During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

"No! Don't report it to the authorities, don't report it to the authorities..."

Ye Cuncai let out a wail, struggled a few times to sit up, and with his face bruised and swollen from being kicked like a pig's head, he stammered...

"I...I really didn't do it! I'm innocent, I'm innocent..."

Ye Qingqing gave a half-smile and a snort, "If you didn't do it, then I did it?"

The person who wronged you knows you're innocent better than you do.

Ye Cuncai, "..."

……

When the village head heard the news, he was stunned for three seconds and almost choked.

His wife plopped down on the ground, slapped her thighs, and started wailing.

"Oh my God... how can anyone live like this...!"

Wait, how did it become our mule? Master, didn't you say, didn't you say...?

The village head felt a surge of anger welling up inside him, and glared at his wife through gritted teeth.

"Just shut up already!"

Half of Kaoshantun came to watch the spectacle. This woman is blind! If she were to spread those rumors…

When the mule was brought back, the village headman almost fainted and collapsed to the ground.

Its two front legs were twisted outwards in a strange way, and the wounds were bleeding profusely, with bone fragments visible!

It was exactly as I had imagined, almost exactly the same. Except for skinning and eating the meat, it was completely useless.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the Ye family's horse that was crippled, but their mule!

No way! Even if you're reckless in saving money, you can't fail to recognize your own mule.

Why would he kill his own mule?

Could I have misread it?

The village head really wanted to drag that good-for-nothing back and ask him what exactly happened!

However, Cun Cai has not shown up, probably because he knows he has caused trouble and is afraid to go home for the time being.

The village head's face visibly darkened. He slumped into a chair, his finger trembling as he pointed at Ye Qingqing.

"My mule... Ye Qingqing, you have to pay for it! You have to pay for it!"

In any case, we need to find a scapegoat to compensate his family for the mule; he absolutely cannot suffer such a huge loss!

Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow. "Me pay? Why should I pay?"

The village head slammed his fist on the table in anger, panting heavily as he spoke.

"If you hadn't instigated those old women to borrow my mule, would my mule be ruined?! Who else deserves compensation?"

"Borrowing the mule was everyone's idea, not just mine."

Faced with the village head's furious outburst, Ye Qingqing casually scratched her nose. "Village head, you're really accusing me unfairly!"

The village head was furious, his teeth itching with hatred. "You've been wronged? You brought those ten catties of pork, didn't you? If you didn't borrow my mule, what meat did you bring as a gift?"

Ye Qingqing, let me tell you, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. You're definitely going to have to pay for this mule!

Slap a hundred taels of silver on the table. You think you can get away with this? You won't get one!

Otherwise, I'll report you to the county government. If you shortchange me by even a penny, you'll be going to jail!

Ye Qingqing sneered.

"You want to report me to the authorities? I'd like to report you to the authorities too!"

"Who is Er Yatou from Kaoshantun?"

Before the words were finished, a rude shout came from the courtyard, "Your real name is Ye Qingqing, are you here? Come out here!"

The crowd that had been watching the commotion scattered like weasels among chickens when they saw the two men dressed as constables approaching.

The common people cannot fight against the officials, especially since these officials are like wolves; they bring no good when they enter the village, and even passing dogs get hit with their sticks.

They would either find excuses to collect money or demand grain, and if you didn't pay, they would throw you in jail!

The people were both scared and curious, hiding behind the wall in a panic, whispering among themselves.

"Officials? What are the officials doing here?"

"Yes, the village head just said he was going to report it to the authorities, and they're here already?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Those officials aren't made of wings; they can't just come over at a single call."

"They come here looking for Er Ya Tou right away. Did someone inform the yamen beforehand?"

……

Upon seeing the officials enter, the village head's ashen face finally broke into a wicked grin. He sprang to his feet like a spring, pointed at Ye Qingqing, and shouted...

"Er Yatou is here! Sir, she, she is Er Yatou, Ye Qingqing!"

She borrowed my mule and ruined both of its legs, and she refuses to pay for it! Arrest her! Arrest her!

Ye Dazhuang narrowed his eyes without realizing it, a sharp glint flashing in them.

"Second Girl... the officials... why are the officials really here?"

Li Chunyan turned pale with fright, grabbed Ye Qingqing's clothes, and her legs trembled uncontrollably. "What do we do? What do we do?!"

Although they had already discussed everything on the way, and had captured Ye Cuncai with witnesses and physical evidence, they were not afraid even if the village head demanded compensation.

But when the officials arrived, things changed.

What witnesses and evidence? Do you think those guys are going to reason with you?

"It's alright, sister-in-law, just don't say anything."

Ye Qingqing patted her hand to comfort her, then had her elder brother take her away. Turning around, she glanced at the two officers and said calmly,

"I am Ye Qingqing. What business do you two officials have with me?"

"Ye Youliang's second daughter from Kaoshantun is really just a young girl!"

A tall, thin constable named Zhang Hu also glanced at Ye Qingqing and sneered, "I heard you became a female hunter? You're quite lucky, catching something every time you go up the mountain?"

Ye Qingqing said casually, "It's just that God gave me a chance to make a living."

"While it is a gift from God, the government has regulations that hunters who hunt bears, tigers, leopards, wild boars, or fat sheep must first pay a 'mountain and marsh tax' to the government before they can dispose of or sell the animals themselves."

Zhang Hu glanced at Ye Qingqing and sneered, "Wild boars and wolves, did you pay your taxes?"

Ye Qingqing frowned. "May I ask, sir, how did you know my family hunted wild boar and wolves? I haven't even gone to town yet, and the authorities have already heard about it?"

"Sigh..."

Zhang Hu was taken aback by her question, then stammered, "I know, sir! Don't be a busybody like you!"

Before he finished speaking, a chorus of indignant discussion erupted in the courtyard.

"That's right, Er Yatou hasn't even been to town, how did they know?"

"Who the hell has such a foul mouth? They're a real piece of work!"

"Could it be that there's a traitor in our village who got jealous and sold them out?"

……

Zhang Hu's face twitched, and he turned around to glare at the courtyard.

"Who the hell has nothing better to do? Want to come sit with me at the yamen?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent again.

"Now we're asking you: have you paid taxes on the two wild boars and six wolves you just hunted? Do you know how much you paid?"

The constable standing nearby was a short, fat man with shrewd eyes. He reached out and stopped Zhang Hu, looking at Ye Qingqing with a half-smile.

"If you don't know, I'll tell you again if it's too much trouble. The tax on mountains and lakes is one and a half taels of silver a year. If you hunt large animals like pigs, sheep, deer, wolves, tigers, and bears, you have to pay three times the price of the furs."