Chapter 139: What about the Forty Thousand Taels of Silver? Did the Dogs Eat It?

“Li Yuanjing, what nonsense are you spouting?!”
“You bully my wife like this and slander me—what exactly are your intentions? Or is this whole thing a trap you set up to seduce my wife?!”

Xue Dashan’s face suddenly flushed red, and he shouted at Li Yuanjing like a butcher.

Li Yuanjing had only been testing Xue Dashan, but seeing his furious reaction, he now had a clearer understanding.

He smirked knowingly:
“Brother Xue, what you say is quite something. The innocent remain innocent, and the guilty remain guilty! I, Li Yuanjing, stand with integrity and walk the straight path. I take full responsibility for all my actions and swear this solemnly before heaven right now! But Brother Xue, do you dare to do the same?”

“You...”

Xue Dashan was clever but overwhelmed with anger, pointing at Li Yuanjing to retort, but he was clearly at a loss for words.

After all, in this era, deeply influenced by feudal ethics, oaths—especially those invoking ancestors—were taken very seriously.

“Zhiyu, Zhiyu, listen to my explanation! Things aren’t what you think.”
“Li Yuanjing is a despicable schemer, deliberately trying to ruin me and destroy the trust between us…”

At this moment, seeing that Li Yuanjing was gaining no advantage, Xue Zhiyu’s face turned ashen, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably. Xue Dashan grew anxious and hurriedly tried to explain to her.

But Xue Zhiyu was no fool. How could she not see through Xue Dashan’s double-faced nature? Especially since after Xue Qi fled earlier, Xue Dashan had arrived so swiftly—it was clear he was sending a message to Xue Dashan.

She snorted coldly, not even sparing Xue Dashan a glance.

“Zhiyu, Zhiyu, you must believe me. Please, listen to my explanation…”

Seeing Xue Zhiyu’s resolute decision, Xue Dashan grew even more desperate, trying to say something.

Li Yuanjing couldn’t suppress a cold laugh and said:
“Brother Xue, you really do like to flatter yourself. Let’s drop that matter for now and talk about the money that the young lord asked from the Qiu family.”

“At the time, we agreed face to face that the young lord would require sixty thousand taels of silver from the Qiu family, but for some reason, when it reached Old Master Qiu Zehai, it suddenly became one hundred thousand taels.”

“Where did the extra forty thousand taels go? Did the dogs eat it? Old Master Qiu even sold his two most beloved concubines over this matter.”

“Li Yuanjing!”
“You, you, you are going too far!”

Xue Dashan was so furious that Li Yuanjing hit a sore spot, he was about to vomit blood.

Before he could say more, Qiu Zhiyu cut in coldly:
“Enough!”
“Xue Mang, shut your mouth! Falsehoods cannot become truth, and truths cannot become falsehoods! I have been married to you, Xue Mang, for nearly ten years. I know better than anyone what kind of person you truly are!”

Her beautiful face grew even colder, as if a single sword had severed all worldly ties. She closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them wide and declared:
“Xue Mang, let’s divorce now! From this moment on, we owe each other nothing. You take your bright road, and I will take my solitary path!”

“Zhiyu…”
Xue Dashan panicked and tried to rush forward.

Qiu Zhiyu hurriedly turned to Li Yuanjing:
“Mr. Li, please help me—I don’t want to see this man anymore!”

“Madam Qiu is a noble lady of Fengcheng. It is Li Yuanjing’s honor to serve you!”

Li Yuanjing bowed to Qiu Zhiyu, then waved to the side.

“Swish, swish, swish!”

In an instant, dozens of swords and sabers were drawn, swiftly blocking in front of Xue Dashan.

No matter how brave Xue Dashan was, he dared not move against Li Yuanjing who was backed by so many imperial soldiers. He stomped and shouted angrily.

Seeing this, Qiu Zhiyu breathed a long sigh of relief and deeply bowed to Li Yuanjing:
“Mr. Li, I am forever grateful for your lifesaving aid. But I have one more request: could you send some imperial soldiers to escort me back to Fengcheng?”

“I am honored to serve Madam Qiu!”

Li Yuanjing nodded and instructed Dong Peng to dispatch guards and provide Qiu Zhiyu with a mule-drawn carriage.

Soon, the gentle, refined young woman departed by carriage, leaving only a faint lingering fragrance in the air.

“Li Yuanjing!”
“You bastard turtle, are you really going to tear me, Xue Mang, apart and settle this with brute force?!”

Seeing Qiu Zhiyu leave quickly, Xue Mang was now completely enraged, bloodshot eyes fixed fiercely on Li Yuanjing.

“Heh.”

Li Yuanjing couldn’t help but sneer coldly:
“Brother Xue, I advise you to think before you speak! Was it I who sought to oppose you? Who came over first, slandering me for seducing your wife and calling me a worthless scoundrel?”

“Out of brotherly loyalty, I risked everything to save your noble wife, and yet you not only refuse to thank me but slander me instead?! All these brothers here witnessed it with their own eyes. Do you take your comrades for blind fools?”

His words stirred the crowd into an uproar as they all pointed at Xue Dashan, cursing him fiercely and drenching him in scorn.

Even Xue Dashan, faced with so many armed mouths, was at a loss for rebuttal, his nostrils flaring and face ashen.

Watching this scene, a faint, cruel smile curved on Li Yuanjing’s lips.

Had this been before, even with Zhang Zhiji’s backing, Li Yuanjing would have hesitated to openly clash with Xue Dashan—they were “local gentry,” after all.

In this era, mutual slaughter among local gentry was a grave disgrace.

Yet now, with Xue Dashan’s initial slander, Li Yuanjing had his chance to strike!

And he was no longer afraid of any underhanded schemes from Xue Dashan.

Though he didn’t know the full extent of the problems between Qiu Zhiyu and Xue Dashan beyond the missing forty thousand taels, just seeing how much Qiu Zhiyu, a book lover, packed up her library before leaving was telling enough.

Consider this: Qiu Zhiyu was Xue Dashan’s lawful wife, entitled to a share of his property.

Even with the advanced laws of later times, divorce could be a deadly battle—how much more so in this era?

The divorce between Xue Dashan and Qiu Zhiyu wouldn’t be settled quickly. With this shadow hanging over him, what did Li Yuanjing have to fear?

Moreover, Li Yuanjing had a clear premonition:
During the drawn-out divorce battle between Xue Dashan and Qiu Zhiyu, explosive secrets would surely surface and fall into his hands!

A calm mind never errs.

“Li Yuanjing!”
“You’re something, you’re something—well played! I, Xue Mang, remember this! We’ll wait and see how this plays out!”

Seeing that the matter was settled, Xue Dashan knew he could neither catch up to Qiu Zhiyu nor confront Li Yuanjing directly. He angrily jabbed his finger at Li Yuanjing several times, then ordered his servants:
“Let’s go!”

Soon, the group hurriedly departed.

Watching their backs disappear, Li Yuanjing’s lips curled into a cold smile.

Then, he rubbed his now-healing lips vigorously and shouted:
“To all brothers who participated in the rescue, an extra one hundred large coins each! Let’s move out!”

“Wow!”
“Mr. Li is so benevolent, truly benevolent…”

…

Thanks to Big Bear 1669 for the support.

Brothers, if you can, please give some support to the writer—he has already ventured to the South Seas for work.

A few words about this book:

For a long time, I’ve wavered between catering to the market and staying true to myself, but recently, I’ve found clarity.

Those who can cater to the market are truly impressive because they make money; I cannot, because my understanding and thinking value logic and causality.

I lack the ability for high-end logical thinking, and pure commercial writing is beyond me.

But at least one thing: I have always been true to my conscience. History is a serious matter, and I have done my best to remain as objective as possible, never misleading readers.

Also, this is likely my last book. My style is probably unique across the entire internet, and it’s not really suitable for young readers. Those over thirty should find much to resonate with.

Brothers who can, please support me by subscribing.

In closing:

It is better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes than to rely on each other in times of hardship.

I wish all loyal supporters health, success in career, harmony in family, a lasting sense of security, the courage to leave everything behind at any moment, and to truly live like a man.