Chapter 11.2

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Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she continued, “Big Sister, what does ‘pretty boy’ mean? Does it mean Brother-in-law’s face is very white?”

Fan Changyu recalled the words she had said earlier, and a complex feeling stirred within her. She turned to her sister. “That’s actually a rude word, Ning. Don’t say it, alright?”

Changning nodded obediently.

Fan Changyu handed her the packet of malt candy she’d bought and instructed her to play in the courtyard, reminding her not to wander far. Then, taking the family’s usual wound medicine, she hesitated briefly before walking to Xie Zheng’s door and knocking softly.

“What is it?” came his cold, low voice from within.

“I brought you some medicine,” she replied.

There was silence from inside for a long moment. Fan Changyu bit her lip and finally voiced the thought that had been bothering her. “I’m sorry. I should have anticipated that, by marrying into my family, you’d hear a lot of unpleasant things…”

Her words were abruptly cut short as the door suddenly opened.

It seemed he had been tending to his wounds just moments ago. His outer robe hung loosely over his shoulders, with only the lower ties of his inner shirt fastened, leaving the top untied and exposing a glimpse of his well-defined collarbone and firm chest. His strikingly sharp, handsome face wore a slightly irritated expression. “Do you think breaking one of their legs wasn’t enough?”

Fan Changyu quickly shook her head.

Xie Zheng lifted his gaze slightly, his tone still cool. “I don’t take offense at the insults of a few lowlifes. I told you, they were simply too noisy.”

He turned to head back inside, and Fan Changyu, almost without thinking, asked, “Do you need any help?”

He turned back to look at her with an unreadable expression, fastening the last tie on his shirt. “It’s already taken care of.”

Fan Changyu: “…”

It almost felt like he thought she was looking for an excuse to tend to him!

Her hand still held the hair ribbon she had bought, but now, offering it seemed as though she had ulterior motives. Noticing his gaze, she calmly tied it into her own high ponytail. “This is a hair ribbon I bought for myself.”

The ink-blue color wasn’t typically suited to women, but on her, it unexpectedly brought out an air of confidence and strength.

Xie Zheng’s expression was subtly difficult to read.

Fan Changyu felt she had restored a bit of her dignity. Not one to hold onto grudges, she set the medicine bottle down on the table and began explaining her visit to the county office. “Uncle Wang told me that Fan Da has filed a petition with the county. Until the case is closed, I can’t transfer the property title. It seems the gambling hall has held a grudge since they lost face last time and has coordinated with Fan Da to try and scare you off as a way to get you to leave.”

In the eyes of the gambling hall thugs, he was just an outsider with no roots in Lin’an Town, injured and unfamiliar with the area—a perfect target. Most ordinary people would have been terrified after such an ordeal, and her live-in husband would have fled, leaving her efforts in vain and the property in Fan Da’s hands.

Yet, while Xie Zheng seemed largely uninterested in her account, he suddenly remarked, “The section in the Dayin Code on establishing a female household should include an additional clause allowing orphaned girls to establish their own households.”

Fan Changyu blinked, surprised. She knew widows could be the head of their household, but an orphaned girl taking charge and establishing her own household was unheard of.

Girls in her situation, with both parents deceased, typically saw their family property taken by relatives. These relatives would then “care” for them until they could be married off.

The reality for orphaned girls depended heavily on the decency of their relatives. Some, with no scruples, would sell them directly to brothels. Others would treat them as unpaid servants, calling them at will and using them as household labor. When the girl reached marriageable age, they would “sell” her off like livestock, marrying her to whoever paid the highest dowry.

When her parents had just passed, Fan Da and his wife came by, insisting on taking her and Changning in, promising to “care for them like their own daughters.” Fan Changyu, knowing the true nature of that couple, refused outright, which eventually led to Fan Da’s repeated attempts to seize their land deeds.

She didn’t take Xie Zheng’s words seriously. “The laws are set by the high-ranking officials in the capital. Which of those officials doesn’t have three or four wives and plenty of children? They’re the least likely to have heirs to worry about. Even if their family were in trouble, with only an orphaned girl left, she’d be staying with well-off relatives, never lacking in food or clothing. Those officials have no idea what life is like for common orphaned girls. Why would they bother to make laws for us?”

Xie Zheng remained silent. Before his fall from grace, he had never even heard of the hardships faced by common orphaned girls.

Fan Changyu, noticing his quiet response, thought she might have been too blunt. She scratched her head awkwardly, trying to soften her words. “But if there were officials aware of the situation for orphaned girls and willing to advocate for laws to protect them, that would certainly be a good thing.”

Xie Zheng was actually considering the feasibility of allowing orphaned girls to establish their own households. “Current laws reduce labor taxes for households led by women. If orphaned girls could establish themselves as heads of households, they could be treated similarly. However, if they marry or take in a husband, any male additions would disqualify them from tax exemptions, making the paperwork rather complicated.”

Fan Changyu blinked, struggling to follow. “How do you know so much about the Dayin Code?”

Realizing he had said too much, Xie Zheng lowered his gaze and replied, “I’ve just traveled a lot, picked up a bit here and there.”

Fan Changyu didn’t question him further. Instead, she pulled a folded document from her pocket. “By the way, your household registration has been issued. The officials in the county have been arresting refugees and beggars left and right, and any outsiders without registration or permits are being thrown into jail. It wasn’t easy to get this issued for you—Uncle Wang had to pull some strings.”

Hearing this, Xie Zheng’s gaze darkened. “The officials are arresting refugees?”

Fan Changyu nodded. “I saw it myself on the way back. They say a new military governor was appointed to the northwest, and they’re worried about bandits attacking homes over the New Year, so they issued the order.”

She paused, suddenly lifting her head to look at him. “I also heard that Marquis Wu’an died on the battlefield in Chongzhou. Since you escaped from Chongzhou, do you know if it’s true?”

“I don’t know,” he replied flatly.

Fan Changyu sighed. “If Marquis Wu’an really did die, it’s quite a loss.”

A faint, almost mocking smile crossed Xie Zheng’s pale face. “And what exactly would be the loss?”