Many people were watching and talking at the gate of Xie's house.
But no one walked in, and no one except the Xie family lit three sticks of incense for Xie Jingyu in front of the mourning hall.
The bustling gate.
In front of the deserted mourning hall.
Yuanshi cried until she fainted several times.
Xie Shiyun was four years old and Xie Xian was three years old. They were still at an age where they didn’t understand anything and only knew how to cry, let alone Xie Shikang, who was only a few months old.
The three aunts knelt on the futon, shedding tears silently.
In addition to being sad, they were also at a loss. They were attached to Xie Jingyu. Now that the man is dead, what should they do for the rest of their lives?
They couldn't help but look up at Yun Chu who was standing beside them.
Now, the only person they can rely on is Madam.
Yun Chu was dressed in plain white clothes, with white flowers on her hair. She was extremely pure. There was not much expression on her face, and she was very calm.
The first day after Xie Jingyu's death passed with everyone crying.
Xie Zhongcheng was angry in his heart.
The direct son-in-law died, and no one from the Yun family came to express condolences!
If the Yun family doesn't come to the house just to show off, who among the neighbors and friends who hang out on weekdays would dare to come and see Jing Yu off for the last time.
After all, it was all the Yun family's fault and Yun Chu's fault.
If Yunchu asked the Yun family to come to their home, would the Yun family ignore it?
Xie Zhongcheng looked at Yun Chu with deep anger, but he did not dare to say anything.
It was getting dark, and just when Xie Zhongcheng was about to speak and ask Yunchu to keep watch, he heard the sound of galloping horse hooves suddenly coming from the gate.
He was overjoyed, it must be someone from the Yun family.
He got up and went out to greet him, only to see that the man on top of the tall horse was the officer and soldier who had previously decreed to seal the Xie family.
The officer and soldier sat on the horse, took out a scroll, and said coldly: "Thank you, family, for listening to the order!"
Xie Zhongcheng's arms trembled and he collapsed on the ground.
Immediately afterwards, Yun Chu came out, and several aunts supported Yuanshi, and they knelt at the gate together.
"... After a thorough investigation by the imperial court, Xie Jingyu, a doctor in the Ministry of Finance, embezzled a total of 13,456 taels of official silver from the Ministry of Finance. The case was verified, and all the witnesses and material evidence were available... Xie Jingyu was given the title of Queen's Inquisition..."
Yuanshi cried loudly: "My son is dead, he is dead..."
"If it were placed in the previous court, even if he died, he would still have to drag out the body and ask for execution." The officer and soldier held his hands in the direction of the imperial city, "The Holy One is so merciful that he cannot do such a thing! Oh, people are dead. , it doesn’t mean that it’s just written off and the blood relatives have to bear the punishment from the court!”
A strong ominous premonition arose in Xie Zhongcheng's heart.
"Xie Jingyu's father did not teach his son well, and allowed his son to be greedy. He can be exempted from death but cannot escape from living crime. He will be given thirty years of hard labor!"
"Hard, hard labor, three, thirty years..."
Xie Zhongcheng almost fainted.
He is almost fifty years old. He has served for thirty years, which makes him eighty years old. It is difficult for a normal person to live to eighty years old, especially for those who have served hard labor.
As far as he knew, hard labor was not simply about building roads and rivers, but going to the front lines to build trenches and city walls, and was often used as a human shield on the battlefield.
Those doing hard labor are all criminals. The soldiers on the front line will not regard the hard labor as human beings at all, not even as pigs and dogs...
It would be better to just let him die.
Two guards stepped forward, dragged Xie Zhongcheng up, chained his hands and feet, and placed a wooden shackle on his shoulders.
"no, do not want……"
Yuanshi crawled under the officer's horse with both hands and feet.
"Please, sir, please let our master live, please..."
The horse's hoof lifted up and kicked Yuanshi away.
"Listen, I haven't finished yet!" the officer and soldier said coldly, "Xie Jingyu embezzled more than 10,000 taels of official silver. He has to die to atone for his crime. The father's debt must be paid by the son! There is an order of this dynasty. Every person who is corrupt will be punished by 10, and the total repayment will be 13. Forty thousand, five hundred and sixty taels, plus the thirty thousand that the Xie family and the He family's daughter concealed, the total amount owed to the court is 164,560 taels!"
Upon hearing this number, everyone in the Xie family had shock on their faces.
Not allowing them to think too much, the officer and soldier shouted coldly: "Where is Xie Jiazi!"
Tingyu quickly hugged Xie Shiyun beside her, and Aunt Tao also hugged the sleeping child in her arms.
Seeing that the Xie family did not move, the officers and soldiers gave a look, and several guards stepped forward and directly took the two children out.
"Auntie, help me!" Xie Shiyun's face turned pale with fright, "I don't want it! Don't want it! Help! Mother, help me!"
He knew that his aunt could not change anything, so he looked in the direction of Yunchu as if asking for help.
Yun Chu looked at his nose and heart with his eyes, but there was no reaction at all.
Xie Shikang was sleeping when he was dragged awake and burst into tears.
The officer and soldier took out two pieces of paper from his arms: "Xie Jingyu also has two sons. You and I will each have half of all the debts and let them pledge it!"
The two guards grabbed the hands of the two children, pressed their thumbs on the ink pad, and then pressed them on the IOU.
The two children were freed after signing the pledge. Xie Shiyun quickly ran into Tingyu's arms. He felt that he was saved.
Tingyu looked at the IOU. Her brother Yun owed the court more than 80,000 taels of silver.
Even the Yun family, a first-rank general's mansion, would not be able to come up with a huge sum of more than 80,000 taels in one go...
Her brother Yun had to grow up with such a heavy debt...
Tingyu couldn't take a breath and fainted directly.
Aunt Tao stared blankly at the extra IOU in her hand, and then looked at the child who had returned to her arms and stopped crying, feeling desolate in her heart.
Kang Geer was born prematurely and is weak. Now three months old, she is still about the same weight as when she was born. She always feels that she cannot feed this child, but this is the child she gave birth to and is her flesh and blood. She must persevere. Go down...until something happened to the Xie family and the wet nurse ran away, and all the pressure fell on her alone.
She didn't know how she survived these days and nights.
There were times when I wanted to give up, and times when I held on until dawn.
She thought she would persevere, but when she saw the IOU of more than 80,000 taels of silver, it was like thunder hitting her head, and she really collapsed.
It’s not that I owe money to others, I owe it to the court, and to the current emperor. I can’t ignore this debt even if I want to...
"Madam..." Aunt Tao said in a hoarse voice, "Help, help give Brother Kang a hug..."
Yuanshi could no longer cry anymore. She took her grandson numbly and held her in her arms.
Aunt Tao stood up from the ground and walked out. It wasn't until she disappeared at the door of Xie's house and among the crowd that Yuanshi suddenly understood.
"She, she left?" Yuanshi's eyes widened, "She doesn't want Brother Kang anymore?"
Yun Chu pursed his lips.
In the previous life, when Brother Kang grew up, he could not speak or walk, and looked stupid. Aunt Tao collapsed and threw the child into Shengju.
In this life, everything is different, and Aunt Tao still abandons her child.
No matter how the world changes, a person's nature cannot change, and he will always make the choice that is best for him.
