After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 568 The six gods have no master
Aunt Jin was at a loss for a moment.

She tried to defend herself: "It's not that serious! Our two families were originally a family, very close. My mother took care of his father for a few years. Although they became enemies later, they were forced to do so. My mother and my brother did not kill his parents and brothers. At most... we said some things that we shouldn't have said, letting the thieves know where his family was. But the robbers and killers came to our door. If my mother and my brother didn't say anything, the lives of the whole family would not be saved. This is all a last resort!

"Besides, even if my mother has done something wrong to his family, it has nothing to do with me. I am a married woman, and now I am just temporarily living with my mother's family. No matter what hatred he has against my mother and my brothers, I have never harmed anyone in his family. Besides... his biological mother died a long time ago, and it was his stepmother who was killed by thieves last year. She has always been bad to him, so there is no need for him to hate me for his stepmother..."

Her words were a little confusing, but the female prison boss heard her talk a lot, so she naturally understood what she meant.

The head of the prison showed a sarcastic look on her face: "Do you really think I don't know what happened to your family? The thieves came to your door, and you just said you didn't know. There are more than ten people in your family, all living in the city. Which killer dares to kill you all? You would sell out your relatives, which means you have bad intentions! Besides, your enmity with his family is not just this matter. Didn't you occupy his property a few years ago? This is also what close relatives should do? Come on, don't argue in front of me. Even if you convince everyone here, what's the use? Your cousin will still hate your family. Now he is willing to give you a few taels of silver to help you, which is considered to be fulfilling the responsibility of a relative. What will happen to you in the future has nothing to do with him. Do you think the scholars in Chang'an City will be so bored that they will harass his reputation by accusing him of not helping the murderer of his father?"

Aunt Jin was speechless. She sobbed twice and then began to cry softly.

The head of the prison ignored her and ate her lunch at a leisurely pace. The female jailers brought her the braised beef they had just bought. She ate half a bowl of it happily and drank a bowl of wine. When she felt full, she picked her teeth and said to Aunt Jin: "Don't cry. You are an old person, not a teenage girl. How can you not think about it when you encounter difficulties? Your mother has been sick for so long, and your brothers and nephews have all run away and ignored you. Haven't you relied on yourself to support yourself until today? What's wrong? Your nephew is only willing to give you a few taels of silver, but not to support you in your old age. Are you going to starve to death? What's the use of crying? Think about the future!"

Aunt Jin was tired of crying and couldn't shed tears anymore. She wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief and said to the head of the prison sincerely, "Sister, I really don't know what to do. What do you think I should do? I only have a dozen taels of silver. My mother's medical treatment and medicine will cost money, and her funeral will also cost money. If I want to stay in Chang'an, I have to spend money to rent a house. If I don't want to stay, I have to save up some money for the coffin to return home. Besides, my brothers and nephews are not here. I am a woman returning home and I don't even know the way. I have to hire a few people to escort me... All these sums of money, where can I earn them?
"I originally thought that my cousin inherited the property of the eldest brother and had some family assets. Since he is willing to help me, maybe he would be willing to lend me some money for the journey so that I can send my mother back to my hometown. I have my younger sister's family and some relatives in my hometown. I have houses and land at home, so I can support myself and don't need to trouble my cousin to support me. If he wants me to pay back the money, the worst that can happen is that I can compensate him with the land in my hometown. Sister, do you think my idea will work?"

The head of the prison rolled her eyes at her, "You are so calculating. How is this different from getting something for nothing? I heard from other people in the government office that the governor of Zunhua sold all the property of the eldest house that your family occupied, exchanged it for silver notes and sent it to Chang'an. He has already sent it to your cousin. They only have the ancestral home left in their hometown, so why do they want your few acres of land? Even if he wants it, do you have the final say? Didn't you just say that you are a married woman, and the hatred of your mother's family has nothing to do with you? Your brothers and nephews are not dead, they just don't care about you and your mother. If you sell your mother's land, will they recognize it? What if they come back to sue, won't it be another bad debt?
"Besides, it's not certain whether your family still has any land. I heard that the prefect of Zunhua was very ruthless. Your sister and brother-in-law have handed over your family's land and property. How can you keep them? You may not have a house to live in when you go back. You will probably have to ask your sister to take you in. Your cousin will get nothing and have to pay for the travel expenses in vain? He is not a fool, how could he agree?! Don't say that it is a big deal for you to carry the coffin back to your hometown. The coffins of his parents and brothers have not been sent back to their hometown for burial yet, so why would he agree to send your mother back first?!"

Aunt Jin was so embarrassed that she couldn't even raise her head. The plan that she thought was feasible turned out to be full of loopholes in the eyes of others. Fortunately, she didn't mention it directly to her cousin Jin Jiashu, otherwise he would be angry and she would lose her last support.

Aunt Jin humbly asked the female prison boss for advice: "Sister, what do you think I should do?"

"You fool!" The headwoman had a look of disappointment on her face. "I know you are filial, but you have to use your filial piety in the right place! If you were still in your hometown, your mother would have died of old age, and it wouldn't matter how much money you spent on her funeral. As long as your brothers are not afraid of gossip, who cares?! But now your mother is a prisoner, and she is about to die in prison. If it were someone else's family, they would just roll her up on a mat and drag her out, and find a good place in the nearby mountains to dig a hole and bury her. They would have been very lucky in their previous life! If the descendants of the family are too proud to acknowledge their mother who has committed a crime, it is not uncommon for the officials to send her to a mass grave!
"No matter how filial you are, you shouldn't be extravagant on this. If it were you, you would just spend some money to buy a thin coffin, buy a piece of new cloth to make a clean set of clothes, and bury the body. Why bother with the pomp and circumstance? Are you afraid that others don't know that you have a mother who committed a crime? Even if you spend a hundred taels of silver on your mother, it can't wash away her sins, and she will still suffer in the underworld. But if you save this money and keep it for yourself, at least you can live a better life in Chang'an, and you can burn more incense for your mother. Even if you want to carry the coffin back to your hometown, you don't have to rely on others for help!"

Aunt Jin opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but she knew in her heart that the female prison boss was thinking about her, so she shut up and just lowered her head without saying anything.

The head of the prison said, "If you really want to carry the coffin back home, I advise you to plan it earlier. It's too hard to travel in such a cold weather, so it's better to wait until the beginning of next spring. But before that, you still need food, drink and accommodation in Chang'an City. When you set off next year, it will cost money to hire someone to escort you. I'm not trying to scare you, this is different from other people who want to go far away and spend some money to follow the caravan. You are going to carry the coffin of a dead person, and the caravan will probably not agree to it because it's unlucky. And for those who can do the work of guards, there are caravans everywhere to choose from, so why bother with your business? You can't even stay in a hotel at night. If you want to hire a reliable person, you have to spend more money. If you only have a dozen taels on hand, it will definitely not be enough! Before you set off, it's best to think of a way to save some silver, otherwise you won't be able to leave even if you want to!"

Is it so troublesome?

Aunt Jin then realized that she had oversimplified the matter. She hurriedly grabbed the sleeve of the female prison boss and said, "Sister, what should I do? Please teach me!"

(End of this chapter)