Two white wads of fabric, clean and soft with a faint feminine fragrance, with a few small words embroidered in gold thread at the hem of the trousers.
Before Zheng Ruqian could even see what was embroidered on it, Xu Mo, who had come over upon hearing the noise, shouted, "Second brother, close your eyes."
Trust made him immediately shut the windows of his heart, and he tremblingly reached out his hand, "I won't look, I won't look, I won't touch, Xiao Jiang Sheng, come and take it."
Jiang Sheng was taken aback, but instinct made her turn around like a whirlwind, take the two pieces of fabric, and hide them in her bosom.
Zheng Ruqian felt as if he had been granted a pardon and ran away as fast as he could, covered in a cold sweat.
That thief is despicable!
These vegetables were just delivered and are usually not inspected. If they are sent to Youranju like this, they will definitely be discovered when they are unloaded.
At that time, Zheng Ruqian will truly be like mud falling into his pants—even if it's not shit, it will still look like shit.
His heart is despicable, and his intentions are vicious.
"Who is it?" Fang Heng shouted. "They have been plotting against my brother and me. If all else fails, we should fight them to the death, rather than this surprise attack."
"Third Brother, don't worry," Changyan reassured him. "The most important thing now is how to deal with these two wads of cloth."
If I'm not mistaken, this should be the undergarment that the prefect's wife lost.
In their hands, it's like a hot potato.
If Prefect He finds out, he will surely hold a grudge against them and launch a thunderous revenge.
“I think we should just throw it away,” Zheng Ruqian said, finally recovering. “Or we could just burn it and pretend we don’t know anything about it.”
This move would not only thwart the thieves' schemes but also extricate them from the turmoil.
But this is ultimately just treating the symptoms, not the root cause.
Who knows which day, which car, might contain another piece of underwear? Or perhaps some other private item.
Xu Mo frowned, glanced at Chang Yan, and noticed that he had just raised his head, his pupils dark and calm.
The two brothers bumped into each other, seemingly guessing each other's thoughts, or perhaps testing each other's opinions.
“Although Prefect He’s position is different from ours, this concerns a woman’s reputation. I would suggest that these two pieces of undergarments be returned.” Xu Mo said in a deep voice, “My father said that a true man has things he will do and things he will not do. We can fight him, but we cannot use despicable, shameless and bottomless methods.”
The scene shifts to Magistrate Xu, sporting a goat's beard, educating young Xu Mo.
He shook his head and said, "A true man has things he will do and things he will not do. If everyone resorts to any means to scheme, then everyone is a petty person and has a filthy soul."
“But Amer, remember this: you are an upright young man, and you should walk in the sunlight with dignity. Even if you rebel, you should have your own rules. Since you are not a rat crossing the street, you cannot live in a despicable way.”
Seven or eight-year-old Xu Mo nodded earnestly and replied in his childish voice, "I remember, Father."
There are some things that Ah Mo will always remember, and will never forget, Dad.
The boy, who was already thirteen or fourteen years old, tilted his head back, letting the wind carry away the moisture from his eyes.
Turning back, Chang Yan nodded as well, "We can return it. As long as Prefect He has any sense, he won't implicate us."
Compared to his eldest brother's integrity, the fifth brother thought more deeply, such as whether he could take the opportunity to befriend Prefect He and secure a peaceful life for his brothers.
Even if it's not possible, we must make Prefect He feel guilty so that he won't dare to target the Zanhua Courtyard again.
The two brothers hit it off immediately.
Only Zheng Ruqian muttered beside him, "I think you two are just being too optimistic. What if Prefect He thinks we stole the undergarments? Besides, who's going to deliver them to the Prefect's residence? What if they don't come back?"
Prefect He had never gotten along with the siblings, and sending them undergarments was like sending lambs to the slaughter.
Xu Mo and Chang Yan exchanged a glance, both preparing to go on their own.
Suddenly, Jiang Sheng, who was holding her undergarments, stumbled forward, as if she wanted to be the first to stick her neck out.
"Little Jiang Sheng!" Zheng Ruqian's voice trembled with surprise. "You're going?"
Jiang Sheng got up from the ground and sniffled with difficulty. "Where are we going? To return the undergarments? Sure, since Jiang Sheng is the only girl in the family, I have to go through the trouble for my brothers."
After saying that, she sighed in a pretentious manner, as if she, as the older sister, was leading her five younger brothers, not the five older brothers.
Xu Mo's eye twitched, and he made a final decision, "There's no time to lose, I'll take Xiao Jiang Sheng there now."
After a quick tidying up, the brother and sister boarded a carriage, which Zheng Ruqian drove them to the prefectural governor's residence.
Jiang Sheng, with two sets of undergarments tucked into her arms, clung to the car door and cried out to Aunt Zhang in a heart-wrenching voice, "Auntie, save some of those cured pork ribs for me, I think they're quite delicious."
After Aunt Zhang agreed, Xu Mo, both amused and exasperated, pulled her into the carriage.
Before long, they arrived at the gate of the prefectural governor's mansion.
Zheng Ruqian tied up the carriage, sighed resignedly, and followed behind Xu Mo.
Although he didn't agree with his older brother's approach, as a brother, he would always stand by his brother, never backing down no matter the weather.
Jiang Sheng rushed forward and struggled to stand on tiptoe and pound on the door.
Soon, a servant from the prefectural governor's mansion came to open the door. He was somewhat taken aback when he saw the three siblings. "May I ask who you are looking for?"
"Student Xu Mo, along with his younger siblings, pays his respects to the Prefect." Xu Mo gave a simple bow.
The servant immediately became alert. "You wait here."
He then went inside to report.
Not long after, the gates of the prefectural governor's mansion opened wide, and three servants came over and led Xu Mo and his sister to the main hall.
There sat a man with a gloomy face.
Upon seeing Xu Mo, he didn't even raise his eyes, only coldly asking, "What is it?"
It seems that the recent events have indeed been quite troublesome, and the new prefect is exhausted.
Xu Mo didn't keep them in suspense. He directly had Jiang Sheng take out two bundles of undergarments and said in a deep voice, "I've brought something for the master."
He Chengzhang was taken aback, his gaze slowly falling on the cuffs of the undergarment, and suddenly his eyes narrowed.
He didn't call for the maid, but rushed straight to Xiao Jiang Sheng. He seemed to want to snatch her away, but when his gaze fell on Jiang Sheng's short fingers, he slowed down.
The man gently took the undergarment, staring at the insignia that belonged only to his wife, his eyes swirling with emotion.
After a long silence, he asked softly, "Just these two items?"
"The items were found on my younger brother's donkey cart, just these two," Xu Mo sighed slightly. "It's a pity, sir, that we couldn't find a third one."
He Chengzhang nodded again, "Indeed, there are only two, because the third one is mine."
Outsiders only knew that three undergarments had gone missing from the prefect's residence, and naturally assumed they belonged to the lady of the house. Little did they know that one of them was also the prefect's.
Fortunately, none of that matters anymore.
As long as the lady's undergarments can be returned, it doesn't matter where the dignified prefect's undergarments end up.
Use it to wipe a child's bottom, let a dog tear it apart, or even let a courtesan use it as a handkerchief.
He Chengzhang breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and looked at the three siblings standing in the hall, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
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