Chapter 10 ….
The Beggar Who Came to the County Office
A moment later, An Wendu and Old Man Sun returned with their heads lowered, looking dejected. They shook their heads toward Old Madam Nuo and Taohua.
Forcing a smile, Taohua said,
“Didn’t Xiaoye say she thought she saw someone? Maybe she saw her family. Perhaps she’s already gone home by now. If Zhao Yigu followed her, he should be fine too.”
Old Madam Nuo replied with a sigh,
“I certainly hope so.”
Even so, Taohua’s group still hoped the two boys would return. They had spent quite some time together; they wouldn’t feel at ease unless they saw with their own eyes that the boys were safe.
But unfortunately, Xiaoye and Zhao Yigu did not return that night. Nor did they appear the next day.
Taohua gazed at the still-shut city gates and spoke to the increasingly gaunt Old Madam Nuo,
“Grandmother, we don’t know how long it will be before the gates open, and Xiaoye and Zhao Yigu probably won’t come back. How about we set off again?”
Old Madam Nuo fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
“Let’s go. We’ll travel slowly. Even if we have to beg along the way, we must reach Linyi County.”
Taohua smiled and said softly,
“Of course. And Grandmother, don’t forget—I still have the silver notes.”
They hadn’t been able to enter Zhongzhou City, but surely they wouldn’t be refused by every city along the road. Even if all the cities turned them away, they would surely encounter one or two wealthy households; with some effort, the silver notes could be exchanged for silver. And even if that failed, Taohua could still guarantee their safe arrival at Linyi County. After all, she had her storage space—she could secretly take out food so the group wouldn’t starve.
On the third day, at dawn, Taohua’s group left Zhongzhou City and headed toward Linyi County. Not long after they departed, armored private soldiers suddenly appeared outside the city gates. The soldiers searched through the refugees for quite some time but ultimately returned empty-handed.
Half a month later.
Dressed like beggars, Taohua’s group stood with reddened eyes, staring at the stone stele engraved with the three characters “Linyi County.”
“Grandmother, once we pass this stele, we’ll be inside Linyi County!”
“Yes… yes… yes…”
Old Madam Nuo’s voice choked as she spoke the words.
Taohua also felt relieved. Ever since crossing into this ancient era, she had complained that the carriage ride was too bumpy—but after walking for half a month on foot, she felt she could never complain about carriages again.
“Let’s go. You’ll soon meet your parents.”
Taohua glanced sideways at their shabby appearance and asked,
“Grandmother, if we go to see Father looking like this, will he…”
Old Madam Nuo glared.
“What about them? Do you think they’d dare dislike this old woman?”
Taohua gave a bitter smile. Her father probably wouldn’t dislike Grandmother—but he might dislike her. She had grown up separated from her parents. Feelings between people required time together; if her parents showed her affection, she would find it hard to believe.
“Let’s go. What is there to fear? With this old woman here, no one will dare look down on you.”
At the gates of the Linyi County yamen.
The gate guards were chatting heatedly about where to go play after work. Suddenly, a foul smell drifted over. Looking up, they saw five beggars standing at the yamen gate.
“May I ask—is this the Linyi County office?”
Old Man Sun stepped forward with a smile.
“Get lost, get lost! Where did these beggars come from? Go back where you came from!”
The guards all showed disgust and shoved Old Man Sun away. He tried to ask again, but one guard impatiently raised the saber at his waist and struck toward him.
“What are you doing?!”
Seeing this, An Wendu rushed forward in alarm and grabbed the guard’s arm just in time, saving Old Man Sun.
“Bold refugees! How dare you cause trouble at the county office? Tired of living?”
The other guards surrounded An Wendu. With their numbers, they knocked him to the ground in moments.
Old Madam Nuo was furious at the sight.
“Stop!”
Taohua, anxious and angry, quickly handed Old Madam Nuo to the Sun family and ran forward. Pointing at the guards, she shouted sharply,
“My father is An Zhigao, the magistrate of Linyi County! If you dare lay another hand on my third brother, none of you will get away with it!”
The guards who had been laughing suddenly went blank.
In the rear courtyard of the yamen.
A young man in scholar’s robes hurried toward a residence.
“I pay my respects to Adviser Lin.”
The maids in the courtyard all bowed when they saw him, only rising after he had gone far away.
“That Adviser Lin really treats the rear courtyard like his own home.”
“Well, Second Madam Lin is favored, and her son and daughter are doted on. Even the main wife has no choice but to give her face.”
“But why did Adviser Lin go to Shuangxing Courtyard?”
“Who knows? It has nothing to do with us anyway…”
Shuangxing Courtyard.
The moment Lin Cailiang crossed the gate, he called out to the delicate young woman in the garden,
“Hurry and tidy yourself, then go to the yamen gate! Old Madam Nuo has arrived!”
“What?!”
Madam Lin, who had been watering flowers, was so startled she dropped the watering pot.
Seeing her still stunned, Lin Cailiang grew more anxious.
“My dear sister, what are you standing there for? Quickly take Wenbin and Yishuang with you. It’s their first time meeting Old Madam Nuo—you must leave a good impression!
I came to tell you first. The Madam will hear the news soon, so hurry. If you greet Old Madam Nuo before Madam Li does, Old Madam will surely look favorably on you.”
On his way home, Lin Cailiang had witnessed the confrontation at the gate. Taking advantage of the guards’ shock after learning Old Madam Nuo’s identity, he had rushed to inform his sister.
His sister was already favored by the magistrate—if she could also win Old Madam Nuo’s goodwill, her position would only improve.
Madam Lin finally snapped back to her senses.
“You’re right—you’re right.”
She hurried inside to dress up and ordered a maid to summon her son and daughter.
Meanwhile, someone had already gone to inform An Zhigao and his lawful wife, Madam Li.
At the yamen gate.
Old Madam Nuo gently wiped the dirt from An Wendu’s face, her expression pained.
My good third grandson… He carried me most of the way here. Even when his legs trembled from exhaustion, he never complained…
Seeing him pinned to the ground by mere guards, her anger surged through her whole body.
“Grandmother, I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
An Wendu forced a smile despite the pain. But the moment he finished speaking, Taohua’s finger jabbed hard into his cheek.
“Ow! Taohua, what are you doing?!”
Clutching his cheek, he shouted, but Taohua calmly replied,
“I heard someone say that even when their face swells from a beating, they’ll insist it’s just from getting fat. I just can’t seem to expose who that someone is.”
She had done it deliberately so Old Madam Nuo could see how badly he was hurt.
In truth, Taohua felt disappointed.
Although she hadn’t spent much time with her parents in this life, she had still held expectations—especially for her father, the county magistrate. She had hoped he was a good official who loved the people and governed diligently.
But the guards’ behavior had completely soured her impression.
Bullying the weak by relying on power—the atmosphere of the yamen was obvious at a glance. From one detail you could see the whole picture. Her father was likely not as admirable as Old Madam Nuo claimed.
While Taohua was lost in thought, a gorgeously dressed beautiful woman appeared at the gate, holding a child in each hand.
“Where did these beggars come from? Hurry and drive them away! Ugh, what a stench!”
The boy beside her pinched his nose and looked at Taohua’s group with disdain. The girl also wrinkled her face in disgust and ordered the guards,
“What are you standing around for? Hurry and chase them off!”
Following behind them, Lin Cailiang nearly dropped to his knees in shock.
We’re finished!
He had been so focused on urging his sister that he forgot to warn her about Old Madam Nuo’s appearance.
Madam Lin herself could barely endure the smell of the five beggars nearby, but she maintained her composure and did not personally order them driven away. After all, Old Madam Nuo had arrived—she needed to appear virtuous and proper.
Still, she could not hide the contempt in her eyes.
Taohua merely watched the beautiful woman and the sibling pair with interest. For the first time, she did not try to calm the furious Old Madam Nuo.
She already knew who they were.
That woman must be the favored concubine Madam Lin, and the children beside her were the twin boy and girl her father doted on.
As expected of a favored concubine—before the lawful wife had even arrived, she had boldly stepped forward first. The household discipline was truly something…
Taohua finally understood why her father had remained a county magistrate for nine years straight. If he couldn’t even manage his own household, how could he manage affairs outside? With the household in such disorder, his official achievements probably weren’t much to speak of either.
Moreover, his judgment seemed poor. The foolishness of the mother and children was obvious. Even after receiving advance notice, they had still ruined the opportunity.
If they had handled it well, they would have been the first to welcome Old Madam Nuo. Even if it bent propriety, their filial devotion would have been recognized—and in an ancient society that valued filial piety, that would have brought great prestige.
What a pity.
To treat Old Madam Nuo like this at their very first meeting—the three of them were practically choosing their own downfall.
