Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 625

Chapter 625: Slaughter

“Settling her there first” was, frankly, a euphemism for a mistress.

Being a concubine at least gave her a title, but a mistress was worse than a concubine. Even if she bore a child, the primary wife would not acknowledge her, and going to the authorities would not help.

Hearing Zhong Manguan say this, An Zhi’s face immediately darkened.

Originally, she intended to send them away amicably, but Zhong Manguan was too shameless. She directly refused, saying, “Please find someone else, Master Zhong. My Chunlan will not be anyone’s concubine. Please leave.”

Zhong Manguan’s face darkened as well. He abandoned his refined manners and questioned, “Being my concubine is far more prestigious than being a wife like you! Are you stopping your maid from marrying me, or are you just jealous and afraid she will climb up the social ladder and step on you?”

Chunlan could not take it anymore and rushed out from behind the screen in the hall. “What kind of high-class man are you? With your family’s meager wealth, only unsophisticated people would be envious. But who are you? Even if you marry me as your wife, I will not marry you! Go back to where you came from. don’t wait until we beat you out with sticks; then you will be the ones who lose face!”

After these words, Zhong Manguan’s face turned ashen.

“Fine, you don’t take me seriously. Just wait and see. don’t come crying to me later!” Zhong Manguan finished his tirade, panting heavily, and stormed off with the matchmaker.

Chunlan had vented her anger by scolding the person away, but remembering her young madam’s words about not getting into conflicts, she felt a pang of regret.

“Madam, have I caused you any trouble?”

An Zhi said no. “Even if you didn’t chase them away, I would have. Go and call Lin Feng here; I have something for him to do.”

Early that morning, Pei Que had taken Fusheng to the docks to pick up goods and was not home.

After Lin Feng arrived, An Zhi instructed, “Go and follow Zhong Manguan. His brother-in-law is Hu Ling’an. If he sends a letter to Hu Ling’an, carefully read what it says.”

Lin Feng pondered, “Hu Ling’an’s in charge of Huludao. If Zhong Manguan’s letter is sent there, it might expose that our masters are not in Huludao. Or, should we just intercept the letter and prevent Hu Ling’an from receiving it?”

“That will not work,” An Zhi had considered this. “De’an and Ding’an are not far apart. Zhong Manguan and Hu Ling’an must be in frequent contact. If we suddenly cut off their contact, it will arouse suspicion. Here’s what we will do: if we see our information in the letter, we will change it. Hu Ling’an should be used to Zhong Manguan wanting to take a concubine.”

Upon arriving in Ding’an, An Zhi and Pei Que deliberately changed their names. Neither of them used their original names, only retaining Pei Que’s surname. But just in case, it was better to be extra careful.

Lin Feng agreed and immediately went to chase after Zhong Manguan.

Meanwhile, after angrily leaving the Pei family, Zhong Manguan recalled Chunlan’s scolding words, feeling resentful yet finding Chunlan even more appealing; after all, no girl had ever dared to speak to him like that before.

“Wangcai,” Zhong Manguan called to his attendant, “go and tell the people at the yamen to find a way to investigate Lan Gui House. I refuse to believe that the Pei family, without income, will still be as stubborn as they are now.”

Wangcai, half a head shorter than Zhong Manguan, had a round face so small his eyes were just slits. “Master, don’t worry, I will definitely make sure Lan Gui House cannot open tomorrow.”

Zhong Manguan smiled, crossed the bridge, and went to Wan Hua Pavilion.

On An Zhi’s side, after Zhong Manguan left, Madam of Yu arrived.

After hearing Zhong Manguan’s purpose, Madam of Yu slapped her thigh angrily, saying, “That despicable scoundrel! He only wants to marry a pretty girl because his brother-in-law is the magistrate of De’an County and has some connections with our Ding’an County magistrate. Madam of Pei, you must be careful. Zhong Manguan is no good man. If you refuse him today, he will definitely retaliate.”

An Zhi sighed, “Chunlan’s a girl I grew up with. I cannot go against my conscience and let her try to climb the social ladder. Sister Yu, do you know if the Zhong family has any other backers besides the De’an County magistrate’s relatives?”

Madam of Yu thought for a moment and shook her head, saying no, “Although Zhong Manguan’s father-in-law is a wealthy merchant, a merchant cannot compare to an official. However, the Zhong family is rich and sends a lot of silver to the Ding’an County magistrate every year, so they can be considered a semi-backer.”

An Zhi understood; the main problem was still that lecherous Hu Ling’an.

After speaking with Madam of Yu for a while, Pei Que returned with Fusheng. An Zhi told him about Zhong Manguan and shared her thoughts.

“Hu Ling’an is no good official, and with him around, we cannot always feel at ease.” Having experienced a life-or-death situation, An Zhi was a bit more ruthless than before. “Instead of sending people to keep an eye on Hu Ling’an, it’s better to take this opportunity to replace him with one of our own; then we will have no worries.”

Before today, An Zhi had not considered directly eliminating Hu Ling’an; maintaining the current precautions was sufficient.

But after Zhong Manguan arrived, An Zhi wanted to strike first.

Eliminating Hu Ling’an would be a win-win situation.

Moreover, without Hu Ling’an as Zhong Manguan’s backer, Zhong Manguan would not have the courage to continue causing trouble.

Pei Que had had this idea for a while, but he had not expected An Zhi to think the same way. “Actually, that’s what I was thinking too, but we just arrived. If Hu Ling’an dies immediately, people in the capital will inevitably become suspicious. That’s why I had him injured first, to slowly wear him down.”

However, given Zhong Manguan’s incident, Pei Que did not mind Hu Ling’an dying sooner.

An Zhi was relieved to hear that Pei Que shared this thought. “Then let’s wait a few more days. After Zhong Manguan’s letter reaches De’an, let Hu Ling’an get even sicker. You can arrange for a new magistrate these next few days.”

Before their marriage, Pei Que had said that An Zhi was quite similar to him. At that time, An Zhi did not think she would be so decisive, but when pushed to the limit, there was nothing one would not do.

An Zhi made the arrangements, and Hu Ling’an also received a letter from the capital.

His wife, Madam Zhong, sat on the edge of the bed, wiping away tears. “Look at you now,” she said, “you cannot even get out of bed. If anything happens to you, what will become of the entire Hu family? And this letter—the Prefect said that if you handle it well, you will be promoted next year. But if you don’t, the Hu family will be beheaded. But you cannot even get out of bed; how can you help the Prefect?”

Ever since he was hit on the head, Hu Ling’an had been bedridden. He took medicine regularly, but his condition did not improve. All the doctors in the neighborhood had come and prescribed similar medicines, but there was no sign of improvement.

Hu Ling’an had spent half his life as a county magistrate, always wanting a promotion, but he barely managed to stay a magistrate, and even bribing officials would not get him promoted.

Now, the Prefect had presented him with an opportunity; Hu Ling’an was determined to seize it, no matter what.

“Send someone to find… the leader of Helong Mountain,” Hu Ling’an said, panting heavily, his face contorted with rage. “Send everyone from their stronghold to Huludao. If they bring back Pei Que and An Zhi’s heads, I’m willing to pay double the price.”