"Little Hai, what do you think of Zhan Feiyu?" In the main hall, Madam Kou spoke in a low voice, her gloomy and sinister gaze glancing towards the study.
Kou Hai stared blankly at Madam Kou, not understanding the meaning of her words.
"You are fourteen years old, and it's time to get engaged," Madam Kou said, looking disdainfully at the stunned Kou Hai. If it weren't for someone to look after her in her old age, she wouldn't even consider Kou Hai, with his dull and foolish nature, as a servant.
She only hated that Zhan Feiyu had killed that little beast Kou Yuanxing, preventing her from becoming an old madam and living a life served by others.
Upon understanding the meaning, Kou Hai's face immediately flushed red. He frantically shook his head in refusal. When he delivered tea, he kept his head down, but earlier, when Zhan Feiyu had entered the courtyard with the clan elder, Kou Hai had seen her clearly.
Her skin was dazzlingly white, completely different from the dark and thin girls in the village. Not to mention her noble demeanor, she was clearly a pampered young lady from a wealthy family. The jewelry on her head and the clothes she wore made Kou Hai feel inferior just by looking at them, and he dared not have any improper thoughts.
"Mother, I am not worthy of Miss Zhan," Kou Hai quickly refused. Who wouldn't like such a lovely and jade-like young lady? Not to mention that Miss Zhan was well-read and the top scholar in the prefectural exam.
But precisely because the gap was too large, one was like a brilliant star in the sky, while the other was a mud-legged peasant with his face to the sky and his back to the earth, Kou Hai was not moved at all. He knew he was not worthy. Even if his cousin Yuanxing were still alive, he probably wouldn't be worthy of Miss Zhan.
Truly useless! Madam Kou's face was gloomy. Suppressing her impatience, she continued, "Yuanxing died because of her. It's already a blessing that she doesn't have to pay with her life just by marrying her to you!"
"Mother, it won't do." For a fleeting moment, he felt a stir, but when reason returned, Kou Hai still refused. He was just a mud-legged peasant, relying on his mother to fill his stomach. Miss Zhan's status was not something that should remain in Kou Family Village.
Kou Hai only wanted to find a diligent and honest girl in the village, and together they would support each other to live their lives. He hadn't studied, so Kou Hai didn't know the idiom "Qi Da Fei Ou" (a great disparity in status makes a couple ill-matched), but he understood the principle behind it.
"Shut up!" Madam Kou, strong and overbearing, shouted sternly. Fearing she might startle Zhan Feiyu in the study, she could only lower her voice, "You are my son, you will do as I say! You don't need to worry about anything else!"
Kou Yuanxing had many books. It would take at least half an hour to sort them all out.
Hearing that there was no sound from the study, Madam Kou quickly returned to the main hall and looked at Kou Hai, who was sitting on a stool with a distressed expression. "You go into the study now and carry her back to the study. I'll go call the clan elders to be witnesses!"
Without giving Kou Hai a chance to refuse, Madam Kou quickly walked towards the courtyard gate. A twisted look of triumph, even impatience, was on her withered face.
Kou Hai, stunned in the courtyard, dared not stop Madam Kou, but he also didn't want to do as she said. His dark face was conflicted. After a moment of silence, Kou Hai gritted his teeth and also walked outside.
In the study, looking at Kou Hai leave through the window, Zhan Feiyu patted Yin Wuyan's arm. "Big brother, don't be angry. Not everyone is as selfish and vicious as Madam Kou."
If Kou Hai had dared to enter the study as Madam Kou had said and take liberties with Zhan Feiyu, with Yin Wuyan's temperament, even if he didn't kill him on the spot, he would have been close to death. Fortunately, Kou Hai was simple-hearted.
Aunt Hua next door did not have a good relationship with Madam Kou. With Madam Kou's sharp and overbearing nature, and her gloomy way of speaking all day long, few women in Kou Family Village were friendly with her.
"You say that Young Master Zhan fainted just now? Is it heatstroke?" Aunt Hua said as she followed Kou Hai into the courtyard. "Scholars have weak bodies. They must have been tired from going up and down the mountain for the sacrifice. Little Hai, go pour a cup of water and add some salt. I'll check..."
The study door was pushed open. Aunt Hua looked at Zhan Feiyu, who was standing by the window, with her rosy lips and white teeth, in surprise. "Are you alright now?"
"Miss Zhan?" Kou Hai, who followed behind Aunt Hua, suddenly turned pale. Meeting Zhan Feiyu's clear eyes, he opened his mouth. Kou Hai suddenly realized that Miss Zhan hadn't drunk the tea at all and might have even overheard his conversation with his mother.
Meanwhile, Uncle Kou and several clan elders were sitting in the main hall of the clan elder's house.
"Since Young Master Zhan is not pursuing this matter, Da Lin, you all must be honest from now on. We are all farmers, and ill-gotten gains are not to be taken!" the clan elder said earnestly.
When they learned that Uncle Kou and the others had dared to accuse Prefect Zhang, the clan elder was so frightened that he almost expelled Uncle Kou's branch from the Kou clan. They were willing to risk their lives for money. That was a fourth-rank prefect, an official of the imperial court, and they dared to falsely accuse him.
"Learn from your mistakes. Fifth Uncle, I've remembered it all," Uncle Kou nodded honestly. Money is good, but it's not theirs. If they can't get it, they have to honestly tend to the crops and then let their grandsons study. Perhaps one of them could become a Xiu Cai scholar in the future.
An elder with white hair and beard spoke, "Young Master Zhan is not pursuing this because she is magnanimous. We still need to show our sincerity in our apology. Perhaps in the future, when children from the clan study, they can get some help from Young Master Zhan."
"Yes, it's always good to give gifts," another elder agreed, glaring at the repentant Uncle Kou. "It doesn't need to be very valuable. We can pool our resources. Dried mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, and I have a ham. The gift is light, but the sentiment is heavy."
"Yuanxing's mother is here?" In the courtyard, Fifth Aunt looked at Madam Kou, who had come to visit, in surprise. This was Madam Kou's first visit since they had fallen out over the fertile land years ago.
Ignoring Fifth Aunt's greeting, Madam Kou walked directly into the main hall. She glanced at Uncle Kou and the others, her face gloomy, and said, "I plan to have Little Hai marry Zhan Feiyu."
Cough cough... The clan elder spat out a mouthful of tea, staring at Madam Kou, who was standing at the doorway, in disbelief. What kind of monstrous words were these!
Uncle Kou also looked as if he had seen a ghost, stunned for a long time before regaining his voice. "What nonsense are you talking about? Zhan Feiyu is a Tong Sheng. How could she possibly marry Little Hai!"
With parents deceased and no stable wealth, let alone Zhan Feiyu's status, even a slightly better-off girl in the village would not be willing to marry Kou Hai.
"I drugged the tea, and Zhan Feiyu has fainted. I'm having Kou Hai carry her back to the room. Then, whether she wants to marry or not, she will!" Madam Kou raised her head, a sinister and malicious smile slowly forming on her withered lips. "It's just right for you to go there now and be witnesses, so there's no fear of Zhan Feiyu denying it!"
"Niu Da Mei, are you crazy?" The clan elder jumped up, glaring at the gloomy Madam Kou, his voice unstable with rage. "Do you know what you're doing? Zhan Feiyu is not like those girls in the village. She is the top scholar of the prefectural exam in Nanxuan Prefecture, a future Xiu Cai scholar! If you use such despicable means to scheme against her, do you want everyone in our Kou Family Village to die a terrible death!"
The older clan elders were so angry they couldn't speak. They had just been discussing giving Zhan Feiyu some mushrooms and wild game to build a relationship, and who knew that Madam Kou had stirred up trouble without a word.
Looking at the terrified clan elders with disdain, Madam Kou sneered, "I've already done it. It's too late for you to say anything now! It's better to marry Zhan Feiyu to Kou Hai. If she passes the Xiu Cai exam in the future, it will also be the glory of our Kou Family Village!"
No matter how talented Zhan Feiyu was in her studies, wouldn't she still have to marry obediently!
Madam Kou's expression became even more frenzied as she thought of Zhan Feiyu becoming her daughter-in-law, and how she could use filial piety to suppress Zhan Feiyu and make her obey her. The days of glory and wealth seemed to have returned. "That's it, I've said what I had to say. Come if you want!"
Watching Madam Kou turn and leave, the clan elder was so angry he wished he could skin her alive!
"This foolish woman! Does she think Zhan Tong Sheng will submit by doing this? That's a Tong Sheng, a junior favored by Prefect Zhang! If the authorities investigate, it's a capital offense!" The clan elder roared hysterically, but Madam Kou acted as if she heard nothing.
All professions are inferior, only scholarship is supreme! Madam Kou was able to firmly hold onto more than twenty mu of fertile land precisely because Kou Yuanxing had a talent for studying, and the clan elder had suppressed the clan members who were greedy.
At that time, Kou Yuanxing only had talent. Zhan Feiyu was a genuine top scholar in the prefectural exam. The clan elder knew very well that a top scholar in the prefectural exam was basically a pre-ordained Xiu Cai scholar.
The elder felt his chest ache so much that he couldn't breathe when he thought of Madam Kou's despicable scheme against Zhan Feiyu. This foolish woman was truly going to ruin Kou Family Village!
"Quick, let's all go! We absolutely cannot let this matter get out!" Uncle Kou said quickly. Zhan Feiyu was still young, and Kou Hai was just a boy. Being in the same room wouldn't really lead to anything. If they could cover it up, at least it wouldn't lead to a major disaster.
Fifth Aunt and her eldest daughter-in-law were also called by the clan elder to go together. Zhan Feiyu was a girl, so it was inconvenient for them. They could help.
Hearing the hurried footsteps behind her, Madam Kou looked back and smiled triumphantly. Weren't they all coming? That's right, Zhan Feiyu was a Tong Sheng, a future Xiu Cai scholar. If she married Kou Hai, this glory would also belong to Kou Family Village.
Just as Madam Kou was about to enter the courtyard, the clan elder and the others finally caught up, panting as they shouted to the eldest daughter-in-law, "Eldest daughter-in-law, hurry!"
Fifth Aunt and the eldest daughter-in-law knew the seriousness of the matter and quickly stepped forward to grab Madam Kou.
"What are you doing..." Before she could finish speaking, Fifth Aunt covered her mouth.
Although Fifth Aunt was the same age as the clan elder, sixty years old this year, women in the countryside who worked in the fields had a lot of strength. She and her eldest daughter-in-law worked together, pressing the bony Madam Kou so hard that she couldn't move.
"Mmm..." Madam Kou stared with wide eyes in shock, finally realizing that the clan elder and the others were not there to be witnesses, but to stop her.
With this realization, Madam Kou struggled violently. Seeing the clan elder and the others walk past her and call out Kou Hai's name, Madam Kou struggled even more疯ishly.
"Ah!" Fifth Aunt was bitten on the hand by Madam Kou, letting out a cry of pain. As a result, her hand loosened, Madam Kou stretched out her neck, and shouted in a sharp voice, "Help! Help! My Little Hai has fainted in the room... Help!"
Because Zhan Feiyu had come to pay respects to Kou Yuanxing, everyone in Kou Family Village was paying attention to the situation. When Madam Kou shouted, the neighbors naturally heard it, especially since many villagers were sitting in their acquaintances' homes to join in the excitement. More than twenty people rushed out.
"Niu Da Mei, shut up!" Fifth Aunt, ignoring her bleeding right hand, raised her hand again to cover her mouth.
"What's going on?" The villagers who rushed over looked at the scene in front of them in confusion.
Some villagers from other surnames even slipped into the courtyard. Seeing that someone had gone in, other villagers followed, and the situation became completely chaotic.
The clan elder, seeing that his calls for Kou Hai from the tightly closed bedroom door had gone unanswered, trembled with anger. If Uncle Kou hadn't supported him, he would have fallen to the ground.
"Clan elder, what are you doing?" A curious woman asked as she stood in the courtyard.
A plump aunt who had a conflict with the Kou clan took the opportunity to bump into the clan elder's eldest daughter-in-law. "Oh, who tripped me? Xiu Zhen, help me up!"
Seeing that the eldest daughter-in-law stumbled from the plump aunt's bump, Madam Kou pushed Fifth Aunt away with all her might and ran towards the tightly closed bedroom door, banging on the wooden door with her hands. "Ah Hai, what's wrong? Didn't you say Miss Zhan needed to rest? Why are you closing the door and staying in the room in broad daylight!"
The villagers in the courtyard were all stunned. If it were a young man and a girl from the village, it would be a scene of "catching an adulterer"!
However, one was Kou Hai, a half-grown boy, and the other was Zhan Tong Sheng, the top scholar of the prefectural exam. To say that she and Kou Hai had "adultery" would be absurd. Even though Madam Kou shouted at the top of her lungs, the villagers who exchanged glances remained silent.
Even the plump aunt who had caused trouble at the beginning shrunk back into the crowd. The people in Kou Family Village already knew about Zhan Feiyu because of Kou Yuanxing's death. She was a Tong Sheng, a future Xiu Cai scholar.
Many villagers had seen Zhan Feiyu today. Not only was she beautiful, but her clothes were also luxurious. It was said that the hairpin on her head was worth tens of taels of silver, and the pearls inlaid were large and round. In the sunlight, they were not white but pink.
The noble Zhan Tong Sheng would likely only marry young masters from noble families in the prefectural city. No matter how much Madam Kou shouted, the plump aunt dared not blindly agree, as that would lead to imprisonment.
The clan elder and Uncle Kou, both of them wished they could strangle Madam Kou to death. Since things had come to this, they could only hope that Zhan Feiyu would not take her anger out on Kou Family Village.
"Zhan Feiyu, even if you are a Tong Sheng, you are still a girl. Now you are my Kou Hai's person!" Madam Kou, tired from shouting, panted for a moment by the door and threatened sternly, "If you don't marry my Kou Hai, today's matter will pass, and we'll all be family! But if you don't acknowledge it, don't blame this old woman for going to the prefectural yamen to beat the drum and appeal. I want to ask Prefect Zhang, and I want to ask the scholars of Nanxuan Prefecture, how can a shameless and lowly girl be the top scholar!"
With a creak, the bedroom door opened from the inside. Everyone in the courtyard immediately looked towards the slowly opening door.
Kou Hai walked out from inside and said softly to the furious Madam Kou, "Mother, what are you shouting about? I had a bit of heatstroke and just fell asleep."
"Where is that slut Zhan Feiyu?" Madam Kou yanked Kou Hai, who was blocking the door, away. Just as she was about to go in to find her and confirm the crime of being caught in bed, the door to the study on the east side also creaked open.
Everyone turned to see Aunt Hua emerge from the study first, holding two books. She thanked Zhan Feiyu with tears of gratitude. "Thank you, Zhan Tong Sheng. My younger son was saying the other day that he wanted to buy these two books."
Zhan Feiyu seemed not to see the large crowd in the courtyard and replied with a smile, "Auntie, you're welcome. These are Kou Yuanxing's books. Since he is no longer here, it's best to let others use them."
Yin Wuyan remained by Zhan Feiyu's side, his cold phoenix eyes looking at the pale Madam Kou as if she were dead.
Zhan Feiyu fully opened the study door and said to the shocked clan elder, "I have sorted these books, and the ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones are all on the table. Clan Elder Kou, if the villagers remember Yuanxing's kindness, they should burn more paper money for Kou Yuanxing during festivals."
Snapping back to reality, the clan elder nodded vigorously. "Okay, thank you, Zhan Tong Sheng. Don't worry, Yuanxing is one of our Kou family. We all remember his kindness. In a few years, when Little Hai gets married and has a son, we will choose one to adopt in Yuanxing's name."
Kou Yuanxing died early, and the ancients believed in ghosts and spirits. If he had no descendants to offer sacrifices, he would be a lonely wandering ghost! Now the clan elder and others remembered Kou Yuanxing's kindness, but what about ten or twenty years later? Therefore, adopting a child was the best solution.
Upon hearing this, Kou Hai quickly nodded. "I promise."
"This is impossible! Did you not drink the tea?" Madam Kou roared hysterically. As crazy and triumphant as she was when scheming against Zhan Feiyu, Madam Kou was now that scared. Unfortunately, it was too late for regret.
Zhan Feiyu looked at Madam Kou coldly and said word by word, "Why do you think Kou Yuanxing committed suicide by hitting the wall?"
As soon as she said this, not only did Madam Kou stop her madness, but the clan elder and the villagers also fell silent. They still didn't know the cause of Kou Yuanxing's death, and no one dared to inquire in the prefectural city.
"Prefect Zhang canceled Kou Yuanxing's ranking in the prefectural exam, but it was only a minor punishment. He could still participate in the imperial examinations next year." Zhan Feiyu also said this for the people of Kou Family Village, at least to prevent Prefect Zhang from being blamed for forcing Kou Yuanxing to his death.
"Master Xiao also knows about this matter, but before Prefect Zhang could release Kou Yuanxing from prison, someone sneaked into the prison and forced Kou Yuanxing with your life to write a blood letter falsely accusing Prefect Zhang, forcing him to commit suicide by hitting the wall! He died to protect you, his mother!"
No one spoke. All eyes were focused on Madam Kou. After Kou Yuanxing was buried, Madam Kou never even looked at his grave. The villagers all knew how simple the grave was. Who would have thought that the truth of Kou Yuanxing's death was to protect Madam Kou.