Chapter 101 Taowu Village
In the 19th year of Yongchang, eunuchs came to power and the strength of the Zhou Dynasty declined.
The nobles in the capital were living a life of drunkenness and debauchery, the borders were repeatedly invaded and the people were living in misery.
Anping Town borders the territory of the northern Hu people, and relies on the Changwei Army stationed thirty kilometers away to barely coexist peacefully with the Hu people.
Go out of the southwest gate of Anping Town and walk westward. In about an incense stick of time, you will arrive at Taowu Village.
Taowu Village has a flat terrain and is surrounded by nearby villages. It is also the only way to Anping Town, so the whole route is quite busy.
Three young women hurried towards Taowu Village.
The woman walking in the center had her black hair tied up into fairy-like buns, adorned with a clear jade hairpin. She wore a light green brocade skirt and had skin as white as cream. One could tell at a glance that she was from an extraordinary family.
It's just that she was walking hurriedly, holding up her skirt, without any of the reserved manners of a lady from a noble family.
The other two were both wearing cloth skirts. Although the material was inferior to hers, they were also spotless. They also wore silver bracelets on their slender wrists, which showed that they had some family wealth.
The three men were all relatively young, and they were in a rush along the way. One of them really couldn't keep up, so he held his waist and panted, "Wan, Wanyue, slow down, we will definitely seek justice for you today. It's still early, no rush, no rush, the sun is still overhead!"
Qin Wanyue paused reluctantly after hearing this, but the sun was too hot, and she became even angrier the more she thought about it, "She is really going too far! How dare someone in Anping Town bully me!"
"That's what I mean," Xiao Liu echoed, "If the county magistrate finds out about anyone who is so blind as to cause trouble for Wan Yue, he will definitely beat her to pieces and exile her to the frontier!"
Xiao Tao nodded heavily, "We must punish her! Send her to the border... Isn't Anping County already at the border?"
Xiaoliu: "..."
She coughed lightly to hide her embarrassment. "Anyway, we can't let her go. Wanyue, tell me who bullied you?"
Qin Wanyue pursed her lips and looked unhappy. "Who else could it be? It's that coroner! He hasn't even got the approval from the government yet. He's not even a proper coroner, yet he went to the academy to flirt with Mr. Chu!"
The Chu Feng mentioned by Qin Wanyue is a famous scholar in Anping County, who is well-known for his knowledge and talent.
Unfortunately, he was born at the wrong time. The court was controlled by the eunuch Zhao Mingde. The imperial examination was no longer a way for ordinary people to become officials. The so-called official positions were all exchanged for silver, and the same was true for the top three places in the imperial examination.
Chu Feng took part in several imperial examinations but failed to pass any of them. He had no choice but to return to Anping County and teach in the county's academy to earn some money to support his family.
It is also because he has been studying hard all these years that he has not been able to get married.
Qin Wanyue is the daughter of a county magistrate. Because Chu Feng has some knowledge, the magistrate specially invites Chu Feng to his home to teach Qin Wanyue's younger brother how to read and write. Qin Wanyue has always been in love with him.
Yesterday, Qin Wanyue went to the academy to look for Chu Feng and happened to see Su Yan and Chu Feng behaving intimately. Even the dean of the academy said that Chu Feng seemed to be fond of the young coroner.
Although Qin Wanyue did not recognize Su Yan, she knew Su Yan because she was the first woman to be a coroner in Anping County and her father was the county magistrate.
She was the daughter of the county magistrate after all. How could she swallow this when the man she liked was snatched away by a coroner?
Qin Wanyue became angrier and angrier as she thought about it, so she dragged her little sisters, who she usually played with, to go and settle the score with Su Yan.
While Qin Wanyue was still cursing Su Yan in her heart, the faces of the sisters over there had changed.
Xiao Liu grabbed the corner of his clothes and stepped back, "Su Yan? Is that the coroner? Yueyue, how about we think about it again..."
Xiao Tao also nodded her head with great effort, "Yes, yes, yes, we don't need to bother with her."
Qin Wanyue looked at the two of them suspiciously, "Why do I feel like you two are afraid of her? She's just a coroner. You're afraid of her, but I'm not!"
Xiao Liu's expression was even more strange. "This has nothing to do with what she does for a living... and Mr. Chu has nothing to do with us. Yueyue, could it be that you like him?"
Qin Wanyue's face turned red, and she clutched her handkerchief shyly, saying angrily: "I, I'm not, I just think Mr. Chu is a good man and talented, and I don't want him to have his future ruined by a vixen!"
Xiao Tao didn't believe it. "If you don't like it, why did you come all the way to Taowu Village? And Su Yan is a coroner..."
"I'm doing this for justice! Besides, what's there to be afraid of as a coroner?" Qin Wanyue straightened her back. "If you're afraid, I'll go by myself!"
After she finished speaking, Qin Wanyue touched her blushing face, lifted her skirt and strode forward.
In fact, she had already expressed her feelings for Chu Feng to her parents a long time ago, but she was a girl after all, and she was shy and embarrassed to admit it.
Xiao Liu and Xiao Tao looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.
Then, Su Yan's face appeared in their minds. They all looked frightened, but forced themselves to remain calm and smiled at each other. They could only follow Qin Wanyue's pace.
The further he walked, the deeper his sighs became.
Although Taowu Village is just outside Anping Town, it has developed quite well because it is sandwiched between several villages. The houses are all two-story and there are several vendors squatting on the main road of the village.
Su Yan walked into the village carrying a toolbox.
Before Su Yan came to the Great Zhou Dynasty, she was a forensic doctor who had just worked for two years and carried an investigation box on her back.
But now she is a coroner, and what she carries is just a broken wooden box.
Although the box was not exquisite, it contained everything you need. Not only was there a complete set of tools that Su Yan had polished for him himself, but there were also odor-removing items such as garlic and ginger.
Due to limited technology, the tools are naturally not as good as those of later generations, but they can still be used for autopsies.
The tattered curtains of the tea stall at the entrance of the village swayed in the wind, but the tea stall's business was good.
Su Yan saw a few familiar faces and was about to greet them, but they all turned their heads away.
Su Yan pursed his lips, he was used to it.
When she talked to her neighbors alone, they were quite enthusiastic, but once they were in a group, no one wanted to talk to her.
Su Yan was sad about this for a long time in the early years, but now he no longer thinks about it.
When she came here, the original owner was still a baby. She had lived in the Great Zhou Dynasty for more than ten years and had become accustomed to the pace of life here.
Su Yan's mood was not affected at all. She returned home carrying the wooden box.
The old Su family not only has a spacious yard, but the house is also renovated very elegantly.
When Su Yan's father Su Mao was still alive, he opened a clinic at home. His medical skills were famous far and wide. Doctors in the town would recommend Su Mao to their patients when they encountered difficult and complicated diseases that they could not cure.
Su Yan is lucky and has never been short of money.
Su Mao is a funny and humorous person. He gets along with Su Yan like a close friend, but occasionally he will sit under the big tree in the yard and daydream.
Su Yan thought that his father must be worried about his mother's illness.
Su Yan lived with her mother for more than ten years, but she didn't understand her at all. According to the understanding of later generations, her mother was a vegetable.
Although he occasionally responded, Su Yan had never communicated with her. She and Su Mao depended on each other until the disaster a few years ago when both her parents died.
Su Yan looked at the familiar courtyard and tightly grasped the bag in the wooden box.
Although she came from a different time, she had lived with her parents for so many years that she had already regarded them as her real family.
A few years ago, a group of men in black broke into her home and her parents died in unclear circumstances. She was determined to avenge them.
Thinking of this, Su Yan threw the wooden box on the stone table in the yard, took out the account book from her arms, and calculated how long the silver on hand could support her.
Just as the account book was taken out, a noisy voice suddenly came from outside the fence, "This is it, the Su family's house is the best in Taowu Village, yes, it's here."
Three young women came over aggressively.
There are two families diagonally opposite the Su family. Their houses are much smaller than the Su family's, and the front doors of the two families are next to each other.
Aunt Sun and Aunt Zhao had just returned from washing clothes at the river, carrying a wash bucket in one hand and a mallet in the other.
Seeing that Qin Wanyue's clothes were not like those of ordinary people, he became curious and asked, "You are not from our village, right?"
"I'm here to settle accounts with someone." Qin Wanyue grew up under protection, and all her unhappiness was written directly on her face. She said in a domineering manner, "You'd better call her out quickly."
Life was miserable, but Aunt Sun watched the show happily, "Oh? Who offended a pretty girl like you? Tell me, so I can give you justice."
Qin Wanyue said, "Su Yan from Taowu Village lives here, right? I heard that she is very close to Mr. Chu from Tianming Academy. I want to ask her, how can she, an unmarried girl, not care about etiquette, morality, and shame?"
Qin Wanyue's voice is not only clear, but also has a very high pitch.
Her words were so penetrating that even a few villagers walking in the distance stopped and looked over.
Qin Wanyue thought she was right.
She and Chu Feng had known each other before, and she had told her parents about her feelings, and her parents agreed. She and Chu Feng had just not married yet, but everyone knew that Chu Feng would be the son-in-law of their Qin family in the future.
Knowing this, Su Yan still had an ambiguous relationship with Chu Feng, which was really shameful.
Qin Wanyue raised her head and chest and questioned Su Yan before she even saw him. She thought she would get approval, but Aunt Sun and Aunt Zhao's faces changed drastically when they heard her words.
Especially Aunt Sun, who hugged her club tightly and said dully: "Are you here to look for Xiao Su?"
A few people who wanted to watch the fun not far away also put away their smiles.
Qin Wanyue looked at them suspiciously, wondering why they were all silent.
The reaction seems to be the same as Xiaotao and Xiaoliu?
Aunt Zhao smiled awkwardly, "If you want to find Xiao Su... just listen to my advice and go back."
Not only Xiao Tao and Xiao Liu, but now even the ladies in the village came out to stop them. Qin Wanyue's pride was aroused. "Why should I be afraid of a coroner? She behaves inappropriately. I will ask my father to drive her away to avoid losing face for our county government."
Qin Wanyue's words actually revealed her identity.
Apart from Su Yan, the coroner, there were no other women in the county government office. Qin Wanyue mentioned the county government office all the time, and anyone with a little bit of common sense could guess her identity.
The capital city is far away from the mountains and the roads are long. In a small place like Anping County, the reputation of the county magistrate is enough to scare every ordinary citizen.
But Aunt Sun and the others didn't change their minds after hearing this. They just kept persuading her, "Girl, you should go back. Don't cause trouble for Xiao Su. I'm worried about you..."
Qin Wanyue bit her lip, feeling resentful towards her grandson.
Now it’s not just Chu Feng’s problem. It’s just a small Taowu Village, but they think she is no better than a coroner?
Qin Wanyue said: "I don't want to talk to you any more. This is the Su family, right? Su Yan! Come out!"
Qin Wanyue strode towards the Su family's gate.
The wooden door was open. In the center of the courtyard stood a lush tree. Under the tree stood a stone table and a stone bench. The table was engraved with a chessboard pattern, and on the stone bench sat a young girl.
She was about sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing plain cloth clothes, and her long hair was simply tied into a bun with a red cloth strip.
The simple dress could not hide her beauty as radiant as spring flowers. She had fair skin, her clear eyes sparkled, and a faint smile hung on her cherry lips, which would make anyone who saw her feel happy.
Even Qin Wanyue felt a little fond of her kindness, but she quickly forced herself to recall Chu Feng.
Qin Wanyue walked in angrily, "Su——"
Su Yan raised his head and looked over, giving her a friendly smile.
Qin Wanyue hesitated for a moment, avoiding Su Yan's gaze, and deliberately raised her voice to express her anger, "Are you Su Yan? You look pretty, but you——"
Qin Wanyue prepared a lot of words to educate Su Yan.
She had to make Su Yan understand that Chu Feng was hers and no one else could get involved.
But Qin Wanyue couldn't even finish a sentence.
She saw Su Yan looking at her with a smile, as if he was listening to her seriously.
Su Yan's lips did not move, but she clearly heard a clear female voice -
"The jade hairpin is an old model from the year before last. Although the brocade skirt is a new model, the embroidery is sloppy, which shows that money has been tight lately."
"There is a wrong word embroidered on the purse around my waist, and I don't like to read."
"Unsteady walking, wandering eyes, weak body, lack of exercise."
"Just now, you mentioned Mr. Chu and admired him..."
Qin Wanyue: "Ah - stop talking!!"
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