Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 61 Wu Yueniang's Secret

Wu Yueniang sat restlessly in the hall, and after a while, she felt truly uneasy.

After thinking for a moment, she simply turned around and went to the Buddhist shrine next door.

The Buddhist hall remained tranquil, with the fragrance of sandalwood wafting through the air.

She stood before the Guanyin statue, took three sticks of incense from the altar, and lit them with the flame of the ever-burning lamp. Tiny sparks rose from the incense tips, followed by wisps of smoke that filled the hall.

"May the Bodhisattva protect us, we, the devout woman Wu Yueniang, pray with all our heart."

She held incense sticks in both hands, raised them to her forehead, closed her eyes, and prayed silently, "I only wish that today's matter can be resolved peacefully, and that no great disaster will occur. That old man Zhang is already old; I hope he doesn't lose his life because of this. And that Uncle Zheng, who acted righteously, I hope he doesn't get hurt either..."

After silently reciting the prayer, she held the incense and bowed deeply three times. She slowly opened her eyes and was about to bend down to insert the incense into the burner.

"Madam! Madam!"

Yu Xiao's urgent calls came from outside, and footsteps approached from afar, sounding chaotic.

Wu Yueniang frowned slightly, but without turning her head, she said indifferently, "Now that you've bought the kudzu root, take it to the kitchen. What kind of behavior is this, rushing around like this?"

She assumed that Yu Xiao had returned from buying kudzu root. Although it was a bit fast, it was also possible that she had spent more money and made the shop assistant run faster.

Yu Xiao rushed into the Buddhist hall, panting, and said, "Madam, it's not Ge Gen! It's...it's the messenger from South Street!"

Wu Yueniang's heart tightened suddenly, and she almost dropped the incense in her hand.

How could it be so fast?

From the time that uncle left until now, only the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn has passed. Even considering the round trip by carriage and the time spent dealing with the incident, it should have taken much longer.

Could it be... could it be that those hooligans couldn't wait any longer and sent someone over to deliver a message? Or is it that Old Zhang is old and frail, and something happened to him after being pushed, and he died on the spot?

She dared not think any further, and hurriedly placed the incense on the altar. The incense sticks were inserted crookedly into the incense burner, but she didn't care.

She turned around quickly, lifted her skirt, and hurried outside.

Upon reaching the front hall, they saw a disheveled servant leaning against a pillar, panting heavily, covered in sweat, and pale-faced, clearly having run too fast.

Wu Yueniang tried her best to maintain the demeanor of the mistress of the house. She walked to the main seat and sat down, calmly asking, "Tell me slowly, what happened? Has something unexpected occurred?"

The servant, after catching his breath a while ashore, stammered, "Master Zheng...Master Ximen arrived at the shop and argued with those hooligans. That Zhang Laizi not only wouldn't listen, but...he even shouted that he wanted to beat up Master Zheng too! The two sides...the two sides started fighting!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yueniang could no longer contain her emotions! Her face turned pale, and she abruptly stood up.

Although it wasn't the absolute worst-case scenario—that Old Zhang had an accident—it was still very close to it!

Hands-on!

There were about a dozen hooligans on the other side, none of them knowing their own death. Two fists can't fight four hands. No matter how brave Uncle Zheng is, how dare he make a move rashly?

I really believed him! I actually thought he could control the situation!

Now things are really messed up. It might just increase casualties, and he might even lose his own life! If those hooligans on the other side had any sense of propriety, it would be fine, but with so many people and so many eyes, they might get carried away and... lose their own lives!

"What was the result?!"

Wu Yueniang pressed for an answer, her voice trembling slightly.

Despite having prepared for the worst: Zheng Tu was seriously injured or even killed, the shop was smashed to pieces, and Old Zhang was probably also in grave danger.

But a sliver of hope remained, hoping that the casualties wouldn't be too great...

"Master Zheng...Master Zheng is truly amazing!"

A look of awe appeared in the servant's eyes, and his voice rose in pitch, "He was all alone, unarmed, and in a single encounter, he... he actually took down all ten or so hooligans!"

"I knew it! This uncle is so unreliable! I'm afraid... what?!"

Wu Yueniang was about to get angry, but halfway through her sentence, she suddenly heard what the servant said and froze.

Her phoenix eyes widened in disbelief, and she even paused in her breathing.

"What? You mean... Uncle Zheng single-handedly took care of everyone on the other side?"

The servant nodded emphatically, his face full of reverence: "Absolutely true! I saw it with my own eyes!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yueniang let out a long, deep sigh of relief, a look of immense relief on her face.

She had been holding her breath in her chest for a long time, and when she finally exhaled, her body felt slightly weak.

She swayed slightly, then, with the help of her personal maid Yu Xiao, slowly sat back down in her chair.

Yu Xiao then noticed that the eldest lady's palms were covered in cold sweat, icy and slippery, and the handkerchief was almost completely soaked.

"And then?" Wu Yueniang composed herself and asked again, "Was he... injured? How is Old Man Zhang?"

"Of course not!"

The servant's tone was full of admiration: "Master Zheng is unharmed, and although Old Master Zhang's forehead is broken, it's only a superficial wound, and a doctor has already been called to bandage it."

"Madam, you didn't see Master Zheng's methods! Dealing with those rascals was truly... easier than drinking a sip of water! After everything was settled, a constable from the county government came and took that scoundrel Zhang away. Master Zheng helped the shop assistants tidy up the shop, and now... he's on his way back."

Wu Yueniang nodded gently, her understanding of "Uncle Zheng" deepening once again.

Unexpectedly... I underestimated these heroes!

This man was not only exceptionally brave, single-handedly dealing with a dozen or so men, but also possessed a strong sense of responsibility and courage. Afterwards, he patiently helped clean up the mess, proving himself to be a truly reliable and considerate person.

This comparison actually made even his own fellow look inferior.

My restless mind finally calmed down.

Wu Yueniang picked up her teacup, wanting to take a sip to calm her nerves, but found her hands were still trembling slightly. She put the teacup down, took a few deep breaths, and then returned to normal.

Wu Yueniang's expression relaxed for a moment, but then it changed slightly again, her expression inscrutable.

"Yuxiao," she called, "bring him a tael of silver as a reward. He's come all this way to deliver this message; it must have been hard work."

Yu Xiao responded and left. A short while later, he returned with a silver ingot and handed it to the servant. The servant accepted it with profuse thanks.

Wu Yueniang then said, "You should go and rest now. Don't make a fuss about what happened today."

"I understand, I understand!" the servant Lian Sheng replied, then bowed and withdrew.

After the servant left, Wu Yueniang whispered to Yuxiao, "Go quickly to the kitchen and tell the cook to prepare a good, lavish meal. Also, go to the wine cellar and fetch a jar of the finest 'Yuhuchun' wine. When Uncle Zheng returns, be sure to treat him well."

Yu Xiao nodded: "Yes. It's just... we haven't bought the kudzu root yet, so what about the hangover soup for the master..."

Wu Yueniang waved her hand: "It's alright. Since Uncle Zheng has already settled things, it's fine if the master wakes up a little later. You go and take care of these matters first."

Yu Xiao accepted the order and left.

With no one around, Wu Yueniang finally shed her dignified demeanor as a mistress and couldn't help but mutter to herself in a daze.