My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 31 Part 1

Chapter 31  

Ji Taoyu's heart skipped a beat when he suddenly saw Huo Shu appear. Unable to resist, he stole a glance behind him at the You family's house, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, as if he had been caught doing something wrong.  

As if afraid of being misunderstood, he quickly said, "The bandit unrest outside is getting worse, even You Lingxiao ran into them and had his arm broken. Did you know, Brother Huo?"  

Huo Shu stood up from the tree trunk and glanced at Ji Taoyu, noting that his expression was normal - his eyes weren’t red, nor did he seem distressed.  

Only then did he ask, "Did you go to treat him?"  

Before Ji Taoyu could answer, Ji Yangzong cut in, "The You family was afraid of encountering bandits if they went out, so they didn’t dare call a phycsian. They asked Xiao Taozi to take a look first, and his mother went with him. After all, they’re from the same village. Even if there’s no friendship left, we still need to know what happened."  

Huang Manjing raised an eyebrow as she watched the father and son.  

The other party hadn’t even said anything, yet these two were already scrambling to explain.  

Huo Shu gave a noncommittal hum and didn’t press for details about You Lingxiao’s condition.  

Ji Yangzong suddenly said, "Manjing, take Xiao Taozi home first. I need to talk to Huo Shu."  

"Alright."  

Huang Manjing responded, "Let’s go home, Xiao Taozi."  

Ji Taoyu blinked at Huo Shu and said, "I’ll head back first, then."  

Huo Shu nodded.  

Watching the mother and son walk away, Ji Yangzong clasped his hands behind his back and strode forward, with Huo Shu following wordlessly.  

The two wandered aimlessly until they were sure no one was around. After hesitating for a moment, Ji Yangzong finally spoke, "About You Lingxiao’s incident… was it…?"  

Ji Yangzong probed cautiously, voicing his suspicions. He couldn’t shake the feeling that You Lingxiao’s misfortune was too coincidental, especially after Huo Shu’s earlier cryptic remarks.  

Putting the pieces together, he couldn’t help but suspect.  

Huo Shu’s expression remained unreadable. Instead of confirming or denying directly, he only said, "If his future isn’t cut off, with his temperament, he’ll only stir up more trouble."  

Ji Yangzong’s eyes widened as his suspicions were confirmed, a chill running down his spine. He couldn’t help but feel wary of Huo Shu’s methods.  

Yet, he thought what Huo Shu said made sense, You Lingxiao was already scheming like this as a mere juren. If he ever rose to an official position, with power in his hands, who knew how much more underhanded he could become?  

By then, harming the Ji family would be effortless for him.  

And on a larger scale, what hope would the common people have if someone of such character became an official?  

"But you’re taking too great a risk! He’s still a juren with an official rank. The slightest misstep could bring disaster upon yourself!"  

Ji Yangzong felt a pang of fear, worried that You Lingxiao might uncover the truth and drag Huo Shu down.  

After all, this was the Ji family’s affair, Huo Shu had no obligation to intervene. Why he had gone this far, Ji Yangzong understood perfectly.  

He was grateful that Huo Shu was willing to eliminate future threats for the Ji family, but he also feared these actions might harm him.  

"I have no need to lay hands on a scholar who can’t even fight back."  

If he truly intended to act, he wouldn’t just break his hand, he’d take his life.  

But since he had chosen to live peacefully, he wouldn’t risk staining his hands with blood and inviting trouble.  

"Rest assured, Village Head. This truly was the work of bandits. I merely… guided things along."  

The situation unfolding as it did was beyond his expectations.  

Recently, rumors of bandit unrest had spread unease. Since the Ji family had to escort tax grain into the city, Huo Shu had taken it upon himself to scout the bandits’ movements to prevent any mishaps.  

His investigations revealed that most bandits were still far from Tongzhou City, evading pursuit.  

Only a few scattered groups operated near the villages below Tongzhou, stirring up minor incidents to divert the authorities’ attention.  

Huo Shu had spotted several bandits active between Tongzhou and Mingxun City. Coincidentally, You Lingxiao was heading into town.

The thought of this man harming others yet living comfortably, even planning to buy property, had long irked Huo Shu. 

Huo Shu had long wanted to teach him a lesson. Originally, he intended to target the Xue family, but this opportunity presented itself, so he leaked word that You Lingxiao was carrying a large sum of money.  

The bandits, already looking for trouble, quickly took the bait.  

Most of these bandits were displaced farmers driven to desperation, their main goal was money and grain. Unless pushed to extremes, they wouldn’t resort to killing.  

But who could’ve guessed that after striking You Lingxiao with a club, he didn’t pass out. Clutching his head, he shrieked, "How dare you attack a juren! You’ll all rot in prison!"  

Instead of being intimidated, the bandits flew into a rage, knocking him unconscious and then beating him mercilessly.  

"A juren? Pah! I hate these so-called scholars who only know how to recite books of sages! Greedy, corrupt leeches who who exploit the common people, do nothing practical while living in luxury!"  

[聖賢書 (shèng xián shū): lit. books of sages; fig. Confucian classics studied for the exams]   

"We break our backs in the fields, yet they show no mercy! When famine strikes and harvests fail, they blame us for laziness and squeeze us dry! If not for these gentry, we wouldn’t have been reduced to this!"  

"Break his hand! Let’s see how high and mighty he can be after this!"  

Ji Yangzong listened, his heart pounding. But upon learning Huo Shu hadn’t directly participated, he sighed in relief.  

In recent years, with the court’s corruption, juren and unranked scholars had followed suit - shielding merchants, annexing land, and ruthlessly exploiting peasants and tenants. Resentment had grown increasingly fierce.  

No wonder the bandits were so consumed by rage. You Lingxiao was simply unlucky enough to become their target.  

Ji Yangzong felt no sympathy. Perhaps this would teach him that ruining another’s reputation was no different from destroying their future.  

After a long silence, Ji Yangzong warned Huo Shu, "This stays between us. Never speak of it to anyone else, let it rot in our stomachs."  

Huo Shu gave a wordless nod.