To clarify things, the two of them hugged for a while in the peach blossom forest before parting ways.

As they left, Qiao Yujing felt both shy and annoyed. He had intended to seduce Xie Wenyin into developing feelings for him, but he never expected the other party to bully him like this! They weren’t even married yet; calling him “husband” was just for fun, and yet the other person went ahead and kissed him…

And without any tenderness, he even made Qiao Yujing’s tongue bleed!

After returning to the Earl’s residence, Qiao Yujing buried himself under the covers, unwilling to come out. He blushed and sulked for quite a while before managing to suppress the embarrassment in his heart. He kept cursing Xie Wenyin in his mind, calling him a bad person.

He was completely unaware that being kissed by a man, and feeling only embarrassment and annoyance instead of anger, represented something deeper.

On the other side, Xie Wenyin returned to the private school, lost in thought as he recalled the soft warmth lingering on his lips, staring blankly at the bed curtains, his face full of contemplation.

After a long while, he helplessly touched the pouch at his waist and sighed with a smile. “Well, if I have feelings, then I have feelings. After all, I’m just an ordinary person…”

With that sigh, he stopped dwelling on it. He let himself continue to think about that little brother who could act pitiful and was good at being coy, his eyes filled with gentle smiles.

…

The situation at the Yongchang Earl’s residence was not good; they had already set their sights on Qiao Yujing’s marriage. Naturally, Xie Wenyin couldn’t just sit back and wait.

After careful consideration, the next day he pretended to reminisce about their past friendship and went to the Qian residence to pay a visit.

With ‘good intentions,’ he gave Qian Botu a lecture about how knowing one’s mistakes and correcting them is a great virtue, and how turning back is the path to enlightenment. This successfully angered Qian Botu, who was already plotting against him due to the poetry gathering, and he hastened his revenge plan.

Qian Botu was using the same old tricks.

Not long after, Xie’s father found him at the private school with a serious expression, revealing that someone had lured him to a gambling house.

Xie’s father usually played tricks and slacked off, appearing to be a good-for-nothing, but in reality, he was quite clever. He knew exactly what should and shouldn’t be done. How could he not understand the dangers of gambling that could lead to losing everything?

Moreover, since Xie Wenyin had informed his family in advance, Xie’s father immediately realized that someone was trying to harm the Xie family, and of course, he rushed to complain to his son.

“He really is using this method…”

Xie Wenyin felt both happy and frustrated. He thought that in his past life, he had fallen for such a fool because of his cousin’s protagonist halo!

Just like every time he fought with his cousin, no matter how meticulous his plans were, they always ended up failing.

He wasn’t a fool; how could he not know what gambling was in his past life?

In his previous life, he had a bad relationship with Qian Botu as well. When the other party dragged him to the gambling house, how could he have followed along so easily and been easily schemed against?

Sure enough, it wasn’t that he was muddled back then; it was that the heavens were targeting him.

He bullied his cousin, so he was punished.

Now, seeing Qian Botu using the same trick, their family immediately reacted, didn’t they?

His cousin really was lucky.

Xie Wenyin sighed in his heart but felt no jealousy. Because now he and his cousin were on the same side; whoever targeted him would be targeting his cousin, and he would no longer be the one to suffer misfortune.

So, to thank his cousin for his protection, let him take on the burden of reaching the peak of life in this lifetime.

It didn’t matter that the heavens didn’t choose him as a son.

He could find a godfather himself!

After comforting himself in his heart, Xie Wenyin shifted his focus back and pondered, “Dad, Qian Botu lured us to the gambling house, and his ultimate goal is to force us to borrow money… Since he wants me to go into debt, I’ll play along with his plan. I just hope he can still laugh in the end.”

“What do you mean by playing along? Son, we can’t mess with borrowed money!”

Xie’s father didn’t know what he specifically planned to do, but hearing about borrowed money made him anxious.

Because in the surrounding areas, those who got involved with borrowed money were all left with nothing, selling their children and ending up with broken families.

“Don’t worry, Dad, I have a plan. Let’s go back to the village and gather the village chief and the clan elders. I have a way to help everyone make a fortune.”

Xie Wenyin didn’t explain much, pulling his father back to Tongshu Village.

His plan needed everyone to be on board before he could share it.

If it succeeded, then not only would Qian Botu be dealt with, but also the threats from his marriage, the Crown Prince, and the Second Prince could all be resolved.

---

Xie’s father didn’t understand what his son was planning, and he was quite worried.

But he believed his son was smart, and as long as it was something his son wanted to do, he was generally willing to support it.

So now, even though he felt uneasy, he still listened to Xie Wenyin and called the village chief and clan elders over.

“Wulang, you suddenly returned to the village and called us all over. Is there something big going on?”

The village chief and the clan elders rushed in and asked eagerly.

They couldn’t be blamed for being so anxious.

It was really sudden for Xie Wenyin to return to the village and act so urgently; anyone would think more about it.

Seeing the elders anxious, Xie Wenyin didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

“Village chief, several elders, I did come back for something big, but you don’t need to worry; it’s not a bad thing, it’s a good thing.”

“What good thing? Did you pass the imperial examination?”

Upon hearing this, the elders immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then excitedly asked with wild imaginations.

It was clear that the Xie clan was eagerly hoping for a capable descendant, their eyes nearly turning green with anticipation.

Xie Wenyin couldn’t help but laugh, “Great elder, it’s not the time for the imperial examination; where would I go to take the exam? But don’t worry, next time I’ll definitely pass and bring glory to our clan.”

“Good, good, good, Wulang has ambition. So what’s the good thing you mentioned?”

The elders stroked their beards, delighted and eagerly awaiting good news.

But next, they nearly had a heart attack from their promising descendant.

Xie Wenyin said, “Several elders, I know you all hope for me to pass the imperial examination and become successful, so I can help our relatives in the clan and make life better for everyone in the village.”

“But as the saying goes, a single tree cannot support a forest. Although I’ve been studying in the private school for these years, it seems glorious, but the hardships I’ve faced are too numerous to recount. For a poor scholar without power or influence, it’s truly as difficult as climbing to the sky to get ahead.”

“Even if I become an official after passing the exam, it will take at least ten or twenty years. The help I can provide to the clan is limited, but the clan has supported me in every way. How can I just sit back and watch my uncles and aunts suffer?”

He spoke with heartfelt sincerity, causing the elders to tear up.

They never expected that the fifth son of the Xie family would care so much about the clan; he truly was an honest child.

The great elder sighed, “Wulang, we all know these things. But our Xie clan indeed lacks foundation. If we want to prosper, we can only rely on generations of slow accumulation. There’s no such thing as an overnight success.”

“Wulang, as long as you have the heart, we won’t blame you. We old folks can’t enjoy the blessings, but as long as our descendants can live well, that’s enough. Everything is fate…”

“But I refuse to accept fate! So, I thought of a good idea to help everyone get rich quickly.”

Xie Wenyin said passionately.

The elders were curious, “What idea?”

“Borrowing money.”

“What, borrowing money?!”

The elders nearly fell off their chairs in shock.

What kind of good idea is this? This is clearly a terrible idea that leads to ruin; has Wulang gone crazy from studying too much?

“Great elder, don’t be anxious. Let me explain it to you in detail…”

Xie Wenyin calmly poured tea for the elders.

Once they calmed down, he continued, “The consequences of borrowing money are indeed severe, but what if I have a way to make the creditors unable to collect our debts?”

“Wulang, we don’t read much; don’t trick us. It’s only natural to borrow money and repay debts. How can a creditor lend money and not want repayment? Moreover, the moneylenders are backed by powerful people; how can we default?”

The elders looked at Xie Wenyin anxiously, thinking he had truly lost his mind.

But Xie Wenyin continued, “So what if they have powerful backing? Lending money is not a legitimate business. Once it’s reported, the officials involved will either be punished or dismissed.”

“We certainly can’t provoke those high-ranking nobles, but ordinary officials are no big deal.”

“I know a small official who runs a money-lending business. As long as we gather enough people from the surrounding villages to borrow money, when they come to collect debts, we can all refuse to acknowledge it together.”

“After all, the law doesn’t punish the masses. How can those creditors catch thousands of us commoners? Lending money is against the law; they wouldn’t dare to make a big fuss and would only suffer in silence.”

“If the moneylender’s backer dares to make a scene, what awaits them is confiscation and exile!”

“Great elder, think about those villagers in the village who have suffered from moneylenders. This can be seen as robbing the rich to help the poor, avenging everyone, right?”

“…”

Silence, a deafening silence.

The elders stared at Xie Wenyin with complex expressions.

Xie Wenyin got straight to the point, “If this works, every household in the village can at least get 100 taels of silver.”

The elders immediately put away their complex expressions, excitedly confirming, “Is there really that much?!”

“Really. Great elder, I guarantee with my reputation that the officials behind the moneylender will definitely not dare to cause trouble afterward.”

Xie Wenyin raised his finger seriously.

After all, once the money is borrowed, he would send the other party into exile. With the creditors gone, what debts would there be to repay?

One whale falls, and all things thrive.

The Qian family dies, and the Xie family lives; it’s all good.

The author has something to say:
Xie Wenyin: Every cause has its effect; your retribution is me~
(Inspired by the social news “The Whole Village Borrowing” and taking advantage of the black-hearted loan companies, haha!)