Chapter 155

Hu Xiaotian said: "Wan Yuanwai, how do you plan to handle today's matter?" Actually he had already guessed Wan Boping's thoughts, but pretended not to say and waited for Wan Boping to say it himself.

Wan Boping said: "My household has many servants, among whom there are certainly those with malicious intent; their one-sided accounts may not be trustworthy." Although he clearly knew that what those few servants said were all true, Wan Boping still had to protect his son— a tiger does not eat its cub—and his treatment of his own flesh and blood was beyond reproach.

Hu Xiaotian said: "True or false, once I bring them back to the Government Office for slow interrogation, I will surely uncover the truth and give you an explanation."

Wan Boping secretly sighed; family shame should not be aired outside—if this got out, the Wan family would become the laughingstock of all Qingyun Xian. Moreover, the matter could be big or small: small, it could be kept within the Wan mansion, everything under his control; if it blew up and the authorities got involved, even if he was confident he could settle it eventually, in the end the harm would still fall on the Wan family. Hu Xiaotian kept insisting on taking a few servants away for interrogation, but his motive was certainly not to get to the bottom of things; otherwise he wouldn't have burned the two servants' testimonies right in front of him earlier. What this brat really wants is to use this matter to blackmail him and get what he wants from him.

Wan Boping said: "Sir Hu, what do you think? I'll keep these servants temporarily in the mansion, question them carefully, wait for them to tell the truth, and report to you immediately. What do you think, Sir?"

Hu Xiaotian showed a hesitant expression.

Wan Boping said: "Regarding the charity auction, I will personally organize it and make sure it is carried out splendidly; besides, I will take the lead in donating one hundred gold for the repair of Qingyun Qiao."

Hu Xiaotian beamed; Wan Boping was somewhat sensible—if you want to protect your son, you have to be willing to part with your money. I'm not forcing you to pay; since you're doing it willingly, I, Sir, cannot refuse. He sighed and said: "Reason is nothing but human sentiment; I'm not someone who disregards kin. Everyone who knows me praises me for being the most humane, especially valuing feelings."

Wan Boping really couldn't stand this guy's self-praise, taking all the advantages while pretending to be noble here—how could his face be so thick at such a young age? But Wan Boping, after all, had something to ask of him; although Hu Xiaotian repeatedly extorted him, he still dared not turn against him, and accompanied his words with a smile: "Thank you, Sir Hu, for your indulgence."

Hu Xiaotian said earnestly: "We are friends after all; there are a couple of things I still need to remind you of: a kind father often raises a ruined son, and this son will always be well-raised if raised in poverty. Know that only under the rod can a filial son be produced; the more you indulge him, the less he will repent, and he will only go on to do even more troublesome things."

Wan Boping nodded repeatedly; although Hu Xiaotian's words were harsh, they were indeed reasonable. The eldest son, Wan Tingchang, has recently done a series of things that are simply outrageous.

Hu Xiaotian also said: "Last night I stayed overnight at Green Bamboo Garden; at night I heard wailing ghosts and howling gods—I'm not hiding it, the injury on my face came from that."

Wan Boping, hearing this, couldn't help but frown with worry, and pleaded: "Sir Hu, you must help me drive away this ghost."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Originally there was still a chance; the Nine Cauldrons Soul-Subduing ritual could have successfully driven away the vengeful spirit. But the formation I set up was destroyed by your servants; vengeful spirits are psychic entities—once a formation is broken, they won't be fooled again. I re-laid the formation last night, but its power is already far weaker; otherwise, how could I have been injured?" This guy's lies roll off the tongue. Moreover, he speaks without a single flaw; even Wan Boping, such a Lao hulí, cannot help but be deceived by him.

Hu Xiaotian saw Wan Boping's panicked face and knew his words had taken effect; he then said: "Even if I now struggle to set up a formation, it will have no effect."

Wan Boping, anxious as fire, said: "What should we do then? Sir Hu. You must still have a way, right?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "Exorcising ghosts and capturing demons was never my forte; I'm truly powerless now. Wan Yuanwai, perhaps the only solution is to send the Third Young Madam out of the Wan mansion as soon as possible and place her somewhere the vengeful spirit dare not approach."

If one said that Wan Boping previously still lusted after the beauty of this third daughter-in-law, but lately the misfortunes in his household have come one after another, and he gradually came to believe it was his youngest son's vengeful spirit causing trouble—as the saying goes, "Those who do no wrong need not fear ghosts knocking at the door"—Wan Boping knows better than anyone that if it truly is his son's vengeful spirit acting up, it must be because he harassed Le Yao; compared to his life, beauty is secondary. Hu Xiaotian's words hit the mark with Wan Boping, and Wan Boping said: "Sir Wan is absolutely correct."

Hu Xiaotian did not especially emphasize this matter; on the one hand Wan Boping suspected. Because last night he had personally heard Wan's wife say she would send Le Yao to Jici Nunnery; he estimated this matter would not change, and he was merely going with the flow, letting Wan Boping firmly decide to send Le Yao away.

When Hu Xiaotian left the Wan mansion, he did not let Wan Changchun see him off, but instead chose to walk away with Murong Feiyan; upon reaching the gate of the Wan mansion, Zhou Wenju chased out after him: "Sir Hu, please wait."

Hu Xiaotian turned with a smile: "Mr. Zhou, what advice do you have?"

Zhou Wenju cupped his hands toward Hu Xiaotian and said: "Sir Hu, I don't know when you'll have free time; I have some things I'd like to consult you on." Hu Xiaotian's superb medical skill displayed while rescuing Li Xiangzhi had left Zhou Wenju deeply impressed; he has always been a rigorous scholar, and his pursuit on the medical path has never ceased over the years; his feeling toward Hu Xiaotian has shifted from disdain to respect.

Hu Xiaotian appreciated Zhou Wenju's humble and eager-to-learn demeanor, and smiled: "I've been busy with official duties these two days; Mr. Zhou, if you're not in a hurry to leave, come to my place tomorrow evening as a guest—my residence is spacious enough, and if you're willing, we can hold an all-night candlelit talk."

Zhou Wenju, upon hearing this, was both surprised and delighted; he hehe-laughed: "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony—I'll definitely come tomorrow evening."

Hu Xiaotian told him his address; actually Qingyun Xian city is not that big, so even if Zhou Wenju walked over it wouldn't take long. After bidding farewell to Zhou Wenju, Hu Xiaotian hurried toward Qingyun Qiao, and when passing by the Government Office he didn't even glance at it.

Although the heavy rain had stopped, there were still many places in the city with severe waterlogging; the common folk were busy cleaning up the mess left after the flood, yet no one paid attention to this newly appointed Magistrate, so naturally there was no scene of everyone shouting and beating him.

Passing by the Government Office notice board, he saw two clerks posting a notice there; Hu Xiaotian walked over and looked—sure enough, the notice was the one he had drafted; he had submitted it yesterday, and only now was it posted. The tiny Government Office's efficiency was really low, but having this notice at least proved his innocence. The two clerks finished posting the notice, turned around, and only then noticed Hu Xiaotian standing behind them; they hurriedly bowed and said: "Sir Hu!" Nowadays, more and more people in the Government Office recognize this newly appointed Magistrate.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and nodded: "Hurry up and post the notice—put it up at every major intersection on both sides of the city gates."

The two clerks received the order and left; Murong Feiyan looked at Hu Xiaotian and said: "I never expected you to still care so much about your reputation."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I always thought you understood me, but it seems I was wrong; I have always regarded my reputation as higher than everything, even above my life."

"Really? I don't feel that way at all! I think you're someone who treats reputation lightly, especially when you see money and beautiful women."

Hu Xiaotian grinned cheekily: "But compared to you, reputation is worthless!"

Murong Feiyan puffed up in anger: "Don't come at me with that, stop dragging me into things—by the way, Miss Le Yao is ill; why aren't you going to see her before you leave?"

Hu Xiaotian said solemnly: "She's a widow, and I'm a local official; constantly running over there would easily invite gossip."

Murong Feiyan looked at him, half-believing, half-doubting.

Hu Xiaotian also said: "Speaking of this matter, there's something I need you to handle."

"Official business is fine to discuss; private matters, don't bring them up."

Hu Xiaotian said: "In short, it's not a matter of sacrificing public for private gain; the Wan family intends to send Le Yao out of the mansion, reportedly to have her go to Jici Nunnery to pay respects to the Buddha."

Murong Feiyan's eyes widened: "Why on earth would they make her become a nun for no reason?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "Actually, leaving that place of right and wrong isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Is this your idea?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Several members of the Wan family father and son are no good birds; each one lusts after Le Yao's beauty, completely disregarding propriety; Le Yao staying in the Wan household is like a lamb among wolves—frankly speaking, she has privately asked me to help her escape her suffering, so……"

Murong Feiyan said: "It sounds like righteous courage, Hero Saves the Beauty, but I still feel it's somewhat using public office for private gain."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Prejudice, absolutely prejudice—sending the Buddha all the way to the West; since you've saved someone, you still have to take responsibility to the end. If one says the Wan family people are mostly not virtuous, I worry they'll tamper with this matter."

Murong Feiyan said: "I'll help you one last time."

Hu Xiaotian arrived at the banks of Tongji He and found only Liu Kuohai with two clerks guarding the shore; yesterday, County Magistrate Liu Baoju had brought twenty soldiers, but they were nowhere to be seen. After asking Liu Kuohai, he learned those soldiers had all been withdrawn by Liu Baoju. The relief shift that was supposed to come still hadn't arrived for some reason, so Liu Kuohai and the others could only continue standing guard.

Hu Xiaotian lifted his head; the sky was bright with scorching sun, clouds cleared and mist dispersed, a deep blue as if washed—looks like this rain should have stopped. Liu Kuohai had been guarding here for almost a day and night; although young and strong, he also showed some fatigue. Hu Xiaotian said: "Kuohai, go rest first."

Liu Kuohai said: "Sir, I'm not tired."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Going a day and night without sleep, even an iron-clad body can't hold out—go rest first."

Liu Kuohai saw him insist, then finally accepted the order; Hu Xiaotian also had those two clerks return to the Government Office and urged them to send replacements.

One person walked back and forth a few steps on the embankment of Tongji He; seeing that the water level had dropped considerably compared to yesterday, he realized that unless someone deliberately damaged the embankment, a breach would certainly not occur. At the original site of Qingyun Qiao there was an empty plot of about two mu, with nothing but a large locust tree and no other vegetation; Hu Xiaotian secretly thought this would be a good place to hold a charity auction.