The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 44: Ruthless Hand

hi guyssss - I'm Pudding this is my first novel i'm tling please give love to this~ Chu chu chu😗😗😗

Chapter 44: A Ruthless Hand

Du Yunjing seemed deaf to the shocked and disdainful looks cast around him. He had long since constructed a closed loop of logic for himself—stubborn, and laughable.

“Let me guess—next you’re going to split my good elder brother’s family off on their own, aren’t you? You probably planned it before we even returned from the prefectural city. My mother suddenly wanting to yank out the crops—wasn’t that secretly instigated by you too?”

With things at this point, Du Yunjing finally tore off all disguises, lashing out wantonly and manically at the clan elder.

He shifted every cause and fault onto someone else.

The clan elder gripped his cane tightly. He had never imagined Du Yunjing would say such things. This was rot at the root.

Baoren fetched the genealogy, boiling with anger and ready to argue with Du Yunjing, but the clan elder raised his cane to stop him.

Against a “learned man” whose thoughts had gone crooked, ordinary folk would only lose by wrangling. But they were now in Du Family Village; Du Yunjing’s household was in the wrong to begin with, and even a silver tongue would avail nothing.

The clan elder’s anger tipped into a cold laugh. “The saying goes: a liter of rice is grace; a peck of rice is enmity. I’ve lived so long and somehow forgot this truth for a time. Du Yunjing, I’ll tell you this—regarding your family’s matter, from start to finish I have been worthy of my position as clan elder of the Du lineage and worthy of my conscience.”

“Since you claim I had a foregone scheme, if I don’t do as you said, it would seem I lack reason. Everyone in the village has seen with clear eyes what kind of days your elder brother’s family has lived under your roof. If I were to have them leave the village and bear punishment alongside you, I would be shamefully unjust as elder.”

“Affection is affection; reason is reason. Even among brothers, accounts must be clear. Yunhu’s family remains people of our Du Family Village. As for Madam Zhao, Fubao, and you—this black-hearted seed—you’d best leave early.”

The clan elder had Baoren open the genealogy, then turned to Du Baoquan, who had been cringing and silent.

“Baoquan, how will your family divide? Speak first.” He made the family split a settled fact.

Du Baoquan opened his mouth and asked, trembling, “Clan elder… you truly want us to split the family—to drive us away?”

“Madam Zhao did wrong—but it was just a moment of foolishness. And Fubao is still a child. You…”

The clan elder cut him off. “Even toddlers in the countryside know the value of crops. Fubao is ‘still a child’? He’s ten. That is not an age of ignorance. Is there any other child in the village spoiled so rotten—running rampant and harming others?”

“As for Madam Zhao, I’ve given her many chances. Her so-called ‘moments of foolishness’ have been far too many. Shall the village bear endless risks and losses for her countless ‘moments’?”

Seeing Du Baoquan—who still reflected on nothing and only pleaded—the clan elder’s eyes filled with disappointment.

“Baoquan, do you truly think you bear no fault in any of this?”

Du Baoquan froze. He had done nothing—how could he be at fault?

The clan elder raised his voice—both for Baoquan to hear and as a warning to others in the village.

“You are the elder in your household, husband to Madam Zhao, father to Du Yunjing and Fubao. You should have taught and restrained them. Yet you did nothing—indulged them—kept silent when they did evil, and enjoyed the benefits of their wrongdoing. When disaster struck, you played the innocent and came to plead for them.”

“For years your household has had no order between senior and junior; the stepmother lacks kindness; the eldest son’s branch is bullied to the extreme; the second and third sons are reared narrow-hearted, lawless. Do you truly think none of this is on you?”

“…”

This long, cutting rebuke left Du Baoquan speechless. He no longer had the face to plead, and villagers who recognized similar seeds of disorder in their own homes began to reflect.

“Since you won’t speak, I’ll decide the division for you,” the clan elder said, not waiting on Baoquan’s voice.

“Your family has eight mu of paddy and ten mu of dry land. Those fields have long been tended dawn to dark by Yunhu and his wife. Moreover, as the eldest son, he should receive more. In this split, Yunhu takes five mu of paddy and five mu of dry land; Du Yunjing and Fubao split the remainder.”

“From this day, you are no longer people of Du Family Village. Naturally, the house in the village goes to Yunhu. The eldest son inheriting the ancestral home is right and proper.”

He was not done.

“These years, Du Yunjing studied in the county, spending plenty of silver every month yet earning not a cash. The money he used was saved by Yunhu and his wife. He has erred and is struck from the genealogy—brotherhood no longer binds him to Yunhu; this money should be compensated to Yunhu’s household.”

“I doubt he can pay cash now. Let him mortgage the land he was allotted to Yunhu to settle the account at once. From then on, no ties remain.”

Without inviting debate, the clan elder ordered, “Bring a table and inkstone—this elder will write the deed of division.”

The onlookers clicked their tongues inwardly. This division was practically stripping Du Yunjing bare.

By this reckoning, Yunhu’s family would receive six and a half mu of paddy and seven and a half of dry land, plus the ancestral home. Fubao would get one and a half mu of paddy and two and a half of dry land. Du Yunjing—nothing.

Struck from the clan rolls, they could not remain in Du Family Village and would have to live elsewhere. Selling that land might fetch three or four taels of silver at best.

With Du Baoquan, Madam Zhao, Du Yunjing, Li Gu’er, and Fubao—a whole household—no food or clothing, no fields, no lodging—how could that little silver sustain them?

Originally, the clan elder’s plan likely hadn’t been so absolute.

But the uprooting of crops by Madam Zhao and Fubao that night enraged him beyond measure, and Du Yunjing’s true face erased any remaining mercy. Thus came the pitiless expulsion.

Separated out alone, Yunhu stared at what unfolded as if in a dream—unreal, at a loss for words or action.

He rejoiced for the new life awaiting his family, yet worried for his father and the others. Years of ingrained filial piety are not easily shed.

After long hesitation, he mustered courage to speak—perhaps to request a bit more for Father to take—when his wife, Wei Liuhua, pinched him hard at the waist.

He turned to her tear-bright eyes and taut, angry face, and after a long silence, said nothing—bearing the devouring glares of his father and the others in anguish.

In other matters he might have pled, but not for a sin as grave as uprooting crops. As a farmer who lives from the soil, he could not open his mouth.

The clan elder wrote the division deed and had Du Baoquan, Du Yunjing, and Fubao pressed to seal it with handprints.

When Du Yunjing tried to thrash and resist, a stone flung at a vicious angle struck his knee, dropping him to the ground. Those clean, scholar’s hands—never used for farm work—were yanked up, dipped in red slurry, and slammed onto the document.

The clan elder lifted the red pen and struck their names from the genealogy one by one. From that moment, Du Baoquan and his second and third sons were severed from Du Family Village.

When all formalities—division and expulsion—were complete, the clan elder let out a long, weary sigh and waved his cane.

“Lock Madam Zhao and Fubao in the woodshed. They will be sent to the county yamen in the morning. Du Yunjing and Baoquan, go home and pack. You will be escorted out tomorrow as well.”

“Fubao’s allotted land will be held for now; later we’ll convert it to silver, deduct the losses to Brother Hua’s cotton field, and then deliver the remainder to them.”

After the clan elder arranged the end matters, the farce was finally over.

Before going home, Qiu Huanian cast a last glance at Madam Zhao and Fubao, huddled together and shivering.

Driven out penniless from Du Family Village, their “good days” were just beginning. The original host’s death at Fubao’s hands was at last avenged.

Back home, Qiu Huanian wanted to ask Shiliu what had happened that night. Seeing his weary eyes, Shiliu shook his head.

“Sleep. Tomorrow.”

Leaving only that, Shiliu turned and returned to the rear screened room.

A heavy wave of fatigue rose through Qiu Huanian’s body; the night’s violent emotions left his head faint and throbbing. Soon, under Du Yunse’s watch, he slipped into sleep.

He woke later than usual the next day. When he opened his eyes, the sun hung high. Du Yunse had not gone out but waited by his side; upon seeing him wake, he reached out to feel his forehead.

“Brother Hua, you were a bit feverish at daybreak. I wiped your sweat and didn’t wake you. Luckily, your fever has finally gone.”

His throat felt dry. Du Yunse handed him warm water and helped him moisten his mouth and throat.

Qiu Huanian smiled and shook his head. “My body really can’t handle even a small upset now. After just a bit of fuss last night, I feel off this morning.”

Heart aching, Du Yunse smoothed his hair. “At first light, Uncle Baoren took people and sent Madam Zhao and Fubao away. With that household’s mischief gone from the village, you can rest easier and nurse your health.”

Qiu Huanian yawned lazily and rubbed against Du Yunse’s chest like a kitten. “The way this ended was truly unexpected, but the result is good.”

He had thought the clan elder would close the net more slowly; who knew Madam Zhao would ruin herself first.

Thinking of the cotton destroyed the previous night still pained him, but he consoled himself that they had discovered it in time and the loss was limited.

With the harsh lesson of Madam Zhao’s fate, no one in Du Family Village would dare lay hands on the crops again.

For people of the past, being driven from a village lived in for generations, erased from the genealogy—this was a nightmare punishment.

Unless they fled far from Zhang County, they would be gossiped about wherever they went.

But with the silver in their hands, how could they leave Zhang County? Finding stable livelihood elsewhere would be hard enough.

“Wei Liuhua came by this morning to look for you. I said you were sleeping, and she left, saying she’d return when you felt better.”

Qiu Huanian nodded. “Their family can finally see the end of suffering. From now on, Jiujiu can openly go to Wei Liuhua to learn embroidery.”

Wei Liuhua treated Jiujiu well, and after so many days living together, she and Qiu Huanian had grown close.

“I thought Yunhu would plead for his father and the others last night. I didn’t expect him to hold back.”

Du Yunse said in a low voice, “He is a son, but also a father and a husband. When a father lacks fatherly kindness, it is hard for a son to show unbroken filial piety.”

Qiu Huanian nodded, thinking how complex human nature truly was.

Everyone has many sides. One may be weak in one regard and firm in another; one may be bad in some ways, yet still have good moments. Thus one must not judge people by a single aspect but analyze case by case to truly understand a person.

Hearing faint voices from the main room, Jiujiu and Chunsheng knew he had awakened. The two children carried in bowls of still-warm porridge.

Jiujiu drew the kang table over and set the porridge and a small plate of refreshing, appetite-whetting cold-dressed bok choy on it.

“Brother Hua, this is the rice porridge I cooked this morning—there’s chopped jerky in it, and I poached an egg on top. I saved this especially for you. Try it—eat first, then take your medicine.”

Chunsheng wasn’t noisy or sulky this time. He sat obediently at the edge of the kang, eyes rimmed a little red.

Qiu Huanian looked to Du Yunse, who nodded.

He understood—Du Yunse had already spoken with Chunsheng. Whatever was said, the boy now watched him with cautious eyes, as if afraid he might worsen any second.

The porridge was savory and just the right temperature. The chopped jerky added nutrition and texture; the egg white was soft as cloud, the yolk set to creamy tenderness without dryness.

He ate half a bowl and a few bites of bok choy, aiming at a balanced intake.

“A few more bites,” urged Du Yunse.

Qiu Huanian shook his head. “No appetite. If I keep lying down, eating too much will feel worse.”

He sent the children off to the study to read, and Du Yunse went to the kitchen to decoct medicine.

After lying a while, Shiliu appeared silently in the main room.

“I leave tomorrow.”

“So soon?” Qiu Huanian was caught off guard.

“Orders bind. I should not have lingered.” Shiliu stepped to the kang; his fingers lifted slightly, then fell, unnoticed by Qiu Huanian.

“Worry less in the future. With this body, be careful—you might not have many years.”

“…”

Qiu Huanian felt both amused and speechless. He could hear the concern, but the words were infuriatingly blunt. Not that many could take a swing at Shiliu anyway.

“What happened last night? How did you know Madam Zhao would pull up the cotton?” He seized the chance to ask.

After days of softening on Shiliu’s part, Qiu Huanian had grown bolder and more relaxed around him.

According to Baoren, Madam Zhao had been caught while plotting—but she was clearly at home that night. Why would Shiliu be at her house?

Shiliu stated calmly, “Near dusk in the fields, I felt a very distinct malicious gaze. I took some precautions and traced it.”

Malice? Directed at Shiliu? Madam Zhao had no personal enmity with him—why target him?

“She had already sent the younger son out by the time I arrived,” Shiliu continued. “Uprooting cotton was just an incidental venting in her scheme. It was not her main plot.”

“What did she plan?” He hadn’t expected more.

“She intended to spread rumors that Yunse and I had been debauched in the capital—ruining Yunse’s reputation and burdening you. If trouble rose on both fronts, you’d lack the energy to trace who started the rumors or who uprooted the cotton.”

For a moment, Qiu Huanian was speechless—unsure whether to be angrier at Madam Zhao’s wickedness or to laugh at her nerve.

To spread rumors about Shiliu? She had no idea what death looked like. He and Du Yunse were always cautious with Shiliu, and yet she dared to calculate against him. Truly, ignorance begets fearlessness.

Shiliu’s tone remained flat, as if discussing a trifle. “Even as rumor, it would hurt you both. So I cut Madam Zhao’s tongue. She will never speak again.”

“…?” For a moment, Qiu Huanian’s mind failed to process the words.

Cut her tongue? A figure of speech or…

“Literal. A secret guard’s technique takes half a tongue without killing.”

Qiu Huanian was struck dumb. He had thought the gag in her mouth last night was to muffle her. In truth, it hid the missing tongue.

No wonder her expression had been so tormented as she writhed on the ground.

Shiliu stood in the morning light, his face shadowed—a silhouette that would never thaw.

“You may be afraid,” he said evenly, “but this is how I act. You need not grow used to it or accept it. The road is long. We may never meet again.”

“…”

As one raised in peacetime, such blood-chilling methods made Qiu Huanian’s heart pound.

But for an暗卫 trained from childhood, this was normal. Madam Zhao had kicked an iron wall—no one else to blame.

“I also found some things at their house,” Shiliu went on, eyes lowered. “I’ll tell you. Share it with others if you wish—or not.”

He drew several oil-paper-wrapped packets from his robe.

“What are these?” Qiu Huanian reached out, but Shiliu stopped him.

“Sleeping drug and aphrodisiac. Careful—don’t touch.”

Sleeping drug and aphrodisiac? In Madam Zhao’s home? Qiu Huanian’s surprise gave way to understanding.

Clearly, the family’s abnormality in the prefectural city—and the debauchery between Du Yunjing and Li Gu’er during the Hundred Flavors—were tied to these drugs.

The drugs likely belonged to Li Gu’er. Twice, Qiu Huanian had stumbled upon her in the back hills, hiding things in her hands—probably these.

“I’ve checked them,” said Shiliu, unconcerned as he handled the packets. “Crude stuff—requires long-term use to show effect and does great harm to the body. If you don’t need them, I’ll dispose of them.”

Qiu Huanian certainly didn’t want that hot potato, nor did he have any use for such harmful things.

“Thank you, Master Shiliu.”

“No matter. A trifle.” He tucked the packets away, then added, “Though crude, such drugs are not what ordinary rural folk possess. Though that family is gone, the fact they had access means there is a supply channel near Du Family Village. Be a little more watchful.”

Qiu Huanian thanked him and gave his word. Shiliu then asked for the incomplete agricultural manual and diagrams on cotton cultivation. Qiu Huanian agreed—he would organize and copy them with Du Yunse that afternoon if he felt better.

By dusk, Baoren and the others returned from escorting Madam Zhao’s party to the county. Before Qiu Huanian could inquire, Meng Fuyue came straight over with the result.

“Magistrate Wang said that in his decades in Zhang County, he’s never handled a case of malicious crop destruction. It can’t be treated lightly. Madam Zhao and Fubao are being kept in a cell.”

“Madam Zhao’s eldest daughter, Qiaoxing, is married in the county. Baoquan and Du Yunjing went to seek her. Baoren and the others delivered them to Qiaoxing’s door and left. I hear her husband’s face looked very sour—and even Qiaoxing herself likely feels embarrassed by her natal family’s disgrace.”

“If not for the scholar degree still on Du Yunjing, their brother-in-law likely wouldn’t have let them through the door.”

Thinking of the drug packets Shiliu had found, Qiu Huanian asked, “What of Li Gu’er?”

“She’s still with Du Yunjing—but I reckon that’s only for now.”

Meng Fuyue saw it clearly. “That girl from the Li family loves the rich and despises the poor. She clung to Du Yunjing and did such scandalous things in the city because his family was wealthy and he was a student—a bright future.”

“Now he has no money, no future, and a nature as unpleasant as his mother’s. How could Li Gu’er stay content?”

“I figure it won’t be months before they’re at each other’s throats. But Li Gu’er has utterly offended her family and can’t go back. She has no trade to live by. Leaving Du Yunjing won’t be so easy.”

Meng Fuyue patted Qiu Huanian’s hand. “My father-in-law is a senior and felt awkward speaking to you himself, so he had me come apologize to you and Yunse. He says protecting Madam Zhao back then was one of the most muddle-headed things he’s done in this life.”

Smiling, Qiu Huanian shook his head. “It’s long past. Madam Zhao’s family couldn’t evade justice in the end, and I took the chance to raise my mother’s grave. Let’s leave it at that.”

Meng Fuyue breathed out. “Truly, Brother Hua has a broad heart—not something a base seed like Du Yunjing could compare to.”

With the serious matters done, she changed the subject.

“By the way, Brother Hua, will your Yunse go study at the county school?”

Having passed the licentiate, attending the county school cost no tuition; placing top three in monthly exams would earn the status of stipended student with a stipend of one shi of rice.

Qiu Huanian shook his head. “We had planned it, but I’m not well now, and someone must manage the fields. Yunse feels he can study at home—so he won’t go.”

In truth, neither the teachers nor classmates at the school could significantly aid Du Yunse yet.

But he could still sit the monthly county-wide exams without being enrolled—keeping rice on the table without purchase and maintaining his exam sharpness while checking his progress.

Meng Fuyue looked a little disappointed. “I had hoped Yunse would attend so he and Yun Cheng could look after each other.”

The more she saw of him, the more she recognized how outstanding he was—and wanted her son to learn from him.

Qiu Huanian smiled. “Yun Cheng may be young, but he’s clever and sensible. He’ll manage fine at the county school—don’t worry.”

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Chunsheng burst in from outside. “Brother Hua, a servant from Juren Song’s home in Peach Blossom(Taohua) Town is here again.”

—

Footnotes:

Genealogy/expulsion: In many traditional rural clan systems, being stricken from the family register and driven from the village was a severe social and existential punishment, often severing community support and identity.
Mu: A traditional unit of area; 1 mu ≈ 666.7 square meters. Division of paddy (irrigated) vs. dry land reflects both value and labor history in agrarian families.