"What?!" Deng Yun’s eyes almost burst with rage as he grabbed the messenger by the clothes, "What did you say? Our people were taken away by the Prefect of Shuntian’s men? Why? Why would they arrest our people?"
They hadn’t come to the Capital to marvel at its prosperity nor to get acquainted with a few minor officials from the Manufacturing Office; they were here to compete for the Empress Dowager’s selection.
The craftsmen they had brought to the Capital were arrested, so even if they managed to devise a way to be selected for a position at the Manufacturing Office, without craftsmen to do the work, it wouldn’t matter. Moreover, if these people were thrown in jail and the Prefect of Shuntian’s men took the opportunity to break their limbs or damage their brains—since injuries to tendons and bones take a hundred days to heal—they’d be ruined all the same.
The messenger, struggling to keep from being choked by Deng Yun, managed to get out, "They say... they say that a few days ago we dumped snakes into the courtyard of the Song Family’s large residence on Diagonal Street No. 2 Alley and got reported."
Deng Yun shoved the messenger away, his eyes burning as he glared at Song Jiyun.
Song Jiyun was bewildered upon hearing this.
She hadn’t ordered anyone to report to the authorities.
Could it be that something else had happened afterward, and Zhou Zheng and the others reported it?
With a cold laugh and a direct stance, Song Jiyun said, "Heaven watches all. If you hadn’t committed those shameless acts, why would the Prefect of Shuntian arrest you? Or are you trying to question the justice and integrity of the Shuntian Prefecture?"
Even if Deng Yun had such thoughts, he couldn’t voice them out loud.
Clenching his jaws tightly, he managed to squeeze out a few words after a long while, "Watch your back."
But Song Jiyun was not one to back down, saying, "You dare threaten me in front of the governmental yamen. Lord Liu, I wish to report this."
She bowed to Lord Liu and said solemnly, "I ask that you bear witness when the time comes."
Only then did Deng Yun realize too late that he was still standing at the entrance of the Manufacturing Office.
He hurriedly looked at Lord Liu.
Lord Liu’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
In a rush to explain, he said, "Lord, please don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t threatening her. It’s just that both our families rented yards by the Glazed Factory, and a dispute arose over some trivial matters, creating fissures. This accusation by the Song Clan is nothing but a plot to frame my family for injustice."
Song Jiyun was aggressively pressing, "Without evidence, you dare to spout nonsense. In the Capital, under the Emperor’s nose, you are still so bold. It shows how arrogant and overbearing your Deng Family must be in the countryside. Whether our Song Family has falsely accused you is not for you, a commoner, to determine with a mere few words."
As she spoke, she bowed in the direction of the Imperial Palace, "With the majesty of Heaven above, when the judgment from the Shuntian Prefecture comes, I will personally go to the authorities and accuse you of false accusation."
"You!" Deng Yun’s face was as ugly as it could get. As he spoke, he raised his fist like a hammer.
But just as he was about to swing it, as if remembering something, he awkwardly lowered his fist.
But it was too late.
Ji Shuanghu had already pulled Song Jiyun behind him and shouted, "Deng Yun, what are you trying to do? This is the Capital, broad daylight—do you still dare to commit violence?"
"I’m not! I didn’t!" Deng Yun clenched his hands into fists, teeth clenched in anger as he spoke.
"If you weren’t about to commit violence, what were you raising your fist for?" Ji Shuanghu pressed relentlessly.
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding!" Deng Datong, who had been silent like a clay statue up to this point, now got in between Ji Shuanghu and Deng Yun, looking desperate and sweating profusely. Yet his words were logical and clear, "My younger brother is a bit impulsive, but he’s not unreasonable. Besides, with Lord Liu here, how could we dare to offend Lord Liu and embarrass him?"
He spoke as if Lord Liu was someone from their own household.
Lord Liu’s face darkened even further, but he was forced to step in and defuse the situation.
He gave Deng Datong a deep look and commanded, "Enough! Let’s all say less and find out what’s really happened to the Deng Family’s people."
After all, they were summoned to the Capital by the Manufacturing Office, and if something happened to them, it would reflect poorly on the Manufacturing Office itself.
Everyone respectfully replied, "Yes."
Lord Liu commanded Ji Shuanghu, "You stay behind for the moment, I have more questions to ask you."
He clearly intended to extricate him from this conflict.
Ji Shuanghu hesitated somewhat.
Seeing this, Song Jiyun soothed him with a slight nod.
After pondering, Ji Shuanghu followed Lord Liu.
Deng Yun’s eyes immediately flashed with a murderous look.
Song Jiyun laughed scornfully, unafraid.
"You!" Deng Yun took several angry steps forward, his rage peaking.
Deng Datong grabbed him and whispered sharply, "Go to the yamen and see what’s happening. With your fourth brother absent, what do you plan to do?"
Deng Yun struggled to contain himself, his face turning red and neck bulging as he swallowed his anger, assisting Deng Datong into the palanquin.
Deng Datong did not give Song Jiyun so much as a glance from beginning to end.
Song Jiyun watched their retreating figures with a smile.
It seemed that this "Porcelain Fool" was not the least bit foolish!
She said to Zheng Quan, "Let’s hurry to the Shuntian Prefecture as well, whoever filed the complaint, we can’t let them be wronged."
Since the current era followed the principle "no litigation by the people, no prosecution by the government", the Shuntian Prefecture’s detainment of the Deng Family, especially when it was related to the Song Family’s affairs, most likely meant someone had filed a complaint. And her unawareness might be because she served at the Manufacturing Office and the complainant couldn’t notify her in time.
This could very well have been an unexpected incident.
Zheng Quan assented, directing the coachman aside and took the reins himself to hasten to the Shuntian Prefecture with Song Jiyun.
However, no sooner had they turned out of the alley of the Manufacturing Office than they encountered Wang Hua.
He hopped off his carriage and hurried over, smiling, "Miss, Brother Zheng Quan, are you heading to Diagonal Street? What did the Manufacturing Office say? Are they in a rush to start firing the kilns?"
Their residence in Pocket Alley was in the north of the city, whereas the workshop on Diagonal Street was in the south. Seeing them not heading north, Wang Hua assumed they were going south.
Zheng Quan, worried about how to inquire about the situation with the Deng Family, upon seeing him said, "You’re just in time. Tell me, do you have a way of speaking with the people at Shuntian Prefecture?"
He relayed the incident to Wang Hua.
Far from taking it seriously, Wang Hua laughed it off, "I just came from the Shuntian Prefecture; I was the one who submitted the complaint."
Suddenly using the Suzhou dialect, he cursed and said contemptuously, "Didn’t they know where they were? Daring to throw snakes at our workshop, I’ll make sure they shed a layer of skin or my name isn’t Wang."
Song Jiyun said coldly, "If you didn’t bear the Wang surname, what were you planning to change it to? Shao, perhaps?"
Wang Hua looked surprised, then somewhat aggrievedly called out, "Miss," and murmured, "I... I was just trying to stand up for the Miss. Those bastards, they clearly are the type who bully the weak and fear the strong. You’re about to participate in the selection at the Manufacturing Office, and having such a swarm of flies buzzing around you, even if it’s not troubling, it is certainly annoying!"
Song Jiyun glanced at him, "Did I tell you that I found them annoying?"
"No!" Being selected by Yuan Yunzhong to be placed beside Song Jiyun, both intelligence and quick-wittedness were essential. He promptly bowed and apologized to Song Jiyun, "Miss, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have taken matters into my own hands. Please forgive me this time. From now on, I will definitely discuss everything with you first and only proceed with your consent."
He also put on a pitiful face, his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Song Jiyun, "I was sent by the young master to serve you, if you send me back, the young master surely won’t want me either. Being chosen to serve the young master, my grandparents, parents, and siblings all said our family’s ancestral grave is smoking with fortune, and they were so happy! Please don’t send me back. I will surely follow Brother Zheng Quan earnestly in the future."
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