Chapter 116: Compensation, A Model of Male Virtue

Chapter 116: Compensation – Model of Male Virtue

Nan Jinping found it both amusing and exasperating, yet also heartwarming. "Are you the vengeful dragon Yazi reborn? How can you be so petty?"

Bing Wengu, unfazed by the crowd around them, grinned and leaned in. "My heart’s always been tiny—tiny enough for just you."

Nan Jinping glanced around and noticed everyone gaping, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Her face turned beet red.

"Let’s get out of here," she whispered urgently.

The entourage followed Bing Wengu and Nan Jinping as they stepped out. Cong Lin felt his mental image of the formidable Lord Bing crumble on the spot.

He turned to Chu Hongyu and asked, "Is this really the magistrate? Is he possessed or something?"

Chu Hongyu shook his head uncertainly. "It must be him. No one could imitate the magistrate’s stature, appearance, or bearing. As for possession… probably not. Madam Nan seldom comes to the office, but on the few occasions she has, the magistrate melts like frost in spring. So perhaps this is how he truly is around her."

"I still can’t believe it," Cong Lin muttered, feeling as though something had shattered irreparably.

As Bing Wengu and Nan Jinping emerged, they saw Li Ao kneeling at the office gates, forced down, his upper body bare and his back strapped with thorny vines.

Upon spotting Bing Wengu, the Prefect of Lin'an dared not show arrogance. He bowed deeply. "This lowly official pays respects to Lord Bing and Madam Bing."

Since this spectacle was unfolding right at the office gates, a crowd of onlookers had gathered.

A clueless onlooker piped up, "Isn’t that man a prefect? Why is he calling our County Magistrate Bing ‘Lord’?"

Another local, chest puffed out, explained, "You don’t know? Our Lord Bing is extraordinary! He created flying machines and made artificial rain possible. The Emperor was so pleased that he granted him a fifth-rank title. Now even prefects have to address him as ‘Lord’!"

The crowd murmured in awe. "Lord Bing is truly remarkable!"

The Prefect of Lin'an, overhearing the unrestrained chatter, wanted the ground to swallow him.

Bing Wengu stood with his hands behind his back and gave a slight nod. "Prefect of Lin'an, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

The prefect, seething with rage and shame, gritted his teeth till his jaw twitched.

"Lord Bing," the prefect clasped his hands in salute, "I only just learned that my foolish brother-in-law once caused you trouble when you visited Lin'an to attract merchants. I’ve brought him here today to apologize."

Bing Wengu replied, "Such trivial matters have never weighed on my mind."

Li Ao, assuming Bing Wengu was too prideful to make a scene in public, began to relax—until Bing Wengu continued.

"What I do recall is this: Li Ao once promised that if I drank an entire jar of wine, he would establish workshops in Ji County. For the sake of the people’s livelihood, I drank it—only to black out, puking my guts out all night and suffering a three-day headache. Yet Li Ao never honored his word. He never came to Ji County to ease the folks’ struggles. That is what I remember."

"What? Who does he think he is, bullying our magistrate? He’s just a merchant—how dare he?"

The crowd buzzed with outrage, some even choked up.

"Our magistrate is truly noble! He took the insult for the sake of us dirt-poor folks. How are we worthy of such a man?"

"Think about it—when Ji County suffered drought, he invented artificial rain. We only saw the success, but who knows how much hardship he endured behind the scenes?"

"He’s a truly good official, one who cares for the people."

"Now I truly believe he’s the reincarnation of the Marshal. How else would he treat us commoners so kindly? Only a heaven-sent saint would show such compassion to the poor."

Someone took the lead, and soon the entire crowd bowed deeply, praising him for everything he’d sacrificed.

Bing Wengu didn’t coldly stand aside like he had with the Prefect of Lin'an. This time, he stepped up on his own and helped the two foremost citizens to their feet.

“No need for this. As the magistrate of Ji County, these are my duties. Please, there's no need for such gestures.”

Some in the crowd spoke up angrily on Bing Wengu’s behalf. “Sir, that Li punk had the nerve to disrespect you like that! You should’ve skipped the rain for Lin'an—that would have avenged the humiliation you suffered!”

Bing Wengu sighed wistfully. “I get how much you care, and it means a lot. But the artificial rainfall couldn’t be withheld. Think about it—who gets hit hardest by a drought? The people of Lin'an Prefecture.”

Among the crowd were citizens of Lin'an, and upon hearing these words, they were profoundly moved. They were dying for the Prefect of Lin'an to get booted so Bing Wengu could take his place.

An official who actually gave a damn about folks—that was what Lin'an Prefecture needed.

“The man really is the Marshal reborn—so benevolent and kind.”

Once he’d milked the sympathy enough, Bing Wengu let out a low sigh and said dejectedly, “Honestly, petty slights don’t bother me. What really gets me is Proprietor Li backing out. A single workshop could have provided livelihoods for so many people.”

The Prefect’s eye twitched. To bitch this much but pretend he’s fine with it—how could Bing Wengu say such things without shame?

But he was stuck, so he caved. Forcing a stiff smile, the Prefect of Lin'an said, “My idiot brother-in-law knows he screwed up—he shouldn’t have broken his word. But he also realizes he lacks the capability to build the workshop. He’s willing to donate a thousand strings of cash for the development of Ji County.”

“Brother-in-law, have you lost your mind? A thousand strings? I—” Li Ao shrieked in disbelief.

The Prefect kicked Li Ao squarely in the back. “You moron! Say sorry to Lord Bing, now!”

Seeing his brother-in-law about to pop a vein, Li Ao dared not argue further and reluctantly agreed.

Still, he wasn’t truly worried. He didn’t have that kind of money anyway, and even if he did, he wouldn’t part with it. Worst case, he’d mooch off his sister—same as always.

“Lord Bing, I was wasted and talking crap—my bad. I willingly donate a thousand strings for Ji County’s development,” Li Ao muttered sullenly.

Only then did Bing Wengu appear satisfied. “On behalf of Ji County’s people, I thank you, Kind Benefactor Li. Rest assured, your name will be inscribed on the merit stele outside the yamen.”

This wasn’t a honor roll—it was a wall of shame! Li Ao hastily refused, “That won’t be necessary. I’m a humble man—I don’t seek such attention.”

“This isn’t about attention. It’s about setting an example of charity, so others may follow,” Bing Wengu said with deliberate mischief.

“Ah, by the way—I was just about to inform you that the aircraft has been repaired and is ready to perform artificial rainfall for Lin'an Prefecture. What a *convenient* coincidence that you arrived first. In a way, it’s fate.”

Yeah, right—‘fate’! The Prefect of Lin'an was certain that if he hadn’t come today, the aircraft would never have been "coincidentally" repaired.

Forcing a strained smile, the Prefect of Lin'an said, “What a *convenient* coincidence indeed.”

When the Prefect of Lin'an departed, he took with him Ji County’s pilot, the aircraft, and dozens of yamen officers assigned to protect them.

Back in Lin'an, Li Ao immediately went to his sister for the money. A thousand strings was still a staggering sum for her, and she had to sell several pieces of jewelry to scrape it together.

As luck would have it, the Prefect of Lin'an witnessed this scene. Furious, he exploded, “I bust my ass scheming for pennies, risking my head, and you squander it on this imbecile? Not only must I clean up his mess, bowing and scraping to apologize to a mere county magistrate, but I must also pay his debts?”

Neither Li Shi nor Li Ao dared to breathe a word.

The more the Prefect of Lin'an thought about it, the more infuriated he became. He kicked Li Ao viciously, sending him sprawling.

“Li Shi, since you cannot manage this household, you need not manage it at all. Starting tomorrow, the steward’s authority goes to the concubine!” With that, the Prefect stormed out.

Panicking, Li Shi begged through tears, “Husband, no! You mustn’t! It has always been the wife who manages the household. If you hand my power to some side-piece, how can I ever show my face among the other wives?”

But the Prefect was already gone, deaf to Li Shi’s desperate cries.

Furious, Li Shi pummeled Li Ao. “This is on you! If your brother-in-law truly turns against me, what future do you think you’ll have?”

Li Ao picked up the banknote with nonchalance. "Men are all tough on the outside but soft inside. Just coax him a bit more, sister. Alright, I need to deliver this money to that plague god Bing now, so I’ll take my leave."

Bing Wengu received the banknote but didn’t embezzle it; instead, he instructed Chu Hongyu to record it in the county treasury.

Chu Hongyu gave Bing Wengu a complex look, having to admit that Bing Wengu was truly the most incorruptible official he had ever encountered.

With the drought finally resolved, Bing Wengu had some leisure time to chat with Nan Jinping.

Nan Jinping said, "Wengu, Jinghuai came with the Emperor’s entourage last time. But you were either by the Emperor’s side or at the experimental base, so he couldn’t find a chance to talk to you. Instead, he came to reminisce with me for a while and brought the profits from the kaleidoscope business over the past few months."

Bing Wengu, with his sharp senses, had long noticed Jiang Jinghuai in the entourage.

Though Jiang Jinghuai had been promoted to a minor official position, it was still insignificant.

Being able to join the Emperor’s escort was only because of Bing Wengu’s influence—he certainly wasn’t the chief commander.

Before the Emperor’s arrival, Jiang Jinghuai had sent a servant to inform Bing Wengu that the Emperor had ordered his arrest. Though the Emperor later changed his mind, the message had already been delivered.

At the time, Bing Wengu had just succeeded in artificial rainfall. After a brief thought, he understood the situation and didn’t dwell on it, though he privately acknowledged the favor.

Even when Bing Wengu seemed to be in trouble, Jiang Jinghuai hadn’t kicked him while he was down. Now that Bing Wengu was in the Emperor’s favor, Jiang Jinghuai wouldn’t dare act against him.

Bing Wengu didn’t ask about the kaleidoscope profits—he never did. Since he had entrusted household accounts to Nan Jinping, he trusted her completely.

"You should use the silk the Emperor gave you to make clothes for yourself. No need to make any for me," Bing Wengu said.

Nan Jinping was used to Bing Wengu not asking about money and no longer reacted with surprise. She held all the household finances and suspected Bing Wengu didn’t even know how much they had.

Thinking this, she voiced her question.

Bing Wengu chuckled indifferently. "Why would I need to know that? As long as you don’t starve me, this husband of yours is very easy to keep."

Who was really supporting whom? In truth, Bing Wengu was the one sustaining the household, yet he always claimed to be the one being taken care of.

Most men would find being called a freeloader humiliating, but Bing Wengu seemed to revel in it.

Perhaps this was his unique way of showing tenderness.

Nan Jinping said gently, "I already have plenty of clothes. You should have those fabrics made into robes for yourself. Wearing garments from the Emperor’s bestowed materials when socializing will make other officials think twice before slighting you."

Bing Wengu waved it off. "Respect is earned, not given. Your husband is now a fifth-rank official with the merit of artificial rainfall. Only a fool would dare provoke me—they’d rather seek my favor."

"But you—make a few more outfits to wear out. Let them know who runs this household, so they don’t get any foolish ideas."

Nan Jinping immediately understood—he wanted her to assert her claim and ward off any designs on her man.

She smiled sweetly. "You’re upholding male virtue quite well."

Bing Wengu grinned. "Right? I think so too. If there were a chastity arch for men, I’d deserve it."

Nan Jinping burst into laughter. She’d realized Bing Wengu didn’t obsess over masculine pride like other men.

"Wengu, since Jinghuai brought the money, I’d like to open a bookstore—printing and selling books myself." Nan Jinping had long considered this but held back due to the drought.

"That’s a great idea." Bing Wengu suddenly remembered something. "I’d nearly forgotten. Now that the drought’s over, it’s time to promote public literacy."