Clip-clop clip-clop
The little mare trotted over in elegant steps, carrying the princess consort.
It snorted and gently nuzzled Xu Qi’an’s face. He kept stroking its neck, calming it.
The princess consort then untied the bundle hanging on the horse’s back, pulled out an azure robe and handed it to Xu Qi’an, then, after glancing at the young woman and hesitating slightly, she also took out her own cotton coat.
“Put it on. If you catch a chill, there’s no point in saving you.”
It was late autumn, and Yongzhou’s climate was bone-chillingly cold. If a person who had just been pulled out of the river didn’t change clothes and warm up immediately, the chance of dying from illness was still very high.
“My house is just ahead. You can go there to change your clothes.”
The old man holding the bamboo pole said hurriedly.
Xu Qi’an took the clean azure robe and cotton coat, bowed and said:
“Thank you, old sir.”
He led the horse, pulled the young woman along, and followed the old man.
The surrounding townsfolk were still gossiping and pointing, either chatting idly or lamenting how lucky Cripple Zhang’s wife was, meeting someone good at swimming who dared to save lives by jumping into icy water, braving the risk of catching a chill.
After less than a hundred metres, the old man turned into a little alley paved with goose-soft stones and pushed open a black, weather-beaten wooden door.
Beyond the door lay a small four-sided courtyard, above it an open square skylight.
By now, the young woman’s face had turned ashen, her lips white, her whole body shivering uncontrollably.
If Xu Qi’an had still been a martial artist, he could have used his qi to easily expel the cold from her body.
But qi was a privilege exclusive to martial artists. At lower or middle ranks, only martial artists could wield qi.
At higher ranks, other systems could also use qi as their physical bodies strengthened, but it was still far inferior to a martial artist. Take the Strength Gu as an example: at Lina’s level, she could actively refine essence into qi, focusing on her body with qi as support, bringing out greater battle power.
“Take her to get changed,” Xu Qi’an said, taking down the big bundle and tossing it to Mu Nanzhi.
The princess consort clutched it tightly to her chest, glanced at the young woman, and quietly stuffed the pretty padded jacket back into the bundle, taking out a less pretty cotton coat instead.
I was almost careless, accidentally picking out the good one…
Watching the two go into the main bedroom, Xu Qi’an, led by the old man, went to a side room to change his clothes.
“Old sir, would you mind stepping out for a moment?”
Xu Qi’an said politely.
The old man started in surprise, puzzled, and said: “What, you’re shy, lad?”
No, I’m afraid of frightening you… Xu Qi’an gave an apologetic smile, said nothing, and watched the old man go.
The old man laid a clean sweat towel on the table and left the room.
Xu Qi’an undid his robe and took off his inner clothes. There were four iron nails embedded in his abdomen and back, their wounds dark red, hideous and terrifying.
At his crown, there was yet another nail sealing his soul.
The Demon-sealing Nails had sealed his cultivation, including his strength. Now he merely had the tough body of a third rank martial artist, but could not unleash enough power, and could not even make use of his hardened body to kill.
After changing into clean and dry clothes, Xu Qi’an and the old man sat in the simple parlour, warming themselves by the stove. A pot of yellow wine hung above the fire, and the two chatted idly.
“Old sir, do you live alone?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And your family?”
“My wife passed away last year. I’ve two children, a daughter married out of town who hasn’t visited in years. As for my son…”
The old man paused, and a look of helplessness flashed in his clouded eyes:
“Some years back, there was a flood and the crops all failed. To fill our bellies, he went hunting in the mountains with some trappers, slipped and fell off a cliff, and died.”
A moment’s silence.
Xu Qi’an had himself been through deep grief, and so did not say empty words like “my condolences”.
At that moment, the old man lifted the wine pot and smiled: “The wine is best at just the right warmth. If it boils, the flavour is lost. Have a try, young lad.”
There were no spare cups in the house.
Xu Qi’an tipped the wine pot and took a sip. His eyes lit up, the taste was fresh, mellow, and harmoniously sweet and sour, with bitterness, spiciness, and astringency, all perfectly balanced. After swallowing, its rich aroma lingered on his lips and teeth.
There were countless fine wines in the capital, but he truly had never tasted anything like this before.
Some plain white chicken and salted boiled peanuts would be perfect right now… Xu Qi’an thought with some regret, longing to find an inn, settle down, and drink the night away with the princess consort.
The old man nodded in satisfaction. Seeing Xu Qi’an savouring the taste, his deeply wrinkled face broke out in a smile.
“Judging by your accent, you’re not from Yongzhou, are you?”
“I’m from the capital.”
The old man grew solemn and respectful: “Ah, a capital man. No wonder, such a fine young couple, you and your wife.”
*Oi, old man, does your conscience not itch at saying that…” Xu Qi’an griped to himself.
Just then, the princess consort and the young woman came out. The latter’s face was still drained of colour, and her slender, graceful frame trembled slightly from the cold.
The old man beckoned the two to come warm themselves by the fire. From the look on the princess consort’s face, Xu Qi’an sensed something wrong, as if she were barely suppressing her anger.
“What’s wrong?”
Xu Qi’an handed the wine pot to the young woman, indicating for her to drink and warm up, then turned to Mu Nanzhi.
The old man sighed: “Cripple Zhang’s gone gambling again, hasn’t he?”
The young woman looked down and nodded.
Seeing this, the old man commented, “Looks like life’s become unmanageable.”
The young woman shook her head and tears began to fall.
Mu Nanzhi, her face dark, said, “Her husband gave her away…”
‘Gave her away’ was putting it kindly. The story was this: the young woman’s husband, Zhang Youfu, known as Cripple Zhang, was lame, and unable to do heavy labour. The family had always been poor.
Cripple Zhang, however, had grand dreams and low ability, unable to accept a hard life and so became addicted to gambling.
After a few years, their already meagre life became unbearable.
Gambling was a losing proposition, and Cripple Zhang was no exception. Not only did he gamble away all their possessions, but he also ran up a mountain of debt.
His largest creditor was a notorious thug called Zhu Er.
Zhu Er colluded with the gambling den to wring every coin from Cripple Zhang, then lent him money at extortionate rates.
His real aim was not wealth, but Cripple Zhang’s wife, the young woman before them.
He threatened with the debt, demanding Cripple Zhang pawn off his wife. Only when the money was repaid could he take her back.
Desperate and with no way out, Cripple Zhang reluctantly agreed and signed a contract.
Yesterday, the young woman was taken away by Zhu Er and forced to submit to him. Early this morning, she sneaked out while Zhu Er was sleeping, and tried to end her life in the river.
After hearing this, the old man sighed again, as if he had long expected Cripple Zhang would reach this point sooner or later.
Pawning wives was common in the south of the Great Feng. In peaceful times it might not occur, but whenever disaster or hardship struck, this practice became widespread.
Though the laws strictly forbade it, the authorities often turned a blind eye, tacitly permitting such a practice.
Xu Qi’an looked the young woman over again, she was indeed pretty, with a gentle, fragile air that could easily inspire a man’s possessiveness.
Mu Nanzhi kept signalling with her eyes, asking Xu Qi’an how he planned to deal with her.
“How much does your husband owe this Zhu Er?”
The young woman looked up at him timidly and whispered, “Thirty taels.”
Thirty taels of silver was not a small sum, in the capital, it would have been an entire year’s income for a well-off family. In a small county like Fuyang County, thirty taels was enough to buy a large house.
However, when it came to gambling, things could not be calculated in this way.
If the young woman had not lied, and Zhu Er had colluded with the gambling house to fleece the unwitting, then not a single tael of that thirty taels had actually been paid out, and they had pulled off an empty-handed scheme to trap a pretty, respectable lady.
The old man lowered his voice and said, “That Zhu Er is a notorious thug in the county, sworn brothers with the magistrate’s nephew. He keeps several dozen men under him. Even the busiest street in the county town has to pay him protection money.1
“Many people resent him, but even more fear him. With the magistrate behind him, he acts lawlessly.”
Moreover, he was clever, always having ‘legitimate’ means to bully and exploit both men and women… Xu Qi’an added a line in his heart.
“As the saying goes, a good deed should be done to the end. Now you have two choices. First, your husband owed Zhu Er thirty taels, we will pay it for you, and you can go back and keep on living with your husband.
“Second, the contract is not in accordance with the law, I will sort it out for you, but you must separate from your husband. Afterwards, I’ll give you a sum of silver, you can go back to your parents’ home or go wherever else you wish.”
The young woman bowed her head and said softly, “A married daughter is like spilt water, how can I go back to my parents’ home? I am a native here, if I leave the county, where would I earn a living?”
Xu Qi’an knew she had chosen the first option.
He immediately left thirty taels of silver for the young woman, then led the young mare and Mu Nanzhi out of the old man’s house.
“If there are any further issues, come to the best inn in the county to find me.
“Old man, the wine was good, thank you for your hospitality.”
The two of them and the horse walked out of the alley and gradually moved away.
The old man watched them leave, then returned to the house, only to be stunned to find that in the spot where the young man had just sat, there was a large official silver ingot left behind.
The old man had never seen so much silver in his life.
…
Somewhere in the county, in a large three-tier courtyard house.
Zhu Er, whose face was covered in pockmarks and moles, sat in the main hall, his expression gloomy. He barked at his underlings,
“Go and drag that little lady back here, such an ungrateful wench. From now on, she can stay in the house to satisfy the brothers. There are so many of my men who can’t get a wife. She might as well be of use.”
He’d already tasted that little woman, and Zhu Er was always a man who grew weary of old things and craved the new.
Although the contract technically did not allow him to treat her this way, that cripple was dirt poor. Never mind thirty tails, he could not even scrape together three.
From now on, this woman was his to do with as he pleased.
“Gulp…”
A few of the men swallowed hard.
Zhu Er was very pleased with their reaction, feeling that his decision was absolutely right and greatly won the hearts of his men.
Recently, Zhu Er felt that fortune had smiled upon him, especially in four areas: first, he had been gambling at the gambling house and winning more often than losing, not by trickery, just pure luck.
Second, the shops and businesses under his name had suddenly started thriving.
Third, the county magistrate who used to be ambivalent, accepting bribes on the one hand and looking down on him on the other, had suddenly changed his attitude, calling him a brother.
The scheme in the gambling house to bankrupt Cripple Zhang and then force his wife into Zhu Er’s house as payment for debts, this was an idea the magistrate had given him.
Otherwise, knowing Zhu Er’s temperament, he would have preferred to just storm in and force decent women with threats.
The county magistrate was indeed a learned man, his plan had no loopholes or consequences.
Fourth, his men had become markedly more respectful and loyal to him.
With his power and wealth swelling, Zhu Er even began to consider heading to Yongzhou City to make his name.
Compared to the main city of Yongzhou, this little Fuyang County is nothing at all… Zhu Er reined in his wandering thoughts and considered what kind of gift to present to the county magistrate.
Women were off the list. Would the magistrate be short of women?
Silver was out, as he had always sent silver, and it was not distinctive enough to show his sincerity.
At this moment, a subordinate hurried in and said, “Master Er, Cripple Zhang and his wife are here. They say they’ve come to repay the debt.”
Repay the debt? Zhu Er was taken aback, nearly thinking he’d misheard, and said in a low voice, “Let them in.”
Shortly after, Cripple Zhang hobbled in, leading his pretty young wife, who hugged a bulging object to her chest, guarding it closely.
There were a few bruises on her face, signs of a recent beating, but she still clung tightly to what she held, not relaxing for a moment.
“Master Er, we’re here to repay the silver.”
Cripple Zhang nodded and bowed obsequiously, his face full of fawning submission.
Zhu Er ignored him and looked at the woman, narrowing his eyes,
“Where did you run off to?”
The young woman hugged what she carried tighter, looking fearful but forcing herself to be brave. “We’re here to repay the debt, where is the contract?”
Zhu Er stared at her. “And the silver?”
The young woman took out a cloth pouch, which contained three official silver ingots, each worth ten taels.
Official silver was not something ordinary people would use, not because they were not allowed, but because the ‘denomination’ was simply too high. Ordinary folk typically traded in copper coins and small bits of silver.
“Where did you get official silver!”
Zhu Er glared, shouting.
Frightened, the woman trembled. Cripple Zhang hurriedly replied, “An outsider gave it to us.”
He immediately recounted what had happened. The woman had gone home and told Cripple Zhang everything. His first thought had not been to repay the debt, but to take the silver to gamble.
But his wife, who had been pawned off, clung to it for dear life. He was weak, with a bad leg, and couldn’t wrest it from her.
He had no choice but to compromise, so they came to redeem her first.
A rich outsider… Zhu Er’s eyes narrowed, then he suddenly slammed the table and shouted,
“Whore! How dare you steal my silver while I was sleeping. Bind the two of them and lock them up in the woodshed.”
Cripple Zhang and his wife turned pale, wailing as they were dragged away.
“Master Er, brilliant!”
A subordinate chuckled, “Where would Cripple Zhang have got thirty taels? No one would believe that, it must have been stolen from Master Er.”
“Master Er, that young wife…”
A subordinate was licking his lips in anticipation; Zhu Er’s earlier words were fresh in everyone’s memory.
“What’s the rush? They’re locked up now, what’s there to fear?”
Zhu Er frowned and scolded, “Spineless lot. Go and investigate that outsider, find out who he is. Hmph, if he could so casually hand out thirty taels, then three hundred, or even more, may be possible.”
…
In the county’s best inn, Xu Qi’an held a jug of freshly warmed wine, the warmth had even seeped into the jug itself.
The princess consort sat at the table with her own jug, in which ginger and spices steeped. Her drinking ability was average. After a few cupfuls, her cheeks were flushed a drunken pink, making her look all the more soft and alluring.
“Since ancient times sages sat alone, only the drinkers leaving their name…”
He said softly.
“A fine poem!”
The princess consort praised, tilting her head at him. “And the next line?”
Xu Qi’an replied irritably, “There is no next line.”
He drank slowly. “Later, I’m going to look in on that young woman. Since we’ve helped, we should see it through.”
The princess consort sighed. “We really shouldn’t get involved. So many troublesome matters have come our way on this trip.”
A reminder that traditionally (and in the modern day) China does not differentiate between counties and county towns; the county town was merely the market town of a county, not a separate polity. Hence, Fuyang county and Fuyang town are synonymous. ↩
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