Qi Heng's talent for reading was evident to all. The hot-tempered Third Master Qi, despite being ten years older than Qi Heng, was still an ordinary citizen, while eight-year-old Qi Heng was already a child scholar. It was highly probable he would be on the list of successful candidates in the August provincial examinations, a sure sign of a budding scholar.
As the Tongzhi of Fengzhou, Old Master Qi, being in officialdom, understood better than anyone present the importance of having a scholar in the family. "For the Qi family to develop and prosper, and to move beyond Qi Heng in the future, it is equally impossible for Qi Heng to make a name for himself in officialdom without the strong support of our Qi family. One brush cannot write two 'Qi' characters; our main family and Qi Heng are mutually beneficial and supportive of each other."
Third Master Qi's young and arrogant face was filled with resentment and unwillingness, but he still understood the importance of the bigger picture. "Father, I understand. I will not target Qi Heng anymore."
"Eldest brother is right, but scholars are always proud. Although Qi Heng is young, he should also know the great sacrifices our main family made to protect him," Second Master Qi said with a smile, pointing out the key issue. "We will help, of course, but not at this moment."
Second Master Qi's eyes lit up. He disliked studying and had been managing the family business with his father for years. His mind worked quickly. "Father, you mean we should only offer help when Qi Heng is desperate?"
"Second brother is right. Adding flowers to the brocade is not as good as sending charcoal in the snow," Eldest Master Qi chimed in with a smile. Only by letting Qi Heng remember the kindness of the main family would he truly appreciate it and be useful to the Qi family in the future.
Looking at his two sons and three grandsons, Old Master Qi stroked his beard with a look of satisfaction. "With united efforts, the Qi family can reach new heights!"
Qi Family Courtyard, Nanhu Lane.
The weather in June was scorching hot. After his morning studies, Zhan Feiyu practiced a set of boxing forms, leaving him drenched in sweat. Fortunately, thanks to yesterday's intimidation, the kitchen had boiled water early, not daring to delay in the slightest.
Zhan Feiyu touched her slightly damp, scattered hair. "A'nuan, you don't need to wipe it. It will dry in a while."
"I'll bring the breakfast," He Nuan replied. After tidying up, she headed towards the kitchen.
"Ah!" Suddenly, a piercing scream shattered the morning tranquility.
A moment later, two more screams of extreme terror rang out from the direction of the main gate.
Hurried footsteps accompanied the sound of doors opening. Not only the Qi family but also the gatekeepers of several adjacent houses came out to investigate. The screams were too eerie.
Zhan Feiyu stood at the doorway and saw the scene in the open space in front of the gate. Her innocent face instantly turned cold and stern.
"Miss, you go inside. Let my brother handle this." He Nuan's expression was also extremely grim.
The two young maids who had screamed first had their legs turned to jelly and collapsed on the ground, their faces pale. They held onto each other, not daring to look forward.
"I'm fine," Zhan Feiyu said, unafraid. However, her anger was uncontainable.
Qi Heng, standing aside, stared blankly for a moment before suddenly running to the corner of the wall and vomiting violently.
Third Master Ming, usually unrestrained and carefree, had a tense expression. He knew Zhan Feiyu had offended Commander Liu yesterday. But even setting aside Commander Liu's meddling, when he whipped towards Xiao Yu's face, He Sheng pulling her off the horse was not wrong.
As for Commander Liu breaking his leg, that was due to his own lack of martial skill. A dignified Wei Suo Commander being trampled by his own mount and breaking his leg – could that be blamed on others? However, he, a military official, was being cruel to his own mount.
A thick smell of blood assailed Zhan Feiyu. She looked at the black horse convulsing on the ground and walked towards it step by step.
Seeing this, He Nuan quickly followed.
"My lord said that even beasts, if they make mistakes, should be severely punished!" The soldier holding the boning knife smiled maliciously, deliberately raising the blood-stained knife in his hand, and then plunged it into the black horse's abdomen again. "Dare to offend my lord, humph, this is the consequence!"
The black horse must have been drugged. Even though two of its four legs were severed, rendering it immobile, its eyes were filled with tears, and it let out a pained whinny.
A pool of bright red blood stained the ground. Zhan Feiyu stepped into the blood and crouched down, stroking the horse's head. She covered the black horse's eyes with her left hand and took out the dagger she carried.
"What are you doing?" The stable boy holding the black horse stood up, pointing at Zhan Feiyu with a triumphant provocation. "Are you going to kill someone?"
"A'nuan," Zhan Feiyu said softly. The dagger in her hand plunged down fiercely, directly cutting the horse's neck. Warm blood instantly splattered out.
"Ah..." The maids watching from afar were once again terrified, their faces turning ashen. They screamed in horror, none of them expecting Zhan Feiyu to kill the horse with a single stab.
The soldier holding the boning knife's face darkened. He had been ordered by his commander to kill this beast at the Qi family's gate, and to flay it alive inch by inch.
He had only cut off two of the horse's legs earlier. He hadn't expected Zhan Feiyu to directly kill the horse. What if his lord blamed him?
"You dare to kill the Commander's horse?" The incompetent soldier roared, waving the blood-stained boning knife in his hand, looking as if he would kill Zhan Feiyu in a fit of rage.
Zhan Feiyu remained silent until the movement under her left palm became lighter and lighter, finally ceasing. She then looked up at the soldier and the two stable boys. "Scram!"
"Our lord said that even if this beast dies, it should be chopped up and fed to the dogs!" The soldier was furious. If he had known this young girl was here to kill the horse, he should have stopped her earlier.
"Yes, chop it up and feed it to the dogs!" The two stable boys quickly chimed in. They were all afraid of Commander Liu, especially the one with the broken leg. If their lord was angry about their incompetence, their fate would not be much better than the horse's.
Without Zhan Feiyu needing to say anything, He Sheng kicked the three of them away. "Miss, I'll handle this."
Zhan Feiyu stood up and looked at the three people who had fallen to the ground and couldn't get up. Although she was just a short young girl, her cold gaze silenced the clamoring three.
"A'nuan, since Commander Liu injured his leg, it is only right and proper for me to visit him." Zhan Feiyu glanced back at the corpse of the black horse and walked towards the other end of the alley.
"A'nuan, you stay here," He Sheng said and immediately followed her.
Finally finished vomiting, Qi Heng's face, covered in cold sweat, was ashen and bloodless. He asked anxiously, "Little Uncle-Master, what is Xiao Yu going to do?"
Third Master Ming looked at the abused black horse on the ground and patted Qi Heng's head. "Don't worry, He Sheng is with her, so she'll be fine. You two go buy a coffin."
The two Qi family stable boys were stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."
The onlookers understood that they were going to put the black horse in a coffin and bury it.
But thinking of Zhan Feiyu heading towards the Liu residence, even though they were as curious as cats, no one dared to go to the Liu residence to watch the excitement.
Meanwhile, Liu Residence.
Zhan Feiyu and He Sheng appearing at the Liu residence gate early in the morning startled the gatekeepers. By the time they reacted, Zhan Feiyu had already entered.
"You can't go in, my lord hasn't woken up yet..." The stable boy chased after her to stop her but dared not speak loudly, fearing he would wake Commander Liu. At best, he would be reprimanded; at worst, he would be whipped.
The Liu residence was also a two-courtyard house, but compared to Qi Heng's house at the end of the alley, the Liu residence's two courtyards were at least twice as large. Passing through the colorful gate, one could see the main house of the central courtyard. It was obvious this was Commander Liu's room.
"Who are you?" Six or seven women of different charms looked at Zhan Feiyu with surprise. They had guarded outside the bedroom all night, and now their faces were haggard.
"Madam Butterfly, the lord hasn't woken up," the little maid reminded them cleverly, stepping forward to block Zhan Feiyu.
Commander Liu was hot-tempered, and his broken leg had caused him pain all night. The ladies had worked hard, and these little maids even more so. Now that Commander Liu was asleep, they could take the opportunity to rest. They absolutely dared not let anyone disturb him.
Madam Butterfly yawned and looked at the fair-skinned, delicate, and beautiful Zhan Feiyu. She suddenly asked, "Are you from the Qi family?"
The other ladies' eyes widened instantly. Their surprised gazes appraised Zhan Feiyu. Not only did she cause their lord to break his leg, but she dared to come to their door early in the morning? Had she eaten the heart of a leopard?
Madam Butterfly, who came from a brothel and was usually ruthless, looked at the fair and tender Zhan Feiyu. Thinking of Commander Liu's cruel nature, she showed rare kindness. "Little girl, if you want to apologize, your elders should come. You should go back."
"You are quite kind," another lady sneered. They should let this little girl go in. Once the lord vented his anger, they wouldn't have to be on tenterhooks worrying about angering the lord.
"Yes, this damned girl caused the lord to break his leg. Forget apologizing, she should be cut into a thousand pieces!" The lady who spoke glared fiercely at Zhan Feiyu. If she hadn't been afraid of waking Commander Liu, she would have slapped her a few times.
Last night, when she served Commander Liu his medicine, she was wrongly accused. The entire bowl of medicine was splashed on her hand. Fortunately, it was only warm liquid, otherwise, the skin on her hand would have been scalded off.
He Sheng raised his hand to block. The ladies dared not have contact with an outsider, let alone shout and wake the Commander Liu, who had finally fallen asleep. They could only watch helplessly as Zhan Feiyu entered the inner room.
"Ah!" A muffled cry of pain rang out. The ladies were stunned, then disregarded everything else, pushing past He Sheng and rushing into the inner room.
The bedroom was filled with the smell of medicine. Zhan Feiyu stood not far from the bed. On the bed, Commander Liu's face was contorted in pain, his bloodthirsty eyes fixed on Zhan Feiyu.
"Lord?" Madam Butterfly glanced at the two of them subtly. She felt something was not quite right. Could it be that the lord was enraged upon seeing the person who caused him to break his leg, and thus aggravated his broken left leg?
Commander Liu panted heavily. In an instant, his forehead was covered in cold sweat. His face, twisted with pain, showed a sinister and chilling smile. "Very good! I, Liu Hefeng, have never suffered such a great loss."
"There's always a first time for everything. Commander Liu should get used to it." Compared to the fierce and crazed Liu Baihu, Zhan Feiyu's expression was calm. She spoke word by word, "I hope Commander Liu remembers, if you want revenge, come to me directly. Don't involve innocent people. Uncle Zhongguang said I am vengeful, so if there is a next time, I fear your left leg may not be saved!"
Hmph! Where did this little girl come from!
In the bedroom, Madam Butterfly and the others stared dumbfounded at Zhan Feiyu, who was making threats. They had only seen Commander Liu threaten others, seen him torment people to the point of wishing they were dead, and had never seen anyone dare to speak to Commander Liu like this.
Looking at Commander Liu, whose face had turned ashen with rage, Madam Butterfly and the others suspected that if his leg were not broken, Commander Liu would have gotten out of bed and strangled the provocative Zhan Feiyu to death.
...
Following Commander Liu's fall from his horse and his leg being trampled and broken by his mount, another earth-shattering piece of news spread through the various families in Fengzhou.
Governor Meng did not establish a separate residence and lived in the house behind the prefectural office. His wife and children remained in the capital. At this moment, the housekeeper had just prepared the gifts and hurriedly entered the study.
"What is so urgent?" he asked gently, his gaze still on the official document in his hand.
Fengzhou was a small place, and there were not many official duties. Moreover, the entire Jiangnan Dao was under the jurisdiction of the Chen family. Governor Meng was actually quite idle.
However, ever since Tongzhi Tong Tong was imprisoned, Prefect Zhang controlled the Nanxuan Prefecture, and the Chen family's businesses withdrew from Nanxuan Prefecture, the entire Jiangnan Dao, though seemingly calm, had an ominous atmosphere of an approaching storm.
Governor Meng also knew that the turmoil in Nanxuan Prefecture would not affect Fengzhou, which was under his jurisdiction. However, Prefect Zhang's father-in-law was the Kong family, who were reportedly favored by Scholar Gu. There were also rumors that Prince Yu had dealings with Prefect Zhang.
The minor ripples in the imperial court could create huge waves in the prefectures. Governor Meng had been handling official duties with increasing caution and care during this period, fearing being implicated.
"My lord, Commander Liu is in trouble," the old housekeeper said with a bitter face, not knowing how to begin.
Governor Meng put down the official document and took a sip of tea. "Is he going to make a move against the Qi family?"
After Commander Liu broke his leg, Governor Meng knew that Governor Qi would come. As expected, he arrived yesterday with generous gifts, hoping Governor Meng would mediate.
The old housekeeper reported, "This morning, Commander Liu sent someone to drag his horse to the Qi family's gate and abuse it."
"Mm." Governor Meng was not surprised. Commander Liu's action was clearly an act of venting his anger. Fortunately, it was only a horse, and he did not directly send people to attack the Qi family.
The Qi family was a prominent clan in Fengzhou. Although Governor Qi was a sixth-rank official, he and Governor Meng were colleagues, and they governed Fengzhou together harmoniously. If Commander Liu's retaliation was too excessive, it would put Governor Meng in a difficult position.
The old housekeeper looked at the nonchalant Governor Meng and continued, "After that, the little girl from the Qi family..."
When he heard that Commander Liu's leg was broken by Zhan Feiyu, Governor Meng choked and quickly put down his teacup. "What did you say? Isn't that little girl only seven or eight years old?"
"Doctor Huang re-set Commander Liu's bones," the old housekeeper nodded and relayed all the information he had gathered. "At that time, only Commander Liu and the little girl were in the inner room. All that was heard was Commander Liu crying out in pain. Later, the little girl left with her guard, and Doctor Huang, who was staying overnight, was called to re-set the bones."
After a long time, Governor Meng rubbed his temples, feeling a greater headache. "Is this a mortal feud?"
Before, mediation might have resolved the issue, as Commander Liu's leg was broken by his horse, and the Qi family had shown sincerity in their apology. But now, Governor Meng suddenly felt like resigning.
Meanwhile, at the Qi Residence.
Compared to his composure last time, Old Master Qi's face was ashen, and he sat silently in the main seat.
"Is that damned girl crazy? How dare she?" Third Master Qi was now in a panic. He remembered last year when a wealthy merchant offended Commander Liu by snatching a private room.
Afterward, Commander Liu did not directly attack the merchant but instead broke both his son's hands and feet. Third Master Qi heard that his legs were later re-set, but the person became lame, and his hands could not lift heavy objects, making him half-crippled.
Third Master Qi clenched his fists uneasily and asked nervously, "Grandfather, what if Commander Liu retaliates against us?"
If Commander Liu directly retaliated against Zhan Feiyu and Qi Heng, Third Master Qi wouldn't care. It would be their just deserts. To offend Commander Liu even after arriving in Fengzhou! But if it were to affect him, thinking of Commander Liu's torture methods, Third Master Qi's face turned even paler.
"Qi Heng cannot be kept," Old Master Qi said slowly, severing the last shred of hope in his heart. Hesitation leads to disaster!
Originally, Old Master Qi had planned to nurture Qi Heng, and then Qi Heng would help the Qi family, with both sides complementing each other. It was like the relationship between Father Qi and the main family over the years. Although Old Master Qi had schemed against Father Qi back then, ruining his imperial examination path and driving him out of Fengzhou.
However, over the years, the main family had also provided a lot of help to Father Qi. Otherwise, Father Qi would not have been able to establish himself in Nanxuan Prefecture in such a short time, let alone expand his business. Old Master Qi had originally planned to do the same for Qi Heng, but now it was impossible. They could not form a deadly feud with Commander Liu for the sake of Qi Heng.