Marrying The Imperial Elder Chapter 4

Before coming downstairs, Zhen Tingyun had thought: If I catch this horse thief, I’ll beat him senseless first, preferably into a swollen pig’s head or even cripple him, then hand him over to Steward Lin to be sent to the authorities!

But now, looking at this face, she suddenly found herself unable to strike him.

No wonder there existed the phrase “one cannot help but feel pity upon seeing them.”

In ancient times, it was said that Eldest Princess Nankang once saw her husband’s concubine, was captivated by the woman’s beauty, threw away her knife, embraced her instead, and sighed: “Even I pity you upon seeing you, how much more would that old slave?” And now, in the present day, there was naturally also Zhen Tingyun, who upon seeing the horse thief’s beauty lowered the fist she had meant to use for beating him and instead said: “Quick, help me get him down.”

With Zhen Tingyun standing nearby, Malantou finally stopped stomping and allowed people to pull the man in black down from its back.

Once they lowered him from the horse, everyone gathered around the dim oil lamp in the stable to examine his appearance more carefully.

The man’s black hair had long since been soaked by rain, several wet strands clinging to his cheeks. His skin was pale to the point of seeming transparent. Under the weak stable light, he resembled moonlight itself on a quiet night, fragile, thin, and almost breakable. Yet even with his eyes closed, one could still see the sharp lines of his features, his deeply carved appearance like something sculpted with a knife: sword-like brows, a high nose bridge, and thin, elegant lips.

Such a handsome face, yet in such a miserable and pallid state, it was like a mighty lion fallen into mud, its beautiful mane stained with filth, only making others feel more pity for it.

Seeing this, Zhen Tingyun’s expression softened noticeably. She immediately ordered the two inn workers nearby to help. “It’s still raining outside, and he’s soaked through. He’s unconscious right now too. We should bring him inside first and clean him up. Oh, and we should also call a doctor to examine him.”

Originally, the workers had no objections when Zhen Tingyun asked them to help pull the man down. But the moment they heard she wanted to bring him into the inn and even hire a doctor for him, both immediately balked.

One protested, “Miss, this is a horse thief! It’s nighttime and raining, so yes, it’s inconvenient to send him to the authorities immediately. We can only keep him overnight and send him over tomorrow… But we can’t just bring a thief into the inn and even hire a doctor for him!”

The other nodded vigorously in agreement. Unable to recall the phrase “inviting a wolf into the house,” he improvised one himself in an attempt to sound educated.

“Isn’t this just… bringing a thief into the room?!”

Zhen Tingyun, however, was speaking entirely based on his face. Lifting her delicate chin slightly, she countered: “Who said he’s a horse thief?”

For a moment, the two workers stared at each other speechlessly inside the stable.

Zhen Tingyun’s expression remained perfectly calm as she began to lie through her teeth. “When the horse thief stole my horse, I was the only one there who actually saw him. At most, the rest of you only caught a distant glimpse of someone’s back. How can you be so sure this is the horse thief?”

One of the inn servants cautiously ventured, “If he’s not the horse thief, then how could he have been brought back here by your horse?”

“Couldn’t it be that some righteous hero stepped in, wrestled my horse back from the thief, and then collapsed from exhaustion on the way here?” Zhen Tingyun replied casually. “In any case, it was my horse that was stolen, and I was the only one who saw the thief at the time. If I say he isn’t the thief, are you really going to doubt me?”

Since Zhen Tingyun insisted on it, the two servants had no choice but to accept her explanation. With considerable effort, they carried the unconscious man back inside for her.

After thinking for a moment, Zhen Tingyun instructed them to rent the room next to hers for the man. She then had her maid, Bazhen, give the inn servants some silver, asking them to help change him into clean clothes and to fetch a physician to examine him.

Old Lady Zhen had been resting in her room. After waiting a long while without seeing her granddaughter return, she finally came out to look. The moment she saw Zhen Tingyun paying for another room and handing out silver to hire a doctor, her face turned positively dreadful.

Fortunately, Old Lady Zhen had learned at least a little restraint these days. She knew her granddaughter had a fierce temper and cared deeply about saving face, so she refrained from embarrassing her in public. Instead, she pulled her aside and whispered, “Are you stupid? Even if he isn’t a horse thief, he’s still a complete stranger. Why spend so much money on someone you don’t even know? You wasteful girl! You really don’t know the value of rice and firewood because you’ve never had to manage a household. Since it’s not your own money, you spend it as if it grows on trees!”

The more she spoke, the more her heart ached over the silver. It felt as though Zhen Tingyun were cutting a piece straight out of her flesh.

After a moment’s thought, Zhen Tingyun decided not to hide the truth from her grandmother.

“Actually… I didn’t really get a clear look at the horse thief’s face back then. But judging from this man’s build, he’s probably the thief.”

“What?!” Old Lady Zhen forgot all about keeping her voice down. Her face changed instantly, and she nearly rolled up her sleeves to smack her granddaughter.

Zhen Tingyun hurriedly tugged at her sleeve. “Grandmother, keep your voice down.”

Only then did Old Lady Zhen lower her voice, though she couldn’t help poking Zhen Tingyun in the forehead with a finger.

“I called you foolish, and you really are foolish! Since when does anyone catch a thief and not hand him over to the authorities, but instead spend money on him?” After a pause, she declared, “No, I’m going to get that silver back!”

Had her sleeve not been caught by her granddaughter, Old Lady Zhen would have rushed after Bazhen that very instant to recover every last coin.

“Grandmother, hear me out first!” Zhen Tingyun had intended to keep her reasoning secret a little longer, but seeing how agitated her grandmother was, she had no choice but to explain everything.

“I was thinking… Father and Elder Sister went to all the trouble of sending me such a fine horse from so far away. It was a thoughtful gift, but it’s such a pity that I don’t know how to ride. Earlier, when I saw the horse thief, just from the way he rode, I could tell his horsemanship must be excellent. Otherwise, a horse as difficult and unyielding as Malantou would never have let a complete stranger ride it away so easily. Now that he’s fallen on hard times, if I save his life, then with that debt of gratitude hanging over him, wouldn’t it be a bargain to have him teach me how to ride?”

Old Lady Zhen found herself somewhat persuaded, though she still grumbled, “Who hires a horse thief to teach riding? A thief has the character of a thief. How can he be trusted?”

“So what if he’s a horse thief? Even the Sage said, ‘When three people walk together, one of them can surely be my teacher.'” Seeing that her grandmother was clearly wavering, Zhen Tingyun blinked at her. Her apricot-shaped eyes sparkled with the playful cunning unique to a young girl as she whispered, “Besides, riding isn’t something you learn in just a day or two. You know perfectly well how much it costs to hire a proper instructor. There are gifts to prepare, tuition fees to pay, it all costs silver.”

“But now, all we’re doing is renting him a room and paying for a doctor and some medicine. At best, we’re saving his life. With a life-saving debt between us, if he teaches me horsemanship, he certainly can’t ask me for payment.”

Old Lady Zhen considered it and had to admit there was some sense in it. She was pleased that her granddaughter at least had saving money in mind, showing the fine frugal instincts of the Zhen family.

Of course, older the ginger, the spicier it is spicier. In Old Lady Zhen’s opinion, her granddaughter was still young and inexperienced, with much room for improvement. Putting on a stern face, she lectured, “Even so, you didn’t need to rent another room! Just have them carry him into Old Lin’s room. They’re both grown men, what’s wrong with squeezing together? Old Lin can keep an eye on him too, so if the thief wakes up, he won’t run away!”

Having said that, she urged Zhen Tingyun to go back to the innkeeper and ask for the room fee to be refunded.

Zhen Tingyun had always valued her dignity. There was no way she would do such a thing. She could only coax her grandmother. “We don’t even know what’s wrong with him yet. What if it’s something contagious? What if Uncle Lin catches it?” Then she added, “Uncle Lin is one of Father’s trusted old retainers. He’s the one holding our whole group together right now. We absolutely can’t let anything happen to him.”

Old Lady Zhen still wanted to argue, but Zhen Tingyun was already half-supporting, half-guiding her back toward their room. “Oh, Grandmother, it’s getting late. Let’s go back first. I’ll have Liushun bring up some hot water so you can wash up before resting. You mustn’t tire yourself out.”

Every word Old Lady Zhen wanted to say was blocked by her granddaughter. In the end, she could only follow her back to the room.

After helping her grandmother settle down to rest, Zhen Tingyun got up again and headed downstairs.

By then, the inn servant had already changed the man in black into clean clothes. Because the man was tall, with long limbs, the task had exhausted the servant. Yet the moment he saw Zhen Tingyun emerge from her room, his eyes lit up, and all his fatigue vanished. He greeted her eagerly, “Miss Zhen.”

Zhen Tingyun was just about to go downstairs when she heard him. She stopped, glanced into the room next door, and asked with concern, “How is he?”

The servant answered honestly, “I took a look while changing his clothes. He has quite a few wounds, but most of them are only flesh wounds. The back of his head, though, looks like it was struck by something. It took quite a while to stop the bleeding, and I think that’s probably why he lost consciousness. Oh, and he must have been caught in the rain, he has a bit of a fever too. We’ll have to wait for the physician to examine him more carefully.”

As he spoke, he started flattering Zhen Tingyun again: “Still, miss, you truly have a good eye. I reckon this fellow might really be some righteous hero who stepped in when he saw injustice, maybe he got all these injuries fighting horse thieves to snatch the horse back from them.”

But Zhen Tingyun had a different thought in mind: Could it be… infighting among horse thieves?

Author’s Note:

Male lead: Believe it or not, I really am not a horse thief!!!!