Chapter 151: Yang the Scholar

Lin Yuan City is indeed prosperous, but Chu Danqing noticed many gang members.

The Azure Dragon Society, the White Tiger Hall, the Vermilion Bird Pavilion, the Black Tortoise Gate.

From peddlers to grain and salt transport, all four gangs control these trades.

Yet these gangs are merely front men; the real controllers remain Lin Yuan City's officials.

The gangs do the dirty work and take the blame, but the reputation and profits? Never theirs.

Lin Yuan City's elite hold military power and troops; crushing these four gangs is a mere flick of the wrist.

Whoever disobeys gets replaced.

Chu Danqing reached these conclusions through Wei Chuyi's account and intelligence gathered after entering the city.

Otherwise, how could Lin Yuan City operate so orderly if gangs ran it by their own rules?

"Thank you, my lord, for burying my mother," Wei Chuyi said, staring at the small mound, ready to kneel and kowtow to Chu Danqing.

Chu Danqing moved faster, grabbing him by the arm.

"No need for thanks—it was just a small sum," Chu Danqing pulled him upright.

The first thing upon entering the city was surely to see the dead laid to rest.

Leaving a corpse exposed like that was unacceptable.

Wei Chuyi merely bought a coffin from a funeral shop and buried his mother in the Wei family ancestral graveyard, beside his father.

No funeral rites were held; it was done hastily.

Given his feud with Yichun Pavilion and the Azure Dragon Society, no relatives or friends dared come.

Everyone fled from him—how could they dare draw near?

"My lord, what should we do next?" Wei Chuyi asked.

He wanted revenge, but had no idea how to begin.

Chu Danqing had made bold claims earlier, but now he was equally lost.

He couldn't just draw his blade and kill—that would make him no different from the Azure Dragon Society.

"What do you think?" Chu Danqing asked casually.

"I've got it," Wei Chuyi suddenly said: "We can ask Master Yang."

"Master Yang is the scholar on this street—he knows everything."

Chu Danqing found this intriguing, nodded, then asked for details about Master Yang.

On their way, Wei Chuyi told Chu Danqing about this Master Yang.

His name is Yang Wenju, a local gentry of Lin Yuan City who, after passing the scholar exam but failing repeatedly in the provincial exams, returned home to manage his estate.

He's fond of meddling in others' affairs and enjoys standing up for the oppressed.

Many on this street have benefited from Yang Wenju's intervention, escaping harassment by the gangs.

Unfortunately, he's only a scholar—well-intentioned but powerless.

Yet he's stubborn and eloquent; he never shows respect to the gangs and has repeatedly defied the authorities, leaving officials speechless.

Only because of his scholar status and local reputation has he remained unharmed.

But he's made many enemies in Lin Yuan City—his official career is dead.

Chu Danqing didn't fully believe Wei Chuyi's tales—they were all rumors.

But if true, he might possess valuable intelligence to help Chu Danqing break the deadlock.

With Da Bao in tow, the two soon arrived at Master Yang's home.

Though merely a scholar, his estate was substantial.

After announcing their arrival, a servant led them to see Yang Wenju.

Normally, Wei Chuyi could never meet Yang Wenju—he couldn't even pass the gatekeeper.

Yang Wenju might be kind-hearted, but his stewards and servants certainly wouldn't be.

They owed this to Chu Danqing.

"Wei Chuyi, has your mother's health improved?" Yang Wenju glanced at Chu Danqing, then asked Wei Chuyi: "Who is this?"

"Thank you for your concern, Master Yang—my mother was driven to death by Yichun Pavilion's men," Wei Chuyi said at once: "This brother Chu buried her."

Hearing this, Yang Wenju's face stiffened, then he snorted: "Ever since Yichun Pavilion allied with the Azure Dragon Society, they've grown even more reckless."

He only helped when he knew the facts—if he didn't know, how could he act?

"So you want me to draft a petition accusing Yichun Pavilion?" Yang Wenju asked.

Drafting petitions and accompanying plaintiffs to court was his usual method of aid.

After a few attempts, once the petition was filed, half the problem was solved.

No one wanted to endure Yang Wenju's verbal tirades for days on end.

Yang Wenju knew full well his actions couldn't change Lin Yuan City's situation.

Yet he persisted, believing even a small change was worth striving for.

Wei Chuyi looked at Chu Danqing, unsure whether to file the petition.

Seeing Wei Chuyi's hesitation, Yang Wenju continued: "A petition filed can win."

As he spoke, a servant spread white paper and began grinding ink.

"It'll only get you some silver compensation—you won't topple them, let alone make the Azure Dragon Society pay."

"If you don't mind, I'll accompany you," Yang Wenju picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and began writing: "Take the silver, pack up, and leave Lin Yuan City."

"But I want revenge," Wei Chuyi said, summoning courage.

These words made Yang Wenju pause mid-writing.

"I'm not refusing to help—I simply can't," Yang Wenju sighed: "It's this Mr. Chu who gives you the courage, isn't it?"

"Since you've come here, if this is about the Azure Dragon Society, what can I do for you?"

He set down his brush and fixed his gaze on Chu Danqing.

He'd suspected this since Wei Chuyi brought Chu Danqing here—he just hadn't dared voice it.

Chu Danqing's bearing and attire far surpassed ordinary men—he was clearly no commoner.

"Yes," Chu Danqing said bluntly: "Where should I start? Ideally—"

Before he finished, a commotion outside interrupted him; Yang's head steward rushed in, breathless and terrified.

"Master, disaster! The constables are coming to arrest you!"

Yang Wenju wasn't frightened, only frowned: "What? Arrest me for what?"

He had done nothing wrong—he had nothing to fear.

"Of course—for conspiring with Bai Xiaohe and inciting her to murder her husband," a chief constable sneered as he entered.

Behind him, a swarm of constables followed, carrying shackles and iron collars.

The sudden turn caught Chu Danqing off guard.

But since he didn't know the truth, he dared not act rashly.

After all, people's hearts are hidden—who knows if Yang Wenju is pretending?

At least Da Bao gave no sign the chief constable was lying.

At these words, Yang Wenju felt his blood boil: "Filth!"

"How dare you slander an innocent man?" Yang Wenju trembled with rage—this accusation didn't just stain his name; it would ruin Bai Xiaohe too.

"Innocent?" the chief constable scoffed: "Bai Xiaohe has already confessed."

"You ordered her to kill her husband so you could live together—how is that slander?"

"Arrest him! Put him in the prisoner cart—take him to court!" the chief constable ordered.

Several constables surged forward; Yang Wenju stood no chance—he was first shackled, then manacled.

Humiliated, he was dragged into the prisoner cart and hauled off to court.

"This is suspicious," Chu Danqing murmured, watching the chaos in the Yang household.

"My lord, this is unjust! They're framing our master!" the old steward cried: "Bai Xiaohe is merely a kitchen maid—she's never even met our master in a year!"

"How could there be an affair, let alone her murdering her husband at his command? Please, my lord, save our master!"

The steward knew his master had long been a thorn in Lin Yuan City's officials' side—now imprisoned, he'd never walk free.

Chu Danqing was pondering one thing: why act now?

How had the scholar's status and reputation suddenly lost their protection?

If they meant to strike, they could have done so long ago—kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, and rid themselves of a nuisance.

More likely, Yang Wenju hadn't touched their core interests until now, so they tolerated him.

"Has your master recently offended anyone?" Chu Danqing asked, then added: "Someone new."

If the rumors about Yang Wenju were true, he'd offended countless people—so he needed the latest offense.

The steward's expression darkened—not because there was no one, but because there were too many.

"Forget it," Chu Danqing said, seeing his distress: "Go find out the full story first."

He himself was equally confused.

"Yes, I'll go at once!" The steward treated Chu Danqing as his last hope and hurried off.

Watching him leave, Chu Danqing thought his Dragon's Bearing and Phoenix's Demeanor's +10 charm was indeed very useful.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, how would the steward trust a stranger who'd just arrived?

Thanks to his charm and the steward's desperation, Chu Danqing now temporarily held authority to command the Yang household.

But this authority would likely not last long.

When Yang Wenju fell, the Yang household became a piece of fat meat.

Everyone would come to take a bite.

As Chu Danqing pondered, another group of yamen runners arrived and began driving out everyone inside the Yang household.

Then seals were affixed, and the entire Yang household was seized as contraband.

No matter whether Yang Wenju survived his imprisonment, his estate was now lost.

It wasn't that the high officials of Lin Yuan City didn't want to deal with him—Yang Wenju simply had no value.

When they truly moved against him, as now, it took less than an hour for the entire Yang household to collapse from its peak.

The speed was astonishing.

This also meant Yang Wenju had almost certainly discovered something that convinced Lin Yuan City's high officials to act.

Of course, it was also possible Yang Wenju had truly consorted with Bai Xiaohe and ordered her to murder her husband—Chu Danqing didn't know the truth and couldn't jump to conclusions.

Dabao's intuition wasn't infallible; whether the constable lied was based on perception, not truth.

If neither was lying, then something was definitely wrong.

(End of Chapter)