The Heir

Сhаpter 196: Соnsсiеnсe

"Third Grandunсlе, I recаll that the tung оil роisоning inсidеnt mainly аffected the Li Family, Wаng Villаge, аnd Luo Villаgе, right?" Wеnqiаn askеd thе еldеrlу man bеside him.

Luo Villagе, Wаng Villagе, and Li Village wеre threе closеlу nеighbоring sеttlеmеnts.

"Exасtly. Тhе Du brоthers hаd no rеаl skills—the oil thеу prеssed couldn't bе sold. At first, Sixth Маstеr Li helрed the Du familу sеll а little оut оf rеsресt for Еighth Мastеr Li. Latеr, peоplе frоm Luо Villagе аnd Wаng Villаge, seeing thе oil was cheaрer, also bоught some. Fоrtunatеlу, the Li Fаmily acted righteously back then and took responsibility for the matter. Otherwise, who knows how much worse it could have gotten?" Third Granduncle Luo sighed.

The scene of the tung oil poisoning back then was truly heartbreaking.

"Third Granduncle, do you still remember those who were poisoned?" Wenqian asked.

"Of course I remember." Third Granduncle replied, understanding Wenqian's implication. "Come, I'll accompany you to visit each household. Back then, the Li Family acted with righteousness. Now that the Du family is relentlessly targeting the Li Family, we cannot stand by without upholding justice. We must step forward in this matter."

"Third Granduncle, not only must we step forward, but we must also file a collective lawsuit," Luo Wenqian said, narrowing his eyes. The Du brothers were utterly shameless; this time, they needed to be taught a harsh lesson.

"File a lawsuit? What lawsuit?" Third Granduncle was puzzled by Luo Wenqian's words.

"Of course, it's about the tung oil poisoning case caused by the Du brothers. Although the Li Family took responsibility back then, that doesn't mean the Du brothers are off the hook, does it? The new emperor's ascension may bring amnesty, but it doesn't mean we can't sue them again," Wenqian explained.

"Exactly, exactly! This lawsuit must be filed," Third Granduncle Luo exclaimed, slapping his thigh in realization and laughing heartily.

With a wave of his hand, Third Granduncle Luo said, "Wenqian, Ping An, let's go."

"Alright," Wenqian and Luo Ping An responded in unison. The three of them left the house.

It was already dusk, the time when chickens returned to their coops. The sky was dim. In the countryside, this was when families gathered for dinner. After a day of tending to the fields, there was little else to do. Taking advantage of the remaining twilight, they ate early. Once night fell completely, they would retire early to rise at dawn the next day—the morning held the promise of a new day.

Luo Twelve lived at the far end of Luo Family Village.

His family had never been wealthy, but they had always managed to have enough to eat, which was considered decent in the countryside.

However, life is unpredictable, and misfortune can strike at any moment.

A few days earlier, while hunting in the mountains, he had encountered a wild boar and was severely injured by it. Fortunately, fellow villagers who were with him risked their lives to rescue him. His family spent all their savings on his treatment and even sold their few meager acres of land to save his life.

But as the saying goes, fortune never comes in pairs, while misfortune never comes alone. Because the family was short on money, they tried to save by buying cheaper oil from the Du family's oil mill. As a result, his elderly parents and his eleven-year-old son all suffered from tung oil poisoning.

Seeing no way out, he had planned to risk his remaining life to confront the Du brothers. But the Du brothers were cowards—they fled. When he heard the news, his heart turned cold with despair.The Du brothers had run away, so where else could he go to find someone? What about his parents and children at home? His wife was so desperate she nearly hanged herself. Although Third Uncle Gong from the village had lent a hand, at that time over twenty households in the village had been poisoned, and they were all dirt poor. Even if they wanted to help, their assistance was limited. Disheartened, he almost led his entire family to drown themselves in the village pond, thinking that living like this was worse than death.

Unexpectedly, just then, the Li family suddenly took over the oil mill and treated everyone who had been poisoned, sparing no expense. Only then did his family manage to pull through.

Now, Third Uncle Gong of the Luo Family had helped Young Master Wenqian renovate the ancestral hall. At the time, many said Third Uncle Gong was meddling in others' affairs—a dilapidated ancestral hall that didn’t even belong to their branch of the family. Wasn’t fixing it just a waste of money? Back then, few in the village were willing, as no one had much spare cash. But Third Uncle Gong’s words made sense: they were all part of the same clan. Through the rise and fall of generations, as members of the Luo clan, even if they weren’t from the same branch, they couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Who would have thought that later, Young Master Wenqian would return after making a fortune? Upon learning about this, he actually agreed to merge the two Luo branches into one. The strong young men in the village were taken out by him one by one, and life was clearly becoming more promising. Only then did everyone say, "No wonder he’s Third Uncle Gong—he has foresight."

Of course, he had heard Third Uncle Gong say in private that it wasn’t about foresight or not—it was simply a matter of conscience.

"Husband, Quanbao is thirteen this year. Don’t you think you should talk to Third Uncle Gong one of these days and let Quanbao go out with Young Master Wenqian to see the world?" Luo Twelve’s wife said.

"What’s the rush? He’s only thirteen. Let him stay home for another two years. Fifteen is about the right age to go out," Luo Twelve replied, finishing the last mouthful of porridge in the dim light.

"Twelve, are you home?" A knocking sound came from outside the door.

"Sounds like Brother Ping An?" Twelve’s wife said.

"Hurry and open the door," Luo Twelve waved urgently. Luo Ping An was now working for Young Master Wenqian, so his visit might mean Young Master Wenqian had some business. After all, Young Master Wenqian was about to get married.

As Luo Twelve was thinking this, he suddenly heard his wife’s greeting: "Third Uncle Gong, Young Master Wenqian."

"Twelfth Sister-in-law, just call me Wenqian. ‘Young Master Wenqian’ sounds too distant," Wenqian said with a smile. Twelve’s wife found it a bit hard to adjust. In the past, Young Master Luo was like the heavens above, while they were like the dirt below.

Luo Twelve hurried out at that moment. He remained calm. Now that the two Luo branches had merged, they were all clansmen. As the elder brother, it was only natural to call him by his name.

"Third Uncle Gong, Wenqian, please come in and sit. Quanbao’s mother, light the oil lamp," Luo Twelve said quickly. They rarely lit the oil lamp at home, as it wasn’t completely dark yet.

Soon, the oil lamp was lit, its bean-sized flame casting a faint yellow glow across the room.

"Twelfth Brother, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with," Wenqian said straightforwardly under the lamplight, before explaining the matter of the Du brothers suing the Li family.Upon hearing it was this matter, Luo Twelve, with old and new grudges combined, slammed the table heavily: "Wenqian, rest assured, I will definitely step forward on this. Third Uncle often says, one must act with conscience. If it weren't for the Li Family back then, your uncle, your aunt, and the Tianbao boy in your family would likely have been long gone. Those two surnamed Du are not human. This time, I will surely appeal to the fair and just magistrate."

Luo Twelve’s eyes were bloodshot as he spoke. The Li Family acted with righteousness, and the Luo Family were no cowards either.

"Good, then I’ll trouble you, Brother Twelve," Wenqian said straightforwardly. A real man doesn’t hide or hold back.

"Wenqian, that’s not right. This isn’t you troubling me. Stepping forward isn’t for anything else—it’s for seeking justice and righteousness," Luo Twelve said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, I was wrong," Wenqian admitted without hesitation.

"Good, that’s the spirit of a man from Luo Village," Third Uncle said, patting Luo Twelve on the shoulder.

Afterward, Third Uncle and Wenqian visited over a dozen other families who had been poisoned that day. Not a single one failed to thump their chests in agreement. One must act with conscience.

Li Village.

When Sixth Master Li heard about the lawsuit filed by the Du brothers, he was so angry he nearly smashed the Jingdezhen teapot in his hand. Luckily, he couldn’t bear to—it was something he had collected, said to be an old piece from the Yongle era, and he treasured it dearly. It wasn’t worth it for those two ungrateful wretches.

However, recalling what his eldest son had told him a few days earlier, he thought for a moment, then picked up his cane and went out to visit the families who had been poisoned back then. This matter needed to be discussed with them after all.

They were all of the same surname; they couldn’t let the Du brothers bully them like this.

Wang Village.

A mud-brick house with a small courtyard outside, surrounded by a fence.

Old Man Wang sat at the doorway smoking his pipe, while his wife was herding two hens into the coop. A little boy of about five or six was tugging at his older sister’s clothes, begging her to take him to the river to catch fish tomorrow.

"Catch what fish? If you want to eat fish, let your sister catch some for you. You’re not allowed to go into the river," the old woman scolded the little boy as she fed the chickens.

The little boy immediately pouted, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Alright, you can go tomorrow if you want," Old Man Wang suddenly said after a moment of thought.

"Old man…" his wife tried to protest, unhappy. With three daughters and only this one little boy, who had nearly died from tung oil poisoning the year before last, Old Woman Wang now treated the boy as her heart and soul, unwilling to let him face even the slightest danger.

"Enough, he’s a six-year-old boy. In our village, which six-year-old boy doesn’t climb mountains to raid bird nests or go into the river to catch fish? We can’t restrain him too much, or he won’t grow up capable. Don’t you know that doting mothers ruin sons? It’s settled. Just have his sisters keep an eye on him," Old Man Wang said.

Old Woman Wang thought it over and realized he was right, so she reluctantly nodded.

Just then, a woman came out of the kitchen and said, "Father, Mother, dinner is ready." She glanced around and added, "Father, Mother, hasn’t Dongge come back yet?"

"Hmm, he should be back soon. Maybe there’s some delay at the oil mill," Old Man Wang said, looking at the sky. It was already growing dim, and Dongzi usually would have been back by now.

As he spoke, the courtyard gate opened, and Wang Dong pushed his way in. His face was somber, his brows furrowed.

"What’s wrong? Did something happen?" Wang Dong’s wife stepped forward, using a cloth to dust off his clothes.Wang Dong waved his hand to stop his wife, then walked over to Old Man Wang and squatted down beside him. After a long moment, he said, "Father, the Du brothers have sued Master Li again today."

Ever since the tung oil poisoning incident back then, the Li family not only cured his son's poisoning but also, seeing his difficult circumstances, hired him into the oil mill. Now, as long as he worked hard every day, his monthly wages were enough to support the whole family.

"Didn't they sue him before? How dare those two scoundrels from the Du family sue again?" Upon hearing Wang Dong's words, Old Man Wang exploded with anger. Those two were truly inhuman.

"This time, they've also sued the former Magistrate Wei and bribed several families in the city who suffered from tung oil poisoning, making them admit that Li Dalang had bribed them back then. I heard that the touring censor has already accepted the case, and the trial will begin tomorrow," Wang Dong said gloomily.

"Do they have any conscience left? Ah! Back then, if the Li family hadn't taken over that mess, who knows what would have happened to those people. And now they can be bought off with just a few coins? Ah..." At this point, Old Man Wang glared fiercely at Wang Dong. "But have the Du brothers come to bribe you too?"

"Father, don't you know what kind of person your son is?" Wang Dong met his father's gaze, and only then did Old Man Wang nod. He knew his own son well—he wasn't the kind to lose his conscience.

"Father, I passed by Luo Village earlier and heard that some of the people who were poisoned back then are looking for someone to draft a petition to sue the Du brothers again. A general pardon may forgive crimes, but it doesn't mean we can't sue again. There were ten people in our village who were poisoned back then. I was thinking, maybe we should also gather everyone and sue them too," Wang Dong said.

"Sue, we must sue!! We common folk must have clear consciences and stand tall with integrity," Old Man Wang said bitterly, listening to his son's words.