LOT – Chapter 179 Miss Li Is Sent to Gratitude Temple

Li Lin’an could ignore his parents, but he truly couldn’t stop worrying about his younger sister, so he quickly came to look for her.

When the Wang family saw how much Li Lin’an valued this sister, their attitude instantly changed again.

“Lord Li, since things have already developed to this point, why don’t our two families form a marriage alliance? That way the matter can be resolved, and both families’ reputations can be preserved.”

They originally thought this woman wasn’t valued by her family, but unexpectedly she had an older brother who cared about her this much.

As long as someone valued her, it meant she still had use — and if she was useful, then marrying her was possible.

Looking at the disgusting Wang family, Li Lin’an’s eyes were full of contempt.

“I haven’t even settled the previous accounts with you yet. Hand her over, quickly — or don’t blame me for being rude!”

“And don’t think you can fool me. This matter isn’t as simple as you imagine. The Third Prince himself is overseeing this case. If you dare refuse to hand her over, don’t blame me for reporting everything to His Highness.”

The Third Prince had indeed lent him a hand — after all, the Wang family couldn’t be allowed to become too arrogant. Deceiving an official’s daughter just to elevate their own status? Were they trying to prove they were nobler than everyone else?

At the mention of the Third Prince, the Wang family’s expressions changed immediately.

Wang Shou’en was even glared at by his father. Look at the mess you made!

Wang Shou’en clicked his tongue inwardly. Giving him such a woman? He didn’t even want her. If he hadn’t wanted to slap those officials’ faces, how could he possibly get involved with such a woman?

Take her away then — his courtyard was full of beauties anyway. This Miss Li’s looks weren’t even outstanding among them.

“Lord Li, we can hand Miss Li over, but can this matter be settled here? A single hand cannot clap — it was Miss Li who begged my son to take her away.”

“And we fed and housed her well here. She didn’t suffer. We hope you can show mercy for that.”

Commoners cannot fight officials.
Though they were a wealthy merchant family, the capital was full of wealthy merchants. They were neither the richest nor the most powerful.

The truly powerful were the imperial merchants who dealt directly with the highest-ranking officials.

One could say: although the Emperor was a little poor, he still had ways to keep the treasury functioning — otherwise how could the state have lasted decades?

Li Lin’an looked at the father and son pair, wanting to throw them into prison immediately. But his sister hadn’t been rescued yet — he couldn’t act rashly.

“Hand her over first, then we talk. You’ve already broken the law — everything must proceed according to the legal code.”

“If you dare delay or try to negotiate conditions, don’t blame me for breaking in and taking her myself. I’m sure that’s not what you want.”

The inner courtyards of wealthy merchant families could be even darker than those of powerful officials.

Profit was everything to them. Many merchants had no loyalty to the nation; for wealth, they would betray their country at any moment.

That was how the previous dynasty fell. Merchants held high status and even entered government. That was where disaster began — using power to hoard wealth, conducting business with foreign states, ignoring the lives of commoners.

In the end, the gap between rich and poor became enormous. The rich were unimaginably wealthy, while the poor starved on the streets.

The nation seemed wealthy, yet people died everywhere from hunger.

The nation seemed poor, yet high officials and merchants rode in carriages plated with gold.

In the Great Yong Dynasty, the founding emperor lowered the status of merchants. Not that there weren’t patriotic merchants — but most were too crafty.

However, he did not completely cut off their future. Their descendants could still study and take the imperial examinations — but success depended on ability, not connections like in the previous dynasty.

Under Li Lin’an’s pressure, the Wangs reluctantly brought her out.

When Miss Li saw her brother, she burst into tears.

“Brother! Why are you only here now? You don’t know how horrible they’ve been! They lied to me, and they made me live with lowly women!”

Li Lin’an’s heart softened for a moment at her disheveled state — but when he heard her words, his expression turned cold immediately.

“Li Meier! You really have been raised crooked! What do you mean by ‘lowly people’? Do you think you’re so noble?”

“Do you know how much damage your actions caused today? You nearly turned our two families into enemies! You nearly dragged our entire family into ruin!”

Li Meier thought her brother would comfort her — but instead he began scolding her.

“You’re yelling at me? I’m already miserable and you still yell! They are lowly women! Women who use their beauty to serve men — aren’t they lowly?”

She screamed, “My status is different from theirs! No matter what, I’m an official’s daughter! What’s wrong with calling them lowly?!”

The Third Prince’s attendants behind Li Lin’an all frowned.

If selling beauty for survival makes one lowly, then none of the imperial consorts would be considered noble. This Miss Li was truly not a good one — with a temperament like this, she would definitely drag Lord Li down.

Li Lin’an understood this well. He looked at his sister with disappointment.

“When you insult others like this, did you ever think about who you used to be? When we couldn’t even afford food, people insulted you the same way. Did you feel good then?”

“If I hadn’t passed the exams, our whole family would still be in that tiny village being bullied. Father and Mother would still be gambling outside every day. You wouldn’t be an official’s daughter — in others’ eyes, you would also be a ‘lowly woman.’ Would you like being called that? If they had any choice, who would willingly sell their beauty?”

“You’ve been raised completely wrong. Don’t go home. I’ll have someone send you to Gratitude Temple outside the city. You can return when you’ve come to your senses. If one month isn’t enough, then two. If not two, then three. If three isn’t enough, then a year.”

“Your reputation in the capital is ruined. You won’t marry into a good family anymore. Since that’s already the case, there’s no need to consider such things. I just want to correct your character.”