The clerk replied with a forced smile, "Your Excellency is joking. How could it be impossible? Our Prefect of the Capital has no grudge against Your Excellency. We wouldn't just randomly bring the aggrieved party here and insist on sending the young master to prison, would we?!"
The Duke was anxious, but dared not raise his voice. He lowered his voice as much as possible and said, "We have already taken care of the aggrieved party. This matter cannot be pursued any further. Even if a merchant family had the greatest audacity, they would not dare to go against our Duke's Mansion. There must be something wrong here!"
Logically speaking, although the Duke was ordinary and mediocre, living off the achievements of his ancestors, he was not stupid.
Unfortunately, there's a saying: "If it doesn't concern you, you'll be confused; if it does, you'll be confused."
Now that his only son is imprisoned and facing a murder case, he might be beheaded. He simply cannot stay calm!
The clerk, being a father himself, felt a pang of compassion and whispered, "The Duke is right. How could the aggrieved family change their minds? They have an audacity!"
He pointed his index finger to the bright sunshine overhead, then turned and went back.
The Duke was struck dumb, his mouth agape, and he remained speechless for a long time.
Such incredible audacity... such incredible... incredible?!
He seemed to understand, yet he didn't quite.
He was a duke who kept to his place and never took sides in court. He just wanted to keep his wealth and peace. How did he offend that person?
The attendant, watching from behind and worried that something might happen to his master, stepped forward and cautiously reminded him, "Lord Duke, wouldn't you like to return to the manor to rest?"
"Ah? No, to Grand Secretary Liu's residence!" The Duke suddenly came to his senses, jumped into the carriage, and told the driver to hurry up and leave.
In the Liu family courtyard, Liu Zhiheng was taking a rare rest today, lying in a rocking chair with his father, drinking tea and chatting idly.
That summer, Liu Zhiheng spent a lot of time traveling outside, living up to his official position.
He was already overweight, and after being so busy, he hasn't lost any weight at all; he's just gone from a fair-skinned fat man to a dark-skinned fat man...
Old Master Liu saw it all and felt deeply pained, but he didn't say a word.
Fortune favors the bold!
This official position was obtained so easily that countless people are envious and criticize it. Now that his son is tanned, he has worked hard and everyone who is not blind can see it!
When autumn comes and the corn and potatoes are plentiful, no one will dare to gossip anymore.
This arduous process is also a process of solidifying Qingyun Road!
The father and son were both happy when they talked about the upcoming harvest.
Just then, they heard that the Duke was coming to visit, which surprised them greatly.
Liu Zhiheng quickly went to greet the guests himself.
Although they didn't interact much with the Duke's mansion on a regular basis, and were only nodding acquaintances, the Duke was still a duke, so they had to show him some respect.
Soon, Liu Zhiheng led the Duke in.
Old Master Liu stood up to greet him and offered him tea.
The Duke had no interest in tea. He cut to the chase and said, "Brother Liu, I helped you when you first arrived in the capital. Now that I'm in trouble and have come to you for help, could you help me this time?"
Old Master Liu laughed upon hearing this. He had initially felt somewhat distant, but this "unceremonious" manner made him seem more approachable.
"Back when I first arrived in Kyoto, my purse was stolen by a thief in a teahouse. Thanks to you, I haven't forgotten you all these years, but you've never mentioned it. So why are you here today, demanding that I repay this favor?!"
The Duke sighed, as if a ball had been punctured by those words, instantly deflated and slumped down. "It's all because of my unfilial son. He was just arrested by the Prefect of the Capital!"
Old Master Liu is mostly at home, but recently he has been going to the Hundred Flowers Garden more often. He overheard a few words of gossip and asked, "Is it about the jealousy and rivalry? Didn't you subdue the aggrieved party and resolve the matter?"
The Duke looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "I've asked around, and the aggrieved party suddenly changed his mind and insists on holding my son accountable. Moreover, this aggrieved party has an audacity because..."
He pointed to the sky, his expression a mixture of anger and confusion.
Grandpa Liu and Liu Zhiheng exchanged a surprised glance.
Old Master Liu asked, "Are you sure this isn't just idle talk?"
The Duke nodded and sighed, "If I hadn't been certain, I wouldn't have come here. I only happened to help you out of a predicament back then, and now I'm shamelessly coming to your door asking for help; I'm embarrassed too."
"I really don't understand. You always seem to see that person, so have you heard anything? What did I do to offend that person? Our Duke's mansion has been keeping a low profile for years, how could we have offended that person?!"
Old Master Liu smiled faintly, "You're keeping your tail between your legs, but your son is practically walking around with his tail between his legs."
The Duke blushed, feeling as if he wanted to spit out a mouthful of blood; he was truly aggrieved.
He gritted his teeth and said, "He's the only one in the family to carry on the family line, so he's bound to be a bit spoiled. Once this is over and his life is saved, I'll lock him up in the mansion and let him have as many children as possible!"
Old Master Liu almost burst out laughing when he heard this. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I haven't been to the palace recently, and I haven't heard anything about the Emperor being dissatisfied with you. How about this, let Zhiheng go and find out!"
Liu Zhiheng understood, quickly got up, bowed, and left.
Old Master Liu spent an hour drinking tea with the Duke, feeling restless, when Liu Zhiheng finally returned in a hurry.
He didn't keep them in suspense and said as soon as he sat down, "The Northern Expeditionary Army has returned victorious, but the national treasury is empty and cannot afford to pay the pensions. The Ministry of Works also needs a large sum of money to repair the waterways..."
"I know that, I go to court too, and those people's arguments give me a headache," the Duke said anxiously. "But what does that have to do with my son?"
Liu Zhiheng coughed twice and continued, "At this time, the heir of the Duke's mansion was fighting with a wealthy merchant for a courtesan, spending thousands of gold coins. He even accidentally killed the merchant and paid a fine of ten thousand gold coins. After his servant took the blame, he remained at large and ran rampant in the streets."
The Duke remained silent for a long time, but his face grew paler and paler.
He finally understood!
The people in the court, or rather, the one in the palace, were starving and delirious. This pig of his had grown a lot of fat and was jumping around like a madman. Who wouldn't be envious?
Now that his manhood has been seized, it's up to him whether he waits for the knife to be used or cuts himself open.
Grandpa Liu couldn't help but shake his head. Spoiling a child is like killing him.
Despite the Duke's high rank, he was no match for him when it came to educating his son.
Thinking this, he looked at his eldest son, his eyes filled with pride...
Liu Zhiheng was drinking tea when he suddenly received a "loving" look from his father, and he almost choked on his tea...
After a long silence, the Duke finally stood up, cupped his hands in thanks to Old Master Liu, and said, "Thank you for today. I'll take my leave now."
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