Chapter 173: Submitting in Plea, Being Shoved Away Coldly

Liu Zhong arrived quickly and left just as fast, leaving behind a crowd of people with eyes wide in shock. At first, Liu Zhong had detained Luo Wei and his two companions outside the main hall, preventing them from moving. The others were too confused and suspicious to even think of reporting the changes to Hu’s family. So, when Hu’s family heard that Liu Zhong had arrived, they hesitated at home for a long time. Only after realizing that the new county magistrate might have already met misfortune did they send someone to carry them—still suffering from ulcers—to the county office, hoping that their pitiful appearance would make the magistrate inflict more suffering on Zhang Yue.

Yet everything seemed to be going according to plan—so why did things go wrong at the last moment? It was already October, and the weather in the north was extremely cold. Liu Zhong had stripped away the cotton quilts covering Hu’s family, leaving them shivering violently. They were suffering from ulcers and had no intact skin on their buttocks, so they weren’t wearing pants. As the bitter wind blew, they trembled like sieves. Meanwhile, Hu’s wife was stunned, and the four hired workers were also frozen in shock—none of them bothered to pick up the quilts that had fallen to the ground.

Hu Li, who had lived longer than most, saw Zhang Yue approaching with a smile and shuddered again. The cold sensation in his buttocks vanished, replaced by the searing pain he had endured under the bamboo board days earlier. He now realized he had brought his complaints to the wrong place. Hadn’t he heard what his stepbrother had said before leaving?

Swallowing hard, when Zhang Yue was just a few steps away, Hu Li forced himself to kneel, trembling violently. He banged his head against the edge of the stool twice and pleaded through tears, “Sir, please forgive me! I was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. I admit my fault! Please spare my life out of pity—for I was deceived by others. I’m willing to atone by serving you wholeheartedly for the rest of my life.”

“You say you were deceived? Your son killed and ate someone else’s only plow ox—was that also because of others’ manipulation? You cursed me in court—was that also because of others’ influence? You came here causing a ruckus with your well-informed rumors—was that also because of others’ instigation?” Zhang Yue stepped forward, mocking Hu Li as he knelt pitifully. “Hu Li truly knows how to read the situation. Since that’s the case, can you answer my questions from earlier?”

Thinking of all the hardships he had endured and the fact that his greatest supporter had abandoned him, Hu Li Zheng felt extremely frustrated. Raising his head with effort, he glanced at the people on the other side of the screen wall and immediately shouted, “Your Excellency, this boy’s misdeeds are his own fault. I didn’t leave without telling anyone out of disrespect for you—it was Luo Xiancheng and Zhao Zubu who instigated me!” After shouting this, he felt somewhat relieved and pointed at the two men, adding viciously, “They told me that I am the uncle of Lord Du Shuai, so you surely wouldn’t dare do anything to me. If I leave, those village heads will follow, and that will surely embarrass you! I also know they weren’t sick at all—they deliberately deceived you, with ulterior motives. They’ve been occupying the positions of Xiancheng and Zubu for ages, driving away countless county officials and embezzling huge amounts of money. I…”

Ever since Liu Zhong appeared and became close to Zhang Yue, Luo Wei felt that things were going against his plans. When those two entered the courtroom to speak, he and Zhao Ming Ma Cheng were left outside. Even a fool could see that the situation was lost. But now, seeing Hu Li Zheng turn against him as well, anger surged within him. He rushed forward in one stride and slapped the old man who was shouting loudly. Using all his strength, he struck Hu Li Zheng so hard that the man lost his balance and fell off the stool, losing two teeth in the process.

At such a critical moment, Luo Wei didn’t care whether Hu Li Zheng was related to Lord Du Shuai or not. His only goal was to silence that annoying mouth for now. He didn’t even have time to check Zhang Yue’s expression. Pointing at the dazed Hu Li Zheng, he roared, “You heard what Lord Du Shuai said just now. He’s dissatisfied with your misbehavior. How dare you still spout nonsense and slander others? Everyone saw you insulting the officials in court. But did anyone see me instigating you? If you want to get another beating, keep talking nonsense—there are plenty of ways for the officials to deal with you!”

His scolding finally woke Zhao Ming up as well. Remembering his role as a military advisor, he dared not neglect his duties. Knowing it was time to strike while the enemy was weak and distance himself from the situation, he hurried over and started cursing Hu Li Zheng, accusing him of being shameless and talking nonsense. Just as he raised his foot to kick the old scoundrel in frustration, a hand reached out from the side and effortlessly pushed him aside.

“The pure will remain pure, and the impure will remain impure. County Magistrate Luo, Clerk Zhao, why bother arguing with such people? Someone, Hu Dahai should be sentenced to three years of hard labor according to the law—immediately put him in prison!”

Zhang Yue had watched these people act out their drama coldly until he felt he had seen enough, then stepped in to stop them. At that moment, he glanced at Ma Cheng, the official who still stood nearby like a statue, and thought to himself that this man was quite calm under pressure. As the guards came to lock up his son and take him away, Hu Li Zheng finally got up from the ground, let out a loud cry, and cursed Luo Wei and Zhao Ming fiercely, exposing their many misdeeds.

Luo Wei and Zhao Ming wanted to kick the old scoundrel to death, but with Zhang Yue standing in front of them, neither dared to act. Just then, Ma Cheng rushed over, bowed, and said, “Sir, it’s truly shameful to let this old fellow cause trouble at the county office. Since he can be convicted according to the law, why not lock him and his son in prison together? You really can’t blame County Magistrate Luo and Clerk Zhao either—they were all afraid of Commander Liu back then and didn’t dare punish him or his son. Otherwise, given their misdeeds, even ten heads wouldn’t be enough to execute them. It’s also my fault for being incompetent and failing to relieve your burden.”

With such smooth words, even Zhang Yue had to admit that this man truly knew how to navigate situations skillfully. Although he knew Hu Li Zheng wasn’t a good person, he didn’t intend to put him in prison at that moment. So he waved his hand to stop the two guards who were ready to lock him up, and ordered in a deep voice, “He has already been punished with flogging for his previous offenses. I repeat, one crime shouldn’t be punished twice. Though his behavior today was improper, it doesn’t constitute a crime.”

After saying that, he gave Hu Li Zheng a meaningful look. Ma Cheng understood immediately and shouted at Hu Li Zheng’s men, “You fools! What are you still standing around for? This is a great favor from the sir—come and kowtow in gratitude! Carry your master back!”

The young master was dragged away by the officials to be imprisoned, while the old master was beaten and couldn’t even regain his dignity. Who among the Hu family could have imagined that the once-feared tyrants of Anqiu would end up like this after clashing with the new county magistrate? At that moment, a crowd rushed over in chaos, kowtowed, hastily helped Hu Lizheng sit back on the bench, draped a blanket over him, and fled at top speed, as if failing to run now would mean no chance in the next life.

Good news stays local, but bad news spreads far. With today’s uproar, not only did the officials in the county yamen have plenty of topics to gossip about, but the common people outside also heard about it soon. Streets and alleys were filled with discussions, and many cheered with satisfaction. The two tyrants of Anqiu had been causing trouble for days and weeks, bullying men and women alike—this time, they truly met their downfall!

After performing like an actor all day, Zhang Yue returned to his room, feeling sore all over. He thought even dealing with the emperor in the capital hadn’t been this exhausting. He knew well that if he weren’t from a prominent family or didn’t bear the Zhang surname, he would have faced serious consequences for making Liu Zhong come all this way. It was true that the connections he had built on his own were far less useful than those his family had accumulated.

“Young master, are you still in your thoughts?” Qiu Hen brought hot water over. Seeing Zhang Yue still sitting on the kang, lost in thought as before, she smiled and said, “It’s thanks to Lord Liu coming all this way today. Otherwise, those worthless scoundrels would have caused chaos. You must be tired after a day like this. Use the hot water to soak your feet, eat dinner early, and get some rest. You need to get up early again tomorrow.”

It wasn’t until someone removed his boots and socks that Zhang Yue came back to his senses. Seeing it was Qiu Hen, he helplessly put his feet into the hot water, waving his hand to tell her there was no need to massage them. It was already cold outside, but the kang was heated, so sitting there with his feet in hot water made him feel warm. Noticing Qiu Hen standing nearby, her face either red from the cold or from the heat in the room, he was momentarily stunned and then glanced at her hands.

“What’s wrong with your hands? Why are they swollen like carrots?”

Qiu Hen looked flustered, quickly pulling her hands behind her, but said with a smile, “It’s nothing.”

“Let me see,” Zhang Yue frowned and reached out to grab Qiu Hen’s arm, forcing her to show the hands she had hidden. Seeing frostbite on her usually pale fingers, he was shocked. He looked up and asked, “You usually take good care of yourself. Don’t you get frostbite?”

At that moment, Amber came out from the inner room after lifting the curtain and explained, “There are already six people’s clothes here, along with bedding and other heavy items. Sister Qiuhen thought it was cold, and Sister Li and Sister Cui were too busy. It was too hard for them to keep their hands in the icy well water all day, so she couldn’t bear to see them suffer. She said it didn’t matter anyway, so she asked me and Sister Lingxi to help for a few days. We were fine, but Sister seems not used to this weather and water quality, so she got chilblains after just a few days. She even hid it from the young master and wouldn’t say anything.”

Zhang Yue had been preoccupied with other matters in the previous days and hadn’t noticed this at all. Back home, everything was taken care of by dedicated servants; not to mention Lingxi, even Qiuhen and Amber never had to do laundry. This time, he brought so many people with him, only for them to have to do such work in the cold weather. He couldn’t help feeling guilty.

Seeing that Amber’s hands had also become rough, he was about to tell the two of them to apply more rose oil when he heard laughter outside. Soon, the door curtain was lifted, and the two maids sent by Ma Cheng entered.

Both of them were freshly dressed—one in a green silk jacket with a front closure, the other in a jade-colored satin jacket. They had some makeup on their faces and fresh silk flowers in their hair, making them look even more graceful. It seemed they didn’t even see Amber and Qiuhen beside Zhang Yue. As soon as they saw him soaking his feet, they rushed forward and crouched down. But before they could touch the copper basin, a sharp shout scared them into pulling back their hands.

“Go away! You’re not needed here!”

Ever since Lingxi, Qiuhen, and Amber arrived, those two maids had never come near Zhang Yue. Just now, Ma Cheng had specially sent two new sets of clothes, and they immediately changed into them, thinking they would look better than the always plain-dressed Qiuhen and Amber. But instead of gaining his favor, they were met with Zhang Yue’s scolding. They had already been aggrieved for several days, and one of them immediately knelt down and started sobbing.

“Sir, what have we done wrong? We’ve never seen you speak to us kindly! We’re just servants. Even if we’re treated differently from the newcomers, we don’t understand those complex rules. You don’t have to be so stern every time you see us! If you really dislike us…”

“Stretch out your hands!”

The girl dressed in the green silk jacket was wiping away her tears. Hearing these words, she was stunned for a moment, thinking that Zhang Yue had changed his mind. She quickly stretched out her hands, feeling proud of herself. You see, back at Huixiang Tower, when their mother taught them singing, playing musical instruments, and other skills, she would also emphasize one thing: besides having pretty faces, women should take good care of their necks and hands. As long as they were fair and delicate, no man could resist them.

Yet to her great disappointment, Zhang Yue stared at her hands for a long time before suddenly signaling the other girl to stretch out her hands as well. After taking just a glance, he sneered. “Do you know why I don’t like you two? It’s fine for women to be flamboyant, but it’s annoying when they focus on that all the time! In this cold weather, Lingxi Qiuhen and Amber can go out and do laundry with big basins—what have you two done? Since you’re maids, you’re not here to enjoy comforts. If they can do it, why should you two slack off?”

Seeing Lingxi entering the room, Zhang Yue nodded at her. “Lingxi, I already have you three in my room. Go back and give them to Magistrate Ma later. Tell him I already have enough people around me and thank him for his efforts earlier.”

Upon hearing this, Qiuhen naturally showed joy, but Amber couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Looking at the two girls with pale faces, she felt a bit sorry for them. After all, men liked to keep a few flamboyant maids around their homes; few liked plain-faced women. How could they possibly know Zhang Yue’s preferences?