At the same time, in the Jiao family compound, four burly men dressed in black and masked were kneeling on the ground, their faces pressed firmly to the ground.
Jiang Shan's back was sore from hitting the masked man too hard, and it took Jiao's mother a long time to massage it before she could recover. Jiao's mother also breathed a sigh of relief.
Look how scared this family is... Jiang Shan got angrier and angrier, and stepped forward to kick the man in black at the front, cursing angrily: "A bunch of despicable bastards, what grudge do you have? Burning my goods wasn't enough to vent your anger, you even wanted to burn my house. God should send down a lightning bolt to strike you all down!"
With one hand on her chest and the other slapping her thigh, Jiao's mother staggered forward and grabbed Jiang Shan, pulling him back: "Be careful, my son, you're pregnant!"
Wang Si Niang and Xue Zhen also stepped forward to break up the fight.
Wang Si Niang, half-embracing Jiang Shan, pulled her aside and kindly advised, "Alright, alright, with Lord Cao standing up for you, don't worry! Besides, we didn't suffer any losses; the fire wasn't even started, was it?"
She hasn't slept for three nights. She works in the shop during the day and stays here at night. She hasn't even gone home. All her hard work has finally paid off.
The head constable was Song Huan, Cao Qing's maternal uncle. He waited until Jiang Shan had vented his anger before waving his hand and taking the man away.
The courtyard finally quieted down. It had been a chaotic night, with chickens and dogs running around, even disturbing the neighbors. There had even been people climbing over the wall earlier, holding torches to watch the battle!
Qiao Shi bowed to the gentlemen on the walls of his neighbors' houses, explained the situation, apologized for disturbing them, and told them to come to the shop the next day to collect their coupons.
The neighbors happily went back to their houses to sleep, but the Jiao family sat together in silence, with no one willing to go back to their room to rest.
Jiang Shan yawned, his eyes still blurry with tears, and said listlessly, "It's almost dawn, how long are you going to sit here?"
Jiao's mother was the one who was most traumatized from beginning to end. No one told her what happened. She only knew that she was awakened by a fire when she was half asleep. Then people rushed into the yard shouting for help and to put out the fire. When she came out after getting dressed in a fright, she saw that there was already a fierce fight outside!
She didn't know how those masked thieves in black got in, nor did she know when the people from the yamen arrived. All she knew was that the yamen people eventually gained the upper hand and arrested all the thieves. Her beloved daughter, Jiang Shan, had also participated in the fight and had twisted her back.
She was still in a daze when Jiang Shan, yawning and covering her mouth, uttered those nonsensical and harmless words. Her anger flared completely. She pounced on Jiang Shan, twisting her arm and slapping it hard several times, her voice trembling with suppressed sobs as she cursed, "You wretched girl, you've almost killed me! You didn't even tell me! That knife almost slashed your stomach... I told you to behave, but you didn't listen to me and went out to fight! Do you want me to die?!"
As Jiao's mother continued her incoherent rant, Jiang Shan, without dodging or flinching, turned around and hugged her, saying sheepishly, "It's my fault, I deserve to be hit. Please rest for a while, and come back to beat me when you're refreshed, okay? I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd worry. Besides, plans can't keep up with changes, who could have imagined..."
"You're really too reckless. You just made arrangements for such a big thing without even informing us beforehand. Luckily, Brother Yuan was here, otherwise I would have been ready to fight them to the death!" Qiao Shi rolled up his sleeves, his mind quite unsettled.
Qiao Sheng quietly moved away from his father, looking down at his toes, trying his best not to let anyone see his unusual behavior.
He got a share too!
Jiang Shan hadn't kept this plan a secret from him and Master Yuan, and had specifically told him not to tell his father, fearing his father wouldn't be able to keep it a secret and would give himself away. He just hadn't expected the scene to be so spectacular; those people actually dared to use knives to injure people!
Thinking of this, Qiao Sheng awkwardly crossed his arms and rubbed them, his eyes involuntarily drifting towards Yuan Wen beside him.
Yuan Wen sat there calmly, acting as if it were none of his business, as if he wasn't the one who had chopped people with the axe earlier.
Ultimately, it was all Jiang Shan's idea. His job was to fight and protect the family, nothing more.
Jiang Shan, who was being watched by everyone, chuckled awkwardly and tried his best to shift the blame to others.
"Well, Uncle Qiao, as you know, the government is planning to wipe out that group in one fell swoop. Lord Cao said it's best not to make a fuss about it and we have to keep it from you. And look, it's working quite well, haha..."
"What's so good about it? Your mother was almost scared to death! When you rushed up to fight with a stick, your mother's legs went weak and she couldn't speak properly. And you, you're about to give birth and you're still trying to be brave!"
Jiang Shan felt bitter inside. She didn't want to put herself in danger, but the enemy was in the dark while she was in the light. If she didn't find a way to lure them out, who knew what other despicable tricks they might use behind her back?
If she couldn't offer substantial profits, why would Magistrate Cao send all his yamen runners to serve a powerless country woman like her? That's why she went to great lengths to plan this trade fair, promising all the profits to Magistrate Cao and his yamen runners.
Ultimately, she was merely leveraging the situation to create momentum and avoid harm. Fortunately, she escaped unscathed and got through this ordeal.
Everyone knew Jiang Shan's predicament. Not only was she busy running around with her big belly, but she also handed over the money to the county government with both hands in the end. What was it all for? Wasn't it all for the sake of her whole family's safety?
Seeing that Jiang Shan remained silent, Jiao's mother silently wiped away her tears, stood up and said, "The county magistrate should summon us to the county office tomorrow. Go and rest, don't stand here!"
After Jiao's mother spoke, no one insisted anymore, and they all silently went back to their rooms to rest.
Jiang Shan wanted to say something, but Jiao's mother ignored her and went back to her room with a sullen face.
"Sigh!" Jiang Shan sighed and remained seated.
Wang Si Niang took a few steps and then turned back, saying to Jiang Shan earnestly, "We can all see that your mother treats you like her own daughter. No matter what the reason, a mother can't just watch her child risk their life, especially since you're carrying the hopes of this family. How do you expect your mother to feel?"
Jiang Shan mumbled, "I didn't do anything, just got into a fight. I only attacked when I was sure of what I was doing. There were so many constables around, I wouldn't have suffered a loss..."
Wang Si Niang raised an eyebrow sharply, her voice becoming even more shrill, "In your eyes, this is just a fight? My goodness, this is a matter of life and death! That knife almost slashed your stomach! If anything had happened to you, not only your mother, but even I... I wouldn't want to live anymore!"
After saying that, he stormed off.
The summons from the county government came quickly. As the victim and the mastermind behind this "game," Magistrate Cao did not ask Jiang Shan to testify in court. Instead, he sent Jiao's mother and the Qiao family father and son to the county government.
They are the ones who have truly suffered injustice.
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