Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Jiang Yunsui and the others had only just entered the city gates in their carriage when a clamor rose from the street ahead.

“Move! Out of the way!”

On the not particularly wide street, several young dandies were galloping wildly on horseback.

They paid no mind at all to the pedestrians and vendors in their path.

Quite a few people scrambled and tumbled aside in panic.

The street instantly descended into chaos.

Jiang Yunsui was leaning by the carriage window when she saw two children standing in the middle of the road get knocked down by the fleeing crowd. There was no time for them to climb back up.

“There are still people in the street!”

Her eyes went wide.

Ji Yan’an said, “Nanmo.”

Nanmo shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow, rushing forward and scooping up the two children just before the horses could trample them.

The young dandies burst into laughter at the sight. They had no intention of stopping and rode straight out through the city gates.

Jiang Yunsui could faintly hear their laughing voices drifting back.

“What a pity. No unlucky bastard today.”

Jiang Yunsui frowned, not quite understanding. In the animal world, the food chain existed because beasts that ate meat hunted in order to survive. But humans? Why did humans act like this?

“Were you frightened?”

Ji Yan’an’s voice sounded beside her. Jiang Yunsui nodded softly.

“Why would they do that?”

Ji Yan’an said, “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“Don’t think too much about it for now.”

Jiang Yunsui gave an obedient “oh” and sat back down.

“Then will they be like the bad people in storybooks? Will evil people get what they deserve?”

Ji Yan’an said, “They will.”

Anyone who dared be so arrogant was easy enough to identify with a little thought.

They would get their retribution, because… they had come here precisely to deal with the Li Family.

Nanmo carried the two children to safety and handed them back to their parents before returning.

They first found an inn and settled in.

The little incident soon passed. After Jiang Yunsui took a short midday nap, she turned back into a cheerful Little Mushroom and tugged Ji Yan’an and the others out onto the streets to buy things.

After visiting several shops, they discovered that goods here were more expensive than in other places.

Especially grain and rice.

Ji Yan’an and the others merely noted all of this silently.

After a few days of wandering around, they had more or less figured out the local situation.

It could be said that nearly every well-known shop in the county was controlled by the Li Family.

Whenever a new shop opened, if it refused to submit to the Li Family’s control, it would be suppressed until it could no longer survive.

This was especially true of shops that bought and sold jade.

In short, the Li Family stood alone at the top.

Jade was what this place was most famous for.

So there were many shops of that kind.

After several days of buying, buying, and more buying, Jiang Yunsui grew tired and no longer wanted to go shopping with them.

So what exactly had they come here to do?

Ji Yan’an and the others went out to handle business. Jiang Yunsui stayed alone at the inn, though of course she had maids with her, as well as Ji Si disguised as a guard.

While she was eating lunch, the little girl heard someone next door say that the county magistrate had returned.

Her ears immediately perked up. The county magistrate… wasn’t that Uncle Fan He?

“Magistrate Fan really came back? Wonderful! We’re finally saved.”

“Exactly. With Magistrate Fan gone, the price of grain got more ridiculous by the day. The worst part is, when they collected grain, they only paid a few coins for it. If people refused to sell, they sent those local thugs and scoundrels to make trouble. The grain tax has been getting higher and higher too. If you can’t hand over grain or money, they drag you off to quarry stone. I heard quite a few people have already died at the quarry.”

“Shh… Do you have a death wish? You dare say things like that?”

“Keep your voice down!”

Suddenly, someone shouted from outside on the street, “Magistrate Fan is holding court to try Li Cong and the others! Everyone, hurry over and see!”

At those words, the people who had still been eating inside the inn put down their bowls and chopsticks and rushed toward the county office.

Jiang Yunsui quickly grabbed Ji Si’s clothes.

“Si Si, Si Si, hurry and take me there. I want to see too.”

Wearing a human-skin mask, Ji Si expressionlessly picked up the tiny girl and followed the crowd.

Li Cong was a runner at the county office and a very distant branch relative of the Li Family. Because of this connection, he had done quite well for himself at the government office. He was also the one leading the runners who went around collecting grain taxes.

As soon as Fan He returned, he made an example of these people. Naturally, he was doing it to establish his authority.

At that moment, the Li Family had also received the news.

“Fan He. He really is hard to kill. Fine, fine, fine. So he insists on going against me, does he?”

“What are the gatekeepers being paid for? Why did no one know Fan He had entered the city? And where did those people he brought with him come from?!”

“Those people… seem to be hunters.”

A murderous glint flashed through the Li Family Head’s eyes.

“Does he truly think a handful of men like that can do anything to me?”

By then, Jiang Yunsui had already arrived at the county office. With Ji Si’s help, she had secured an excellent spot to watch the show.

Fan He was dressed in the official robes of a county magistrate, seated high in the hall. Below him knelt several people.
Though the men were kneeling, not one of them took Fan He seriously.

“Magistrate Fan, what a grand display of authority. You’re arresting us brothers without a single word of explanation. Surely you need to give us a charge.”

“That’s right, Magistrate Fan. What kind of official behaves like this?”

“Magistrate Fan, we’ve been working ourselves to the bone for Liaoyang County’s safety. You can’t just come back and burn the bridge after crossing it.”

The men chimed in one after another. The commoners watching from outside all curled their lips in disdain at their words.

But no one dared say anything.

For ordinary people, the fear of not fighting officials was carved into their very bones.

Fan He slammed the warning block. “Insolent Li Cong, He Kui, Liu Bao…”

“Disrupt the order of the county office again, and you’ll be dragged out and given twenty strokes first.”

Yet someone just had to test his luck. “Magistrate Fan, are you trying to beat a confession out of us?”

Fan He said flatly, “Do it.”

Several burly men in county office uniforms stepped forward, pinned Li Cong, the one who had spoken, onto a bench, and began beating him.

The paddle came down solidly. Li Cong immediately screamed.

Ji Si had covered Jiang Yunsui’s eyes, but she pried open a little gap with her small hands, peeked over with her big eyes, and even secretly started counting.

“One, two, three…”

Ji Si: “…”

Seeing that Fan He really would order a beating the moment he said so, the others in the hall instantly fell silent.

Somewhere in the crowd of onlookers, someone shouted, “Good!”

Quite a few people followed suit.

They had long since found these yamen runners unbearable.

Li Cong glared at Fan He with hatred in his eyes.

“Fan He, I’m a member of the Li Family!”

Just then, the County Deputy Magistrate hurried in as well.

“Magistrate Fan, what do you think you’re doing?”

“What crimes have they committed?”

Since they wanted evidence, Fan He was happy to oblige.

Did they think all his previous efforts had been for nothing?

Under the name of the county office, Li Cong and the others had forced villagers into grain transactions, levied silver, and even conscripted labor…

Fan He read out each offense, one by one.

Cold sweat broke out across the County Deputy Magistrate’s face.

Among the onlookers, some people began crying as they listened.

“My man was taken by them to the quarry. He died in less than a month. They brushed it off with a light little ‘accident,’ and just like that, our family lost its pillar.”

“Those beasts. If a household had no able-bodied young men, they took the women instead. Not a single one came back alive.”

“They deserve to die. I only hope Magistrate Fan can really punish them this time.”

Fan He had not only physical evidence, but witnesses as well.

All of them were people whose families had been destroyed.

“You dare talk? Believe me, I’ll make sure you and your families can never survive in Liaoyang County again!”

Li Cong stared hatefully at those witnesses.

One of the women looked back at him with even greater hatred.

“You think I’m afraid? My life is already ruined. What else do I have to fear?”

She pointed at Li Cong’s group, then at the County Deputy Magistrate, her eyes filled with hatred.

“My husband and my son were both dragged off by you to the quarry and died there. My husband’s family called me a jinx because of it and threw me out. I can’t go on living-so none of you should think you’ll get to live well either!”

The other witnesses each had their own tragedies.

Li Cong and the others were frightened by the hatred in those witnesses’ eyes. For a moment, none of them dared speak.

Fan He said, “County Deputy Magistrate Ma, do you have anything else to say?”

County Deputy Magistrate Ma’s face turned ashen. What else could he say? At this point, his only option was to go to the Li Family.

Had Fan He gone mad? Acting so recklessly, was he not afraid he would be dead by tomorrow?

With a cold snort, he turned and left.

Fan He said, “Since the evidence of their crimes is solid, men, drag them away. Thirty strokes each, then execution after autumn!”

“Good!”

This time, even more people cheered.

“Court dismissed.”

After the matter ended, Jiang Yunsui brought Ji Si to the county office to look for Fan He.

To her surprise, Ji Yan’an and the others were there too.

“So you were all here.”

She trotted over to Ji Yan’an’s side, grabbed a piece of pastry, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Song Jin said, “See? I knew this little one would definitely come join the excitement.”

Ji Yan’an said, “Now there is still the County Deputy Magistrate to deal with, and everyone in the county office, top to bottom, has to be replaced. Otherwise, when we confront the Li Family, we’ll be in a very passive position if no one is on our side.”

“But where are we supposed to find that many people on such short notice?”

Ji Yan’an took a sip of tea. “I previously took in a group of Yue Tribe slaves and have already arranged for them to come afterward. They should arrive tomorrow.”

Although Li Cong and the others had been dealt with, control of the county office was still in the hands of that County Deputy Magistrate Ma.

“If we want to pull County Deputy Magistrate Ma down, instead of slowly digging up evidence of his crimes, why don’t we…”

Song Jin smiled with ill intent written all over his face. “Personally hand him a charge.”

And so, the next day, Jiang Yunsui and the others arrived at a jade shop.

“Honored guests, please have a look. Our Hetian jade is famous for…”
The shop assistant praised the jade in the store to the skies, claiming that all the princes and nobles of the Capital loved it, and that they could even find jade materials worthy of tribute to the imperial family here.

Jiang Yunsui picked up a piece of jade carved into a kitten.

“Ji Yan’an, look at this.”

Ji Yan’an glanced at it. The color was quite nice and looked very white, but if one examined it carefully, faint cracks and flaws could be found near the base.

“Oh my, young lady, what a fine eye you have! The quality of this material is almost mutton-fat white jade, and the master craftsman put a great deal of effort into the carving…”

Ji Yan’an said, “We’ll look at a few others first.”

The shop assistant’s face immediately fell.

He exchanged a look with the shopkeeper.

Just as Ji Yan’an was about to put the jade carving back, the shop assistant suddenly bumped into him.

Crash…

The jade carving slipped from Ji Yan’an’s hand and shattered on the floor.

Nanshu pointed at him in fury. “You-”

“Oh, it’s broken. Everyone saw it, didn’t they? That jade carving broke while it was in your hand.”

Ji Yan’an only looked at him calmly.

Song Jin narrowed his eyes. “Is this how your esteemed shop does business? Truly, you have opened this old man’s eyes.”

At that moment, a phrase occurred to Jiang Yunsui: a staged scam.

The shopkeeper came over with several thugs from the shop, surrounding them.

Each one looked ferocious and menacing.

“What? Are you planning to skip out on the bill?”

The other customers in the shop had long since been scared off by the scene.

Song Jin said, “Go on, then. How much are you trying to extort from us?”

“Pah! What the hell are you saying? We run an honest business. If you break something in our shop, shouldn’t you pay for it? Five hundred taels of silver. Not one tael less, or none of you are leaving my shop today.”

Song Jin nodded. “I see. In that case, I suppose I’ll have to…”

Before he finished the last few words, Song Jin punched the shopkeeper squarely in the nose.

“Aaaah!”

Blood gushed from his nose.

The shopkeeper touched his nose and came away with a hand covered in blood.

He flew into a rage. “Beat them!”

Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Jiang Yunsui was so frightened she nearly bristled like a startled cat.

“If you were going to start swinging, couldn’t you have warned us first?!”

Then she grabbed Ji Yan’an, the sickly invalid, and hurriedly ran outside.

If the two of them got hit in there, what were they supposed to do?

A chorus of crashes and bangs came from inside the shop.

Even the passersby, numb-eyed as they were, craned their necks to take a look inside.

Nanshu ran out with his face covered, his dress in complete disarray.

He glared at the two of them with a pair of black eyes.

“You ran off, and you didn’t even call me?”

Jiang Yunsui looked at him and silently rejoiced that she had run fast.

Suddenly, someone flew out and landed by the doorway. It was the very shop assistant who had shoved Ji Yan’an and staged the jade-breaking scam.

Nanshu and Jiang Yunsui exchanged a glance.

The next second, both of them rushed over and started punching and kicking him. Jiang Yunsui yanked at his hair.

Nanshu pinned him down with one knee, rolled up his sleeves, and slapped him across the face again and again.

“You dog of a thing! That’s for trying to fleece us, and for hitting me! This old lady-pah! This old man is going to teach you a lesson today!”

Jiang Yunsui said, “Stick your fingers up his nostrils!”

Nanshu said, “Do it yourself if you’ve got the guts.”

Jiang Yunsui extended two small fingers.

Ji Yan’an said, “Try sticking them in there and see what happens. You won’t need those hands anymore.”

Jiang Yunsui quickly changed direction and poked the man’s eyes instead.

Nanshu said, “Good poke! Blind bastard!”

Who would have thought the shop assistant was still quite strong? Because of the pain, he actually flipped Nanshu over.

Then he pinned Nanshu down and started beating him.

Jiang Yunsui saw this and immediately decided that would not do. She grabbed the shop assistant’s hair and yanked with all her might.

While his body arched backward, Nanshu reached between his legs.

“Awooo!”

Ji Yan’an’s foot, which had already stretched out, silently drew back again.

This fight was so disgraceful that he truly did not know whether he should go help.

The men watching all backed away with a hiss.

“Th-that one’s a woman, right?”

“She’s wearing a dress, so probably?”

Plop.

Something fell out of Nanshu’s chest. Oh, it was a steamed bun.

Everyone: “…”

“Damn it, that’s a man in a dress! What a pervert!”

Someone let out a howl.

Ji Yan’an silently moved a little farther away.

He did not know these people. He did not!

Song Jin and Nanmo were strong fighters. After beating up the people in the shop, they had also smashed the place up pretty thoroughly.

The shopkeeper lay on the floor, his face swollen like a pig’s head.

“Stop fighting, stop fighting! My shop!”

Only now did he know how to feel pain over it.

The yamen runners arrived.

When the shopkeeper saw them, he looked as if he had seen his saviors reborn.

“Yamen Runner Huang, quick! Arrest these people! They caused trouble and smashed up my entire shop!”