Tiger Owl

Chapter 90 Dragon has reverse scales
"The third part is your chivalrous deeds. If you happen to encounter local thugs bullying the weak, you should act as a chivalrous hero and help the weak. I fully support you."

But you can't ride around in a carriage every day looking for this kind of thing. You need to remember your place. How can you spend all your time dealing with these scoundrels? That's how you got your nickname, "Purple Fairy Witch." Little Witch, you have to retire from the world, understand?

Xiao Qiao lowered her head and muttered softly, "I understand."

"The fourth part is something I cannot tolerate; its impact is extremely negative..."

Before Gan Ning could speak, Xiao Qiao turned and ran, shouting from afar, "I promise I'll never go to the county government again!"

Gan Ning was both amused and exasperated. This little girl dared to do something but didn't dare to admit it; she knew she had caused trouble.

"Husband, what is the fourth part?" Da Qiao asked curiously.

"She ran to the county government office and roared in the courtroom, accusing Magistrate Zhang of unfair judgment. Fortunately, Magistrate Zhang knew who she was and dared not provoke her. If it were anyone else, they would have been beaten with a cane on the spot."

"Ugh! This brat, I have to keep an eye on her and not let her run around."

Gan Ning shook his head. "You can't control her. She's outgoing and unrestrained, and this is the most rebellious age for her. The only way is to find something for her to do. What does she like?"

"She likes to go shopping, and she used to often get together with a few girls to go hiking outside the city. They were really lucky that they didn't encounter any danger."

“I’m not letting her stay at home all day, and I know she can’t stay still. I just want to find something she’s interested in and keep her focused on it.”

Da Qiao thought for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "She really likes small animals, especially cats. She used to have a yellow cat, which she treated like royalty. But when the cat died, she cried for a month."

Just then, Gan Ning's stomach rumbled loudly, and Da Qiao covered her mouth and chuckled, quickly pulling her husband to the dining hall.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the young couple were deeply in love that night, lingering until midnight before finally falling asleep.

The following morning, Gan Ning arrived at the official residence and sent someone to fetch the manager of the Chaisang Restaurant.

Soon, Manager Xie was brought in, knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "This humble servant, Xie Ping, greets Your Excellency!"

Gan Ning stood by the window with his hands behind his back and said coldly, "Ten days ago, my wife was humiliated in a restaurant. Did you know that?"

“I know. I led my men to rescue the lady, but we were stopped by their wicked servants. We shouted that she was General Gan’s wife, but they wouldn’t listen.”

Why didn't you report it to the authorities?

"Madam told me not to report this to the authorities. She's fine, and Miss Qiao is fine too. I saw them lying on the ground, beaten to a pulp."
"You should know who these eight people are, right?"

"I understand!"

"Write it to me!"

The guard handed him paper and pen, and Manager Xie nervously wrote down the names of eight people. Gan Ning glanced at the list and asked, "Whose son is Qi Sheng, who is the leader?"

"He is the son of Qi Huaiyi, a wealthy merchant. Qi Huaiyi has three sons, and he is the third son. He has always been arrogant and domineering."

"I thought he was from a prestigious family! Turns out he's the son of a merchant."

"Among them are three scions of prominent families and five sons of merchants."

Gan Ning nodded, "Go ahead!"

After the shopkeeper left, Gan Ning immediately ordered, "Summon Xiaoman to see me!"

Soon, Wang Xiaoman rushed over, bowed, and said, "Greetings, my lord!"

Do you know the businessman Qi Huaiyi?

"This humble general knows that they are in the grain business."

“That’s right, it’s the Qi family. You lead five hundred men to their mansion, behead their son Qi Sheng on the spot, confiscate all of the Qi family’s property, and exile the entire family, regardless of their status, to Luling County as military slaves.”

"Your humble servant obeys!" The Qi family were the three major grain merchants in Yuzhang County. Qi Huaiyi had worked hard all his life and earned a considerable fortune. He was preparing to hand over the grain business to his eldest son so that he could retire and enjoy his old age.

But he never imagined that his most beloved youngest son would bring such a terrible disaster upon his family.

Five hundred soldiers rushed to the Qi family home and began ransacking the place. At the same time, they tied up Qi Huaiyi's third son, Qi Sheng, pushed him to kneel in the front yard, and prepared to kill him.

Qi Sheng cried out in terror, "Father, save my life!"

Qi Huaiyi cried out in grief and indignation, "What crime has my family committed that you are confiscating our property? What crime has my son committed that you are killing him?"

Wang Xiaoman coldly replied, "Ask your son!"

Qi Huaiyi walked up to his youngest son, only to find him with his head bowed guiltily, trembling with fear.

"You beast, what have you done?"

Qi Sheng suddenly shouted, "I drank too much that day. I didn't know she was his woman, but I didn't touch her! I really didn't touch her!"

Wang Xiaoman gritted her teeth and stared at him, saying, "That's not just any woman, that's our lord's wife. How dare you lay a hand on her and harass her, and even injure her."

Qi Huaiyi's face turned pale instantly; his son had actually dared to lay a hand on Gan Ning's wife.

It's over. All my life's work is gone. My descendants are doomed, reduced to military slaves, with no chance of ever rising again.

Qi Huaiyi looked up in despair and cried out, "Heavens! How could I have given birth to such a beast?"

Wang Xiaoman shouted, "Execute!"

A flash of cold light, and Qi Sheng's head fell to the ground. All of Qi's family property was confiscated, and the entire family was reduced to military slaves and sent to Luling County for exile.

News of the Qi family's execution spread quickly, and soon, seven blood-stained invitations were delivered to the homes of seven other families.

An hour later, the fathers of the seven households, along with their sons who had caused the trouble, knelt naked in front of the prefectural government office to beg for forgiveness.

Lu Su and Jiang Wan were greatly alarmed and went to see Gan Ning together.

"My lord, why has it come to this?"

Gan Ning said coldly, "I could tolerate them calling me a cuckold, but they dared to harass and humiliate my wife and even injure her. Do you two know that dragons have scales that cannot be touched? My family is my scales."

Lu Su sighed and said, "But the main culprit, Qi Sheng, has already been beheaded by our lord, and his family has also been implicated. Although the other seven are guilty, their crimes do not warrant death. They also explained that when they heard that she was General Gan's wife, they dared not act recklessly. Only Qi Sheng was drunk and refused to stop. They tried to persuade Qi Sheng, but they couldn't stop him."

"The strategist knows too?"

“I just asked them. I have no objection to your killing of Qi Sheng and confiscating the Qi family property. Killing one to warn a hundred is enough. But if you kill the other seven, you will be branded as a ruthless killer. I am doing this for your reputation. It has not been easy for us to start this business. Please think it over.”

Jiang Wan also advised, "My lord, the consequences of this case are actually not serious. If a minor crime is punished severely, it will only damage the reputation of the lady."

Gan Ning wouldn't listen to Lu Su's reasoning, but Jiang Wan's words resonated with him. A harsh punishment would indeed make people think they had done something outrageous, affecting Da Qiao's reputation.

Gan Ning nodded and ordered, "Pass on my order: the seven people outside who have insulted their superiors shall each be given one hundred strokes of the rod, fined one hundred thousand coins, and confined to their quarters for one year."

Lu Su and Jiang Wan exchanged a glance and both breathed a long sigh of relief.

The seven young men outside were all beaten until their skin was torn and bleeding. Their fathers were extremely grateful, paid a fine of 100 strings of cash, and carried their sons home.

Xiao Qiao was confined to her room for three days. She sat there sulking when she suddenly heard a soft meow coming from the yard. Her eyes lit up and she quickly went out to find the sound.

There was a wooden box in the yard, and the meowing was coming from inside the box. She quickly ran over and found two little tabby kittens inside. They were very small, and seemed to have just been weaned. One was yellow and the other was black, with two big, round eyes. They were incredibly cute.

Xiao Qiao jumped up happily. When she looked up, she saw Gan Lang standing at the door, smiling at her. She excitedly rushed over, hugged Gan Lang's neck, and kissed him hard on the face twice before happily running back to see her darling.

(End of this chapter)