Chapter 109 Take him away! Money (Bonus Chapter...)
"This is the best I can do for you." Zhang Ji glanced at the sky, stopped the carriage on the outskirts of Liuzhou, and looked troubled.
His village isn't far from here, and if he doesn't go back soon, it will be too late.
"Thank you so much, Brother Zhang. I'll treat you to some fun next time, and Brother Hu can come along too." Qi Chengming and Hu Hong were filled with gratitude. Zhang Ji was such a kind and honest young man, and they were glad to have made such a good friend.
"Brother Qi, you had a really good time today." Hu Hong said, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes as he lowered his head and clutched his bundle tightly. "I plan to go back and ask my aunt again... about the Yang family's background in Yulin Prefecture. Today's fight shouldn't affect anyone's future."
Hu Hong spoke as if trying to comfort himself, his face showing a hint of unease.
No matter what, he was just a farmer's son, and he didn't even have the confidence to watch a spectacle, worrying that he would get tired.
"—After you've asked around, send me a letter too," Qi Chengming said. He already trusted these anonymous friends of his, and smiled reassuringly, saying confidently, "Everything will be alright."
Qi Chengming wasn't the kind of person to make empty promises, and he knew that such vague words wouldn't comfort Hu Hong, so he added, "Your Highness is the law of Liuzhou. If the Yang family dares to go too far, we can simply go to the yamen to file a complaint."
The effect of these words was immediate. Since Hu Hongjia was the first to propose the idea of the Star Lord Temple, he was naturally among the most devout and grateful. The worry on his face miraculously disappeared in an instant, and he said with certainty, "That's right! With the Prince standing up for us, no matter how powerful the Yang family is, they can't be as powerful as the Prince."
"I'll come visit you again when I have my next day off! And then I'll treat you to a meal!" Hu Hong gave a long bow, then turned and ran off quickly. He hadn't forgotten the casual promise he'd made earlier, as if in jest.
"That's great." Qi Chengming thought of the scooter that Hu Hong had mentioned three or five times today, and he already had an idea of what to play with next time they met. A smile appeared on his lips, and he slowly set off.
Since Wen Er left, he's lost a place to relax. Now, when he's under a lot of pressure, hanging out and drinking with these friends every now and then is a truly wonderful thing.
...
When Qi Chengming returned to Liuzhou City, covered in dust and grime, carrying his box full of books that had been lost, the rare sunlight on the horizon was already slanting. Qi Chengming felt drowsy as the setting sun burst forth, and he could barely stay awake.
Upon entering the city, the imperial guards who had accompanied him no longer hid and reported the whereabouts of the brother and sister: "—After visiting the Star Lord Temple, they stayed at the home of the Wen family in the city, saying they were related by marriage. The Wen family even called a doctor once, so they should be staying in Liuzhou for the next few days."
"Keep an eye on them for now. Let me know when the Qi family receives Brother Hu's letter, or when the investigators return from Yulin Prefecture." Qi Chengming yawned, waving his hand, "I don't have time to deal with them right now."
Upon returning to the Prince's residence, he hastily ate two large bowls of snail rice noodles—yes, made with real snails and rice noodles, the broth seasoned with several precious spices, pepper and chili, to create a fragrant, spicy, and appetizing flavor. It was also served with pickled bamboo shoots, a favorite of wealthy families in Liuzhou, as well as classic fried eggs cooked in an iron pot and some leafy greens.
It smelled delicious and stinky at the same time, it was so delicious that it warmed my whole body and slid into my stomach.
Then Qi Chengming took a quick shower, changed into dry clothes, and went to sleep.
Only the head palace maid Gan Tang and the other maids remained, covering their mouths and noses, their faces contorted with the stench: "...We are all unlucky enough to not be able to stand the smell of these sour bamboo shoots."
"Ugh!" One of the palace maids, struggling to hold it in, turned and rushed out, barely managing to control herself from making such a loud noise.
Gan Tang didn't punish her. The smell was too overpowering, lingering in the main courtyard for a long time. Even Gan Tang herself couldn't stand it and was extremely worried.
"Aunt Gantang, the pickled bamboo shoots don't usually smell this strong." Several eunuchs were frantically fanning the air with large palm-leaf fans, trying to get rid of the smell as quickly as possible. Their arms were aching. One of the eunuchs said with a long face.
"...I tried it once with my godfather. This kind of precious dish is only used by wealthy families. Who knew it would taste so... strong in hot soup?"
Xiao Dezi hurriedly summoned the imperial physician to examine his prince's pulse, unaware of the chaos unfolding in the main courtyard.
He was immediately overwhelmed by the stench as soon as he stepped inside, and couldn't help but explode in anger: "Who the hell is this—"
Xiao Chengzi stood guard at the door, having just lit incense and extinguished the lamp for his master. As he came out, he casually reminded him, "His Highness has just gone to sleep."
Xiao Dezi's outburst turned into a silent rage, his voice plummeting to rock bottom, his face turning ashen: "Who on earth cleaned the toilet and let the smell leak out?!"
Such a strong odor, there must be a leak somewhere! His Highness is still here, is he taking advantage of Eunuch De's easygoing nature?! What kind of behavior is this?!
The atmosphere tensed instantly, and Gan Tang's expression stiffened slightly. Admitting it wasn't an option, nor was correcting the Grand Eunuch; if anyone were to explain this farcical situation clearly… wouldn't that incur the Grand Eunuch's wrath?
Gan Tang dared not step forward, and the other palace maids and eunuchs dared not speak either.
Bishu, who was quietly doing physics problems in the back room, couldn't stand it anymore. She suppressed a laugh, pushed open the two windows, and said without any fear, "Eunuch De, don't be in such a hurry to scold them—that's the smell of the snail rice noodles His Highness was eating just now!"
In one sentence, Xiao Dezi was defeated.
When Qi Chengming slowly woke up the next morning, only Xiao Chengzi was left to serve him.
Xiao Chengzi seems to have grown taller, even taller than Qi Chengming—which is only natural, as the age of a personal eunuch should be several years older than that of a prince.
Qi Chengming was delighted. After wiping his face with a hot towel, he left feeling refreshed. This good mood lasted until Granny Liu sent someone to announce that the Qi residence had received a letter from Hu Hong—the honest child had written the letter overnight after asking the question that very day.
Qi Chengming then went to the flower hall, sat down, opened the letter, and read it carefully.
Today he wore a light green shirt. Young people are always thin and frail, not as thin as adults, but it made him look like a pine tree or an orchid.
Before he could finish his glance, Qi Chengming sneered, "...Shen Shuzhi! Why are you everywhere?"
Xiao Chengzi glanced at him suspiciously, but dared not make a sound, silently serving him tea.
In his letter, Hu Hong wrote that, according to his aunt from Yulin Prefecture, the Yang family was the most recognized family in Yulin Prefecture, with about a dozen households and a large and prosperous lineage. Although Yulin Prefecture was located in a remote area, it was prosperous because of its abundant production of pearls, jade, and spices.
That's how the Yang family rose to power. They had some connection with the Empress's family, and once they got into this business, no one dared to mess with them. The local magistrates, prefects, and inspectors were all more or less connected to the Yang family. They were the biggest local tyrants, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they could control everything.
Last year, Yulin Prefecture suffered a major flood, and an imperial envoy from the court stayed at the Yang family's residence, reportedly indicating a close relationship. The Yang family was truly someone they couldn't afford to offend…
The information Hu Hong could get from his aunt was limited to this rough outline. The letter also mentioned that his aunt was terrified and repeatedly warned him not to have any conflict with the Yang family. The Yang family members were all domineering; they would only make things more difficult for their own family members if something happened to them. Unless they had offended someone they shouldn't have, they would help even if a member of a collateral branch came to them for help. That's how they grew up as a close-knit group.
Qi Chengming couldn't hold back his emotions when he saw this.
The imperial envoy who went to Yulin Prefecture during the great flood, wasn't that Shen Shuzhi?
By now, Qi Chengming was almost speechless. He'd said it countless times: this guy's taste—it was absolutely awful!
Before long, the traveler who had gone out to inquire returned, looking travel-worn. He looked pleased with himself for having accomplished his mission, and upon entering the flower hall, he knelt on one knee and cleverly said:
"Your Highness, please see this news about the Yang siblings, as well as some of the evidence of their crimes."
"Evidence?" Qi Chengming asked again, puzzled. Xiao Chengzi took the paper from Youzi and handed it to him.
You won't believe it until you see it, and what you find will shock you.
It turns out that the Wen family in Liuzhou is the maternal grandmother's family of the Yang siblings. The two siblings came to Liuzhou for a short stay while visiting relatives. They complained all the way. The siblings were originally very unwilling, but they couldn't resist being forced to come to Liuzhou by their family. They said it was a short stay, but they didn't know how long they would stay. They only knew that the Wen family had been buying lots of new things these days, so it seemed like they were going to stay for a long time.
So the two of them started arguing as soon as they left Yulin.
First, the young man surnamed Yang kicked the servant boy so hard he died, then dragged him away and buried him on the spot. One of his close servants, overwhelmed with grief, tried to secretly buy a string of paper money to burn while he was out—in Liuzhou, however, a ration coupon was required. The Yang siblings had been given a coupon to get there, but where would a servant boy get such a precious item?
He was used to relying on his master's power, so he robbed the local people of paper money and secretly burned it back home, shedding a few genuine tears.
Another young lady surnamed Yang wanted to eat fresh fruit, so she sent her maid to buy some. Along the way, she was picky about this and that, and threw the tasteless fruit out of the carriage, causing a scramble among the refugees... But then the young lady had the fruit picked up and thrown under the horses' hooves to be trampled on, forbidding the filthy refugees from eating the fruit she had smelled.
The commotion nearly escalated into a major disaster, but it was only thanks to the bravery of the guards protecting the Yang siblings, who killed a number of people, that they managed to carve out a path and allow them to continue their journey...
Qi Chengming couldn't hold back any longer after seeing this: "It's causing such a mess, isn't anyone going to do anything about it??"
Time was short, and the information that Youzi got from the Wen family wasn't very detailed, but he still had something to say: "The only people in charge of the Yang family's caravan are these two siblings; there are no other elders."
...This means no one can control them anymore. Even if the two cause trouble again, the servants and guards will have to bite the bullet and clean up their mess.
Qi Chengming suppressed his anger and looked again.
After nearly getting into trouble, the Yang siblings had to behave themselves for the time being. Until two days ago, when they arrived at the Wen family in Liuzhou and had just caught their breath, the bored siblings heard that many people had recently gone to Eagle Cry Mountain for spring outings and sightseeing. After that, the argument with Qi Chengming happened.
The brother and sister, filled with resentment, went to the Star Lord Temple to pray and try to dispel their bad luck. However, because ordinary people wouldn't give way to them, a conflict broke out in the street, and many unpleasant things were said...
"Troublemakers! Why are they always causing so much trouble?!" Qi Chengming was even more annoyed. A surge of anger welled up inside him, and he slammed his hand on the table, making his palm go numb from the impact.
"It must be because the Yang family gets everything they want in Yulin Prefecture," Youzi replied, a hint of sarcasm and cold smile on his face. "This trip to Liuzhou has already been a setback for them."
It's obvious that the brother and sister had never experienced such hardship before. They were already in a bad mood from the moment they were forced to leave home, and after all the trouble they'd gone, they felt dissatisfied with everything. The people of Liuzhou certainly wouldn't tolerate them; how could they possibly have an easy time like this?
Qi Chengming couldn't stand it anymore. They'd only been in Liuzhou for a day or two, and the brother and sister had already caused so much trouble. Besides, when they first arrived in a remote county of Liuzhou after leaving Yulin Prefecture, they were oppressing refugees and robbing people—that was also under his jurisdiction!
Is this some kind of assumption that no one can deal with the Yang siblings?
Qi Chengming's patience had reached its limit. His face was cold, and without uttering a single unnecessary word, he pointed to the ground outside:
"Offended by Your Highness—take him away!"
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Author's Note: Second update!
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