Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress-Chapter 2032 - 2040: Wu’er Discusses Marriage (1)
In June, the wedding of Mu Chongwen and Yanran was smoothly held. Mu Zhongqing and Lady Du eventually rose to the ranks of father-in-law and mother-in-law, hoping to have a grandchild soon. The two of them were so overjoyed they couldn’t close their mouths, granting several courtyards on the east road of the mansion to Wen’er and his wife, one for the couple to live in now, and the rest left for the unborn grandson and granddaughter. Wu’er, who originally lived in the East Courtyard, was heartlessly driven to live in the West Courtyard.
With such an order from his parents, Wu’er cheerfully went along. He was an easygoing person, not taking much to heart. However, Li Sheng, who had been pestering him relentlessly, was an exception.
That man couldn’t live anymore, so he broke the pot since it was already cracked, and, holding two invalid house and land deeds, went to Ying Tianfu to accuse Chong Wu’s fur shop, claiming the fur shop was originally his property but was seized by someone.
Chong Wu was afraid his business ventures would be known by his parents, so he had always acted as the behind-the-scenes shopkeeper. The prefect of Ying Tianfu, not knowing the inside story, actually sent someone to detain the shopkeeper of the fur shop for confrontation.
Chong Wu couldn’t appear, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t speak. Therefore, a letter bearing his seal was sent into the public hall. After the prefect of Ying Tianfu reviewed it, he immediately closed the case.
Li Sheng, attempting to extort money with invalid house and land deeds and falsely accusing others, mocked an imperial court official, was punished on multiple counts. After a snowfall-like beating, Li Sheng was beaten unconscious, unable to even make a sound, and was dragged out like a dead dog by two yamen runners and thrown onto the street...
Regarding this, Chong Wu felt very satisfied. However, being a kind man, he didn’t beat a drowning dog. Although Li Sheng had been noisily annoying him quite a bit during this time, since he had already been punished, Chongwen refrained from further retaliation. Instead, he leisurely went to a rather renowned restaurant for a meal.
In summer, the afternoon wind was calm and quiet, and one grew lazy. He sat in a private room, sipping slowly, when suddenly a zither melody wafted through the air, refreshing the mind. He stood up and looked out the window, seeing a maiden with a thin veil over her face sitting in the main hall playing the zither, performing "Lin Jiang Fu" with a spirit of striving against the odds like waves sifting through the sands.
This piece was composed by Li Shangzhi, the Prime Minister of the previous dynasty. Li Shangzhi was of humble origin, educated under an aristocratic family, and, after entering officialdom, possessed a wealth of knowledge that went unrecognized, suffered demotion, and served as a county magistrate, experiencing fluctuations throughout his life, with quite a legendary touch. This piece was composed when he was demoted and sailed south, writing it upon looking back at the northern shore after boarding the southern bank. At that time, he wrote a poem "Lin Jiang Fu," and the tune was composed later. Its mood captures the sorrow of distant parting from the northern shore, the gusto of river winds and waves scouring the heart, the calm peace after being washed through, and the undaunted striving forward with the flow, beloved by literary students.
He had never heard a woman perform this piece before, nor did he expect that a woman in the world could bring out the essence of this tune. The wonderful mood of the music made him recall Li Shangzhi’s life ups and downs, as if experiencing it firsthand.
When the performance ended, he was still lost in its mood, when suddenly he heard a commotion from downstairs. Upon looking closely, it turned out to be a few prodigal sons wanting to toast the zither-playing maiden.
The woman, with a thin veil over her face, indicated that she was a maiden from a respectable family, not suitable for public exposure, and certainly not for drinking with men. So, she tactfully declined.
But surprisingly, those extravagant sons shouted, "Hey, little b*tch who doesn’t know how to appreciate favor, we toast you out of respect, and you damn well dare to refuse, not giving us face. Let’s tell you honestly, if you’re wise, drink it up swiftly, and we will reward you heavily. If you keep holding back and don’t give us face, watch out, we won’t pity you, and will pinch your mouth to make you drink!"
Chong Wu frowned. He recognized these few prodigal sons from downstairs; all were big family sons in the capital, but not very accomplished. Daily, they only indulged in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, bullying weak men and dominating women, having never seen them do anything proper in all these years.
