Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

The main hall of the county magistrate's residence.

Unlike its usual warm and elegant atmosphere, the main hall was filled with a tense, impending storm. Huangfu Ling was not dressed in her usual finery, but instead wore a sharp, dark-colored outfit, her black hair tied up high with a simple jade hairpin. She sat upright in the main seat, her back straight, her face expressionless. Her beautiful eyes no longer held their usual gentle tenderness, but rather an icy chill and a storm of suppressed anger. She sat there quietly, like a volcano about to erupt, waiting for the fuse to be lit.

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Zhang Jingwei stepped into the main hall, forcing the brightest, most innocent smile onto his face, his voice carrying a deliberately feigned intimacy:

"Lingmei! I'm back! Why are you sitting here? Didn't you come out to greet your husband? I've missed you so much on the way here!" He opened his arms, pretending to pounce, trying to get away with a joke.

Outside the hall, Yuan Liang and his core subordinates and servants held their breath, nervously peering through the cracks in the door and windows.

Yuan Liang asked Zhang Liu in a low voice, "Sixth Master, have all the valuable porcelain and jade items in the hall, as well as the knives and ironware that could easily injure people, been put away?"

Zhang Liu looked terrified and nodded repeatedly, his voice trembling: "I took them all! I didn't even dare keep the antique bronze wine cups on the display shelf! As instructed by the advisor, I replaced them with a batch of sturdy and durable... uh, not very valuable elm wood items."

Yuan Liang nodded, then instructed Jiu'er, who was peeking out from the side, "Miss Jiu'er, have you prepared enough medicine for bruises, wounds, and blood-activating plasters? I'm afraid we won't have enough later."

Jiu'er rolled her eyes and patted the medicine box she carried with her: "It's all prepared! Enough to set bones and tendons, and treat three or five seriously injured people! I'm waiting to 'save lives'!"

Qian Ming's eyelids twitched as he swallowed hard. "Master Yuan... Master Yuan, it can't be that serious, can it? The young mistress seems quite... quite calm."

Yuan Liang glanced at him with a look that said, "You're still too young." He said, "When I give the order, everyone retreat to a distance of three zhang (approximately 10 meters) to avoid being 'accidentally injured'! Especially the flying wood chips and... people."

Jia Dayong scratched his head and asked sheepishly, "Master Yuan, if the young master really gets beaten up, shouldn't we...shouldn't we go in and stop him? We can't just stand by and watch him get beaten up!"

Wang Ergou crossed his arms, snorted coldly, and said in a tone of exasperation, "Stop him? How can I stop him? This time, the young master made a mistake and owes the young mistress first! I... I don't want to stop him! The young master should suffer a bit!"

Qian Ming rubbed his hands together in a dilemma: "That's true... No matter how wrong the young master is... he is indeed wrong. Let's set a standard: if the young master can't take the beating anymore and starts begging for mercy, then we'll rush in and pull him back, so that he doesn't actually get seriously injured."

Ding Xu, holding the knife, leaned against a pillar, expressionless: "If you want to pull him, go pull him yourself. I think it's time to teach the young master a lesson. He can't just rely on his intelligence and act recklessly, can he? Some lessons have to be learned through physical pain to be truly remembered."

Just then, Liang Dahai suddenly pointed into the hall and exclaimed, "Look! The young mistress has stood up! Young master, run!"

Inside the hall, Huangfu Ling slowly rose from her seat. Her movements were not fast, but they carried a sense of oppressive power, like a beast locking onto its prey. She approached Zhang Jingwei step by step, her eyes icy, and an invisible chill seemed to surround her.

Zhang Jingwei's smile froze instantly, and he instinctively took a step back, trying to explain, "Ling... Lingmei, you... you listen to me, it's not what you think, I..."

He took a step back, and Huangfu Ling took a step forward. Zhang Jingwei's back soon hit the cold wall, leaving him nowhere to retreat. A flash of inspiration struck him; he suddenly remembered that he still carried that "talisman" in his pocket—a marriage decreed by the Emperor! That's it! What was there to be afraid of? He was marrying by imperial decree, it was perfectly legitimate!

Thinking this way, his courage instantly grew, and he straightened his back a bit. He cleared his throat, preparing to take out the imperial edict and read out the emperor's "supreme instruction": "Lingmei, please calm down and let your husband explain to you. In fact, this matter is..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Huangfu Ling's fist had already arrived!

That wasn't a woman's coquettish little punch, but a straight punch like a cannonball, containing all the emotions of anger, grievance, and disappointment!

"Oh!"

A muffled thud struck Zhang Jingwei squarely in the abdomen, leaving him completely unprepared!

"Ugh—!" Zhang Jingwei instantly curled up like a shrimp, all the words he was about to say turning into a mouthful of acidic liquid that he couldn't help but spit out, tears and snot streaming down his face. He felt like his internal organs had been dislocated, burning with pain.

"Wait...wait a minute! Lingmei! Listen to me..." He clutched his stomach, struggled to lift his head, and tried to communicate again.

His response was a slap that whistled through the air and moved with lightning speed!

"Snapped--!"

The sharp, loud sound echoed throughout the silent main hall. Zhang Jingwei's head snapped to the side, half of his cheek visibly swelling and turning red, his ears ringing, and he saw stars before his eyes.

"A decree! His Majesty has decreed..." He panicked completely and tried to use his last resort.

But Huangfu Ling, enraged, wouldn't listen to a word! Her eyes flashed, and she leaped into the air, delivering a fierce flying kick that lashed Zhang Jingwei's chest like a whip!

"boom--!"

Zhang Jingwei felt as if he had been hit head-on by a galloping wild bull. He was like a kite with a broken string, flying backward and crashing heavily into the sturdy elm wood door behind him!

With a deafening crash, the door broke under its own weight, dust and wood chips raining down from the frame. Zhang Jingwei collapsed to the ground like a rag doll, curling up and coughing violently.

The crowd peering in from outside gasped in unison. Jia Dayong looked at the trembling door, touched his chest, and secretly rejoiced, "My goodness... thank goodness I didn't go in to stop them..."

Inside the hall, Zhang Jingwei completely abandoned all resistance and explanation. He knew that in the face of absolute rage, imperial edicts and reason were utter nonsense. He endured the excruciating pain throughout his body, scrambled to his feet, and without hesitation, knelt down with a thud in Huangfu Ling's direction, wailing in a tearful voice:

"Lingmei! I was wrong—! I really know I was wrong—! Please forgive me!"

However, Huangfu Ling's eyes showed no emotion whatsoever; in fact, her chilling killing intent intensified! She stepped forward and delivered another vicious front kick, the sole of her shoe landing directly on Zhang Jingwei's face as he tried to lift it!

"Crack!" It seemed to be a faint sound coming from the bridge of the nose.

"Ah—!" Zhang Jingwei screamed as two streams of blood shot out from his nose like small snakes, staining his shirt and the ground red.

"Oh my god! Murder! Help me—! Yuanliang! Qianming! Wang Ergou! Where the hell are you! Come to my rescue! Ah no, help me—!" Zhang Jingwei covered his bleeding nose and let out a pig-like scream, rolling on the ground trying to avoid the next attack.

But it was all in vain. What followed was a one-sided, inhumane beating.

Huangfu Ling's fists, devoid of any semblance of technique, rained down on Zhang Jingwei like a dense meteor shower. Each punch carried her heartache and rage, landing on Zhang Jingwei's face and body with muffled thuds.

Her long legs were also busy, lifting up and kicking down again and again.

Zhang Jingwei was like a worn-out ball, kicked from one side of the hall to the other by his wife. He knocked over the elm chair that replaced the precious furniture, and the chair fell apart instantly. He knocked over the heavy solid wood table, and the table legs creaked and groaned. Wherever he went, there was a mess, with wood chips and dust flying everywhere.

The servants outside the door were terrified. Several young maids covered their eyes in fear, peeking through their fingers. Qian Ming tried to rush in several times, but Yuan Liang and Ding Xu held him back tightly. Wang Ergou turned his head away, seemingly unable to bear watching any longer, but his clenched fists showed that he was not at peace.

This violent outburst lasted for almost the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Until Huangfu Ling finally exhausted himself, his chest heaving violently, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat, and his breathing became as rapid as a bellows.

She stopped and looked at her husband, who was lying on the ground, barely recognizable as a human.

At this moment, Zhang Jingwei was a far cry from his former "talented and capable" self. His face was swollen like an over-fermented bun, a mixture of blue and purple, more than twice his usual size. His mouth was cracked, and blood mixed with saliva dripped from it. His eyes were swollen shut, barely open. His official robes were torn and tattered, stained with blood, dust, and footprints. He was curled up on the ground, barely breathing, emitting weak groans.

"Waaah..." Exhausted from the beating, Huangfu Ling, seeing her husband's pitiful state, finally shattered her icy exterior, overwhelmed by immense grievance and lingering fear. She could no longer hold on; her legs gave way, and she collapsed beside Zhang Jingwei, embracing him and sobbing uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face, quickly soaking Zhang Jingwei's tattered clothes.

Feeling his wife's tears and her trembling body, Zhang Jingwei, who had been holding back from fainting, broke down in tears, whether from pain or grievance, his voice hoarse and unpleasant: "Waaah!"

Hearing his cries, Huangfu Ling became even angrier. She pounded on his only remaining intact shoulder, sobbing as she cried, "What are you crying for! How dare you cry! It's all your fault! It's all your fault, you bastard! Waaah..."

Zhang Jingwei cried even louder, gasping for breath and wailing intermittently, "It hurts—! Waaah... Lingmei... it hurts so much... my ribs... it feels like my ribs are broken... several of them... help me..."