Chapter 222 – Ms. Wang’s Beating
Old Master Yan led his household to their main gate.
The villagers who had been murmuring quietly earlier immediately fell silent when they saw Old Master Yan’s ashen face and the fierce-looking guards of the Yan family.
Only Ms. Wang continued to sit on the small stool, one leg crossed, unfazed. As the Yan family members came out, she paused briefly, her gaze sweeping over them, then immediately resumed her loud cursing. “You despicable bitch Hu Chunni, you’ve finally come out!”
Having been widowed for many years and raising Tian Dazhuang alone, Ms. Wang had honed her temper to be more unruly than a shrew.
Knowing she was a tough one to deal with, Ms. Hu couldn’t help but bite her teeth and hide behind one of the guards.
Seeing Ms. Hu hide behind the guard, Ms. Wang’s fury only intensified.
“Damn you Hu Chunni, you heartless vixen, tricking my Dazhuang into marrying that withered flower Yan Shujing. It’s a good thing I realized in time, or else I would have fallen for your and the Yan family’s scheme.”
As she cursed, Ms. Wang put her feet down from the stool and lunged towards Ms. Hu, claws bared.
Ms. Hu was frightened, her face tense, and she quickly pushed the guard in front of her, shouting, “Quick, quick, restrain this shrew!”
The guards, afraid Ms. Wang would hurt Old Master Yan or Madam Jiang, did not dare to be careless. They rushed to apprehend her.
Ms. Wang was seized by the Yan guards before she could reach Ms. Hu, and her fury only increased.
“Let me go, let me go!” She struggled and cursed, “You Yan family people act so righteous, but you’re bullies using your power.”
The villagers saw her struggle in vain. Although some felt the Yan family was being overly harsh on the widow, seeing the fierce-looking Yan guards, no one dared speak up, and could only sympathize with Ms. Wang.
When Ms. Wang finally calmed down, Old Master Yan coldly said, “Our young miss has been raised in the inner chamber, educated and of good character. How dare you, a mere widow, defame her!”
Restrained by the Yan guards and unable to move, Ms. Wang spat at the Yan family members. “Educated and of good character? Hmph! If your young miss is really so good, why is the Yan family so eager to marry her off to my Dazhuang?”
Although the villagers did not dare speak up, they all had their own judgments. The Yan family’s haste to marry off Yan Shujing could only mean one thing – the young miss’s purity had been tainted, and they were trying to trick the Tian family into accepting a sullied woman.
Unable to silence Ms. Wang, Old Master Yan’s grip on his cane tightened. As a former county magistrate, he was accustomed to commanding respect from commoners. How dare this shrew defy him!
“Insolent woman, daring to create a ruckus outside the Yan gates and defame our young miss. Give her twenty lashes!”
Decades of being a magistrate had made striking people a habit. Seeing Ms. Wang still unsubdued, in a fit of rage he ordered the guards to beat her.
The Yan guards did not dare disobey, and fetched a carrying pole. Two guards held Ms. Wang down, while another raised the pole and brought it down hard on her buttocks.
Ms. Wang’s agonized cries pierced the air, but she could not break free.
“Dazhuang, Dazhuang, quickly come and look at what’s happening! Your mother is being beaten by the Yan family!”
One of the watching villagers, unable to bear it any longer, ran to the cornfield to find Tian Dazhuang.
Tian Dazhuang had been plowing the field with his old ox, preparing to plant some cabbage and radish for winter.
“Qingquan’s wife, thank you.”
Hearing the news from Tian Qingquan’s wife, Tian Dazhuang’s face changed. He hurriedly tossed aside the plow.
“Qingquan’s wife, can you help me take the old ox back to the village?”
“Dazhuang, you go quickly. I’ll take care of the ox.”
After entrusting the ox to Tian Qingquan’s wife, Tian Dazhuang rushed towards the Yan manor.
Outside the Yan manor, the place was packed with villagers.
Even before reaching the crowd, Tian Dazhuang heard an agonized scream – “Ahhh!”
He had grown up without a father, relying solely on Ms. Wang. Hearing Ms. Wang’s cry, his teeth clenched and his eyes instantly reddened with fury.
“Mother, mother, mother!”
His voice trembling as he called for Ms. Wang. He pushed through the crowd blocking his path and rushed to the Yan manor gates.
Forcing his way into the crowd, he immediately saw three guards pinning Ms. Wang to the ground and beating her. The Yan family members stood at the gate, all wearing expressions of smug satisfaction.
At this point, Ms. Wang had already taken over a dozen lashes, her clothes torn and stained with a trickle of blood.
“How dare the Yan family beat my mother!” In this situation, Tian Dazhuang’s fury reached a boiling point. He clenched his fists and charged at the three Yan guards.
One punch knocked down the guard wielding the carrying pole.
Two more punches landed on the faces of the other two guards.
As a hunter, Tian Dazhuang’s strength was formidable. The unsuspecting Yan guards were caught off guard by his powerful blows, their faces quickly bruising.
Before they could react, Tian Dazhuang bent down and swiftly scooped up Ms. Wang.
“Mother, are you alright?”
Ms. Wang was in pain, frowning, but she managed a slight smile, “Dazhuang, I’m fine, it’s just that the Yan family has so many people, I couldn’t curse them enough.”
Seeing that Ms. Wang had only suffered superficial injuries and was still in good spirits, Tian Dazhuang let out a sigh of relief. He then narrowed his eyes and shot a sharp look at Old Master Yan.
“Old Master Yan, don’t forget, you are no longer the county magistrate. Ordering your servants to beat my mother is an abuse of power. At best it’s bullying the weak, at worst it’s illegal imprisonment. The court severely punishes officials who abuse their power over the common people, let alone someone like you who is no longer a government official.”
Old Master Yan’s face grew grave as he stared at Tian Dazhuang. He hadn’t expected Tian Dazhuang to know the laws of the court so well.
If this incident reached the ears of the General stationed at Tongluo Plain, it would surely jeopardize Yan Wenfeng’s future prospects. Yan Bozhang’s career had already been ruined, he couldn’t let anything happen to Yan Wenfeng as well.
After weighing the situation, Old Master Yan’s gaze fell on the guards blocking Tian Dazhuang and Ms. Wang, and he coldly ordered, “Let them go.”
As Tian Dazhuang carried Ms. Wang away, he shot a cold look at Old Master Yan.
Someday, the Yan family would have to pay for their actions today.
Tian Qingquan’s wife was waiting at the Tian house with the old ox. Seeing Tian Dazhuang carrying Ms. Wang back, her expression relaxed somewhat as she went to them, asking, “Auntie, are you alright?”
Ms. Wang replied, “They hit me over ten times, but I’m not going to die from it.”
Seeing the old ox behind Tian Qingquan’s wife, Ms. Wang smiled gratefully, “Qingquan’s wife, thank you for notifying Dazhuang.”
“Auntie, we’re family, we should help each other.”
Tian Dazhuang carried Ms. Wang inside, with Tian Qingquan’s wife following.
Seeing the blood on Ms. Wang, Tian Dazhuang couldn’t properly clean and treat the wounds himself, so Tian Qingquan’s wife helped.
After cleaning the wounds and covering them with clean cloth, Ms. Wang, lying on the bed, casually asked, “Qingquan’s wife, how is Baogen doing?”
“He’s much better now, eating two bowls of food per meal and running around lively every day.”
“That’s good, the unlucky will have good luck after a great misfortune. Baogen is a child blessed with fortune.”
Tian Qingquan’s wife was glad to hear this, smiling as she said, “It’s all thanks to the prescription from Young Master Yan Xiaosi. If not for him, my Baogen might not have…”
Pausing, she continued, “Auntie, Young Master Yan Xiaosi’s medical skills are truly remarkable. This injury of yours will likely take a few days to heal. You should have Dazhuang go to Big Sister Peak to get some medicinal herbs from Yan Xiaosi.”
