Divorce with three kids? I'll build a house and eat meat, driving my in-laws crazy.

Chapter 267 Headmaster Chu is clearly a great philanthropist
Da Tang was not wealthy, and he always cracked down hard on the waste of food.

It is a crime that can be punished in the same way as robbery and murder.

Chu Yu opened his mouth, but his dazed mind couldn't come up with a suitable answer.

Shen Kuo: "Also, wheat costs at least 10 coins per pound, and how much maltose can be produced from a pound of wheat? Yet you only sell it for 5 coins. Are you cheating or doing charity?"

"Furthermore, the workers who have worked in the workshop for several months actually said that konjac is dug up from the sky, which is really ridiculous."

The entire Chu family was speechless. Shen Kuo looked simple-minded, but he was actually very cunning and not easily fooled.

Just as a serious accusation of wasting food was about to be leveled against her, Xue cried out and fainted.

She wanted to buy herself some time so her son could come up with a solution quickly.

Chu Yingtian understood immediately and rushed over, crying out pitifully, "Madam, Madam, what's wrong? You were fine, why did you faint? Are you tired?"

Shen Kuo almost laughed himself to death. Was he saying this to make him feel guilty?

Do you think he's a naive and innocent girl?
The principle of not taking the prefect for a naive and innocent person is something that a woman like Xue does not understand.

Chu Yingtian, being a scholar, didn't seem to understand much either.

Only Chu Yu, a hoodlum, knew very well that Shen Kuo was not easily fooled, but they also couldn't admit that it was all a scam.

Either way, death is inevitable; wasting food sounds much better than deceiving the court officials.

The former only punishes the individuals involved, while the latter can lead to the extermination of nine generations of their family.

It's alright that his parents are dead; the Chu family still has him to carry on the family line.

Faced with life and death, parents will definitely give you the hope of survival and won't blame you for being unfilial.

Chu Yu opened his mouth, ready to launch into a desperate attempt at sophistry, but met Shen Kuo's mocking gaze.

He suddenly changed his mind.

Even if he is an official appointed by the imperial court, or a prefect, what difference does it make?

Once you enter the Chu family's courtyard, your life and death will be in their hands.

Besides, Shen Kuo wasn't wearing official robes, so who would know who he was?

He was so stupid that he came alone to threaten his whole family. Who gave him the guts?

Since Shen Kuo is unrighteous today, don't blame him for being unjust.

He gave the servants around him a wink, and they quickly understood what he meant.

He drew a large sword from behind his back and slowly surrounded Shen Kuo.

Shen Kuo was eating pastries, and crumbs were all over his beard.

Just then, a large number of soldiers rushed into the courtyard.

The constables each held a large knife, looking fierce and menacing.

Magistrate Chu braced himself and stepped forward, kneeling down and saying, "Lord Shen, I am late."

Shen Kuo waved his hand, "It's not too late, it's just the right time."

He glanced at the servants who had surrounded him and then quickly dispersed, and breathed a sigh of relief.

He stood up and asked, "Magistrate Chu, is this man your own brother?"

Magistrate Chu knelt on the ground, not daring to get up: "Lord Shen, my brother, sister-in-law and nephew are ignorant. If they have offended you, I apologize on their behalf."

He gave a wink, and Chu Yu, Chu Yingtian, and Xue Shi immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy.

Behind the constable, a group of men resembling servants had quietly gathered, a dark mass of them.

Shen Kuo waved his hand, and everyone quietly withdrew, as if they had never been there.

From beginning to end, the magistrate of Chu County and his constables did not notice what was happening behind them.

Shen Kuo smiled and said, "Brother Chu, this is all a misunderstanding. Please get up."

Magistrate Chu stood up in fear, while the three members of the Chu family were too scared to even look up.

Shen Kuo looked at everyone and said to Magistrate Chu, "Your brother's workshop is quite good; they sell konjac tofu and maltose very cheaply."

Your nephew is quite a promising young man; he actually managed to research these methods from books on his own. He's a force to be reckoned with!

He patted Magistrate Chu on the shoulder as he spoke, and Magistrate Chu's smile was more like a grimace.

What's going on with this, brother? Others might not know, but he and Shen Kuo just went to Li Ruru's workshop yesterday.

Maltose and konjac tofu were clearly invented by the Li family.

Why did my brother and sister-in-law say it was Chu Yu, and even bring Lord Shen to their home?

This... isn't this ridiculous?

Magistrate Chu didn't need to think too much to understand the little scheme his elder brother, sister-in-law, and nephew were plotting.

At the same time, he also understood Shen Kuo's unspoken meaning.

He waved his hand and said, "Lord Shen, the Li family has already researched konjac tofu and maltose."

She started much earlier than my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew; she even owns two large workshops.

The magistrate of Chu County did not deny that Li Ruru was the founder, but only said that the Chu family had only developed the idea later.

These two things are ultimately just food, so it's only natural that they would be researched and developed sooner or later.

Madam Xue looked at Magistrate Chu with immense admiration. They shared the same surname, Chu, but Magistrate Chu was truly different.

Shen Kuo frowned. "You, Chu Yinglong, are quite good at playing the game of tai chi."

Seeing that Shen Kuo did not speak, his expression became much more serious.

The Chu family's hearts were in their throats once again.

Magistrate Chu said, "Lord Shen, this konjac tofu and maltose are cheap goods. If you like them, I will send you several large buckets on behalf of my brother and sister-in-law. You can take them back and eat them slowly."

Shen Kuo scoffed: "Are you trying to get rid of me? Am I in your way by staying in Pingchuan County?"

Magistrate Chu hurriedly replied, "This humble official dares not."

Shen Kuo snorted coldly, "You didn't dare, but you said it out loud."

Soon, several servants brought over several large buckets filled with maltose and konjac tofu.

Shen Kuo glanced at it and said to Chu Yingtian, "Since your stuff is cheap, give me 100 million bowls of konjac tofu and 100 million catties of konjac tofu. Send them to the county government in seven days; they'll be perfect for disaster relief."

He paused for a moment and then said, "Master Chu is clearly a great philanthropist, so let's donate another 20 taels for disaster relief."

Xue was the first person who was unwilling to spend money on anything.

But she had no choice but to accept it; she wasn't in charge of the household anymore.

She's divorced and now lives here without any status or identity; she's nobody.

Upon hearing that so many things were needed, Chu Yingtian was already secretly calculating in his mind how much it would cost.

Konjac tofu costs 1 coin per bowl, so 100 million bowls would cost... 1000 taels!
Maltose costs 5 wen per jin, so 100 million jin is... 5000 liang!
They also want to donate another 20 taels for disaster relief, which would bring the total to 26 taels!

My goodness, that's an astronomical figure.

Chu Yingtian cried out, "Lord Shen, even if you kill me, I still don't have that much money."

Shen Kuo touched his nose. "So, you'd rather die than have your fur plucked?"

The meaning was quite clear; even the maids and servants of the Chu family understood it.

This so-called Lord Shen is someone of great importance, but he's been tricked by the young master, master, and mistress, and he's very unhappy.

Now it's time to properly bleed the Chu family dry.

If you can't come up with the money, you'll be beheaded.

Chu Yu, who was afraid of death, could not tolerate such a thing happening. He said urgently, "Lord Shen, everyone has a responsibility to provide disaster relief. We will definitely donate money."

But isn't this amount too high?

The Chu family is just a small, insignificant family; they couldn't earn this much money in several generations.

Seeing his son start to play the victim, Chu Yingtian chimed in, "I can only come up with... 200 taels at most."

While feigning tears, Xue took off one of the cheapest bracelets from her wrist and handed it over.

“Master, this is my dowry that I have kept hidden away. You can pawn it and maybe you can get some money for it.”

While the masters were all playing the victim, the maids and servants of the Chu family remained numb, only thinking about whether they would be sold elsewhere again.

But that's alright, this place isn't much better anyway.