Chapter 177 Fengxian's Aftermath, Winning Favor...
The group returned to their lodgings in a disheveled state.
The magnificent main hall was eerily quiet.
The servant fetched clean water and carefully cleaned his master's wound.
The polished floor reflected the faces of the other servants, who stood huddled together listlessly, staring at their master's dark expression, not daring to utter a sound.
Gao Yujie stared fiercely at a corner, her fingers clenching so tightly they cracked.
The servant was so startled by what he saw that he lost his composure and acted rashly.
"Hiss! You bitch—" Gao Yujie kicked him away in anger, the strands of hair falling on her face making her look even more like a powerless, furious beast.
Her eyes were bloodshot as she pointed at the group of servants, yelling, "A bunch of useless trash!"
Today is the most humiliating day for her. It's all because of those lowly maids who failed to protect their mistress, and those lowly commoners of Fengxian!
"Order the constables in the county to arrest those lowly people one by one! I want to see their heads roll with my own eyes!"
"My lord, you mustn't—" The old lady rushed in, panting. She was well-versed in general affairs and local history, and was a trusted confidante sent to assist Gao Yujie. She was highly regarded by Gao Yujie.
But Gao Yujie was blinded by rage. "Old sir, please stop talking. My mind is made up. These ungrateful and shameless scoundrels must die! If they are not eliminated today, everyone in Fengxian County will know that I, Gao Yujie, am a piece of clay that everyone can bully!"
The old man held Gao Yujie's hand, trying to calm her down.
He earnestly advised, "Sir, you are new here and should act with caution. If you are patient, things will calm down. It will not be too late to settle scores with the offending commoners when you are in power."
"Furthermore, the former county magistrate has been promoted to prefect and is still in Zhangzhou Prefecture. Your dispute with those lowly people involves her. If someone with ulterior motives hears about it, you may suffer some consequences."
Gao Yujie knew this was the right thing to do, but her heart felt like it was blocked by a stone, making her feel very suffocated.
She paced back and forth, "What will become of my reputation?"
The old man offered her advice: "Arrest them and make them apologize to you in person. This will not only show your magnanimity and your ability to persuade people with reason, but also win over a group of people."
Fearing she might act recklessly, he specifically instructed her: "I have inquired privately, and this prefect not only enjoys a stellar reputation in Fengxian, but his prestige in the entire Zhangzhou Prefecture is also unparalleled. A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan, so please remember to avoid his sharp edge."
After a long pause, Gao Yujie finally nodded, but the raging anger in her heart wouldn't subside. Zhang Ting left, leaving her with so much of a mess, and yet he was promoted to prefect? Bah!
The next day.
The constables gathered the county residents together.
Gao Yujie sat alone on the high platform, a barely perceptible hint of contempt in her eyes, looking down at the crowd below.
The old man saw everything, sighed inwardly, and beckoned for someone to bring up the rioters who had caused trouble the day before.
"A heinous crime of an extremely serious nature occurred yesterday. These people, disregarding the law and their dignity, dared to gather and attack the county magistrate, showing contempt for the imperial system and His Majesty's authority. They are utterly lawless!"
She then changed the subject, saying, "But Lord Gao is merciful and, considering it's the first offense of these commoners, he has reluctantly decided not to pursue the matter. You all must reflect on yourselves daily in the future, and if you commit another offense, you will not be so lenient."
The people below were whispering among themselves, no one knew what they were talking about.
The old man breathed a sigh of relief; the matter was pretty much over.
Gao Yujie was not satisfied. Those lowly people who were tied up and brought to the front of the stage showed no remorse whatsoever, and the people discussing below showed no respect whatsoever. Where did this leave her, a dignified county magistrate?
She strode to the front of the stage, looking down at the crowd below. They were dressed in rags, hunched over, and dark-skinned and ugly. Did they deserve to be called citizens?
A hint of disgust flashed in Gao Yujie's eyes as she said, "Although I am new to Fengxian, I have heard of the achievements of the former magistrate. During her tenure, everything was revitalized and the people's morals improved greatly. However, as I have traveled here, I have noticed that although people's livelihoods have improved, many regulations are poorly managed. For example, why are the fruits and vegetables harvested in the county sold to Jizhou Prefecture?"
"The peace and tranquility of the land are all thanks to the Emperor's boundless grace and the wise ministers of the Six Ministries. As subjects of the Great Yong Dynasty, we should always be grateful and send as many high-quality fruits as possible to the capital for your esteemed lords to taste..."
"Since I have been granted the Emperor's favor and have been appointed as the local official in charge of the people, I must do my best to admonish and educate them, correct the mistakes of the previous magistrate, and bring him back to the right track."
She poured out all her thoughts in one breath, assuming that these dull and ignorant commoners, knowing her good intentions, would kneel on the ground, moved to tears of gratitude.
However, when she opened her eyes again, she was met with a pack of vicious wolves with fiery eyes, staring at her intently, as if they wanted to tear off pieces of her flesh and eat them.
The sheer number of people startled her, and she retreated repeatedly, her heart pounding with fear.
"You, you... don't be so presumptuous!" Gao Yujie said weakly.
Immediately afterwards, rotten eggs and vegetable leaves rained down from the sky.
"Another treacherous and corrupt official! He wants to use our money to curry favor with high-ranking officials!" In the eyes of ordinary people, the fruits and vegetables they grow are the most precious things they rely on for survival; they are the money they use to build houses, get married, and send their children to school.
And now, the corrupt official in front of them actually wants to offer up their only treasure for survival to profit himself.
The action of smashing eggs became even more violent. When the eggs were gone, he picked up a stone from the ground and started smashing it. "You corrupt official! Get out of Fengxian! We don't welcome you!"
"Corrupt officials should be torn to pieces, boiled in oil, and rendered childless!"
Gao Yujie cursed and swore several times in anger, but to no avail. Her servants and the old man also got away bruised and battered.
County Magistrate Gu Qing and County Registrar Lu Mingqiu stood in a corner and watched the farce unfold.
Gu Qing said with concern, "It is said that she is a collateral descendant of Prime Minister Gao. If the common people offend her, they will not get away with it."
Lu Mingqiu said, "What's there to be afraid of? This is Fengxian, not Kyoto. Even the Emperor himself would have to be extremely cautious. But this Gao is so arrogant and shameless. Not only does she want to steal Lord Zhang's peaches, but she also wants to use him as a stepping stone. Humph! It's all Gao Yujie's own fault."
Seeing that she seemed to have a plan in mind, Gu Qing asked, "What do you want to do?"
Lu Mingqiu's eyes darkened as he glanced at the group of people who were fleeing in a sorry state. "Fengxian Mountain is high and the road is long, remote and narrow. How can letters be easily sent out? And when you first arrive in a foreign land, you will inevitably suffer from acclimatization problems. How can you expect to survive there?"
Gu Qing hesitated, looking at her, "Wouldn't this be too cruel? Lord Zhang is kind-hearted; if he knew, what would he think of us?"
"What harm is there in Lord Zhang knowing? The new magistrate's inability to adapt to the local climate and water is none of our business." With that, he turned and left.
Gu Qing sighed. She still had a husband, servants, and children. How could she be so careless when doing things?
He caught up with Lu Mingqiu in a few steps and compromised, saying, "If you make a move, I'll just clean up the mess. None of Gao Yujie's people will leave Fengxian alive."
...
Today is a day off, and Zhang Ting has some rare free time to play with her husband and children.
She suddenly felt an itch on the tip of her nose and sneezed.
And who is talking about her?
A hand suddenly pressed down on her mouth, and a low voice warned, "Keep your voice down." After saying that, her beautiful eyes glared at her resentfully.
Zhang Ting glanced at the dark top of his head and nodded knowingly.
The icy hand was then withdrawn, only to be grasped again and squeezed.
"Xiaoyi, your hands are always cold."
His eyelashes fluttered gently like palm-leaf fans, his slender fingers climbed up her chest, circling repeatedly, and then he chuckled softly, his voice clear and melodious like a spring.
"So, do you like it?"
Zhang Ting placed his other hand on her chest, about to say something, when she suddenly heard a 'ee-yah' sound coming from outside, and her slightly parted lips immediately closed.
Zong Suyi didn't urge her. He buried his head close to her neck, sniffed it twice, and then opened his mouth to pick it up and caress it gently.
Zhang Ting hissed, unable to bear his recklessness any longer. She pulled him off her and pinched his soft cheeks as punishment.
"My lord, you must keep your disobedient little mouth shut, or I will have to discipline you myself."
Zong Suyi's courage grew, and simple coercion could no longer threaten him. He even put on a pitiful and innocent look, saying, "This servant just smells the fragrance of my wife and wants to suck on it and bite it."
He slumped softly against Zhang Ting, looking at her pitifully, "My lady is so magnanimous, she won't hold a grudge against a little boy like me, right?"
Zhang Ting chuckled inwardly, then smiled and said, "My lord, do you think I'll hold it against you? Or do you want to get up later tomorrow?"
Zong Suyi immediately dropped his pitiful act and quickly withdrew from her.
With his lips pursed so high they could hold an oil lamp, he said, "What's so great about you? Wait until you're old and can't work anymore, then we'll see how I laugh at you."
Zhang Ting nodded at him, a hint of helplessness in her eyes, "Instead of worrying about me, my lord, you should worry about whether you'll be able to hold your own when the time comes."
She sighed and said, "Have you noticed that you're not as strong as you were when we first got married?"
Zong Suyi looked horrified, his face pale, and he stammered, "You...you...you're lying..." How could he not be able to do it? Last time, he was clearly the one in charge.
Zhang Ting pressed on, listing the things he had done one by one: "Your lower back has been aching more and more lately, hasn't it?" In reality, he always liked to curl up into a ball to sleep.
Zong Suyi carefully backed away, his eyes filled with panic.
She continued, "Did the doctor advise you to be moderate last time? Did he also prescribe some tonics for you?" In reality, he had recovered from his cold, and the tonics only replenished his qi and blood.
Zong Suyi trembled with fear, his pupils dilated, as if the end of the world was right before his eyes.
"After the incident, my body ached, but I couldn't get out of bed for a long time?" Actually, I was rough that day, so I should have taken even longer to recover.
Zong Suyi was cornered, his dignity as a man stripped away. He felt ashamed and a few tears streamed down his face. Like a cat about to be abandoned, he looked at her helplessly.
Suddenly, she covered her face and burst into tears, "I'm only twenty-one, how come I'm already so lacking in energy?"
He's already so young and he can't keep going. He has so many years ahead of him, how is he going to live?
How can a man who can't stand up for himself win his wife's favor for long? He felt that his future was bleak.
Zhang Ting chuckled.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
