Chapter 107 Husband
Unfortunately, Jiang Ru and her group were officially government officials on this trip, especially since the prefect of Tanzhou was sitting next to her.
The disaster victims have now been united, and they surround their carriages at the first sign of trouble. If their identities are exposed now, they will likely be thrown into prison by the disaster victims.
The subordinate who had just been questioning them had retreated to the front of the carriage, brandishing his sword in an attempt to intimidate the disaster victims. However, the number of people on the other side was simply too large, and if a fight broke out, Jiang Ru and her group might not necessarily gain the upper hand.
The atmosphere became tense, but Jiang Ru wasn't afraid at all because Pei Wu was beside her.
At this moment, Pei Wu glanced at Jiang Ru and said softly, "Sit still and don't come out."
Jiang Ru nodded, and Pei Wu then lifted the curtain and stepped down from the carriage.
The leader sneered upon seeing this. He judged Pei Wu's scholarly appearance to be of little martial skill, and believed that they would win if a fight broke out.
His subordinate tried to stop him, but Pei Wu shook his head and walked past him to the leader.
Pei Wu said, "We only came to deliver grain after hearing that Hongzhou was hit by a disaster. We have no connection with the prefect. As members of the Taiping Army, we cannot imprison even the civilians who deliver grain. What difference would that make us from the government of the Great Xia?"
Jiang Ru, inside the carriage, gasped. If Pei Wu's words got out, she would be in serious trouble.
The man frowned. He stepped forward and lifted the cargo behind the carriages. Indeed, every carriage was filled with grain.
Perhaps realizing his misunderstanding, the man's attitude softened: "Since you've come to deliver grain, what do you need the prefect for?"
Pei Wu said helplessly, "The imperial court does not allow the distribution of porridge privately, so we can only do it through the government. Naturally, we must first find the prefect."
After saying this, the man finally showed signs of softening, and then sneered: "Then you've come to the wrong person. Your grain is all handed over to the prefect, and he would rather let the rats gnaw on it in the government office than distribute a single bit to the people."
Pei Wu asked in surprise, "Then our grain..."
When local officials distribute the spoils, some dare not disobey orders when disaster strikes, which allows the situation to escalate, while others pocket the spoils and refuse to share them with the disaster victims.
Clearly, the prefect of Hongzhou was the latter.
The imperial court has been waging war since last year. The army needs food, and taxes in various places are constantly rising. As a result, most of the grain that people have at home has been handed over to the government. However, the government takes more and more from each level of the government, so the people can only tighten their belts. Where is there any grain left at home?
Therefore, when disaster strikes, the people are completely unable to cope, and the disaster spreads and the number of deaths increases.
With the imperial court indifferent and the prefect of Hongzhou inactive, a peasant uprising was to be expected.
After a peasant uprising, it often means that a change of dynasty is very likely.
This has always been the case throughout history.
This man was probably a minor leader; at least the disaster victims listened to him. Seeing that Pei Wu and the others were truly sincere, the man hesitated for a moment, waved for the disaster victims to disperse, and then said, "Since you are kind people who have come to deliver grain, then we should naturally make arrangements for you distinguished guests. Please follow me."
He waved his hand, and his subordinates immediately stepped forward. He said, "Take these distinguished guests to Xilai Restaurant."
Upon receiving the order, the subordinates quickly led Pei Wu and his entourage to the Xilai Restaurant they had mentioned. The grain carts followed the lead carts and left the government office. The disaster victims lined up again to wait for the distribution of grain.
The Xilai Restaurant was not far from the government office, and soon their carriage stopped outside the restaurant.
The restaurant had already been captured by the Taiping Army. When they entered, the waiter greeted them with a smile and assigned them rooms.
After walking all the way to their room, Jiang Ru finally breathed a sigh of relief. She asked furtively, "Can I speak now?"
Fearing that others might overhear, she kept quiet the whole way.
Pei Wu nodded, and Jiang Ru patted her chest in relief, "If they really are rebelling, what should we do?"
The fact that Pei Wu didn't reveal his identity just now indicates that they are hostile to the government officials, and it's very likely that they will be in danger if they stay in Hongzhou.
Especially since they were carrying so much grain, they were in danger of being killed. It would be a truly undeserved disaster.
Pei Wu shook his head: "Wait until we see the leader of the rebel army."
This was Jiang Ru's first time seeing the rebel army. At first, she was actually quite excited. It would be a good thing to cause trouble for the emperor, but an uprising meant another war, and the Great Xia would also fall into internal strife. No one would benefit from it.
Now that they have entered Hongzhou, which has been occupied by the rebel army, it means that Hongzhou is now governed by local "emperors". At first, there may have been no rules, and everything was done according to their orders, which could easily lead to chaos.
They absolutely cannot reveal their identities now, otherwise they might all be thrown into jail together.
Jiang Ru nudged Pei Wu: "What will happen to Hongzhou after we leave?"
The rebel army could not possibly occupy only Hongzhou; it was bound to expand outwards. The imperial court could not allow it to continue, so it naturally had to send troops to suppress it. As an official of the Great Xia, should Pei Wu stand idly by or submit a memorial to the imperial court?
Pei Wu was naturally aware of this as well, and simply said, "It can't be kept secret for long. Although the prefect of Hongzhou has been arrested, as long as the rebel army gains momentum, the news will eventually reach Bianjing."
Jiang Ru asked with some concern, "You've been to Hongzhou before, will that affect you?"
Pei Wu shook his head: "I haven't revealed my identity, so it won't affect me. Since we're here to deliver grain, we should actually deliver it. After we meet the leader of the rebel army, we'll return to Tanzhou."
Staying in Hongzhou for too long is not a good thing. However, if the original plan had been followed and Hongzhou was still under the jurisdiction of the prefect, then handing over their grain to the disaster victims would have been no big deal. But given the current situation, if the grain were handed over to the rebel army, Pei Wu might very well be labeled a rebel.
Moreover, even if the rebels rule, it is not necessarily a good thing. It is not difficult to start a rebellion, but it is difficult to actually sit in that position. This process will be very long.
Although Jiang Ru also disliked the emperor, if she were to rebel or be labeled as a rebel, she would be forced into a corner, and one wrong step would mean death.
Jiang Ru's worries were not unfounded. Pei Wu comforted her, "Don't be afraid, nothing will happen."
Pei Wu said there would be no problem, which made Jiang Ru feel somewhat relieved. At least for now, the rebels did not seem to have any ill intentions towards them, and as long as their identities were not exposed, they would be fine.
While staying at the restaurant until evening, someone came to invite him, saying that "King Taiping" wanted to see Pei Wu and Pei Wu's wife.
Jiang Ru was a little nervous, holding Pei Wu's hand tightly. The two got into the carriage that was going to the government office. Soon, the carriage stopped outside the government office, and a servant led them inside.
The layout of the Hongzhou government office was similar to that of Tanzhou. The two entered the main hall, where several servants were already waiting. Jiang Ru and Pei Wu sat below and waited for about a quarter of an hour before the Prince of Taiping finally arrived.
When Jiang Ru first met the local tyrant, she stole a glance. This King Taiping was extremely strong, even taller than Pei Wu, and probably at least twice the size of Pei Wu. Stepping into the house felt like entering a mountain, and even the light in front of her became much dimmer.
Resembling a giant ape in human form, Jiang Ru roughly understood why he was the king. Based on his physique, he could probably kill several people with a single punch, making him very intimidating.
The King of Taiping entered the house and burst into hearty laughter: "Today I heard from the King of the West that brothers from Tanzhou have sent grain to Hongzhou. We have suffered from disaster for a year and have received little support. This is truly a timely help."
The two stood up, and Prince Taiping approached, patting Pei Wu twice very hard. Jiang Ru was so angry that she felt he was trying to intimidate her.
Especially after Pei Wu was swayed twice from being slapped, she felt even more that Prince Taiping was a boorish man and didn't have a good impression of him.
Pei Wu humbly replied, "The grain was all collected by kind-hearted people in Tanzhou; I was just a grain transporter."
Not knowing the other party's background, Pei Wu naturally couldn't say too much, but the Taiping King didn't care what he said and kept saying, "Our Taiping Army has already occupied Hongzhou. I heard that Xinzhou has also been affected by the disaster. In a few days, we will take Xinzhou, and the south will be our Taiping Army's territory."
The Taiping King continued, "The Great Xia is already at its last gasp. I see that you are also an ambitious person. Why don't you join our Taiping Army? I will appoint you as the Eastern King."
Jiang Ru pursed her lips. At first, she was somewhat wary of this Prince Taiping, but now she found it amusing.
Not only did the King of Taiping paint a grand and enticing picture, but he also used his ability to get something for nothing to his advantage extremely well.
The grain that Pei Wu brought this time will last for a while. After all, the Prince of Taiping is a king, so he cannot directly accept Pei Wu's aid. Instead, he changed the concept and made Pei Wu a king. In that case, the grain that Pei Wu brought can be regarded as tribute, and he will accept it without hesitation.
Pei Wu politely declined, saying, "I am just a scholar; how could I possibly be fit for such a great responsibility? I would be better off returning to Tanzhou to be a teacher."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and coughed a few times, as if the blows from the Prince of Taiping had caused him internal injuries.
The Prince of Taiping scrutinized his face and saw that he was coughing so hard that his face had turned pale, as if he was about to cough himself to death at any moment. He also curled his lips in disgust.
Only Jiang Ru, who was right next to Pei Wu, knew that Pei Wu was just pretending!
Jiang Ru had felt sorry for him when he was slapped twice by Prince Taiping, but now that she thought about it, Pei Wu wasn't that weak. She was just worried and confused, thinking that Pei Wu was really shaken by the slaps. Who told Prince Taiping to be so pretentious?
Pei Wu was a martial artist, though it wasn't very obvious when he was dressed. But Jiang Ru knew that even if Pei Wu fought this big guy, he might not necessarily lose.
Seeing that he had been coughing for so long, the King of Taiping calmed down a bit, but he was still unwilling to give up, so he said, "Since you are a scholar, why don't you become my strategist? Our Taiping Army is in dire need of scholars."
Judging from his tone, he was determined to recruit Pei Wu into his ranks.
Upon hearing this, Pei Wu looked troubled: "I am grateful for Your Majesty's kindness, but my parents are waiting for us to return home. They are getting old and cannot be left alone."
Pei Wu rarely lied openly, though it was unclear where he learned it from, but even this reason couldn't dissuade Prince Taiping. He frowned: "Are you truly unwilling?"
Seeing that things were not going well, Jiang Ru quickly grabbed Pei Wu's sleeve, tears immediately welling up in her eyes. She pulled Pei Wu's hand and made him place it on her belly, then cried out, "Husband, you must consider the child in my belly. It's only three months old. It can't be without a father."
She cried more and more dramatically, tears and snot streaming down her face, burying herself in Pei Wu's arms to hide her emotions. She looked utterly pitiful. Pei Wu's hand rested on Jiang Ru's lower abdomen. He hadn't expected her to act so impulsively. His expression froze for a moment, and he spoke with difficulty, "Madam..."
Jiang Ru clung to him, throwing a tantrum: "I don't care, you're not allowed to leave! If you leave, I'll go find my lover, I'll make my child recognize someone else as his father! Go ahead, I won't stop you."
Pei Wu's expression finally cracked slightly, and he frowned: "No..."
At this moment, Jiang Ru turned around with a pitiful look on her face. King Taiping was stunned, and his already dark face became even darker. Jiang Ru's cheeks were red from crying, her nose was pink, and she looked at King Taiping expectantly with her almond-shaped eyes: "Your Majesty, do you think that with my looks, I should be able to find a husband who is willing to take me and my child in?"
Prince Taiping carefully examined Jiang Ru's face, then hesitated before saying, "Indeed..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Wu looked at him apologetically and said, "My wife is always like this, Your Majesty, please don't hold it against her."
At times like this, throwing a tantrum is the most effective tactic, especially since the Prince of Taiping is clearly a burly and rough man, and is most vulnerable to this.
Jiang Ru apologized to Pei Wu in her heart, then grabbed his ear and reached out to pull his hair, puffing out her cheeks angrily: "What have I ever done? Are you going to call me a shrew again? Let me tell you, the suitors who proposed to me before could line up all the way to Tanzhou. I only married you because you said you could pass the imperial examination. Now you're complaining about me. Do you think you're so great? You've been trying to pass the provincial examination for so many years and still haven't passed. Your family is starving, and you still want to use all your money to help others. I don't care, you're coming back to Tanzhou with me right now."
Jiang Ru couldn't even remember what lies she had told. She had pulled Pei Wu's hair ornament askew and even stood on tiptoe to hit him. Prince Taiping didn't know whether to stop her or not, and stood there awkwardly.
It was only when the guards standing outside the door stepped forward that Jiang Ru was pulled away.
As a result, Jiang Ru was pulled away, and she started crying again. She shook off the guard who touched her, as if she had suffered a great injustice: "Husband, if another man touches me, won't you despise me?"
Completely out of the loop, Pei Wu was disheveled, his hair ornament askew and a few strands of hair falling down. Suddenly, Jiang Ru hugged him, and he subconsciously replied, "No."
Jiang Ru continued to hug Pei Wu tightly: "I knew my husband was the best to me."
They seemed to disregard the Prince of Taiping. The Prince of Taiping wanted to keep them for two reasons: first, he genuinely valued Pei Wu's status as a scholar; second, Pei Wu's ability to gather so much grain indicated his competence, and he was eager to recruit him.
Moreover, Pei Wu was able to bring so many people to Hongzhou, so his family might be wealthy. Even if they weren't, if he had connections with the imperial court, it would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.
Now that Jiang Ru has made such a fuss, he also feels annoyed, but he still wants to test the waters, so he said, "If you don't want to join, I won't force you. Didn't you say you came to see the prefect? I'll take you there to see him."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ru asked in a low voice, "Isn't the prefect in jail?"
Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, which suited her current persona perfectly—she seemed to have nothing on her mind and was oblivious to the situation. Just as Pei Wu was about to speak, the Prince of Taiping nodded and said, "That's right, the prefect of Hongzhou has already been imprisoned by us."
Jiang Ru clutched her lower abdomen: "But going to the prison, won't it scare the baby in my belly? The prison is so gloomy."
The King of Taiping said impatiently, "Then I'll just ask your husband to go."
Jiang Ru immediately hugged Pei Wu's arm tightly: "No, I want to be with my husband at all times."
Prince Taiping couldn't help but roll his eyes. Although he loved beautiful women, he hated brainless and delicate women the most. He didn't know how Pei Wu could stand it.
The Prince of Taiping walked in front, followed by a large group of subordinates. As a king, he always had some martial arts experts by his side. Pei Wu and Jiang Ru, one a weak scholar and the other a weak woman, posed no threat, so he only brought two subordinates with him.
The prison was in the backyard of the government office, quite a distance away. The Hongzhou government office was rather large, and torches illuminated the way. Jiang Ru, clinging to Pei Wu's arm, chattered excitedly, "Husband, what's that?"
"My husband, when we're in jail and I'm scared, you must hold me tight."
"My husband..."
She kept nagging about how Prince Taiping's head was throbbing. She turned around and glared at Jiang Ru, who immediately hugged Pei Wu tightly: "Husband, I'm scared."
Pei Wu naturally tried to coax him, and thankfully, after nagging him all the way, they finally arrived at the state prison.
The prison conditions were naturally poor. The iron gate was opened by the guards, and Jiang Ru nervously held Pei Wu in her arms. The two were surrounded by several guards, listening to the dripping water in the prison. The prison was particularly cold and damp. Jiang Ru muttered, "It's so cold."
Pei Wu held her hand: "You won't be cold anymore soon."
Prince Taiping couldn't help but roll his eyes again. He originally thought that Jiang Ru was just a shrew and that Pei Wu was being suppressed by her, but now it seemed that it was clear that one was willing to hit and the other was willing to be hit.
Both cells were full of people, but none of them were prisoners; they were all constables and officials from Hongzhou.
If you go all the way in, there is a man in official robes who should be the prefect of Hongzhou.
Upon seeing the King of Taiping, he looked humiliated, but quickly ran forward and said obsequiously, "Your Majesty, I am willing to follow Your Majesty's lead, I only beg Your Majesty to spare my life."
Jiang Ru never expected that the prefect of Hongzhou would be so spineless, surrendering to the rebels so quickly.
The Prince of Taiping sneered: "Have you forgotten how arrogant you were before? You didn't look down on me, but now I am the King of Hongzhou. You are not even worthy to carry my shoes."
If it were an extreme case of chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur), Jiang Ru pursed her lips and suppressed her smile, taking advantage of the darkness.
At this moment, Jiang Ru leaned against Pei Wu, her voice particularly clear in the empty cell. She covered her nose, making no attempt to hide her disgust: "It stinks, husband, do you think he doesn't take a bath?"
They're already locked up in jail, how could they possibly take a shower?
This utterly mindless remark delighted the Prince of Taiping. He laughed heartily and pointed at the prefect in the prison cell: "You corrupt official, you've finally met your match!"
The prefect in the prison cell had a stiff expression. He sniffed himself and found that he indeed had a sour smell, which made him feel humiliated.
He glared at Jiang Ru, who then buried herself in Pei Wu's arms, pretending she hadn't said those words.
After saying something infuriating, Jiang Ru and Pei Wu, like lackeys of a villain, started flirting and bantering as if no one else was around.
The Prince of Taiping originally intended to have Pei Wu come and see for himself. If he were truly involved with the court, he would not be able to remain unmoved by the prefect in prison. However, judging from the current situation, they seem to care nothing about the prefect's life or death.
The Prince of Taiping still had doubts, so he raised his hand and said, "Use torture."
The guard immediately pointed to the row of instruments of torture: "Your Majesty, what torture will you use?"
The Prince of Taiping looked at Pei Wu and said, "You speak."
There were so many instruments of torture in that row, and the objects were stained with dark red blood. Pei Wu glanced at them one by one, then lowered his eyes and said, "It is entirely up to Your Majesty to decide."
The Prince of Taiping pointed at Jiang Ru and said, "You speak."
Jiang Ru nestled into Pei Wu's arms: "The child in my belly can't stand the sight of blood."
Given the current situation, whether they choose or not, it's easy for the Taiping King to become suspicious. The Taiping King emphasized again: "Choose!"
The voice was somewhat fierce. Jiang Ru, who was crying, trembled when she heard the voice and, as if she was so scared that she had no choice, randomly pointed to one: "That one."
After saying that, she continued to cry and said to Pei Wu, "Husband, won't it be bad if our child sees blood?"
She's really putting on a show today, even though it's to fit the scene. Pei Wu said, "No."
The guards over there had already obtained the whip that Jiang Ru had casually pointed at, and the prefect in the prison cell began to curse loudly. Of course, he didn't dare to curse the Prince of Taiping, so he only cursed Jiang Ru.
Jiang Ru initially felt indignant on her behalf, but upon hearing the sound of the whip, she began to cry to Pei Wu, saying how scared she was.
Prince Taiping stared at their expressions. The two were afraid when facing the prefect's punishment, but this was a normal reaction. It was perfectly normal for a scholar and his delicate wife to react this way.
The prefect in the prison cell, in pain, began to beg for mercy again. He had become prefect in his forties and was a master of flattery, so naturally he had no backbone.
His health was already poor, and he fainted shortly after being beaten. Only then did the Prince of Taiping signal the guards to stop.
Originally, the plan was to win Pei Wu over, but now that Pei Wu had refused and given him such a good show, Prince Taiping lost interest and simply asked, "Do you think he deserved to be beaten?"
Pei Wu then said, "Officials who prey on the people should naturally be punished."
These words pleased the Prince of Taiping, but he still hadn't given up on the idea: "Do you really not want to join?"
Just as Jiang Ru was about to interject, she was met with a sidelong glance from the Prince of Taiping. That glance was extremely intimidating; after all, he was a martial artist, and his eyes were fierce. Jiang Ru was so frightened that she dared not speak again.
Pei Wu then said, "As Your Majesty knows, I have two elderly parents at home, and my wife is really demanding. I am truly willing but unable to help."
He refused repeatedly, and the Prince of Taiping was dissatisfied: "If you don't join, I'll take all this grain from you for nothing. I'm bound to be obligated to take your money."
Pei Wu pondered for a moment and said, "I am deeply grateful for the Prince of Taiping's high regard. Could you please reserve a place for me? If I ever go hungry in the future, I can come back to seek refuge with you."
This time it was Pei Wu's turn to make empty promises to the King of Taiping. However, such a reaction is normal, since scholars are always afraid of fighting and killing, and they rarely choose to rebel unless they are forced into a desperate situation.
The Taiping King concluded, "I will give you a token. If you come to join us, the Taiping army will accept you."
In this way, it wasn't like Pei Wu was giving away grain for nothing, and both sides were satisfied. Pei Wu quickly expressed his gratitude.
Prince Taiping lost interest in that idea, and Jiang Ru behind him was throwing a tantrum, saying that Pei Wu didn't want her and the child to do this or that, while Pei Wu skillfully coaxed her.
The King of Taiping felt his head ache even more.
After finally seeing Jiang Ru and Pei Wu off, Jiang Ru got into the carriage, feeling refreshed. She climbed onto Pei Wu, and worried that someone might overhear her, so she quietly leaned close to Pei Wu's ear and whispered, "My husband's acting is superb."
Pei Wu wanted to say something, but he kept quiet.
Only after the two returned to the restaurant and were no longer guarded did Pei Wu respond to Jiang Ru's earlier words. After a long deliberation, he said, "I had no idea that you were pregnant with my child."
Jiang Ru's expression froze. She had gotten so into her performance that she had even grabbed Pei Wu's ear and pulled his hair, and now Pei Wu was coming to question her about it.
Jiang Ru took a small step back: "If I say it's there, then it's there."
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Author's Note: The place name has been changed.
It's not about not opposing, but about opposing in a rhythmic, planned, and strategic way.
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