Chapter 135 The Old Tales of Luchuan, A Great upheaval (…)
Within Luchuan County.
"Sir, sir, the magistrate of Fengxian County next door has come to our area!" The constable rushed in from outside, panting as he reported.
Tang Bo'an, the magistrate of Luchuan County, was drinking tea when he was startled by the sudden sound and coughed a few times before he could catch his breath.
She slammed the teacup onto the table in a huff, splashing a few drops of water.
"They're just passing through our county on their way to take up their new post, why are you making such a fuss!"
The constable was in a panic, pacing back and forth. "Oh dear, he's just passing by, sir! That Magistrate of Fengxian County used to be from our county. He's supposedly back to pay respects to his ancestors!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Bo'an slammed her hand on the table in delight and stood up excitedly. "Isn't this great news? Our Luchuan has produced a county magistrate! It's a glorious and triumphant achievement!" She danced with joy. "Quickly, go tell the instructor this good news!"
After a period of excitement, she gradually calmed down, stroking her chin and frowning in deep thought: "Doesn't this dynasty have a household registration avoidance system? I remember that at the very least, one cannot serve as an official within a prefecture. How can someone from Luchuan be an official in Fengxian?"
"Could it be...could it be that I remembered it wrong?" Tang Bo'an questioned his memory, pulled out a copy of "Da Yong Lu" from his back, and studied it carefully.
The constable hurriedly snatched the law from her hand, "My lord, my good lord, what time is it? Why are you still worrying about the law? We're in a real emergency!" He grabbed her wrist with his other hand and dragged her out.
"The county magistrate stopped the people, and a fight broke out between the two sides. You should go and take a look."
Tang Bo'an didn't have time to argue with her lack of respect and manners before he was dragged outside. "Hey! What happened to me? Why did we start fighting?"
The constable stopped and looked her around warily before quietly saying, "You only came a few years ago, so you may not know this. Back then, there was a riot in our county, and the entire family of Magistrate Fengxian was wiped out. How pitiful! However, Magistrate Gou took advantage of the chaos to seize her property and even drove her out of the county." She didn't know the specific reason, but guessed, "Perhaps Magistrate Gou saw that others were in power and was afraid of retaliation, so he decided to do whatever he wanted!"
Did Magistrate Gou give up entirely? She herself didn't even know it.
A servant came to report that his daughter had been severely beaten. Magistrate Gou had only had one precious daughter all these years, and he cherished her dearly. Upon receiving the news, he rushed over without even changing out of his official robes.
When he arrived at the scene, he saw that his daughter had been beaten black and blue, her teeth had fallen out, and she was being supported by a servant, her legs were trembling. This broke Magistrate Gou's heart.
"My darling, look what you've done to her!" Magistrate Gou tenderly cupped his daughter's face, but accidentally used too much force, causing her to howl in pain.
"My darling, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt. Mother won't touch you anymore."
Gou Yaozu cried uncontrollably, his tears streaming down his swollen face, making him look ridiculous. He pointed at Zhang Ting and his group and accused them, "You brewed wine, you bastards, you're so dirty and disgusting!" His swollen face made his speech unclear.
"What?" Magistrate Gou frowned, only clearly hearing the word 'pain', and thought that he had just bumped his daughter and hurt her. "My darling, don't cry, Mother will take you to the clinic for treatment right away."
Gou Yaozu stomped his foot. How could she let it go after being beaten like that? Pointing at Zhang Ting and her group, he said to his mother, "Damn it! They've built a den of bastards, they're all bastards!"
County Magistrate Gou asked suspiciously, "My darling, you're saying a horse hit you?" She looked around and saw several horses. She coaxed, "Let's stew that horse tonight, my darling. Let's go to the doctor. It's making your mother very worried." The people below really couldn't even tell the difference between a person and a horse.
"What horse?" Gou Yaozu was frantic. She had been hit. She frantically pointed at the carriage opposite her, shouting, "They've hit us! They've hit us!"
This time, Magistrate Gou understood. "My darling was beaten by those horses. I'll go and kill them to avenge you."
Gou Yaozu was extremely anxious. He pushed away the servant's hand and walked shakily to his mother. "Someone hit me, someone hit me." Afraid that his mother wouldn't understand, he slapped himself several times in the face and repeated, "It was a beating, someone hit me."
This distressed Magistrate Gou greatly. "Why are you hitting yourself, child? It hurts a mother's heart to see her child suffer like this."
Gou Yaozu felt his vision go black and staggered back a few steps. He wasn't knocked unconscious, but he was about to be driven crazy by his mother.
The servants of the Gou family couldn't stand it any longer and whispered in their master's ear, "Master, it was these men who beat our young lady."
County Magistrate Gou frowned. "This is outrageous! How dare they oppose my Gou family in Luchuan County!" He looked over and saw four strong women staring at them menacingly, their large knives gleaming coldly.
County Magistrate Gou's heart skipped a beat. She turned around and saw her servants trembling, holding sticks. She gritted her teeth in silent hatred: These useless cowards!
Xu Xu took a few steps back, then pulled a maid at the back of the crowd and asked, "What's going on?" He cautiously glanced into the carriage opposite, but the curtains were tightly drawn. After all this commotion, the person in charge still hadn't shown up!
The maid truthfully told her mistress, "Reporting to you, mistress, today when she went out for a stroll, she saw that the man in the carriage was handsome and made a few flirtatious remarks, and she was beaten up like this."
County Magistrate Gou nodded with satisfaction. As expected of her daughter, she had inherited her mother's fondness for women.
The maidservant glanced at her secretly and added in a low voice, "Miss is flirting with the husband of the Magistrate of Fengxian County."
County Magistrate Gou was shocked. She knew her daughter was a lecher, but she didn't know that her daughter would dare to mess with an official who was even more powerful than herself!
"So what do we do now?"
Maidservant: "..." You're asking me?
Knowing that the conflict could not be put aside for long, Magistrate Gou immediately took his daughter to the carriage to apologize.
She bowed respectfully and humbly, saying, "Your Excellency is too kind. I have failed to properly educate my daughter. Please forgive me."
Gou Yaozu stood aside yelling, his words indistinct, but he was clearly dissatisfied with his mother's submission.
The veins on Magistrate Gou's forehead throbbed. He went over and slapped her across the face, his anger flaring. "You worthless wretch, hurry up and kowtow to the County Magistrate to apologize!"
Gou Yaozu covered his face in disbelief, stared at his mother, and suddenly burst into tears.
The crying made Zhang Ting's scalp tingle, and she lifted the carriage curtain to cast a cold glance.
His eyes were so sinister they sent chills down Gou Yaozu's spine. He fell silent instantly and took a few steps back in fear.
That's the person who just beat her up so badly!
County Magistrate Gou stared at Zhang Ting, not recognizing him at all as the person she had persecuted in the past. She greeted him with a friendly smile: "May I ask your honorable surname, sir?"
Zhang Ting didn't get out of the car. He turned his gaze lazily to her, and suddenly a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. "My surname is Zhang."
Zhang? Not very familiar with him. I'll have to find out more about this new magistrate's background later.
County Magistrate Gou bowed and scraped, flattering her profusely.
He then said, "Lord Zhang, it was all a misunderstanding. My daughter has already learned her lesson. Please show her leniency and forgive her. I will definitely discipline her properly when I get home."
She was clearly smooth-talking and said, "Hehe, I'm sorry you had a fright today. I will prepare some gifts to help you calm down."
Zhang Ting rested one hand on the windowsill, revealing a meaningful smile. "No need. I'll offer incense to my late parents and then leave. You can keep your things for yourself." After saying that, she glanced at Gou Yaozu and said lightly, "If there's a next time, watch your tongue."
Let's go.
Gou Yaozu fearfully hid behind his mother, muttering incoherent curses.
"Shut up!" Magistrate Gou was annoyed by what he heard, so he slapped the unfilial brat again. "You're such a troublemaker!"
Gou Yaozu, feeling wronged, rubbed his bruised and swollen face, silently shedding tears.
Ignoring her, Magistrate Gou turned around and felt that Magistrate Zhang of Fengxian was acting strangely towards her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
She shook her head to herself, perhaps she was overthinking things, completely unaware that she was about to face a terrible disaster.
...
After getting off the carriage, you still have to walk up a small path.
Two people were left to guard the place, while the rest of the group set off carrying offerings, incense, candles, and paper money.
There was only a little grass on the original owner's parents' graves, which means that someone often came to clean them.
Zong Suyi thought that his wife had asked someone to take care of her often, and thought to himself that although she seemed cold and indifferent, she was actually a very filial person.
He ordered people to set out offerings, incense, candles, and prayer mats, and then pulled Zhang Ting to kneel and worship together.
The little girl mumbled, "Mother, Father, my wife and I have come to pay our respects today. It is truly out of necessity. I hope you two will not be angry. Your son-in-law has prepared the finest incense and candles. I hope you two will enjoy them to your heart's content."
"Now my wife has passed the imperial examination with flying colors, achieving the highest honors in all three levels of the examination, and becoming the top scholar..." Speaking of Zhang Ting's achievements and good reputation, he was so proud that he could talk about them for three days and three nights without stopping. "In short, my wife has now achieved great success, and my parents in heaven can rest in peace."
He gently lowered his head and stroked his belly, saying, "I am carrying the eldest daughter or son of the Zhang family. I will definitely bring him to pay my respects to you two elders in the future."
Zhang Ting lit incense, kowtowed, and slowly stood up. He also helped Zong Suyi up, saying, "Don't kneel for too long, be careful of the baby in your belly."
Zong Suyi stood up, her eyes sparkling with coquettishness, "What? I only knelt for a short while. Don't talk nonsense in front of Father and Mother, lest they blame you."
Zhang Ting twitched the corner of his mouth. What's there to blame when someone's already dead? It's all just for show for the living.
But she didn't say much. She told the two of them to clear away the weeds around the area again to make sure the fire was completely extinguished, and then led everyone down the mountain.
On the way back, someone called out to him, "Is that Zhang Wazi? Zhang Wazi! Zhang Wazi!"
There was only one person present with the surname 'Zhang,' so it was obvious who they were calling. Everyone looked at Zhang Ting with surprise. Her face was beautiful and dignified, like a noble lady from a wealthy family, which was completely different from the way she was called 'Zhang the Kid.' They all shook their shoulders and suppressed their laughter.
Zhang Tingwei frowned and turned around to look. It was an old woman in tattered clothes, but judging from her voice, she was quite energetic.
As the person drew closer, her true appearance became clear: her hair and eyebrows were white, and her face was wrinkled more than tree bark.
The old woman chased after him without breaking a sweat. Leaning on her wooden stick, she looked Zhang Ting up and down with her cloudy old eyes, nodding as she looked him over. "Zhang boy, is that you? I saw that people were paying respects at Zhang Qiu's grave. Who would bother to do that for someone who has no relatives or friends? It must be you."
She used to be Zhang Qiu's neighbor, and they had a good relationship. After he died, she would often help clear the weeds from his grave. Since she had no money to prepare offerings for the memorial service, she offered her labor instead.
Zhang Ting was stunned. "My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Ting. And you are?"
The old woman tapped her wooden stick, somewhat displeased. "You have such a bad memory, kid. I'm your neighbor, Aunt Wang. I even carried you around stealing peaches when you were little!" But a moment later, she smiled again. After all these years, she had finally seen an old friend.
Ten years have passed. Ten years have gone by.
Zhang Ting thought carefully and realized that the original owner did have this person and this event in her memories. She smiled and said, "I was blind, please don't be offended, Aunt. It's been years since I last saw you. You are still as strong as ever. You ran all the way without even breaking a sweat."
Aunt Wang was flattered by the praise and said with great pride, "Hey~ if I weren't strong, I would have died ten years ago." After saying that, she remembered that Zhang Ting's parents had died in the riot ten years ago, and quickly waved her hand, "Child, don't misunderstand, Auntie didn't mean anything by it."
Zhang Ting didn't take it seriously and smiled, saying, "It's nothing, so many years have passed. How is Auntie doing these days?"
"Same as always, since we've run into each other, kid, why don't you come over to my place for a bit? Let's have a good chat."
"Okay." Since it's all the way down the mountain anyway, we might as well go.
Along the way, as they passed Zhang Ting's carriage, Aunt Wang praised, "Oh, your tall horses are really handsome." She reached out and touched them enviously, "It seems your son has made it big now. Your parents can rest in peace if they know this in the afterlife!"
Turning her head, she saw a young man wearing a veil standing next to her. She immediately burst into laughter, "Kid, is this your husband? You've settled down and come to pay homage to Zhang Qiu. She must be overjoyed in the afterlife."
Zhang Ting smiled and said yes, Zong Suyi followed quietly behind her the whole time, his hand loosely clutching the hem of her clothes.
Aunt Wang's house was built at the foot of the mountain, just a few steps away. It was a small thatched hut with a table and a bed inside, and the view was dim.
As soon as Aunt Wang entered, she invited everyone to sit down. Then she went to open the windows to ventilate the room, which made it much brighter. "You have to keep the doors and windows closed when you go out during the day. It's hot outside, and even snakes and insects want to come in to escape the heat, hahaha."
This morning, she boiled water and poured it into wooden bowls for everyone. "It's spring water, which is sweeter and clearer than the well and river water in the county."
"Thank you for your hard work, Auntie," Zhang Ting said.
Zong Suyi picked up the wooden bowl, took a sip, and his eyes lit up. It was indeed sweet and delicious. He was curious about his wife's former neighbor, "Do snakes and insects really crawl into the house?"
Aunt Wang waved her hand, "Hey~ why do you think I was prepared? Of course I've encountered it before." She gestured with her hands, "That day when I came back, I opened the door and saw a long snake lying across the back of the door, which gave me quite a fright."
Zong Suyi gasped sharply. If snakes had entered his home in Luchuan County, what about Fengxian County?! In an instant, he felt as if the sky had fallen.
Zhang Ting asked, "I remember your family used to be wealthy, how come you live in this desolate wilderness where even snakes and insects can't be kept away?" She looked up and could see white specks of light through the thatch, and the furniture around her was pitifully sparse.
Aunt Wang sighed, "What else can I do? When I fled back home, that scoundrel from the county government framed me as a fugitive and confiscated all my property and land. The common people can't fight against the officials. I'm like a piece of duckweed. I heard that your parents are buried here. I might as well build a thatched hut at the foot of the mountain and continue to be your neighbor."
How similar this is to the original owner's situation? Zhang Ting remained silent for a long time. "If that corrupt official had fallen from power back then and returned the land and property, Auntie, you wouldn't have had to live in this dark and cramped shack anymore." Having occupied someone else's body, you should repay them in some way and do some good deeds to accumulate some blessings for the little guy.
Aunt Wang laughed heartily, "You're quite the talker, kid. I'd be happy if that corrupt official were to fall from grace, but moving away is out of the question. I've gotten used to living here all these years. At first, I wasn't used to it, but later I came to appreciate the beauty and charm of this place, and I can even chat with your mother in my spare time."
Fearing that Zhang Ting might do something rash and confront that corrupt official, he patted her on the shoulder and comforted her, saying, "The common people can't fight against officials, Zhang Ting. You've finally found a way out today, so don't get into trouble with that villain and harm yourself."
Zhang Ting didn't mention whether they would be matched, nor did he tell her that he was already an official, two ranks higher than that corrupt official. He chatted with Aunt Wang about life in the mountains, asked her to look after the two elderly people, left two large ingots, and took his leave.
Aunt Wang grabbed the silver ingot and caught up with her with brisk steps. "Child, take this silver back. This old woman is almost dead; how can I afford to spend this? You and your husband haven't had any children yet, have you? Keep it to buy candy for the little ones!"
“Auntie, I am now well-off, but I am far away and it is inconvenient for me to return to my hometown. I am giving you this money in the hope that you will prepare some incense and paper money for your parents during festivals.”
Zong Suyi also advised, "Auntie, please accept it."
Aunt Wang knew perfectly well that this was just her excuse. "You child, you're so dishonest! Your mother is such a shrewd person, do you think she'd be short of money underground? Hey, take it, take it! If you don't take it back, this old woman will be furious."
She insisted on refusing, so Zhang Ting had no choice but to order someone to take the silver back. "If you ever need anything in the future, Auntie, just write to me in Fengxian County."
Aunt Wang didn't care at all. "Why would I need to look for you?" she said with a smile. "I've already made arrangements for my affairs after I'm gone."
She looked back at the back mountain, her eyes filled with longing. "I gave a family in the county a string of coins and told them to come and check on me every ten days. If I was gone, they should drag me to the back mountain and bury me next to your parents, so we could continue being neighbors." She grew up alone and had only Zhang's sister as a close friend.
"The connection I have with your family, both in life and in death, is truly beyond words."
Zhang Ting opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Zong Suyi took out a handkerchief and wiped the corner of her eyes.
The group returned in silence as darkness fell. They decided to spend the night in Luchuan County before continuing their journey.
Late at night, in the backyard of the county government office.
Every year there is a severe drought, and there are fewer mosquitoes at night.
The constable and the county magistrate, Tang Bo'an, were talking.
"You want me to join forces with Magistrate Zhang to get rid of Magistrate Gou? No way! As a role model for the county, Magistrate Gou is still my subordinate. How could I do such a petty and despicable thing? Xu Xiaoman, stop giving me bad advice."
Xu Xiaoman, the constable, rolled her eyes at her. "My dear lady, how long have you been in Luchuan? How many times have you suffered under the thumb of Magistrate Gou? Besides, haven't the people of Luchuan County been harmed enough by that scoundrel?"
"First, Magistrate Gou seized land and property, causing countless people to be displaced and their families to be destroyed. Then, his daughter forcibly took men and widows, causing countless men to hang themselves. This whole family is a den of snakes and rats, turning Luchuan into a mess. Heaven has thrown opportunities right in front of you, yet you still cling to your worthless benevolence and morality!"
Tang Bo'an glared at her with his hands on his hips, "Are you sure you want to talk to your boss like that? Xu Xiaoman, this is the 108th time I'm warning you, show me some respect."
Xu Xiaoman bowed to her with a blank expression. "Yes, Your Excellency. I won't dare to do it again. Please, Your Excellency, spare my life." After saying that, she changed her expression. "So, what's your decision?"
Tang Bo'an stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his index finger. "What you said makes sense. One should be flexible in life. As the head of a county, I should be more concerned about the fate of the people. This scoundrel who preys on the common people must be eliminated! But we should not involve neighboring counties."
Xu Xiaoman clapped and cheered for her, "Bravo! Your Excellency is mighty!"
Tang Bo'an waved his hand smugly, "It's just so-so."
Xu Xiaoman chuckled inwardly, then asked her, "So how should we rid the people of these traitors? Does the wise and mighty county magistrate have any ideas?"
"Uh..." Tang Bo'an scratched his head awkwardly, "Not yet. Xiaoman, cough cough, I told you, didn't I? My ranking in the imperial examination was low, and it took me three years to be assigned to a post outside the county." And it was one of the poorest counties.
Xu Xiaoman not only knew that her grades were low, but also that she wasn't very smart. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to be tricked by Gou Ze after being in Luchuan for so many years.
She held Tang Bo'an's arms. "That's why I told you to join forces with Magistrate Zhang, Your Excellency. Do you know Zhang Ting? He's a virtuous and renowned figure in Tongzhou Prefecture who eradicates evil and punishes wickedness, and the top scholar in the imperial examinations. You understand the weight of those words, right? You understand what those words represent, right?"
These words mean that Zhang Ting is very, very smart and very, very resourceful. Eliminating evil for Luchuan again would be a piece of cake for her.
Tang Bo'an gaped in shock. "I never imagined that Magistrate Zhang would be such a person... Unprecedented!" He felt deeply ashamed that he was unworthy to be a magistrate alongside her.
He turned to Xu Xiaoman, quite surprised, "Xiaoman, how come you know more than I do?"
Xu Xiaoman said with a blank face, "Your Excellency, you will know if you pay more attention in your daily life."
Tang Bo'an lowered his head in shame. As the head of a county, he was truly useless. Fortunately, Xiaoman was there.
"Xiaoman, I owe you so much."
But before the two could even join forces with Zhang Ting, an accident occurred that very night.
It was pitch black outside, the frogs were croaking impatiently, and the oppressive atmosphere made one's heart race with unease.
In an instant, a fierce wind swept through, purple lightning ripped through the sky, and then thunder roared for thousands of miles, causing the earth to tremble.
A torrential rain, suppressed for three years, is about to arrive.
Zong Suyi snuggled into Zhang Ting's arms. "Can we still set off tomorrow?"
In the candlelight, Zhang Ting glanced out the window with a worried expression, "I can't leave, but I have to leave."
After a short while, the raindrops arrived like arrows, as if a volley of arrows were shooting at the tiled walls, making a crisp sound.
The raindrops were dense and powerful, and the gale-force winds surged and destroyed everything in their path, as if the heavens were roaring in fury, determined to annihilate all things in the world.
The rain poured down like a torrent, flooding the mud walls of houses, turning streets and alleys into rivers that overflowed into shops, and turning the wilderness into a vast expanse of water.
Overnight, the world trembled, and a scene of apocalypse unfolded.
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