"Did you hear? The eldest son of the Huang family set fire to the flower tower yesterday.
Afterwards, Madam Qin didn't even dare to complain. She even brought gifts and two little beauties specifically to apologize to the Huang family. But they ended up being kicked out."
"That Madame Qin, she's just so snobbish. It serves her right that her flower tower got burned down by that young master Huang. We all engage in the same activities, yet when we go there, we have to cater to her in various ways, and we might not even get to see the top girls. As for Mr. Huang, every time he goes there, Madame Qin makes the best girls in the flower tower serve him, and she doesn't even take his money. But this time, she got her comeuppance. It serves her right," the man said, finishing with a smirk.
"Well, who can blame her? After all, he's the only son of the county magistrate Huang. With three generations passing down the lineage, he's the only young master they have. Can she afford to offend him? She can't afford to offend the Huang family," another young man chimed in.
"You're right. Even the former county magistrate gave face to the Huang family, let alone us ordinary folks. Who would dare to offend the Huang family?"
"That's not necessarily true. I heard that a new county magistrate is coming soon, and maybe he'll directly deal with the Huang family."
"Don't talk nonsense. The Huang family has been in Songyang County for so many years. Even the previous county magistrates couldn't handle them. This new one definitely won't be able to either. When his term is up, he'll just go back where he came from."
Gu Wenxuan sat in the teahouse in Songyang County, listening to the conversations around him. He picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip, then his lips curled into a mocking smile.
He had achieved third place in the imperial examination at the age of twenty-three, and now, not yet thirty, he holds the position of a high-ranking official, the Minister of Personnel. If it weren't for his mother's peace of mind, he wouldn't have come to this place as a county magistrate to deal with the tyrant Huang family. But whether or not he wanted to deal with them was another question.
Gu Wenxuan frowned involuntarily as he pondered something.
His life could be said to be smooth sailing, but he repeatedly encountered setbacks in terms of family heirs. He married three times, but all his wives died young, and to this day, he still has no offspring.
Originally intending to focus on his career, he abandoned the idea of having children. Being single was fine, without any worries. Moreover, he was the second son in the family and didn't need to inherit the title. His older brother already had a son and a daughter, which was sufficient for the future.
However, his mother, Shao Shi, worried about him. She went to a temple outside the city of Beijing to seek advice from a master. The master said that his official career would be prosperous and smooth in life, but life couldn't always be smooth. To have a harmonious family with children in the future, he needed to leave the capital city to experience life elsewhere.
Shao Shi firmly believed in this matter and immediately urged him to leave Beijing and go to the countryside to gain experience. This way, he could have a child to continue the family line in the future.
As he was already the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, promotions and assessments were his daily tasks. After much consideration, he ended up in Songyang County, Suzhou Prefecture, which was in the south, far from the northern capital of Beijing.
Seeing that it was getting late, Gu Wenxuan picked up his bundle and went straight to the Songyang County yamen.
At the gate of the yamen, the two gatekeepers were yawning lazily. When they saw someone approaching, they immediately held their knives and approached. Gu Wenxuan had learned martial arts since childhood and had excellent skills, so naturally, he was not afraid of these two men.
But thinking about how he had concealed his identity and come here, he couldn't attract too much attention. He directly took out the documents of the Ministry of Personnel and his own identity from his clothes.
He was still a resident of Beijing, Gu Wenxuan, but the documents mentioned that he had only passed the imperial examination in his early thirties, ranking twelfth in the third tier. Finally, he was appointed by the Ministry of Personnel as the county magistrate of Songyang County.
Seeing that a new magistrate had arrived, the gatekeepers quickly apologized and let him in. One of them even led him to the residence of the county magistrate Huang Wen.
Gu Wenxuan just furrowed his brows at this sight but didn't say anything.
The Songyang County Yamen was similar to other county Yamens. The front courtyard was used for daily official business, while the back courtyard was where the county magistrate's family lived. There was a small garden in the middle, which looked elegant. The county yamen seemed to have just been renovated and was very clean.
After walking around the yamen and getting familiar with it, Gu Wenxuan went to sit on the master's chair in the courtroom, waiting for the famous county magistrate Huang Wen.
Seeing a group of people coming in, the leader was dressed gorgeously, and he was startled when he saw Gu Wenxuan. He didn't expect the new magistrate to look so young and promising. Nevertheless, after mixing in the official circles for more than ten years, he quickly reacted and greeted Gu Wenxuan with a bow.
"I, Huang Wen, pay my respects to Your Excellency."
The people behind him quickly followed suit and bowed.
"You are all courteous."
After Gu Wenxuan finished speaking, he began to size up the people below the hall, giving each of them a glance.
Huang Wen immediately began to introduce the people in the county yamen to Gu Wenxuan, who nodded slightly as he listened.
After introducing the people in the county, Huang Wen began to introduce the local wealthy and gentry.
"I have met everyone today. It's getting late, so please take your leave," Gu Wenxuan said, addressing the people below.
"Yes." Seeing everyone below exit, Huang Wen remained standing there motionless.
"Your Excellency, since you've just arrived at the county yamen and things here are not fully prepared, there isn't even someone to attend to you. It might be inconvenient for you to stay here. How about you follow me to my humble abode for a rest? Once the county yamen is renovated in a few days, Your Excellency can move back in."
"I've seen the backyard of the county yamen since I first arrived. It's suitable for living. I won't trouble you. I'll stay at the county yamen."
Huang Wen looked directly into Gu Wenxuan's firm gaze and didn't say anything more. He turned and left.
However, an hour later, after Gu Wenxuan had packed up his belongings, he looked at the meat, vegetables, lamp oil, rice, and flour sent by Huang Wen, along with two old women and a maid to serve him.
As he was still new and hadn't fully grasped the situation, Huang Wen also refrained from acting rashly, even if he felt dissatisfied. Gu Wenxuan then left the items behind for the old women and the maid to deal with while he would handle everything later.
Closing his own door, he went out directly.
Songyang County City, in the south, still seemed bustling. Gu Wenxuan casually found a restaurant and entered.
While waiting for the dishes, Gu Wenxuan overheard several young gentlemen from the next table chatting, and their topic was still about women. He couldn't help but furrow his brow.
"I heard that the little beauty from Shangyang Village seems to have come of age this year. Which one of you wants her? I'll buy her and send her to you when the time comes."
"Whether the girl from Shangyang Village is a little beauty or not is hard to say. Don't believe everything you hear. How beautiful can a girl from a farming family be? I bet any random girl from the brothel would be more beautiful than her. She's just a countryside girl with no sophistication. It's just villagers with no taste that started that rumor." Someone from the opposite table said it nonchalantly after taking a sip of wine.
"Yeah, the girls in this village can't compare to the ones from the county. It's definitely just exaggerated praise from those who haven't seen much of the world. Brother Wen, your words are quite true," another person chimed in.
Watching as the waiter brought the food and drinks to the table, Gu Wenxuan picked up his chopsticks and ate while listening to the conversation on the side.
After having his fill, Gu Wenxuan returned to the county yamen. Seeing the two seductively dressed maids, he suddenly felt angry.
"Both of you, leave."
The two maids blushed immediately, but thinking of Huang Wen's instructions, they blushed even more and pretended to offer to serve Gu Wenxuan for his bath.
"No need. I don't like being disturbed while bathing. You can leave. In the future, you are not allowed to enter my room without my permission."
Gu Wenxuan suddenly remembered that back at home, there were always a few restless maids who wanted to climb into bed, but without exception, they were all sold off by his mothers. The Gu family had a rule that a man could only take concubines after turning thirty without a son, which was also for the peace of the family.
The next morning, all the people in the county yamen were on duty bright and early. Huang Wen came in with a stack of official documents and, after hesitating for a moment, decided to speak up while looking at Gu Wenxuan sitting at the head of the table.
"The gentleman arrived here alone, without anyone he favored by his side. In my family, there happens to be a young girl who is gentle and virtuous. Why not let her serve by the gentleman's side as a concubine?" Huang Wen has been thinking about this matter since yesterday. This new county magistrate didn't seem like an ordinary person, but although the household registration documents stated he was from the capital city, he didn't come from a prestigious family.
"No need. I came here alone to achieve something in my career. Having a woman by my side would only disturb my focus," Gu Wenxuan said as he took the documents from the side and started reading them.
"I apologize for my oversight, Your Excellency." Huang Wen quickly apologized, realizing he had misjudged the situation.
Not wanting to further upset him, Huang Wen refrained from probing too deeply into Gu Wenxuan's background for the time being.
"Very well, you may leave," Gu Wenxuan dismissed him.
"Yes."
In Shangyang Village, every household was busy preparing meals. Hu Rong sat inside, feeling stifled and nauseous. Since last winter until the beginning of spring this year, she hadn't gone outside at all, spending her days cooped up in this thatched hut, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Suddenly, she rushed out into the courtyard and began vomiting. This frightened the women in the yard. They stared at Hu Rong, who had turned pale with fear, worried that something serious might happen to her. Despite their careful nurturing every day, why wasn't she getting better?
Concerned, Mrs. Hu was about to fetch a doctor when Hu Rong breathed in the fresh air outside and felt much better. She grabbed a nearby stool and sat down in the courtyard.
Although it's already spring, the weather is still a bit chilly. Seeing this, Mrs. Hu immediately had the eldest daughter-in-law pour a cup of hot water for Hu Rong. Once she saw that Hu Rong was fine, she urged her to finish it quickly and go back inside.
Hu Rong held the cup of hot water in her hands, and her expression darkened upon hearing Mrs. Hu's words.
Several of the Hu family's grandchildren, who were playing nearby, noticed Hu Rong coming out and immediately approached her.
They stared at Hu Rong without moving. To them, Hu Rong, the aunt, was just like the eggs at home; they could only look but not touch. Otherwise, they would incur the wrath of Mrs. Hu.
Hu Rong looked at her nephews and nieces, showing a long-lost smile. To be honest, she envied them. They could go wherever they wanted freely.
The second sister-in-law quickly came over, dispersed the children, took Hu Rong's hand, and led her back inside, making sure to close the door securely when she went out.