Making money, taking exams and supporting the family

chapter 8: Xue Liang making false accusations

Upon hearing the shouts outside, Lin Ze quickly recalled who it was from his memory.

Xue Liang, a notorious troublemaker known throughout the surrounding areas, often engaged in heartless acts of arranging deals to sell children and wives. He was the person ‘Lin Ze’ had been drinking with last night.

Initially, Lin Ze had only speculated that he had been drugged last night, but now, upon hearing Xue Liang’s voice at his doorstep, he had no more doubts.

“Stay inside and pack your belongings, no matter what happens, don’t come out. I have a plan to deal with this.”

Lin Ze pulled Zhang Xiu closer and gave a gentle kiss to those pink lips before straightening his clothes and turning to leave.

Zhang Xiu, still in a daze from being kissed, covered his mouth and stared at Lin Ze’s retreating figure. His phoenix eyes widened, forgetting to blink, and the blush on his cheeks took a while to fade.

***

At the entrance of Lin’s family courtyard.

Xue Liang pounded on the wooden door with a fierce momentum, while his wife stood beside him, covering her face and crying. Behind them, a crowd of villagers gathered to watch the commotion.

Upon closer inspection, among the crowd were the village chief and several respected elders from the clan.

“Village chief, what is all this fuss about coming to my house?”

Lin Sangui, the one who opened the door, immediately felt worried upon seeing the situation.

He was not afraid of Xue Liang or the village chief, but when he noticed the presence of the elders from the clan, he could not help but murmur to himself. These elders rarely intervened unless it was a significant matter, and their expressions did not seem favorable. He even faintly heard his eldest son’s name, which was probably not a good sign.

“Of course, we’ve come to settle the score with your son!”

Before the village chief could speak, Xue Liang became emotionally agitated and roared loudly, exuding a ferocious and wicked aura. His voice was as if amplified by a loudspeaker, enough for everyone around to hear him.

“Sangui, quickly bring out Lin Ze, that pretentious scholar of yours! I kindly invited him to my house, offering him good food and drinks, but he took advantage of being drunk to violate my wife…”

“I, Xue Liang, may not be a good person, but I am not the kind of weakling who lets others bully my wife. Today, I have gathered with the village chief and the elders of our clan. If they don’t give me justice, I, Xue Liang, swear that I will not rest until I do!”

Regardless of the embarrassment or losing face, Xue Liang quickly and clearly enumerated the accusations.

Along with Xue Liang’s shouting, his wife, Wang Shi, stood by, crying with a heart full of sorrow. The slap marks on her face, the bruises on her neck, and a few faint kiss marks were evident signs of the struggle during the violation.

The villagers around had already heard Xue Liang shouting about the incident on their way here, and now they listened again, whispering and discussing among themselves.

Upon hearing all this, Lin Sangui almost fainted.

“It’s impossible! My eldest son is a scholar, well-educated and respectful, a talented scholar who stands out in the court. How could he do such a disgraceful thing? Last night, my eldest son was sleeping at home…”

“Pah! What kind of talented scholar is Lin Ze? It’s a mistake of the heavens to let someone like him pass the exams! Everyone knows about the incident when he drunkenly trespassed into a young lady’s chamber, violating proper etiquette, and was consequently expelled from the private school due to this breach of decorum. Today, even in his drunken state, he didn’t change his ways and made advances towards my wife. Thankfully, I arrived in time yesterday to save my wife. But this matter cannot be left unresolved…”