Chapter 149: None Other Than Him

As Kou Peihan hurried into the hall, Zhou Zhi was being pinned to the floor by two soldiers. Another two soldiers each held a long wooden staff high in the air, waiting for Kou Dagang's command to bring the blows down hard upon Zhou Zhi.

Although this was the Kou family residence and not the Daoguang Garrison, Kou Dagang was a chiliu—a military officer of the middle ranks—and as was customary in military households, corporal punishment paddles were kept readily on hand. Judging by the scene, it looked precisely like a formal interrogation.

At this moment, Zhou Zhi found himself unable to defend himself. The overbearing Kou Dagang, despite having listened to Zhou Zhi recount the sequence of events, still intended to give him a severe thrashing before driving him out of the Kou estate.

"Father! Hold your hand!" The moment Kou Peihan caught sight of Zhou Zhi sprawled on the ground, her heart practically shattered, and she cried out in her crisp voice.

Hearing that voice, a surge of joy washed over Zhou Zhi. She had finally arrived. If this great beauty had not shown her face, he truly would have taken a beating today. Receiving such a thrashing would have been bitterly unjust, and moreover, to take it right here in the Kou household would leave him wondering how on earth he could ever face them in the future.

He raised his gaze to look at Kou Peihan. Seeing her dressed in women's attire today, with her long hair draped over her shoulders, phoenix-like eyes, delicate eyebrows, an exquisite nose, cherry lips, and skin as fair as ice with a neck like snow, even under these circumstances, Zhou Zhi's heart could not help but pound fiercely.

She was stunning! How breathtakingly beautiful Kou Peihan was!

At the same time, Zhou Zhi quietly noticed that Kou Peihan's bright eyes were glistening with moisture, which made him feel even more delighted and triumphant.

Kou Dagang was momentarily startled. He turned his head to look at Kou Peihan, and seeing her face flushed with bashful red, he asked in a deep voice, "Why isn't Hanger resting properly in her chambers? What brings her to the front hall?"

"Father! This man cannot be beaten!" Kou Peihan hurried forward a couple of steps and continued, her tone laced with urgency and pleading.

"Why can't he be beaten? He is the one who beat my favorite hound to death. I want him to know that the Kou family is not someone just anyone can bully or provoke. If even a country bumpkin dares to humiliate the Kou family, then we might as well pack up and quit!

Why is Hanger pleading for a nobody, a mere stray dog like him?" Kou Dagang's expression turned gloomy as he asked coldly.

It was true that Kou Peihan was the apple of his eye, and on most occasions, Kou Dagang would indulge his precious daughter. However, when matters concerned family dignity, Kou Dagang, as the head of the household, naturally had his own methods of governance, and outsiders could never be allowed to interfere.

This was his authority. Furthermore, he was a genuine military officer of the fifth rank, holding a position of great power and influence, and he had long been accustomed to his own arrogance.

Kou Peihan was well aware of her father's temperament, but Zhou Zhi was the one she loved, and today's incident had to be stopped at all costs.

"Father, he is Zhou Zhi from Baiyue Village!" Kou Peihan decided not to conceal it any longer and blurted it out on the spot.

"Zhou Zhi?..." Kou Dagang frowned, searching his memory before a sudden realization dawned on him.

Just a few months ago, his daughter Kou Peihan had secretly sent someone to deliver a congratulatory gift to Baiyue Village in Qingdu County. When Kou Dagang discovered it, he interrogated her strictly, and only then did Kou Peihan reveal the truth.

After all, Kou Peihan was a practitioner of martial arts, and she had a straightforward temperament. Without the slightest coyness, she declared that her heart was already given and that she intended to marry Zhou Zhi for the rest of her life.

At the time, Kou Dagang had been utterly furious. Had his daughter lost her mind? After secretly running away for over a month, she had actually decided to marry some rural savage! The vast gap in their social standing—if outsiders were to hear of this, where would the face of the Kou family be? How could they continue to show their faces in Tang County in the future?

Yet, since his daughter’s mind was made up, Kou Dagang had been left helpless and temporarily shelved the matter. In his mind, if he kept a tighter rein on her in the future and prevented her from seeing Zhou Zhi, her infatuation would gradually fade. Then, he could select a family of matching social status and marry her off properly.

Now, upon hearing his daughter say that the filthy and thoroughly bedraggled young man before him was none other than Zhou Zhi, Kou Dagang's brows knitted even tighter together.

However, seeing his daughter's eyes gazing at Zhou Zhi with such profound affection, it was clear she cared deeply for him. He knew his daughter's stubborn temperament very well; if he were to order the soldiers to beat Zhou Zhi now, his daughter would undoubtedly step in forcefully, and there was even a chance she might take the blows in Zhou Zhi's place.

Kou Dagang's chest heaved violently. After a long silence, he gave a slight flick of his hand and said helplessly, "All of you, withdraw!"

Upon receiving the command, the several soldiers immediately retreated from the hall.

Now, only Kou Dagang, Kou Tong, Kou Peihan, and Zhou Zhi remained in the hall. Without waiting for Kou Dagang to speak, Kou Peihan said softly, "Zhou Zhi, why haven't you gotten up and thanked Father?"

Obediently, Zhou Zhi scrambled to his feet in a hurry. Pondering for a brief moment, he dropped to his knees before Kou Dagang and said in a clear, resonant voice, "Your junior, Zhou Zhi, pays his respects to Uncle Kou."

Instead of addressing Kou Dagang by his official military title, Zhou Zhi directly called him "Uncle," which momentarily caught Kou Dagang off guard. Evidently, this form of address instantly bridged the distance between them.

Kou Dagang's expression remained as gloomy as water, and after a moment of hesitation, he said reluctantly, "Get up!"

"Your junior thanks Uncle Kou!" Zhou Zhi's voice was bright and crisp. Although he was still speaking from a kneeling position, his demeanor was neither servile nor overbearing, carrying a distinct air of confidence.

Kou Dagang had long since learned of Zhou Zhi family background from his daughter. Seeing that Zhou Zhi measured his words appropriately, he finally cast his gaze upon the young man and began to examine him in detail.

Having just fled for his life from Little Black Mountain, Zhou Zhi was in a sorry state with disheveled clothes and a messy topknot, looking utterly wretched. Yet, his features were handsome, and though his frame was somewhat lean, he stood straight and upright. Having spent a long time engaged in scholarly pursuits, Zhou Zhi possessed not only a slightly fierce, resolute aura at the moment, but also the unique, scholarly refinement characteristic of an educated man.

The Kou family was a martial lineage, and in the Ming Dynasty, civil officials were esteemed while military men were looked down upon. Kou Dagang actually held a certain degree of respect for scholars. Otherwise, he would not have gone out of his way to help Chen Guangyao pass the imperial examinations as a xiucai, nor would he have maintained such close relations with Chen Guangyao, a mere county magistrate.

Although Kou Peihan had no idea why Zhou Zhi had been reduced to such a disheveled state, she guessed that he must have suffered quite a bit over the past few days. Honestly speaking, for Zhou Zhi to present himself before her father in such a condition truly caused her to lose face.

However, being a clever woman, she thought for a moment before addressing her father, "Father, this Zhou Zhi is a scholar! He is currently the favorite student of Uncle Chen Guangyao, and Uncle Chen frequently praises the essays he writes!"

Unmoved, Kou Dagang replied coldly, "I know everything you've just said, but does he not still lack any official academic rank? Our Kou family can under no circumstances form a matrimonial alliance with someone devoid of rank and status.

Since Hanger is pleading for him today, I will let him leave! From this day forward, Hanger is to put this country boy out of her mind!"

With that, Kou Dagang stood up, preparing to have someone throw Zhou Zhi out of the estate.

To his surprise, a blush rose to Kou Peihan's pretty face, and she said resolutely, "Father, my mind is made up. In this lifetime, I will marry no one but him."

As soon as those words left Kou Peihan's lips, Zhou Zhi's heart began to beat wildly with intense excitement.

"You... you are going to be the death of me!" Kou Dagang said angrily.

Yet, glancing subsequently at his tear-filled daughter, his heart softened somewhat with reluctance, and he added, "Fine! If you are set on marrying him, he must earn the rank of xiucai at the next minor examinations next year. Does a country bumpkin like him possess such ability?"