Upon hearing the King of Yu’s words, everyone in Hongshupo was overjoyed. Hongshupo would become a village, and they would finally have household registration, no longer being vagrants!
On Qian Lizheng’s side, however, he began to tremble.
“How about this, little dark-faced one, out of the three villages, pick out all the people you dislike. This King will find them another place and reorganize them into a new village, so they don’t hog resources without contributing, wasting land. Everyone else can become villagers of Hongshu Village. Residential areas will be uniformly planned, and land waste is not permitted. Ji Chenghe, you handle this matter.”
“Yes! Your Highness, after this subordinate completes the task, I will immediately go to the county and prefectural yamen to submit the village establishment documents.” Ji Chenghe nodded.
The matter was decided so readily.
Qian Lizheng received five taels of silver, but he would also lose his village.
Bai Sheng listed the blacklist of those who could not become villagers of Hongshu Village. First, the Zhang and Lu clans from Huangsha Village had to be included.
Next were the Lizheng of Hongliu Village and those who had caused trouble with the Zhang family. Finally, there were a small portion of people from Caomiao Village.
Wang Lizheng of Caomiao Village had, months ago, asked someone to tell Lu Ye that their Caomiao Village’s land would be given to Hongshupo for free. It had been barren for many years, and planting trees and crops, regardless of who did it, was considered an act of merit.
As for them, they didn’t know how long they could live. The village well was also running low on water. He was waiting for the village to be wiped out, and before that happened, to perform one good deed would mean his life hadn’t been in vain.
Seeing that Wang Lizheng was not inherently wicked, Bai Sheng included Wang Lizheng and most of the villagers of Caomiao Village into Hongshupo Village.
Upon hearing this news, Wang Lizheng knelt on the ground and sobbed.
His village would not be wiped out; they would survive.
From now on, if any former Caomiao Village villager did anything detrimental to the proprietor of Hongshupo or the proprietor’s wife, his Wang Family Fort would be the first to deal with them!
The Zhang clan of Huangsha Village naturally had no face to beg Lu Ye and Bai Sheng for mercy.
It could be said that it was the Zhang family, like a stirring stick, that had muddied the waters for several nearby villages.
The Lu clan, however, relying on being Lu Ye’s kinsmen, sent a few people whose relationship with Lu Ye’s family was not too hostile to plead for mercy, hoping that Lu Ye would also allow the Lu clan to become villagers of Hongshu Village.
But those few people, upon arriving at Hongshupo Village, did not even get to see Lu Ye before being driven out.
Zhou Donggua spat several times at their retreating backs, "Truly shameless, still having the nerve to come and beg! What kind of people are these!"
Back then, not only did the Lu clan, as kinsmen, fail to protect Lu Ye’s family, but the Lu clan leader’s son, Lu Jizu, often harassed Lu Ye’s mother and bullied Lu Ye’s father, pushing Lu Ye’s parents to a dead end along with the Zhang family.
And now they came to beg others? No way!
Lu Ye didn't even want to see them!
Bai Sheng even sent word to the Lu clan members, warning them that if they sent anyone else to Hongshupo Village, their legs would be broken!
Among the Lu clan, there were, of course, those who regretted it. But at that time, Lu Ye’s family had fallen to its lowest ebb; how could they have imagined such a dilapidated family would rise again?
Moreover, Lu Ye had married a slave wife, which was something that brought shame to the clan.
Who would have thought that this slave wife would be so fortunate for her husband? She had practically elevated Lu Ye to the heavens.
The Lu clan leader secretly scolded his own son as unworthy of being human. If it weren't for his unfilial son lusting after Lu Ye's mother back then, he, as the clan leader, would not have been so protective, thus offending Lu Ye's family to the bone.
Although Lu Ye also bore the surname Lu, he had already been removed from the clan registry and no longer belonged to their Lu clan.
Alas, their Lu clan was truly finished.
The third branch of the Lu family learned of this and began to secretly curse Lu Ye and Bai Sheng, calling them unfilial descendants and ungrateful wretches for forgetting their ancestors once they gained power.
This matter was quickly discovered by Lu Xing. He immediately went to the third branch’s home, his eyes blazing with anger, and said coldly, “Third Uncle, Third Aunt, since you consider Cousin and Sister-in-law unfilial descendants, you don’t need to live here anymore. You live in their house, eat their food, and still speak ill of them behind their backs. Without Cousin and Sister-in-law, your entire family would have starved to death and died of thirst long ago. Who are the real ungrateful wretches?!”
Yao Shi retorted, “The houses we live in were built by ourselves, and the food we eat is earned by our own labor.”
Lu Xing snorted, “Then from now on, neither of you needs to work. This work was provided to you by Sister-in-law. Although you built your houses yourselves, all the building materials were advanced to you by Cousin and Sister-in-law. You haven't spent a single cent. You should leave. Since you are so capable, you should be able to find work outside.”
Lu Dahe was enraged. He had tolerated this nephew for a long time, but he never expected that now that he had hitched himself to Lu Ye’s family, he would completely disregard his own Third Uncle. “What do you think you are? Why are you kicking us out? You are so cold-blooded to your own uncle and aunt, yet you pretend to be a good person?”
Lu Xing raised his voice, his tone open and honest, “In my memory, Third Uncle and Third Aunt have never given me a bite of food, a piece of clothing, a sip of water to drink, or even a single word of concern.
And I was still thinking of you when I came to Hongshupo.
You don’t know yet, but Cousin and Sister-in-law, out of consideration for me, my father, and my grandfather, gave you a chance to survive.
But you are heartless, ungrateful, and inherently wicked! From now on, I, Lu Xing, will have nothing to do with you. Pack your things and get out quickly, or if you delay, you won’t even be able to join the newly formed village.”
Lu Dahe was so angry he gnashed his teeth and lunged forward to punch Lu Xing. Lu Xing did not fight back. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he said coldly, “If you do not leave immediately, I will go and tell Cousin and Sister-in-law. If they come to drive you out, the scene will not be so pleasant!”
The two children of the third branch clung to Lu Xing’s legs and cried, “Brother Xing, don’t drive us away, we don’t want to leave, we’ll starve if we leave, only drink a few sips of water every day, we’ll die of thirst, boohoo…”
Lu Xing pulled away the two children and said sternly, “It’s not me driving you away, it’s your parents who are inherently wicked and ungrateful. I have repeatedly said that if they say one more bad word about Cousin and Sister-in-law, I will immediately make them leave! I keep my word. If you want to blame anyone, blame yourselves for having such misguided parents!”
The first branch’s family watched Lu Xing’s resolute demeanor and did not try to persuade him. Xu Shi looked at Lu Xing and suddenly felt a little afraid of him. This youngest son of hers had never been close to her since he was little, and now that he had grown up, he felt increasingly like a stranger.
This time, when the third branch insulted Lu Ye and his wife, she was glad she hadn't chimed in, otherwise, she felt her own son would also drive her away.
“Are you leaving or not? If you don’t, I’ll go tell Cousin and Sister-in-law right now!” Lu Xing urged.
Lu Dahai and Yao Shi stood still.
Lu Xing’s gaze was icy. He let out a cold snort and turned to walk out.