Chapter 169: A Young Lady Kneels to Repay Brother Jing's Kindness [Grateful Thanks for Everyone's Support

Inside the Great Zhou palace city,

the chief eunuch serving outside the Emperor's hall, his face filled with shock, lowered his voice and asked:

"What did you say???"

The young eunuch spoke in a panicked, hushed tone: "Grandfather, news has come from outside the palace; they say the banner pole outside the Shenbao Temple, which our adoptive father was supervising, has... has collapsed!"

With a solemn expression, the chief eunuch frowned and said, "Could it have struck so many commoners without causing deaths or injuries? This! Alas!"

"Cough, cough."

Inside the hall, hearing the Emperor's cough, the chief eunuch hastily said, "Investigate further; let me know immediately upon receiving news."

"Yes, Grandfather."

The chief eunuch turned around, adjusted his facial expression, took a tea cup from a palace maid's hands, and carried it to Master Yuan before the Emperor.

The Emperor picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and nodded while looking at the Zou Zhang on Master Yuan.

After finishing the cup of tea, the Emperor let out a comfortable deep breath, then glanced at the chief eunuch's expression and the beads of sweat on his forehead, asking:

"What is wrong?"

Hearing the Emperor's question, the chief eunuch hastily knelt on the ground and replied, "Replying to Your Majesty, my adoptive son Eunuch Huai Bao, stationed in the Inner Repair Bureau, supervised the construction of this year's banner pole outside Shenbao Temple, which has collapsed."

The Emperor's brows instantly furrowed as he said, "Is this how you handle affairs? How many people died?"

"This slave... is guilty; this slave is terrified; I only know it collapsed, not how many people," the chief eunuch said with a trembling voice.

Looking at the chief eunuch kneeling on the ground, the Emperor took a deep breath and said, "Quickly investigate civilian casualties and provide generous compensation!"

The chief eunuch wiped the sweat beading on his forehead, hastily kowtowed, crawled backward a few steps before rising, and walked outward.

Just as he exited the main hall door, he nearly collided head-on with a young eunuch walking briskly; upon seeing him, the young eunuch immediately knelt on the ground and whispered, "Grandfather, our adoptive father sent someone back to report, saying only one person was injured."

The chief eunuch closed his eyes, a wave of relief surging in his heart; he exhaled as if a heavy burden had been lifted, saying, "Thank Heaven and Earth! Fortunately, fortunately. Tell him to provide proper compensation!"

"Grandfather, our adoptive father says the injured one is the Fifth Young Master of Marquis Marquis Yongyi's household!"

The chief eunuch's eyes widened, his heart leaping to his throat, as he asked in a low voice, "Who? Brother Jing?"

The young eunuch hastily nodded; the chief eunuch closed his eyes, feeling somewhat dizzy; he had seen that banner pole himself, and if it struck someone, wouldn't arms or legs be broken? Or perhaps they weren't crushed to death but still had a breath left!

Thinking of this, he felt somewhat unable to stand.

Seeing the state of their Laozu Sect, the young eunuch hastily supported him.

"How severe is the injury?" the chief eunuch asked the young eunuch while pondering how his adoptive son Eunuch Huai Bao would die.

"They say his arm was crushed and swollen, and his internal organs suffered concussion!"

"Hmm, anything else?" the chief eunuch asked, wanting to avoid the earlier joy turning to sorrow.

"Replying to Grandfather, that is all."

"Tell him to roll over here before me and explain everything to me word for word!"

"Yes, yes!"

Wei Wei Fangzhi, who had just turned eleven, was today following her music master from the Entertainment Bureau to perform music before the Shenbao Temple hall.

Although her master was old and her beauty faded, she played the pipa superbly and was quite famous in the capital.

Having received permission from her master, who was about to go on stage to perform, she enthusiastically slipped out of the Daoist temple, bought a bag of sweet dried jujubes, and strolled outside the temple while eating them.

Suddenly, she noticed a noble lady on the road dressed very beautifully, and hearing the noble lady reciting poetry about the scenery of June to her female attendant, she unconsciously followed behind, pricking up her ears to listen.

The female attendant of that official's noble lady also noticed her; after glancing at her, she said nothing, merely signaling the nearby servants and female attendants to move closer.

When she could no longer hear the Miss's voice, Wei Wei Fangzhi was just about to return to Shenbao Temple when,

a firework exploded with a loud bang,

causing some commotion among the crowd outside the temple; a few breaths later, that tall banner pole began to tilt.

Never having encountered such a situation, Wei Wei Fangzhi was mesmerized by this rare sight and stared blankly; although voices urging people to leave came through, unaware of the danger, she continued watching the person atop the banner pole.

Until the banner pole was yanked by a rope and swept fiercely toward this side,

she was so frightened that her hands and feet went limp, and the jujubes in her hand fell to the ground.

In her line of sight, the female attendant standing beside the official's noble lady who had been speaking earlier screamed.

Watching the thick bamboo banner pole sweeping over, after hearing a shout of "Miss!" from ahead, a female attendant actually stepped in front of that noble lady, and then she subconsciously closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw a young man slightly older than herself nearby drop what he was holding; she heard praises from the surrounding people, and the loud cries of Daoist Priests from Shenbao Temple calling for a Physician.

After glancing at this noble young man, she also saw soldiers from the Imperial Guard Junrong Zhi (military band) and a group of musicians from the Entertainment Bureau surging out of the Shenbao Temple entrance, among them her master,

and also a person dressed as a palace eunuch, looking flustered, leading soldiers and running quickly toward this side.

Wei Wei Fangzhi crouched down to pick up her dried jujubes that had fallen on the ground, blew off the dust, and put them into her pouch.

While picking up the jujubes, she heard the words of the official's noble lady's female attendant from earlier: "Miss, look quickly, it is the Fifth Young Master of the Xu family!"

Wei Wei Fangzhi remembered the name spoken by the female attendant.

Subsequently, she ran toward the entrance of Shenbao Temple; upon seeing her master looking somewhat anxious at the gate, she hastily reported her safety and offered him the dried jujubes she had bought.

Her master scanned her with a glance and plucked a fragment of yellow bamboo splinter from her hair.

The eunuch Eunuch Huai Bao approached Xu Xu Zaijing; looking at the bamboo splinters scattered on the ground, with no one groaning or crying out in pain,

he realized that in the sudden incident just now, had no one blocked it, the dozens of people in this area, especially the group of women and girls standing in front...

would have either died or suffered severe injuries!

His heart settled in his belly; examining the surroundings carefully, he largely figured out what had just happened.

"Thanks to the hero for saving the common people! This slave will surely give... Brother Jing??? You! How!"

Eunuch Huai Bao could not express his current feelings; just then, commoners all around were spreading the word to find a Physician,

when a middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd to the Daoist Priest of the Shen Temple, cupped his fists, and said, "Daoist Priest, I am from the Fu family specializing in orthopedics; please allow me to examine this good fellow."

Subsequently, a young man and an elderly man, hearing the calls from the commoners, also arrived here.

Having all witnessed this perilous scene just now, they one after another approached Xu Xu Zaijing to examine him.

By the end of the sixth month, the weather had already grown somewhat hot; Xu Xu Zaijing was dressed in loose robes with wide sleeves.

The first to arrive, Physician Fu, eager to examine the injuries, immediately rolled up Xu Xu Zaijing's sleeve, an action that caught everyone around completely off guard.

Neither Xu Xu Zaijing nor the physician felt anything amiss, but several noble ladies from official families hastily shielded their eyes with fans or handkerchiefs.

Seeing the common folk nearby watching with concern as the physician examined Xu Xu Zaijing's injuries, they slowly lowered what blocked their vision and turned their heads to peek.

By now, some people were clearing the banner poles outside the crowd, allowing the onlookers to move slightly closer to Xu Xu Zaijing.

In their line of sight, the youth's long, sturdy arms were exposed; at Physician Fu's instruction, he exerted force or turned them this way and that.

The earlier running and lifting had also caused Xu Xu Zaijing to break into a slight sweat.

After these movements, his powerful and aesthetically pleasing muscles gave the young women and married ladies in the crowd a feast for their eyes.

That young man also stood beside Xu Xu Zaijing, nodding slightly as he observed the scars on his arm, clearly having formed his own judgment.

Finally, the crane-haired, rosy-cheeked elder appeared; seeing the elder, the eunuch Eunuch Huai Bao, who had been somewhat anxious nearby, hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Medical Official."

The elder returned the bow, then approached Xu Xu Zaijing and said, "Young sir, greetings to you; please remove your upper garment."

"My lord, would it not be better to let Jing-ge'er go to the temple?"

"Impossible! If the young sir's internal organs have suffered damage, walking about recklessly could worsen matters!" the old medical official said solemnly.

"But..."

"Just have people form a circle around us."

"Yes, yes, yes! Come, everyone, quickly, stand here!" Eunuch Huai Bao hurriedly shouted.

Soon, a stool from a tea stall was placed beside Xu Xu Zaijing; after he sat down, soldiers from the Junrong Zhi unit gathered around to form a circle, slightly blocking the onlooking commoners' view.

Once Xu Xu Zaijing had removed his clothes, the old medical official carefully pressed various parts of his body, discovering a reddish-purple mark near his ribs at the waist.

Afterwards, he meticulously checked the pulse, and the solemn expression on his face eased slightly.

At this moment, Xu Xu Anmei, having seen from afar that nothing serious was wrong, arrived within the crowd accompanied by Brother Qingyun.

"That is my younger brother; make way!"

"That is my Young Master; please step aside!"

"Sister Hai, are you unharmed?"

Soon, Xu Anmei and Brother Qingyun reached Xu Xu Zaijing's side and, together with the eunuch Eunuch Huai Bao, listened to the diagnoses of the three physicians; only after hearing them did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Xu Xu Anmei then lifted her veiled hat, her eyes filled with tears as she said to Xu Xu Zaijing, "Little Five, you scared me to death! I should not have begged Father to come out for fun!"

"Second Sister, what nonsense are you spouting?"

After the medical officials finished examining Xu Xu Zaijing and he had put his clothes back on, he prepared to return home in his family's carriage.

Just then, a sedan chair carried by four men stopped before Xu Xu Zaijing, and a steward-like man cupped his fists and said, "Young sir, my master, grateful for your righteous act, has specifically ordered this humble one to invite you to ride in this!"

Just as Xu Xu Zaijing was about to speak, the old medical official nodded from the side and said, "Indeed; although the young sir has only suffered internal concussion, it is best to rest more."

Xu Anmei also spoke from the side, "Little Five, do not walk around randomly; get on and sit."

Seeing the expressions of everyone, Xu Xu Zaijing nodded.

During this period of diagnosis, nobles and commoners far from the scene of the incident were also inquiring about what had happened and whether there were any casualties.

Soon, Xu Xu Zaijing's actions spread throughout the area.

Therefore, as Xu Xu Zaijing rode in the sedan chair, truly towering head-and-shoulders above others as he moved through the crowd toward the Xu family's carriages and horses, people around him occasionally cupped their fists in salute, while others cheered loudly.

After Xu Xu Zaijing departed, the eunuch Eunuch Huai Bao finally learned the cause of the incident from the Daoist Priest of Shenbao Temple, casting a sinister glance at the sons of the Marquis of Marquis Zhongshan, the Duke of Han, and other families, who were surrounded by soldiers nearby.

Before Eunuch Huai Bao could say anything, panting imperial guards arrived outside Shenbao Temple accompanied by a young eunuch; subsequently, Eunuch Huai Bao mounted the young eunuch's horse, gave an order, pointed toward Han Han Chengyun and the others nearby, and then whipped his horse toward Bianjing.

Just after the hour of Si (after 11:00 AM).

Sun Shi was settling the Xu family accounts with Xie Shi.

"Mother-in-law, my mother says she has already found a wet nurse and asks when you might have time to look her over."

"Your mother's handling of matters is trustworthy; what need is there for me to look her over?"

Hearing Sun Shi's words, Xie Shi smiled gently.

Just then, Xiao Dan walked in from outside, glanced at Xie Shi, squatted to bow, and said, "Da Da Niangzi, An-Hua Jie'er and Jing-ge'er have returned."

Sun Shi smiled at Xie Shi and said, "This is strange; given Xu Anmei's demeanor yesterday, she should have been playing until afternoon; why have they returned so early? By the way, daughter-in-law, I just acquired a fine piece of fabric; Xiao Zhu, take her to see it."

"Yes, Da Da Niangzi / Mother-in-law."

After the two left the room, Sun Shi asked, "What is the matter?"

Xiao Dan bowed and replied, "Da Da Niangzi, Jing-ge'er has been injured."

"What?"

Sun Shi stood up abruptly; since her youngest son's birth, he had rarely even caught a cold or sneezed!

He went to Yang Zhou and nothing happened; how could he get injured just by attending a temple fair?

Frowning, Sun Shi walked quickly toward Xu Xu Zaijing's small courtyard.

Arriving at the courtyard gate, Sun Shi saw Seeing Qingcao and Ye'er standing attendance inside the room; seeing that neither looked particularly anxious,

Sun Shi felt reassured and walked into the room, where she saw Xu Anmei looking somewhat different.

Xu Anmei lacked her usual liveliness; she sat staring blankly on a chair, her eyes still moist, with a teardrop lingering on her cheek.

"An'er, what is wrong with you? Where is your younger brother? Xiao Dan said he was injured?" Hearing Sun Shi's words, Xu Anmei came to her senses.

Hearing his mother's voice, Xu Xu Zaijing, having just changed into a fresh set of clothes, walked out from behind a screen on one side.

Seeing her son bouncing about energetically, Sun Shi felt slightly relieved; glancing again at Xu Anmei, she felt that her daughter seemed to be the one with the bigger problem.

"Mother, perhaps you should talk to Sister; I have said all along the way that I am fine, yet Sister keeps crying."

Hearing Xu Xu Zaijing's words, Sun Shi said, "Where are you injured? Tell Mother."

"Mother, Little Five has been injured on his arm and waist!" Xu Anmei said to Sun Shi.

Upon hearing this, Sun Shi frowned and said, "Let me see," and then had Xu Xu Zaijing lift his clothes to expose his waist.

"Hiss, this!" Sun Shi frowned.

"Mother, it's nothing; the imperial physician examined me and said I was merely shaken, nothing more."

After hearing Xu Xu Zaijing speak, Sun Shi looked at Xu Xu Anmei; seeing her nod, Sun Shi set her mind at ease.

Seeing Sun Shi's expression, Xu Xu Zaijing hurriedly said, "Mother, I am fine; if you are still worried, please summon a Physician to examine me, but as for Sister—"

Sun Shi grasped Xu Xu Anmei's hand and said, "Come, walk with me."

Xu Xu Anmei nodded.

The mother and daughter left the courtyard; Xu Xu Anmei rested her head on her mother's shoulder and recounted the incident of the banner pole toppling outside the city, then said:

"Mother, I will never be so playful again."

"What? Were you frightened?"

Sun Shi looked at Xu Xu Anmei; Xu Xu Anmei lifted her head from her shoulder, shook it, then nodded.

Seeing her mother's expression, Xu Xu Anmei said, "I was not frightened by the banner pole toppling; I was frightened when Little Five rushed out to save someone. Had I not begged Father to let me go out to play, Little Five would never have encountered these matters."

"He would never have faced such dangers. Mother, I should not have been so playful."

"That you can think of these things shows you were not raised in vain. Your brother is one with calculation in his heart; if he went, it was because he knew what dangers lay ahead!"

"How old is Little Five? What calculation could he possibly have?"

Sun Shi shook her head; at such a young age before, he had disciplined himself to practice martial arts, study classics, and practice calligraphy—how could he lack calculation?

As they walked, a female servant approached Sun Shi, squatted, bowed, and said, "Wu Da Da Niangzi, outside the main gate a Miss is kneeling on the ground, saying she wishes to repay our Young Master for saving her life!"

One more chapter remains,

currently being written; it may take about an hour.

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(End of Chapter)