Fairies Are Fierce

Chapter 12: The Vicissitudes of Life, Rain Hitting Duckweed

After tidying up the small courtyard below the waterfall, Zuo Lingquan bid farewell to Wu Qingwan and left the bamboo forest.

It was just noon when Zuo Lingquan finally arrived at Qihuang Valley. Instead of rushing back to the capital, he decided to familiarize himself with the surroundings and asked Senior Xiaohua to show him around inside the valley.

Qihuang Valley was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only one entrance for people to come and go. The internal area was quite large, about five square miles.

According to Senior Xiaohua, the head of Qihuang Valley was the Grand Master, Yue Pingyang, who was also the national teacher. There were five departments under him: the Sword Room, the Discipline Room, the Alchemy Room, the Library, and the Living Quarters. Each department was headed by a senior disciple, and Wu Qingwan was the head of the Alchemy Room.

With nearly three thousand disciples in Qihuang Valley, the five department heads couldn't possibly teach them all. Therefore, there were several stewards under each department, responsible for managing the disciples and imparting knowledge.

After roughly visiting all the places in Qihuang Valley, the sky gradually darkened, and a clap of thunder resounded through the sea of clouds. The fine spring rain began to fall.

Zuo Lingquan had to go to Qiyun Terrace tomorrow to participate in the selection of the husband of the princess. He needed to prepare in advance, so he couldn't stay for long. After thanking Senior Xiaohua, he rode his horse back to Donghua City.

In the second month of spring, the spring rain was as soft as cream. Thousands of sails gathered on the Bailu River, entering through the water gate of Linhe Fang. The streets by the river were bustling, with merchants and servants seeking shelter from the rain under the eaves.

After entering the city gate, Zuo Lingquan happened to pass by Linhe Fang. Since he hadn't had dinner on the way back, he went straight into the gate and arrived outside the Tang family's tavern.

In the evening, the light rain continued, and the light on the Linhe Street was slightly dim. The yellow wine flags swayed in the wind and rain. All four tables in the tavern were occupied, and Old Zhang, the constable he met yesterday, was among them.

Seeing that the tavern was full, Zuo Lingquan stopped by the window. From there, he could see Tang Jinghuan, dressed as a married woman, sitting by a small stove warming wine.

Tang Jinghuan had slept on the table all night last night, and it seemed like she hadn't slept well. She looked a bit listless, with her hand supporting her chin.

Although Zuo Lingquan didn't know Tang Jinghuan's exact age, from her appearance, she seemed to be around twenty-five or twenty-six. Her attire of pearl hairpins and cloth skirts didn't hide her inherent beauty. Her current listless appearance added a touch of lazy charm, reminiscent of a "lazy and languid beauty with painted eyebrows when she's drunk," which was completely different from her spirited and talkative image yesterday, but equally captivating.

The tavern was full, and Zuo Lingquan originally intended to leave quietly, but he wanted to say hello before leaving.

During the moment of hesitation, Tang Jinghuan didn't notice him, but Old Zhang, who was sitting at the table on the inner side, was the first to notice him.

"Oh, Lord Zuo is here. Come in quickly, Jinghuan, don't doze off. A distinguished guest has arrived..."

Upon hearing the voice, Tang Jinghuan turned her gaze and saw Zuo Lingquan at the window. Her eyes brightened, and she stood up.

"Little Zuo, why are you here again? No, what wind blew you here..."

Her words were incoherent, clearly not fully awake.

Zuo Lingquan smiled and put away his umbrella, leaning it against the door, then entered the small tavern.

"I'm free, so I came to sit for a while."

Last night, I helped keep watch, and this morning I left without saying goodbye. I even gave money for the drinks, but I didn't have a chance to thank Tang Jingrong. I felt embarrassed and hurriedly went into the back room, saying, "Please have a seat, sir. Haven't had breakfast yet? I'll prepare some food and drinks for you."

The tavern was full, so Zuo Lingquan came to sit at the table of the old constable Zhang, carrying his sword. They chatted and exchanged cups for a while, and then Tang Jingrong came out with two hot dishes and placed them on the table.

Constable Zhang knew that the food and drinks were prepared for Zuo Lingquan and had no intention of eating for free. He picked up his sword and bid farewell, saying, "Please enjoy your drink, sir. I'll go patrol the streets."

After bidding farewell to Zuo Lingquan, Tang Jingrong returned to the table and looked at the delicious dishes in front of her. She smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, sister Tang."

Tang Jingrong took some warm wine from the small stove and sat down next to Zuo Lingquan, pouring a full cup for him. She said, "It's not trouble at all. You have to pay for your meal, it's not like I'm letting you eat for free."

Zuo Lingquan took a wine cup and placed it in front of Tang Jingrong, pouring her a cup of wine as well. He said, "I thought with our friendship, sister Tang, I could have a free meal."

Tang Jingrong looked at the wine cup in front of her, hesitated for a moment, and then picked it up to clink with Zuo Lingquan. She took a small sip and said softly, "What friendship? Don't talk nonsense. There are some gossipy women on this street who are the most annoying. They're always prying into other people's affairs, afraid that nothing will happen to other people's families..."

As Tang Jingrong spoke, her beautiful eyebrows showed a hint of anger, and her eyes glanced towards the end of the street. It was clear that her words had a target and were not just casual complaints.

Zuo Lingquan held the wine cup and thought for a moment. Suddenly, he remembered that when he left in the morning, there was a woman from the bun shop at the end of the street looking at him.

He put away his playful expression and asked, "Could it be that someone has been gossiping about sister Tang? When I left in the morning, it was already bright outside, and in the bun shop at the end of the street..."

"It's her," Tang Jingrong interrupted.

Upon hearing this, Tang Jingrong became furious and lightly patted Zuo Lingquan's arm, saying, "You know that I, as a woman living alone, drank all night and left in the morning. You should have left quietly. Instead, you walked out openly through the main gate. You don't know that when I opened the door this morning, I saw that woman gossiping with someone and then she came to ask me if I had found a lover..."

When Zuo Lingquan left in the morning, he really didn't think about all this. He replied with a clear conscience, "This is a tavern. I came here to drink with sister Tang innocently. If I want to leave, I naturally leave through the main gate. How can I sneak away? Isn't that being guilty of something?"

"......"

After thinking for a moment, Tang Jingruo realized that it was true, so she directed her resentment towards that woman:

"That wretched woman is my fourth uncle's mistress. She used to be a prostitute in the brothel, and although she has no other skills, she enjoys slandering people behind their backs."

Zuo Lingquan didn't expect that the woman had a family relationship with Tang Jingruo, so he hesitated for a moment before responding.

Tang Jingruo and Zuo Lingquan were complaining, hoping that Zuo Lingquan would join her in criticizing the other party's lack of integrity. Seeing this, she explained further:

"My mother's surname is Chen. The Chen family is considered a wealthy family in the capital city. Chen Maode, an inspector from the Imperial Censorate, is my second grandfather."

"Oh?"

Zuo Lingquan was slightly surprised. He thought Tang Jingruo was a poor and helpless girl, but he didn't expect that there was someone in her family who held a position in the court.

However, Tang Jingruo didn't feel any pride or satisfaction about these relatives. In fact, she was even repulsed by them.

"In the past, my grandfather was the head of the Chen family and managed the family business. He owned more than ten shops in Linhe Lane. Unfortunately, my grandfather only had one daughter and no sons. Later, my father came to the capital to take the imperial examination and met my mother. They got married.

When I was born, there was a mysterious fire that almost burned down half of Linhe Lane.

My name, 'Jingruo,' comes from the word 'ruo,' which means a piece of wood bent by fire. Originally, it was 'Jinyan,' but it was changed to its current form for a better sound.

After that fire, my mother passed away shortly after giving birth to me due to the shock. My father developed a heart disease and passed away when I hadn't even learned to walk yet. I was raised by my grandparents at first, and everything was fine. But after my grandparents passed away, everything changed.

My second grandfather, Chen Maode, has several sons, none of whom are very capable. When my grandfather passed away, the Chen family naturally set their sights on our family's properties. They said my mother married into an outsider's family and wanted to take back the properties.

Of course, I was unwilling, so I went to report to the authorities. But the officials couldn't do much because the properties did belong to the Chen family. It was only when Old Zhang couldn't bear to see this injustice that he went to the chief officer of the apprehension department to mediate.

The chief officer said that my mother is a member of the Chen family, and even though I don't bear the Chen surname, I still have Chen blood. Since I'm not married and have no elders to rely on, the Chen family, as relatives, should fulfill their duty of support and cannot take back the properties. Otherwise, it would violate public order and moral standards.

The chief officer of the apprehension department was of higher rank than the Chen family, so they didn't dare to forcefully take over the properties. However, they still had no shame and started arranging marriage proposals for me since I was fourteen, hoping that I would marry and they could easily take over the properties.

These properties belonged to my grandfather and my mother. Why should I give them to them? So I refuse to get married and will protect these properties even if it costs me my life..."

Tang Jingruo had kept these grievances in her heart for many years. Holding a small wine cup, she rambled on, and by the end, her eyes were red.

Zuo Lingquan listened attentively and gradually understood Tang Jingruo's situation. He also felt disgusted and disdainful towards the Chen family.

"This Chen family is truly despicable. They shamelessly prey on the weak and don't fear retribution."

"I am their granddaughter, so logically, I shouldn't stand on their side. But what can I do? I will resist them as long as I can. I won't get married anyway. Since I'm still young, they will die before me..."

...

As the sun set, pedestrians crowded the small street by the river.

Tang Jingrui poured out her heart in the tavern, while Zuo Lingquan sat beside her, listening attentively.

Neither of them noticed a black-covered boat floating by on the river outside the door, with two pairs of eyes peering out from under the canopy.

"That's the kid. I saw him coming out of Tang Jingrui's house this morning..."

Inside the boat, the woman who sold buns in the morning carefully concealed her bulky figure and spoke to the middle-aged man next to her:

"Tang Jingrui must have found herself a man. Let's call the Chen brothers over and catch them in the act. I want to see what excuse she has for not returning the house deed..."

The middle-aged man was the fourth son of the Chen family, who had been hanging around the capital for years. Despite his lack of talent, he had some insight. He squinted his triangular eyes and carefully examined Zuo Lingquan in the tavern:

"This kid is dressed like a Cloud Brocade robe, which is worth at least a hundred taels. His family must be either rich or noble. Do you know his identity?"

Yesterday, the beast attack was so severe that the middle-aged woman was on the street and naturally knew about it. She quickly said:

"I heard that he is a relative of the Minister of Rites, named Zuo Lingquan..."

The corner of the fourth son of the Chen family's eye twitched, and the idea of catching them in the act vanished instantly. He cursed:

"You foolish woman, the Minister of Rites is a Third Grade official, even higher than my father's rank. How dare we cause trouble?"

"Even if the official is high-ranking, they still need to be reasonable. This is our Chen family's property. It would be a kind act to return it after she gets married. But now that she has a man, she still refuses to return the house deed. Isn't that shameless?"

The fourth son of the Chen family waved his hand, telling the woman to stop babbling, and pondered carefully:

"Left Minister is a prominent minister in the court, and I heard his family is very wealthy. The house in the capital is even bigger than the Prime Minister's. When their son gets married and takes concubines, I'm sure they won't be stingy with the dowry..."

"Are you suggesting that we don't cause trouble and go to their house to propose a marriage match?"

"As long as Jingrui gets married, the property will naturally be returned, and our Chen family can also get a dowry. It's a win-win situation. Why should we ruin our relationship?"

After a brief consideration, the fourth son of the Chen family thought the idea was good. He no longer hesitated and asked the boatman to dock the boat:

"I'll go and inform my father. Tomorrow, they will choose a husband, and all the officials will have to go to the Yun Tai. It's a perfect opportunity to privately discuss this matter with the Left Minister... Are you sure they spent the night together last night?"

"Absolutely certain. I saw that kid coming out in the morning, and he even adjusted his pants..."

...

(End of this chapter)