Words Strategize for the World

Fang Wei ran non-stop and saw black smoke rising from the direction of his home in the distance.

Fang Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly quickened his pace and ran home.

When Fang Wei returned to the village, he found that his house was on fire, with thick black smoke billowing out.

In front of the house, the entire village surrounded Wang Erba and his gang, pointing and whispering, accompanied by shouts and curses.

Fang Wei was furious and pushed his way through the crowd.

"Fang Wei is back!" someone behind him shouted when they saw him. Hearing the shout, the villagers made way for him.

"Fang Wei, that Wang Erba is inhuman! If he can't collect the rent, he can wait, but he just burned down the house! What a tragedy!" An old woman from the village entrance cried out sadly.

As Fang Wei walked through the passageway, he noticed that many of the village men were furious, and some of the older women even had tear stains in their eyes.

Fang Wei felt not only angry, but also somewhat moved. People from the same village still knew how to stick together for warmth.

"You little beast, you're finally back. I'd like to see how you're going to hand over the rent," a man with a pockmarked face said arrogantly.

Fang Wei had heard of Wang Erba. He didn't know how this man had made his fortune. Ten years ago, he suddenly came to Shaogangyi, spent money on buying and selling, and was ruthless and vicious, which gradually led to his current wealth.

Wang Erba actually dared to burn down the house, it's simply outrageous! This debt will be settled sooner or later, but right now we need to check if Mother is injured.

Fang Wei went straight to his mother without even glancing at Wang Erba.

"Hmph, you little beast! Men, beat him up!" Wang Erba was furious when he saw that Fang Weilian was ignoring him.

"Who dares to make a move?"

"Let's see who dares."

Just then, Fang Yue and Zhao Tong arrived from behind, and the two shouted in unison.

"What's there to be afraid of? Beat them up..." Wang Erba saw that it was two teenagers shouting and didn't take it seriously at all.

The men behind Wang Erba were about to make their move, and Zhao Tong couldn't wait to step forward. Zhao Tong was simple-minded; he thought that since they were brothers, he couldn't let Fang Wei get beaten up no matter what.

Fang Yue, however, was much quicker-witted. Seeing that there were seven or eight people on the other side, she realized that if a fight broke out, her side would definitely be at a disadvantage. So she quickly shouted, "You dare to hit even a newly arrived scholar? You must have a death wish!"

As soon as Fang Yue finished speaking, a clamor of discussion arose around them.

When Wang Erba heard that Fang Wei had become a refined scholar, he was also surprised, and the servants behind him hesitated even more.

Wang Erba was a ruthless and cunning man. He was initially a little scared when he heard this, but then he thought that if this person became a refined scholar, he would not be able to remain silent.

So Wang Erba, his wickedness growing, roared with a ferocious expression, "You three little beasts dared to team up and cheat me? Fine, I'll show you what's what today! Come on, beat them! Since they can't pay the rent, beating them to death is pointless."

With their master backing them up, Wang Erba's lackeys grew bolder instantly. Some rolled up their sleeves, others rubbed their fists together, and still others were itching for a fight to break out.

Upon hearing Wang Erba's words, the scene became even noisier, with all the voices either accusing or cursing Wang Erba.

Meanwhile, a procession carrying good news was marching about one mile away from Jushui Village.

Five officials riding red-flowered horses led the way, followed by a group of people carrying gongs, drums, red flowers, and other festive items.

Suddenly, an official noticed black smoke rising from Jushui Village and quickly said, "Lord Yang, for some reason, we have seen thick black smoke coming from Jushui Village ahead."

Yang Li looked up and saw a plume of black smoke ahead. He then said to those behind him, "Something is definitely amiss. Let's go, let's ride off and take a look."

After Yang Li finished speaking, he lashed the horse's rump hard with his whip. The horse, in pain, galloped away.

It's only a mile away, and you'll arrive in no time.

Before the horse had even come to a complete stop, shouts and curses reached their ears, and several lackeys in the crowd were rubbing their fists, ready to beat someone up.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Yang Li, as an official, naturally had to intervene in such a matter.

With a single glance from Yang Li, the officers beside him immediately understood and shouted, "What's all this commotion?"

The sound rang out, and everyone turned to see five officials riding tall horses.

For the villagers, seeing officials appear was like having a pillar of support, so they started telling their stories one after another.

The villagers wanted to tell the officials what had happened, but the noise made it impossible for Yang Li to hear them clearly.

Surrounded by the crowd, Wang Erba was startled when he saw the officials. Then, his eyes darted around, and he eagerly led several servants to Yang Li.

"Sir, I've come to collect the rent I owed last year. These troublemakers are not only surrounding me, but they're also trying to beat me up because they outnumber me."

Wang Erba never expected to encounter government officials. If he were to be investigated, Wang Erba knew he would certainly face some punishment, so he decided to play the villain and accuse the government first.

At this moment, Fang Wei was looking at his mother lying on the ground.

It's unclear whether it was from an argument with Wang Erba, but the mother's forehead was broken and bleeding quite a bit. Fortunately, the injury wasn't serious, and Fang Wei was relieved after examining her.

Fang Wei was watching Wang Erba's every move. Although Wang Erba hadn't said a word, it didn't mean Fang Wei wasn't angry.

As soon as the officials appeared, Fang Wei stood up from his mother's side, ready to go and demand justice, but unexpectedly, Wang Erba made the first accusation.

Regardless, since the officials are here, we should have a proper confrontation.

Fang Wei pushed through the crowd and walked up to Yang Li. He bowed before speaking, "Sir, I am Fang Wei, a villager from Naijushui Village, Wang Erba..."

Before Fang Wei could finish speaking, Wang Erba interrupted impatiently, "Sir, it's this boy who owes me rent."

Yang Li ignored Wang Erba and quickly dismounted to approach Fang Wei, asking, "Who do you say you are?"

Fang Wei was somewhat confused, but since the other party was an official, he could only reply: "I am Fang Wei, a villager from Jushui Village."

"So you're Fang Wei. Good, we've found the real culprit." Yang Li turned to Wang Erba: "You said he owes you rent? How much rent does he owe you?"

When Wang Erba saw the officials questioning him, he thought the matter could be easily resolved, so he feigned a pitiful state and exaggerated, saying, "Leaving aside how much rent he owes, this scoundrel is utterly wicked and has gathered villagers to attack me. Please, Your Honor, do me justice!"

After hearing what Wang Erba had to say, Yang Li's face darkened instantly. He ignored Wang Erba and turned to ask Fang Wei, "You tell me what happened."

When questioned by the officials, and encountering such a wicked person as Wang Erba, Fang Wei had no choice but to tell them the general situation in detail.

"I understand. You owe rent, and when he tried to collect it, he burned down your house and assaulted you, right?"

"Yes, sir."

Seeing that something was wrong, Wang Erba was about to speak, but Yang Li's next words made Wang Erba overjoyed.

"Paying rent when you're in arrears is a matter of course..."

"Yes, yes, yes, you're right, sir. You're wise!" Upon hearing Yang Li's words, Wang Erba grinned and immediately chimed in.

"My lord..." Fang Yue, who was standing behind Fang Wei, wanted to say something, but was stopped by Fang Wei.

Yang Li glanced at Wang Erba, then continued, "But... I've never heard of any refined scholar owing rent. Mr. Fang, don't you agree?"

Just then, joyous sounds of gongs, drums, and firecrackers rang out from the village entrance, followed by a procession announcing good news.

Yang Li pulled out a congratulatory letter from his pocket and said loudly, "Congratulations to Fang Wei for becoming a newly promoted scholar."

No matter how noisy it was, the crowd instantly fell silent when they heard that Fang Wei had become a refined scholar.

A moment later, the villagers began to discuss it with great joy.

"Fang Wei has truly become a refined scholar; that's remarkable!"

"Yeah, amazing. I didn't believe Xiaoyue at first, but it turns out it's true. Now let's see how Wang Erba dies."

"Thanks to our ancestors, our Jushui Village has finally produced a refined scholar."

"Fang Wei has become a refined scholar; Wang Erba, you just wait and see."

……

After the discussion, the villagers offered their congratulations.

Meanwhile, Wang Erba was overjoyed when he heard that paying rent was a matter of course, thinking he had encountered a "good" official who would resolve the issue by giving him some silver. He never expected the plot to reverse so quickly. Fang Wei had truly become a refined scholar; he had offended him terribly this time.

Wang Erba's emotions fluctuated wildly, and he himself didn't know how he managed to close his gaping mouth.

The procession bringing good news drew closer, and the festive atmosphere grew stronger.

But Fang Wei did not forget Wang Erba; the matter of injuring his mother and burning down the house could not be left unresolved.

"Sir, becoming a scholar should be a joyous occasion, but unfortunately my mother was beaten and our house burned down, preventing me from inviting you in for tea. The person who assaulted me and burned our house is right here. What will you do, sir?"

"Yes, I understand the matter and will give you an explanation." After Yang Li finished speaking, he stared at Wang Erba: "Men, take Wang Erba down, whip him 50 times, and then punish him by making him rebuild Fang Yashi's house."

After Yang Li finished speaking, two officers stepped out from behind him and quickly seized Wang Erba, intending to drag him aside to be whipped.

Yang Li waved his hand, signaling them to stop.

"Wang Erba, do you have anything else to say?" Yang Li asked.

Wang Erba's emotions fluctuated wildly, and he looked miserable, completely unlike his previous arrogant self.

"My lord, I..."

"Do we still need to pay rent?"

"No, I don't want the rent anymore, sir."

"How are you going to build that house?"

"We will definitely build the best, build the best!" As he said this, a ruthless glint flashed in Wang Erba's eyes, though no one saw it.

Yang Li waved his hand, and Wang Erba was taken away by the two officers.

"Mr. Fang, are you satisfied?"

Seeing that Yang Li had handled the matter fairly, Fang Wei bowed and said, "Thank you, sir."