The man in black's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected that not only could he not defeat this young upstart after so long, but he would also be poisoned by the insidious and vicious muscle-weakening powder.
"You guys are ruthless." They dared not delay any longer, jumped to a side path, and disappeared in a flash.
Liu Fangheng sat upright on his horse, gripping his long sword, charging forward with unparalleled heroism.
"Third Brother, you look like a general who has returned victorious from a battle." Jiang Sheng said with admiration.
This time, Zheng Ruqian was not jealous.
He smacked his lips, also thinking that his third brother was becoming more and more handsome.
However, a sudden change occurred.
Fang Heng, who had been sitting upright on his horse, suddenly changed his expression, and his body visibly slumped down.
"Oh no, it's the Ten Fragrant Tendon-Softening Powder!" Jiang Sheng jumped up and down in a panic. "Fourth Brother, you have poison, you must have an antidote, right? Quickly give Third Brother the antidote, Third Brother has been poisoned."
Wen Zhiyun's small frame almost made her fall apart.
After a long while, the frail and helpless fourth brother finally managed to squeeze out a sentence, "There is no such thing as Ten Fragrant Tendon-Softening Powder."
This isn't some martial arts world from a book; how could there be so many strange poisons? I only said that to scare the man in black away.
As it turns out, this unfamiliar concept was just a bluff.
"What, what is that?" Jiang Sheng was stunned.
At this moment, Fang Heng had already been rescued from his horse by Pang Dashan and Zheng Ruqian, and was being carried onto the carriage.
If Fang Heng wasn't poisoned, then what's wrong with him now?
His face was ashen, his lips trembled, and his back was hunched.
They really look alike!
Jiang Sheng was completely baffled and could only look around in confusion, unsure of who to ask for help.
Chang Yan put his hands together and asked silently, "If that white powder wasn't poison, then what was it?"
Wen Zhiyun scratched the back of his head. "It was Dr. Wu who asked me to grind croton powder."
Jiang Sheng, at the long banquet, “…”
As if to verify Wen Zhiyun's words, Fang Heng, who had just lain down in the carriage, jumped up with a "whoosh". He searched around for a while but found nothing. He had no choice but to rush into the reeds next to him with a dark face.
"Hey, what's wrong with the third brother?" Confused, Zheng Ruqian wanted to chase after him.
Jiang Sheng quickly grabbed him tightly, "Second brother, give third brother some private space."
Everyone has digestive issues sometimes.
As for what Fang Heng is looking for, well... it should be toilet paper.
Jiang Sheng stuck out her tongue. In any case, it was good that she wasn't poisoned.
Half an hour later.
A group of people took the weakened Fang Heng back to Xieyang County. The gravel had already been cleared away by the Pang Dashan brothers, and the two truckloads of vegetables were safely delivered to Youranju.
Pang Dashan led his brothers back to their new dwelling outside the county town—yet another cave.
After returning the carriage, Zheng Ruqian used a donkey cart to pick up Xu Mo, the older brother from the school, and take him home.
In the small courtyard.
After hearing about the near-miss today, Xu Mo first breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned.
"Big brother, we're all back safe and sound, why are you still frowning?" Jiang Sheng stood on tiptoe, trying to smooth the frown lines on Xu Mo's brow.
Xu Mo patted her little head without saying anything.
Chang Yan, who was standing to the side, said softly, "Big Brother is afraid that something like this will happen again."
Although they escaped by chance today, the man in black is not dead, and the magistrate's wife will not give up. This kind of thing will happen again.
You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever.
Who can guarantee that the siblings will be lucky enough to escape again next time?
Xu Mo took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
In his original plan, as long as Magistrate Pang could keep the magistrate of Xiyang County in check and prevent him and his sister from killing them, he could focus on taking the imperial examination.
But now, the magistrate's wife's hiring of a hitman has disrupted all his plans.
No one can hurt their younger siblings in front of their older brother.
I originally intended to wait until I had more power before dealing with these matters.
But now, Xu Mo can't wait any longer.
He took another deep breath and looked at his younger siblings. "I plan to go to Anshui County ahead of schedule."
Xieyang County was under the jurisdiction of Anshui Commandery, and the magistrate of Xieyang County was directly under the governor of Anshui Commandery.
Xu Mo's actions indicate that he intends to file a complaint with a higher authority.
The reason it's said to be "early" is because he also needs to go to Anshui County for the prefectural examination in April. If you do the math, he's arrived a full twenty days early.
"Brother, if you file a complaint with someone above your level, you'll get fifty lashes first," Changyan reminded him softly.
Xu Mo paused. Of course he knew, but he couldn't stand it anymore. He wanted to expose all the crimes and evil deeds of the magistrate of Xiyang County.
It's not just the case of the county magistrate's wife hiring someone to commit murder.
There is also the case of the innocent murder of Magistrate Xu's family.
For the past six months, he has been secretly investigating, and recently he has made some progress. He not only found evidence, but also the widow of the former secretary who served Magistrate Xu.
I still remember how intelligent and beautiful the advisor's wife was back then. Even the wife of Magistrate Xu cared for her deeply and treated her like a younger sister. But later, as Magistrate Xu's reputation as an honest official was tarnished and his entire family was executed, the advisor and his wife disappeared without a trace.
Xu Mo once thought that they were also victims.
It wasn't until a few days ago, when the little beggars came to report on the magistrate's wife's whereabouts, that Xu Mo, feeling sorry for her, gave them some food. Only then did he discover the disheveled lady among the group of beggars.
She was no longer as beautiful as she once was; her tall figure was hunched over as she huddled in a corner, gnawing on a steamed bun.
When someone passes by, she will curl up in fright, protecting her chest, as if she is afraid of something.
Xu Mo couldn't believe it. Rubbing his eyes, he stepped forward and asked repeatedly, "Auntie, is that you, Auntie?"
The clerk's wife had just raised her head and looked at Xu Mo's face, which had grown a bit more mature, when suddenly she opened her mouth and burst into tears.
She cried and sobbed, "It's my fault, sister-in-law, please don't blame me. We've hurt you, but we've also suffered retribution. Please don't come looking for us, please don't come looking for us..."
Xu Mo fell silent.
Not wanting to alert the enemy, he had two beggars keep an eye on the lady and then visited her every day when he had free time. He discovered that although she was confused, she would also have moments of lucidity each day.
It was at this moment that Xu Mo learned the reason why Magistrate Xu and his wife, who were so beloved by the people, suddenly became corrupt officials and were quickly beheaded and had their property confiscated.
It turned out that the advisor had betrayed Magistrate Xu.
"He betrayed us, but he didn't get away with it. He was silenced. I was born beautiful and survived. I served this person and that person, but in the end, I was kicked out and had to beg for a living."
"Young master, your aunt was confused. Your aunt knows she was wrong, she knows she was wrong."
Tears streamed down her face; she was truly filled with regret.
Unfortunately, time cannot be turned back, and the dead cannot be brought back to life.
Xu Mo clenched his fists, using great effort to restrain himself, and only asked, "Then, Auntie, are you willing to let the executioner receive the punishment he deserves?"
Having obtained witness testimony and physical evidence, we now have an undeniable piece of evidence: a dark blue longsword.
Xu Mo was determined to bring down the magistrate of Xieyang County, even if it meant sacrificing his chance to take the prefectural examination!
In early March, except for Zheng Ruqian who was delayed for a day or two because of harvesting vegetables, the rest of the siblings packed their things, boarded a rented carriage, and headed straight for Anshui County.
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