Müßige Blumen und Schatten

Kapitel 8

Xu Dahu, only thirty years old, was a figure everyone avoided in Qingmen County, and the common people dared not speak out against him. His power largely stemmed from the influence of his cousin, Xu Jinrong. This cousin, Xu Jinrong, had started his business in shipbuilding, and now secretly controlled seven or eight out of ten of the water transport vessels in the Huainan region. Every year, millions of shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice from the Jianghuai region were transported to the capital via his ships. If he ordered a halt to transport, the price of rice in the capital would skyrocket. He was also on friendly terms with the military commissioners and transport commissioners of the Huainan region, and had recently been recommended for a sixth-rank military post. His ancestral home was in Qingmen, and although he no longer lived there much, his remaining relatives had all risen to power through their influence, with Xu Dahu being the most conspicuous among them. In the past few years, he had restrained himself somewhat, but in the last two years, as Xu Jinrong's influence has grown, he has become increasingly domineering. Even many local gentry and wealthy families, such as Master Chen, have been oppressed, not to mention ordinary people. He has angered countless people, but they dare not speak out. They avoid him when they see him and curse him behind his back.

Early that morning, Xu Dahu was playing with his birds in his yard. A hawk he had raised was perched on his arm, and he was feeding it raw meat when a guard came to report that the newly appointed county magistrate had come to invite him. It turned out that Zhang Dahu dared not arrest him, so when he arrived at the place, he politely said that it was Magistrate Yang who had invited him, and did not say a word else.

Xu Dahu, considering himself a local tyrant and in cahoots with the former magistrate, didn't take the new magistrate seriously, and thus disdained attending the banquet at the Spider Tower yesterday. Now, hearing from his guards that the magistrate had invited him, and that the magistrate had learned of Xu's power from others yesterday, was now inviting him to curry favor. Thinking that the magistrate was indeed a high-ranking official, and that he shouldn't be too impolite, Xu decided to use this opportunity to investigate. Having made up his mind, he changed his clothes, took a few servants, and swaggered towards the county government office.

The newly appointed magistrate of the county had just taken office and yesterday happily accepted an invitation to a banquet at the Spider Tower, where he became very intimate with the girls. This rumor spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys overnight, and the common people of the county town secretly shook their heads and sighed: "We just had a skinning magistrate, and now a lecherous one has arrived; they're probably just as bad." Seeing Xu Dahu leading his servants arrogantly, followed by five or six yamen runners towards the county government office, although they didn't know what was going on, their curiosity got the better of them, and they followed from a distance to see what was happening. By the time they reached the vicinity of the county government office, a large crowd had gathered.

Xu Dahu was eager to establish his authority in front of the new magistrate. Seeing a large number of villagers following behind him, he was delighted and didn't chase them away. When they arrived at the county government office, he saw that the south gate was open and two gatekeepers were standing at the entrance. He turned to Zhang Daman and said nonchalantly, "Heh, why does the magistrate want to invite me into the government office for tea today?"

Zhang Da's face was already soaked with sweat and greasy, but he didn't bother to wipe it off. He just smiled apologetically and said, "The magistrate is waiting in the courtroom."

Although Xu Dahu was somewhat puzzled as to why the new magistrate would choose the front courtroom if he wanted to curry favor with him, he didn't think too much about it. He straightened his robes, held his head high, and strode in.

Yang Huan had been waiting for half a day and was already impatient. Finally, a man in a purple robe swaggered in, his face arrogant. He figured this must be Xu Dahu. Yang Huan was furious. He slammed his gavel down and roared, "Hey! Is this Xu Dahu?"

Xu Dahu entered the courtroom and saw that the bailiffs on both sides each held a fire-and-water stick, their faces expressionless and their eyes fixed straight ahead. He immediately sensed that something was amiss. Looking up, he saw a man in a green official robe, about twenty years old, sitting behind the table in the middle. The man was glancing at him sideways with an unfriendly expression. Xu Dahu was surprised and was about to take a closer look when he was suddenly startled by the sound of the wooden clapper. He nodded in agreement.

Yang Huan snorted and said, "You dare not kneel before me? It's clear you're arrogant and spoiled. Come on, give me twenty lashes first!"

These words caused a stir among the crowd. The many people gathered at the entrance of the county government office immediately began to whisper among themselves, wondering why the newly arrived magistrate would go against Xu Dahu. The clerk, who had been writing furiously, stopped abruptly, looked up at the county magistrate, and remained motionless.

Seeing that the two constables were just looking at each other and no one was going to make a move, Yang Huan angrily said, "I said let's fight! If you don't do it, you'll be sorry!"

Xu Dahu finally realized what was happening, and his expression changed drastically. He was a fierce man, and had become accustomed to acting arrogantly these past two years. He had come expecting the new magistrate to try and ingratiate himself with him, but instead, the newcomer had adopted this posture as soon as he entered. Hearing the commotion from the onlookers outside, he felt humiliated and his anger flared. He roared, "You newbie, you tricked me into coming here, and now you want to embarrass me for no reason! Even if you're going to beat me, you need a reason. I'd like to see who dares to lay a hand on me today!"

"You old codger, you dare call yourself 'Master' in front of me?" Yang Huan roared, leaping up from his chair and slamming his hand on the board. "You want a pretext? I'll give you one. Three years ago, you had an affair with Wang, the wife of that cripple from the south of the city. When he caught you in the act, you strangled her to death and carried the body out of the city to be buried in the middle of the night. Wang has already confessed and signed a confession. The other day, on my way to my new post, I happened to come across the burial site and dug up a jade pendant from the body. The owner of the gold and jade shop also confirmed that it was yours. Now that we have both witnesses and evidence, let's see how you deny it!" As he spoke, he waved Wang's confession and the tiger-head jade pendant in his hand.

The villagers who had gathered at the yamen never expected that the newly arrived magistrate would suddenly bring up this matter and target Xu Dahu. Although some people had said they had seen Xu Dahu coming and going from Ma the Cripple's house years ago, seemingly having an affair with Wang, the then magistrate did nothing, and Ma the Cripple's family was too weak to fight against the Xu family, so the matter was eventually dropped. Ma the Cripple's family members, who had been notified by the yamen runners and had rushed over early in the morning, suddenly realized what was happening. They pushed their way through the wooden stakes blocking the way at the gate, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly, loudly pleading, "Please, Your Honor, do justice!"

Xu Dahu gasped, never expecting that something he had long forgotten would be brought up today. He panicked for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and sneered, "That wretched woman tried to seduce me before, and I rejected her, so she held a grudge and framed me. As for that jade pendant, it was indeed mine, but it was lost a few years ago. Maybe that cripple stole it. What's so strange about digging it out of his bones?"

Yang Huan, hearing him completely absolve himself of any responsibility, didn't even look at him. He grabbed a handful of red slips from the "Ming" slip container, threw them on the ground, and angrily said, "Still so stubborn! I'll give you fifty lashes and see if you're still so defiant!"

The foreman, who was usually in charge of wielding the cane, counted the red tally sticks on the ground, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said in a trembling voice, "Sir, you just said to give fifty lashes, but there are about ten tally sticks on the ground. Which one should we use to punish?"

It turned out that each red-tipped stick represented ten strokes of the cane, so these ten or so sticks meant more than a hundred strokes. The head constable, seeing that the county magistrate seemed to be serious, was afraid that if he went against the magistrate's wishes, he would lose his job before Xu Dahu even came to settle accounts. Therefore, he asked for clarification before making any plans.

Yang Huan glared and cursed, "Keep hitting me until I tell you to stop!"

Seeing that the magistrate was serious and seemed intent on beating him to death, and hearing the commotion in the crowd behind him, which seemed to be gloating, Xu Dahu couldn't swallow his anger. He jumped up, pointed at Yang Huan, and cursed, "Do you know who my uncle is? Master Xu Jinrong! Even your superiors in all those prefectural offices have to treat him with respect. You're just a lowly seventh-rank county magistrate, are you really tired of living? I'm not going to bother with you today, I'm leaving!" With that, he turned to leave.

From childhood to adulthood, aside from his father, the Grand Commandant, this was the first time Yang Huan had ever been so rudely lectured. Xu Dahu jumped high, but Yang Huan jumped even higher, leaping onto a chair, shoving one foot on the table, and snarling, "What are you, my worthless uncle! My father is the Grand Commandant, and my sister is a Noble Consort in the palace. Crushing you is as easy as crushing an ant. If you don't sign and confess, I'll beat you to death on the spot! Beat him now! If you stand there still, you'll all be punished!"

As Yang Huan spoke, he kept urging them on.

The people in the hall and the growing crowd outside had never seen a county magistrate like this before; they were all dumbfounded.

Helpless, the head constable had no choice but to step forward and whisper to Xu Dahu, "Master Xu, I'm sorry..." As he spoke, he kicked Xu Dahu in the back of the knee, and Xu Dahu was forced to kneel on the ground. He was then held down by two constables, and the fire and water sticks began to beat him on the buttocks and thighs.

When the crowd at the door saw that Xu Dahu had actually been restrained and punished with a cane, they all cheered and laughed, counting the blows as the cane went up and down.

Xu Dahu wasn't in much pain in his buttocks and thighs despite being beaten. After a moment's thought, he understood what was going on. He figured the constables were afraid of future retaliation, so even though the blows were loud, the sticks were hitting the ground directly, so he would only suffer minor injuries. Feeling emboldened, he continued to shout "I'm innocent!" even while lying on the ground.

Seeing him being beaten, Yang Huan's face showed a smug expression, his eyes darting around, and he kept shouting that he was innocent. The other man was not stupid either; with just a glance, he saw through the trickery of the board, cursed, rushed over, kicked away a constable who was pretending to swing the stick, snatched the stick from his hand, and struck him hard on the thigh.

Chapter Sixteen

This was a real, brutal beating. After only a few blows, Xu Dahu screamed in agony, and after a few more, he was crying for his parents. Hearing the sound of flesh striking the stick, Yang Huan recalled the times his father had disciplined him, and a wave of pain washed over him. He swung the stick even harder, but lost his aim and the stick flew high into the air.

"That old bastard, beat him hard until he confesses, and I'll reward him handsomely! Anyone who tries to play tricks can pack their bags and leave immediately!"

Although Yang Huan's arms were numb from the shock and his hands ached, he had no choice but to endure it and not rub them under the watchful eyes of everyone. He bared his teeth and roared at the stunned bailiff holding the baton. The bailiff snapped out of his daze and swung the baton down.

With a generous reward, there will surely be brave men. Moreover, the yamen runner had just realized that the new magistrate was indeed someone of great importance. At this moment, he was only thinking about clinging to his new superior's coattails. He became fearless and not only stopped using trickery, but also used all his strength, striking the bone and tendons with each blow.

Yang Huan had only used his strength to beat Xu Dahu haphazardly, which was no match for the brutal blows from these experienced constables. After only twenty or so blows, the clothes on Xu Dahu's back and thighs were already stuck to his flesh, and blood was drawn from the blows. At first, Xu Dahu could only scream in pain, but after twenty or thirty blows, he felt like half his soul was being beaten out of his body. He could no longer bear it and kept shouting, "I confess, I confess!" Only then did Yang Huan stop beating him and order the clerk to take Xu Dahu's statement.

The clerk wrote quickly, and after recording the confession, the county magistrate glanced at it and exclaimed, "Sir, it is exactly the same as Wang's confession, without the slightest deviation."

The county constable, finally regaining his composure, hurriedly chimed in with a high-sounding praise: "It's clear that Xu Dahu is indeed the murderer of Ma Quezi! Although you are young, you are extremely wise! You have solved this long-standing case so soon after taking office; it is truly a blessing for all the people of Qingmen County!"

Although Xu Dahu was beaten senseless, he could still hear clearly. Seeing that the county magistrate, who had previously taken bribes and fawned over him, was now not only not speaking up for him but was also adding fuel to the fire, Xu Dahu gritted his teeth inwardly. If he got out of there, he would definitely be the first person to be punished.

The county magistrate's words were merely flattery, indicating that he had sided with the new magistrate. However, they startled the villagers who had been watching the commotion outside. Someone took the lead, and the whole group knelt down, shouting "Yang Qingtian!" The family of the crippled man wept and kowtowed repeatedly.

This was the first time in Yang Huanfang's life that someone had pointed their finger at him and insulted him like this, yet it was also the first time in his life that someone had held him in such high regard. Seeing the villagers kowtowing to him with such excitement, repeatedly calling him "Yang the Justice," he was stunned for a moment before realizing that "Yang the Justice" referred to him. He felt a sudden weight lift from his shoulders, coughed, and shouted, "Now that we have both witnesses and evidence, and Xu Dahu has confessed, take him to the death row and behead him tomorrow at noon!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers' cries of "Yang Qingtian!" grew even louder, startling the county magistrate, Mu, who turned pale. He hurriedly went to Yang Huan and lowered his voice, saying, "Your Honor, you mustn't! According to the laws of our Great Song Dynasty, it must first be reported to the provincial judicial commissioner, who will then report it to the Ministry of Justice for review, and finally to the Emperor for approval and execution. Only after receiving the official document can the execution be carried out. Your Honor, you must not act on your own!"

Yang Huan frowned and said angrily, "Damn it, when are we going to finally take his head off?"

"Your Honor, Your Honor, I have a grievance to redress!" Before Magistrate Mu could speak, an elderly man with white hair stepped over the crowd and knelt behind a row of wooden stakes, sobbing uncontrollably, "Your Honor, my family's several acres of land are by the river and adjacent to the Xu family's land. They had long planned to buy it at a low price, but I refused. Our county has suffered from poor harvests for years, and this year we finally managed to grow some rice seedlings, which were growing well. We were counting on harvesting a few grains of rice, but a few months ago, Xu's servants trampled them all with their horses. My sons were furious and went to confront them, but they were beaten by his servants. My youngest son was seriously injured and died unjustly a few days after returning home. I thought I would never get justice before I died, but I never expected that such a benevolent official like Your Honor would come to our county today. Heaven has eyes! I beg Your Honor to do justice for my dead youngest son!" He then kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face.

As the old man spoke, some of the villagers around him sighed in disbelief. Yang Huan, at this moment, seemed to have forgotten all his past misdeeds. He cursed, grabbed a stick, and struck Xu Dahu, who was still lying on the ground, on his wounds, yelling, "Do you admit it or not?"

Although Xu Dahu was only in his thirties, his body had long been ruined by wine and women. After being beaten like that, he was almost half dead. He couldn't withstand it anymore and hurriedly responded with a trembling voice after only two blows. The clerk hurriedly recorded it and grabbed his finger to sign it.

The old man's grievances had just been heard, and the scene became even more lively. Suddenly, five or six more people rushed out. Some said their nieces had been spotted by Xu Dahu on the street, forcibly abducted, and imprisoned for several days before being released. It turned out they had been raped, and the nieces had jumped into the river and committed suicide, leaving their families with no way to complain. Others claimed to have been extorted by his servants, and still others said they had accidentally spat on the street, and when he happened to pass by, he insisted it was him, and they were inexplicably beaten and had their teeth knocked out. The stories were varied and countless, keeping the clerk sweating profusely as he wrote one complaint after another.

Yang Huan felt greatly pleased. After returning to the courtroom table, he slammed the gavel and loudly announced, "From today to the next three days, spread the word that everyone in the county who has been bullied by this Xu Dahu should come to the yamen to file a complaint. I, your humble servant, will rid the people of this scourge!"

"Oh dear, sir, what happened to you? Is there no law anymore? Who dares to treat my sir like this?"

As the villagers excitedly shouted "Yang Qingtian!", six or seven women, heavily made up and dressed in a flamboyant manner, squeezed into the gate of the county government office. The older woman in the lead, upon seeing Xu Dahu lying on the ground groaning, screamed in alarm. When two constables tried to stop her, she spat at one of them in the face. While the constable wiped his face, she broke through their defenses and, leading the women behind her, surrounded Xu Dahu. The hall was immediately filled with cries of sorrow and anger, creating quite a scene.

"You corrupt official! My husband has done nothing to you, why did you do this to me for no reason? You corrupt official, do you really think the Xu family has no one left?"

The speaker was none other than Xu Dahu's legal wife, Madam Lu. As soon as she finished speaking, the concubines who had been wailing and crying around Xu Dahu surged forward, instantly surrounding Yang Huan in the center. It turned out that the servants who had come with Xu Dahu earlier, seeing the dire situation, had already fled home to report the news. Madam Lu was alarmed and thought of sending someone to the prefectural government to seek help from her uncle, but that would be too far to help in the immediate crisis. Anxious to see what was happening, she hurried over first.

Seeing Xu Dahu surrounded by his wives and concubines, Yang Huan was inwardly cursing his good fortune when he was suddenly surrounded by six or seven angry women who were shouting and cursing. His face was even sprayed with spittle, and a pungent smell of hair oil and powder hit him. His nose itched, and he sneezed loudly. He then wiped his face and said, "Country women are just not presentable. They don't even put on some good cosmetics before going out. Are they trying to stink up the men?"

"You're the one who's not presentable! My family uses the finest goose egg powder and snow cream imported from the capital. You corrupt official, go and clear your nose before you come back!" Xu Dahu's concubines, hearing him mock them, forgot that their husbands were still groaning on the ground. They were indignant and kept poking Yang Huan's face with their fingers as they cursed back.

Seeing these women constantly calling him a corrupt official, Yang Huan's pity for them vanished, and he angrily said, "If you keep making trouble, I'll charge you with 'yelling in court,' arrest you, and have you go to jail with Xu Dahu! So he won't have to miss you all by himself!"

The Xu family's wives and concubines had only rushed over in a fit of shock and anger; their usual marital affection was pitifully thin. Now, upon hearing that they would all be arrested and imprisoned, they immediately fell silent, and all six or seven pairs of eyes turned to look at Madam Lu.

Madam Lu's face turned pale for a moment. She glanced at Yang Huan, gritted her teeth, and sneered, "Don't be so smug. My Xu family has powerful connections. I'm going back now. I don't believe you, a mere county magistrate, would dare to take my husband's life!" After saying this, she went to Xu Dahu's side and comforted him for a few words before storming off in a rage. Behind her, however, she was spat on countless times.

Not long after the Xu family women left, more and more people gathered at the county government office, drawn by the news. Some came to watch the spectacle, others to file complaints against Xu Dahu; the flow of people was as constant as a bustling market. Yang Huan, despite having one leg crossed, was in high spirits and worked until almost dusk before adjourning the court, telling those who wanted to file complaints to come back the next day. Xu Dahu, naturally, received special attention and was ordered to be thrown into the smelliest and crampedest cell.

Yang Huan returned to the back office, not even bothering to eat, and went straight to Xu Shirong's courtyard, where he ran into Xiao Que. Xiao Que praised, "Your Excellency rid the people of a scourge in court today; it was truly a cause for celebration!"

Yang Huan was secretly pleased with himself. Though he gave a faint "hmm" on the surface, he hummed a erotic tune he had heard somewhere before as he walked: "Rain and clouds, dragons and phoenixes in ecstasy, dusk and dawn, a beautiful maid, intimate on the mat, pillows lining..."

Chapter Seventeen

Yang Huan hummed as he entered the inner courtyard. Just as he rounded the flower wall, he saw Jiao Niang standing beside the lush lilac bushes in the courtyard, building a square frame with Qing Yu Xiao Die using bamboo poles in the twilight. He then shut his mouth and coughed.

When Qingyu and Xiaodie saw that it was Yang Huan coming, they put down what they were carrying and hurriedly retreated. Xu Shirong glanced back at Yang Huan, then went to wash her hands by the lake stone with a depression in the middle that held rainwater.

"What are you doing setting up this frame?" Yang Huan walked up to her and said with a grin, "Your hands will get rough from all the wear and tear."

Xu Shirong washed her hands, shook off the water droplets, and said, "They said they wanted to build a trellis to guide the grapevine up, and since we had nothing else to do, we helped to support it."

Yang Huan was speechless for a moment. He had thought that since Xiao Que had heard about his impressive appearance today and praised him upon his return, this beautiful woman must also know. Even if she didn't say anything, she should at least have asked about it. But seeing that she not only didn't mention it at all, but was also busy with the grape trellis, her expression indifferent as usual, he became displeased. He coughed again and said seriously, "Xu Dahu really did confess today. Not only that, but he also implicated countless other evil deeds. This time, I'm truly going to rid the people of this scourge."

Hearing his loud voice, Xu Shirong looked up and saw his serious expression. She suddenly found it amusing and smiled slightly, saying, "Young Master, you were truly impressive today in court, beating up the bully. I'm afraid no one in the past three hundred years could match you. But to talk about eliminating a scourge now is probably too early."

Yang Huan saw a faint smile on her face, the first one he'd seen in months, and he was momentarily flattered. He also noticed her words, which initially seemed to praise him, though the later parts were somewhat unpleasant. He simply ignored them and said smugly, "This fellow's crimes are so numerous that even ten heads wouldn't be enough to kill him. Why would I be afraid he'll escape from my grasp?"

Xu Shirong snorted and said, "If it were you, would your father just stand by and watch you get beheaded?"

Why are you dragging me into this again? How could I possibly be like him?

Yang Huan was somewhat annoyed, but his voice was rather low, suggesting he lacked confidence.

Xu Shirong glanced at him, seeing his unconvinced expression, and finally shook her head, saying, "Alright, alright, I admit I misspoke. Young Master, you have always been of upright character and are a model for the sons of officials in the capital. Are you satisfied now?"

Yang Huan's face flushed, but fortunately it was already dark and no one could see what his expression was like.

“You’re just a seventh-rank county magistrate, how can you decide his fate? You’re just submitting the case file and reporting it. His family isn’t ordinary either; if they pull some strings, the outcome is truly unpredictable.” As Xu Shirong spoke, he turned and went back into the house. He continued, “It’s alright that you’ve offended this local tyrant, because of your family’s backing, he won’t dare to do anything openly. Today you’ve had your fun and gained a good reputation, but those ordinary people you’ve instigated to accuse him are likely to suffer. They only dared to come out because they thought you could bring down Xu Dahu. If something happens, they won’t be as lucky as you, with a father to protect them.”

Yang Huan hurried a few steps to catch up with her. Hearing her tone, which seemed to be looking down on him and also implying that she was blaming him for his recklessness, he was furious and said fiercely, "You've already hit him, how can you take it back? Just you wait and see. There are still two days until the court hearing. If I can make sure he walks out of this county jail without getting a straight shot, then the title of Little Tyrant will have been given in vain!"

Hearing his fierce words, as if he intended to send Xu Dahu to the Qingmen County jail, Xu Shirong's thoughts, which had been swirling in her mind all afternoon, resurfaced. According to her former ideals and education, taking someone's life without due process, even if the person deserved to die, was against the law. Now, even if Xu Dahu's crimes were heinous, he should be sentenced to death by the law. However, her last memories of her past life kept reminding her: the realization of justice can never rely solely on dogmatic legal principles that are held in high esteem. This was true even in so-called democratic societies nine hundred years later, let alone now. She had already incurred a fatal grudge with Xu Dahu; if she didn't eliminate him while he was still under her control, Yang Huan would be one thing, but the people he had instigated to file complaints would surely cause endless trouble.

She had spent the entire afternoon pondering this matter, unable to make a decision. Hearing Yang Huan's fierce words now, it seemed he had finally made up his mind, and she felt somewhat relieved. If she were to use the excuse that he couldn't withstand the court punishment to get rid of him now, it would be too late for her uncle from the Xu family to do anything about it, and he was unlikely to cause trouble for the entire county for the sake of this nephew from a distant branch of the family with a notorious reputation. As for Yang Huan, these days it was not uncommon for officials to beat prisoners to death in court. Even if someone caught him doing something wrong, given his father's influence as the Grand Commandant, he would at most be punished by his superiors for "improper use of torture," and they probably wouldn't make things too difficult for him.

Xu Shirong had made up her mind. She turned back to look at him and smiled slightly, saying, "In that case, I will thank you, my righteous and benevolent official, on behalf of the villagers here!" After saying that, she went into the house. Just as she was about to close the door, it was blocked by a hand. Yang Huan squeezed in with one foot, stood there and chuckled dryly twice, but did not say anything.

The lights were already on in the room. Xu Shirong saw Yang Huan's eyes darting around her, but she wasn't annoyed. She just smiled and said, "Does the young master want to stay here tonight?"

Seeing that her words had revealed his thoughts, and noticing the smile on her face and the candlelight reflecting in her eyes, which seemed to shimmer like gentle waves, Yang Huan was instantly captivated. He leaned closer and pleaded softly, "My dear, my good lady, I know your previous magnanimity was all an act. If I never make you angry again, then..." Before he could finish saying "I'll grant your wish," he heard Xiao Que's voice outside, "Madam, dinner is ready. Come and eat. Today the cook made a braised sparrow with meat; it looks quite good. It's best eaten hot; it won't taste good when it's cold."

Xu Shirong responded and left, leaving Yang Huan behind. Yang Huan finally came to his senses, angrily leaving the room. He glared at Xiao Que and said, "One more time, and I'll make sure you're thrown into the flour vat!"

Xiao Que had thought that only Shi Rong was allowed to be in the room, but now that he had also come out from inside and said such a thing out of the blue, she was a little confused and asked, "Why did you force me into the flour vat, sir?"

Yang Huan stamped his foot and cursed, "Aren't you just like that sparrow? I'll stuff you into a flour jar to seal your mouth shut, so you won't chatter and annoy people!" As he spoke, he left, leaving the still puzzled little sparrow scratching its head for a long time, wondering what it had done to offend its unpredictable young master.

Yang Huan was in a hurry to eat. But once the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't feel what he was eating. While eating, he kept glancing at Xu Shirong. When he saw her put down her chopsticks, he quickly stood up and wanted to follow her to her room.

When Xu Shirong reached the door of her house, she stopped and turned around, saying, "I've arrived. Thank you for seeing me off. Please stay here."

Yang Huan hummed in response, but stood still, watching her intently, unwilling to leave.

Xu Shirong sighed inwardly, feeling a bit of a headache dealing with him. Just as she was wondering how to get rid of him, she suddenly saw him point behind him and exclaim, "What's that?"

Xu Shirong was startled and subconsciously wanted to turn around, but in a moment she understood his intention. She was both amused and annoyed, and said seriously, "What is the young master doing? Have you forgotten the agreement we made earlier?"

Yang Huan had originally intended to startle her by hugging her when she turned around, but she saw through his plan and, upon hearing her mention their past "agreement," a sour feeling welled up inside him. He huffed and said, "My concubine is long gone. You are my wife, so why can't I hug you?"

Seeing his unwilling expression, Xu Shirong laughed and said, "I'll ask you a question, and you must swear to heaven that you will not lie."

Yang Huan puffed out his chest and said, "A man of seven feet tall, how could I speak nonsense?"

"Very well." Xu Shirong looked at him, her face still smiling, but her tone had become sharp. "You said earlier that my previous magnanimity was all an act, which makes sense. I used to be somewhat secretive, but now I'll be frank with you. There's only one condition: I want you to swear a solemn oath that for the rest of your life, you will only be with me, never take a concubine, and never have any affair with any other woman, not even a one-night stand. Do you think you can do that?"

Yang Huan was stunned and stood there speechless.

Xu Shirong smiled again: "Yang Huan, don't tell me that it's a natural thing for men to take concubines and be promiscuous since ancient times. If you can't do that, then don't mention the way of husband and wife in front of me again. I still stand by what I said, we'll live our own lives, and I won't restrict you. If you feel that I'm occupying your position as the first wife, then a letter of divorce will suffice."

After Xu Shirong finished speaking, she turned and went into the house, closing the door behind her. She listened for a long time with her ear pressed against the crack in the door before she heard Yang Huan's long sigh outside the door, followed by the sound of his footsteps gradually disappearing. Only then did she quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

Now, Yang Huan, annoyed by being rejected in his advances, stormed off. He was determined to go to a brothel to have some fun; if you won't let me carry you, I'll find somewhere else to do so.

Yang Huan arrived at the outer courtyard of the inner residence and called for Erbao, the servant boy he had brought from the capital, to bring the horse. Erbao had been with him for some time and knew his intentions. He hurriedly took the horse and, as they rode, chuckled softly, "Young Master, you've been busy these past few days eliminating evils for the people, so I, having nothing better to do, have inquired about places for you. In the city, for food and drink, there's the Spider Tower; for courtesans, there's Red Jade Lane and Xichun Tower. I've checked them out, and their skin is indeed fair and delicate, but this rural place can't compare to those fairy-like beauties in the capital..."

Yang Huan was already in low spirits, and when he saw Erbao's lewd expression, he found him utterly unappealing. His enthusiasm vanished instantly, and he spat and cursed, "When did I say I was going to go there to have fun? You little bastard, you've come up with the idea for me!"