Chapter 199 Asking for a Beating

Chapter 199: Looking for a Beating

"Bitch, how dare you tie me up? Don't you know I'm top dog in Black Leaf County!"

"I'm the brother-in-law of the Black Leaf County Magistrate! Let me go now and get cozy with me, and I might let you off easy. But if I bring my boys from Black Leaf County, things won't be so smooth for you!"

Meng Wan laughed in anger. Since he followed Song Tingzhou to Lingnan, it had been a long time since anyone dared to be so arrogant in front of him.

"Dong Geer, can you still get up?" he asked Dong Geer, who was being supported by Tang Jinshuang.

Dong Geer had been pulled back by Daniu, but his head was still scraped and bleeding, and he was feeling a bit dizzy. However, hearing Meng Wan's words, he forced himself to focus. "Master, I'm sorry, this is all my fault..."

Meng Wan cut off his guilty speech. "Come over here and slap him a few times. The one who cursed the dirtiest."

Dong Geer was startled. "Ah?"

"What 'ah'? I told you to slap him, put some muscle into it!" Seeing that thug spewing filth incessantly, Meng Wan was getting impatient.

At his urging, Dong Geer hesitantly stood in front of the thug, avoiding eye contact and turning his face away, then raised his right hand and slapped the thug's face with a crack.

That slap was about as effective as a tickle; the thug took virtually no real damage, but being hit by a gē'er in front of his buddies was a huge humiliation. He opened his mouth to curse again. "You slut, you cheap whore used by everyone, how dare you hit me... Ah!"

Another "crack" followed, this time much harder than the first, but Meng Wan was still unsatisfied.

"Use more strength! What are you afraid of? If he dares to come from Black Leaf County to Mount He, he's asking for death. If I don't beat him until even his mother doesn't recognize him, my name isn't Meng!"

Dong Geer seemed to have found his rhythm after those two strikes. Encouraged by Meng Wan's words, he grew bolder, swinging his hand faster and harder each time. Soon, red finger marks began appearing across the leader's face.

"Shut up, shut up! Don't curse our Master... sob... and don't curse me!" Dong Geer's numb eyes gradually took on a hint of satisfaction. Now he didn't need Meng Wan's urging; he slapped viciously, crying all the while.

The other thugs were stunned and dared not make a sound. Meng Wan called to the others, "What are you waiting for? Have you forgotten how these people pulled your hair and slapped you just now? Get back at them!"

He Niang was the most ruthless among them. The moment Meng Wan spoke, she rushed forward with her disheveled black hair, copying Meng Wan's move by kicking a thug.

She probably intended to knock him down, but being petite, she couldn't budge him. This only made her angrier. She picked up a stick from the ground and jabbed the thug hard, finally knocking him over. Then she tossed the stick aside, grabbed a shorter one from the corner, and began smashing it down on his head.

Tang Jinshuang had to remind her to keep her wits. "If you kill him, won't that cause trouble for the Master? Hit the arms and legs."

Then he demonstrated on another thug for everyone to see.

One by one, the people who had been rescued from the mine by Chen Yunmo started attacking, creating quite a spectacle.

Meng Wan found the thugs' screams unpleasant, so he had Xue Sheng dislocate their jaws. From outside the lotus root workshop, all that could be heard were the "bang bang bang" sounds of flesh and sticks colliding.

"He Niang, are you... all right?" Lu Su rushed in and stared as the usually delicate and graceful He Niang, with her hair disheveled, wielded a stick to beat people?

He turned his back, closed his eyes, and after three seconds opened them to see Song Tingzhou's stern face. The latter said, somewhat displeased, "You're a full provincial graduate now. Why this childish behavior?" He himself hadn't been so coy when he passed the provincial exams.

Lu Su, scolded, dared not speak and could only shrink in a corner, watching He Niang fight.

The yard was noisy. Meng Wan, hands on hips, was enjoying himself even more than if he were fighting. Suddenly, someone grabbed his waist from behind with one hand. "Were you hurt by anyone?"

Meng Wan's face lit up. "How did you get back?"

"I entered Mount He territory early this morning, but I took the men to look at the kiln hill, so it took a while." Song Tingzhou led him out, took off his official tablet, and gave it to Xue Sheng, telling him to go to the county office and call for people.

Song Tingzhou had been on a trip to the capital for an audience. Even though Meng Wan didn't care how many ranks he rose, he couldn't help asking, "How did the assessment go?"

Song Tingzhou hadn't seen him for a long time, and his eyes never left him. With a teasing smile, he said, "My clever husband, why don't you guess?"

Meng Wan got interested. He stood in front of Song Tingzhou, examining him closely. "Hmm... there's a smile in your eyes, so you must have been promoted. If you had been recalled to the capital, you'd be slightly tense, and you'd probably have sent me a letter early to tell Mother and me to pack. But you didn't, so... Were you assigned to be an official nearby?"

Song Tingzhou stopped being mysterious. "Still West Wu Prefecture, as Assistant Prefect. I have to go to the prefectural city next month to take up the post."

Meng Wan wasn't too surprised. This was the best outcome for them. They were already familiar with West Wu Prefecture, and switching would mean having to adapt all over again.

"That's great! But taking office next month is a bit urgent. We need to start packing now." Fortunately, Mount He County wasn't far from West Wu Prefecture. Even if Song Tingzhou went ahead to the post, Meng Wan could stay behind and slowly organize things with Chang Jinhua.

They held hands and walked home. Xue Sheng called Inspector Huang, who escorted the troublemaking thugs to the jail. The new county magistrate hadn't arrived yet; these men would have to wait until Song Tingzhou went to the yamen for interrogation tomorrow.

They chatted the whole way. When they reached the door, Song Tingzhou remembered he still had something important to tell Meng Wan, but Meng Wan's eyes went wide as he stared at the man standing in the courtyard with Qin Jiao.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince?"

The Crown Prince, in plain clothes, said calmly, "Master Meng, we haven't seen each other in years. I thought you were just sharp-tongued. I never expected you to have such great ability. I was blind indeed."

Meng Wan quickly knelt to apologize. "Your Highness, please forgive me." He knew how to behave before a superior.

The Crown Prince gestured for him to rise. "I don't blame you. Over these three years, I must thank both of you for taking care of Qin Jiao."

Recently, Meng Wan had been negotiating two deals for lotus root starch. Since the other party saw he was a gē'er and couldn't drag him to a tavern, they just flattered him repeatedly, saying how capable Meng Wan was. Sometimes when Meng Wan brought A Yan along, they would praise A Yan for being adorable.

Meng Wan's mind was stuck on those few phrases, so when the Crown Prince exchanged pleasantries with him, he blurted out, "Prince Qin is sweet and adorable, very likable!"

As he said this, the three people in the courtyard fell silent.

Qin Jiao: So... so in Master Meng's eyes, I am very cute?

---

For dinner, the Song family prepared an extremely lavish feast: home-style northern dishes, local seafood from Mount He, and Chang Jinhua's current specialty—Crispy Chicken.

With the Crown Prince's imposing presence, the atmosphere at the table was less relaxed than usual. Chang Jinhua thought the Crown Prince was just a high official from the capital and wanted to greet him, but seeing that her son and daughter-in-law didn't speak, she didn't open her mouth either.

The meal was eaten silently and rigidly. By the time Huang Ye and Qiu Se cleared the dishes, they found that the plate of Crispy Chicken was completely empty.

Huang Ye wasn't surprised; Lord Song had a big appetite and rarely left leftovers. But Crispy Chicken was fried food, and Lord Song preferred stewed or stir-fried dishes. Usually, when it was made at home, there would be leftovers, but not today.

Huang Ye patted the snow wolf's head. "No favorite food for you today, but there are two meat bones left in the kitchen. I'll get them for you."

The snow wolf was quite intelligent. When it heard Huang Ye's first sentence, its pupils contracted slightly, and it looked a bit aggrieved. But when it heard the rest, it stood up on its paws and took its food bowl to follow Huang Ye to the kitchen door, waiting.

A Yan had missed Song Tingzhou a lot. After bathing that night, he had Huang Ye take him to the bedroom door of Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou. "Daddy, open the door. A Yan wants to come in."

Meng Wan pushed away Song Tingzhou, who was on top of him, panting softly with hot breath. "Go open the door for A Yan."

Song Tingzhou, bare-chested with a thin sheen of sweat on his muscular body, got up in his undergarments and said through the door to A Yan, "Go sleep in Grandmother's room. Tomorrow morning, Daddy will take you to the yamen to play."

A Yan whined, "I want to sleep with you."

Song Tingzhou added, "Daddy brought you food and toys. I'll find them for you tomorrow morning."

"A Yan wants them now!" A Yan said excitedly.

Song Tingzhou's voice was slightly huskier than usual, and when he lowered it further, it became more threatening. "It's too dark now. Go back and rest."

"All right." A Yan was still afraid of Song Tingzhou when he was angry, so he reluctantly let Huang Ye take him back.

Song Tingzhou, afraid he might come back, blew out both the lamp by the door and the one by the bed, then stepped back into the bed curtains.

Meng Wan had a carpenter make the bed, sturdy—no creaking or wobbling—but if things got too rough, it couldn't help but produce a "thump thump" of impact, or some muffled groans.

...

The next day, Song Tingzhou went to the courthouse to handle cases. With the important guest at home, Meng Wan didn't dare act up, getting up early to greet the Crown Prince. Fortunately, the Crown Prince was mainly headed to Qinzhou; otherwise, having to get up early every day would kill Meng Wan, let alone dealing with his surprise questions.

"Your Highness, feel free to ask anything. I'll tell you whatever I know, no holding back." Meng Wan stood before the Crown Prince with a plastic smile, allowing the prince to scrutinize him freely. He'd have set Snowy on anyone else, but he had no choice—this was royalty, born way above common folks.

"Meng Fulang, you don't seem to come from an ordinary family. Care to share where you're from?" the Crown Prince asked after looking at him for a long while, suddenly inquiring about his origins.

Meng Wan froze, his pupils shrinking, but the unease flickered across his face for only a second. The next moment, he pursed his lips. "I am not from a distinguished family. My mother-in-law bought me into the Song family."

He didn't know how the imperial court worked, and he didn't want to find out. The only thing Meng Wan knew was that the emperor's word was law, and the dragon's power was unpredictable. He had never seen the emperor, but he believed the Crown Prince already possessed the unpredictable machinations of a ruler and the commanding presence to decide life and death.

He couldn't tell such a lie before the Crown Prince—one that could easily be exposed. He just didn't know whether his identity would affect Song Tingzhou's future, after all, the thoughts of those in power were hard to read.

"Oh?" the Crown Prince said, quite surprised. "So you were previously a slave status?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Meng Wan nodded with difficulty. No matter how deep his thoughts, he couldn't help feeling nervous at this moment, fidgeting with the strap of the double fish jade pendant hanging at his side.

The Crown Prince noticed his small gesture and found it somewhat endearing. His gaze lingered for a moment on Meng Wan's striking face before he said casually, "No need to be nervous. I don't meddle in such trivial matters. But whether some bored censor will eventually submit a memorial against Lord Song—that's another story."

His words were like a calming pill for Meng Wan, containing two layers of meaning. First, the Crown Prince was surprised but not overly concerned that his minister's husband had been a slave. Perhaps there had been similar officials and their spouses in the capital, and to those in power, it wasn't a big issue.

Second, a censor's memorial would indicate that the matter was indeed somewhat irregular. But it was legal! Otherwise, it would not be a censor but the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review that would submit the memorial.

A censor's impeachment would only be about conduct—a minor issue, at most resulting in a fine.

With that, even if this matter were exposed, Meng Wan would no longer worry. Though delighted inside, he maintained a respectful demeanor while speaking with the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince would only stay in Heshan for two days before heading to Qinzhou. In the afternoon, when the sun was less harsh, he visited the main destination of this trip—the sugar workshop—accompanied by a group of guards, Qin Jiao, and Meng Wan.

The sugar workshop was the foundation of the Heshan people's revival. It was also through the sugar-for-tax policy that year that the entire court was astonished, drawing the emperor's attention to this small county.

Everyone standing outside the sugar workshop would be amazed by the sheer scale of the building, but to princes raised in the deep palace, it seemed rather unimpressive.

The Crown Prince walked into the sugar workshop with a calm stride. Inside were workers of all kinds, busy with their tasks. At this time, it was the slowest period for the sugar workshop, and the workers were busy maintaining equipment and cleaning, preparing for the busy sugar-making season in autumn and winter.

After three years, they were now very familiar with the process.

After completing his tour, the Crown Prince suddenly asked, "Why are all the workers here women and Ge'er?"

Meng Wan knew he would ask this question and was prepared to recite the words he had memorized, speaking solemnly to this respected man.

He first posed a counter question: "May I be bold to ask Your Highness, how do you think they are performing?"

The Crown Prince said flatly, "Acceptable, but not efficient. Some tasks are better performed by men." He did not have the usual arrogance and prejudice of ordinary men who looked down on women and Ge'er working, but the entire Yu Kingdom was bound by the inherent thinking that men manage the outside and women manage the home. Such discomfort was inevitable.

Unfortunately, the current Yu Kingdom had very little tolerance for women and Ge'er. The three genders—men, women, and Ge'er—could not yet work together in the same workshop. The current situation was already the best outcome.

Meng Wan replied respectfully, "Your Highness is right. In my humble opinion, men and women, Ge'er each have their strengths. If each does their part, the work becomes twice as effective with half the effort."