BOUND IN MARRIAGE - CHAPTER 50

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Chapter 50

In front of the county government office.

In the presence of everyone, Xiang Yi was lifted down from the horse by the eldest master just like that.

She felt embarrassed for a moment, but the man beside her did not seem to feel there was anything improper about it at all. Together with the commander of the Humeng Thousand-Household Post who had come with him, he assigned men to suppress the chaos in the city.

Yang Zhen ran over to ask if Xiang Yi had encountered any danger.

"The Second Master and I were almost mistaken for people from the Feng and Xue families and hacked to death; fortunately, we have martial arts skills!"

These words truly gave Xiang Yi a fright. It was not just that bad people were committing atrocities; even ordinary commoners had become so bloodthirsty that, regardless of the circumstances, they would attempt to kill anyone wearing fine silk and satin.

This was a bad omen.

Xiang Yi sighed, only saying that she too had encountered bandits and was fortunate that Tan Ting had arrived in time.

She did not speak of the matter regarding Huang Liu-niang, but she saw that Huang Liu-niang nearby had also run toward Huang Si-niang; upon seeing her own sister, she could not stop the tears from falling.

She was disheveled, having lost more than half of her hairpins, which made Huang Si-niang’s face turn somewhat pale. Fortunately, her clothes were still relatively intact, and although she was crying, she said, "Fourth Sister, if it hadn't been for Madam Xiang saving me, I would have been finished..."

Huang Si-niang was stunned, thinking she had heard wrong, until Huang Liu-niang repeated it again.

"It was fortunate that Madam Xiang sent her guards to find me and brought me back in time, otherwise I would have..."

Upon hearing this, Huang Si-niang could not stop herself from looking at the woman standing beside the Tan family’s clan Master.

Her hair was slightly disheveled, with fine strands falling from her temples, dancing and floating in the night wind, which was filled with the scent of smoke and fire. She was standing on the stone steps talking to his brother and sister-in-law. Although her figure was slender, she gave people a sense of stability.

Tonight had been terrifying, yet she had not been shaken to the point of trembling; she only watched the streets ignited by fire with a look of concern in her eyes.

The eldest master of the Tan family spoke a few words with the commander and returned to her side, lowering his head to say something to her. Seeing her nod gently, he then left again.

The scene of the two of them arriving together on one horse just now, and the man personally lifting her down, was still before her eyes.

If it were like this, could she still continue to deceive herself? And how would that be any different from the fallen women who deliberately inserted themselves between other people’s husbands and wives?

At that moment, Liu-niang could not stop weeping from lingering fear, repeatedly saying that it was Madam Xiang who had saved her.

Nanny Zhang actually refused to believe it.

"Is that true or false? She was perfectly fine; why would she go save the Sixth Young Lady?"

These words left Liu-niang unable to catch her breath; she glared at Nanny Zhang.

"What does Nanny mean by this? Does Nanny only become happy if no one saves me?!"

Nanny Zhang also realized she had spoken the wrong words and hurriedly apologized, "Sixth Young Lady, please calm your anger; this old servant just didn't understand, that's all. Let's just say, is that Xiang woman really so kind-hearted?"

If just a moment ago Huang Liu-niang was only angry, at this point, hearing this, she practically spat at Nanny Zhang.

"Bah! Only you have an evil heart; don't assume everyone else is not a good person!"

She said directly, "In my eyes, Madam Xiang is like a Bodhisattva; I do not allow you to say a single bad word about her!"

The more Huang Liu-niang thought about it, the more lingering fear she felt. If it weren't for her, she would never have been able to return, and even if she had returned, her reputation and her body would have been ruined...

Although Nanny Zhang was a person belonging to the eldest master of the first branch, it was Huang Liu-niang’s father, the third master, who held the highest official position in the Denghe Huang clan. She dared to chatter in Fourth Sister’s ear, but she did not dare to truly offend Sixth Sister.

Having been spat at, she could only cover her old face, lower her head, and endure it.

The soldiers from the Thousand-Household Post were more intimidating, and their numbers were sufficient. At this moment, Tan Ting and the commander Wei Gan were discussing sending men repeatedly to suppress the chaos in the streets and alleys. From time to time, one could hear that the noisy sounds had diminished significantly.

The little old magistrate saw that the commander of the Humeng Thousand-Household Post, who was extremely difficult to talk to, was actually discussing and reaching agreements with the eldest master of the Tan family, and he became increasingly curious about Tan Ting’s identity.

He feared it was not just the status of the Qingliang Tan clan.

However, no matter what, it was always a good thing to have someone worrying on his behalf and accomplishing the things he could not do himself.

He felt secretly pleased, and even took the opportunity to try and offer suggestions to the two, but Tan Ting and Commander Wei did not even look at him more than once, so he rubbed his nose and retreated to the side.

Just at this moment, people rushed to the front of the county office.

They were not commoners; they were people from the Feng and Xue families again.

Compared to the previous times they had come, the people who came this time were already anxious to the point of desperation.

Seeing that the soldiers from the Thousand-Household Post had arrived, they said even more urgently:

"Magistrate, Commander, please quickly send troops to suppress those rioters! They are truly about to break through our family gates and walls. Many people have already been injured; their eyes are red with bloodlust!"

The old magistrate could not make the decision at all; he looked toward Tan Ting. Wei Gan also looked to see Tan Ting’s intentions.

Xiang Yi also wanted to know what that eldest master intended. The scene was chaotic to such a degree that neither the aristocratic clans nor the commoners were having an easy time. Now that the aristocratic clans were about to be breached, how did he plan to handle it?

This was a thorny issue; after all, Tan Ting’s status was evident.

Everyone looked toward him, but he did not have a single shred of hesitation; he only gave a cold scoff and said, as if it were unintentional,

"Very well, let's go and take a look."

The Feng and Xue families were separated by a river and were originally the most prestigious places in the county town; the commoners dared not walk this river path and would instead take a detour.

But now, both banks of the river were crowded with people. Under the gates and walls of the two families, the torches connected into two lines, illuminating the entire river so that it shone as if liquid gold were flowing through it.

When the two families were first attacked, they had sent servants and guards to fight with these commoners.

But who would have expected that these commoners would charge in more and more numbers as if they were insane; they could not be finished off, could not be repelled, and they even counterattacked to the very gates.

The two families had originally wanted to communicate and work together to repel these people, but later on, it became difficult for each of them to even protect themselves.

The one who had beaten the old scholar in public at the restaurant today was precisely the Second Master of the Feng clan’s main branch. Seeing that the commoners had gone insane, he had been protected as he ran home to beg his elder brother for help, but unexpectedly, the commoner people had chased after him.

He shouted for his elder brother to send men to beat them back, but not only did they not repel them, his elder brother was hit in the arm by a stone thrown from outside and fell to the ground.

He had already sent five or six batches of requests to the government office asking for soldiers to suppress the riot, but the soldiers had delayed in coming.

Just as he thought that the old magistrate had run away, a burst of shouting and the sound of gongs and drums clearing the path came through, and someone shouted aloud:

"The soldiers have arrived!"

This Second Master Feng climbed onto a high platform to look, and sure enough, he saw an endless procession of soldiers heading straight for this location.

This Second Master Feng had been stifled with indignation for the whole day. Seeing that the soldiers had finally come to save them, he raised his arms and shouted for the guards to no longer hole up inside the gates and walls.

"Fight your way out, all of you! The soldiers are here; what kind of power do these lowly people have now?! Even if we beat a hundred or so of them to death, my Feng family has nothing to fear!"

He wanted to see how much longer these lowly commoners could act so arrogant!

The common people outside the walls were all red-eyed with bloodlust under the torches. If they retreated tonight, they would be bullied by these two families even more in the future.

The soldiers hadn't come; it meant no one was in charge, so at the very least, they had to let out their pent-up anger.

Otherwise, they would all end up like the old scholar who was beaten and pushed from the second floor to his death—with no way to live.

But just as they were fighting these aristocratic clans to the peak of their excitement, and were about to break through their high walls and gates, the soldiers suddenly arrived.

The common people all shrank back for a moment.

But just at this moment, the Feng clan saw the soldiers coming to assist and directly sent men to charge out once again, clearly intending to rely on the power of the government to beat all these commoners to the ground.

The common people had always known that the government never stood on their side, especially the current magistrate, who was on extremely close terms with the Feng and Xue families. When had they ever made decisions in favor of these people?

Seeing the soldiers arrive and the people from the Feng and Xue clans all charge out, the commoners’ hearts were filled with sorrow.

Second Master Feng watched the sorrowful commoners from outside the wall on the high platform and laughed out loud as if to vent his frustration, shouting in the direction where the soldiers appeared.

"The Magistrate has finally arrived! Quick, capture these lowly people who dare to commit treason and cause chaos!"

The magistrate had long ago been pushed aside; he did not have a single soldier under his command. Seeing that Tan Ting and Wei Gan had brought people here, no one paid him any attention; he had simply led his own horse from the county office and stumbled over here.

He had heard this shout from Second Master Feng from far away, and he also saw the insane commoners in front of the gates.

In this scene, the commoners must have done something truly too extreme.

Even if the Qingliang Tan clan had the intention to protect the commoners, they were, after all, a great aristocratic family; how could they truly help these commoners?

Who would have expected that just when all parties did not anticipate the standpoint of the soldiers, Tan Ting gave an order.

Following this, the soldiers acted swiftly, heading straight for the gates of the two aristocratic families, and actually pressed those people from the aristocratic families who had just rushed out, preparing to join forces with the government soldiers to beat the commoners, all to the ground.

The scene suddenly flipped.

The torches in the hands of the commoners had not moved in the slightest, yet they illuminated the people of the Feng and Xue families, all of whom were struck dumb.

The commoners were also caught in a stupor, unable to believe it.

That Second Master Feng nearly fell off the high platform from the shock. He could not help but ask.

"Why are the soldiers helping the rioters?! It was they who wanted to rush in and kill people!"

He couldn't help but call out to the magistrate, "A fine Magistrate you are! Is the money bribed to you on weekdays not enough?!"

The magistrate, suddenly named, found his face ugly to the extreme.

Tan Ting walked out from the crowd with slow steps.

He looked at Second Master Feng on the high platform, swept his gaze over the people of the Feng and Xue families, and opened his mouth.

"Today, it was you who struck the old scholar to death first, which triggered this chaos. And as for the fundamental cause, is it not that you bully the commoners too much on weekdays and collude with certain officials to bully others with your power, resulting in today's consequences?!"

His voice was deep and steady. As soon as he spoke amidst the chaotic crowd, everyone turned their eyes toward him.

The commoners had been pushed into a corner, which led to today’s insane behavior. If there were even a single way to live, why would they end up like this?

Who didn't want a wife, children, and a warm hearth to live their life honestly? And who wanted to fight and kill and risk their own life?

These words caused the hearts of the crowd to feel a surge of bitterness.

For too long, too long, no one had stood up for them!

However, the same words falling into the ears of people like Second Master Feng were shocking.

He narrowed his eyes to look at the man in fine clothes standing among the crowd. Taking a close look, he did not recognize him, but he discovered that the magistrate and the commander were following behind him.

Second Master Feng could not help but ask.

"Who, who are you?"

Someone from the Xue family on the other side of the river also asked.

Tan Ting had no intention of answering their questions. Second Master Feng saw his steady bearing and his ability to command the soldiers of an entire city, and felt that he was not an ordinary person.

"Could it be an official from a humble background?! No wonder you want to stand up for your own kind!"

But just as he made this guess, Tan Ting gave a mocking scoff.

And the old magistrate at the side hurriedly waved his hand at Second Master Feng. When Second Master Feng saw this, he looked closely at the guards by Tan Ting’s side; their clothes were neat and uniform, clearly the style of an aristocratic family.

If he was from an aristocratic family, how could he side with the commoners?

He could not make out this man’s identity, and his elder brother, Master Feng, chased him down from the high platform, covering his arm as he ascended the high platform himself.

"These commoner rioters are causing chaos; we aristocratic families should stand together as one!"

Although the Feng family was a small local aristocratic family, they had close dealings with the large aristocratic families above. At this moment, he recited the surnames of several large local aristocratic families, wanting to secretly win over or suppress Tan Ting.

But he recited several surnames of large local aristocratic families in a row, only to see the man standing in the crowd with an expression that remained completely unmoved.

This...

He could not help but mention even larger aristocratic families. Although they had not truly climbed up to them, who could verify that at this moment?

As long as he could make that person hesitate, that would be good; otherwise, their two families would not be safe tonight.

He kept saying, "We also have intimate dealings with the Denghe Huang clan!"

Once these words were out, Huang Si-niang and Huang Liu-niang exchanged an incredulous look. Huang Si-niang still had some hesitation, but Huang Liu-niang was furious.

It was precisely because these people persecuted commoners that the chaos today had occurred.

She took a step forward.

"The Denghe Huang clan? I originate from the main branch of the Denghe Huang clan. I do not know which uncle, elder, or younger brother of my family you know?"

That Master Feng had merely sent people to deliver holiday gifts to the Denghe Huang clan.

But there were simply too many people who sent holiday gifts from small aristocratic families to a great clan like the Denghe Huangs; the great aristocratic family would not remember them at all.

At this moment, upon hearing this, and seeing that it was truly the Denghe Huang clan, and a person from the main branch at that, Master Feng was struck dumb.

He stammered for a moment, and everyone knew he was lying.

Huang Liu-niang said even more, "You are doing things that ruin the reputation of aristocratic families; do not drag our Denghe Huang clan into this!"

She had such an imposing manner that Master Feng wanted to continue lying, but he could no longer speak.

But the soldiers had their men pressed down hard; how could this situation not be reversed?

He simply grabbed at an even more distant large aristocratic family to avoid the embarrassment of being exposed again.

He shouted directly.

"Forget about the Denghe Huang clan; we have the most dealings with the Qingliang Tan clan!"

He did not dare to involve the Four Great Families, so he chose a distant aristocratic family that was second only to the Four Great Families: the Qingliang Tan clan.

Second Master Feng also understood deeply that his brother was merely lying, but it was impossible for there to be anyone from the Qingliang Tan clan here, and no one could expose him.

Who would have expected that as soon as these words were out, they saw the old magistrate’s face turn strangely bizarre.

Before they understood what was going on, they saw a man beside the man in fine clothes, who looked seven or eight parts like him, jump out.

"Do you know who we are?" Tan Jian nearly laughed. "We are the Tan clan that has just come north from Qingliang!"

And the commander Wei Gan, who stood behind the man in fine clothes, laughed out loud. He glanced at the man in fine clothes before him who was commanding the crowd and called out to Master Feng.

"Let me tell you, this is the Clan head of the Qingliang Tan family, Lord Tan."

As the words fell, after a moment of silence, a burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Even the commoners began to laugh; everyone was splitting their sides laughing at Master Feng’s lies.

Master Feng covered his arm, which had been injured by the throwing, and was so embarrassed he nearly fell off the high platform.

Second Master Feng was also struck dumb.

How could the Qingliang Tan clan have come here, and how could their clan head be here?

This time, even the magistrate was stunned.

He had guessed that this group of people would be people who could speak for the Qingliang Tan family, but he never expected that it would be the clan heir himself...

Tan Ting no longer wanted to waste his breath.

He shook his head and gave a scoffing laugh.

"Today, even if you knew the Four Great Families of Lin, Chen, Cheng, and Li, you could not stop me, Tan, from upholding justice on behalf of heaven."

He finished speaking and immediately turned back to say to Commander Wei.

"Today’s chaos in the city was all caused by the Feng and Xue families killing in the restaurant. I ask the commander to send men to have the people from these two families involved in the matter all arrested and sent directly to the local prefectural government office. I, Tan, will naturally write a letter informing the prefect of the details of the county town upheaval tonight."

His speech was always brief, but with these few words, he sorted out the matter clearly and accounted for it plainly.

Wei Gan had had dealings with officials from the Tan clan in the past and felt quite favorably toward the Tan clan, but this was the first time he had met this young clan heir.

Seeing that he was upright and calm when meeting with matters, and although his words were few, every point was exactly where it needed to be, he could not help but feel increasingly favorable toward him.

Wei Gan responded directly.

"Lord Tan, rest assured. Wei has long found these two families unpleasant. This time, I will certainly have all the troublemakers arrested and sent to the prefectural government; there will not be a single one that escapes the net!"

As the words fell, with an order, the soldiers took advantage of the two families’ gates being wide open and charged straight in.

In the span of a single instant, the situation was completely reversed.

The commoners had no one to back them up; tonight they were originally going to risk their lives to fight these two aristocratic families to the end, but they did not expect that someone would help them just like that.

Everyone held up their torches and shone them over.

Tan Ting’s gaze fell upon the crowd, and he sighed slowly.

"Commoners and aristocratic clans should originally interact and coexist, but to reach this point, the aristocratic families are at fault. After I, Tan, arrive in the capital, I will certainly present all of these events to the Imperial Court. The Eastern Palace attaches great importance to this matter; I ask everyone to stop fighting and killing randomly. After the Jiangxi fraud case is heard, His Highness the Crown Prince will certainly seek justice for everyone!"

They were all small people. Under the monopoly of the aristocratic clans, they could neither reach the ears of heaven nor hear the voice of the Imperial Court.

This time, Tan Ting’s words were spoken plainly and clearly, and everyone’s hanging hearts settled down.

Many people closed their eyes; as this sudden chaos came to an end, they suddenly shed tears.

So, there really were people who would see their difficulties and seek justice for them!

A sudden chaos did not last until dawn before it drew its curtain.

The magistrate still wanted to put on a performance to thank Tan Ting, but Tan Ting did not want to look at him even once.

"It is only right that the magistrate knows that today is the last day you will serve as magistrate."

Including the matter of the magistrate fleeing, he would write it all in a letter to the prefectural office; this useless magistrate’s term had truly reached its end.

As the words fell, the withered old magistrate seemed to be drained of all energy, collapsing against the government runner at his side.

He had originally thought that relying on the aristocratic clans would never be a mistake, but it now appeared that it had been a massive error...

Qin Jiao, at the side, was also stunned for a while during the magistrate’s collapse.

How he was thinking, others did not know. Only as the crowd gradually dispersed and the county town gradually returned to normal, did Xiang Yi’s gaze fall once again upon that eldest master of the Tan family.

The man did not notice; he directly had someone find paper and pen, and right there and then, wrote a letter with a swift hand, handing it to Wei Gan.

Wei Gan cupped his hands to him, took his letter, flipped onto his horse, and left with a group of men.

The night wind blew the man’s features, making them appear even more sharp-angled.

When Tan Ting turned his head, he happened to see his wife’s gaze landing on him.

He looked over; she was stunned for a moment, and then immediately looked away.

Tan Ting walked over directly, stood before her, and took hold of her hand.

This action caused Xiang Yi’s hand to stiffen involuntarily, her gaze falling involuntarily upon Huang Si-niang at the side.

That must be the person Lady Lin arranged for him...

However, she was unable to pull her hand out of his palm, but instead saw Huang Si-niang bring Liu-niang to come forward.

Si-niang brought Liu-niang to perform a proper and serious bow to Xiang Yi.

"Si-niang has already heard from Sixth Sister that it was the Madam’s great righteousness that saved my little sister’s life. Si-niang thanks you on behalf of my little sister and the Denghe Huang clan."

Xiang Yi did not dare to accept it and wanted to step forward to support them, but her hand could not be pulled out from the man’s palm; she could only signal Qiao Xing to step forward to support the people.

And Huang Si-niang also saw the hands of Tan Ting and Xiang Yi clasped together.

She slowly lowered her eyelids and did not look at Tan Ting again; she retreated in a disciplined manner.

Nanny Zhang beside her wanted to say something, but was met with a glance from Huang Si-niang.

"Si-niang will not do as Nanny says, so Nanny should shut her mouth now."

Nanny Zhang was startled, but in the face of Huang Si-niang’s resolute heart, she could not utter a single word...

The crowd had all receded, and the county town returned to quiet.

Xiang Yi saw Huang Si-niang walk away, while her own hand was still held in the man’s palm.

This was a strange posture she had never experienced before; Xiang Yi did not know what to do. Her hand was stiff, and she did not know how to respond at this moment.

Until Tan Ting looked at his wife for a long while, and amidst her bewilderment, he sighed helplessly.

She had encountered such danger today, and when he found her, his heart had been stretched taut like a fully drawn bow.

Yet after such a dangerous situation, she seemed to want to keep a distance from him again.

However, Tan Ting could not help but think of today, and the gaze she had twice landed upon him.

He held her hand and did not loosen his grip, but instead said a sentence.

"Yi Zhen, could you perhaps not clench your fist in my palm? Could you perhaps open your palm?"

These two questions made Xiang Yi’s hand even stiffer.

That kind of posture truly made her unaccustomed...

But since he had rarely spoken so plainly, Xiang Yi was stunned for a long while, but eventually, according to what he said, she slowly unclenched her own palm.

As soon as she unclenched it, she felt the man’s fingertips probe into her palm. His fingertips had thin callouses born from holding a brush; they gently rubbed against the gaps between her fingers, entering through the intersection of each of her fingers, holding both her palm and the back of her hand within his grasp.

At the instant their fingertips entwined and their palms pressed tightly together, Xiang Yi’s entire body could not stop stiffening for a moment.

But his palm was warm, and in the cold wind of the night, heat traveled to her hand in waves.

The night wind blew against the two of them, and the thick scent of smoke and fire gradually faded away.

Tan Ting’s gaze fell slightly on their clasped hands, and the corners of his mouth hooked up slightly.

This posture of palms pressed tightly together was something Xiang Yi had never experienced before; her hand felt numb for a long while.

She gently cleared her throat. Seeing that the eldest master did not notice and did not let go, she could only leave it to him to hold her hand in this manner.

The two walked all the way toward the inn.

The streets, which had been clean and neat when they first arrived, were now covered in debris; many shops nearby had been burned by fire, and the goods inside had been consumed, leaving only a few broken beams.

People walking on the road could not help but look toward the sides of the road, and seeing such a scene, they all fell silent.

The retrial of the Jiangxi fraud case had only just begun, yet so many things had already occurred.

What would happen later, whether the Imperial Court would truly express its attitude, and whether the Eastern Palace could truly hold up a piece of sky for the commoners of humble backgrounds—in truth, no one could be sure.

How the commoner and aristocratic clans would fare from now on, no one could say clearly either.

Tan Ting looked at the surrounding scene in silence for a long time; Xiang Yi also secretly sighed amidst the broken walls and ruined tiles...

Leaving this place, the boat carrying Tan Ting’s party did not stop again.

Along the way, they heard about many large and small riots in various places similar to that of Lingshui County.

The weather gradually turned warmer, but the wind was still cold.

The party traveled north to the capital region, abandoned the boat, and after two days of riding horses, they finally arrived in the capital.

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