Upon hearing that their daughter had been defiled, drowned, and had her head and face smashed, the Xu tailor and his wife were both furious and anxious, and burst into tears.
This time, Huang Wenjian didn't scold them. After the couple had finished crying, he turned to Ye Qingze and asked, "Where were you early yesterday morning?"
"The student is at home," Ye Qingze replied quickly.
"Are there any witnesses?" Huang Wenjian asked.
Ye Qingze was taken aback upon hearing this, and after a moment he said, "Yes, it was my uncle Qi Jiu. Yesterday I heard some noises and opened the door to check. I saw my uncle standing in the courtyard in a daze. We are both scholars, so we sat on the stone bench in the courtyard and talked for a long time until it was almost dawn before we went back to sleep."
Upon hearing this, Huang Wenjian covered his forehead and remained silent.
As a local official, he naturally knew Qi Jiu's true identity.
The man named Qi Jiu was actually named Qi Yanchang, the ninth son of the current emperor, formerly Prince Rui.
The emperor exiled him here, and of course, he sent someone to inform the local officials.
The eunuch sent by the emperor said that local officials were not allowed to give Qi Yanchang any special treatment and should treat him as an ordinary exiled prisoner.
That's what they said, but nobody dared to take it seriously.
Although Huang Wenjian did not dare to interfere in Qi Jiu's affairs, he did send people to secretly keep an eye on Qi Jiu.
He knew that Qi Jiu had moved into the Ye family's house, and he also knew that Qi Jiu had married Ye Miaoyun, the widow, yesterday.
After all, he had to come to the government office to collect the marriage certificate. He had even advised Qi Yanchang that even though Qi Yanchang was a prisoner now, he was still the emperor's son. How could he marry a widow?
Unfortunately, they completely ignored him.
"Officer He, go and invite Qi Jiu to the yamen," Huang Wenjian ordered, looking up.
"Yes, sir." Constable He was still a little surprised.
It's unclear who Qi Jiu, who was exiled here, really is in the capital, but their master seems to be treating Qi Jiu with exceptional politeness.
As an exiled prisoner, Qi Jiu had to go to the yamen (government office) first when he arrived in Weiyang County.
The county government arranged Qi Jiu's destination.
The county magistrate would assign prisoners to different places based on the crimes they committed, but Qi Jiu was an exception.
The adults in their family politely invited Qi Jiu to choose his own place.
Qi Jiu chose Danhua Mountain, intending to make a living by picking tea.
Little did people know that there were very few good wild tea leaves left on Danhua Mountain, unless you went deep into the mountains.
Qi Jiu didn't know how to pick tea, and he didn't have a good time after he went there. If it weren't for the fact that the village head of Qingya Village was a kind-hearted person who not only had his sons build Qi Jiu a thatched hut to shelter him from the wind and rain, but also often helped him out, the little tea that Qi Jiu picked on his own would not have been enough for him to support himself.
As for now? Qi Jiu has become the son-in-law of the Ye family and plans to live off their wealth.
Officer He felt somewhat disdainful of such a person, but since his master treated him very politely, they, as his subordinates, naturally had to be polite as well.
When Constable He drove the carriage to "invite" Qi Jiu, Jiang Xianya also went along.
It was almost noon, and Jiang Xianya was worried that Ye Qingze and the others would return too late. Once it got dark, Xu Qianniang, who had turned into a ghost, would no longer be the gentle lamb she was during the day.
This kind of female ghost, filled with resentment, becomes extremely powerful at night when the yin energy is strong.
Ordinary people are already afraid of ghosts, so defeating one is even more difficult.
Her eldest uncle, second uncle, cousin, and her adoptive father Qi Jiu are all scholars. If Xu Qianniang were to transform into a vengeful ghost, she would surely scare them to death. How could they possibly come back alive?
Ye Miaoyun also went along, because she was worried about her young daughter Jiang Xianya.
Qi Chengshuo frowned slightly as he watched the carriage slowly head towards the county government office.
"Young Master, should we follow them?" Pei Junqi asked, leaning closer.
“Our men have discovered the secret guards sent by the Emperor. Someone will be protecting Ninth Uncle in secret, but… I still plan to go.” Qi Chengshuo said in a low voice.
The guards could only protect Qi Jiu in secret; they would not intervene as long as Qi Jiu's life was not in danger.
Even if Qi Jiu is beaten and scolded, and starving, these guards will not appear unless he is in a life-or-death situation.
Now that he's here, he certainly won't stand by and watch Uncle Nine be bullied.
Although the people in the county government didn't dare to bully Uncle Jiu, he was still worried.
After all, Uncle Nine was also taking care of the Ye family mother and daughter.
Although Jiang Xianya is a girl who can predict the future, she is still a young girl. She knows esoteric arts but not martial arts. If she encounters danger, she and her mother will be the first to be affected.
Jiang Xianya dealt with the evil spirit inside the bronze mask. If she hadn't appeared in time last night, Uncle Jiu would have been burned to death, and he would have been in big trouble.
For that reason alone, he had to go and see for himself.
“Junqi, I’ll probably be staying here for a long time before returning to the capital. It depends on when the Emperor summons Ninth Uncle back to the capital. You don’t need to stay here with me forever. Go back in a few days.” Qi Chengshuo patted Pei Junqi’s shoulder and said in a low voice.
Pei Junqi is the heir of the Liangguo Duke's Mansion. Their grandfathers were friends and the two had known each other since they were young. Although their personalities were completely different—one was ignorant and the other was skilled in both literature and martial arts—they still became close friends.
Qi Chengshuo didn't intend to bring Pei Junqi with him when he left Beijing this time. It was Pei Junqi who found out and shamelessly followed along.
Although Pei Junqi was seen as an idle and good-for-nothing playboy by others, he was Qi Chengshuo's most loyal and devoted brother.
Pei Junqi is one year older than Qi Chengshuo, and he is nineteen years old this year. The Liangguo Duke's Mansion arranged a marriage for him last year, and Pei Junqi will get married in three months.
In addition, the Liangguo Duke's Mansion also found Pei Junqi a job as a fifth-rank military officer in the Jinwu Guard, and he will take office in two months.
"No rush. I can get back to the capital from here in half a month at full speed. I'll stay with you for another month, and then I'll set off for the capital. This won't delay my appointment to the Imperial Guard or my marriage. To be honest... I am, after all, the heir of the Duke of Liang's mansion, a fifth-rank military officer. I don't really want to go. So what if it's delayed?"
As for getting married?
That's the person his grandmother likes; it doesn't matter whether he marries her or not.
Of course, that's utter nonsense.
He thought about it and decided to let it go. He still had to go back and get married, otherwise how would the girl live?
He didn't want anyone to die.
“Don’t underestimate this fifth-rank military officer. He can command three to five hundred men and is also a member of the Imperial Guard, in charge of the security of the entire capital. Who would dare to offend you in the future?” Qi Chengshuo said with a laugh. “Besides, no one starts out as a first-rank general. You have to take it one step at a time.”
“That’s true. I’ll be heading back to the capital in a month then.” Pei Junqi said, then suddenly coughed lightly and added, “Before I leave, I’d like to see Miss Jiang again.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com