A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

"Wang Mang! Chen Mo! Put your weapons down!"

Li Laogen's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an air of authority.

"What kind of outrageous behavior is this! In broad daylight, are they really going to cause a death?!"

He first reprimanded the two men, then turned his gaze to Wang Mang, his tone suddenly becoming harsher.

"Wang Mang! You led your men to forcibly break into a private residence, intending to search and loot. Do you really think village rules and laws don't exist?!"

"Chen Mo was acting in self-defense with a bow, which is understandable! If something really happened, even if he's guilty, you'd be the first one arrested and brought before the authorities!"

"Don't forget who your father is! Does he even care about his reputation anymore?!"

These words struck Wang Mang squarely in the heart.

His father was the village head.

These are all his concerns.

Wang Mang's expression shifted uncertainly; he knew he wouldn't be able to gain any advantage today.

"Fine! Fine, Chen Mo!"

"You've got guts! We'll see!"

After saying that, he waved his hand dismissively.

"Let's go!"

Wang Mang turned around, limped away, and led the still-shaken Zhao Si, Sun Gouzi, and the resentful Lin Qingxue away in a dejected manner.

The turmoil has finally subsided for the time being.

The villagers who had been watching breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Wang Mang leave.

They discussed it and slowly dispersed.

However, the way they looked at Chen Mo was completely different now.

It was no longer sympathy, but rather a sense of astonishment and awe.

This Chen family boy, who has always been bullied, seems... different now.

Li Laogen walked up to Chen Mo, looked at the bow in his hand, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only let out a sigh.

"Put it away."

"From now on... I need to be more careful."

Chen Mo nodded silently and put down the bow.

"Thank you, Uncle Li."

He knew that Li Laogen had seen him practicing archery that afternoon. The old man was helping him.

Chen Mo turned and went back into the house.

Chen Dashan and Chen Ling'er were huddled in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed) with expressions of terror on their faces.

"Brother, are you alright?"

"Mo'er..."

"It's nothing." Chen Mo hid the bow back in the woodpile. "It's just a piece of junk I picked up. It's been broken for a long time. It can only scare people."

He casually told a lie to reassure his frightened family.

After hiding the bow and arrows again, a soreness came from my arm.

Chen Mo rubbed his aching arm, fully aware of the situation.

Today was just a fluke.

Arrows can only intimidate temporarily; someone like Wang Mang would never let it go so easily.

……

the other side.

"Father! You're back?!"

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached, particularly clear on the quiet village road.

A blue cloth carriage, not luxurious but certainly presentable, came to a steady stop under the old locust tree at the village entrance, much to the astonishment of several villagers.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a man stepped out.

He was about fifty years old and wore a silk gown that only respectable people in town could afford.

He was the head of this village—the village head, Wang Laoqi.

"father!"

Wang Mang limped and scrambled forward.

"Father, you're finally back! If you hadn't come back, your son would have been beaten to death!"

Wang Laoqi glanced at his son's limping leg, but didn't ask anything. Instead, the iron walnut in his hand spun a little slower.

"father!"

Seeing that his father remained silent, Wang Mang grew even more anxious and began to embellish his story with exaggerated words, spittle flying everywhere.

"It's that good-for-nothing Chen Mo! He stole some treasure from the local temple, and when I kindly went to ask him about it, he rushed out and attacked me like a mad dog!"

"He even tried to shoot me dead with a bow and arrow in front of the whole village! Father, look at my leg, that's what he did! The bones are almost broken!"

After a long while, Wang Laoqi finally spoke.

"A little brat from a sickly, starving family?"

"A bow?"

……

Wang Family Compound.

The room was brightly lit, and Wang Laoqi sat in a grand chair in the main room, drinking tea with a blank expression.

Wang Mang, Lin Qingxue, Zhao Si, Sun Gouzi, and the others stood in a row with their heads down, just like children who had made a mistake.

"Speak, from beginning to end, without omitting a single detail."

Wang Laoqi put down his teacup. The sound wasn't loud, but it made Wang Mang shudder.

Outside, he was a village bully feared by everyone.

But in front of his father, he didn't dare utter a single word.

He dared not embellish the story any further, and tremblingly recounted the entire incident, including how he led his men to rob the grain, how he was injured by Chen Mo, and how Chen Mo finally scared him away with a bow.

Of course, he still embellished his story, saying that he was begging for food, not robbing it.

Lin Qingxue, standing to the side, would occasionally add a few words, emphasizing Chen Mo's ruthlessness.

Wang Laoqi listened quietly.

Wang Mang broke out in a cold sweat.

He knew that the calmer his father appeared, the angrier he was inside.

"Father, say something! That brat is riding roughshod over us! This can't just be left like this!" Wang Mang finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"never mind?"

Wang Laoqi finally raised his eyelids and glanced at him.

"Useless thing."

Wang Laoqi said to Zhao Si, who was standing to the side, "Go and invite Li Laogen over here."

"Tell him that I just came back from town and brought him some tea. I'd like him to come over and catch up."

Zhao Si jumped in surprise, nodding and bowing obsequiously, "Yes, yes! I'll go right away!"

Watching Zhao Si run off, Wang Mang looked puzzled: "Father, why did you go looking for that old man? He even spoke up for Chen Mo today!"

Wang Laoqi sneered and offered no explanation.

Soon, Li Laogen arrived.

He was still wearing that old, patched-up long gown, his hands behind his back, his expression calm, showing no sign of the unease of being invited.

"Wang, village head, what brings you here so late at night?"

Li Laogen bowed respectfully, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Hehe, Mr. Li, you're too kind."

Wang Laoqi smiled, stood up, and personally poured him a cup of tea.

"I just came back from town. My son told me there was some unpleasantness in the village. He's young and impulsive. If he has offended Mr. Li in any way, I, as his father, apologize on his behalf."

Li Laogen picked up his teacup, smelled it, but didn't drink it.

"Wang, you flatter me. I am but a scholar nearing the end of my life, how could I dare to accept your apology?"

"What happened today was not unpleasant; it was just that someone broke into a house with the intention of looting, and another person stood up in self-defense. That's all."

The smile on Wang Laoqi's face faded a little.

"Mr. Li's noble character is known to everyone in Qingshui Village."

During my recent trip to town, I had a drink with my cousin Zhang Biao, who works at the county government. He said that things have been rather unsettled lately, and the county magistrate has issued a strict order to thoroughly investigate public order in all areas. Anyone found possessing weapons or engaging in gang fights will be dealt with severely.

The Zhang Biao he mentioned was a well-known powerful figure in Qingshui Village.

Li Laogen's expression finally changed slightly, and his hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air.

But he remained calm.

"What Wang Lizheng said is true. A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. That's why we must always adhere to the law. As for today's events, dozens of eyes in the village are watching to see who is right and who is wrong. Wang Mang led his men to break into the house first, and Chen Mo defended himself with a bow and arrow afterward. It's reasonable and justifiable."

Wang Laoqi squinted his eyes.

He never expected that this old scholar, who usually only knew how to shake his head and recite classical Chinese texts, would be so stubborn.

"hehe……"

"Mr. Li is right, everything should be based on law and reason."

"However, I would like to ask Mr. Li a question. Isn't it an indisputable fact that Chen Mo is secretly possessing bows and arrows?"

"According to the laws of our Great Qian Dynasty, bows and arrows are military weapons, and private possession by civilians is strictly prohibited."

"Mr. Li is a scholar, you tell me..."

"What is the punishment for illegally possessing military equipment?"