Chapter 20: Visitors from the Capital
When Zhao An jumped down from his courtyard wall and walked over to Hu Sheng, the wolf was lying at Hu Sheng’s feet, not daring to make a move.
So, Zhao An reached out to pet its head and, as expected, was nearly bitten. However, Zhao An was very alert, and the wolf had just been beaten and was exhausted, so it ultimately failed to bite his hand.
But it was still unwilling to give up. It staggered to its feet and was about to chase after Zhao An, who had jumped aside. However, Hu Sheng just shot it a fierce glare, and it slumped down again, obediently lying back in its original spot.
Only then did Zhao An shake his hand and complain, “It looks so smooth, but I didn’t expect it to be so prickly to the touch.”
Hu Sheng smiled and said, “Wolf pelts have never been the finest furs. If you like, I can go to the mountains and find you some fox and deer pelts. It’s just that there are no sables in the mountains around here.”
Zhao An waved his hand. “I don’t like wearing fur clothes. They’re heavy and don’t fit well. Cotton and silk feel more comfortable. When winter comes, I’ll have someone build a huokang in the house. I don’t think I’ll need these things.”
[T.N:Huokang : A traditional heated brick bed common in northern China, which is connected to a stove and flue system.]
The concept of animal protection didn’t exist in the era of spiritual energy revival. During the hardest times, Zhao An had even worn armor made from the shells of mutated mantises. As a result, he now preferred industrially produced fabrics, even if they were just the simplest handmade products.
As for the huokang, it was already popular among the middle and upper classes in the northern part of the Xu Kingdom. However, for the people of Changxi County in the south, they were more accustomed to burning a fire pit in the winter, which turned the walls of many homes blackish-gray. Zhao An had no intention of blackening his own home, nor did he plan to buy charcoal to burn in a stove like his ancestors. In short, he felt that a huokang was a more economical way to keep warm. The only trouble was that he had to spend a large sum of money to buy a batch of fireproof bricks and hire a professional mason to build it to ensure it didn’t leak smoke or get too hot.
But it was still early. The weather was getting hotter and hotter, so there was no rush to consider heating. The current priority was to deal with the matter of Zhao Fuxiang climbing into his house to steal.
The scene that unfolded in the courtyard was witnessed by both the hunters on the wall and the villagers crowded around the hole in the gate. They already had a deep impression of Zhao An’s friend, because he had once punched a hole in Zhao Tongming’s wall. Now, he had tamed a wolf with just a few punches. Their fear of him deepened, and at the same time, their fear of Zhao An also grew.
When Zhao An found a rope and once again tied the wolf to a pillar of the veranda, then pushed open the gate and walked out, the people peeking in through the hole immediately retreated more than ten feet. When Hu Sheng’s gaze swept over the crowd, they retreated a few more steps. In their panic, some accidentally stepped on the feet of those behind them, causing a few cries of alarm, but no one argued about it. Everyone quickly shut their mouths and stared expectantly at Zhao An and Hu Sheng.
Hu Sheng remained silent, standing behind Zhao An with his arms crossed, dutifully playing the role of a bodyguard.
Zhao An quickly spotted Zhao Tongming and his sons standing alone by the courtyard. He changed direction and walked over to them. He glanced at Zhao Fuxiang, who was lying on the ground, then looked at Zhao Tongming and said, “Caught in the act of burglary, with both the thief and the stolen goods. What do you say we should do?”
“You’re raising a wolf at home! You’re completely disregarding the safety of the entire village,” Zhao Tongming was still trying to confuse the issue.
But Zhao An no longer wanted to listen to his sophistry. He pointed at Hu Sheng and said, “My friend here introduced me to a new friend today, the Fourth Young Master of the county magistrate’s family, Feng Shaoping. I wonder if you’ve heard of him. The three of us even had a drink together at Ruyi House today. What do you think the authorities would rule if I asked my friend to help me report a thief in my house?”
Following Zhao An’s lead, Hu Sheng gave Zhao Tongming a cold smile.
“You… you… we are of the same clan. If you send your nephew to court and let everyone know that our Zhao family has produced a thief, you won’t have an easy life either,” Zhao Tongming’s fat face trembled as he blustered, but when Zhao An just looked at him with a cold smile, he couldn’t continue. He himself was the son of a man who had been beheaded.
So, Zhao An completely ignored Zhao Tongming. He turned to the onlookers and said, “Can you really tolerate a family like this, who traffics in people and commits burglary, living in the village? Living with people like them, you’ll always have to worry about whether your own family members will be abducted and sold by them, and whether your property will be stolen. So I suggest we drive their entire family out of the village.”
Some people felt a natural fear upon hearing Zhao An’s words, because in this era, it was difficult for outcasts to survive. There was a saying: “Goods are valued away from home, people are devalued away from home,” which illustrated this well.
But some who had been bullied by Zhao Tongming’s family looked excited. Yet, no matter what they thought, no one stood up to express their opinion. They were still waiting and watching.
However, Zhao Tongming’s family was clearly unwilling to accept such an outcome. Four pairs of eyes stared at Zhao An, but they didn’t dare to say anything because of his threat to report them to the authorities. In the end, it was Zhao Tongming who stood up and said, “If you drive our family out of the village, what about our house and fields? Are you trying to seize our property? The eldest young master of the Zhao family has indeed seen the world. Your despicable methods are simply outrageous.”
Zhao An ignored his accusation and said lightly, “The fields and house can be sold. I can ask Young Master Feng for help. He will introduce you to a suitable buyer. Your whole family can take the money and live elsewhere. Let’s be out of sight and out of mind for each other.”
Zhao An felt he had been overly merciful, even to the point of appearing weak. Whether it was human trafficking or burglary, none of the four adult men in Zhao Tongming’s family were clean. According to the law, they should all be in prison. But ancient times were a society ruled by men, not laws. People usually turned a blind eye to conflicts between relatives. Under such circumstances, even if Zhao An reported them to the authorities, it would be difficult for him to get the justice he wanted.
But how could someone like Zhao Tongming, who had been leeching off Zhao An’s family since his father’s time, so easily give up this fat piece of meat? He had no intention of admitting defeat. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he seized upon Zhao An’s weakness. “Does Consort Li know that you’re treating your relatives so harshly? If you’re going to drive me away, I’ll go to the capital and complain to the consort. Let’s see what she says.”
What would Zhao Qingcheng say? Zhao An recalled the original body’s memories and found some fragments of Zhao Qingcheng’s comments about Zhao Tongming’s family. He discovered that she actually felt her father’s act of upholding justice against his own kin and killing his uncle was inhumane. She was very sympathetic towards Zhao Tongming’s family and had even suggested that their father buy more land for them.
It seemed that when Zhao Qingcheng and Zhao An were young, Zhao Tongming’s father would bring them many gifts every time he visited, so Zhao Qingcheng was very fond of this uncle. She felt that even if her uncle had made some mistakes, as a relative, he should be forgiven.
Zhao An was not at all surprised that Zhao Qingcheng had such a bizarre idea, because Zhao Qingcheng herself was a very strange person. She could always remember the small favors others did for her and would repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring. But she would never be grateful to those who had truly helped her and shown her great kindness, such as her parents, or that cousin-husband who had willingly taken her in.
Zhao Tongming had only met Zhao Qingcheng twice in his life, and that was over a decade ago. He didn’t have a deep understanding of her personality. The reason he brought up Zhao Qingcheng to threaten Zhao An was simply because of the treatment Zhao An had received when he was escorted back. He had keenly sensed that Zhao An was definitely not well-liked by the nobles in the capital.
Of course, Zhao An couldn’t show weakness in front of Zhao Tongming. He crossed his arms and said, “What a joke. You’re going to complain about me to my own sister. When the time comes, who do you think she’ll help? Isn’t it obvious?”
Things had come to this point, and Zhao Tongming was unwilling to back down. He stuck out his neck and said, “We’ll only know after we try.”
Hearing this, Hu Sheng had already made up his mind. Whether Zhao Tongming intended to complain or admit defeat and move away, he would have the Jiaozhou Garrison Commander send troops to escort their entire family to the Nanyue Kingdom.
Just then, he heard Zhao An say, “Do as you please. Since you don’t agree with my proposal, I’ll go report you to the authorities first and have your son arrested. The fact that he came into my house to steal is an ironclad fact. So many pairs of eyes saw it.”
Just as Zhao Tongming was considering whether to reluctantly let his second son go to prison for a few years, a fast horse suddenly galloped over from the distance. Zhao An heard the clattering of hooves and looked up to see Feng Shaoping riding over. Feng Shaoping didn’t notice Zhao An; the first person he saw was Hu Sheng. From a distance, he said to Hu Sheng, “Someone from the capital has arrived.”
Feng Shaoping had made a special trip, primarily to inform Hu Sheng. Hu Sheng’s official identity was still attached to the military administration under the Jiaozhou Garrison Commander. He certainly couldn’t let the people from the capital see him away from his post without leave; otherwise, he would really have no choice but to become a bandit in the mountains.
