Vol 1 Chapter 5 (1/2)

Chapter Five (Part 1)

Cheng returned to the Chen manor and Chen Quan Ran took Xiao Lan to the best inn in the imperial city.

Mo Lan took into consideration Chen Quan Ran saved her life so she talked courteously with him on the way to the inn.

Inside the inn Chen Quan Ran sat closely next to Xiao Lan at a table. He smiled and he whispered in her ear. ‘Xiao Lan, you look like you are upset. Yesterday did you carelessly hear something that made you boil with jealousy?’

Mo Lan frowned. She didn’t want to admit her jealousy but she didn’t want to lie. Why wouldn’t she be jealous? Chen Luo Du stood beside her husband for ten years and her husband liked young ladies like Chen Luo Du.

Mo Lan glanced at her arrogant husband who looked like he wanted a beating. She ignored him and she drank a sip of tea.

Chen Quan Ran knew his wife had thin skin and she wouldn’t admit her jealousy. He loved to jest with his wife, but he didn’t want her to continue to ignore him.

Chen Quan Ran thought about what happened at the fabric shop and he s.h.i.+vered. ‘Xiao Lan, your bravery is big. If I didn’t appear in time then how can a weak young lady like you defend against those louts? You would have been hurt.’

Chen Quan Ran loved his wife’s sense of justice, but he didn’t want his wife to be injured. He felt she needed to understand if she wanted to be a heroine, firstly she needed to be certain if she could defeat her opponents.

Chen Quan Ran thought about his wife’s loveable soft skin being bruised by that lout and he regretted he didn’t beat that lout to death.

‘Do you think I’m a fool? At that time I saw you outside the shop. Why should I be scared of those worms? You wouldn’t stand idle and let them hurt me,’ Mo Lan said.

Mo Lan drank another sip of tea and she smiled at Chen Quan Ran. ‘Did you learn anything from what happened? If you did then you would know a person can’t rely on their strength alone, they need to think with their head. In the future you shouldn’t underestimate someone weak as me.’

Chen Quan Ran laughed at his loveable wife. He couldn’t believe she reprimanded him in a situation she knew she lost to him.

A fuwu yuan brought food to Chen Quan Ran and Mo Lan’s table.

Chen Quan Ran rubbed his chin. ‘Xiao Lan, those louts said they’re Tu Lang’s guards. What kind of person is Tu Lang?’

Chen Quan Ran suspected Tu Lang was the man he wanted the emperor to execute.

‘Customer, be careful not to speak his name otherwise someone can hear you and you’ll be killed,’ the fuwu yuan warned.

Chen Quan Ran and Mo Lan looked at the fuwu yuan.

‘You know who Tu Lang is?’ Chen Quan Ran asked.

‘Of course I know. Everyone in the imperial city knows who Tu Lang is. His uncle is Tu Qing Min who is in charge of an army force. His cousin is Tu Fang Su who is the emperor’s consort. He relies on his relatives’ status and he does whatever he pleases in the imperial city and no one dares to oppose him. Tu Lang bought his position and his guards collect monthly protection fees from shop owners in the imperial city. If shop owners don’t pay the monthly protection fees then their bodies will be beaten into a pitiful state,’ the fuwu yuan whispered.

Mo Lan heard her husband snapped his fan.

‘What about the other court officials?’ Mo Lan asked.

‘How can the other court officials interfere? Tu Lang has two mountains to protect him. The emperor favours Tu Fang Su and she gave birth to three princes. Where is the justice? Tu Lang kills innocent people but he receives no retribution,’ the fuwu yuan said.

The fuwu yuan returned to the kitchen.

Chen Quan Ran drank a cup of tea. ‘I can’t believe the emperor blindly favours that kind of woman and allow her corrupt relatives to kill innocent people.’

Tu Lang entered the inn and he looked around the inn.

‘Officer Tu, what a privilege. Welcome to-’ a fuwu yuan greeted.

‘Stop speaking nonsense. Tell me, did you see a young gentleman in white clothes come in here with a young lady in a pink dress?’ Tu Lang said.

Chen Quan Ran and Mo Lan exchanged a secret look.

‘Officer Tu, every day there are couples who are dressed in white and pink clothes. Who are you-’ a fuwu yuan said.

Tu Lang slapped the fuwu yuan. He turned around and he ordered his guards. ‘Go upstairs and find them for me!’

Twenty young guards charged upstairs and they saw Chen Quan Ran sat next to Mo Lan.

‘Officer Tu, this is the gentlemen who told his men to arrest your guards at the shop,’ the first guard said.

Chen Quan Ran ignored the guards and he drank from a wine jar.

‘Officer Tu, this is the gentleman who threw one of your guards outside a shop and injured the guard’s back,’ the second guard said.

One of Chen Quan Ran’s men secretly followed Chen Quan Ran and Mo Lan as Chen Quan Ran requested. No one noticed him so he went to alert Xiao Ha and Chen Quan Ran’s other men about the situation at the inn.

Tu Lang walked toward Chen Quan Ran and Mo Lan’s table. Tu Lang didn’t own an aura of an officer. He looked ordinary, short and plump.

Tu Lang heard some of his men were arrested and whipped. Tu Lang fumed and he wanted to know who dared to oppose him.

Tu Lang looked at Chen Quan Ran and he thought Chen Quan Ran looked like a strong warrior and he suspected Chen Quan Ran’s ident.i.ty couldn’t be ordinary. But he reasoned he had nothing to fear, because his uncle and cousin were powerful people in the imperial city so he dismissed his suspicions.

Tu Lang slammed his hand on the table in front of Chen Quan Ran. ‘You are a brave little boy.’

Chen Quan Ran frowned, Tu Lang had no right to call him ‘little boy.’

Mo Lan looked closely at her husband. She silently sat next to him and she patiently waited for his instructions.

Mo Lan glanced at the unlucky Tu Lang who dared to offend her husband. But she recoiled at the way Tu Lang stared at her.

Mo Lan heard about Tu Lang. She knew he visited brothels every day and he had many wives. If Tu Lang liked a young lady’s looks then he used any dirty tactic to force the young lady to be one of his wives.

Tu Lang looked at Mo Lan for a long time and he thought her beauty surpa.s.sed all his wives. He smiled and he turned to look at Chen Quan Ran. ‘You injured and arrested my guards. It’s an unforgiveable offence… but if you surrender the beautiful young lady sitting beside you to me for her to become my little wife, perhaps I’ll-’

Chen Quan Ran kicked Tu Lang’s stomach. Tu Lang’s body collided with a door and slumped to the ground.

The other customers in the inn thought Tu Lang deserved retribution for his bad deeds.

Tu Lang’s guards were shocked. They looked at Tu Lang and they couldn’t believe Chen Quan Ran injured Tu Lang enough for Tu Lang to vomit fresh blood.

‘Do you know a man name Sun Can?’ Chen Quan Ran asked.

Tu Lang and his guards stayed silent.

Chen Quan Ran smiled coldly. ‘Do you know him?’

‘Yes… I know him,’ Tu Lang said.

‘How do you know him?’ Chen Quan Ran asked.

‘He… used to be my servant,’ Tu Lang said.

Chen Quan Ran laughed. Mo Lan s.h.i.+vered because she never heard him laugh that coldly before. Mo Lan felt his laugh compared to Dizang’s (Chinese mythological ruler of the underworld equivalent to Greek mythological G.o.d Hades) laugh would be scarier.

‘I finally found you,’ Chen Quan Ran said.

Chen Quan Ran whistled and two of his men jumped down from the roof.

‘Tie him up and take him to the imperial dungeon. He can stay there until his execution day is announced,’ Chen Quan Ran said.

Tu Lang crawled away from Chen Quan Ran’s men. ‘You dare tie me up? Do you know who I am?’

Chen Quan Ran took out his seal and Tu Lang was shocked to see the word ‘general’ on the seal.

Tu Lang silently begged the heavens for mercy. He hated himself for forgetting General Chen returned to the imperial city a few days ago.

***

Chapter Five (Part 2 of 2)

Sun Can lost his parents at the age of five.