One hundred and fifty-three
When Sect Leader Zhou learned that his second son had been assassinated, his legitimate son, Zhou Mu, the eldest son of the Zhou family, also received the news.
He asked the person who sent the message in surprise, "How is Zhou Yi doing now?"
The messenger replied: "The Second Master's arm was seriously injured and he was carried back to the mansion covered in blood.
"How could such a murder happen suddenly?"
"And I inquired a little, and it seems that the assassin suddenly appeared when the Second Master was meeting an old friend."
Zhou Mu then became puzzled: "Didn't he go out of town to Yanshan to pay respects to his stepmother today? Why did he suddenly appear in the teahouse?"
After Zhou Yi returned to the Zhou family, Zhou Mu sent people to pay attention to his whereabouts to prevent any accidents from happening during the days he was back.
The man shook his head. "Early this morning, the Second Master and his wife, along with the young man and his daughter, all boarded the carriage, which left the city. As for why the Second Master appeared at the Yong'an Teahouse in the city, I have no idea. I only know that the Second Master went to see them alone."
Zhou Mu frowned slightly and asked again, "Did you find out who you met?"
"It seems like he is an old member of the army."
Hearing this, Zhou Mu tapped the table from time to time, lowering his eyes in thought.
What did Zhou Yi do when he met his old subordinates in the army?
Zhou Yi's confidants were demoted for embezzling military funds. As time went on, he used various methods to expel these people from the army. Some of them stayed in Yuzhang, while some had already left and returned to their hometowns or disappeared.
He is also looking for people whose whereabouts are unknown.
That person knew the truth about the misappropriation of military funds.
He hoped that he was dead, but he was also afraid that he was still alive.
If Zhou Yi wanted to meet his old military subordinates just to reminisce about the past, why did he pretend to be out of the city and go to meet them secretly?
Could it be that he wants to re-investigate the misappropriation of military funds four years ago?
*
In Luoying Courtyard, Mrs. Zhou and her son and daughter went to Yanshan to pay homage to their stepmother-in-law. Their mother had not returned yet and there were no female relatives around, so everyone who had accompanied them crowded into the courtyard.
Today, County Magistrate Zhou went to the teahouse alone in secret. If he had not met Fu Wei who helped him on the way, he would have been in great danger.
In the room, two yamen runners were helping, and Fu Wei cleaned and sutured County Magistrate Zhou's wounds.
Fu Wei had assisted Yu Ying, and while Yu Ying was teaching Fu An how to sew, she also called the two brothers Fu Wei and Fu Zhen to teach them together, saying that having an extra skill could help them save themselves and others when they were away from home.
Yu Ying had prepared a lot of suture tools and medicines, and was still preparing them. When Fu Wei came, Yu Ying prepared two sets for him.
When Sect Master Zhou arrived, Fu Wei had already sewed halfway.
Sect Leader Zhou had been in a high position for decades, and his aura was as majestic as a rainbow. From the moment he entered the courtyard, the yamen runners from Yu County almost held their breath and stood on both sides to salute.
There were many people standing in County Magistrate Zhou's house, so he knew which house they were in without asking.
Sect Leader Zhou walked outside the house, glanced at the yamen runner beside him, and said in a deep voice: "Open the door."
The yamen runner was a man who could read people's expressions. He seemed to sense his displeasure and hurriedly said before opening the door, "Mr. Fu's wife is a well-known female doctor in Yu County. Not only is she a skilled doctor, but her skill in suturing wounds is also amazing. Mr. Fu also learned this skill from Madam Yu, so there is no problem with her suturing."
Probably in order to speak, he opened the door very slowly, and only opened it after he had finished speaking.
Sect Master Zhou lowered his eyes and thought for a few breaths before stepping into the house.
After entering the house and looking inside, I saw my second son sitting shirtless on the edge of the bed. There were some small bloodstains on his body from being injured by a sharp weapon, and there was even a wound about the length of a thumb on his forearm.
After cleaning and applying some medicine, there was no more heavy bleeding, only blood seeping out slowly. The flesh and blood in the places where there were no stitches were turned outward, which was a bit shocking.
The needle and thread shuttled through his flesh, but he frowned, closed his eyes, and pursed his lips, without making a single cry of pain. His back remained straight, and he sat as steady as a mountain.
The second son is a good candidate to become a military general.
This point, Sect Leader Zhou has never denied, so rather than licking his son's boots, it is more about loving his talent.
If the embezzlement of military funds had not occurred a few years ago, he would have let his son gradually take over the management of military affairs.
Even though there was an incident of embezzlement of military funds, he knew that the world would not be at peace in the future, so he would get him back sooner or later, but he had to teach him a lesson first.
Coming back to his senses, he looked at the wound that was being sutured.
Hands are the foundation of a military career. If they are useless, how can one gain a foothold?
Sect Leader Zhou shifted his gaze from his second son to the young man who was concentrating on stitching.
She didn't seem to notice him coming in.
Sect Leader Zhou was knowledgeable and experienced, and he certainly knew the art of suturing, but few doctors dared to try it because if the suturing was not done properly, inflammation and suppuration would occur, and the high fever would not subside.
How dare this young man sew it up rashly?
And this suture requires tweezers?
If you look closely, you'll find that even the stitches used for the sutures are a bit strange.
It looks like stitching, but it's not ordinary stitching.
Normally, when suturing, you just use an embroidery needle, put some anesthetic in, and start working. Why would you need so many things?
Erlang's little aide seems to have some real skills.
Hearing is not as good as seeing. Just now, when I was standing outside the door, I didn't quite believe that this young man knew any suturing skills. Now that I saw it with my own eyes, I believed the words of the yamen runner a little more.
At this point, they were already halfway through the sewing, so Sect Leader Zhou stopped and interrupted their thoughts, standing with his hands behind his back under the moon gate and watching every move inside.
The manager behind him also stopped and looked inside curiously.
I don’t know how long it took, but the stitches were done, the bleeding stopped, and the wound didn’t splatter like normal stitches.
This suturing technique is indeed quite interesting. I wonder if it will cause symptoms of inflammation and pus like ordinary suturing?
If not, maybe it can be used in the military and reduce casualties.
Fu Wei bandaged Magistrate Zhou's wound, and the two yamen runners breathed a sigh of relief. When they raised their heads to stretch their necks, they saw the people outside and were startled. They suddenly stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Sect Master."
Fu Wei turned around and bowed to Sect Master Zhou: "Greetings, Sect Master."
County Magistrate Zhou opened his eyes, stood up from the bed, and respectfully called out, "Father."
Sect Leader Zhou walked slowly into the inner room and sat down on a chair nearby. He glanced at the bandaged wound and then at Fu Wei.
"You are the son of the former Wuling prefect, Fu Taishou."
Fu Wei calmly replied, "I am indeed a son of the Fu family."
Sect Leader Zhou looked him up and down and nodded, "He does look a bit like your father."
This statement clearly means that he knew Fu Wei's biological father.
Fu Wei learned from Aying that the bandits in Muyun Mountain were related to the Zhou family in Yuzhang.
The second in command of Mu Yunshan is his father's biological father, so it is not surprising at all to know that Sect Master Zhou knows his biological father. It is also within expectations.
"I heard that you learned this suturing technique from your wife. Where did your wife learn it from?"
Fu Wei replied, "My wife's father worked in the Imperial Hospital and has some medical knowledge. This suturing technique is based on improvements made by our predecessors. The needle and thread used have been modified, and supplemented with medicine and tweezers, it can reduce inflammation and suppuration of the wound."
Upon hearing this, Sect Leader Zhou's heart was moved, but his expression remained calm: "Your wife is indeed as capable as any man. If there is a chance, I would like to meet this extraordinary lady."
Fu Wei nodded and smiled, saying modestly: "My wife knows medicine, but she is not a remarkable woman."
He said the truth, but in his heart he agreed with what Sect Leader Zhou said.
Sect Leader Zhou praised him a bit, glanced at County Magistrate Zhou's arm, and asked, "Will your arm be healed?"
Fu Wei: "This level is fine, but you need to rest for several months."
Sect Leader Zhou pondered for a moment and thought that just a few months wouldn't have much of an impact.
"There are good medicines in the mansion. If you want to use anything, just ask the storekeeper to get it."
After saying that, he turned around and instructed the steward behind him: "Tell the warehouse to bring any medicine that Mr. Fu needs directly."
The steward nodded in response.
After giving the order, Danmo glanced at his son and said, "Okay, the rest of you leave, and the second one stays."
Several people in the room left one after another.
Several people left the house, and the last yamen runner closed the door. When Fu Wei turned around, he looked inside through the door that was not yet closed, exchanged a glance with County Magistrate Zhou, and nodded slightly.
After the door closed, he withdrew his gaze and waited outside.
Inside the house, Sect Leader Zhou asked, "You should have gone to Yanshan with your wife and children, why are you still in the city?"
When he arrived, the steward had already informed him of his son's itinerary for the day.
County Magistrate Zhou lowered his head and said, "I just met an ordinary friend."
Sect Leader Zhou: "Why would you let yourself go to meet an ordinary friend?"
"How could an ordinary friend be assassinated out of nowhere?"
"I heard that your friend ran away during the assassination attempt."
At this point, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who did you meet? What did you say?"
Several questioning questions were raised to County Magistrate Zhou, but he turned his head away and remained silent.
"Speak!" Sect Master Zhou's voice suddenly became heavy.
After a long silence, County Magistrate Zhou turned his gaze back to his respected father with a calm look. His expression was stern and hard. "My father didn't believe me about the embezzlement of military funds, but my grandfather did. The night before he died, he told me that he had secretly sent people to investigate over the years and found evidence that proved my innocence."
Sect Leader Zhou was slightly stunned.
How come he didn't know about his father's investigation into military pay?
Is there really a hidden story?
Sect Leader Zhou had no doubts and asked directly, "Who did you meet?"
"Someone who can prove my innocence." County Magistrate Zhou responded.
Sect Leader Zhou narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you even on guard against me?"
If you weren't on guard, why didn't you even say who it was?
"It's not that I'm wary of my father, but what happened today has made me trust no one. Those people weren't coming for me, but for that person."
When Sect Leader Zhou heard this, his expression changed slightly.
Magistrate Zhou continued his analysis, "Grandfather hasn't told anyone about his investigation. I met this person today in secret, but somehow word got out. Someone wants to silence me, and with my death, there's no evidence. This makes me even more convinced that the person who harmed me has been watching me the whole time!"
At this point, his aura was chilling, and he raised his injured arm and bowed to his father: "Please allow me to stay in Yuzhang for another month. If you still can't prove that I'm wrongly accused in one month, I will not mention this matter anymore."
County Magistrate Zhou frowned in thought.
The misappropriation of military funds was a matter of fact, with both witnesses and evidence, but what happened today was indeed strange.
Not only what happened today, even my father has doubts about this matter. Could there really be some other hidden story?
After a long moment of contemplation, he looked up at the man in front of him and said, "I'll give you twenty days at most. If you can't find out the truth within twenty days, you'll go back to Yu County and be the magistrate."
After saying that, he stood up neatly, turned around and walked out of the house.
He left the house, glanced at the people outside, his gaze lingering on Fu Wei for a moment, and then left the yard.
After Sect Leader Zhou left, Fu Wei said, "I'm going in to discuss today's matters with you, Master. You guys stay outside and watch carefully. Don't let anyone overhear our conversation."
The yamen runner outside the house responded.
Fu Wei stepped into the house, closed the door, and walked into the inner room.
County Magistrate Zhou, who was getting dressed, looked up at him, sneered, and said jokingly, "You are a very brave young man. I am ashamed of myself."
Fu Weiyi bowed and said, "I am sorry for the offense."
The story about the old man secretly investigating was fake, and was even proposed by Fu Wei just to make the sudden appearance of the witness less abrupt.
After all, there is no evidence after death, and it is not possible for Sect Leader Zhou to find out whether the old man has sent anyone to investigate. By the time he finds out, the truth about the military pay will also be clear.
The story about the witness was also fake. It was just that County Magistrate Zhou’s former military subordinates pretended to be mysterious people.
County Magistrate Zhou: "Which assassins escaped?"
Fu Weiying said: "Your Excellency's men escaped successfully, and the ones who were caught were truly desperate criminals."
At this point, Fu Wei smiled and said, "The right time and right place are on your side. It's obvious that God also wants to help you clear your grievances."
Yes, the time, the place and the people are all right.
Among the people Huo Minzhi was looking for was an old military subordinate of County Magistrate Zhou.
The man didn't want to take it at first, but when he heard it was related to the Zhou family, he wanted to find out who the other party was, so he pretended to do it together.
After learning that he was once an aide to his superior, he secretly found County Magistrate Zhou and told him that someone was trying to kill Fu Wei.
Fu Wei originally wanted to take advantage of Huo Minzhi's harm to himself and pretend to harm County Magistrate Zhou, so that Sect Leader Zhou would become suspicious of misappropriating military funds.
Unexpectedly, Tian was helping them, colluding with County Magistrate Zhou's old subordinates and knowing the killers' plans in advance. So he asked County Magistrate Zhou to pretend to burn incense to create an opportunity for the killers.
Knowing in advance their plan to lure Fu Wei out of the house, County Magistrate Zhou appeared in the private room where Fu Wei was supposed to appear.
Even if the assassin today insisted that he was here to assassinate Fu Wei, no one would believe it. Others might even think that he was deliberately confusing the public and avoiding the important issues, which would make Sect Leader Zhou even more suspicious.
Fu Wei's plan can be said to kill three birds with one stone.
One is to make Master Zhou suspicious of the misappropriation of reward money, so that he agrees to let County Magistrate Zhou stay to investigate.
The second is to deceive the mastermind behind the misappropriation of military funds, making him believe that a witness has appeared and causing him to lose his composure.
Third, it disrupted Huo Shanrong's plan. Even though he knew that it was Huo Minzhi who did it, the person he harmed was not Fu Wei, so he naturally could not say it openly, and he could not kill his own relatives for the sake of justice to make Sect Leader Zhou look at him with a higher regard.
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