I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Zhao Zian's eyes were bloodshot.

"My sister-in-law is pregnant, how dare you treat her like this! Is your heart black?!"

Butcher Wang was beaten so badly he saw stars.

"Pregnant? Haha... So what?"

"Her mother! That Zhang! She personally accepted my thirty taels of silver as a betrothal gift! It's all written in black and white, clearly stated that this girl was sold to me! Even if she were pregnant, or even if she were to give birth today, she would still be a member of the Wang family!"

The bloodshot color faded from Zhao Zian's eyes.

Thirty taels of silver? In black and white?

"The laws of our Great Qian Dynasty were personally drafted by the founding emperor and have been passed down for three hundred years. The first volume of the laws, the 'Household and Marriage Law,' clearly states at the outset: When a commoner marries, he must complete the three letters and six rites, formally marry through a matchmaker, and have the marriage recorded in the government archives before it is considered a proper match."

"Do you have a matchmaker? Do you have a marriage certificate? Have you reported this to the authorities and recorded your names in the household register?"

"I...I have a formal title! I have a letter of appointment!"

Butcher Wang took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"This! This is the proof! It's Zhang's own signature!"

Zhao Zian didn't even glance at the paper.

"A betrothal letter? That's your sales contract with Zhang. What does it have to do with my sister-in-law? Her name is Li Suqin, not Zhang. Now that she's married into the Zhao family, she's a woman of the Zhao family. She'll live and die as a member of the Zhao family."

"What you've done isn't a wedding, it's robbery! According to the law of theft, those who forcibly abduct women are punished ranging from exile three thousand miles away to beheading and public display of their heads!"

"You dare talk about the law?"

Butcher Wang stuck his neck out.

"What I, Butcher Wang, say goes! I paid for her, she's mine! I'm going to take her right here and now, and let's see who dares to stop me!"

Since things have already turned ugly, those with nothing to lose are not afraid of those wearing shoes.

How can a pedantic scholar be above the law?

The law of the village is simply human relationships and social customs!

"Yeah?"

Zhao Zian's eyes turned cold.

He grabbed Butcher Wang's red robe and dragged him straight out the door.

Wang the butcher, whose strength he had honed through slaughtering pigs, was utterly powerless against Zhao Zian, like a three-year-old child.

Is this... is this still the same Zhao Xiucai who couldn't even kill a chicken?

"You...you let me go! What are you going to do!"

"What are you doing?"

Zhao Zian didn't turn his head back.

"Didn't you say that you're the rule in the village? Then let's go ask the real rules of the village!"

He dragged Butcher Wang into the village.

Li Suqin put on her outer garment and followed behind Zhao Zian.

"Sister-in-law, don't be afraid, I'll take you to get justice."

Li Suqin nodded vigorously, her eyes brimming with tears.

……

The scene of Zhao Zi'an dragging Wang the butcher along the dirt road in the village.

It was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly startling the neighbors.

Butcher Wang's curses were extremely vulgar.

"Zhao Zian! You son who was born without an anus! Let me go!"

"You bookworm, you good-for-nothing! If you dare lay a finger on me, I'll drown your whole family in the pond!"

Zhao Zian, however, seemed not to have heard.

Countless heads peeked out from behind the doors of every household.

"My God, isn't that Scholar Zhao? And what he's dragging... is that Butcher Wang?"

"Look at Butcher Wang, his face is all bruised and swollen. He must have suffered a great loss."

"Where did this scholar get such strength? Unbelievable, truly unbelievable!"

At this moment, in the home of Li Gui, the village head.

He was eating rice with a plate of pickled vegetables.

His wife ran in from outside.

"Honey, something terrible has happened! A fight has broken out outside!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the courtyard gate was kicked open, and Zhao Zian dragged Wang the butcher in.

He loosened his grip, and Butcher Wang ended up with a mouthful of mud.

"Lord Satomasa."

Zhao Zian cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Li Gui was so surprised that she put down her chopsticks and bowl.

One was the village bully he usually fawned over, and the other was a scholar with official rank.

How could this be...? And judging from this situation, it seems the scholars have gained the upper hand?

"Scholar Zhao, Butcher Wang, what kind of show are you putting on?"

When Wang the butcher had a moment, he jumped up from the ground and pointed to his own face.

"Uncle Village Head! You have to stand up for me! This Zhao Zi'an barged into my house without provocation and started hitting me without saying a word! Look at my face and my body! Under the emperor's nose, in broad daylight, is there no law anymore?!"

Zhao Zian bowed to Li Gui.

"Lord of the village, I have come today to report to the authorities."

"Report to the authorities?"

When villagers have conflicts, it's common for them to seek his judgment.

But the phrase "report to the authorities" carries significant weight.

"Exactly."

Zhao Zian pointed to Li Suqin, whose face was pale.

"That butcher Wang, in broad daylight, forcibly abducted a woman. My sister-in-law, Li, had already married into the Zhao family and was my deceased brother's legal wife. Yet he relied on his brute force to break into the house with malicious intent. This is a heinous crime that cannot be tolerated under the law!"

"The student humbly requests that the village headman bind this scoundrel and hand him over to the county government for the magistrate to deal with according to the law!"

Li Gui's temples were throbbing.

Send them to the authorities? You make it sound so easy!

This butcher Wang was a local tyrant in the village. Zhao Zi'an's influence was still shallow, and his brother had died.

It's not worth offending Butcher Wang for him.

and……

Li Gui's gaze swept over Butcher Wang, who gave him a look.

Having made up his mind, Li Gui coughed.

"Scholar Zhao, calm down. Butcher Wang, say less."

"Scholar, I know you're angry. But this matter is probably a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstand?"

"yes."

Butcher Wang handed over the document.

"Scholar, look, this Zhang family member, your sister-in-law's own mother, personally signed and accepted thirty taels of betrothal money from Butcher Wang, agreeing to marry her daughter to him. Although the etiquette was impolite, there is still this document. Butcher Wang was eager to find a wife, and his actions were a bit rash, but to say that he forcibly took her is probably a bit of an exaggeration."

"In my opinion, it's wrong for Zhang to accept the money, and it's also wrong for Wang the butcher to rob someone. How about this, let Wang the butcher apologize to your sister-in-law and give her a few taels of silver as compensation. Let's just let it go, what do you think? We're neighbors, there's no need to make things so tense."

Butcher Wang grinned smugly.

The surrounding villagers nodded in agreement, agreeing with the village head's reasoning.

After all, family scandals should not be aired in public; if it really gets to the authorities, it won't do anyone any good.

Zhao Zian smiled.

"Lord Village Head, what a fine way to say 'let it go'."

"Since the village head believes that written sales contracts can supersede the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, then I also have a matter I'd like to settle with the village head."

Li Gui was taken aback.

"What bill?"

"The village head must have a very short memory."

"For example, according to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, the annual land tax in our village is five dou for one mu of superior land, three dou for medium-grade land, and one dou for inferior land."

"In our village, there are 300 mu of top-quality farmland, 500 mu of medium-quality farmland, and 800 mu of low-quality farmland registered."

"Does the village head still remember these numbers?"

Li Gui's heart skipped a beat.

"That...of course I remember."