The Slender Waist-Chapter 134 - 103: Yearning for Me As If Parched_2

Chapter 134: Chapter 103: Yearning for Me As If Parched_2

"We all come from the same village, where we’ll meet often after this. After causing such a scene, how can we continue to live together..."

She was telling Pei Jue that since there were so many villagers present tonight, it wouldn’t be possible to kill them all.

If the punishment was too harsh, it would be difficult for her to live in the village or establish a presence there...

Pei Jue glanced at her indifferently.

In front of everyone, he said with a gentle voice, "How can I let someone insult you?"

Feng Yun shook her head and said, "The root of the problem is that people’s homes are missing their stored grain. In these times of war and chaos, without grain, people can’t survive. Everyone is anxious, which led to this misunderstanding."

The crowd showed expressions of regret.

"Yes, Great General, please spare us."

"We’ve lost our grain!"

The Great General hadn’t said he would kill everyone, but that ambiguous statement of "secondary offenders going to jail" was terrifying nonetheless.

With Feng Yun pleading, everyone else followed suit, expressing their gratitude.

Pei Jue said little, only looking at Feng Yun.

"Based on what you’ve said, what should be done?"

Feng Yun glanced at Zhang Erbing.

As their eyes met, she saw the ferocity in his.

So she smiled and said nonchalantly, "In my opinion, finding the person who stole the grain is the priority."

Pei Jue was in a very agreeable mood tonight. As soon as Feng Yun suggested, he consented.

"He Qia, you investigate..."

"General," Feng Yun smiled gracefully, "why use a cleaver to kill a chicken? There’s no need to trouble Mr. He with this affair. As the Village Chief of Huaxi Village, I shall take responsibility."

After speaking, she glanced at the crowd and said with measured emphasis:

"Since everyone is here, I, Feng Yun, hereby swear that within ten days, I will investigate this matter thoroughly."

Pei Jue gave her an indifferent look, "As you wish."

The crowd heaved a sigh of relief on the spot.

To their surprise, Feng Yun suddenly turned towards Zhang Erbing and his brothers with a smile.

"Secondary offenders may be spared, but the instigators cannot go unpunished... The Zhang brothers incited the villagers to riot and tarnished my reputation. To uphold the rules of Huaxi Village, they shall receive fifty lashes to set an example."

She paused, looking at Village Elder Yang Daniu in the crowd.

"Announce to the villagers at dawn, everyone should gather under the Great Pagoda Tree to witness the punishment, and make sure no one is absent."

The punishment by flogging involved hitting the buttocks with a bamboo or wooden board, and male offenders were generally stripped of their trousers to be punished in public—meaning the Zhang brothers would be publicly humiliated in front of the entire village.

This indeed wouldn’t kill someone, but the humiliation far outweighed the physical pain.

Only then did Pei Jue’s expression improve a bit.

"Beloved concubine, you are most kind."

After uttering that, he left for his room with a sweep of his sleeve.

Feng Yun watched his tall figure, feeling restless from his praise.

Pei Jue was too accommodating tonight.

Aside from providing her support, he deferred to whatever she wanted to do.

The affairs of Huaxi Village were left entirely in her hands as the Village Chief.

But still...

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, could she?

-

The crowd, like survivors of a disaster, came to Feng Yun one by one to apologize, explaining that it was concern for her safety that led them to heed Zhang Erbing’s words and come to see for themselves.

There were also some who were grateful to the Village Chief’s wife for speaking on their behalf.

"If it weren’t for the Village Chief’s wife, you instigators would have been beheaded by the General, or at the very least, you would have had to spend a few days in jail or endure a beating," they said.

"Then they would not live to see another day."

"The General said, ’The Village Chief’s wife is greatly kind!’"

"More than just kind, she is like a living Bodhisattva... "

The atmosphere was starkly different from the previous clamor accusing her of finding a man on the side.

Feng Yun smiled with her lips, but her heart was ice cold.

Some people’s hearts can never be warmed; they only bow to power.

Luckily, Feng Yun didn’t fuss over it, and she couldn’t care less.

Everyone has their own motives.

Whether they were here to watch the spectacle, to laugh at her, to fish in troubled waters for a little gain, or had been used by others, it didn’t matter.

She calmly escorted He Qia to the door and then, facing those profusely thanking people, showed a slight smile.

"It’s late at night, take care all on your way back," she said.

They each gave a bow and said their goodbyes, gradually dispersing.

Feng Yun quietly turned her head and looked at the Zhang brothers just outside the door.

They didn’t show the tension and fear like the other villagers, nor did they think that Feng Yun had helped them; their faces exuded brazen confidence.

"What a ruthless Village Chief’s wife you are, aren’t you afraid we’ll seek revenge?" they said.

Feng Yun paused for a moment, her smile reaching her eyes, "I saved your lives, did I not? The General was going to kill you."

Zhang Erbing snorted, "Repay evil with good? Hmph, you think you can buy us over like that."

Feng Yun smiled, "For the likes of you running dogs, you’re not even worth my consideration, let alone buying."

Zhang Erbing’s eyes shifted slightly, "Running dogs? We are just refugees from Rushan who heard that Huaxi Village had fertile land, so we willingly sought citizenship to make a living. But you, a petty woman acting as the Village Chief, you’re short-sighted, deliberately making things difficult, allotting us poor, barren lands, never treating people equally..."

Feng Yun calmly listened, a faint trace of coldness flashing in her eyes.

"How coincidental. From now on, not only will I make things difficult, but I will also..."

She whispered two words with her lips.

"Take lives."

Having said that, she flung her sleeves and turned back to go.

The Zhang brothers had stirred up trouble tonight with the intention of ruining her reputation.

They slandered her, claiming she had an affair with Chunyu Yan, estranging her from Pei Jue, being the talk of Huaxi Village behind her back, leaving her reputation in tatters...

How familiar was this tactic?

Empress Dowager Li wanted to impose the humiliation she had suffered onto Feng Yun.

How could Feng Yun let her have her way?

This slap, she would return with full force.

Dealing with fools like the Zhang brothers, Feng Yun had plenty of ways.

But regarding General Pei, who had suddenly returned from the Xinzhou battlefield, she genuinely felt a bit apprehensive...

When Pei Jue came into the room, did he actually see Chunyu Yan on her bed or not?

If he did, why did he hold back and not ask?

And where did that bastard Chunyu Yan go?

Feng Yun sighed inwardly and braced herself to return to her room.

Pei Jue was waiting for her.

He lay in her usual spot, holding the book she liked to read before sleep, with a slight frown on his face, appearing very calm.

Feng Yun steadied her mind and smiled as she greeted him.

"Why has the General returned so suddenly?"

Pei Jue lifted his eyes and said to her, "Someone wrote me a letter, saying they longed for me greatly, awaiting my triumphant return to celebrate with utmost joy?"