They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 433 It’s almost here

No matter what Master Zeng said, it was no use; the villagers wouldn't listen at all and only knew how to drive people away.

Young Master Zeng assumed this was another of Xu Zhichun's schemes and angrily began to curse on the spot.

Okay, it's a done deal; they've nailed themselves down completely.

"I knew they were no good!"

"Pah, you're up to no good!"

"Get rid of them! Get rid of them!"

The Zeng family fled in disarray.

They mistakenly thought this was Xu Zhichun's attitude—which was actually quite similar. They knew in their hearts that there was no way to negotiate. Their shops were not making any money every day, and their cash flow was completely cut off. They had no choice but to sell their property to pay off their debts and rob Peter to pay Paul.

The Zeng family had offended many merchants in the past, and some of them held a grudge and set a trap to lure the eldest son of the Zeng family into a scheme.

Young Master Zeng was so eager to turn his life around that even though he knew it was unreliable to do so without thorough investigation, he hesitated for a while but ultimately decided to take the plunge and gamble, resulting in him losing almost all of his remaining family fortune.

Truly bankrupt.

Grandpa Zeng was so angry that he vomited blood and nearly died.

In less than a month, the Zeng family fell into ruin and had no chance of recovery.

When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down; the market share vacated by the Zeng family's downfall was quickly taken over by other merchants.

The Zeng family sold their house and shops, and after paying compensation, they still had a little money left. The whole family moved back to their original hometown in the countryside in a sorry state.

Even if they wanted to regain their former glory, Xu Zhichun would never allow it, at least not while he was still alive.

She didn't go so far as to kill them all; that's already an act of kindness and good deeds.

As for Madam Zeng, she "accidentally" learned that Zeng Mingzhu had been imprisoned in the provincial capital, and was so shocked that she fell ill and was exhausted.

He was on the verge of death when the Zeng family took him back.

Seeing the devastation and ruin of his home was a huge blow, adding insult to injury.

Madam Zeng still couldn't let go of her beloved daughter and was still begging Master Zeng to save her daughter, Mingzhu.

Master Zeng cursed and swore, filled with extreme resentment. If it weren't for this wretched daughter, Zeng Mingzhu, how could the Zeng family have fallen to such a state?
"How dare you mention that wretched girl? I wish she never existed! If we hadn't banished her to the estate and had let her die of illness instead, the Zeng family wouldn't have suffered so much because of her! I regret it so much!"

"Save her? Hmph, I'm relieved to know she's not doing well these days, and you want me to save her? Even if I could save her, I wouldn't! I don't care if she lives or dies!"

Mrs. Zeng wept bitterly. Her already ailing body could not withstand the shock, and she passed away less than half a month later.

When Madam Zeng passed away, Zeng Xiaoyan had just given birth to a son and was still in her postpartum period. This gave the Liang family a convenient excuse not to let her attend the funeral.

Otherwise, since death is a serious matter, even if the relationship is severed, Zeng Xiaoyan still has to go there.

Zeng Xiaoyan could skip the trip, but Zeng Xiaojuan couldn't. As a married woman, she had to go back for the funeral and keep vigil. Yang Ming accompanied her and entrusted Qiao'er to the Liang family for care.

As luck would have it, Zeng Xiaoyan sent a gift and asked Zeng Xiaojuan to take it with her. With the tree fallen, the monkeys scatter; Madam Zeng's funeral was a quiet affair, with very few of her former friends and relatives attending.

Zeng Xiaojuan was filled with emotion. The nightmare she thought she could never escape and get rid of, the stepmother who she thought would control her and suffocate her for life, had just disappeared from this world.

From now on, I can no longer threaten or control her.

Even the powerful Zeng family, as strong as a mountain, could no longer control her.

Upon seeing Madam Zeng's coffin with her own eyes, Zeng Xiaojuan felt a sense of complete relief.

August arrived in the blink of an eye. King Yuchang suffered repeated defeats, and the cities that the court had previously lost began to be recovered one by one. King Yuchang was furious and desperate, and began to plunder and loot the occupied areas, forcibly conscripting able-bodied men into the army. For a time, there was chaos and fear among the people, and countless people fled and became homeless.

Xijiang Province was on high alert and united in its defenses. Prefect Feng, acting on the orders of Prince Yuchang, had attempted to lead troops to take over Xijiang Province to add territory to Prince Yuchang's rear, but several attacks failed, and Prince Yuchang had no choice but to give up.

Despite this, Xijiang Province also paid a considerable price, with shortages of supplies and prices rising again.

The money and grain donated from various places had to be distributed among themselves. In addition, the evil deeds of King Yuchang caused countless refugees to flood into Xijiang Province, making things even worse. Everyone's life was extremely difficult.

Especially when the crops were nearing maturity, each village had to organize its villagers to take turns guarding the area day and night to prevent migrants from stealing the grain.

The situation in Qingshan County was better, while the situation in the neighboring Qingyang County was slightly worse. Xu Zhichun ordered Steward Mao, Headman He Biao, and others to hire many townspeople to patrol and defend the area and protect the property.

Xu Zhichun took out a large quantity of miscellaneous grains from his spatial warehouse and donated them, handing them over to Magistrate Lu for distribution to various counties.

She had considered hiring some seemingly honest and trustworthy refugees to guard the estate and work there, but she was still hesitant, fearing that if she misjudged them, they might be ambushed from the inside, with unimaginable consequences.

In extraordinary times, even if you want to do good deeds, you must first protect yourself.

Fortunately, the rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes are almost ready to be harvested. If we just hold on a little longer, the autumn harvest will be here soon.

The law-abiding people, who hoped for a peaceful life, were all trembling with fear, praying in their hearts that there would be no chaos.

No one wants the aftermath of chaos to affect them personally.

All sorts of news are flying around, making it hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Sometimes it makes people feel encouraged and excited, and sometimes it makes them uneasy.

But everyone had a feeling that this war was about to end.

Finally, the autumn harvest arrived, and the crops in the fields were ripe. Every village and household harvested the crops at a speed several times faster than before, securing their profits.

With food in hand, I felt much more at ease.

Xu Zhichun and many local gentry donated a lot of new grain, which gave the displaced people who had been stranded there hope. They became much more obedient, and many of them even took the initiative to find work and were employed by various families.

This year's sweet potatoes and potatoes have yielded another bumper harvest, which is finally good news. Every household has a full granary and is all smiles.

Everyone couldn't help but think back to last year. At this time last year, they were already happily selling potatoes and sweet potatoes to the government. This year, although Magistrate Lu said he would still buy them, because King Yuchang had not yet been defeated by the imperial court and the roads were impassable, there was no way to transport them out. The county government did not have enough space to store them, so he told the villagers to keep them for themselves and buy them when the time was right.

Everyone was filled with regret and began to curse King Yuchang.

Why start a rebellion for no reason? It's a recipe for disaster!

He was a prince, a local emperor, living a life of luxury and having everything he wanted. How could he still be dissatisfied?