Chapter 075

Chapter 075

"Having traveled this far, I'm a bit tired. Could the esteemed couple invite me to rest in your carriage for a moment?" Song Lan asked with a smile, his demeanor gentle and refined.

Tong Sui naturally invited him, and Xiao Zhen promptly stopped the donkey cart.

Song Lan dismounted from the donkey.

Xiao Zhen approached to help tie the donkey to the back of the cart.

Song Lan looked at him sympathetically and said, "I've also heard about the battle against bandits on Imprisoned Dragon Ridge in Lingshui Village, regarding Fourth Younger Brother. Please accept my condolences."

Xiao Zhen lowered his eyes and replied, "Our brothers' lives were all salvaged from the battlefield. Now that he died protecting the villagers, it was worth it."

Song Lan continued, "I am not much, but I wrote an elegy for Fourth Younger Brother and other heroes like him. When I went to Lingshui Village to pay respects, I gave it to Village Headman Sun so that their deeds could be recorded and remembered by future generations of Lingshui Village."

Xiao Zhen bowed respectfully, "On behalf of Fourth Brother and the others, I thank you, sir."

Song Lan patted his shoulder, lifted his robe, and climbed into the donkey cart, sitting at the rear facing Tong Sui diagonally.

Since the topic turned to Imprisoned Dragon Ridge, Tong Sui also showed a somber expression.

Xiao Zhen secured Song Lan's donkey and resumed his position driving the cart.

The donkey cart moved forward slowly. Song Lan asked Tong Sui, "Was Aman reading just now?"

Tong Sui felt a bit embarrassed and said, "The journey is long, and we have books at home, so I took one to pass the time. I apologize if it seems disrespectful, sir."

After saying this, she pulled out the _Analects_ hidden under her skirt.

Feeling guilty, Tong Sui dared not read the _Records of the Grand Historian_ while traveling.

Song Lan took the book and noticed some old annotations, guessing they were left by Xiao's ancestors. As he returned the book to Tong Sui, he said, "Diligent and valuing time, I've always said that if you were a man, I would ensure that Taohuagou produced a Jinshi scholar."

Tong Sui glanced at her husband behind her and blushed, "Sir, please don't say such things; people might laugh."

Xiao Zhen responded, "Where are there any passersby? Sir didn't praise you wrongly; you are indeed clever."

Tong Sui: "…"

They shared recent news from both villages for about two quarters of an hour before Song Lan remounted his borrowed donkey and continued on his way.

Once he was far enough away, Xiao Zhen asked Tong Sui, "Does Mr. Song have acquaintances in the county town?"

Tong Sui explained, "There is indeed one person who brought Mr. Song to our village years ago to find lodging. We haven't seen him since, but Mr. Song visits the town periodically and sometimes stays for a day or two."

Xiao Zhen acknowledged with a nod.

Tong Sui nervously asked, "You don't think Mr. Song has guessed something and is going to inform the authorities, do you?"

As her mother put it, Mr. Song is a cunning old fox, capable of uncovering secrets that ordinary villagers cannot see.

Xiao Zhen replied, "Logically, it's unlikely. Revealing our secret would bring him no benefit. I'm just being cautious. That's why I asked."

Tong Sui agreed that Song Lan had no reason to curry favor with the officials. If he were that kind of person, he would have stayed in the government and consorted with corrupt officials and nobles.

However, the stakes were too high, and Tong Sui remained uneasy. As they approached the city gates, she whispered to Xiao Zhen, "Let's go directly to my grandfather's house. I really don't need to buy any gifts."

Xiao Zhen countered, "Even if you're not in a hurry to buy gifts, it wouldn't be proper for me to visit them empty-handed for the first time."

The town had shops selling wine and tea, but none compared to those in the city. When visiting relatives in the city, the gifts should be more refined.

In this matter, Tong Sui couldn't make decisions for him.

At the city gate, the couple dismounted and joined the queue patiently.

Tong Sui observed the travelers and common folk entering and leaving the city. Most faces were weathered, with few smiles.

Entering the city required payment. For the couple and their donkey cart, it cost five copper coins.

Xiao Zhen noticed the reluctance in the girl's eyes and asked after getting back into the cart, "Have you never been to the city?"

Tong Sui replied, "No, the city is over sixty miles from Taohuagou, making the trip too troublesome. When I was young, my grandparents would come to visit us by cart. In recent years, they even lived with us and rarely returned to the city. How about you? Do you often come here?"

Xiao Zhen answered, "When I was younger, I came several times a year. After returning from battles, I occasionally came to sell wild game."

Tong Sui remarked, "Then you must know the city well."

Xiao Zhen smiled.

He led Tong Sui to a bustling street lined with shops. The crowded street made driving difficult, so Xiao Zhen spent a few coins to park the cart in an open area where someone offered to watch it.

After parking, Xiao Zhen held Tong Sui's hand as they walked down the street.

His height made Tong Sui appear like a little girl experiencing the city for the first time.

Amidst the variety of shops, Tong Sui became dazzled. Suddenly, as they passed a teahouse, she tugged at Xiao Zhen.

Xiao Zhen followed her gaze to the teahouse and recognized Song Lan sitting alone, sipping tea contentedly.

Before Song Lan noticed them, Xiao Zhen led Tong Sui away, speculating, "Mr. Song must be in the city to gather information."

Tong Sui asked, "What kind of information?"

Xiao Zhen pointed upward.

Their grandfather had instructed them to stay overnight at the Zhou residence before returning, giving him time to gather intelligence on the street.

Whether the dynasty would collapse or survive, even the wisest needed clues to draw conclusions, not mere speculation.

Song Lan is a talented person, lying low in the mountains and fields just waiting for an opportunity, naturally needing to keep abreast of news from the capital city and prepare accordingly.

---

Xiao Zhen bought two jars of wine from the most famous tavern in the county, along with two packets of tea and four pounds of dried fruits. Then he took Tong Sui to retrieve their mule cart and headed towards the Zhou family's "Tai'an Hall."

Approaching noon, there weren't many people on the streets. However, when the couple turned into the alley where Tai'an Hall was located, they saw a crowd gathered in front of a shop.

Tong Sui looked up and saw the sign hanging above the shop, which read Tai'an Hall.

Without her urging, Xiao Zhen whipped the mule, speeding up.

Inside the crowded Tai'an Hall, a wealthy young master, dressed in silk and pale as paper, sat weakly on a spring bench, occasionally coughing to prove he was still alive. Beside him stood a fat steward, looking at them haughtily as five or six strong men searched and smashed things around the clinic.

Tong Sui's maternal grandfather Zhou Jingchun, her uncle Zhou Yuanbai, and her cousin Zhou Xian stood by, three slender physicians, powerless to stop it.

The neighbors wanted to help but dared not speak out.

After smashing most of the jars and pots, the fat steward snorted and ordered the strong men to stop. He then said to Zhou Jingchun, "Old man, seven days ago, my young master came here with a cold and cough. You personally diagnosed and prescribed medicine for him, which you admit. Now, after taking your medicine, my young master is critically ill and barely alive. Tell me, shouldn't your Zhou family compensate?"

Zhou Jingchun, suppressing his anger, replied, "My medicine might not cure his cold, but it certainly wouldn't make him this ill. Besides, I examined him, and he wasn't..."

Fat Steward: "Nonsense! Look at how pale my young master's face is; he can't even stand. How dare you say he's fine? Clearly, your incompetence has led to this tragedy. Enough talk, now we have two options: either we go to the county magistrate for justice, or you give us Miss Gui as a concubine for my young master to bring him luck. Choose!"

Zhou Xian sneered, "Dream on."

Fat Steward: "Fine, if you won't accept our offer, then take the punishment. Beat them!"

Just as the strong men were about to attack Zhou Jingchun and his family, a bucket of water suddenly descended from above, drenching the pale young master who had been watching the scene.

With a splash, the young master was stunned, the crowd was stunned, and the strong men preparing to attack were also stunned.

The first to react was the soaked young master. His eyes blazing with fury, he wiped his face and jumped off the spring bench, glaring at Xiao Zhen and cursing, "Who the hell are you, daring to pour water on me?"

Xiao Zhen remained silent, merely swinging the borrowed bucket slightly forward.

Thinking he was about to attack, the young master leaped back in fright, quickly hiding behind the fat steward.

Xiao Zhen then looked at the crowd, "Everyone saw that this young master is rosy-cheeked, full of vitality, and agile. Does he look like someone critically ill who needs a concubine for good luck?"

The crowd responded unanimously, "No!"

Laughter erupted.

Realizing the situation, the young master looked at his powder-covered hands and knew his scheme wouldn't work today. Pointing at Xiao Zhen, he said, "Fine, you're brave, helping the weak. Tell me your name, so I can come to your house and challenge you another day!"

Xiao Zhen calmly replied, "Xiao Zhen from the Xiao family in Lingshui Village, always ready."

Young Master: "..."

Why do these words sound so familiar?

The fat steward suddenly shivered, whispering something in the young master's ear.

County Magistrate Liu could claim credit for defeating bandits far away, but this incident couldn't be hidden from the local people. After several days, everyone knew that the three notorious leaders of Imprisoned Dragon Ridge were killed by the young men of Lingshui Village, led by the Xiao family.

How powerful must the Xiao family be to kill the Kong brothers?

Even the most arrogant young master couldn't defy a bandit gang. Knowing Xiao Zhen's identity, he didn't dare say more and quickly fled with his men.

Tong Sui hurried over to join her maternal grandfather's family.

Xiao Zhen nodded to Zhou Jingchun from a distance, then returned the empty bucket to a middle-aged woman nearby, "In a hurry, I used your water. I'll fetch a new bucket for you right away."

The woman quickly replied, "No need, no need. I'll get another bucket myself. Are you visiting relatives? Oh, hurry and help Old Zhou clean up. That young master is a bully in our city, and we all avoid him. Luckily, you arrived in time, or who knows how this would have ended."

After saying this, the woman left, and the other onlookers gradually dispersed.

Tong Sui reintroduced Xiao Zhen to her maternal grandfather's family and asked anxiously, "What's going on with that person? Trying to force a concubine upon my cousin?"

Zhou Jingchun sighed and nodded, "He sent matchmakers several times, but we refused. So he resorted to force."

They had considered reporting it to the authorities, but County Magistrate Liu would side with whoever paid more. Going to the county office would result in his granddaughter being given to the other party.

Tong Sui looked at Xiao Zhen, exchanging glances with him, and said determinedly, "Today, we came, and he backed off due to fear of Second Master. Tomorrow, when we leave, he might come back to cause trouble. Instead of living in constant fear, why don't you move to Taohuagou? Although business is scarce there, at least you can live peacefully without worrying about trouble."