Chapter 1108 – Across the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, I Want a Full Hundred (Part Seven)
“What does this young lady want with me?”
Qin Gong asked in the refined language understood across the five nations.
The young lady before him was a village girl with a pretty yet unremarkable face, brimming with the vitality typical of her age, her cheeks glowing with health. She wore a pale pink top, layered with a short-sleeved shirt, and a long skirt trimmed at the hem. The fabric wasn’t fancy, but its vibrant color was eye-catching.
From her attire alone, it was clear this young lady came from a somewhat affluent family, enjoying a decent quality of life.
In this chaotic world, it was rare to see someone dressed so decently; many families had but one outfit suitable for going out.
The lovely village girl smiled.
“Young sir, are you married?”
Qin Gong’s expression stiffened, his cheeks reddening as he stammered, “My late father arranged a marriage for me.”
The village girl’s face fell, and she walked away in disappointment.
Nearby, a group of farmers enjoying tea burst into laughter, one of them slapping his thigh.
“That’s the prettiest girl from ten miles around! What bad luck for you, young man!”
Qin Gong’s face turned beet red from embarrassment.
Who knew what kind of situation Wanzhou was in? Along the way, he had been bombarded with marriage inquiries from all sorts of girls and women—each one wanting to tie the knot with him.
At first, Qin Gong felt quite flustered, honestly stating he was still unmarried.
However, after some experiences, he learned to say his deceased father had arranged a marriage for him.
When the village girl asked about his marital status, he predicted the next part of their conversation.
His keen eyes caught the village girl returning to her group, giggling and pointing at him with her friends, and suddenly he felt awkwardly shy.
“It really doesn’t seem like a chaotic time—”
Qin Gong mumbled.
The common people on the street were dressed in bright clothing; even if patched, it was clean and tidy.
The adults looked healthy, and the chubby, lovely children playing at the roadside presented a picture of peace and prosperity.
For a moment, he felt a strange sense of time displacement.
But he didn’t forget his mission.
Initially, he wanted to head straight to Cangzhou, but halfway he discovered that Jiang Pengji had already returned from Cangzhou with her troops to the provincial capital of Wanzhou.
Leading his old horse, Qin Gong touched his nearly empty coin pouch, letting out a sigh of helplessness.
He had set out with a fair amount of silver, which should have covered his expenses, but upon seeing the destitute common people along the way, he couldn’t help but buy extra food to share with them. Though it didn’t delay his journey, the costs had piled up significantly.
Now he was left with only a few copper coins.
Entering the city, the bustling market and pedestrians made him appear quite forlorn.
Qin Gong caught the savory scents wafting through the air and swallowed his saliva, leading his skinny horse onto the proper path.
In Jiang Pengji’s territory, there were special rules about pathways; pedestrians and horse-drawn vehicles had to use different roads, and there were even officials to oversee it.
Once inside the city limits, galloping on horseback was not permitted unless under special circumstances.
Being on someone else’s turf, Qin Gong naturally wouldn’t cause trouble.
Using the few remaining copper coins, he bought some hay for the horse and also two large flatbreads and a bowl of coarse tea.
As he ate, he listened intently to the conversations of the tea patrons.
Just then, a young boy with wooden clogs came rushing into the teahouse.
He had dark skin, average features, and a flush from running, excitedly shouting to the patrons inside.
“They’re about to beat someone over at the vegetable market!”
The teahouse owner smacked him on the back of the head and scolded, “You little brat, why aren’t you learning anything instead of watching fights?”
The boy stomped his foot. “Mother, I’m just asking to see the excitement!”
The owner still wanted to scold him, but one of the patrons tossed the boy a copper coin.
“Now spill it! What’s the news today?”
Teahouses were places full of gossip and information, and the boy, being the owner’s mischievous son, had a fantastic memory for all the latest happenings. Many patrons liked to come here to sip tea and catch up on the latest rumors—
Qin Gong also found himself drawn in by the boy’s energetic chatter.
“Do you all know about the Nursery?”
The boy teased, building anticipation.
The patrons heckled, “In all of Wanzhou, is there anyone who doesn’t know about the Nursery? Don’t keep us in suspense; we won’t pay for the tea if you do!”
As soon as Jiang Pengji entered Xiangyang County, she had established the Nursery to care for orphans who lost their parents due to the chaos of war.
Later, the Nursery also became a dumping ground for irresponsible parents who abandoned their children—specifically, female infants. It was easier for war orphans to enter the Nursery, but for those who were abandoned female infants, strict contracts had to be signed.
Now, four to five years had passed, and the youngest of those children had begun their education, while the older ones were already working to support their families.
The boy continued, “Someone went to the Nursery to steal a child!”
As soon as he said that, several patrons spat out their tea.
“Steal a child from the Nursery?”
“What are they thinking, digging around in the King of Hell’s territory?!”
“Who’s the blind fool doing such a thing?”
The patrons buzzed with chatter, and the boy sat at the heart of the teahouse like a storyteller, drawing the audience’s interest.
“I bet you don’t know this—the child stolen was a little girl from the Nursery’s beginner class! Can you guess who her parents are?” The boy laughed, “They’re actually her biological parents! They were beaten over at the market today—fifty strikes each!”
The boy held up five fingers, his face beaming with glee.
Uninformed patrons asked, “What’s wrong with taking a child away? Isn’t that normal for biological parents? Why do they get fifty strikes each for that?”
Qin Gong also wondered about this.
“You don’t know the rules—kids in the Nursery are either orphans from martyrs, or they’ve lost both parents with no relatives willing to care for them, or they’re girls simply abandoned by their parents or relatives.” Another patron from Xiangyang County made a polite gesture towards the provincial capital as he continued, “It’s straightforward for the first category, but for the latter, the relatives have to sign a severance contract. Once the contract is signed, the child’s relatives cannot approach them; let alone stealing, even meeting them in private incurs a fine of a whole string of coins and ten strikes!”
“Wait a minute—if it’s a girl, why take the risk of stealing her?”
A contract severing blood ties means, from every aspect, the parents no longer have any claim over the child.
Blood ties?
That doesn’t hold as much weight as that piece of contract!
The boy laughed, “You don’t know! I have a childhood friend at Golden Scales Academy. He said the Governor plans to expand the Golden Scales Academy, and they will choose some students from the Nursery— that little girl happens to be from the beginner class, so entering the Golden Scales Academy was practically a sure thing. Her parents heard some rumor and came hoping to reclaim her. Since she didn’t recognize them, they resorted to stealing her.”
Once a child enters the Golden Scales Academy, it’s like securing a position in the Governor’s inner circle. Their futures could only improve!
Even if it’s just a girl, she becomes a precious asset linked to the Governor.
If they could recognize their daughter again, they wouldn’t be at a loss at all.
The teahouse buzzed with excitement.
Qin Gong finished his tea, returned the clay bowl, and followed the crowd towards the marketplace.
By the time he arrived, the fifty strikes had already been delivered, and the departing crowd chatted and laughed.
Almost every common person thought the couple had it coming, claiming that fifty strikes was lenient.
Having signed a severance contract equated to selling their child to the Nursery, which was backed by the Governor, Liu Xi.
The power over life and death of that child lay in Liu Xi’s hands—she was the Governor’s private property—
Biological parents were nothing!
This wasn’t about reclaiming their own child; they were literally trying to steal back the Governor’s private asset. The fact they hadn’t been killed already was considered merciful.
Qin Gong listened, astonished by Jiang Pengji’s reputation in Wanzhou.
