allonlinenovel Chapter 712 Purge (5)
Chapter 712 Purge (5)
Chapter 712 Purge (Part 5)
"Waaaaah... Dad..."
The funeral procession walked out of the city and slowly made its way towards the ancestral graves of the Feng family.
The path beneath our feet became increasingly difficult to traverse, rugged and uneven.
The straw sandals I was wearing were full of holes, and small pebbles flying around would easily get into the soles, causing a painful scratch.
Perhaps it was from walking too much that I developed blisters.
Or perhaps it was genuine sadness in their hearts, a deep and sorrowful grief.
The man walking beside Huang Rong wailed even louder, his cries filled with unbearable misery.
Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted, and she felt increasingly agitated. She frowned as she looked at the man whose face was streaked with tears. This was the man she had sworn eternal love to, her husband in name only.
The man appeared grief-stricken, but only he knew what he was truly thinking.
Huang Rong understood him; he couldn't possibly be saddened by his father's death, but rather by the possibility that he himself might also lose his head, which was why he was so grief-stricken.
He wasn't sad, he was just afraid he would die.
The old patriarch of the Feng family was a shrewd, capable, and cunning man.
Originally, the Feng family was just a small fur and general merchandise shop, but he built a huge business from scratch.
He was considered a prominent figure in the entire Huayang City.
He never dreamed that one day, the entire Feng family would be ruined by his most beloved eldest grandson.
He simply took a liking to a little girl on the roadside and casually touched her face a few times.
As a result, they provoked a behemoth that they couldn't afford to mess with at all.
The Hu family, one of the three great families of Huayang, was a prominent and influential family at the height of its power.
Compared to them, the Feng family is like an ant compared to an elephant—a bit of an exaggeration. But it's like an egg hitting a rock—utterly vulnerable.
Especially given the current situation.
When the Hu family gained power, they took charge of the overall situation in Huayang. No one dared to disobey their word, and they acted without any scruples.
The other two great families can only be considered as supporting forces, let alone those far inferior to them.
The Feng family did not anger the ordinary people of the Hu family.
Instead, she is Hu Liuyun's daughter, **half-sister, a direct descendant of the Hu family, the second young lady of the Hu family, Hu Youyou.
On the day of the incident, the eldest grandson of the Feng family was immediately imprisoned, and his fate is currently unknown.
Hu Youyou was also furious and declared that the Feng family, for their disrespect, should be exterminated.
Despite the Feng family's series of actions, including an emergency apology, contacting relevant parties, and offering a large sum of compensation.
The extermination of the entire family is no longer possible.
However, the other party also said that they would not exterminate the entire family, but all the male members of the Feng family would atone for their crimes by serving as corvée labor in the government army for ten years.
What is corvée labor? It is the lowest status in the army, without any official status, doing work such as setting up camps, cooking, washing socks and underwear, with the highest casualty rate, almost like slavery.
They were usually criminals or ordinary people who couldn't pay their taxes and had no other choice but to become laborers.
Let alone ten years.
For a strong and healthy man to live peacefully for a year is considered a great blessing and a long life.
The men in the Feng family are all indulging in debauchery and fine food and women; their bodies have long been hollowed out by alcohol and women. They'll probably all be dead within a week.
In reality, this is no different from the massacre of the Feng family.
Grandpa Feng was furious and helpless. In the middle of the night, he couldn't think straight and suffered a stroke, which led to his death.
if…...
Huang Rong withdrew his unfocused gaze and silently followed the group.
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
The person I just saw...
His current status and position...
She had heard of it.
Jingtian Manor was renamed Wanshou Sect and returned to power. It is the largest righteous force in the Huayang area, apart from the Hu family.
It is said that he is now the sect leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and a general of the Imperial Guard. Furthermore, he has an extremely close relationship with the Hu family, and his strength is among the top in the Huayang area, making him second only to the emperor.
If that person makes a move...
The Feng family's matter can be easily resolved.
This is such a trivial matter, just a casual remark...
If she were to beg...
The wailing of those around them grew increasingly mournful and somber, as if everyone knew their end was near and was using this as an outlet for their grief.
The noise made Huang Rong feel dizzy and lightheaded, and he was having trouble breathing.
The problem lies in one point.
Why should they help?
She took the initiative to cut off contact back then, and the past mutual help and affection had long since vanished without a trace.
A helpless, bitter smile gradually appeared on Huang Rong's face.
The path I chose is my own; no matter how difficult it is, I can only endure it...
......
At the Feng family residence in Jiutingfang, a woman's shrill voice rang out, "Five taels of silver?" "This is the finest gold-embroidered silk! Made by a master craftsman from Shuzhou! It cost twenty taels a bolt when we bought it, and you're only offering five taels???"
"Buying and selling naturally cannot be at the same price." The vendor wore a black melon-shaped hat, had a mustache, and his small eyes darted around, giving him a shrewd and capable appearance.
He stroked his mustache and said slowly, "Besides, your silk has been poorly preserved and has gotten damp, which has ruined its appearance. I'll have to spend a lot of money and effort to restore it when I get back. If you don't want to sell it, you can ask someone else."
"You...you!" The beautiful woman trembled with anger, unable to speak.
She grew up in luxury, never having to worry about food or drink, and had never done anything like haggling or haggling over prices.
However, the other party, who had clearly gained an advantage, acted as if they had suffered a huge loss, which she found infuriating. "Will you sell or not? If not... then I'll leave?" The vendor, seeing this, made a gesture as if to leave.
"Sell, sell! I'll sell!" the woman gritted her teeth and agreed.
She was never good with words, and with this kind of thing happening in her family, she didn't have the time or energy to waste.
We must raise the money as soon as possible, contact our connections, and save our family.
"Wait!"
Just then, a clear voice called out to her.
"Sister!" The beautiful woman breathed a sigh of relief as if she had seen a savior.
It was Huang Rong, looking exhausted, who had just returned from a funeral.
"This Shu brocade is made by the master weaver Yun. She produces a limited number each year, and it is extremely popular. The one I have here is one of her masterpieces, and there are only a few available. Five taels of silver, do you think that's a good price?"
She stood before the vendors, a cold smile on her face. Huang Rong came from an ordinary background, and haggling and reselling were commonplace for her, all in an effort to save money.
She was intimately familiar with the approximate prices of various commodities on the market.
In addition, she had practiced martial arts and cultivated for a period of time.
He also possesses a sharp and imposing aura that ordinary people don't have.
After a few words, the small vendor was quickly defeated, took out twenty taels of silver, and slunk away with the silk.
"Lai Mei, you go and rest first. I'll watch over things here."
Huang Rong took the ledger from the beautiful woman and began to get busy.
Last time, through connections, I found a big shot and gave away most of my family fortune. It took a lot of hardship to finally satisfy Hu Youyou and get her to change her mind and only target the male members of the Feng family.
The Feng family certainly hoped that this would not be the end of the story.
The best outcome, of course, is to punish only the ringleader and not implicate others.
So this time they contacted another person, who is said to be related to the second young lady of the Hu family by marriage, and the chances of success are quite high.
Therefore, the Feng family sold off everything they could—shops, properties, goods, even dowries and valuables—and sold off whatever they could afford.
Finally, see how much money you have left, and give it all away, searching for the last glimmer of hope.
As dusk settled and the sun set, darkness enveloped most of the sky, leaving only a sliver of afterglow.
"In total... it's... twenty-five thousand three hundred taels..." In the afterglow of the setting sun, Huang Rong carried the account book and walked into the room, frowning as he meticulously calculated.
"There's still some stuff left. I'll sell some more tomorrow, and with the savings from each branch of the family, we should be able to scrape together about 50,000 taels... This is more than last time, but it might not be enough to solve this calamity. It's still uncertain..." She muttered to herself, "Even if it does, all the properties, shops, and savings are gone... What will we eat? What will we drink? How will we survive..."
Thinking of this, Huang Rong felt a surge of discomfort, helplessness, and irritability.
Since marrying into the Feng family, she had never suffered such grievances.
I thought I would live a life of luxury and wealth, but who would have thought that life is unpredictable, and after all the twists and turns, I have returned to where I started, struggling and worrying about making a living.
'If only I hadn't married into the Feng family back then…'
Huang Rong suddenly had a thought and stopped in his tracks.
She and Han Yi were fellow disciples and had a good relationship.
She didn't know if she was just imagining things, but now, when she looked back on the past, those somewhat hazy memories...
On several occasions, it seemed that Han Yi's gaze towards her held a certain ambiguous or inexplicable meaning...
If she had insisted on staying with him back then, would she have...?
If we can just endure a few years, the hardship will eventually be over and we will never be in such dire straits as we are now.
It's even possible that they could become truly powerful figures.
only…...
Huang Rong touched his stomach and gave a wry smile.
Over the years, she has become addicted to eating, drinking, and having fun, and her martial arts skills have long since deteriorated. Furthermore, she has experienced the hardships of childbirth...
Although her figure looks quite slender, it's entirely because she's wearing tight-fitting clothes that are forcibly constricting her.
In fact, the excess fat on his belly was more than a finger's width thick.
Time is like a butcher's knife; it gives no chance for regret.
Huang Rong sighed, composed himself, went to the bedroom door, and pushed it open. The faint snoring stopped abruptly, as if startled awake by the door opening.
Huang Rong didn't stop walking and went straight to a small bed on the side.
Seeing the baby sleeping soundly inside, wrapped in a small blanket, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you drinking again?"
Only then did she look at the man lying on the large bed, her tone cold, as if she were questioning a stranger.
This is her husband, Feng Tianyang, the young master of the Feng family.
It's no wonder she was angry. At a time like this, instead of finding a solution, she went out drinking. Anyone would be upset if she didn't speak kindly to her.
"I drank a little." Feng Tianyang got out of bed and sat blankly on the edge of the bed, seemingly feeling down.
It makes sense. Overnight, an entire family faces annihilation, even their lives and fortunes are at risk. Anyone would be depressed and turn to alcohol to drown their sorrows. "How much money did you raise?"
A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes as he looked at Huang Rong.
"We scraped together about 50,000 taels of silver, bit by bit. We used up everything we could. We've emptied our coffers," Huang Rong sighed.
“Not enough, not enough…” Feng Tianyang shook his head and smiled bitterly, “I’ve inquired about that kid from the Fang family, and he has a huge appetite. He definitely won’t help with this little bit of money.”
"That's all we have," Huang Rong repeated. "That's all we have. Are we going to sell even the old house? Where will we live then? We can't sleep on the streets!"
“Sigh…” Feng Tianyang sighed deeply and remained silent.
The Feng family offended the Hu family. The Hu family was someone they couldn't afford to offend.
I've tried every possible method, and I've run myself ragged.
In the end, this is all the money I can come up with...
He just went out for drinks to find out about this.
That kid Fang Yeyu asked for 100,000 right off the bat!
Although the Fang family is not one of the three major families, they dare to make such an outrageous demand just because they have some connection with the Hu family!
When he heard that number, he felt a wave of darkness and despair wash over him.
But there was always a glimmer of hope in my heart.
They hoped that there was some hidden wealth in the family to make up for the shortfall.
result…...
Only a little over 50,000... barely half.
It's impossible to buy the Feng family's lives!
The most tragic thing in life is to be alive but have no money.
Even more tragically, when a person dies, the money is gone too.
If all the adult males of the Feng family were sent to serve in the military, the Feng family line would eventually be wiped out.
The room fell silent, with only the soft sound of breathing.
Suddenly, Feng Tianyang seemed to remember something, and he looked up abruptly, his tone somewhat strange: "Rongrong, the person we saw at the teahouse today... was it the one you mentioned before?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Rong's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected that her momentary lapse in attention had been noticed by her husband.
Regardless of location or customs, having thoughts about other men after marriage is considered unfaithful.
They're going to be drowned in a pig cage!
Therefore, she quickly defended herself: "Yes, I didn't expect... after so many years of no contact, I would see this by chance..."
“This is not a coincidence, but an opportunity…” Feng Tianyang’s tone became increasingly strange.
"I heard that person is now the sect leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, and his strength and status are among the top in the Huayang area?" "It seems... that's true..." Huang Rong nodded, "At least in terms of strength, it is said that no one in the Huayang area can rival him."
"This is a truly important figure, far superior to the Fang, Liu, and Zhu families...!" Upon hearing this, Feng Tianyang's eyes lit up. "If we could contact him, wouldn't our Feng family's calamity be easily resolved?"
"What?" Huang Rong was stunned and didn't react.