Chapter 141: A Turnover to the Righteous Path, The Situation of a Schemer...
The more nonchalant she seemed, the more alarmed Zong Suyi became, immediately leaping out of bed and retreating a great distance, every pore of her body on high alert.
"What are you doing here?" He eyed her warily like a small animal, subtly adjusting his hem, ready to run away at the slightest sign of trouble. Hmph, he's learned his lesson now; he's no longer the fool Zhang Ting used to manipulate.
Zong Suyi stroked his belly with one hand, proudly puffing out his chest, "I'm pregnant, after all." He glared at her, thinking to himself, "This shameless lecherous devil, still thinking about my body during pregnancy." Thinking this, his cheeks involuntarily flushed red.
The lifelike little face made Zhang Ting smile, but she kept a cold and stern expression and said in a deep voice, "Don't force me to arrest you myself."
Zong Suyi was most afraid of her cold and unforgiving attitude, so he clutched the hem of his clothes and walked away looking aggrieved. What's wrong with her? All she knows is how to bully him.
Fortunately, a voice rang out immediately, rescuing him from falling into the clutches of evil.
"Madam, come out and see if we're not independent women!"
Zhang Ting clicked her tongue in exasperation. Who cares if you're strong women or not? She got up and dressed neatly. As she passed Zong Suyi, she reached out and gently tapped his forehead. "I'll let you off the hook for now. If there's a next time, I'll punish you even more severely. Xiaoyi, don't be crying 'No, no!' and try to crawl out then."
Originally, when she came over, Zong Suyi was so scared that she almost shrank into the crack in the rock. But upon hearing this, her whole body turned red and hot with shame, like a steamed crayfish, and she jumped out from the corner in anger.
"Don't talk nonsense, you shameless bastard! I didn't do it!" His eyes darted around, but he remained defiant, refusing to admit what he had said or done before.
Zhang Ting smiled faintly, "Is that so?" Her eyes were filled with obvious doubt. Hearing the repeated shouts outside, she turned and left.
Zong Suyi was left stamping his feet in shame and anger, wondering why he could never defeat this old monster!
Then Zhang Ting walked through the empty hall and went straight to the outside of the cave.
Black Bear Cave is situated on high ground, surrounded by a ring of morning mist. It had rained a little last night, so the ground was slightly damp.
Her dry, clean leather boots stepped onto the grass, startling the glistening dewdrops that fell.
Forty-seven corpses were laid out haphazardly before me. Some had their eyes wide open in despair, some had their heads broken off and droop like boneless rag dolls, and some had their limbs twisted and contorted...
Zhang Ting's mood inevitably became heavy. He walked past the forty-seven corpses and let out a deep sigh. He then asked Zhang Cun San to go to the cave above to call on the villagers to come and claim their relatives and friends.
Zhang Cun San: I told you to come out and admit that I'm a strong woman! Why are you ordering me around again?
"I won't do it!"
Her cronies behind her weren't happy either. They'd worked themselves to the bone for so long, they were exhausted and could barely walk, and now they had to work again without receiving any honors? No way! They wouldn't do it no matter what!
Zhang Ting said earnestly, "I acknowledge that you are great women, but what is the point of my acknowledgment after all you have done?" He pointed to the cave above, "Don't you want the elders and villagers to acknowledge you as great women? To become the most outstanding women in Fengxian? To gain the admiration of the young master?"
This made everyone's lips curl up involuntarily, and they chuckled lewdly. Just thinking about the scene of being fawned over made them feel refreshed and full of inexhaustible energy!
"Tch~ It's just walking up there and shouting a few times, right? For a grown woman like me, it's a piece of cake!" Zhang Cun San didn't feel embarrassed at all. "You just wait and see, I'll show you what a grown woman really is!" After saying that, he turned around with a sense of power and dominance.
Zhang Ting watched her limping figure and shook his head helplessly.
Zhang Cun San's cronies, those who could walk, followed. Some, though weak and listless, crawled on the ground, shouting, "Wait for me, I'm a grown woman too!"
I must say, it climbed pretty fast.
Zhang Ting stroked her chin thoughtfully, deeply realizing the power of the title 'strong woman'. Suddenly, she smiled, revealing her teeth. Not bad, not bad, all of this will become her political achievements.
When the villagers heard from the hooligans at the edge of the village that the bodies of their relatives had been retrieved, they couldn't believe it. Could these scoundrels really do such a good thing? Bah! They should be grateful they didn't destroy their granaries or harass the young widow!
Seeing the confident tone of Zhang Cunsan and his group, the villagers discussed it for a while before going down with some doubts. They planned that if they were deceived by these people, they would report to the village head and severely punish these hooligans.
Upon arriving at the scene and seeing the displayed corpses, the villagers who recognized them immediately rushed over and burst into tears.
Some people might wonder, "These guys are either hooligans or thugs, how come they turned over a new leaf and started doing good deeds?"
The village head's hands trembled slightly as he glanced at the Black Bear Cave that was so close at hand. He murmured, "They must have been reformed by the county magistrate. The county magistrate couldn't bear to see us being harassed by hooligans anymore, so he specially reformed them!"
The crowd agreed, saying, "The county magistrate is truly amazing! He's so kind to us villagers. Although Fengxian has suffered misfortune, meeting such a righteous lady is truly a blessing in disguise!"
Zhang Ting had only been in charge of Fengxian for a few days, but he handled affairs in an orderly and efficient manner, leaving no stone unturned. The place had undergone tremendous changes. Black bears that threatened the safety of the county residents had been killed, and seriously ill people had become energetic after taking medicine. Soldiers patrolled day and night, so there was no longer any worry about villains causing trouble. Food collection and animal hunting were managed in batches, so there was no need to worry about starving to death. Everyone had hope, and they believed that life would gradually get better.
The tasks of gathering timber and retrieving corpses continued, and the days passed peacefully and with hope. Although the county residents were exhausted every day, they were full of enthusiasm.
...
The city of Zhangzhou was also affected by the disaster, but the worst-hit areas were mostly on the outskirts. The central area only experienced light rain for several days. Prefect He became lazy at the sound of rain and spent his days leisurely enjoying himself with his beautiful concubines.
Outside the prefectural city, she ignored all the documents from county magistrates requesting disaster relief grain and letters from neighboring prefectures asking for grain loans.
She still felt justified. Right now, five prefectures south of the Yang River have suffered from disasters. She has already submitted a memorial to the court requesting disaster relief. What more do they want from her?
If you ask about the granaries in the prefectural city? Well, there aren't any. The situation is unclear right now. If the price of grain in Zhangzhou Prefecture rises, she'll have to keep some for her own people first. Hehe, she can secretly make a fortune by trading it.
That day, the constable brought in another document.
Prefect He had invited Assistant Magistrate Zheng to his residence to watch a play, and they were engrossed in it when they were suddenly disturbed. Enraged, he kicked the constable.
"You tactless idiot, you're ruining my mood!"
The constable was kicked hard, rolled on the wet ground, and knelt down again in pain, trembling as he said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, it is a document from Lord Zhang of Fengxian." This was something that Prefect He had specifically instructed him to pay close attention to, and to report immediately if she made any moves.
Prefect He paused, realizing it was Zhang Ting. Her spirits lifted, and she snatched the document from him.
The bailiff remained kneeling in place, while she showed no remorse whatsoever.
The letter, like those from other counties, simply requested the release of grain.
Prefect He held the letter in his hand for a moment, then decided to allocate the grain to Zhang Ting first.
Zheng Tongzhi was puzzled. "Lord He, what are you doing? If we open this door, we won't be able to stop the others."
Prefect He glanced around, stopped the music and dismissed the others, then quietly told her, "Lord Zheng, you may not know this, but Zhang Ting was specially sent to Zhangzhou Prefecture by the Fifth Princess to gain experience. He will be promoted soon."
Zheng Tongzhi's eyes widened in shock, and he immediately stood up. "She's actually part of the Fifth Princess's faction? But when she was attacked before, we never saw the Fifth Princess's party suffer any consequences?"
Prefect He gave him a look that said, "You just don't understand." "His Majesty hates forming cliques and engaging in favoritism the most. At this time, it's already a light matter that the Fifth Princess is only distancing herself from the situation. If you ask me, she should pretend to attack Zhang Ting, that would be more convincing."
Zheng Tongzhi nodded in sudden realization, "No wonder, no wonder." She had been wondering why she had heard people say that Prime Minister Gao disliked Zhang Ting so much; it turned out he was protecting her. He really hid it well.
But Zheng Tongzhi still didn't understand something: "If you want to win over Zhang Ting, what's so good about sending grain? You should send her some beauties instead. Cold, hard grain can't compare to a fresh and handsome young master."
After hearing her words, Prefect He leaned closer and whispered to her, "You don't know this, but don't tell anyone else what I'm telling you."
Zheng Tongzhi nodded solemnly and leaned in to listen.
Prefect He looked pained and pitying, sighing repeatedly. He closed his eyes and said with great reluctance, "Zhang Ting is no good. If we send a beauty over there, wouldn't that be like stabbing her in the heart?"
Magistrate Zheng was greatly shocked and took several steps back, exclaiming, "What!"
Prefect He told her to keep her voice down and not to make a fuss. If others knew about this secret, how could Zhang Ting face anyone?
Zheng Tongzhi licked his lips and lowered his voice, "Sir, is your information reliable? How could a woman be impotent?"
Prefect He was also quite helpless about this, saying, "I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false?"
“What a promising young man! How could he be so unworthy?” Zheng Tongzhi said with pity. This was the first person in the history of the dynasty to achieve the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations.
She inadvertently put herself in Zhang Ting's shoes, surrounded by countless beauties in her harem, yet unable to enjoy any of them, and possibly even subjected to their disdain and contempt. A chill ran down her spine. Terrifying, truly terrifying!
Prefect He dared not admit that the cause of the matter lay with her, and nervously scratched his neck, pretending that he had not heard anything.
After finishing his reflection, Zheng Tongzhi suddenly recalled, "I was wondering why a young and strong woman in the prime of her life only had one servant by her side. Could it be because she's impotent?"
"This is just too...sigh!"
Both were deeply saddened and felt sorry for Zhang Ting.
"Lord He, let's allocate more money and grain to Fengxian, as a token of our appreciation to Zhang Ting. We hope she can recover soon. Even if she can't be a powerful woman in the inner quarters, she can at least be a powerful official outside!"
A slight sense of guilt welled up in Prefect He's heart again, and he nodded, "It is right... to do one's best."
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