Chapter 18: Hou Wu Has Fled

At this moment, Master Ma’s opinion of Li Yuanjing had changed drastically, and with so many people watching, he immediately barked coldly at Hou Wu, “Hou Wu! Scholar Li has already paid his autumn taxes—what about you?!”

“This…” Hou Wu’s face flushed a deep red, and for a moment he couldn’t utter a single word.

Beside him, Wang Cuihua looked much the same, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. They had come today intending to give Li Yuanjing a hard time, to watch him squirm, to trample him into the dirt. Who could have expected… that the tables would turn so sharply, and they would be the ones to lose face in front of everyone?

Xue An’s expression was also shifting rapidly, but he said nothing, his thoughts unknown.

“Hou Wu! Are you deaf as a donkey? Hand over your autumn taxes immediately! Or do you want me to clap you in irons and send you off to the county jail, then exile you as a conscript to the far northeast?!”

Seeing Hou Wu still silent, clearly unable to pay the tax, Master Ma had no patience left. As he shouted, he gave a meaningful glance to the bailiff beside him.

The bailiff understood at once, slipping to Hou Wu’s side, ready to detain him at any moment.

“Master Ma, I—please, I really can’t pay it right now, could you give me a few more days…” Hou Wu, thoroughly cowed, bowed and scraped desperately.

But just as everyone burst out laughing at Hou Wu’s predicament, disaster struck in an instant.

Hou Wu, who had been groveling, suddenly sprang up and landed a heavy punch straight into Master Ma’s face, knocking him flat to the ground. Then, darting around the bailiff, he stuck out his backside and raced off toward the back mountain, shouting as he ran:

“Li Yuanjing, you dog bastard, I’ll kill your whole family one day and sell your little wife to a brothel for anyone to take!”

It all happened so suddenly. By the time Hou Wu had sprinted a dozen steps away, the crowd finally came to their senses and rushed after him. But Hou Wu had gained a head start; how could the villagers possibly catch up?

“Outrageous! Outrageous! That wretch dared lay hands on me?! After him, hurry!” Master Ma, having scrambled to his feet, howled in fury.

Even more people joined the pursuit.

In the courtyard, Li Yuanjing thought to give chase at first, but after a moment’s hesitation, gave up on the idea. Hou Wu, wretched as he was, was still in good shape; Li Yuanjing, with his current health, would likely lose the race anyway.

Besides, Hou Wu had already cut himself off from the people, and Li Yuanjing needed to focus on the more important aftermath.

…

Before long, the villagers returned one after another, cursing and grumbling, clearly empty-handed.

Li Yuanjing remained calm. With the tangled terrain of the back mountain, once someone slipped into the old woods, there was no catching them.

The old village chief, full of shame, apologized to Master Ma. “Master Ma, I am truly ashamed. Who would have thought our Spring Village would produce such a scoundrel…”

Master Ma was disgruntled as well, but with so many autumn tax matters left to resolve, he still needed the old chief’s help, and it wasn’t the chief’s fault anyway. He could only grumble, “Don’t blame yourself, Chief. I’ll send word to the county at once to dispatch more officers. Hou Wu must be captured and brought to justice!”

Seeing the time was ripe, Li Yuanjing cupped his hands to Master Ma. “Master Ma, it’s not so difficult to catch Hou Wu. I have a plan that might ease your burden…”

“Oh?” Master Ma raised his eyebrows, looking at Li Yuanjing.

Li Yuanjing stepped quickly to his side and whispered a few words.

Master Ma’s eyes lit up at once. He pointed at Wang Cuihua, who had been lingering in the crowd, and barked, “Arrest this accomplice of Hou Wu’s and take her to the county office immediately!”

“Yes, sir!” The bailiff stepped forward and seized Wang Cuihua.

She began to wail, “I’m innocent, my lord! I swear I’m no accomplice—please believe me!”

But there was no pity for her. Soon she was thoroughly tied up, a gag stuffed in her mouth.

With Wang Cuihua now in hand, Master Ma had gained a great advantage thanks to Li Yuanjing. After all, once Wang Cuihua was inside, it would take more than a couple of taels of silver to get her out.

He turned to Li Yuanjing with a broad smile and said, “Brother Li, don’t be afraid. I have sent for reinforcements from the county—we will not let that villain Hou Wu escape justice!”

Li Yuanjing returned the gesture with a smile, showering him with praise, though inwardly he thought: Afraid of Hou Wu? Far from it.

He was even hoping Hou Wu would try something. If Hou Wu tried to play dirty, Li Yuanjing would not let him live. He’d done such things before in his past life, though in subtler ways.

The only regret was that Xue An, that scoundrel, had slipped away quickly when the villagers chased after Hou Wu. Had he been caught too, it would have been quite the spectacle.

…

When Master Ma and his men left to collect taxes from other families, the old village chief came to Li Yuanjing’s side with a sigh. “Yuanjing, Wang Cuihua—well, forget it. The world now belongs to your generation.”

With that, he gave Li Yuanjing’s shoulder a firm pat. “Don’t worry, Yuanjing. I’ll personally stand watch these next few nights. I won’t let that cur Hou Wu cause any trouble!”

Watching the old chief leave, Li Yuanjing narrowed his eyes slightly, but soon relaxed. Clearly, the old chief now approved of how he’d dealt with Wang Cuihua.

After all, Wang Cuihua’s reputation was terrible in the village. If she hadn’t repeatedly provoked Li Yuanjing, he’d never have laid a hand on her.

Besides, with such a commotion just now, would Hou Wu dare come back? Even if he did want revenge, he’d have to wait until the officials left and the tax season was over.

Li Yuanjing let the matter rest, turning his attention to his own affairs.

After soothing Yu-niang’s fears, he threw himself into constructing the wolf traps. By midday, aside from the wooden stakes that Zhang Kun’s family was preparing, everything else was ready.

After lunch, Li Yuanjing and Yu-niang left the house to join the villagers in watching the autumn tax collection. Yu-niang was still shaken by Hou Wu’s threats and felt safe only among a crowd.

This firmed Li Yuanjing’s resolve: he had to find a chance to rid himself of Hou Wu once and for all.

…

Ordinary villagers were nowhere near as well-prepared as Li Yuanjing when it came to paying taxes. They brought whatever they could—a motley assortment of goods.

Some, even… offered up their young children as repayment for debts.

Worse yet, Master Ma accepted them all.

It turned out, slave traders were already working with the bailiffs. Attractive, clever little boys and girls not only counted toward the tax, but the traders would even pay the villagers a bit of silver.

Li Yuanjing was both appalled and fascinated, at a loss for what to feel.

“Hey, Second Sister, did you hear? Last night, over by Pi Family Village, someone was bitten to death by wolves.”

“What? Really? That’s terrifying! It must have been agony…”

“I know, right? They say the poor soul’s neck was torn clean through.”

As Li Yuanjing comforted Yu-niang, several women began chattering about the wolf attack, instantly drawing the villagers’ attention. Even the misery of selling children for taxes was momentarily forgotten.

Li Yuanjing pricked up his ears and pulled Yu-niang closer to listen intently.