Chapter 12: Reporting to the Government Office

Qin Lang furrowed his brow and looked at the maid. “Come to the residence to arrest people?”

“Yes, Master. They’ve already tied up everyone in the front yard. You should go and see for yourself.”

Qin Lang was shocked. Broad daylight, under the emperor’s nose—who had the audacity to come to the Qin residence and cause such a commotion?

Could it be Lin Zhiyi?

“Mother, I’m going to take a look.”

Qin Lang, accompanied by two servants, hurried to the outer courtyard and shouted, “Stop! Who are you people?”

Tong, the head of the servant agency, turned around and, upon seeing Qin Lang, casually cupped his hands in greeting. He then showed Qin Lang the slave contracts and property deeds in his hands.

“Master Qin, you came at just the right time. I’m Tong, the manager of Chen Ji Servants. This house, along with all the servants here, has been sold to our Chen Ji Servants by Madam Lin. We kindly request that you and everyone in the Qin family vacate the premises as soon as possible.”

Qin Lang froze for a moment, unsure if he had heard correctly. He looked back at Tong. “What? Sold?”

“Yes, Master Qin. Everything was processed through the government office.”

Qin Lang’s expression changed almost instantly.

So, Lin Zhiyi had done this, huh? She was playing dirty. It seemed that he shouldn’t have divorced her. Instead, he should have locked her away in the back courtyard and tormented her every day.

A strong premonition rose in his chest—that Lin Zhiyi might be the one to have stolen the dowry as well.

But in front of Tong from Chen Ji Servants, Qin Lang still had to show respect.

This was because the person behind Chen Ji Servants was someone Qin Lang couldn’t afford to offend.

He clasped his hands together and said, “Manager Tong, you don’t understand. That woman has already been divorced by me, and this house and these servants belong to the Qin family. What she says doesn’t count.”

Tong smirked, the mockery clear on his face. “At Chen Ji, we only deal with contracts, and this contract clearly has Madam Lin’s seal on it, with approval from the government.”

“Since you say this house belongs to you, please show us the proof.”

Qin Lang was momentarily speechless. How could he explain that the dowry, which he had privately kept, was now being seized?

If he said that, people would immediately start criticizing him.

“Since Master Qin cannot provide evidence, I’ll kindly ask that you vacate the premises as soon as possible. Chen Ji Servants isn’t unreasonable, but we’ll grant you a one-day grace period to make proper arrangements.”

Before Qin Lang could respond, Old Madam Qin angrily shouted, “Don’t even think about it! My son has passed the imperial exams and become an official! How dare you ask us to leave the Qin residence?”

Her words didn’t have the desired effect on the servants from Chen Ji. Instead, they only looked at her with disdain.

Qin Lang’s position in Chang’an wasn’t something to be impressed by.

Besides, if it weren’t for the Lin family, could he have risen to this point?

“Where is Lin Zhiyi? Lang’er, have you caught Lin Zhiyi yet?”

If they could bring Lin Zhiyi back, she would have him teach her a lesson so thoroughly that she would wish she had never been born.

Seeing that Tong had ordered the servants from the inner courtyard to be tied up, Qin Lang grew increasingly anxious.

The servants he had sent to search for Lin Zhiyi had not yet returned.

And his eldest brother, who had gone to report to the authorities, was also nowhere to be seen.

————

Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyi had arrived at the Jingzhao government office to accuse Qin Lang of unjustly divorcing her and seizing her dowry.

She was accompanied by a group of women—about forty to fifty in total.

These women were all hired by Fang Mama from the marketplace. They were skilled in persuasion and in fighting, each receiving five hundred wen. If they performed well, they could earn a silver tael, or even two. The best performers would be rewarded with ten taels of silver.

That was ten taels of silver—an entire year’s worth of income for her family. The women were greatly enticed.

To show sincerity, Fang Mama had already paid each woman a hundred wen as a down payment before they started working for Lin Zhiyi.

The women had already spread the word about Qin Lang’s decision to divorce his wife and take the dowry, as well as his forceful treatment of his legitimate wife, leading her to miscarry. The story was flying through the streets.

Qin Da Lang, seeing Lin Zhiyi still daring to show her face, couldn’t help but yell, “Tell me! Where have you hidden the Qin family’s things?”

He glared at Lin Zhiyi with a livid expression.

Lin Zhiyi merely glanced at him indifferently and didn’t engage with him further.

Qin Da Lang, furious at Lin Zhiyi’s disregard for him, stormed forward, clenching his fists.

He thought to himself that he must teach her a lesson for his younger brother. Lin Zhiyi, after all, was the daughter of a traitor, and her status was even lower than his, a country bumpkin.

Before he could reach Lin Zhiyi, the maids surrounded him and blocked his path.

Chai Ya glared at Qin Da Lang and commanded, “Beat him!”

The women, eager to show their strength, followed Chai Ya’s orders, each one hitting harder than the last.

Some of the women who couldn’t get close enough to strike Qin Da Lang were visibly frustrated.

Soon, Qin Da Lang, once so fierce, was reduced to shouting in pain, “Aah—!”

Just then, the government office doors opened with a loud bang, and a government official shouted, “Who dares to cause trouble in front of the court?”

Upon seeing the official emerge, the women immediately stopped.

Qin Da Lang was in a sorry state, his face so swollen it was unrecognizable. Bruises stretched from his cheekbones to his temples, and there were deep scratches on his face, clearly made by someone’s nails.

The injuries around his eyes were worse than his brother Qin Lang’s.

Seeing the official, Qin Da Lang regained some of his composure. He pointed at Lin Zhiyi, “Official, quickly arrest this person! She’s the one who caused the ruckus here. She’s the one who ordered it…”

Before Qin Da Lang could finish, Lin Zhiyi stepped forward and grabbed the drumstick, banging it fiercely against the dusty grievance drum.

Boom—

The sound of the drum was calm yet resounding.

After three loud beats, Lin Zhiyi knelt and proclaimed, “This humble woman, Lin Zhiyi, accuses the Qin family of wronging me, forcing me out, and taking my dowry—may the honorable officials uphold justice!”

The official immediately understood that the one striking the drum was Lin Zhiyi.

Her case had already spread like wildfire throughout the market, and even if the government officials had tried to ignore it, they had already heard whispers about it.

There was even talk that this Lin family daughter, despite being sought after by many noblemen, had married that powerless country boy.

Her wedding and dowry had stirred all of Chang’an, comparable to a princess’ wedding.

Then came the news that the Lin family had fallen. People thought the Qin family would treat this Lin family daughter well, but instead, rumors spread that Qin Lang wanted to marry He Jiaojiao, the daughter of He Shilang.

The market buzzed with questions about what would become of Lin Zhiyi if Qin Lang married He Jiaojiao. Then, the next day, came the news: Lin Zhiyi had been divorced and left the Qin family empty-handed, her hairpins and jewelry taken.

The Qin family’s actions were ruthless.

Qin Da Lang, flustered, shouted at Lin Zhiyi, “Lin Zhiyi, stop spreading lies here! You’re the one who requested the divorce. What does that have to do with my brother?”

He tried to step forward but was blocked by Chai Ya.

“Official, as you can see, this person just tried to hit our young lady. If it weren’t for these kind women who stopped this scoundrel, my young lady might be lying on the ground injured right now.”

Seeing the official glare at him, Qin Da Lang, furious, jumped up and said, “Official, it’s not me, it’s her!”

The official sneered, “She is just a weak woman, coming to the government office to seek justice. What’s wrong with that? Take him inside. I will report the matter truthfully to the higher authorities.”