nycdaug Chapter 178 Proposal
Chapter 178 Proposal
Li Qin's eyes darted around, as if she was plotting something. Fang Heng was too lazy to think about what she was thinking, and impatiently waved his hand: "Men, give these thugs a hundred lashes each, and then send them to the harsh Northeast to do hard labor for twenty years!"
Upon hearing this, the dozen or so thugs were dumbfounded and terrified!
A local ruffian, about twelve or thirteen years old, immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Lord Fang, we were confused for a moment and took this young lady's money to put on this act for her. It was all to deceive you, sir! We dare not do it again, we will never dare to do it again, we all know we were wrong! Please, forgive us this time! I beg you, please let us go this time!"
Li Qin's face turned deathly pale, filled with extreme annoyance and embarrassment.
Fang Heng sneered, "Give these thugs thirty lashes each, then send them to work on road construction for a year! If they behave well after a year, they'll be released. Otherwise, send them to the harsh, cold Northeast to do hard labor! As for this woman and her maid, give them thirty lashes each, then send them to jail for three months!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qin was stunned and cried out in anguish, "No! Fang Heng, you can't do this to me! I am your wife, you can't treat your wife like this, you will regret it!"
Fang Heng sneered, "My wife? That's hilarious! Do you think I'm a fool? In your eyes, am I that easy to bully? After being tricked like this, how could I possibly be lenient with you? Are you surprised that I did this? Hmph! It seems my usual methods have been too mild, making you think I'm easy to bully, easy to fool, and easy to pester?!"
After saying that, he coldly swept his gaze across the entire room, his eyes lingering on a woman who was relentlessly pursuing him for a long time: "The reason I did this today, besides being disgusted by this woman, is also to give some people a warning! Don't think that just because I'm a good official or a good-tempered person, I won't get angry, won't lose my temper, or won't hold it against you!"
To be honest, I've always been very particular about matters of principle! I can be petty, I can hold grudges, and I have my own joys and sorrows! If you don't believe me, think about this woman, and think carefully before making a decision! Otherwise, you'll regret it!
His words startled some of the people present.
From then on, those who bothered Fang Heng basically disappeared.
Fang Heng was very resolute; he had Li Qin and her maid given thirty lashes and then sent them to prison.
Zisu was dumbfounded.
In his past life, wasn't he quite a "gentleman" to marry Li Qin and treat her so well? How come in this life, he seems to have no sense of responsibility towards someone he's married to?
Could it be that her rebirth influenced Fang Heng's ideology? Hmm, that's possible; she has undergone a complete transformation. Given the length of time Fang Heng has spent with her, it's only natural that his ideology has changed significantly.
Watching Li Qin and her group disappear into the distance, Fang Heng couldn't help but sneer inwardly: "Hmph! All I did was hug you to save you." No, it wasn't that he hugged Li Qin; rather, Li Qin had fallen into his arms on her own accord. And that's all she wanted—for him to marry her? How absurd and laughable!
So, saving someone has actually caused trouble!
How tragic! In this world, how many good men, seeing a woman fall into the water, kindly try to save her? And what's the result? The woman and her family then try to take advantage of him, demanding he marry her. They claim his virtue has been defiled!
What defilement? It was nothing more than rescuing a woman from drowning in a critical moment! And that's considered defilement? It's utterly outrageous and unreasonable. No wonder more and more men are refusing to help women who are drowning!
That's true. If the man is unmarried, that's fine. But if he's married and has children, he still insists on taking responsibility. If he can't be a wife, he wants to be a concubine or a secondary wife, completely disrupting other people's lives.
A normal family wouldn't have a concubine or a secondary wife. Even if a concubine were to be taken, she would at most be a respectable one. A family with a concubine or a secondary wife is destined to be a source of trouble; the inner quarters will never be peaceful, and will inevitably be filled with conflict and intrigue.
It wasn't a battlefield, but it was even more terrifying than a battlefield filled with gunpowder smoke! Everywhere there were conspiracies, schemes, and bloodshed.
I am Fang Heng. How could I let a woman with ulterior motives like Li Qin succeed? Even if my wife is not Zisu, she should be a simple, kind, and virtuous woman. She absolutely cannot be a ruthless and shameless woman!
Fang Heng felt uneasy, as if he had been tricked. He had a strange feeling that this woman had gotten away with it, and it made him extremely depressed.
Zisu watched a good show, her feelings somewhat complicated. She felt sympathy and admiration for Fang Heng. She also harbored feelings of liking him, quite a bit. However, the thought of his repulsive mother, Ying Shi, prevented her from taking her feelings any further.
If you can't go any further in liking someone, you can't talk about love; it's far removed from love. In this life, she's determined to find a soulmate, not for power or status, but simply to be soulmates and grow old together.
Fang Heng glanced up and saw Zisu looking out the window.
His heart skipped a beat, and he secretly rejoiced: Thank goodness he hadn't gotten entangled with Li Qin earlier; thankfully he had dealt with her decisively! Otherwise, Zisu would surely be very disappointed in him.
Indeed, Zisu was satisfied with Fang Heng's performance.
What she finds most objectionable is this kind of scenario: a man, out of kindness, rescues a woman, and during the rescue, he is forced into physical contact with her. Because of this, the woman relentlessly demands that the man take responsibility for her. And this man, actually, reluctantly agrees, marries the woman or takes her as a concubine.
She utterly loathed, found disgusting, and utterly absurd this kind of drama. If, in the future, her husband were to save another woman and then take her as a concubine or secondary wife, she'd probably be spitting blood!
Fang Heng went to the Good Days Restaurant, and the manager immediately greeted him warmly: "Sir, you've arrived! Please come to a private room on the second floor!"
Fang Heng: "I've come to see Princess Yulin."
The shopkeeper quickly replied, "Please wait a moment, sir, while I go and ask for instructions."
Fang Heng didn't mind: "Okay, I'll wait here for a bit."
Princess Yulin is not someone anyone can see just because they want to, and besides, she is a young woman. The fact that the shopkeeper knew to consult with the emperor first when someone requested an audience shows that he is a reliable person.
Upon hearing that Fang Heng was requesting an audience, Zisu frowned slightly. To be honest, she wasn't keen on seeing him, because she no longer wanted to spend her life with him, and getting too close to him wouldn't be good for either of them. However, since he had come to request an audience, she decided to grant him one. After all, he was the local official, and she had to show him some respect.
"Alright, please invite him up!" Zisu said helplessly.
Fang Heng knocked on the door and entered. Zisu stood up and said, "Lord Fang has arrived. Please have a seat!"
Fang Heng sat down opposite Zi Su.
Zisu: "What business does the master have with me?"
Fang Heng: "You saw what happened with that woman just now?"
Zisu readily replied, "Yes, I saw it all."
Fang Heng: "I had her beaten thirty times and then sent to jail. Do you think I was too cruel?"
Zisu couldn't help but laugh: "No, if I were the magistrate of Zhangshu County, I would have her beaten fifty times and then sent to the harsh, cold Northeast to do hard labor!"
Fang Heng looked at her in surprise: "How could this be? You are so kind and chivalrous, how could you be so cruel? Princess, you must be joking?"
Zisu: "My principle in dealing with people is to treat friends with the warmth of a spring breeze, and to treat evil people with the ruthlessness of an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves!"
That's so well said! Zisu truly lives up to her title as Princess of Yulin!
Fang Heng couldn't help but applaud: "That's fantastic! You're right, we should deal with evil people like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves!"
This sight deepened his love for Zisu without him even realizing it. If he were to miss out on this Zisu in his lifetime, he might never be able to love another woman again, nor bear children with another!
In short, he couldn't let go of Zisu like this, he couldn't lose her like this! He looked at her, his eyes filled with burning love, sincere admiration and respect.
His gaze was so intense that she blushed and lowered her head.
Fang Heng's deep affection saddened her greatly, and she felt a deep reluctance to let him go. If he had never been married and had never had two children, she might have stayed with him without hesitation. Although his mother had caused a scene in Wuliping, if he had insisted on not taking a concubine, she wouldn't have cared so much!
However, if it's just a hypothesis...
In particular, after what happened with Li Qin today, she suddenly had some doubts about her memories of her past life. In her past life, were Fang Heng and Li Qin really as loving as they appeared on the surface? Perhaps, it was just an illusion?
Such a hypocritical and vicious Li Qin—if Fang Heng spent every day with her, wouldn't he be able to see through her true nature? He probably would. So, could the seemingly upright and virtuous Fang Heng truly love Li Qin? The answer should be no.
If that's the case, then Fang Heng's past life must not have been so happy. This makes Zisu worry about Fang Heng: perhaps he isn't the person he seems to be?
In short, Zisu's desire to marry Fang Heng had faded even further. Now, it had almost completely disappeared! Even if Prince Duan didn't exist, or even if he didn't love her or want to be with her, she still wouldn't choose Fang Heng!
In fact, Zisu, who has been reborn, has no intention of getting married. In this life, she would rather be single than settle for less; she would never make things difficult for herself just for the sake of marriage. She wouldn't be willing to endure even the slightest hardship.
Having been given a second chance at life, her greatest wish is to help her parents, younger brother, the child in her mother's womb, as well as her uncle, maternal grandmother, and Yu Han, live happy and fulfilling lives. Their happiness will bring her joy and happiness as well!
As for herself, if she meets a good man, she will get married; if not, she can live alone. She would never force herself to marry just to get married, to spend her life with a man who has three wives and four concubines, torturing herself and shooting herself in the foot.
"My lord, I must get up early tomorrow to return to the capital. I'll be going now. Farewell! My lord, please take care!" Zisu raised her head, her clear eyes meeting Fang Heng's intense gaze, and said with a faint smile.
A wave of disappointment surged through Fang Heng's heart, but there was nothing he could do. He could only force a smile and say, "Okay, then go back early and take care of yourself!"
Fang Heng stood by the window, gazing in the direction Zisu had disappeared into the distance, a hollow emptiness filling his heart. If he had never possessed her, he wouldn't feel so lost and heartbroken. But the problem was, he had once received her attention, won her sincere heart. Once, they were just one step away from marriage. Sadly, everything was ruined, and there was no going back!