Chapter 65 Cousin Wang! (Bonus Chapter...)
The old guard was slightly taken aback after hearing this. He stayed a while longer, finished his drink with his brothers, and then returned, having completed his act.
Because of the distance, Qi Chengming hadn't heard anything until the old guard leaned close to him and whispered something.
"..." Qi Chengming was slightly taken aback.
Because he saw that, almost simultaneously, a slightly complicated look of understanding appeared on the face of the old woman busy in the shop, as if she knew what the shop next door was going to say, but she was indifferent and unwilling to explain.
The atmosphere froze awkwardly for a moment, and Qi Chengming suddenly felt a little guilty, as if he had been talking about someone behind their back.
"Everyone, all the goods are ready." After the old woman finished the handover diligently, she took down the wooden sign and walked out of the shop, which meant she was closing up shop.
"Grandma, are you going to find someone?" Perhaps to make up for his earlier guilty conscience, Qi Chengming quickly asked with concern.
The old woman forced a smile, but couldn't hide her worry. She said with certainty, "Shou'er is very filial and has always loved my daughter. He must have encountered some trouble."
What could possibly make a grown man linger on the next street for so long?
“Grandma, let’s go see her together.” Wen Er was a very loyal and compassionate person, so he said without hesitation. He had a bad feeling about this… in case something happened, he could help out.
Qi Chengming couldn't ignore it, so he and Bai Xuan immediately agreed. The group followed the grateful old woman and changed direction.
Before I had walked more than a few meters, I heard a panting voice calling from behind: "Sister Yang! Sister Yang!"
The old woman didn't realize he was calling her. It was the second young master Wen who first turned around and called out. Only then did the old woman belatedly turn around and see a well-dressed old man running towards her, panting and waving frantically: "Sister Yang, something terrible has happened! Come with me quickly—phew, your head magistrate has been arrested and taken to the yamen!"
The old woman was stunned for a moment, and almost collapsed.
The second young master Wen reacted quickly, and immediately tried to help her up, but then quickly switched to using a fan instead, not knowing if this was offensive.
Fortunately, the old woman staggered a couple of times but managed to steady herself. Her voice trembled as she tried to ask, "Brother, what's wrong? Shou'er... what happened to him?"
"I don't know. I only heard it from my niece-in-law. She said the person who was arrested looked like your family's chief guard..." The old man slapped his thigh anxiously.
At the entrance of a clothing shop on the other side of the "Yang Family Fruits" shop, a young man came out and called out, "Father?"
"Perfect timing! Quickly take Sister Yang and the others to the yamen! The magistrate has been arrested!" The old man, who was already panting and speaking in broken sentences, and whose legs were weak from running, suddenly had a bright idea in his eyes. He grabbed his son and started giving him orders.
The tall, strong young man dared not delay and quickly led the way, with the old woman staggering behind him.
Qi Chengming and the Second Young Master Wen exchanged a glance and followed behind.
The government office wasn't far away, and the crowd at the entrance hadn't dispersed yet, as if they had just watched a good show.
The old woman trembled as she pulled out a handful of loose silver from her bosom, which looked like she had just received it. She stuffed it into the arms of the yamen runner at the door and pleaded, "My lord, how was my husband, Yang Shou, arrested?"
"Yang Shou? Is he your son?" The constable looked the old woman up and down, glanced into the distance, and then became impatient, waving his hand in refusal. "Go, go, go! Just pretend he doesn't exist. Go back and live your life properly!"
"Sir! Sir!" The old woman tried to grab the money from her bosom, but the constables refused to accept it and pushed her away.
The old woman could only plead and cry.
“Something’s not right,” Bai Xuan said in a low voice from behind. “I’ve dealt with the government so many times… How could they arrest someone without even revealing their crime? Yang Shou isn’t anyone special. Besides, he’s just a yamen runner collecting money at the gate; he doesn’t even seem to want to take the money.”
Wen Zhongnan's expression remained calm, but his hand touched the sword tied behind his back: "I'm not surprised... I've encountered plenty of corrupt officials, and many incompetent and wicked ones too!"
"So how do you usually handle this?" Qi Chengming asked coldly, hiding himself behind the crowd.
“That depends on the environment… For places close to the capital, in bustling towns, I can rely on the Wen family’s reputation and connections.” Wen Zhongnan tightened his grip on the hilt of his raised sword, his tone dangerous. “For remote places like this, where we can’t get permission… we’ll have to rely on chivalry!”
“All my guards went with me, now we just wait for the results,” Wen Zhongnan said calmly.
Qi Chengming: "?"
Young Master Wen noticed his expression and added, "The constable glanced into the distance before speaking, which was suspicious, so my men followed him."
Even if one wants to act chivalrously, one cannot rely solely on conjecture; one must first understand the whole story before deciding whether or not to save someone.
Qi Chengming suddenly realized.
He still thought that the Second Young Master Wen was the kind of impulsive and naive young swordsman, but it was just his stereotype. In the original work, even in the early, incomplete version, the exceptionally talented Second Young Master Wen had been traveling for several years and was certainly experienced and seasoned.
I feel somewhat ashamed.
Bai Xuan was simply stunned and speechless.
...What kind of friends has he made!
A prince secretly fled his fiefdom without imperial decree. A scion of a prominent family dared to secretly attack a court official!
That's real torture; if word got out, it would mean losing your head.
"..." Bai Xuan suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis.
This wasn't about regret; it was about... three people playing together, the other two were in critical condition, and now only you were missing. Bai Xuan swore, based on his experience in dealing with people, that he absolutely had to join in immediately!!
This is for everyone's good.
"Count me in," he blurted out.
Chaos erupted at the government office, and the old woman was eventually driven away, sobbing.
"Grandma Yang, don't worry, we'll try our best to find out for you..." The tall, strong young man leading the way was very kind and tried his best to comfort his neighbor. Qi Chengming quietly called Uncle Huang over, and he understood and arranged for two veterans to follow the young man and the old woman at a distance to find out where they lived and gather information.
"Let's find a teahouse to rest for a while." Wen Zhongnan usually seemed leisurely, but at times like this, he was the most composed person. His tone became calm, and he stopped fiddling with his fan, instead gripping the end of the sword sheath behind his back with restraint.
The three of them then went to a nearby teahouse. From the private room on the third floor, they could clearly see the situation at the yamen gate through the window.
The others they brought either opened a separate room or simply had to work harder by standing guard outside.
In less than half an hour, three groups of people returned to give their reports.
Wen Zhongnan's guards said that after they dispersed, they saw the crowds on the street and found nothing unusual, so they focused on the shops on both sides and the pedestrians walking along the street. After checking, they found that only one departing pedestrian was suspicious.
He walked hurriedly, his expression relatively tense, and after several turns, he ended up on another street. His final destination further fueled suspicion about him.
Yes, that person eventually turned into the old "Red Millet" shop.
“Hong Sheng Su… Wen Er, isn’t that the place where you bought dried bayberries in Hezhou?” Bai Xuan asked curiously. His mind raced, and he immediately understood. His expression was a mixture of knowing and disgust. “Ah… could it be another underhanded tactic used by merchants to fight over something?”
Qi Chengming remained silent. He got up and went out, calling Uncle Huang to bring over a small jar from the ones he had bought. He then brought it into the private room, opened the seal, and tasted one.
It has a sweet and sour taste with a hint of saltiness, which doesn't ruin the flavor but instead adds a unique touch.
Although the bright red dried bayberries were much shriveled and not as sweet as fresh bayberries in season, the pickling technique was superb. They were covered with layers of snow-white frost, and tasted both sweet and salty. Each bayberry was round and plump, resembling a pill.
No wonder it's called Crimson Snow Elixir.
Although Qi Chengming hadn't yet tasted the dried bayberries from "Hong Sheng Su's" family that Wen Er had brought back, he had eaten modern dried fruit. All I can say is that the Yang family's techniques were truly excellent…
Would the "Red Millet" family feel threatened by this? Because of their power and influence, would they collude with the government to eliminate dissidents? Or, to put it more boldly, might they still want the formula?
The second group consisted of Qi Chengming's men; the veterans had already figured out where Granny Yang lived.
The innkeeper's account of her family situation was largely accurate. Her daughter was bedridden, and her young grandson dutifully cared for his mother. Her son-in-law, Yang Shou, was indeed a son-in-law who had married into the family. It was said that he had wandered into the village a few years ago, his origins unknown. Because he had lost half a hand and had a fierce appearance, he had almost starved to death. In the end, he was kindly taken in by the Yang family.
Later, he married into the Yang family and lived with them. The family planted a bayberry grove on the mountain. Originally, they were hungry for half the year and full for the other half. During the half year when the grove was empty, Yang Shou could only make a living by hunting, working, and doing manual labor.
But ever since Yang Shou mastered the technique of pickling bayberries, his life has become increasingly prosperous in recent years. His family even opened a shop in town. And every few days, they introduce new pickled bayberries, and they're always delicious…
Yang Shou is a kind and filial person. Although he sounds shrewd, he doesn't usually have any enemies. Currently, his biggest conflict seems to be with "Red Millet," a rivalry that is met with both jealousy and covetousness.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan was already astonished and couldn't help but speak out rudely.
He repeated, "Has half a hand missing? Scars on your face? You came here as a homeless person a few years ago?"
None of them had forgotten that their primary purpose in coming to Hezhou was to find His Highness's second cousin, who came from the Marquis of Weiyong's family and was the second young master of the Wang family who had disappeared on the battlefield many years ago...
And so, this is how it happened...?
It's impossible that they would have met other unrelated people by such a coincidence, and that they would also have suffered limb amputation, disfigurement, and an unknown background, right?
Wen Zhongnan was also surprised and shocked.
He didn't pay much attention to anything about the young master Wang except leading troops in battle. He only knew that the young master had suffered many hardships in the past, lost his memory, and then diligently practiced martial arts to regain his former skills. He never imagined… that he had once married into a family in Hezhou, and that his wife was a merchant who saved him? No, wait, should she be considered a farmer or a merchant?
There's another question...
If they don't interfere, wouldn't Young Master Wang also have the ability to come out?
Wen Zhongnan slowly thought about this question—after all, the young master Wang from many years later had recovered his memories and returned home safely.
But he never got the chance to verify it, because Wuyou didn't know, and he certainly wouldn't tolerate it—
"Once the people who went to the yamen to gather information return and confirm the situation, we'll have to discuss a rescue plan," Qi Chengming said, letting out a breath and speaking with a resolute tone.
Based on what we've seen so far, this person, whom we've never met and who seems to be our cousin, appears to be a good person, not someone who has committed a crime. It would be best if he was framed, so that Qi Chengming could rescue him without any guilt.
...After all, if my cousin really does go astray outside, how will we maintain this relationship? Should we tell my maternal family or not? That would be a huge headache.
Half an hour later, the third wave of explorers finally returned.
They brought important news: regardless of whether he was innocent or not, or how he was imprisoned, Yang Shou... looks exactly like the portrait that Young Master Wen showed them!
This person is Wang's cousin—it's confirmed!
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Author's note: My brain is spinning from exhaustion, this is only the second update today...
He passed away.
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