Fu Qiyuan gripped the armrests of the chair tightly. Shock, anger, and pain flashed across his face, but he quickly regained his composure, though the fierce look in his eyes grew even colder.
He glanced at Magistrate Cao, his expression unreadable, and said, "To be able to trace back to the Pei family of Yuzhou, it seems that Magistrate Cao is quite capable in officialdom!"
Magistrate Cao's expression grew even more bitter. He said weakly, "Sir, the Pei family is the richest family in Yuzhou, and I've heard they also have connections in the capital. I didn't dare tell Miss Jiang the truth, after all, after all, the young master of the Jiao family is still studying in Yuzhou!"
Everyone knows the saying "the arm can't twist the thigh," but if Jiangshan can't resist seeking justice and insists on fighting a losing battle, he might end up implicating Jiao Sanlang as well.
Knowing Magistrate Cao's intention, Fu Qiyuan's expression softened, and his tone became much better. "You are too kind, Magistrate Cao! My official seal will be delivered soon. I will go to the county office to hand it over to you when I have time. I will be grateful for your help these next few days!"
"No, no, I haven't dared to. I've already prepared the case files and am ready to serve you at any time!"
Speaking of which, both Magistrate Cao and Fu Qiyuan were magistrates of the same rank, and Fu Qiyuan was a newly appointed official. Even if he was the eldest son of the Minister of Works, it wouldn't be enough to make him lower himself like this.
But! Everything has a "but"!
Fu Qiyuan was the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination and a protégé of the emperor; this alone was enough to make Magistrate Cao bow down in submission. Moreover, the power behind him was far beyond what a mere magistrate like Cao could match.
Magistrate Cao specially sent his wife and son to visit Jiao's mother, hoping to mend relations with the Jiao family and that this young nobleman would show some mercy if necessary.
Out of consideration for Jiang Shan and Sanlang, Jiao's mother extended her affection for Song Wanrong and Cao Qing to them, treating the mother and son with great warmth and politeness. Cao Qing already liked the Jiao family, and was especially considerate to Jiao's mother, constantly reminding her of "Ah Xian said in his letter," which made Jiao's mother closely associate this clever and adorable child with Jiao Sanlang.
Just after noon, Fu Qiyuan's personal servant, Fu Shu, walked in with a melancholy expression.
Fu Qiyuan glanced at him, "Still not eating?"
"Yeah, still kneeling there, what a blockhead!"
Fu Wen, that piece of wood, knows he failed to protect the country and is deeply sinful. He has been kneeling there without eating or drinking, only asking for death.
Ha, does death solve the problem? Does death give him back a lively, healthy mother?
Fu Qiyuan snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and headed straight for the courtyard.
In the courtyard, the newly arrived steward was instructing the new servants on the rules. Upon seeing Fu Qiyuan, they all greeted him politely.
Fu Qiyuan waved his hand and walked to stand in front of Fu Wen, who was hanging his head.
Fu Wen, using the alias Yuan Wen, slowly raised his head. The moment he saw his master, an unconcealable pain appeared in his eyes, and he lowered his head again.
"Do you really want to die? Don't you want to avenge Shan'er?"
With just one sentence, Fu Wen suddenly looked up, a burning flame blazing in his eyes.
"Get up, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself!"
When Xue Zhen helped Jiao's mother over, she witnessed Yuan Wen's sudden transformation from utter despair to complete revival.
Jiao's mother tilted her head slightly and asked Xue Zhen, "Xiao Zhen, what are they doing? Is he punishing Xiao Wen?"
Xue Zhen shook her head, "It wasn't Young Master Fu who punished Brother Yuan, it was Brother Yuan who insisted on kneeling. I don't know the specific reason why!"
Strangely enough, no one dared to disobey or question Fu Qiyuan's every word in this house, and everything seemed perfectly natural.
Now even chores like washing clothes, cooking, watering, sweeping, and brewing medicine are being taken care of by others, leaving Xue Zhen with only the task of accompanying Jiao's mother. Moreover, this young master Fu specifically instructed her to do it diligently!
As soon as Jiao's mother appeared, the steward and servants in the courtyard all came forward to pay their respects.
Mrs. Jiao rubbed her forehead, glared at the young man smiling at her in the yard, and said irritably, "Come here!"
Fu Qiyuan stepped forward, smiling as he awaited instructions.
The servants in the courtyard stared wide-eyed with curiosity as the old woman, who was clearly not in good spirits, angrily pointed at the head of the newly appointed county magistrate and cursed him.
“Don’t bully Xiao Wen. He hasn’t even had a hot meal or a sip of water yet. How can you be so heartless? Let me tell you…”
"Auntie, that's not how it is. Young master didn't bully me. It was my fault for not protecting Miss Jiang properly..." Fu Wen hurriedly tried to clear things up for the young master.
Jiao's mother's eyes flickered slightly, then she glared at her.
"You can go now, don't worry your aunt!" Fu Qiyuan waved his hand, and Fu Wen obediently retreated.
If Jiao's mother still couldn't discover something by this point, then she would have truly wasted all these years.
Feeling a pang of sadness and pain in her heart, Jiao's mother closed her eyes, ignored Fu Qiyuan, and turned to walk into the house.
Fu Qiyuan stretched out his long legs and took two steps over, naturally taking over Xue Zhen's arm to support Jiao's mother.
Jiao's mother's expression stiffened slightly. She wanted to shake off his support, but when she met his eyes, which were full of guilt, heartache, and pain, a certain barrier in her heart collapsed and crumbled completely.
"You, you...!" Jiao's mother, with tears in her eyes, pointed at Fu Qiyuan, trembling and unable to speak.
Fu Qiyuan blinked, forcefully suppressing the tears welling in his eyes, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Auntie, I fell and injured my head three years ago, and was seriously ill. I forgot some things, and my mind... isn't working very well. Please forgive me, Auntie."
Those few words struck Jiao's mother like a thunderbolt. She almost collapsed, clinging tightly to Fu Qiyuan, one hand gripping his firmly, her voice trembling as she said, "You mean...you mean three years ago...!"
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