Chapter 613 The Fang Family Has a Daughter Who Doesn't Let Her Father Down [5k4, Requesting Monthly Tickets!]

The books on the bookshelf, covered in dust from years of accumulation, were opened one by one and examined page by page.

The walls, floor, and ceiling near the bookshelf were carefully tapped to ensure no hidden compartments were missed.

The attic library was filled with female officials specializing in investigations, who were rummaging through drawers and cabinets in a frenzy of searching.

Dust rose from the pages of the book, filling the air in the attic.

It smells a bit pungent.

Fang Yiwu was pale, his mouth agape as he stared blankly at the crowd, oblivious to the mouthful of dust he had swallowed.

Rongzhen, with her hands tucked into her sleeves, wandered around the study before raising her delicate hand, slightly covering her nose, and then pushed open a tightly sealed small window.

Immediately afterwards, she walked expressionlessly towards the door, passing by Fang Yiwu who was still stunned and speechless with fright, and casually waved her hand:

"Isn't Patriarch Fang looking for something? Our Supervisory Council can help you look for it, no need to be polite. Men, quickly help Patriarch Fang up and ask him to leave."

Two female officials stepped forward, grabbed Fang Yiwu, and dragged him downstairs.

Rong Zhen walked down the stairs with her sleeves up, and said calmly:

"Why are you trembling, Master Fang? You can't even walk properly. Are you that afraid of our female officials from the Censorate? You were so scared when you saw me just now that your legs went weak."

"Heh, did all those words I spoke this morning in the main hall of the Jiangzhou Prefectural Governor's Mansion go to waste? I told you that our Censorate and Xuanwu Camp will not harm good citizens. We will act according to evidence in everything we do, and we will never wrong an innocent person, nor will we let go of anyone who harbors evil intentions. Can Patriarch Fang rest assured now?"

"Come on, your beloved Prefect Ouyang is waiting for you in the main hall. He and your wife are having a pleasant conversation."

Rongzhen left the demanding search of the attic to the female officials, and temporarily left the three-story building with Fang Yiwu, who was pale and speechless.

We arrived at the main hall of the Fang family manor.

Fang Yiwu saw that his wife, three sons, concubines, and old stewards were all there.

They sat in two rows of chairs in the center of the main hall.

At the head of the main hall, his wife was having tea with a handsome young man in a scarlet official robe.

The handsome young man had a kind face and spoke in a gentle tone.

The black-armored soldiers who had come with him retreated far away from the main hall, instead of surrounding it as they had when the Lady Historian had "discussed two minor matters" at the governor's mansion that morning.

When Fang Yiwu entered, he found that the eldest son, second son, third son, concubines, and stewards sitting in the main hall had relatively calm expressions and the atmosphere was somewhat harmonious, without the chaos and panic he had imagined.

The young governor turned his head and looked him up and down.

"Master, what's wrong...?"

When Madam Fang saw her husband's disheveled and grief-stricken appearance, she turned pale and was so frightened that she smashed her teacup.

With a "snap".

The originally cheerful atmosphere in the main hall suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Ouyang Rong's gentle smile remained unchanged as he turned to look at Rong Zhen and handed her a cup of tea.

Rongzhen nodded slightly.

Ouyang Rong sighed upon seeing this.

The look in his eyes as he looked at Fang Yiwu was somewhat complicated.

Rong Zhen first took out a list of statements marked with ink from her sleeve and handed it to Ouyang Rong. She then took the teacup and moistened her pink lips.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the list. Fang Yiwu's name had been circled in vermilion ink by the Lady Historian. The vermilion ink on the paper was still fresh and not yet dry. It must have been drawn casually on the way to escort Fang Yiwu here.

He was sentenced to death.

Ouyang Rong looked up from the list and noticed that Rong Zhen was sipping tea while glancing sideways at him.

She stared at him.

The lady-in-waiting remained expressionless.

It seemed to be urging something on.

Ouyang Rong did not get up for the moment, and asked softly:

"Where is the Yunmeng Token?"

"They're searching. He's in that library. This Fang family head is quite well hidden, but he's impatient and takes the bait easily."

“Ouyang Lianghan, your suggestion is quite good. Although I know you are trying your best to protect and favor them, it has indeed reduced a lot of trouble for our Overwatch Council.”

Rongzhen spoke in a serious tone, her pretty face showing a hint of disdain and boredom.

However, the lady-in-waiting was unaware that her own impatient glances at Ouyang Rong were unusually bright and gleaming.

“This manor is quite large. If we were to search it directly, it would take three days. If the head of the Fang family is as stubborn as Li Yu, it would be like picking up a rotten rock, a waste of time.”

After saying this, he didn't wait for Ouyang Rong to speak again.

Rong Zhen turned her head and coldly addressed the stunned Fang Yiwu and the silent Madam Fang and her family members:

"I know that you may still be clinging to a sliver of hope, keeping silent the whole way, hoping that the Censorate will find the Yunmeng Token without you even realizing it."

Rong Zhen leisurely took out a bronze short sword carved with a ferocious dragon from her sleeve, held it in her hand, and shook it in front of everyone.

"Well, since no one has ever seen it before, no one would expect the Cloud Dream Token to look like this. Perhaps we can just ignore it and treat it as some strange collectible. Don't you think so, Patriarch Fang?"

She nodded slightly and said:

"I'm sorry, I was lying to you this morning. I don't usually lie, but it's an exception when I find out I've been lied to first."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yiwu felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his whole body trembled.

For some reason, Ouyang Rong glanced at the cold, palace-dressed girl's back.

Under Rong Zhen's calm, judgmental gaze, Fang Yiwu lowered his head, curled up, and pressed his head to the ground, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"This humble one...this commoner doesn't know..."

"good."

Rongzhen nodded, put away the Yunmeng Token, and drank tea while waiting.

When Rong Zhen took out the Yunmeng Token, Ouyang Rong glanced around at the expressions of everyone else present.

"Lord Governor!"

At this moment, Madam Fang, who was over forty years old, rushed forward, knelt at Ouyang Rong's feet, and cried out for justice:

"Your Excellency, what has Fang Lang done to offend the Lady Historian?"

“Fang Lang certainly didn’t do it on purpose. I’ve been in charge of the Fang family’s accounts all these years. We’ve never done anything to evade taxes, nor have we had any dealings with the rebels in the southwest. We know the rules of the court.”

"Is there some misunderstanding? What is this Yunmeng Token, and what is this short sword?"

"Did we come to the wrong person, or did we just say something we shouldn't have? Fang Lang may like to talk big and occasionally boast in front of the younger generation, but he only talks the talk; he would never dare to do that."

Mrs. Fang wept and sobbed, spilling out all the knowledge she knew like beans pouring from a bamboo tube:

"His stories about wandering the martial arts world when he was young were all just boasting. My father-in-law said that he actually just went out and spent money to make some fair-weather friends. They called him some chivalrous young heroes who lived a life of chivalry and revenge, but they were just drinking buddies who took him on a roundabout trip to boast. There was no way he could have really done anything like rescuing a hero at night or defeating an army with a single sword..."

"Only his children and nephews believed it, but it's all just bragging. He can't even beat his concubine..."

The weeping woman's plea was heartfelt and moving.

Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback.

The onlookers, who had been terrified and turned pale, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Having his secret exposed in public, Fang Yiwu, who was burying his head in despair, immediately blushed.

"Ju Niang, you..."

A person's reputation is everything. In Fang Yiwu's eyes, who believes that "one's identity is self-given when traveling," being publicly shamed is worse than being killed outright.

"Fang Lang, shut up! What time is it and you're still being stubborn? The Prefect is kind and benevolent, treating the people like his own children. Tell me what grievance you have, and what exactly happened with this Yun-type magistrate. Clear up this misunderstanding!"

"Yes, Father! You must explain! We can't let this injustice go unpunished. Governor Ouyang is here to uphold justice..."

The other sons and concubines all knelt down and tried to stop Fang Yiwu.

Fang Yiwu acted as if he hadn't heard, keeping his head turned and staring at his wife, who was still unaware of the situation and was desperately trying to explain it to him.

His eyes were red and his expression betrayed his guilt; his sobs sounded like a murmur in his sleep.

"Ju Niang... Ju Niang..."

Ouyang Rong watched for a while, then turned to Rong Zhen and pondered:

“Ms. Rong, the others should be unaware of this and not recognize it. I just talked with Madam Fang and the others. If they knew about it and had something to hide, they would not have greeted me so warmly just now. They must also be kept in the dark. Once the Yunmeng Token is found, we only need to interrogate Fang Yiwu. It can be considered that one person does the work and the other takes the blame.”

Cries for mercy and pleas for mercy immediately filled the main hall. Rong Zhen frowned slightly upon hearing this, glanced at the chaotic and tangled scene, and was about to speak.

"Your Excellency, the search is complete."

At the entrance, a middle-aged female official, her clothes covered in dust from the attic, hurried in, carrying a small wooden box in both hands.

"Our men searched the attic thoroughly and found this item, hiding it in a secret compartment. As for the Yunmeng Token... we couldn't find it."

The main hall, which had been filled with weeping and pleading, suddenly fell silent.

Rongzhen was about to get up to take the small wooden box that had been found when she heard this, and she stopped moving.

"You didn't find the Cloud Dream Token? Are you sure?"

She asked seriously.

The middle-aged female official nodded vigorously, her expression solemn:

"No, I checked several times myself, and there is definitely no Yunmeng Token... Anyway, it's definitely not in that pavilion. As for whether it's in other parts of the mansion, I don't know. Lady Historian, should we search other places as well?"

Rong Zhen didn't answer, but slowly turned her head, staring straight at Fang Yiwu.

Madam Fang, her sons, and the concubines and stewards all turned to look at him, but they were all weeping with joy, their faces filled with relief at finally being exonerated.

"Huh?" Fang Yiwu seemed stunned as well.

Rong Zhen asked with a stern face:

"You're feeling guilty, so why did you rush back? What are you looking for?"

Fang Yiwu opened his mouth wide and stammered:

"What am I looking for... what am I looking for... yes, what am I looking for... I... I don't know..."

He was in a daze, feeling as if he had just walked through the gates of hell, as if in a dream.

Ouyang Rong glanced around at the crowd staring at each other, a slightly strange expression creeping onto his face.

"If it's not the Yunmeng Order, then what is it?"

He stepped forward, opened the wooden box, and saw a thick stack of letters inside. He took them out out of curiosity.

Rong Zhen immediately stepped forward and looked down to examine Ouyang Rong as well.

After looking at it for a while, she frowned slightly: "What kind of letter is this? Is it colluding with rebels?"

The middle-aged female official standing to the side shook her head:

"They're not letters to rebels, Your Excellency. They're just ordinary letters from someone in Yangzhou, probably an old acquaintance..."

After a pause, without looking at Fang Yiwu, the middle-aged female official sighed slightly and continued:

“Our people have carefully examined the wording, and it’s all just rambling about romance and melancholy… It has absolutely nothing to do with what we’re investigating.”

Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen quickly flipped through the stack of letters.

After putting down the letter, the two exchanged a glance, and then looked at Fang Yiwu, whose face was flushed red, with a strange look in their eyes that puzzled Madam Fang and the others.

"Cough cough."

Ouyang Rong coughed lightly, covered his mouth, stuffed the stack of letters back into the box, and then casually placed the wooden box on the nearest table.

"No wonder I came back and was looking for it... I really need to put it away carefully..."

The crowd vaguely heard the handsome young man in the crimson official robe mutter something under his breath. Then, they saw him turn his head to ask the cold, aloof girl in palace attire with a tense expression.

"Should we continue the search, Lady Rong?"

Rong Zhen didn't answer. Instead, she walked over and stared down at Fang Yiwu, who was sprawled on the ground, as if trying to find some subtle expression on his stubble-faced face.

Just as she was about to speak, a young general in black armor and a black robe rushed in through the door.

"Report! Your Excellency, Your Excellency, as you two have arranged, Chief Clerk Qin led his soldiers in a surprise search of the Guo residence on the list, and arrested the head of the Guo family who had just returned from the governor's mansion to sell the stolen goods. He was caught on the spot, with the stolen goods and the evidence irrefutable."

"As expected, the Guo family head had a Yunmeng Token hidden away. When he was arrested, he even tried to hide it by throwing it into the lake, but he didn't expect our men to be faster and follow us..."

After finishing his report, the young general in black robes surveyed the deathly silent main hall and asked in a low voice:

"Your Excellency, how is the situation with the Lady-in-Waiting? If there's nothing else, Chief Clerk Qin would like to invite you both over. The head of the Guo family has been taken to the state prison, where Elder Yang is interrogating him. This matter may involve quite a wide range of people..."

Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen exchanged a glance.

After a brief silence, the two turned around almost simultaneously and walked out of the main hall, followed by a group of female officials.

Fang Yiwu was helped up by his son. He looked dazed and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Master, it's alright, get up quickly. Fortunately, the Prefect and the Lady-in-Waiting were wise..."

The eldest son spoke up with delight, and he was about to nod and say a few words.

Suddenly a group of female officials came from the direction of the back residence, escorting a shifty-eyed man, and reported.

"Your Excellency, our men found a suspicious fellow in the courtyard next to the library. This is the man who is deliberately hiding from us."

Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen stopped in their tracks and turned their gazes toward them.

Fang Yiwu nearly collapsed, his legs giving way. Madam Fang stepped forward, glanced at the young man dressed as a wealthy young master being brought in through the door, and said with a hint of apology:

“Your Excellency, Your Excellency, this is the young master of the Li family in Xiushuifang, the city. He has been coming to visit frequently lately, saying that he admires my eldest daughter, Xiu Niang. He even brought a letter from his elders to propose marriage. I thought he was sincere, and I had arranged for the two of them to meet today, but I didn’t expect… Xiu Niang is not here.”

Young Master Li, who had been thoroughly searched and had his identity checked, raised both hands, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"My lords, I am truly no villain, nor am I a womanizer. It was just that I met Madam Fang on the Lantern Riddle Street on the night of the Lantern Festival. Her elegant and refined figure was unforgettable, so I couldn't help but follow her to get to know her. Although I had a minor unpleasant conflict with Madam Fang's second wife later, that's not important..."

Ouyang Rong noticed that this young master Li was rubbing his seemingly sore lower back while speaking affectionately.

Rong Zhen ignored her, turned around and coldly questioned the direction of the main hall:

"By the way, I remember your Fang family has two daughters. Where are they?"

Madam Fang looked somewhat embarrassed and said:

"The two of them disappeared early this morning. They ran out together. Er Ya even left a letter saying that she was going to make a name for herself in the martial world and wouldn't come back until she made a name for herself... What kind of adventure is that? Is she going out to cause trouble? But based on my past experience, she'll have to come back in half a month and eat her food obediently."

Everyone was speechless after hearing this, and Rong Zhen's lips twitched slightly. What a mess this family was making of.

Urged on by the young general in black robes, Rong Zhen turned and left.

However, before leaving, she coldly issued an order, leaving behind a team of female officials.

The Fang family members were not allowed to leave the main hall for the time being. They had to wait until the group of female officials had thoroughly searched the manor before the suspicion could be cleared. In addition, they were to immediately send letters to call for or send people to find the two Fang family daughters. After they returned home, they had to report to the Supervisory Council as soon as possible. The Fang family members agreed to all of this.

The main hall, suddenly empty, had just experienced such a thrilling ordeal.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Fang Yiwu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, lowered his head, and seemed not to hear the congratulations and comforting words around him, lost in thought.

Mrs. Fang asked curiously:

"What's wrong with your expression, sir?"

"When did Xiu Niang and Sheng Nan leave?" Fang Yiwu asked urgently in a low voice.

"They disappeared early this morning. It's mainly because Shengnan is mischievous, and Xiuniang, who is so quiet, was instigated by her..."

Fang Yiwu frowned, seemingly oblivious to whether he had heard her or not. He turned to the old steward at the back of the crowd and asked, "Did the eldest and second young ladies go anywhere in the manor before they left this morning?"

The old steward replied weakly, "It seems they went to the back garden where the master studies to look for him, but you weren't there. They came out quickly, took some silver and documents from this old servant, and then left..."

Madam Fang sighed, "Shengnan probably wants to ask you about some things in the martial arts world. Ah, who hasn't had wild thoughts when they were young? Master was the same when he was young... Don't be angry. When they come back, I'll teach them a lesson."

Fang Yiwu showed no anger, but his eyes became thoughtful.

He lowered his head and rubbed his face, murmuring almost imperceptibly, "No wonder... I see... Thank goodness... I didn't make a mistake in giving birth to this daughter, she really can save her father..."

Madam Fang asked curiously, "What is Fang Lang saying? What do you mean by saving our old father?"

"N-nothing."

Fang Yiwu swallowed hard, and under the scrutinizing gaze of the female official at the door, he held his head high and kept his eyes straight ahead.

After a while, the image of his wife, who had risked her life to protect him during the thrilling and dangerous moment, flashed before his eyes again. Fang Yiwu's eyes were moved, and he choked with emotion.

"Ju Niang, thank you for your hard work this time..."

He turned around with a touched expression, his eyes full of affection, only to see that his wife had been standing by a table, holding a letter from a wooden box in both hands, turning the pages one by one.

Before Fang Yiwu's expression could change drastically, a wooden box flew over and hit him in the face.

"Ah!" A scream rang out.

But it couldn't drown out Madam Fang's roar, hands on her hips:

"You, Fang Yiwu! Fang Big Head! You're still flirting with that damn female knight you used to hook up with when you were young. She's already married in Yangzhou, and you two are still reminiscing about the past and exchanging sweet nothings. Aren't you ashamed!"

"Like father, like son. Look how you've corrupted Shengnan. She's always talking about going out to roam the martial world and finding some random sword spirit... You shameless bastard, you're a disgrace..."

Fang Yiwu: ...

Watching the disheveled figure of the burly man being chased and scratched on the face by the shrewish wife from Hedong.

Inside the main hall, the Fang family's sons, concubines, steward, and the Li family's young master, who had only come to arrange a marriage, all looked completely bewildered.

The female officials guarding outside the door looked at each other in bewilderment.

Can this family really be good traitors?

...

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(End of this chapter)