Chapter 314: Sports Meet Events (Part 5) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"Event? What event?"

Zhao Feng has been being bossed around by Shen Tang lately.

He was either demolishing buildings and moving bricks or working in the fields. Besides, he wasn't part of Shen Tang's team, and paying too much attention to the situation in Fugu City could easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings—for example, as Wu Xian's informant, he was monitoring Shen Jun. He really didn't know what big moves Shen Tang had made recently, and he subconsciously frowned.

He was worried that this matter was related to him again... Being ordered around was one thing, but he was afraid that if the news got back, people would laugh at him.

Zhao Feng followed Qin Li and then defected to Wu Xian halfway through the journey.

Fundamentally, he wasn't as "pure" as Wu Xian's other valiant generals. Highly skilled martial artists often possess a certain arrogance, and Zhao Feng didn't get along very well with the others. If they found out, it would inevitably cause more trouble.

He is habitually nervous.

Commandant Yang, however, seemed not to notice his unusual expression.

She smiled faintly: "Yes, I've heard it will be quite lively."

This news caused quite a stir, even Yang Duwei, a loner, heard about it several times and became interested.

Zhao Feng silently noted down this small incident.

He reached out and accepted the two jars of Dukang wine, which were said to be eighteen years old. Nodding, he didn't forget to show his appreciation for the fine wine and invited Commander Yang: "If this is really interesting, then we should join in the fun. When does Commander Yang finish work? How about we have a couple of drinks?"

Commandant Yang: "Anytime is fine."

He didn't want to refuse when someone invited him to drink.

He beckoned someone to take his shift, and together with Zhao Feng, they found a table at a street-side eatery and ordered two small dishes.

Fugu is poor; the city is extremely short of supplies.

Even the restaurants didn't have many good dishes.

Fortunately, the wines and spirits were good enough to make up for the shortcomings.

After taking a sip of Dukang wine, Zhao Feng said, "It is indeed good wine, but how come it tastes exactly the same as the one I had at Shen Jun's place?"

This jar of Dukang wine doesn't seem to be newly brewed.

The liquor is clear and bright, with a lingering, sweet aftertaste.

Even before you get close, you can smell the strong, pungent aroma of the wine.

It is indeed a rare and excellent wine.

only--

"Is this Du Kang wine really eighteen years old?"

Zhao Feng was very curious about this question.

Commandant Yang said, "That's how it's written in the inventory register."

Zhao Feng paused in his wine cup, his expression momentarily frozen.

He then asked, "Are there any other fine wines?"

Commandant Yang replied, "Yes."

Zhao Feng asked, "How many years?"

Commandant Yang replied, "They are all from the eighteenth year."

After saying that, he repeated the sentence.

"That's how it's written in the inventory book."

Zhao Feng: "..."

For a moment, he felt very conflicted.

The feeling is like buying an item priced at 999 for 99, feeling smug that you got a good deal, only to turn around and find the store has put a 9.9 tag on it...

Needless to say, this was definitely one of Shen Jun's tactics.

Shen Jun, who was being nagged by Zhao Feng, was not in a good mood at the moment, and could even be described as "furious".

Gu Chi looked at the minor official who was practically running away with his head in his hands against the wall, and, feeling suspicious, stopped him, asking, "What's going on?"

When the clerk saw that it was Gu Chi, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

He greeted her with his hands clasped: "Mr. Gu."

The clerk cautiously glanced in the direction of Shen Tang's office in the distance, a hint of fear in his eyes and brows, before answering, "It's Lord Shen. Lord Shen is in a rather unpleasant mood right now."

He carefully described Shen Tang's situation.

Gu Chi asked, "Why is my lord in such a bad mood?"

He and Shen Tang were practically "in cahoots" in private, with the latter often using him to offer "bad ideas" that didn't fit her seemingly virtuous and upright persona. She was too lazy to speak, even when asking him to do something, she would just mutter it to herself.

Gu Chi was able to glimpse "another side of Shen Jun" that outsiders couldn't see—for example, Shen Jun, who appeared gentle, cheerful, and careless to outsiders, was actually quite reserved and restrained.

She is generous with smiles and joy towards her own people, but extremely "stingy" with her true negative emotions. Unless her emotions reach a certain threshold, she will restrain herself no matter how angry she is, instead of being so frightened that even a minor official would fall silent as if facing a formidable enemy.

That's extremely rare.

The clerk whispered, "It seems to be because of what happened last time."

Gu Chi asked, puzzled, "About last time?"

The minor official reminded him: "Zhu Family Village."

"Weren't all those people from Zhu Family Village dealt with?"

The clerk said, "The group from Zhu Family Village has been dealt with, but wasn't Miss Yu Zi's mother sold to Zhuang Family Village? Lord Shen also sent someone to Zhuang Family Village..."

Gu Chi flipped through his memories and confirmed that such a thing had indeed happened.

Yu Zi's mother was sold to a father and two sons in Zhuangjia Village, but because Yu Meiren refused to submit and failed to give birth to the child the three men desired in three years, she was returned. The three men then exchanged her for another foolish woman from the sellers, who were also Yu Zi's grandparents.

The men Shen Tang sent out rescued the woman.

After some investigation, it was discovered that before the woman was sold by the elderly Zhu couple, she had a legitimate husband, a hunter, who had never given up searching for her. The hunter, having heard of this, came looking for her, intending to reclaim his wife and report the matter to the village elder and his two sons.

They were originally going to appeal to the Zhu couple, but the Zhu couple had already gone to report to the King of Hell.

The appeal process did not go smoothly.

There were some minor setbacks.

Gu Chi listened carefully and said, "It is indeed hateful, but not enough to make our lord so angry—"

This case is clear and straightforward.

There shouldn't be any other reversals.

None of the three deadbeats from Zhuangjia Village will escape.

"What truly enraged Lord Shen wasn't the case itself, but the few troublemakers who were obstructing it. The hunter's wife was sold twice and imprisoned in a den of iniquity for sixteen years, during which time she was forced to give birth to five sons and one daughter, the eldest of whom is already fifteen years old..." the clerk said in a low voice. "Lord Shen wanted to settle scores, but the eldest child petitioned for leniency..."

Gu Chi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

"Forgive? Forgive whom?"

The clerk retorted, "Who else could it be? It's their fathers, of course. The complaint even states, 'The mother is foolish, and the father took pity on her wandering and took her in; he did not conspire with her to sell her.' Listen to that! They're doing a good deed, and they certainly didn't steal someone's wife..."

Even the biological sons jumped out to defend their father.

They jointly vouched for the innocence of their biological father.

As witnesses, they denied the fact that the hunter's wife had been beaten and forced. With the help of other villagers, they even said that their birth mother had amnesia and had wandered there before being taken in by their birth father. They also claimed that they were a legitimate married couple and not someone who had been sold.

They also enjoyed a period of loving happiness after their marriage.

How could a man and a woman who don't love each other have children? How could a woman who doesn't love her husband be willing to have so many children for him? The lawsuit also suspects the hunter of making false accusations, but since the woman is mentally impaired, who can prove the hunter's story?

They can't just let the hunters arrange things as they please.

Compared to the hunter, his words, as the woman's biological son, were clearly more powerful.

We hope that Shen Jun will be acquitted and his father released.

And restore his reputation.

The minor official trembled when he saw the petition.

He could already foresee how dark Shen Jun's face would be.

Sure enough, Shen Jun's face looked like it had been scraped with seven or eight layers of soot from the bottom of a pot and mixed with putty; it was frighteningly gloomy.

The minor official was so frightened that his heart couldn't take it.

Gu Chi: "This is really like turning on the bathroom light..."

The minor official asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Gu Chi said, "Looking for death."

My lord's witty remarks are always so interesting.

The minor official was completely confused.

When Gu Chi arrived, he could hear Shen Tang's angry outburst of trash talk from a considerable distance.

"My lord, Gu Chi requests an audience."

Shen Tang's voice came from inside the room: "Come in."

Shen Tang was still furious. Gu Chi looked at her hair, which was almost standing on end from her anger, and comforted her, "My lord, there's no need to get angry and upset over such a petty person. It's really not worth it."

"It's less about being angry and more about feeling heartbroken."

Gu Chi agreed: "After all, there are very few people like Miss Yu Zi who are so clear-headed and have such a strong sense of right and wrong."

Their original families were like a stinking, filthy ditch. How many of them could grow up absorbing such nutrients and truly remain untainted by the mud?

Gu Chi smiled faintly and said, "Isn't there a saying that goes, 'Like begets like,' while the son of a rat will dig a hole in the ground? This saying is not absolute, but it has some truth to it. It is certainly gratifying to have someone like Yu Zi. If not, there is no need to be disheartened."

Shen Jun's emotions are very precious.

Those unruly people don't deserve it.

Shen Tang adjusted her mindset slightly.

Then Gu Chi asked, "What does the lord intend to do?"

Given Shen Tang's current influence in Fugu City, she could easily rule the city without having to worry about those two troublemakers. However, this sets a bad example. Once this precedent is set, it's hard to guarantee that others won't follow suit and disregard the law.

As I said before—

Those unruly people don't deserve it.

Shen Tang frowned: "I need to bring Ji Shou over to discuss this. I won't feel at ease until those people are dealt with properly. If I'm not at ease, their ancestral graves won't rest in peace!"

Say the harshest things with the most harmless expression.

Gu Chi: "Yes."

This matter is very easy to resolve.

As a "lawless outlaw" who was well-versed in the loopholes in the laws of the Geng and Xin states and who roamed freely in those loopholes, Kang Shi's brief guidance enlightened Shen Tang. The coldness on his face melted away like ice and snow, and he let out a malicious "hehe" laugh.

It is impossible to be innocent.

The woman and her two subsequent buyers were either registered under the name of another woman, or their relationship was never formalized. In other words, their marital relationship was invalid, and they could be prosecuted for adultery. Even if the two buyers denied ever touching the woman in court, it didn't matter that they were husband and wife in name only. What about their children?

How can a man and a woman have a child without conjugal relations?

There's no need to even bother with the child's complaint.

but--

It is commendable that you are showing filial piety. According to the laws of Xin Kingdom, filial sons and daughters can share the punishment for their elderly parents.

Shen Tang exclaimed in surprise, "There are such bizarre people?"

Kang Shi said, "Yes."

Assuming both are subject to the Five Punishments, each would bear half of the punishment. Although their bodies would be disabled, their lives would be saved.

It wouldn't be unacceptable for a "filial son" to die in someone else's place.

His father had to wear mourning clothes for his "filial son" and was unhappy for three years.

The preceding sentence is shameless.

The following sentence is a fig leaf.

Upon hearing this, Shen Tang remained silent for a long while.

"Goodness, this is like a resurrection armor being born."

Kang Shi didn't understand what "resurrection armor" was, but he could roughly figure out its meaning from the context. He said helplessly, "This is something that the powerful and wealthy in Xin Kingdom use to avoid danger, and it's also a microcosm of the chaotic governance of Xin Kingdom..."

You only have one life.

But I'm not just having one child.

The entire society, from the legitimate sons and daughters to the illegitimate sons and daughters, and even in the later stages of the Xin Kingdom's impending demise, there were those who were temporarily adopted to force others to die in their place. The entire society was rotten and stinking. This was the rule that Kang Shi disliked the most; he would frown and spit on it whenever he saw it.

However, Kangshi did not expect it to come in handy.

Of course, Shen Tang didn't use it. It wasn't worth setting such a bad precedent just to deal with a few ungrateful brats she disliked. If Shen Tang used it, it would be tantamount to personally acknowledging its "legitimacy" under her rule, with endless consequences.

Shen Tang's mood improved only after this unpleasant incident was over, and with the "First Fugu City New Year Games" about to open, her attention was drawn to it.

Pay attention to the preparations for the sports meet.

It was called a venue, but it was really just a fenced-off area.

They didn't put in much effort at all.

However, they put a lot of effort into the small market near the venue.

However, Shen Tang has not seen it with his own eyes yet.

That day, through sheer hard work, she finished her work an hour ahead of schedule. Rubbing her aching neck and wrists, she strolled into the street. No one knew that this bright young man, who had quietly blended into the crowd, was none other than the Prefect of Heyin.

It gets dark earlier in winter.

It's only this early, but it's already getting dark.

Lanterns were hung at the makeshift market.

Neat and uniform, with the character "沉" (chen, meaning sink) pasted on the lanterns.

Shen Tang was slightly taken aback.

She was constantly overwhelmed by official duties, so busy that she lost track of time and rarely went out to stroll around – Fugu City was short of supplies and there was really nothing to see.

But she didn't expect that the small market was "rich" enough to hang lanterns. Although there weren't many and they weren't very bright, compared to the pitch-black Fugu City at night, the light emitted by these lanterns was like fireflies in the darkness.

The sky above was filled with a vast array of stars.

The floating city on the ground...

Sooner or later, the lights will be on all night, and the night will be as bright as day.

It became a dazzling pearl on the ground after nightfall.

Suddenly, an indescribable sense of accomplishment welled up in my heart.

Night markets, common elsewhere, are quite rare in Fugu City. Shen Tang saw the bustling crowds at the small market and a relieved smile played on her lips. Approaching closer, she noticed many people converging on a certain spot, and her curiosity piqued, she squeezed in.

Just casually taking pictures of the ordinary people around me.

"Fellow villagers, what are you looking at?"

The commoner who was patted on the shoulder only glanced at her briefly.

The surrounding light was dim, and Shen Tang was wearing a white nine-tailed fox mask with red patterns that he had bought on the street. The common people did not recognize that this young man was Shen Jun, the prefect whom all the common people of Fugu City respected.

He simply replied, "To watch wrestling."

Shen Tang: "Wrestling?"

"Yes, they're in the middle of a competition."

Shen Tang muttered to himself.

"Hasn't the sports meet started yet?"

It started before it even began.

But who doesn't want to get good results?

Not only can you win the mysterious prize awarded by Shen Jun, but you can also show your face in front of Shen Jun, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

Practicing beforehand also allows you to test your opponent's skills.

The venues were all outdoors, and a group of burly men, either shirtless and wrestling, or brandishing knives and guns, were showing off their skills. Of course, the common people came to join in the fun.

A feast for the eyes.

(End of this chapter)