Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Betrothal Gift and Zhang Qing's Poem

Another two days passed.

All the constables who had accompanied Wu Song died suddenly in prison. Magistrate Zhou, preparing to acquit Wu Song during his hearing of the case, was abruptly interrupted by Sub-Prefect Li, who arrived with several others in tow.

Among them were two constables who had originally gone with Wu Song, several household servants from the East Gate estate, and martial artists.

"Sub-Prefect Li, what is the meaning of this?" Magistrate Zhou sprang from his chair, fixing a fierce gaze upon those brought by Sub-Prefect Li, his teeth clenched.

Wu Song instantly broke into a cold sweat.

The main hall was enveloped in silence; not even a bird chirped.

Sub-Prefect Li, clad in a dark green official robe, though an ordinary man, possessed a presence no less imposing than Magistrate Zhou. He intoned, "Magistrate Zhou, your judgment in this case is truly remarkable. You would exonerate a man who murdered an entire household."

"Fortunately, I had some constables Wu Song brought along, as well as surviving servants of the East Gate family, spirited away in secret. Otherwise, you might have turned this matter into a grievous miscarriage of justice."

Amid heated debate, Magistrate Zhou, confronted with undeniable evidence, could only relent. He ordered Wu Song to be executed by decapitation, sentence to be carried out in three days.

Under Sub-Prefect Li's relentless pressure, Magistrate Zhou's prestige waned sharply, while Sub-Prefect Li's grew. The wavering and opportunistic soon flocked to his side.

To follow Sub-Prefect Li was, in effect, to ally oneself with the Feng and Wei families in Yanggu County.

Beneath the surface, Yanggu County seethed with hidden currents.

Instigated by Sub-Prefect Li, the Feng family began clandestine dealings with the rebel forces outside the city, preparing to aid them in breaching Yanggu County.

When Wu Song was finally beheaded, Su Yang’s heart at last found solace; the dust settled.

Name: Su Yang (Quasi-Immortal)
Incense Value: 302
Realm: Seventh Rank, Tendon Hammering
Techniques: [Incense Division] [Aura Observation] [Heartworm Control 2] [Root Assessment]
Manuals: [Wild Ox Long Fist]
References: [Gynecology Sacred Text]

Longevity: 62+
Family Offspring: 2
Long-term Progress: Family advancement is highly successful. To ensure the smooth growth of your offspring and their proper care, assign a maid to each pregnant wife; for every assignment, gain 20 incense!
Family Progress: Family advancement is highly successful. You now possess a family estate, but your strength remains too weak to protect your women and children. Acquire 20 household servants stronger than ordinary men to gain 50 incense! (Completed)
Family Progress: Family advancement is highly successful. You have gained some ability to protect your wives and offspring with household servants. Marry your fifth wife to gain 40 incense and [Heartworm Control 2] (Completed)
Family Progress: Family advancement is highly successful. You have married your fifth wife, but the family lacks offspring. Gain a fourth child to receive 50 incense. (Completed)
Family Progress: Family advancement is highly successful. You now have a fourth child, but the number of maids caring for your wives and children is insufficient. Acquire 20 maids to gain 50 incense! (Completed)
Family Progress: Family advancement is highly successful. Your family has grown considerably and has many servants, but there are not enough martial guardians. Acquire ten Ninth Rank martial artists to guard the estate and receive 100 incense!

Su Yang pulled up his status panel, now greatly changed. The sixteen household servants purchased had recovered to above-average health, energetic and robust.

Completing this family progress had earned him 50 incense.

His fifth wife, naturally, was Golden Bottle, earning him 40 incense.

The fourth child—Golden Bottle had conceived in recent days, today marking the eleventh day. According to [Gynecology Sacred Text], the pulse of a pregnant woman can be detected after ten days, earning him 50 incense.

Twenty maids: Xi Liu, Qiu Ju, Xue Yuan, Ping’er, Qing Zhu, Xiao Mei, Xi Xia, Rui’er—eight original maids in the household.

In recent days, some came to sell their daughters. Su Yang went out and purchased several talented girls.

There were twelve maids with Ding-grade aptitudes.

Two maids with Bing-grade aptitudes.

The household now had twenty-two maids, completing the requirement for twenty, and earning 50 incense.

Peach Blossom had been pregnant for nearly two months; Plum Blossom for thirty-one days. Thus, the family offspring count on the panel had risen to two, providing Su Yang with two incense per day.

Besides all this, he acquired the new technique [Heartworm Control 2]:

[Heartworm Control 2]: After feeding the secret worm for ten days, the heartworm can slay five poisons. By feeding it hearts of five poisons for another ten days, the heartworm is refined, forming a golden sphere the size of half a grain of rice. It may be mixed into food, drink, or swallowed directly, lurking inside the body. Once triggered, it gnaws at the heart until the host dies.

[Heartworm Control 2] was almost identical to [Heartworm Control], the difference lying in the secret feed formula; [Heartworm Control 2] required several additional ingredients.

The original heartworm could easily determine the fate of a Ninth Rank martial artist; [Heartworm Control 2] should be able to control the life and death of an Eighth Rank martial artist as well.

Now, the latest family task was to acquire ten Ninth Rank martial artists as guardians, the most lucrative incense reward yet—a full 100 points.

Wang Han, Ma Chao, and Hu Shi filled three slots.

He still needed seven more to complete the progress.

He had first intended to recruit seven martial guardians from outside, but wary of potential traitors, Su Yang abandoned that idea.

In two days, he would visit the Zhang family to propose marriage to Zhang Qing Shi. Preparations had to be made, for this was a formal marriage, not merely taking a concubine or a chamber maid—a few banquet tables would not suffice.

Red banners and decorations were essential.

Yet when he went out to buy wedding gifts, he found himself at a loss.

Recently, Yanggu County had descended further into hell; countless starved to death, and some crazed commoners even scaled the walls of wealthy households at night, only to be beaten to death.

Corpses lay everywhere along the streets.

In such times, purchasing wedding gifts was difficult; everything had to be simplified. For example, festive banners, sedan chairs—Su Yang reckoned he’d have to break into the old wedding goods shop.

Today, Wu Song was dead.

Su Yang visited the neighboring Su residence to bring this good news to Shen Lian.

"Ah... so he’s finally dead."

Shen Lian let out a long sigh, his face brightening with joy. "Now I can return to my post as constable."

"Brother Shen, I’ve been negligent these days, and you were implicated on my account. I truly apologize."

Su Yang sat beside him, offering a toast. "This cup I drink to you."