CH 117

Tang Tianyuan was just about finished interrogating the bandits, so he began to mete out their punishments.

Among the robbery cases reported to Nanling County that occurred in Phoenix Mountain, only one person was killed. The person was not directly killed by the bandits, but accidentally fell to death while trying to run away. Tang Tianyuan counted the loss of property, and decided to use the gold kept by Tan Lingyin to pay first. It didn’t matter as the wool came from the same sheep. As for the victim who had lost their life, he will have the victim's family members of the deceased and mediate.

Of the hundreds of bandits, more than half could be released without charge. Some of the rest were whipped and others had to serve for several months to several years. The most serious offender was Duan Feng.

Duan Feng forced himself onto a girl, causing the girl to hang herself. He had confessed to this crime. When Tang Tianyuan told him that he was to be hanged for the crime of rape, Duan Feng bowed his head in frustration and murmured, "I don't want to die."

Tang Tianyuan nodded and said, "It just so happens that you now have a chance to be relieved from criminal punishment. Once you complete it, this official will ask the Emperor for an amnesty, and you will be spared the death penalty."

If Zhou Zhengdao and others heard this, they would think the County Magistrate was talking big. You, a seventh-grade, tiny little county magistrate, dare to have the face to say you can give the Emperor orders? But Duan Feng had never seen the world, so he was convinced as he looked at Tang Tianyuan expectantly.

Tang Tianyuan didn't hide anything. "The gold you’ve mined is missing. I need the cooperation of you and your brothers to find them now."

Duan Feng nodded, "I will do whatever you ask me to do. I can go through a mountain of swords or down into a sea of fire."

"There is no need for that. I may need to exchange information with you at any time, so you and your brothers must stay in Tongling County for the time being. Also, I don't want you to freeloft, so you and your brothers will repair the damaged parts of the city wall starting tomorrow. After repairing the city wall, I will give you another job. Oh yes, you must keep your mouth sealed when it comes to the matter about the gold. If you reveal half a word, I will not be able to guarantee anyone’s lives."

Duan Feng nodded his head at every sentence. And when Tang Tianyuan finished his last sentence, Duan Feng solemnly said, "I understand, don't worry."

"One more thing."

"What?"

"Stay away from Head Commissioner Tan. Don't talk to her."

Duan Feng's expression was gloomy, but he still hummed okay.

—

There was a light snowfall last night. When the door was opened in the morning, one could see the ground and the house were covered with a thin layer of white snow flowers. On such a day, appreciating the snow on the plum blossoms while enjoying some wine would be perfect, but unfortunately the few plum trees in the county government haven't bloomed yet.

A certain area of Tianmu Mountain was always slightly warmer year round. Many plum trees were planted there, but no one knew who did it. Now it has become a dense plum flower forest, so people called it Abandoned Plum Flower Slope. At this time of year, the plum blossoms in Abandoned Plum Flower Slope should already be in bloom.

Tang Tianyuan settled all the major matters, and was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, so he was in a good mood. He wanted to go to Abandoned Plum Flower Slope to admire the plum blossoms with Tan Lingyin.

Tan Lingyin wanted to bring Tang Tang. The little guy loved to play in the wilderness, and this way it could hone its hunting skills.

Zheng Shaofeng didn't have the nerve to say he wanted to come along toto. However, he stared at them with an expression that clearly said: ‘Very good. You damned couple dared tear down the bridge after crossing the river[1]. It’s fine if you don’t invite me to play, but now you also want to take Tang Tang…’

Tan Lingyin felt very sorry and had no choice but to also bring Zheng Shaofeng.

Hmmm… Someone needs to help carry drinks, snacks, utensils, charcoal and other things.

So Huanggua was also taken.

Tang Tianyuan looked at the current lineup: three men and one woman. It was obvious that the yang was prospering and the yin was declining*; he felt that Tan Lingyin was not his alone now. Not good, not good at all. So Tang Tianyuan decided to bring Xueli with them as well. This girl was a talker, so there would be no problem maintaining a lively atmosphere.

In this way, the originally planned date of two people suddenly turned into five people plus a lion.

The plum blossoms in Abandoned Plum Flower Slope were indeed blooming very well, with sparse branches slanting towards one another coupled with a faint fragrance floating in the air. There was also a dilapidated pavilion here, which seemed to be specially built for those who came to appreciate the plum blossoms. They cleaned the pavilion, spread out the mats, warmed the wine on the stove, and layed out the snacks.

Tang Tianyuan had only had a few glasses of wine before he dragged Tan Lingyin into the plum flower forest.

Zheng Shaofeng had grown from being envious and jealous towards these two people to contempt. He wanted to laugh at them with Huanggua and Xueli, looking for a sense of comradery. However, when he turned his head, Zheng Shaofeng saw that Huanggua was circling around Xueli. Huanggua was so attentive, almost ready to kneel down and serve her.

And so, Zheng Shaofeng went to chase rabbits with Tang Tang.

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Footnotes:

[1] to destroy the bridge after crossing the river is an idiom meaning to abandon one's benefactor upon achieving one's goal

*Note from Pure: Not sure if that yin and yang energy part made sense. But usually in traditional chinese belief: men were full of yang and women were full of yin.