After hearing this, Zhao Baozhu pondered for a moment and also felt there was some logic to it, so he said to Ah Long, “Go get me some paper and brushes.”
Overjoyed, Ah Long jumped up and ran toward the front. When he returned, he carried a thick stack in his hands and very diligently ground out plenty of ink for Zhao Baozhu as well.
Yet when Zhao Baozhu truly stood before the table, brush in hand facing the paper, he did not write for a very long time.
Watching from the side, Ah Long became so anxious that sweat broke out all over his forehead. He urged hurriedly, “Old Master, hurry up and write!”
Even Zhao Baozhu’s ears had turned red. Hearing this, he glanced sideways at him, pressed his lips together, and suddenly put the brush down on the table. “I can’t write with you standing here. I’ll write tonight!” Then he turned and strode outside.
Ah Long froze, then became greatly indignant, muttering as he followed behind Zhao Baozhu, “Old Master’s too stingy! Old Master acts all mighty in court every day, ten people together still can’t outtalk you, but when it comes to writing a love letter, you can’t write a thing? Hmph, Old Master’s really useless!”
Zhao Baozhu had originally been walking silently, but upon hearing such outrageous words he suddenly turned around, raising his hand as though to smack Ah Long. “You brat! What nonsense are you spouting!”
Yet before his hand could come down, Zhao Baozhu suddenly thought of something. His brows twitched as he glared at Ah Long. “Wait, that’s not right. H-how did you know—”
He had never told Ah Long about Ye Jinghua, so how did this brat know he wanted to write a love letter?
Using both hands to shield his head, Ah Long lifted his eyelids to look at Zhao Baozhu. His eyes rolled around, and he curled his lips. “Old Master thinks I didn’t know? The moment I saw the little jade rabbit hanging from Old Master’s waist, I knew it must’ve been carved for you by someone in love. And that letter too, if they weren’t worried about Old Master, why would they have gone to the trouble of writing so much?”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu was first stunned, then both cheeks suddenly flushed red. He had never expected that brat Ah Long to be so sharp that he had actually seen through him. Yet upon another thought, bitterness welled up in his heart again. The young master had treated him so well, yet he had given rise to such vicious thoughts.
Zhao Baozhu’s expression changed several times before he sighed and said, “Don’t talk nonsense. It’s not that sort of thing.”
Seeing his expression, Ah Long slowly lowered his hands, somewhat puzzled. Now what was this about? His lord was truly so troublesome! The two of them clearly had feelings for one another, yet still had to keep guessing back and forth. Life only lasted a few short decades, did they really have time to keep fumbling around like this? But he also understood. Most likely that young lady in the capital came from such a lofty family background that Old Master felt himself unworthy to match her, which was why he hesitated so much.
Thinking this way, Ah Long instead felt Zhao Baozhu had it quite hard. Seeing him sitting beside the official desk with his head lowered in silence, he assumed he was heartbroken and hurriedly leaned closer to console him. “Old Master, don’t be sad. Lovers will eventually become family. Once fate arrives, love will naturally come too.”
Who could have expected Zhao Baozhu, one hand supporting his forehead, to lift his eyelids and shoot him a baffled look. “What nonsense are you spouting? Hurry and bring me the official seal.”
Ah Long froze. Why did he need the official seal again? “Old Master, weren’t we talking about the letter?”
Frowning, gloom clouding his brows and eyes as though deep in thought, Zhao Baozhu said, “It is exactly the matter of the letter. It’s been so many days and I haven’t received a single one. There must be something fishy about it. These account books cannot be rashly handed over to the courier station.”
Before speaking of it, Zhao Baozhu had not realized anything. But after thinking carefully, he abruptly sensed what was wrong. No matter how busy the Hanlin Academy was, there should not be so little spare time that there wasn’t even enough to write a letter. He trusted Ye Jinghua’s character; he would not fail to send even a single reply.
Qingzhou was remote, and the journey was long. The courier station was only in the neighboring county, so who knew what complications might arise along the way. He had already organized all the evidence of the You family’s crimes, and it absolutely had to be delivered into the Provincial Governor’s hands. Looking at it now, entrusting it to the courier station was inappropriate. If something went wrong midway, then everything would come to nothing.
The more Zhao Baozhu thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Frowning, he raised his head and said to Ah Long, “No, this won’t do, you go gather everyone for me!”
Ah Long was truly speechless with him. Just a moment ago they had been talking about the young lady from the capital, and now suddenly it had turned into official business again! No wonder that young lady wouldn’t bother with him. Though Ah Long grumbled inwardly, he did not dare delay Zhao Baozhu’s matters and quickly went out to summon everyone.
Once everyone had gathered, they saw Zhao Baozhu standing there with a furrowed brow, holding a thick stack of the cleaned-up account records of the You family. Slowly sweeping his gaze over the people in the hall, he said, “These pieces of evidence still require one person to personally deliver them by fast horse into the Provincial Governor’s hands. At present You Second and Eldest You have not yet been brought to justice, so this official cannot conveniently leave the county. Which of you is willing to go?”
The hall was packed full of people, and hearing this, all of them froze. Then the crowd exchanged glances, and gradually three or four men stepped forward.
Tao Rui was the first to step out. “Old Master! I’m willing to go!”
Before Zhao Baozhu could even speak, Tao Zhang had already reached out to drag him back. “Go where? That’s to meet the Provincial Governor! You’re just an uncultured brute who’s never studied, you wouldn’t even be able to explain things clearly!”
The moment Tao Rui heard this, the hot blood rushing to his head cooled down. Only then did he remember that he would be going to meet a grand second-rank imperial official. Instantly he shuddered and looked awkwardly toward Zhao Baozhu. As the saying went: don’t take on porcelain work without a diamond drill. Leaving aside whether his tongue could explain the entire shocking You family case clearly from beginning to end, the moment he saw the Provincial Governor he would probably tremble so badly he would not be able to say a single word!
Hearing the Tao brothers speak like this, the other few men also no longer dared to volunteer. They too had never studied, and for their entire lives had hardly even stepped outside this county.
At that moment, the scholar Cheng Wenxiu stepped forward. Bowing respectfully toward Zhao Baozhu, he lifted his head and said firmly, “My Lord, this commoner is willing to go.”
Everyone immediately turned to look at him, and their eyes lit up. “That’s right, young Cheng is perfect!”
Cheng Wenxiu was a xiucai scholar. He had studied, and he also looked respectable. There could not be a better person for the task.
Yet Zhao Baozhu looked at him helplessly. “Wenxiu, I appreciate your good intentions, but you can’t ride a horse.”
Cheng Wenxiu instantly froze, then his whole face suddenly flushed bright red. Only then did the others remember as well. That’s right, Cheng Wenxiu was a frail scholar who could neither carry on his shoulders nor lift with his hands, so how could he manage a journey requiring urgent horseback travel?
Right then, a clear voice came drifting in from outside: “I’ll go!”
Zhao Baozhu looked up and saw a broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted figure striding inside. His cloak lifted and fell with his steps. It was none other than Liu Shanyi, dressed in riding clothes.
“Brother Liu!” Zhao Baozhu’s eyes brightened immediately.
With a smile on his handsome face, Shanyi walked directly through the crowd to the official desk and extended a hand toward Zhao Baozhu. “Please hand over the evidence of the You family’s crimes, My Lord.”
Looking at the elegant and dashing man before him, Zhao Baozhu’s gaze slightly stilled. In truth, from the moment this thought had arisen, he already knew no one but Liu Shanyi was suited for the matter. To ensure the evidence reached the Provincial Governor’s hands, the chosen person needed to be literate, experienced in the world, capable of riding swiftly, and able to handle trouble if difficulties arose along the road. Among all the people Zhao Baozhu could use, only Shanyi possessed such insight and also wandered jianghu. Yet Zhao Baozhu still worried about the pursuers sent by Cao Lian.
However, Shanyi seemed to see through his hesitation. Smiling faintly, he said, “My Lord need not worry. I know that man’s temperament best. He appears easygoing, but in truth he is the coldest and most detached of people. Whenever he acts, he always weighs gains and losses. Now that I’ve hidden away for so many days, he definitely won’t waste more men and money chasing after me.”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu’s brows relaxed, yet he still did not feel entirely reassured. “Even so, it’s still inappropriate.”
Who would have thought that upon seeing his hesitation, Shanyi would frown and say in a deep voice, “Quickly hand it over and stop talking nonsense. If My Lord truly considers me a friend, then there is no need to argue with me over such things.”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu froze. Then he lifted his head to look into Shanyi’s eyes, his expression stirring slightly. “Brother Liu, I will never forget your righteous aid this time for as long as I live.”
Taking the thick stack of charges from Zhao Baozhu’s hands, Shanyi lowered his gaze as well and said with utmost seriousness, “My Lord absolutely must not say such things. I am doing this for my own heart.”
Then he bent down, swept aside his cloak, and knelt on one knee in farewell before Zhao Baozhu. “My Lord, please rest assured. So long as I live, the evidence will live. I will certainly place these things into the Provincial Governor’s own hands!”
With that said, he rose and strode out, crossing outside the door in only a few steps. Zhao Baozhu hurriedly told Ah Long to see him off, but before Ah Long had even managed to chase outside, everyone heard the cry of a horse from the backyard. Molin’s figure shot forth like a sharp sword piercing the clouds, Shanyi’s scarlet cloak billowing behind him as he raced from the residence gates all the way toward the city outskirts.
Zhao Baozhu quickly walked to the doorway, staring at Shanyi’s departing back with tightly furrowed brows. If he had not been unable to leave at this moment, he would certainly have gone together with Shanyi.
Yet just as the figures of Shanyi and Molin disappeared beyond the city gates, before the dust kicked up by the horse’s hooves had fully settled, amid the haze there suddenly appeared the faint outline of a man.
That man staggered and stumbled as he ran all the way from the city gates. When he came closer, one could see his bedraggled appearance, sweat covering his forehead and terror on his face.
The moment Zhao Baozhu saw him, his heart tightened sharply. It was precisely the scout he had stationed outside the city!
“Ah Long, hurry and bring some water!”
As the man ran closer, Zhao Baozhu urgently spoke while simultaneously ordering Ah Long to fetch water: “What happened? Has something gone wrong?”
The scout had sprinted the entire way there, yet before he even had time to catch his breath properly, he said to Zhao Baozhu, “My Lord! This is bad! Th-that You Jiang is coming back!”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Baozhu’s expression immediately sharpened. “Is he alone? How far away is he?”
The scout said, “It seems he received the news and rode here ahead by himself. He’ll arrive in about two ke! Old Master, you absolutely must be careful. That You Jiang is definitely coming for you!”
Everyone present was shocked upon hearing this. Tao Zhang and Tao Rui’s faces changed immediately, and they turned to rush back inside to grab weapons. Ah Long was so frightened his face turned white. With a crash, he dropped the bowl of water in his hands and grabbed Zhao Baozhu to pull him back. “Old Master, let’s hurry and hide! That You Jiang is not someone easy to provoke—”
“Stop pawing at me.” Zhao Baozhu shook him off. His gaze swept across the tense faces of the crowd. Not a trace of fear appeared on his face; instead, he raised his brows and said coldly, “I’d be more afraid if he weren’t coming for me.”
Having said that, he hauled Ah Long aside, turned back, and shouted toward the Tao brothers: “Go push the execution blade out for me!”
***
Outside Wuya County, the people laboring in the fields beyond the outskirts all stopped their work and lifted their heads to watch a burly man riding a tall steed galloping down the country road, kicking up dust the entire way. Because of the speed of his travel, many stones were scattered into the fields by the horse’s hooves, yet no one dared complain, for the man’s appearance was all too recognizable. From his right eye to the corner of his mouth stretched a savage scar, proving that this was none other than the leader of the You family villains, the fierce bandit You Erlang, You Jiang!
This man’s vicious reputation spread far and wide; within Wuya County no one dared provoke him.
Watching him race on horseback toward the city, everyone roughly guessed that news of the confiscation of the You estate had spread. For a moment, all of them worried for Zhao Baozhu. That You Jiang was a most unreasonable brute, and no one knew whether Magistrate Zhao would be able to withstand this ordeal.
Meanwhile, You Jiang himself was practically exploding with rage.
When he received the news, he had been leading a merchant caravan back from Liang County. Originally he would have returned to Wuya County in less than three days, yet unexpectedly midway he learned that the newly arrived county magistrate had actually led people to raid the You residence and had thrown his third brother You Qian, together with all the family members, into prison! Worse still, their You family’s money basket, the Nanshan Silk Factory, had also been burned completely clean by a fire!
The messenger only said that no one knew how the fire had started, but after hearing it, what was there that You Jiang did not understand? It was definitely the work of that new county magistrate!
This matter had greatly exceeded You Jiang’s expectations. Their clan had excellent information channels and had long known the court intended to send an official here. Not only that, they had even learned from the Qingzhou prefect that the incoming official was a newly graduated jinshi.
As for this new county magistrate, the entire You family had not taken him seriously. First, Eldest Brother You had specifically investigated and learned that this jinshi came from a poor background, had neither backing nor wealth, and had not even reached twenty years of age, a complete greenhorn. Second, among the several previous magistrates Wuya County had changed through, every single one had been completely manipulated by them. Thus You Jiang truly had not taken the matter to heart. When Zhao Baozhu took office, he merely received the news and then promptly forgot about it altogether.
Who could have expected that the next news he received would instead be disaster striking at home!
Even in his dreams, You Jiang had never imagined such a day would come. The new county magistrate had not even taken office for half a year before he burned down their silk factory and confiscated their household!
Such extreme humiliation was like a fierce slap directly across You Jiang’s face. He prided himself as the local tyrant, yet in the end he had been played so thoroughly by a mere greenhorn, a tiny county magistrate! He did not know who had given that magistrate such enormous courage that he actually dared strike the You family with such viciousness!
You Jiang himself was a vicious-hearted man. Having lost face so thoroughly, he immediately hated Zhao Baozhu to the core and ground his teeth as he secretly swore that he would skin that brat alive and tear out his tendons to ease the hatred in his heart!
Filled with towering rage, You Jiang galloped all the way to Wuya County. The moment he entered the city gates, he charged directly toward the county yamen.
Yet after entering the city, every household in Wuya County had its doors and windows tightly shut. It was extremely quiet, without the slightest human sound. Right now You Jiang’s entire mind was consumed with settling accounts with Zhao Baozhu, so although he noticed this, he paid it no attention, thinking only that these foolish commoners had heard news of his return and were all hiding indoors too frightened to come out.
However, while he rode onward and was just about to reach the county yamen, a stream of people suddenly appeared before his horse. You Jiang had no choice but to yank on the reins and frown at the people ahead of him, discovering that they were all walking in the same direction.
Only then did You Jiang notice that none of the shops in the city were open, and every household also seemed empty. Frowning, he looked around and finally grew somewhat suspicious. He immediately swung down from his horse and casually grabbed a passerby by the collar, lifting him up: “What tricks are you people playing?!”
The passerby raised his head and, upon seeing it was You Jiang, nearly pissed himself from fright. Under You Jiang’s eyes, bulging like bronze bells, he stammered in a trembling voice, “W-we’re going to the marketplace execution grounds to watch a beheading.”
The moment You Jiang heard this, his expression instantly darkened. “What beheading? Whose head is being cut off? Speak!”
The man was terrified, afraid You Jiang might twist his head off if displeased, and spoke in an extremely tiny voice. “L-Young Lord Zhao is going to execute Third Master You and all the madams. The execution blade has already been dragged to the marketplace execution grounds…”
With a thunderous boom, those words exploded beside You Jiang’s ears. His expression changed abruptly. Throwing the man to the ground, he leapt back onto his horse, jerked the reins, turned around, and charged toward the marketplace execution grounds.
Under shock and fury, You Jiang could scarcely think of anything else. That dog official actually dared be so bold! His entire You family was in Zhao Baozhu’s hands, if he arrived too late…
The more You Jiang thought, the more alarmed he became. The horse beneath him whinnied endlessly from being whipped as he charged all the way to the marketplace execution grounds. From over two li away, he could already see the massive execution blade gleaming coldly beneath the sun. The marketplace was packed tight, layer upon layer, with commoners who had come to watch the excitement. Looking carefully, there even seemed to be bloodstains upon the edge of the blade.
You Jiang’s heart suddenly sank. Instantly his eyes split wide with fury. He flipped off his horse, directly grabbed one of the people at the outermost edge and flung him aside, then forcefully shoved his way toward the center: “All of you get the h*ll out of my way!”
People cried out in alarm as he forcibly pushed open a path through the crowd. You Jiang’s face was flushed red as he panted heavily and squeezed his way to the very front. Yet upon lifting his head, he did not see any corpses beneath the execution blade. Turning to look around again, he also did not see any trace of the You family members.
And at this moment, he stood right in the very center of the crowd of commoners. You Jiang suddenly paused and slowly turned his head, only to discover that outside the encirclement, his horse had vanished at some unknown point.
Not good!
Alarm bells exploded wildly in You Jiang’s mind.
However, it was already too late. Right then, a sharp shout rang out from beyond the crowd: “Grab him!”
In an instant, all the commoners surged forward at once. Tao Zhang appeared from nowhere and took the lead with a flying tackle, both arms clamping viciously around You Jiang’s neck.
Caught completely off guard, You Jiang’s eyes immediately bulged outward as he instinctively tried to fight back. Yet no matter how fierce and strong he was, one man could not contend against so many people’s strength. Very quickly the commoners rushing forward restrained his hands and feet, and someone from behind kicked him hard in the back. His entire body crashed to the ground like a collapsing wall, sending dust flying everywhere.
The moment You Jiang fell, the surrounding commoners all burst into cheers.
“The You bandit’s down! The You bandit’s down!”
“Quick, hold him down!”
“I’ve got rope here! Hurry and tie him up!”
“Boy Chen, hold down his legs!”
Everyone shouted over one another. In less than half a quarter-hour, You Jiang had been tightly bound like a dumpling.
Seeing him completely subdued, the crowd all clapped and celebrated. Some people even took the opportunity to stomp several times on You Jiang’s face. At this point, how could You Jiang still not understand that he had fallen into a trap? There had never been any execution of the You family at all. These people were all planted decoys, colluding together with that dog official to scheme against him!
Even pressed to the ground, he still tilted his eyes up to glare at everyone, snorting like an enraged bull and making muffled growling sounds from his mouth.
You Jiang’s accumulated authority in Wuya County ran deep. Seeing his expression as though he wanted to devour people alive, the crowd instantly quieted for a moment. Then several people standing closer unconsciously revealed fearful expressions and retreated a few steps.
Seeing this, traces of smugness could not help appearing in You Jiang’s eyes. He knew these foolish commoners were cowardly as mice!
Yet right at this moment, a pair of blue cloth boots embroidered with cloud patterns suddenly appeared in his field of vision. You Jiang froze. Before he even had time to raise his head to see who the boots belonged to, a foot smashed heavily into the bridge of his nose.
With a “puchi,” blood sprayed from You Jiang’s nose.
“You still dare glare?” a sinister voice said.
You Jiang lifted his head to look, only to see a handsome young man dressed in official robes standing before him with a half-smiling expression. The moment the crowd saw him arrive, it was as though they instantly found their backbone. The fear and retreat from moments ago vanished completely, and the atmosphere immediately relaxed.
One young man pressing You Jiang down eagerly claimed credit toward Zhao Baozhu: “Young Lord Zhao, don’t hold back kicking him! I’ve got him pinned down tight!”
Another person sighed, “My Lord truly plans everything flawlessly. He really did come.” Then, copying the others, he kicked You Jiang in the face as well. “Now I finally have a chance to teach this bandit You a lesson too! In the future, when my lifespan ends and I go below to meet my ancestors, I’ll finally have something to say, I avenged my father and brothers!”
Standing with his hands behind his back, Zhao Baozhu nodded toward the crowd. “Today it was thanks to everyone that this criminal could be captured and brought to justice. Once this matter concludes, there will be reward money distributed.”
Having spoken, he ignored everyone’s modest refusals, coldly glanced at You Jiang, and flicked his sleeve. “I ask everyone to help escort this criminal back to the yamen. Court will convene immediately!”
***
Meanwhile, You Qian and the others had already been imprisoned in the county yamen jail for several days.
This prison at the yamen had long since fallen into disrepair. After Zhao Baozhu arrived, he only focused on reinforcing the wooden bars and iron locks. As for the conditions inside the cells, he did not have the spare money to repair them!
Zhao Baozhu thought very clearly about it. Since they were already criminals thrown into prison, then whatever suffering there was, they should honestly endure it! There were still innocent people waiting for his silver to improve their lives, these criminals could simply enjoy the bitter fruits of their own crimes properly in jail.
And the foremost among them was naturally the You clan. The You family had occupied Wuya County for many years. From the moment You Qian was born, he had lived in luxury, surrounded by servants. How could he ever have suffered this sort of hardship? There was not even a straw mat in the prison. Not only was it damp and freezing all day long, it was also infested with insects and rats. They only received one meal a day, and even the rice had gone sour.
At first You Qian refused to eat it. Seeing him so ignorant of what was good for him, the jailers simply became too lazy to bring him food altogether. Only after starving You Qian for three days did he finally learn what hunger felt like.
When the jailers came to fetch him, You Qian was currently eating the sour rice with great relish. Yet when he heard they were taking him out, the bowl in his hands dropped to the ground from fright.
Could it be that Zhao Baozhu was finally going to execute him?
You Qian’s face instantly turned ashen.
Over these past few days, Zhao Baozhu had interrogated every capable steward around him. Those who deserved punishment had all been dealt with, yet not a single word had been spoken to him. You Qian knew disaster was imminent, and beneath this silent psychological torment he was nearly losing his sanity. Now, upon hearing Zhao Baozhu was summoning him out, You Qian instinctively assumed the time had come.
Yet on second thought, perhaps Eldest Brother and Second Brother had come to rescue him?
Second Brother possessed brute courage, and Eldest Brother possessed methods. So long as either one of them could subdue Zhao Baozhu, the You family might still have a chance to rise again!
Clinging to this final thread of hope, You Qian remained fearful and uneasy the entire way as the jailers escorted him out of the prison. Yet when they passed through the rear courtyard and stepped into the main hall, the moment he saw You Jiang bound tightly and forced to kneel in the center, the breath You Qian had been holding finally scattered.
You Qian’s face turned deathly pale. Staring at You Jiang’s blood-covered face, he nearly fainted on the spot. “S-Second Brother, h-how are you also…”
Hearing his voice, You Jiang turned his head and discovered that You Qian had become like an entirely different person since the last time he saw him. His complexion was yellow and emaciated, his body gaunt and haggard, as though he had suddenly aged more than ten years.
You Jiang cried out in shock and fury, “Third Brother! Y-you, how did you become like this, ” His expression changed abruptly. “What did that dog official do to you?!”
You Qian nearly wanted to faint immediately. Was now really the time to be talking about that?!
At this moment, Zhao Baozhu’s indifferent voice drifted down from the seat above: “Perfect. You brothers should have a good family chat.”
You Qian jolted in fright and looked up, only to see Zhao Baozhu seated above, a faint smile upon his face while cold light flickered within his cat-like eyes. Raising his brows, he gestured toward the empty space beside You Jiang below: “Come, let them kneel side by side and properly get close to one another.”
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