Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 25: Am I a common peddler? (Please support me by voting for me, recommending me, and thank you very much.)
A fragrant breeze blew over, and the ladies surrounded the elegant lady and walked into the Linshui Pavilion. The lady stopped at the door and looked up and down at Zheng Guohui who had stood up.

Zheng Guohui had no choice but to take the lead in bowing and saying, "Greetings, Madam. I am sorry for the intrusion of your visit. I am afraid that I may have disturbed the ladies. I beg your forgiveness."

The lady didn't say anything, but just held her head high and looked at Zheng Guohui with a critical look as he clasped his fists and bowed, just like buying something at the market.

Supporting the lady on either side were two young ladies, who were probably in their twenties, pretty and charming, and both wore water beaver fur cloaks.

One is light yellow and the other is lake blue, and they look like they are made with great craftsmanship.

There were also female relatives of different ages accompanying them, most of whom were dressed in gorgeous clothes, and followed by a group of women including housekeepers, nannies, and maids.

There was no room to stand in the room, and several women were clinging to the door and looking inside.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Zheng Guohui, who was tall, handsome and stylish. The girl blushed and lowered her head, while the other female relatives started chattering.

"This young man is quite tall and looks quite good, but he's a bit fierce."

"Just looking at his physique, he looks strong. He's definitely a man honed through martial arts training. I heard he has a nickname called 'Madman', but he doesn't look like it."

"Sir Zheng has been in the army for many years. I heard he killed so many Taiping rebels that he must be a bit crazy. I'm afraid that's how he got here. How can we take rumors seriously?"

"It looks good, but I wonder if it has a silver barrel and a wax tip."

"Everything else is fine, and she's not bad looking, but her family background is a bit low. Marrying a local rich man like that would make people laugh."

"That's true. If I marry into your family, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

The women were talking quite loudly, and Zheng Guohui could hear it clearly. After a few words, their conversation started to go astray, which made him secretly angry.

So many women are staring at him. Do they think he is playing tricks on them?

What local rich man?

What does it mean to marry into the wife's family?
What do you think of me, Zheng Guohui?
He had just greeted her with a bow and fists, but the governor's wife did not respond. She just looked at him coldly, as if she was looking at merchandise, which was extremely impolite.

After a few minutes, the smile on Zheng Guohui's face gradually faded, and he lowered his hands in a bow.

"Hmph... How dare you! Have you seen enough?" Zheng Guohui suddenly shouted loudly, scaring all the female relatives into screaming.

Under his fierce gaze filled with murderous intent, a powerful aura of murderous intent erupted from his body. How could these women bear it?
The governor's wife was so frightened by the loud shout that her face turned pale and she took two steps back involuntarily.

The two young girls beside the lady were so frightened that their faces turned pale and their legs almost gave out and they fell to their knees.

The smile on the Governor Elong's face froze, and he quickly said coldly, "Master Zheng, what are you doing? No matter how powerful you are, you can't vent your anger on the women, right?"

Zheng Guohui turned his eyes sharply at this moment, smiled coldly at the Governor Elong, and said calmly;
"Lord Elong, are you holding this Hongmen Banquet to intimidate this general?

You brought a few women here to pick and choose, to comment on things. Do you take me seriously?

To be polite
You are a civil servant and I am a military officer. In official circles, everyone carries the sedan chair. Giving you face is a sign of humility from this general. What can I do if I don't give you face?

You are so shameless. What are you looking at, madam?
Could it be that I, Zheng, am a peddler or hawker?

It's a joke

How could Zheng Guohui allow others to insult him? If Lord Elong doesn't give me an explanation today, I'm afraid I won't be able to get over this hurdle.

Someone is coming! "

"The humble position is here."

Zheng Shun, the captain of the personal guards who was waiting on the side, immediately pushed aside the women and squeezed in through the door.

Zheng Guohui glanced at Lord Elong, whose expression was becoming increasingly grim, and gave a slow and forceful command.

"This general has heard that there are remnants of Taiping rebels hiding in the Governor's office, plotting evil and intending to harm the Governor and his female relatives. Their intentions are extremely sinister.

I now order you to mobilize a group of men and horses. Surround this place completely and don't let even a fly go.

Anyone who dares to break in will be killed without mercy!"

"Yes, General." Zheng Shun clasped his fists and accepted the order, then immediately turned around and ran away.

He went to inform other personal guards to pass on the order and arrange for the personal guards to seal off the entire yamen. As long as they took over the gate, no one could get out.

Seeing that Zheng Guohui was serious, the governor Elong suddenly panicked.

His face turned pale and blue. He looked at his wife, then at Zheng Guohui with a fierce look on his face, knowing that this matter would definitely not end well.

Thinking that Zheng Guohui was a general stationed in Jinling City with a large number of troops under his command, if the fight came to real, no one in the Governor's Office would be able to fight, and they could not fight these soldiers head-on.

Elong gritted his teeth, walked forward and slapped her hard. With a "slap", the slap made the lady stagger.

If the female relatives behind her had not supported her, this lady, who was covering her face with a look of fear and a blank mind, would probably have fallen to the ground.

Elong scolded loudly;
"You stupid woman! Just look at each other. Lord Zheng doesn't eat a single grain of your rice, nor does he give you a single ounce of silver. Who are you showing off to?
What are you still doing here showing off?
Get back now! This is truly disgraceful and outrageous!

Stupid woman, really a stupid woman.

It is not enough to accomplish anything, but it is more likely to cause trouble."

Elong's harsh rebuke brought the lady back from her confusion. Her eyes instantly turned red and big tears covered her cheeks.

The lady covered the red side of her face with her hands. She had lost all her dignity. She turned around and walked outside, crying loudly as she walked.

The group of women came and went quickly. In their haste, someone tripped over their skirt and fell outside the Linshui Pavilion. A cry of pain could be heard, and they were gone quickly.

Inside Linshui Pavilion
Governor Elong's face turned pale. He had just slapped his wife. He felt distressed and angry, and couldn't help but hate Zheng Guohui.

The governor's wife is also a daughter of the royal family, and she has always been arrogant.

He ordered those Han slaves around and ignored even the Jinling prefect who came to visit him. He was used to their arrogant attitude.

I didn't expect that I would get beaten to a pulp by Zheng Guohui. Is it so difficult to endure it?

The Governor Elong also thought out of habit, and several people cooperated happily when measuring land deeds and real estate. Zheng Guohui behaved very modestly and low-key, which made him mistakenly think that he was easy to control.

Zheng Guohui is still unhappy now!

The boss I recognize is Fuzhu Hong'a, who the hell are you?

When I'm in charge of the battalion, do I ask you to issue military orders, or do I ask you to pay for the equipment, or do I hold something in your hands?

Or can you influence the Grand Council of the imperial court to give me a promotion as the Jinling City Guardian, or even award me a noble title?

I can't do anything. How the hell do I recognize who you are?

Zheng Guohui ignored Elong who was still angry, sat down with his legs crossed, took a piece of exquisite pastry and put it in his mouth to chew, then reached out to pick up the tea and took a sip.

Then he slowed down his tone and said, "Lord Elong, I am not unreasonable. Your Madam went too far today, treating me like a servant to be ordered around. This foolish woman is beyond her wits' end."

Zheng Guohui said this angrily and slammed the table, making a loud "bang" sound, which scared Elong so much that he started to shudder and a trace of fear rose in his heart.

Only then did Elong remember that although the general in front of him was young, he was also a ruthless killer.

Why offend him?

Alas, what I did today... is really a case of losing the rice while trying to steal the chicken.

A trace of regret arose spontaneously. Elong quickly glanced at Zheng Guohui's face and remained silent.

Zheng Guohui picked up the teacup and took another sip of water. He asked casually, "Lord Elong, who do you think is stronger, Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, who has tens of thousands of elite troops under his command?"

"Ahem, I'm far inferior to you." Elong was obviously cowardly at this time, and regret had already occupied most of his heart.

"I, the general, will not pay any attention to him. He dared to contradict Zeng Guoquan on the spot. If you push me into a corner, I will draw my sword and chop you, the dog officials, and collect the body of that stupid woman as well. Then you can reunite with your family. At worst, you can become a bandit."

"Ahem, not really, not really. Lord Zheng, you are too kind." Elong forced a smile on his face. He really had a psychological trauma from these murderous men.

The attitude of fighting and killing at the slightest disagreement was too much for Elong's fragile courage to bear, and he was scared to death.

Living in a gentle environment, the Eight Banners descendants have long lost the bloodiness they had when they first entered the Pass.

Elong was very successful in the officialdom, and he could make a lot of money in this misty place of Jiangnan. He also had a wife and daughter at home. How could he be willing to make enemies with these ruthless people?
After thinking about it, Elong said with pain;

"Master Zheng, please rest your wrath for a moment.

You must know that my original intention was good. I thought that Lord Zheng was young and unmarried. If I could help the two families get together, it would be a good thing.

Unfortunately, my humble wife's opinion ruined a good thing.

This official is here to apologize on behalf of my wife. Later, I will have someone deliver 1 taels of silver to your residence as a small compensation. I hope the general will accept it."

Seeing the other party take out real money, Zheng Guohui's expression eased a lot, he raised his head and laughed and said;
"Hahaha... That's great. This general will then wait for good news in the camp."

He stood up and walked out with big strides, leaving a message in the distance;

"Lord Elong, the Longhair banditry has not yet been eradicated. This general kindly reminds you that you should keep the inner chambers under control and avoid bringing disaster to your mansion."

Before he could finish his words, the person had already left.

After hearing these obviously threatening words, Elong sat at the tea table for a long time, his expression changing from one moment to another.

after a long time
Then he sighed and shook his head, muttering to himself;

"Forget it, forget it. I've really brought shame upon myself today! Why would I bother provoking this crazy Zheng?
This man is a desperate criminal who has killed countless people. Just like a fine jade should not be allowed to touch a clay pot, you should stay away from him from now on.

Every failure is a learning experience."

Thinking about having to go to the inner house to appease his wife and losing all his dignity, Elong was really overwhelmed and his heart was already filled with regret.

As for resentment, it has long been thrown into the sky.

Not long after Zheng Guohui left Zhanyuan with his personal soldiers, he met a group of more than 400 fully armed soldiers running towards him, panting. They were his own men.

He immediately ordered his men to turn back. He was definitely not allowed to surround the governor's office, as that would cause a huge mess that could not be controlled.

Just think of it as mobilizing troops for a drill, and conducting armed patrols on the streets to deter people with bad intentions. There's nothing wrong with that, right?

Zheng Guohui's original intention was just to scare Elong. These Eight Banner royal family members were almost all of the same character.

The foxes who rely on the power of the tiger are more powerful than each other. If they really come out to fight with horses and carriages, and the fight ends in life and death, they are more cowardly than anyone else and are a bunch of wimps.

No nonsense, really.

(End of this chapter)