A Good Country Wife

Princess Yongle had brought up the Emperor himself, so certain in her rationale, Zhou Wentai’s last shred of doubt vanished, and he became even more convinced of the identities of Princess Yongle and her companions. He thought to himself that these people were courting death, how could they offend such nobility? Now, even if he wanted to show bias, it was impossible.

"Yes, yes, I will certainly handle this well," Zhou Wentai quickly replied, and then instructed the government officers beneath him, "Come, take these hooligans and rogues back with me, I will deal with them severely."

The leader of the hooligans and rogues was somewhat dumbfounded seeing Zhou Wentai’s reaction; things were not unfolding as he had anticipated. Due to the relationship with the residence of Wei Guogong, Zhou Wentai was usually very polite to them, but now he was pretending not to know them and was ready to arrest them. Where had things gone wrong?

"Zhou Wentai, you better think this through. We are from the household of Wei Guogong. He has great power and influence, not someone you can afford to provoke. You better release us now. Otherwise, once Wei Guogong hears about this, you won’t be getting off easily!" The man, either too confident in Wei Guogong’s power and prestige or utterly lacking in understanding of the situation, threatened rudely when he saw Zhou Wentai was serious about arresting them.

Zhou Wentai, even with his tolerance, could not help but darken his expression after hearing this. After all, he was a Sixth-rank Official of the court, and to be threatened by such a hooligan was intolerable. He had initially planned to detain them to satisfy the nobles present and then release them later that evening. But now it seemed unnecessary. Even if he was not very competent, he would not let his dignity be trampled underfoot, and he was ready to risk his official hat. Besides, with the nobles present, even if Wei Guogong’s house was powerful, he dared not take the risk of being accused of plotting against the princesses.

With this in mind, Zhou Wentai’s gaze became sharp as he looked at his subordinates who still seemed confused by the situation, clearly intimidated by the ruffian’s threat. He rebuked them harshly, "What are you standing there for? Such men, who not only trouble the common people but also dare to threaten an imperial official, must surely have treacherous hearts. Seize them at once!"

"Yes, Sir! Understood!" The government officers saw Zhou Wentai getting angry and did not dare to hesitate any longer. They detained all the hooligans and rogues. Although they were intimidated by the clout of Wei Guogong’s residence, they could not disobey their Superior’s orders. Zhou Wentai was their direct supervisor, leading them in all matters. If he was not afraid of offending Wei Guogong’s residence, they had little reason to worry too much. At worst, if Wei Guogong’s residence sought someone to blame, it would be Zhou Wentai, who simply obeyed orders.

"You dare to treat me like this, Zhou Wentai, you rabble! Scoundrel! Son of a tortoise! Wait and see, Wei Guogong is my maternal uncle, and he will not let you off once he learns how you’ve dealt with me. Then you’ll see, you insignificant Sixth-rank Official, you won’t be able to hold on to your position!"

"This is outrageous. Someone gag this scoundrel," Zhou Wentai said angrily, no longer wanting to hear the hooligan’s threats and curses. However, it was Princess Yongle who stopped Zhou Wentai.