Fan Changyu turned to Jin Laosan and his group, snapping, “What are you all yelling about?”
Jin Laosan replied sheepishly, “Isn’t this your recruited son-in-law?”
Fan Changyu choked for a moment, instinctively glancing at Xie Zheng. Seeing his expression remain impassive, seemingly unbothered by Jin Laosan’s words, she breathed a sigh of relief before continuing, “Yes, he is my recruited husband, but why are you all calling him son-in-law?”
Jin Laosan’s group lowered their heads submissively, like a bunch of young wives unacknowledged by their stern mother-in-law.
Fan Changyu’s temple twitched at the sight. She waved her hand dismissively, “I only brought you along to Wang’s shop today to seek justice, and now that’s done. Go home, all of you, and stop bullying others from now on.”
After Jin Laosan’s group left with mumbled acknowledgments, Fan Changyu glanced at Xie Zheng standing nearby. She felt inexplicably guilty, but reasoning that she hadn’t done anything truly wrong, she folded the paper in her hands and walked over to him with a straight back, asking, “What brings you here?”
Fine snow settled in Xie Zheng’s ink-black hair, making his features appear even more austere. “The essays I wrote recently sold well, and the bookstore owner took notice. He invited me for tea. I heard you went to Wang’s shop, so I came to check on you.”
Fan Changyu exclaimed in surprise, “To earn a bookstore owner’s recognition—your writing must be exceptional!”
Xie Zheng hadn’t expected her to understand such matters despite her seemingly limited education. He lowered his gaze to hide his thoughts, “Having fled from Chong Prefecture, I simply know more about the wartime situation and people’s hardships there. Even if my writing is basic, it’s new to the people of Lin’an Town, which is why the bookstore owner took notice. How did things go with Wang’s shop?”
That last question was meant to change the subject.
Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng took an ox cart home. Along the way, she picked up winter clothes she had ordered from the tailor shop for the family’s New Year celebration and bought some candy for Changningg. They finally made it back to their home in the western part of the city before dark.
When they went to collect Changningg from Madam Zhao’s house, they learned that constables from the county office had visited that afternoon. They summoned Fan Changyu to attend a court hearing in three days—the lawsuit filed by Fan Da was finally going to be reviewed.
Fan Changyu hadn’t thought much of it, but Madam Zhao was deeply worried. “The constable who delivered the message works under Chief Constable Wang. He leaked some information—Fan Da has been frequently visiting the Court Advisor recently. That Court Advisor is Butcher Guo’s uncle, and Butcher Guo had a grudge against your father years ago. Originally, since you’ve taken in a husband, the property should have been awarded to you, but with the Court Advisor involved, they’ll likely split at least half with your Big Uncle.”
Fan Changyu hadn’t expected these two troublemakers to work together. She frowned immediately, “How could they give Big Uncle half?”
Madam Zhao sighed, “Those officials can rule however they want—how could common folk like us understand the law better than them? Besides, since Big Uncle has the Court Advisor’s support, even if you tried to hire a litigation master, none would dare take your case and risk offending the Court Advisor.”
Fan Changyu’s brows furrowed deeply.
Though the Court Advisor held no official position, he was effectively second-in-command at the county office. Combined with Butcher Guo’s old grudge against her father, she stood little chance at the upcoming hearing.
Even if she wanted to pull strings, she couldn’t outrank the Court Advisor—unless she could somehow reach the County Magistrate himself, but that was just a pipe dream. Not only did her family lack any connection to the County Magistrate, but given that he had wanted to make Song Yan his son-in-law and she was Song Yan’s former fiancée, she’d be lucky if the Magistrate didn’t deliberately make things difficult for her.
After thinking it through, Fan Changyu asked, “Auntie Zhao, do you know how the feud between Butcher Guo and my father started?”
Fan Changyu only knew they were at odds but had never heard the actual cause of the grudge Madam Zhao mentioned.
Madam Zhao sighed, “That happened over a decade ago. The shopkeepers on that street have all changed since then, which is why you haven’t heard about it while doing business there.”
“Back then, Butcher Guo was just a street thug. All the merchants on that street had to pay him protection money, or they’d face trouble from his ruffians. After your father bought his shop there, he refused to pay. When the thugs came to make trouble, your father taught them a lesson instead. They confessed to working for Butcher Guo, so your father reported him to the authorities. The County Magistrate at that time was truly an upright official—he not only had Butcher Guo beaten but also imprisoned him for over half a year. That’s how the grudge between your father and Butcher Guo began. Now that the Guo family has a relative working as a Court Advisor, and you’re facing a lawsuit, they’ll certainly use this chance to make things difficult for you.”
With such an old grudge in play, the situation seemed truly hopeless.
After returning home, Fan Changyu remained frowning.
After dinner, once Changningg was asleep, she sat alone by the fire pit, poking at the ground with a burnt stick.
The Haedong Goshawk’s cage sat near the fire pit, its feathers now a shade grayer after a full day of smoke exposure.
The main hall was silent except for the occasional pop and crack of firewood sending up sparks. The hawk didn’t dare make a sound either, its small eyes darting between the two people sitting by the fire.
As another spark flew from the burning wood, Xie Zheng watched Fan Changyu’s tightly knitted brows in the firelight and finally spoke: “Don’t worry too much…”
“I’m not worried. I’ve thought of a solution.” Fan Changyu tossed aside the stick. Though her words were firm, her expression showed no relief—if anything, she looked more serious.
Xie Zheng’s half-lidded eyes grew cold, “What solution?”
Was she planning to beg her former fiancé for help?
That did seem to be her only viable option at this point.
After their conversation that afternoon, Fan Changyu no longer saw him as an outsider. Her fingers intertwined tightly as she spoke, her lips pressed into a straight line: “If my parents knew what I was planning, they’d surely be disappointed. I used to look down on such tactics myself, but now I have no choice…”
Xie Zheng suddenly didn’t want to hear more. His cold phoenix eyes reflected both the firelight and her shadow as he cut her off, “I’ll help you.”
Fan Changyu looked up, confused, “How can you help me?”
Xie Zheng explained, “No matter how biased the court ruling might be, they still have to base it on the Great Yin Dynasty Law. Their ability to award part of your property to your Big Uncle after your marriage arrangement only comes from exploiting certain legal loopholes. We have three days—I’ll break down all the relevant sections of the Great Yin Dynasty Law and explain them to you thoroughly. When you face the court, you won’t need a litigation master; you can handle it yourself.”
Fan Changyu was shocked both by his knowledge of the law and concerned about the feasibility of his plan. “Will… will that work?”
Xie Zheng’s icy gaze swept over her, showing no mercy as he asked, “Better than begging your former fiancé?”
Fan Changyu looked utterly bewildered, “Why would I beg him?”
Xie Zheng frowned, “Wasn’t that your solution?”
Fan Changyu: “…I was planning to disguise myself as someone from the gambling house and have Big Uncle kidnapped in a sack the night before the hearing.”
Xie Zheng: “…”
Feeling embarrassed about admitting to such a plan, she explained, “I heard Chief Constable Wang say that if Big Uncle doesn’t show up on the court date, the case won’t proceed.”
Xie Zheng: “…”