Yuan Wen inherited nothing but debts, and even his parents were so disappointed that they refused to live with him.
According to tradition, the eldest son was responsible for caring for the elderly and, in return, could inherit most of the family’s property.
Now, the Yuan Family was just an empty shell, even more dilapidated than before Su Li had married into it, and there was hardly anything worthwhile to inherit.
Only a few houses remained, apart from their residences. The main house would belong to the second branch after the old couple passed away since they would be living with them.
Zhang Qiaoqiao was very reluctant, but she couldn’t stand up to her husband, who was a filial son.
Stripped of family support, Yuan Wen and his two children couldn’t even think about studying, let alone surviving.
Initially, he couldn’t swallow his pride to earn a living by writing letters or couplets for the poor Scholars, but when he could no longer afford als, he had to lower his proud head.
It wasn’t just him; Yuan Xiaoxiao also learned to do light work from her second cousins.
Yuan Jiaming also started learning how to tend the fields with his two uncles.
Indeed, Old Man Yuan and his wife ultimately couldn’t bear it and allocated a few thin fields to the main branch, but to reap any rewards, they had to work themselves.
In any case, the Yuan Family’s life barely went by blandly.
When news of the Su Family reached them, Yuan Wen rembered his children and his maternal family.
He even thought about using his old tricks to force the Su Family to give them so benefits.
After all, the two children were Su Li’s own flesh and blood; they couldn’t just be ignored.
But this ti, the people, utterly blue with dismay, did not entertain Yuan Wen’s nonsensical talk.
They deeply regretted ntioning the Su Family moving away.
Their living expenses had increased threefold compared to before. The Wu Family and the Li Family, those ruthless rchants, were even considering raising their prices again.
Not buy? They needed to live and had no choice but to begrudgingly accept the situation.
Likewise, the county magistrate deeply regretted his actions.
He had thoroughly researched the developnt of Hua City.
The Su Family businesses there were indeed the sa Su Family he knew.
These achievents should have been his but had instead benefited the Hua City County Magistrate.
The sudden rise of Hua City also reached the ears of the elites in the Capital, who thought it was probably exaggerated.
The best of everything added under the Wei Dynasty was amassed in the capital.
The tastiest, the most fun, the most beautiful, the most bustling...
The best of the Capital couldn’t possibly be matched by a re small town.
It so happened that Princess Zhao Hua was returning from Jiangnan. Having her take a detour through Hua City would clarify everything.
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Princess Zhao Hua received a letter from the Capital by carrier pigeon and tossed it aside after glancing at it.
It ntioned the na Su Li, the Lady of the Su Family, which, coincidentally, her wet nurse had just ntioned.
It was quite the coincidence that a few days earlier, as she passed a small temple and felt moved to stop and offer incense, the slippery mountain path almost caused her to fall. Fortunately, a Scholar saved her.
And this kindly rescuer happened to be the very ex-husband of Su Li ntioned in the letter.
With a preconceived bias, the Little Princess had a very poor impression of Su Li.
A woman who wouldn’t serve her husband and teach her children, but instead deserted them because her husband was unlucky and repeatedly unsuccessful, was utterly unworthy as a wife.
The Scholar was refined and insightful. Apparently, it was only the Lady of the Su Family’s snobbish eye that looked down on others.
Hearing of this, the elite in the Capital quickly branded Su Li as an unworthy wife.
As Princess Zhao Hua’s maternal grandfather was the world-renowned Emperor’s Tutor with students all over, her words held significant credibility among the literati.
When she declared the woman of poor moral fiber, many scholars actively criticized her.
The power of the scholars’ pens was lethal, unseen but profound.
Because of this, the original owner spiraled into depression and died, dragging down the Su Family’s children with her.
Princess Zhao Hua, with a mocking smile, told her wet nurse, "This morally dubious woman couldn’t possibly achieve anything significant. She truly is like a lowly rchant’s daughter, fooling only the ignorant and naive populace."
The wet nurse laughed and handed the Little Princess a cup of tea, "How could other won compare to you, Princess?"
"That Scholar..."
Princess Zhao Hua thought for a mont, "Leave him one thousand taels of silver, and prepare so writing materials for him; I need to send a letter back to the Capital."
People in the Capital quickly received the Little Princess’s reply and then sidelined the matter.
A woman of ill repute couldn’t possibly stir up any trouble. Indeed, they had overthought it.
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A year later, the developnt of Hua City had gradually escalated to new heights.
The small town had beco a nation of its own, with walls dozens of ters high; without docuntation issued from within the town, no one from the outside could enter.
Compared to Hua City, the surrounding towns were vastly different.
Those who had witnessed the wonders of Hua City often didn’t want to leave; if they couldn’t enter Hua City, settling in the periphery was also favorable.
If the citizens of Hua City were ever willing to trade their discarded items, that too would be advantageous.
Gradually, a large town ford around Hua City, which seed like a city within a city, completely surrounded.
Rumors about Hua City attracted rchants and people from all directions.
When Hua City’s fa once again reached the Capital elites, it was due to the neighboring country’s princes contesting for the throne; the Second Prince erged victorious. Rumor had it that he possessed a formidable weapon from the Su Family’s hands, allowing him with only three thousand soldiers to escape an ambush by thirty thousand troops from the Eldest, Third, and Fifth Princes and even seize the throne.
This extrely powerful weapon was indeed crafted by the Su Family of Hua City.
The Royal Family could no longer sit idly by. Small business squabbles didn’t concern them, but matters affecting the foundations of the nation were intolerable.
The Emperor issued three imperial edicts, summoning the Su Family Patriarch and the Hua City County Magistrate to the Capital, but all were ignored.
The next day, Hua City declared its independence from the Wei Dynasty and established itself as an independent city.
Furious, the Emperor dispatched a troop to apprehend the rebels, the people of the Su Family.
Contrary to what everyone in the Wei Dynasty expected, the troop was kept outside the walls of Hua City, unable to enter.
Not to ntion, there were rumored lethal weapons inside Hua City.
As ti passed without any activity from within Hua City, the people living just outside grew restless.
Once the gates of Hua City were shut, all the benefits, welfare, and profits leaking from its citizens stopped.
The troops were driven away by the people themselves.
They didn’t care what the rulers thought; they would support whoever could provide them a better life.
The Emperor surely couldn’t slaughter all the citizens of an entire city.
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