This afternoon, Zhong Mingwei and Gu Changlin were drinking tea and chatting, and Gu Changlin told them about his past friendship with Ding Yunwen. Both of them were filled with emotion.
"So, it's not my tears and snot that got Mr. Gu here, but Lord Ding has a lot of face." Pang Yi laughed, reaching for the last big bone in the bowl. "Speaking of which, Lord Ding is my master and father-in-law. He really feels sorry for me. He can't take care of himself, but he still cares about me so much... Ouch!"
Pang Yi was talking excitedly. Zhong Mingwei slapped his hand. Pang Yi immediately put down the big bone and looked at Zhong Mingwei aggrievedly. He muttered softly: "Madam said that there is a bone for me to eat..."
Zhong Mingwei ignored him and brought the whole bowl of soup to himself, raising his chin. He said to Pang Yi, "If you want to eat it, heat it up yourself. We have plenty of meat at home. Do it yourself."
"I'll tell you when I see you again, Madam..." Pang Yi muttered indignantly. He obediently lit a fire to steam sticky bean curd and braised pork, and then he seemed to remember something. He slapped his thigh and said to Zhong Mingwei, "Master, guess what? You really guessed it right! The Jinyiwei really has power in Ningguta!"
"Oh? Have you learned a lesson today?" Zhong Mingwei put down the big bone in his hand and looked at Pang Yi, "Tell me, what happened?"
"Yes, I obey your command." Pang Yi was busy telling Zhong Mingwei everything that happened during the day, without missing a single detail. He naturally omitted the part about Xiao An, and just said that he had a conflict with the proprietress, which led to the subsequent events.
"So Prefect Fang and the Imperial Guards are on the same side," Zhong Mingwei nodded, and said with relief, "We bet on the right horse this time."
"Isn't it? After this incident, the Imperial Guards will naturally make a big fuss about it. The Jinyiwei will certainly not be able to get away with it. The Imperial Guards are grateful to us," Pang Yi also nodded, "and I think the Eight Tigers of the Jiang Family are really arrogant and domineering. They usually cause trouble to the village. This time, we have wiped out this group of bullies, which is a good thing. It will prevent them from continuing to harm the villagers of Ningguta, and will also prevent this group of troubles from suddenly attacking us in the future."
"The Eight Tigers of the Jiang Family?" Zhong Mingwei was stunned. "Didn't you just say that there were only seven people fighting you?"
"Yes, there are indeed only seven people, and the third son of the Jiang family is missing. He is not in Ningguta now," Pang Yi explained. "The third son of the Jiang family is the most low-key one among the eight tigers of the Jiang family. He has always been elusive. Sometimes he doesn't come back to Ningguta for several years. I heard from the neighbors that he was seen coming back last spring, but he disappeared again after a few days. I don't know where he went."
Zhong Mingwei's fingers were trembling. He put down the big bone in his hand, wiped his hands, and said in a deep voice: "He should have gone to the capital."
Pang Yi was stunned: "Master, how did you know? Could it be that you know the third son of the Jiang family?"
"Last winter, the person who sent me from the capital to Ningguta was named Jiang," Zhong Mingwei spoke softly after a long while. He looked extremely ugly, as if he had recalled some terrible memories. He continued to speak after a long while, "At that time, I thought the people who sent me to Ningguta must be the Imperial Guards, but I didn't expect it to be the Embroidered Uniform Guards. It seems that my father... my father was cruel at that time."
The Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards were both secret forces controlled by Wansui himself, but the two forces had different uses, which outsiders did not know. However, Zhong Mingwei knew it best. The Embroidered Uniform Guards had always been doing things that were not allowed to be seen in public. Why did Zhong Zhiheng send an Embroidered Uniform Guard to escort him to Ningguta, which was within the influence of the Imperial Guards? This obviously had a deeper meaning.
Pang Yi naturally thought of it, but he was still shocked: "Your Majesty, he...how could he do that?"
Zhong Mingwei did not answer him. He just silently wiped the oil stains on his hands clean, then threw the handkerchief aside. He pursed his lips bitterly: "Fortunately, there was a queen mother in the palace who was willing to make a fuss for me. Otherwise, how could I live to this day? I am afraid I would have died a long time ago."
Yes, if the Queen Mother had not been so angry and ill at that time, Zhong Zhiheng would have been worried and Zhong Mingwei would have been killed by Old Jiang.
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