Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

The next morning, Jiang Xing went directly to the Jiang Family Ancestral Hall.

The ancestral hall is the most magnificent building in Jiangjia Village, with blue bricks and gray tiles. There are two cypress trees at the entrance, which are said to have been planted by the ancestors of the Jiang family.

In the center of the ancestral hall is the ancestral tablet, and on both sides are long benches used for clan meetings.

When Jiang woke up, there were already seven or eight people sitting in the ancestral hall.

Jiang Caimao was drinking tea in the main room. He was in his early sixties, had a goatee, and wore a dark blue long gown. He looked more presentable than anyone else in the village.

Jiang Dazhu, Zhou Shi, Jiang Erzhu, and Liu Shi were already there. Zhou Shi's eyes were red and swollen from crying. She was covered in wounds, and her upper body was completely wrapped in gauze. If Jiang Dazhu hadn't said that the clan leader had to see her miserable state, she wouldn't have forced herself to come to the ancestral hall.

Jiang Caimao's expression was not good when he saw Jiang Xing come in.

He had been listening to Zhou's tearful complaints all morning. Of course, what Zhou said was, "Jiang Daya broke into my house like a madwoman, not only stealing the grain, but also pinning her to the ground and beating her until her hand was broken."

"Jiang Daya." Jiang Caimao, holding his teacup, glared at Jiang Xing and said, "You're a young woman, climbing over the wall to break into your elders' house, assaulting them, and stealing their things. What kind of logic is that?"

Jiang Xing stood in the middle of the main room, expressionless as he looked at Jiang Caimao's self-righteous questioning.

"Then what kind of logic is it to steal my things from my home without my permission and injure my brother and grandmother?"

She recounted how Zhou and Liu had come to her house yesterday while she was away, robbed her, and beat her grandmother and younger brother.

"Taking without asking is theft. Little Niu is only eight years old. He's lying in bed with his head split open, his life hanging in the balance. Is the clan chief really going to cover up such a beastly act?"

Zhou's face grew paler and paler, and Jiang Caimao's face also looked unpleasant. He was biased towards Jiang Dazhu's family, but Zhou's beating of the child until he bled was unacceptable no matter where you looked at it.

"Mrs. Zhou, you hit the child?" Jiang Caimao looked at Mrs. Zhou.

Zhou stammered, "I...I just patted it lightly...who knew the child's head was so soft..."

"A light tap?" Jiang Xing's eyes narrowed, and a murderous intent surged instantly: "In that case, let me lightly tap you back. I want to see if your head is soft or not."

Jiang Xing pulled out a rolling pin from somewhere and started walking towards Zhou Shi. Jiang Caimao quickly scolded, "Enough! This is an ancestral hall, not a place for you to run wild. Put it away now!"

At this moment, Shen Dehou spoke up: "Brother Caimao, let me interject. Da Ya's father just died, and her mother ran away. There's only an old lady and an eight-year-old child at home. Zhou Shi and Liu Shi came to their door to steal things and even beat people. This kind of thing is unacceptable in any dynasty or era."

Jiang Caimao glanced at Shen Dehou and said in a neutral tone, "Dehou, you are the village chief and are in charge of village affairs. But this is a matter within the Jiang family clan, so I will handle it."

Shen Dehou smiled and said, "I am an outsider and cannot interfere in clan affairs. But I am the village chief of Jiangjia Village, and Daya is a villager of Jiangjia Village. I cannot ignore the villagers who come to me."

Jiang Caimao was caught off guard, and his expression darkened even further.

He pondered for a moment before speaking, "It's certainly wrong for the Zhou and Liu families to come and rob and assault people. But it's also wrong for Jiang Daya to beat her elders and steal their grain. Let's settle this score between the two families, but I don't agree to sever ties."

Jiang Xing's pupils contracted slightly, and a cold smile appeared on his face.

Let's just let this go?

The cut on the back of the calf's head hadn't healed yet, and Grandma's arm was still swollen. Did he think he could just dismiss her with a simple "let's just let it go"?

"Clan leader, why won't you agree to sever ties? That grain was something I hunted myself, when did it become the Zhou family's? You say I beat an elder, but my grandmother is in the Jiang family genealogy. Does that mean beating my grandmother isn't beating an elder? I think you've been in this clan leader's position for too long, and you can't distinguish right from wrong. You're showing favoritism in public, and you don't deserve to be the clan leader." Jiang Xing wouldn't give him any face.

Jiang Caimao picked up his teacup, and upon hearing Jiang Xing's accusatory words, slammed it angrily on the table: "How dare you! So what if you traded that grain? Your father is gone, and you are all old, weak, and widowed. Who will take care of you if you lose your family ties? No matter how bad your uncles are, they are still your father's brothers. Blood is thicker than water; this bond cannot be broken."

Jiang Xing understood.

It's not that we "can't break up," it's that we "don't want them to break up."

Because Jiang Dazhu's family still had their eyes on the few acres of land her father had left behind.

"Clan Chief," Jiang Xing said, his patience wearing thin, "When my father was alive, my grandfather had already divided the family property. The division document clearly states that my father owned five mu of farmland, three mu of land, and a house site. Now that my father is gone, these land deeds should be inherited by me and Xiao Niu."

Jiang Caimao snorted coldly, clearly disagreeing with Jiang Xing's words: "You're a young lady, you'll get married sooner or later. Your younger brother is only eight years old, he can't protect these fields. In my opinion, the fields should be temporarily managed by the clan, and returned to your brother when he grows up."

Jiang Xing spat dismissively, "Let the clan take care of it for now?"

That sounds nice, but taking over the management is just putting the money into Jiang Dazhu and Jiang Caimao's pockets. How many acres will be left when the calves grow up?

"The laws of the Great Liang Dynasty stipulate that if the parents are deceased, the children inherit the family property. Unmarried women also have the right to inherit." Jiang Xing looked at Jiang Caimao.

Jiang Caimao's expression changed. This girl usually doesn't know many characters, so how could she know about the laws of Liang?

Zhou, standing nearby, grew anxious: "You little brat, lecturing the clan chief about the law? Have you even been to school?"

"As a citizen of the Great Liang Dynasty, I naturally need to know the laws of this dynasty. What does this have to do with whether I have studied or not? Does it mean that if I haven't studied, I don't have to abide by the law? If that's the case, then I'll have to go to the county government to ask." Jiang Xing took out a piece of paper from his pocket, which was the family division list he had written when the family was divided.

She placed the paper in front of Jiang Caimao.

Jiang Caimao glanced at it, his expression complex.

Shen Dehou leaned over for a look, then clicked his tongue twice: "Brother Caimao, you and I should be the most knowledgeable about the law in the village. You can't possibly not know whether what Daya said is true or false, can you?"

Jiang Caimao's forehead was sweating.

He favored Jiang Dazhu's family because Jiang Qingshan was studying and might pass the imperial examinations to become a Xiucai or Juren. Xiucai and Juren could be exempted from taxes and could own hundreds of acres of fertile land. At that time, not only would the Jiang clan become famous, but the clan could also be exempted from some taxes.

But Jiang Xing invoked the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty, making this matter difficult to handle. If it escalated to the county government, Jiang Qingshan might lose not only his official title but also his position as clan leader.

Seeing the change in Jiang Caimao's expression, Jiang Xing knew that the time was almost right.

"I don't need the clan to manage the land. I don't need my uncles' help either." She said, word by word, "I only want three things: First, the land deeds under my father's name, return them to me. Second, a letter of severance of ties, with you as guarantor, from now on, my grandmother, my brother, and I will have no further connection with the Jiang Dazhu and Jiang Erzhu families. Third, compensation from Zhou and Liu for injuring my grandmother and brother, five taels of silver, or the equivalent value of grain."

Jiang Caimao remained silent for a long time.

Zhou tried to speak, but Jiang Caimao glared at her and shut her up.

Finally, Jiang Caimao sighed: "I can give you the land deeds. I can vouch for the severance of kinship. But compensation..."

"The compensation must be substantial." Jiang Xing interrupted him. "Xiao Niu needs to see a doctor in town for the cut on the back of his head, and my grandmother's arm needs to heal. Besides, although my grandmother is a second wife, she's still listed in the family genealogy and is nominally Zhou's mother-in-law. Beating one's mother-in-law is considered unfilial. If you don't pay, I'll go to Jiang Qingshan's academy and make a scene. I want to see if his teachers and classmates can continue studying after they find out."

Jiang Caimao's face turned completely dark. Jiang Xing knew what he was afraid of.

Jiang Qingshan was studying, and what he feared most was that his family would get into legal trouble. He was even more afraid that his reputation would be tarnished by things like "his own mother beat his mother-in-law" or "swallowing his uncle's property." If that happened, he wouldn't be able to take the imperial examination, and even a private school might not accept him.

"Fine." Jiang Caimao gritted his teeth and said, "Five taels, not a penny less. The land deeds will be given to you today. The letter of severance will be written now. In addition, you and your two grandchildren will be removed from the Jiang family genealogy."

"I couldn't have gotten it."

He asked his son to bring paper and pen, wrote a letter severing ties on the spot, stamped it with his personal seal, and then had Jiang Dazhu and Jiang Erzhu put their fingerprints on it.

Jiang Xing took the letter severing ties with his family, read it carefully, folded it, and put it in his pocket.

Shen Dehou watched from the side, a slight smile playing on his lips.

In his more than ten years as village chief, this was the first time he had seen Jiang Caimao being manipulated like this.

Jiang Dazhu gritted his teeth and handed over five taels of silver, along with the land deeds, which Jiang Xing immediately snatched away.

Five mu of land and three mu of farmland were things he had coveted for over a decade, and now he had given them all back to a fifteen-year-old girl.

Jiang Xing took the land deed, glanced at it, folded it up, and placed it together with the letter severing ties.

"Village chief, thank you for upholding justice." She bowed, then turned and left.

As she left, she heard Zhou's suppressed sobs and Jiang Dazhu's curses behind her: "What are you crying for! If you cry again, I'll divorce you!"