Chapter Fifty-Nine: In the End, Good and Evil Are Always Repaid (Part One)

The distillery, painstakingly built at the cost of seventy or eighty thousand strings of cash, was reduced to ashes in a single day—its grand opening consumed by towering flames, not a single room left standing.

Li De was stupefied.

So was Lady Zheng.

As for the brothers Li Chong and Li Fei, they were so terror-stricken that they collapsed onto the ground, their trousers soaked—they had wet themselves in fright.

The staff, both junior and senior, scattered in all directions, each seeking a new livelihood; none even considered collecting their wages. They understood all too well—their employer was utterly ruined.

“Husband, we’ve been duped! This must be that scoundrel Li Zhao’s plot! How vicious he is, to drive us to utter ruin... oh, woe is us!”

“That’s right, it’s him, it must be! I... Ah!”

Staring at the ashen remnants before them, recalling the recent events, Li De and Lady Zheng began to see the truth, but too late. The two clung to each other, weeping bitterly, more grief-stricken than if they’d lost their own parents.

For the sake of this distillery, the couple had mortgaged everything—house, shops, fields. Now, with the distillery burned to the ground, they were left penniless.

Worse still, they had contracts with several major merchants. If unable to deliver goods on time, they would owe three times the deposit in compensation—twenty-four thousand strings of cash!

Such a sum—they could sell everything, even their flesh and bones, and it would never suffice. What now?

Repudiate the debt?

Impossible! Those merchants were well-connected, closely associated with noble houses and princely mansions in Chang’an, acting as agents for the elite.

To default on them was akin to cheating the King of Hell himself—certain death, and a miserable one at that.

What were they to do?

...

There was one person who hadn’t fled—the chief steward, Hou Si. His hair was scorched in places from fighting the fire, his face smeared with soot, making him look like a clay figurine.

“Master, Madam, you must hold yourselves together. Though the distillery is gone, we’re not at our wits’ end yet. There may still be hope.”

“Hope? What hope could there be?”

“We can ask the Old Master for help, have him plead with those merchants for leniency—perhaps a few months’ extension. We could use that time to raise funds and build another distillery. There’s still a chance to turn things around. The Old Master’s been deputy magistrate for over a decade, influential in the region and well connected in official circles. If he speaks on our behalf, surely the merchants will show some favor.”

“You’re right! We must seek the Old Master’s help—let’s go at once!”

With Hou Si’s reminder, Li De and Lady Zheng regained some clarity. This was the only option left. They grabbed their two plump sons and, like desperate fugitives, fled the scene...

But they didn’t go directly to Deputy Magistrate Zheng. First, they hurried home, gathered what little gold and silver remained, and packed it into a black lacquered box—worth perhaps three or four thousand strings.

They knew too well—the crisis was grave. Even with the Old Master’s intervention, their chances were slim. They had to prepare for the worst.

“Hou Si, take the two young masters, along with the valuables, and slip quietly out the south gate. About five miles out is a dilapidated earth god’s temple. Back when I was a beggar, I once sheltered there, nearly froze to death... but never mind that.

Your mistress and I will go beg the Old Master for help, to plead with the merchants for a grace period. If he succeeds, all the better. If not, we’ll meet at the temple, then leave Wu’an County and lie low elsewhere until things settle.”

“Yes, I understand!”

“Hou Si, this is all we have left—guard it with your life. Not a single mishap, do you hear?”

“Rest assured, Master, Madam. I’ve served you loyally for over a decade, and owe you much. I’ll risk life and limb to protect the treasure and the young masters!”

“Good. I never thought, at such dire times, I’d have such a faithful servant. When I rise again, you’ll be rewarded handsomely... Now go!”

“Yes, sir!”

Hou Si, with Li Chong and Li Fei in tow, disguised themselves and took the last of the money to wait at the ruined temple south of the city.

Li De and Lady Zheng hurried to the Zheng family residence to seek help from the deputy magistrate—only to freeze in shock at the sight before them.

The Zheng estate was encircled by fully armed soldiers—not local Wu’an troops, but the elite garrison from the Metropolitan Command. They were posting official seals and ransacking the house.

Relatives, servants, maids—all were driven out; some in stocks, others bound in chains. Deputy Magistrate Zheng was among them, but he was carried out on a battered door plank, face livid and motionless—dead.

It turned out that after receiving incriminating ledgers, Magistrate Cao sent trusted men to secretly investigate Deputy Zheng’s corruption. Once sufficient evidence was gathered, it was reported to the Capital Prefecture along with the ledgers.

Such a scandal in the heart of the capital could not be ignored. The Capital Prefecture dispatched elite troops to surround the Zheng residence and arrest Deputy Zheng, stripping him of office and preparing to prosecute.

Deputy Zheng, knowing his crimes assured a grim fate—at best execution, at worst dismemberment—took his own life by swallowing gold while the troops were distracted.

With his death, his cronies suffered as well—chief constable Deng Kai, jailer Chen Yama, and others lost their positions, were imprisoned, or committed suicide. The Wu’an County yamen underwent a complete purge.

As for Magistrate Cao, not only did he secure real power, but his meritorious service and outstanding governance earned him promotion in the years to follow—but that is another story.

...

As for Li De and Lady Zheng, their last hope was gone—their pillar had collapsed. All that remained was to flee.

The couple, now as jumpy as startled birds, dared not take a carriage or even walk the main roads. They slipped through back alleys out the south gate, ran five miles south, and found themselves before the ruined, wind-blown earth god’s temple. Faint sobbing echoed within...

They rushed inside to find Li Chong and Li Fei sitting on the ground, wailing loudly. The steward, Hou Si, was nowhere to be seen.

“Why are you crying? Where’s Hou Si? Why isn’t he with you?”

“He... he ran away!”

“What? And the gold and silver?”

“He took everything with him!”

Hou Si, realizing the situation was beyond rescue—even with the deputy magistrate’s help—saw no reason to perish with the family. Better the wisdom of fleeing when the time is right; and after more than a decade of loyal service, he felt entitled to some compensation. So, after lulling the two young masters with lies, he slipped away alone, taking all the valuables.

“You treacherous wretch, Hou Si! You ungrateful dog! You’ll never die a good death... My gold and silver—all gone...”

The distillery destroyed, their powerful backer dead, even their last life-saving money stolen—what was left for this family of four?

Driven to utter despair, Li De could take no more. Feeling as if his innards were consumed by fire, he suddenly coughed up two mouthfuls of blood and collapsed backwards.

Li Chong and Li Fei rushed to him, sobbing, “Father, are you all right? Please don’t die...”

Meanwhile, Lady Zheng, though shaken, managed to compose herself. After circling the spot several times in agitation, she stamped her feet and made a firm decision. “Enough! You two sniveling fools, stop your wailing. At this point, there’s only one way left—come with me to Chang’an and seek out your true father. He will not abandon us!”

“What? Our real father?”

Li Chong and Li Fei were dumbstruck. If their real father was in Chang’an, then who was this man coughing up blood before them?

...

“Sigh. Now that things have come to this, I can no longer keep the truth from you. Twenty years ago, when I was still an unmarried young woman, one day while out for a stroll...” Husband and wife are like birds sharing a branch—when disaster strikes, they fly their separate ways. Having made up her mind, Lady Zheng began to recount to her sons a long-buried story from the past.