Chapter 162
Zhang Huaini did not have the son of the maid killed off. Fang Zichen felt this person still had some brains.
Otherwise, if everyone else's children died while only her own survived, it would undoubtedly have raised suspicions.
This kind of poisonous woman, if she hadn't provoked him, everyone could still coexist peacefully. If she did provoke him, a direct confrontation would mean going against the County Magistrate.
A mere County Magistrate...
Seems like it would still be quite troublesome.
But never show weakness, even if you're losing.
He'd put on this act first and talk later.
Fang Zichen sneered, as if possessed by a villain: "Who is your sister, anyway? Nothing more than a concubine." All people are born equal; whether slave or servant, none should be looked down upon.
Fang Zichen did not look down on concubines in general, but Zhang Huaiwen was clearly treating his sister Zhang Huaini as a savior. Even from his jail cell, he vainly hoped to use his sister's name to intimidate him. Because Zhang Huaiwen took such pride in Zhang Huaini and viewed her as an honor, Fang Zichen deliberately set out to demean her as utterly worthless, aiming to knock Zhang Huaiwen down a peg.
Facing Zhang Huaiwen's furious and ashamed expression, Fang Zichen crossed his arms, leaned against the cell door, and said unhurriedly: "I think I must have misspoken earlier. It seems besides being cheap and knowing how to drug people, you also have no sense of shame."
Zhang Huaiwen seemed to have swallowed two pounds of gunpowder, practically about to explode, grinding his teeth: "What did you say!!"
"Was I wrong?" Scholars value face the most, so Fang Zichen deliberately belittled him: "Is having a sister who serves as another man's concubine truly honorable? Should your Zhang family take pride in trading your daughter for glory? Is it worth you constantly hanging it on your lips? If I were you, I'd be so ashamed I wouldn't dare go out, wishing I could just bash my head and die. Yet your face is as big as a basin and your skin is thick; you still dare to wander outside. It's not enough to swan around Heyang Town, you even come to Fu'an Town. In all the world, this is truly the first time I've seen someone so shameless."
A surge of heat rose from the soles of his feet to his head. Fang Zichen's words were extremely grating. Zhang Huaiwen felt each word and phrase felt like a stinging slap across his face, one after another.
Zhang Huaiwen was embarrassed, ashamed, and furious. He tried to fight back, but in a battle of sharp tongues, he was no match for Fang Zichen.
Before coming, this person seemed to have drunk poison; his mouth was incredibly poisonous. If words could transform into sharp arrows, Zhang Huaiwen would probably be riddled like a hedgehog by now.
Zhang Huaiwen was the legitimate son. Although merchant families lacked status, the Zhang family could barely be described as immensely wealthy.
Within the Zhang household, everyone except his father had constantly flattered, indulged, and praised him. After he passed the county-level examination, even outsiders had treated him with respect.
Having a life of ease and being accustomed to flattery, to suddenly be belittled as worthless and lose face so severely... Zhang Huaiwen felt an itch in his throat and actually vomited a mouthful of blood.
"Aiya yai yai, what's this?" Fang Zichen looked shocked. "You're not vomiting blood from anger, are you! No way, no way! To be like this after just a few words... You really are... Others, at least, are pleasing to the eye but useless. You, ah... really are neither pleasing to the eye nor of any use. What's the use of someone like you living? You purely waste air."
Zhang Huaiwen's eyes were red, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his expression turned fiercely venomous, as if he were possessed by some malevolent spirit. Fang Zichen was almost afraid he would suddenly charge over and take a bite out of his throat. There were no rabies vaccines in this world, so he had to be careful.
He took two steps back and delivered his final threat: "Thinking of waiting for Zhang Huaini to save you? No chance."
The two men exchanged increasingly crude insults, but the gap in their verbal prowess was immense. Zhang Huaiwen collapsed after just a few rounds of exchange. Only after watching him vomit another mouthful of blood did Fang Zichen finally stride away, his chest puffed out with triumph.
That day in the court, when Lianniang exposed Zhang Huaiwen, she said that he had enticed her into doing all this, and that the planning was all his doing.
Most people believed it. Lianniang was seventeen, in the prime of her youth. While her looks and family background might not be noteworthy in Yuanzhou or the capital, in Fu'an Town, she could be considered top-tier. She could marry any man she wanted, there was really no need for such methods. Landlord Jia was a kind man, a good bamboo produces good shoots. Furthermore, Lianniang was a woman confined to the inner quarters, who never stepped outside the main gate, how would she know about such filthy matters?
[好竹出好笋 (hǎo zhú chū hǎo sǔn): lit. A good bamboo produces good shoots; fig. Capable or virtuous parents tend to raise equally talented or morally upright children.]
It must have been someone else's instigation.
But Fang Zichen didn't think so: Who needs to be taught how to do bad things? A good bamboo most easily produces bad shoots. If some women really decide to use schemes, they can manage it without a teacher.
Initially, Fang Zichen thought Lianniang was just shifting blame. But after meeting Zhang Huaiwen, he believed most of it.
It was really because this person's gaze was too sinister and venomous.
He considered himself fearless, capable of beating any monster or demon that came his way, one or two at a time. But when Zhang Huaiwen looked at him like that, he couldn't help but shiver.
Zhang Huaiwen was truly malicious.
During Old Lady Zheng's birthday celebration, the place was packed. If he had lost control that day, he suspected Zhang Huaiwen would have led people charging in the moment his pants were down.
By then, his reputation, dignity, and good name would likely have been completely lost. Even if he had passed the tongsheng exam, he would have been stripped of his title and banned from exams for life.
The two guards saw him to the Yamen entrance. "Hey, isn't that your fulang and son?"
[Yámén (衙门): the administrative office or government headquarters in imperial China, housing local magistrates and their staff—the center of official power and justice in a region]
Zhao Ger had already finished selling the chili sauce and was now waiting outside the Yamen, holding Guaizai's hand.
The moment Guaizai saw Fang Zichen come out, he rushed over.
"Father,up, up~"
Fang Zichen picked him up and walked over. Seeing Zhao Ger still peering into the Yamen, he immediately felt unhappy. "What are you looking at? Still want to go in and see him?"
When he heard in the morning that he was coming to 'see' Zhang Huaiwen, Zhao Ger said he wanted to come too.
Usually, he was obsessed with selling chili sauce, feeling off if he missed a day. But today, he didn't even want to sell sauce, instead he wanted to see that scumbag. Fang Zichen had been a little upset.
"Stop talking nonsense." His mouth ran recklessly. Zhao Ger wanted to punch him, his hand raised halfway, but when he saw how carefully Fang Zichen had dressed up, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
'Clothes make the man, as a saddle makes the horse' – this saying held true.
Fang Zichen was originally handsome, but now, all dressed up, he was unbearably flashy. Zhao Ger couldn't think how to describe it. His limited vocabulary seemed inadequate; no description felt quite right. After thinking it over, he felt Fang Zichen was like the sun in the sky.
Blazing hot, dazzling.
Making people revolve around him uncontrollably.
He averted his gaze, then couldn't help but look back, his eyes fixed. Fang Zichen felt smug and started getting full of himself.
Ah, this damned good looks has once again left Zhao Ger utterly mesmerized and enthralled.
The previously bought chickens had all been devoured. It wasn't just Fang Zichen eating them alone; most of the time, Zhao Ger and Guaizai ate the meat while he drank the soup.
Chicks weren't easy to raise. If one wasn't careful, they'd either die from illness or get carried off by rats. Zhao Ger had raised them meticulously before, but now he was busy and didn't have the time. So, he bought a few chickens from several families in the village that were already over a jin in weight.
Guaizai couldn't handle big tasks, but he was adept at digging for earthworms. Huffing and puffing, like a wild dog digging a hole... Earthworms were slippery and burrowed quickly, but not as fast as Guaizai's hands.
Before, when Fang Zichen saw him catching earthworms, he was secretly amazed at the speed of his moves.
Even thirty years of being single probably couldn't train that kind of hand speed.
No earthworm he spotted could escape his nimble little hands.
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