When Jiao's mother returned, Jiang Shan did not see a trace of joy or excitement on her face. Instead, she was gritting her teeth and very angry.
"What's wrong? But they haven't confessed?" Jiang Shan asked, puzzled.
Jiao's mother slammed her fist on the table and cursed angrily, "Those damned bastards! They said they were instigated by the villagers of Huaigu Village to take revenge on our family! We've already moved out of the village, what more do they want? Do they really want to fight us to the death?"
Jiang Shan narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning slightly cold. "Those villagers are nothing but a bunch of ignorant peasants; they can't command those thieves. But the people of Huaigu Village are no saints either; this matter is inextricably linked to them!"
"The county magistrate has already sent men to Huaigu Village to arrest the people, saying that the trial will be held on another day, and that we should come back first. Shan'er, what should we do? Should we really punish those villagers and put them in jail?" Qiao Shi asked with a frown.
“Something’s fishy about this!” Jiang Shan said, banging on the table. “Why would they go to Huaigu Village to find those villagers? If it was just to deal with me, they wouldn’t bother going all the way to Huaigu Village. Even if the villagers hate me to the bone, they wouldn’t dare to order people to kill or set fires! The villagers of Huaigu Village are just an excuse, but also a fuse. We need to follow this fuse to find out their true intentions!”
Jiang Shan's words made Jiao's mother feel inexplicably uneasy. She walked to the side and sat down, twisting the handkerchief in her hand tightly. Her expression slowly became dazed, and she seemed to be thinking about something.
Like being shrouded in a fog, Jiang Shan felt that if she parted the fog, she would see the exit ahead, but a voice in her heart told her that things were not so simple. It was as if a merciless hand was hanging behind her head, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.
What exactly is it? She doesn't remember the original owner's past experiences, so this mystery lingers in her mind, yet she has no clue what to do with it.
In the distant capital, Fu Qiyuan read Yuan Wen's letter word for word, his face expressionless.
He casually slipped the letter into his sleeve and said to his mother, who was sitting at the head of the table, "Mother, you don't need to persuade me anymore. I have decided to set off for Guyang County next month to take up my post."
Suppressing her anger, Madam Cheng's gaze lingered on Fu Qiyuan's sleeve for a moment before she asked, "Yuan'er, have you made friends outside? Good, more friends mean more help. Would you like your mother to introduce your friends to some influential people in the area?"
Fu Qiyuan said calmly, "It's the Crown Prince. He's still on duty in Zongyang County. He was very happy to hear that I'm going there to take up my post."
Madam Cheng secretly clenched the handkerchief in her hand, but her tone unconsciously turned serious: "Yuan'er, the Qingyang Marquis's mansion is not in a good situation right now. I know you are on good terms with the heir, but you don't need to take it too seriously. You don't need to take his words to heart. Your future is the most important thing!"
Looking at Madam Cheng's displeased face, Fu Qiyuan's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. "For me, peace of mind is my home, and living well is the only way to live up to everyone's expectations. Don't you think so, Mother?"
Cheng's face stiffened, and she was speechless for a long time.
Of course, she hoped her precious son would live a long and healthy life, but... she was ultimately unwilling to let her son's bright future be ruined by unrelated people.
“Yuan’er, your mother has suffered half her life and finally longed for you to return to your side. Your mother will leave everything to you. You have a bright future ahead of you, and now the emperor is favoring you. As long as you want to stay in the capital, you will definitely be able to…”
“Mother!” Fu Qiyuan interrupted Cheng Shi, raising his eyes to stare intently into hers. “If I say I am unwilling, what will Mother do?”
Mrs. Cheng was stunned, seemingly not expecting her son to react this way, and was momentarily at a loss.
“If Mother had never met me, if I had never returned to the Minister’s Mansion, everything Mother said would have been empty words to me, mere rhetoric. I never thought I would one day rise to prominence; my desire to make a name for myself was only to support and care for my mother…” Fu Qiyuan suddenly froze, his eyes gradually dimming.
Although he did not recall the past, he knew that as long as he made progress, his mother would be happy for him and would not care whether he achieved excellent results or received praise from noble people.
Fu Qiyuan suddenly stood up and said wearily, "Mother, you should be happy that you still have a son who can take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days. If you ask for too much, be careful that you will end up with nothing and nothing at all!"
Watching her son walk away without looking back, and pondering the unspoken meaning in his words, Madam Cheng finally couldn't suppress the rising anger in her heart. She screamed and smashed the teacup on the table.
That was her son! The flesh and blood she had carried for ten months and painstakingly brought into the world, yet he was always thinking about his adoptive mother, and even repeatedly disobeyed and betrayed her, his mother, for the sake of a lowly woman. How could she not hate him!
Fu Qiyuan returned to his study and called out "Jiao Da" to the outside. A dark, ghostly figure floated in through the window.
These were secret guards trained by his father, more than capable of handling ten ordinary soldiers at once. His father assigned him three secret guards, and he named them Jiao Da, Jiao Er, and Jiao San.
Jiao San was sent out to gather information, Jiao Er was in the capital to handle some clandestine relationships for him, and only Jiao Dayin remained by his side to protect him in secret.
"Get to Guyang County as soon as possible to protect Jiangshan... and the Jiao family. Don't ask me who Jiangshan is yet; I'll give you a letter explaining everything. If you encounter any problems, you can consult Fu Wen, but don't reveal your identity. Also, if you encounter the Pei family, don't engage in direct conflict. We'll decide everything once I get there!"
"Yes!" the guard replied, and then flashed out of the window.
Fu Qiyuan's appointment letter was delayed, and he had already guessed that his mother was behind it. Thinking of his father's indifference towards his mother, and the lack of any human warmth in this family, his heart grew increasingly anxious, and his desire to leave the capital and return to Guyang County as soon as possible became more and more urgent.
When Minister Fu saw his son push open the door without being announced and slam it shut with a loud bang, he was about to reprimand him, but when he saw his son's bitter and resentful expression, he couldn't help but laugh.
This son's thoughts are hard to fathom. He rarely shows his emotions and always has an unapproachable expression that keeps people at arm's length. Even his father rarely sees much of his emotional change.
Such a situation is truly rare; Minister Fu finally felt like a father.
This feeling is truly... indescribable!
"Do you have something to ask me?"
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