Chapter 50: Good News? Bad News?

I thought once the criminal was captured, I could have a break. However, the following days turned out to be even busier:

First, during the trial presided by Song Tuiguan, Huang Fu insisted that Zhang Baozhu had deliberately seduced him first, while the latter appeared utterly bewildered.

“Your honor, please believe me, I don’t even know this man!” Zhang Baozhu anxiously exclaimed.

She had only known the man’s surname, Huang, up until now, knowing absolutely nothing else about him.

Huang Fu then began to struggle as if he had been provoked, reopening the wound from the arrow wound on his shoulder, bleeding profusely without even noticing. “You’re lying! If you had no intention, why did you smile at me! Smiling at men—lewd woman!”

The entire Zhang household was stunned.

What did what have to do with what?

Later, after careful interrogation by Song Tuiguan, it was finally revealed that about six years ago, Huang Fu had encountered Zhang Baozhu by chance when she was out for a spring outing. She had merely nodded politely at him and then left.

Huang Fu had held onto that moment for six long years.

“No woman had ever been so kind to me before,” he explained.

“She smiled at me, smiled at me!” Huang Fu seemed nearly insane, his eyes bloodshot as he screamed. “That wanton woman clearly tempted me first, yet she married another man… She promised to wed me, she’s a liar, a deceiver, a damned whore!”

After understanding the truth, everyone in the court felt deeply for Zhang Baozhu.

People often say one should be kind to others. Baozhu was a kind-hearted girl. Isn’t it perfectly normal to smile and nod politely at a stranger on the road?

Would one have to cry instead?

As for Huang Fu’s claim about her willingness to marry him—who would believe that? The bruises on her neck and the slap mark on her face from him hadn’t even faded yet!

Ma Bing was also greatly astonished.

She had encountered many criminals before, but their motives were usually easy to understand. Huang Fu, however, was different.

You could call him mad, but he seemed to have his own twisted logic, a strange cycle. Once you entered his cycle, nothing could convince him otherwise.

Yet if you called him sane, his words and actions were utterly beyond what a normal person would do. His thoughts and actions were completely unpredictable…

According to the laws of Dulu, those who commit rape are to be hanged; attempted offenders are exiled. If the victim is a minor, regardless of success, the perpetrator is to be executed. If the woman suffers actual harm, the punishment is increased by one degree.

With both witnesses and evidence present, Song Tuiguan publicly praised Zhang Baozhu as “brave and wise, a worthy example,” ordered Huang Fu to receive fifty strokes of the cane, and finally confiscated his property and sentenced him to exile for three thousand li.

An exile of three thousand li might initially seem lenient, sparing his life, but in reality, it was not.

On this journey, the criminal must walk barefoot in straw sandals while wearing heavy shackles, and blood would soon appear from the friction. The route was filled with desolate wilderness, and along the way, the guards would constantly vent their anger. Even a young, strong man at his physical peak would be reduced to half-dead.

Huang Fu had already been shot with an arrow, bleeding profusely, and was already weak. Later, his vital areas were struck twice by Zhang Baozhu, now swollen like an ox, bruised purple and shiny, truly a pitiful sight.

If it were another criminal, perhaps a doctor would be summoned, but upon hearing of Huang Fu’s deeds, the physicians were too quick to spit at him in disgust to even consider treating him.

Wang Heng was the first to express his opinion, “Since he’s not dead, what do you need me for! I won’t go!”

No need to waste good medicine on him!

The guards were speechless, thinking to themselves, “Well, if he dies, just call the coroner then…”

Thus, after asking around, the guards decided not to bother and simply bought a bottle of powdered medicine from a clinic to sprinkle on him.

Just keep him barely alive!

Now, with fifty strokes of the cane added on top, it was already a miracle that he was still breathing.

Unless a miracle occurs, Huang Fu is bound to suffer greatly and die on the way…

Although Huang Fu had nearly exhausted his family’s wealth, he still had a house and some decent furniture, which could fetch some money.

Moreover, Xie Yu led a search at the house outside the city and found a great deal of gold and silver hidden inside. After interrogation, it was revealed that these were the proceeds of Huang Fu’s thefts and robberies over the years, all of which were confiscated.

When the case was nearly concluded, Zhang Baozhu no longer needed to come to the yamen. As soon as she returned home, the entire family burst into tears, and then one by one fell ill like wheat stalks being cut down.

The Zhang elders were already advanced in age, and with their children suffering misfortunes one after another, they had barely managed to hold on until now. Now that the matter was resolved, they relaxed their resolve and promptly fell ill.

As for Zhang Baozhu, after enduring several days of torment, she was already at her limit. She started to run a fever during the trial and collapsed as soon as she entered her home.

As for the third son of the Zhang family, he had not yet recovered from the beating by Li Mantian…

Since one task doesn’t require two masters, Ma Bing happened to be concerned about Zhang Baozhu and knew that she would certainly fall ill after returning home, so she decided to visit several patients in one trip.

Fortunately, the eldest and second sons of the Zhang family were already married, and their wives helped manage the household. Although busy, they remained organized. In their spare time, they even managed to prepare several baskets of delicate pastries, zongzi, pig heads, fat chickens, and other items and personally delivered them to the yamen as a token of gratitude.

The next day, representatives from the Li family arrived, and their words clearly had two purposes:

First, since Baozhu was now safe, perhaps she should return home to recover, as staying at her parents’ house was inappropriate.

Second, since Baozhu’s younger brother was now safe, perhaps she could speak to the authorities to have their third son released…

They were better off not speaking at all. As soon as they opened their mouths, the Zhang family flew into a rage, and the two daughters-in-law even grabbed firewood sticks, ready to beat them.

“You dare call this safe?!”

“Don’t talk about her going home—this is Baozhu’s home, where else would she go?”

“Let us make it clear, we’ve already submitted the divorce papers to the yamen. If you know what’s good for you, bring Baozhu’s dowry over promptly. Otherwise, we’ll come knocking ourselves. If even a bit is missing, you can forget about your family’s reputation for two generations!”

Divorce?

Li Er was immediately stunned and, in a panic, blurted out, “Since she’s been taken by a criminal for several days, she’s already ruined. Without me, where else would she go…”

Before he could finish, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhang family slapped him hard across the face.

“Crack!”

Li Er, a scholar with no strength to bind a chicken, was struck by the robust and muscular eldest daughter-in-law. With one swing, Li Er immediately saw stars, fell to the ground, and his head buzzed.

He could only vaguely see her pointing her finger at his face, spitting all over him, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying.

“What are you doing, what are you doing!”

Just as the commotion was escalating, a constable shouted at the neighbors who were peering through the door cracks, “Scatter, all of you, the family is ill, no spreading rumors!”

Ordinary citizens naturally felt intimidated by officials, especially this one who was dark-skinned and tall, resembling a king of hell. Moreover, Zhang Baozhu had been praised by Song Tuiguan as “brave and wise, a worthy example,” so they all nodded obediently with knowing smiles.

“Officer, rest assured, we all understand.”

“That’s right, we’ve all watched Baozhu grow up, we feel for her deeply. We just heard that the Li family was causing trouble, and we were afraid the Zhangs would be at a disadvantage…”

The constable didn’t smile. He glared at each of them in turn. When they all lowered their heads, he was satisfied and said, “Exactly. If I hear any gossip later, I’ll come after you first!”

Upon hearing this, the crowd inwardly groaned. By his tone, it seemed they’d become scapegoats no matter what.

It was like yellow mud falling into one’s pants—whether it’s shit or not, it smells like it.

In that case, not only could they not gossip freely, but upon hearing others gossip, they would have to try to stop them, or else all the blame would fall on them.

Hearing the commotion, the Zhang family opened the door and expressed their gratitude, inviting the constable in for tea.

In the past, seeing his appearance, how could the Zhang family dare to approach him?

But after this ordeal, everyone felt that a clean-cut scholar like Li Er might not be reliable, whereas this constable, though somewhat frightening in appearance, looked exactly like the heroes described in novels, giving a sense of security.

Though the constable looked somewhat intimidating, he was surprisingly bashful, rubbing his hands and only reluctantly entering after several refusals.

“Oh, Ma girl?” The constable looked up and saw Ma Bing coming out of the house washing her hands.

“Zhuang Peng?” Ma Bing also recognized him. While washing her hands, she smiled at the Zhang family and said, “I almost forgot to tell you, it was this brother who shot Huang Fu with an arrow that day, preventing Baozhu from suffering further.”

At that time, Huang Fu had been cornered, and if Zhuang Peng hadn’t acted decisively, Baozhu would have inevitably fallen into his hands and become a hostage.

It was no exaggeration to call it a life-saving act.

Upon hearing this, the Zhang family felt deep respect. Even the elderly couple in bed struggled to get up and bow.

Zhuang Peng was greatly alarmed and quickly said they shouldn’t do that, “It was my duty, please don’t do this.”

“Brother Zhuang is too modest,” Old Zhang, gasping for breath from his window, said, “For you, it might just be your duty, not worth mentioning, but for our family, it’s a life-saving grace. How can we just let it pass?”

He took several deep breaths and, unable to get up from the bed, turned to his two sons and said, “You kowtow to this gentleman a few times on behalf of me, your mother, and your sister.”

The two were about to kneel when Zhuang Peng grabbed one each with a hand, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t kneel down, increasing their admiration.

What strength!

After some back and forth, Zhuang Peng insisted on not accepting the gesture, and the Zhang family had no choice but to give up, thinking they would prepare a generous gift to visit him later.

Zhang’s second daughter-in-law brewed steaming hot tea and prepared some pastries, bringing them out for Ma Bing and Zhuang Peng to eat.

Ma Bing accepted them calmly, while the latter became increasingly uneasy, his dark face slightly reddening.

Finally, he couldn’t even sit steadily anymore. Standing up, he shouted at the Li family, who were cowering in the corner, “Your family almost ruined theirs, causing them to collapse entirely, and none of them can even stand. Isn’t that enough? The Zhang woman has already submitted the divorce papers, and it will be decided in a few days. You have no connection anymore. Why don’t you hurry back home and prepare the dowry to bring here?”

Li Er stubbornly refused, covering his face and arguing, “Even if you’re an official, you can’t interfere in other people’s family matters. I’m deeply pained by Baozhu’s ordeal, and it’s not my fault. I won’t agree to the divorce!”

Zhuang Peng sneered, clenching his fist the size of a bowl, “You’re nothing! The yamen has already approved it, so get lost!”

At that time, there were two ways to handle divorce. One was for the husband to write the divorce papers. Unless the woman had sufficient evidence, she could only argue a little, but it was usually decided on the spot.

The second method was also divorce papers, which either spouse could submit, but the other party’s consent was required, except in special circumstances.

The special circumstances referred to one party being unfaithful, unfilial, unkind, or unjust. If the authorities reviewed the case and found it valid, even if the other party disagreed, the divorce could be granted.

In this case, Li Er had first humiliated his wife, then schemed to seize her dowry afterward, and even hurried to divide the family assets before his wife had returned, neglecting his siblings and parents. He was “unfaithful, unfilial, unkind, and unjust,” with ample justification.

Therefore, even though the divorce papers had not yet been returned, the outcome would not change.

Upon hearing this, the Li family was devastated, having just been scolded, and could only leave in disgrace.

The Zhang family invited Ma Bing and Zhuang Peng to stay for a meal, but this time both declined and left one after the other.

Along the way, Ma Bing kept looking back, making Zhuang Peng feel uneasy, prompting him to ask, “Miss Ma, why are you staring at me like that?”

Ma Bing raised her eyebrows and smiled, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re off duty today, right?”

So why did you come all the way to their doorstep to stand up for them?

Zhuang Peng turned bright red, stammering, “I… I…”

Like a clumsy black bear unable to form a coherent sentence.

Ma Bing narrowed her eyes and teased, “Oh~ I see~”

“No, there’s nothing like that!” Zhuang Peng, a straightforward and honest man, couldn’t handle her teasing and fled in embarrassment.

Ma Bing stood in place laughing loudly, when she heard someone ask from behind, “What’s so funny?”

“Lord Xie,” Ma Bing turned around with a smile, “I just witnessed something quite amusing…”

She briefly recounted the incident. Yuanpei joined in the laughter, “If it really works out, it wouldn’t be a bad tale of a hero rescuing a beauty!”

Xie Yu smiled slightly, nodding, “Zhuang Peng is good, but unfortunate. He lost his parents early and observed mourning for five or six years. All his marriage matters were delayed, hence the delay until now.”

Yuanpei rubbed his hands together eagerly, looking somewhat impatient, “If that’s the case, why don’t I act as a matchmaker for him!”

To his surprise, Xie Yu and Ma Bing immediately spoke in unison, “Don’t rush!”

Yuanpei was startled, scratching his head, “Wow, did you two plan this together?”

So synchronized.

Ma Bing looked at Xie Yu, who slightly nodded, indicating she should speak.

Ma Bing then said, “That Zhang Baozhu has just gone through an ordeal and must still be wary of men. Psychological wounds are hard to heal and require some time to recover. Besides, Zhuang Peng is her savior. If we act hastily now, it might seem like taking advantage of gratitude for personal gain. Would the Zhang family agree or not? By then, a good deed might turn into a bad one.”

After speaking, she looked at Xie Yu and smiled, “You agree, right, Director Xie?”

Xie Yu couldn’t help but smile, “Miss Ma, your attention to detail is spot on.”

“Not at all,” Ma Bing shook her head, “As a woman myself, I naturally think for Baozhu. That’s nothing. What’s truly rare is that Director Xie, being a man, is so considerate.”

Xie Yu humbly replied, “Miss Ma flatters me.”

Ma Bing bowed, “Not at all.”

Watching the two ride side by side, getting farther and farther away, Yuanpei scratched his head and muttered, “What kind of modesty are you two putting on… Hmph!”