons struggled through the crowd to read the contents of the notice word by word. Zhang Qi immediately felt like he was about to faint again!
The daughter screamed in fright, while the son cursed and jumped up and down to tear up the government's official document!

Zhang Qi collapsed, barely alive, in the arms of a servant, but his right hand still pointed desperately at the Xie family next door: "It must have been them! It must have been Jia'er! Go and grab her, I'll beat her to death!"

"Even if I can't beat her to death, I'll still hold her down in the Xiangjiang River and drown her!"

"How dare you! You're the ones who do inhuman things, secretly selling your own niece! You're worse than animals!"

"Exactly! He even said he was going to kill someone? The Xie family is incredibly unlucky to have a relative like you!"

"The authorities should send men to arrest him immediately! Who knows what he might do to harm the Xie family girl later!..."

The onlookers all pointed at the Zhang family and started cursing them.

Where is Zhang Qi?

Just as everyone was cursing and cursing, a dignified shout rang out again.

Everyone turned their heads and saw the head constable from the county government office leading his constables over again. When they saw Zhang Qi sprawled on the ground, the head constable ordered his men to grab him without saying a word: "Take him to the yamen!"

The three members of the Zhang family panicked: "Why are you arresting people, Officer Zhang?"

The head constable didn't give them a kind look: "Your Zhang family bullied orphans and widows, plundered the Xie family's money, and even tried to seize the Xie family's house and shops. You, Zhang Qi, even colluded with your wife, He Shi, to hire thugs to murder other people's daughters several times. Your crimes are heinous!"
"Now that Madam Xie has filed a lawsuit against you in court, you must go there immediately to hear the verdict!"

Zhang Qi panicked; even Zhang Qiuniang was kicking him while he was down.
He scrambled to his feet and repeatedly bowed, saying, "Officer, please let's talk this out..."

"Shut up!" The head constable didn't want to hear him say anything more. He waved his hand, and the constables rushed forward, pinning Zhang Qi to the ground in an instant, and then escorted him to the county government office.

Today, the county magistrate has been busy dealing with the Zhang family, and sweat has been beading on his forehead countless times.

More than a month has passed since the imperial envoy arrived in Shawan. During this time, no matter how many investigations were conducted, the county magistrate cooperated in various ways, and so far, no mistakes have been made.

The Su and Zhang families never cause trouble, yet they keep running into him one after another during this period. Are they deliberately trying to cause him trouble?

The county magistrate was thoroughly annoyed by the Zhang family.

This scumbag, rotten to the core, not only harmed his own sister and niece, but also brought trouble upon himself!
He pointed to Li Daoshi and other neighbors who had spontaneously come to testify for the Xie family, as well as Li Er who had been arrested again to testify, and asked Zhang Qi, "Zhang Qiuniang has accused you of several crimes, and there are so many witnesses here. Do you plead guilty?"

Zhang Qi trembled as he kowtowed, still trying to argue, but the magistrate had already given the order: "Bring the sticks!"

After a few blows, Zhang Qi became obedient.

After being hit a few more times, he was already crying and begging for mercy, admitting defeat.

After he signed and affixed his seal, the magistrate looked at Qiu Niang and said, "Zhang Qi has now confessed his crime. I sentence him to three years in prison. Are you satisfied with that?"

Qiu Niang straightened up: "My lord, this humble woman is not convinced!"

"You said."

Qiu Niang gritted her teeth and looked at Zhang Qi: "If it weren't for the Xie family's support back then, the Zhang family would never have accumulated so much wealth later on."

"I don't ask the Zhang family to repay this kindness with a spring of water, I only ask that they remember this affection in their hearts, so that my late husband and my parents-in-law can rest in peace in the afterlife."

"But Zhang Qi not only did not remember the kindness, but also repaid kindness with enmity, and tried to kill her at every turn. If my daughter had not been lucky, she would have died several months ago."

“This time they have struck again with deadly force. If I let them off lightly again, my late husband and the Xie family ancestors will never forgive me!”

"Therefore, I request Your Honor to make a fair judgment, ordering the Zhang family to serve three years in prison and pay me ten thousand taels of silver, which will be considered repayment for the Xie family's kindness in helping me back then! From this day forward, the Xie and Zhang families shall be completely estranged!"

Zhang Qi, who had already been beaten half to death, felt his life nearly extinguished upon hearing about the ten thousand taels of silver!
"Your two families also have this story?"

"Neighbors can all testify!"

The room full of witnesses began to point out their own experiences.

The magistrate frowned more and more deeply, and after pondering for a moment, he looked at Qiu Niang and said, "The Zhang family has been bullying you for a long time, why did you only come to complain today?"

Qiu Niang said, "Your Honor, I am a widow and orphan with no power or influence. How can I possibly fight against you?"
"This time I'm really going all out. If I don't harden my heart, my daughter will be ruined by them sooner or later!"

The magistrate frowned and looked at Zhang Qi again: "You have committed numerous evils, disregarded human relations and kinship, and repeatedly harmed the orphans and widows of the Xie family!"

"In addition, she seized several thousand taels of the Xie family's property and occupied their shops' profits for many years, while she only made you pay ten thousand taels in total, which is not much!"
"You have brought this upon yourself!"

"I will report this to the Tanzhou Prefecture and order you to pay 10,000 taels of silver to the Xie family today! If you fail to comply, the government will handle the transaction!"

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Qiu Niang kowtowed.

On the other side, Zhang Qi let out a deafening wail, and his eyes rolled back.

(End of this chapter)