A Good Country Wife
Chapter 386 - 380_1

Chapter 386: Chapter 380_1

Xin’an City had been peaceful and stable under the governance of the former Magistrate, Mr. Chen, with clear administration and harmony between the officials and populace. The people lived and worked in contentment, and it could be described as a joyful land. However, not long after Magistrate Ceng Lu took office, he shattered this harmonious scene, beginning a campaign of extortion and exploitation that weighed heavy on the people, who voiced their grievances loudly. Yet Ceng Lu, relying on his connection with Empress Cheng in the palace, committed all manner of misdeeds without concern for his reputation or any hesitation, as his trusted managers grew fat with corruption on his coattails.

"Master, why are you so happy today? Have you encountered some good fortune?" Zhao Lingxiang became increasingly adept at gauging Master Wei’s mood. Seeing him return home beaming with satisfaction, she quickly approached with her swollen belly and said with a cheerful smile. When the master was in a good mood, he was not only more amicable but also much more generous.

Although Master Wei currently favored her, Zhao Lingxiang knew that flowers do not bloom for a hundred days, and after all her ups and downs, she understood the importance of tangible benefits. Money in hand provided confidence. Now with a child on the way, she had to plan for its future, save more for their household, so even if Master Wei’s favor waned, the wife could no longer bully her as before. For concubines like herself, having a child made a significant difference in status. After all, Master Wei’s favoritism was partially due to the child she carried.

"Of course, ever since Magistrate Ceng took office, I have been blessed with nothing but good fortune. If this continues, I will soon re-establish myself in Xin’an City. Actually, securing a foothold is a given; with this favorable wind, I will undoubtedly rise again, and our Wei Family is bound to regain our past influence and even surpass our former glory to become the premier merchant family of Xin’an City." Master Wei had long wished for the Wei Family to reclaim its past splendor, and now that he could see hope, how could he not be delighted and proud?

"It seems Magistrate Ceng truly holds you in high regard, Master. Your concubine wishes you early realization of your desires," Zhao Lingxiang said. Naturally, she too was pleased with Master Wei’s prospects, for her prosperity and that of her unborn child were tied to his success.

"Indeed, Magistrate Ceng is a young noble from Fugui Village with a strong patron in the Empress backing him. He spends all his time indulging in pleasure and luxury, unlike former Magistrate Chen, who was incorruptible. As long as we provide him with plenty of silver and beauties, there’s nothing he wouldn’t agree to. I have borne the humiliation in anticipation of this day. From now on, Xin’an City will be under my, Wei Xingye’s, control. Let’s see who dares to oppose me. Those ignorant fools will all be dealt with by me sooner or later," said Master Wei, his face showing a hint of vicious determination, his long-suffered frustrations fueling his desire for retribution.

"As Master says, those ignoramuses must be taught a lesson. Zhao Erhu and his wife once shamed me severely. This time, I will ensure that they witness my power," Zhao Lingxiang agreed.

When it comes to holding grudges, Zhao Lingxiang hadn’t forgotten the humiliation Zhao Erhu and his wife had put her through. Now that she had the chance, she was certainly going to return the favor. She didn’t wish to cause their ruin, but she wanted to flaunt her authority in front of them, forcing the couple to submit and eagerly hand over the recipe to her.

Even if Zhao Lingxiang hadn’t mentioned it, Master Wei had not forgotten Zhao Erhu and his wife. He had always coveted the recipe in their possession; however, they had been protected by Magistrate Chen during his tenure, preventing Master Wei from making his move. Now that the times had changed, those previous concerns had vanished. Should Zhao Erhu and his wife be sensible and hand over the recipe willingly, all would be well; otherwise, they could not blame him for resorting to drastic measures.

Feeling empowered, Master Wei naturally would not visit in person; instead, he sent the butler to negotiate with Zhao Erhu. The butler, who shared Master Wei’s arrogance, took on even more airs when he arrived at Zhao Erhu’s home, overshadowing how Master Wei had once carried himself.

"Well, you’d better think it through. Xin’an City now belongs to my master, and the Magistrate holds great trust in him. If you oppose my master, it will not end well for you. I advise you to be sensible and hand over the formula early, so you can avoid a disaster and I can report back to my master. Don’t force me to move from offering wine to imposing penalties," warned the Wei Residence butler, his tone full of arrogance.

Lin Yue looked at the conceited Wei Residence’s manager. With everything going wrong these days, she was already simmering with anger and could not tolerate this any longer, especially since it was just a manager from the Wei Family. If she backed down today, it would be the real joke. So she sneered and said, "What nerve! You’re nothing but a dog of the Wei Family, barking madly outside. Get this mad dog out of here now!"

Upon hearing Lin Yue’s words, several imposing men started to surround the Wei Family manager. The manager was all talk and no real skills. Fearing the situation and the possibility of Lin Yue taking action, he became afraid.

"You, you wouldn’t dare! I am here on behalf of our master. If you lay a finger on me, my master will not let you off," the manager stammered.

"Our family does business by the book; we’ve never gotten involved with any unlawful activities. I really want to see how Master Wei won’t let this go. Just because you cozy up to the Magistrate, don’t think you can do as you please, above the law. Throw him out!" Zhao Erhu was also furious. He had no intention of being threatened by a servant of the Wei Residence and immediately had the manager thrown out.

"You just wait. Once I report back to our master, you all can wait for him to settle the account with you." With no other options and not daring to confront Zhao Erhu head-on, the Wei Residence’s manager retreated in defeat, but not before leaving a harsh warning as he left.

"It’s over for now; you all can go back first." With the Wei Residence people gone, Lin Yue also instructed the house’s servants and laborers to return to their tasks.

"Brother Erhu, what do you think about today’s incident? The Wei Residence’s folks are getting more and more domineering. Even if we keep our heads down and refrain from competing, they’re knocking on our door now, and we cannot avoid them," Lin Yue said. Despite her strong stance against the Wei Residence people, she knew their family’s situation was not optimistic. The saying ’commoners should not contend with officials’ wasn’t just talk. With the Magistrate backing Master Wei, a head-on confrontation would only lead to their loss. Nevertheless, surrendering the formula was absolutely out of the question.

Zhao Erhu shared his wife’s view. Their concerns went beyond Master Wei. With the new Magistrate, Xin’an City had lost its former peace and tranquility. The number of rogues and ruffians on the streets had increased. Even with Zhao Xinglin looking out for them, their restaurant and grocery store faced constant trouble, with people continuously causing problems. Fortunately, they were minor issues that could be resolved. But this was no long-term solution, as it was clear that others coveted their business, and those people were under the Magistrate’s command. Sooner or later, they would come knocking again, and it wouldn’t be as easy to handle then.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.