Chapter 165

Xu Qinglian also understood that Guo Shouguang made sense; to say these two were his most loyal followers nearby, if he acted too indifferent they might grow cold-hearted, so he patted each on the shoulder and said, "Just be patient a few more days."

Guo Shouguang and Xingshan did not get the result they wanted, feeling somewhat dejected they left. Outside, Xingshan angrily said, "I really don't know why Official Xu has so many scruples about him; such a barbaric, unreasonable, lawless brat should be strictly punished."

Guo Shouguang said, "Official, you just said it—we have no witnesses, nor any evidence."

Xingshan gritted his teeth and said, "If he dares to do the first, we can do the fifteenth." The harsh words burst out, but after speaking, he and Guo Shouguang suddenly realized: since Hu Xiaotian can play dirty, we can too; both are natives of Qingyun Xian, and when it comes to relatives and friends, we far outnumber that outsider Hu Xiaotian. They exchanged a glance, the corners of their mouths twitching with a sinister smile; though they said nothing, each understood what the other intended.

Hu Xiaotian, having accepted Xu Qinglian's commission, went to the Wan residence again; of course he didn't come this time to persuade Wan Bo Ping to calm down—given Hu Xiaotian's nature of fearing the world isn't chaotic enough, he's more suited to adding fuel to the fire and kicking someone when they're down.

Wan Bo Ping heard that government officials were coming; he originally didn't want to meet, but upon hearing it was Hu Xiaotian, he couldn't refuse the courtesy—Hu Xiaotian was not only the magistrate of Qingyun Xian but also his benefactor; merely saving his second son and daughter-in-law's lives already put him deeply in debt.

Although Hu Xiaotian had visited the Wan residence many times before, those were for private matters; this time it was official business, so he wore government attire and rode in a soft sedan.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian approach in official robes, Wan Bo Ping hurried forward to pay his respects, saying, "Wan pays his respects to Magistrate Hu!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Wan Yuanwai, we're old acquaintances—no need for such formality."

Wan Bo Ping led him to the main hall to sit, having a servant present tea. Hu Xiaotian held the teacup and leisurely took a sip.

Wan Bo Ping said, "Magistrate Hu, what brings you here today?"

Hu Xiaotian glanced to both sides; Wan Bo Ping understood his meaning. He waved his hand to dismiss the attendants, leaving only the two of them in the hall, which instantly felt empty.

Only then did Hu Xiaotian gently set the teacup on the table, sigh softly, and say, "I've heard about the third young madam's affair; since it has already happened, Wan Yuanwai, don't be too anxious."

Wan Bo Ping gave a bitter smile and shook his head; this fellow really talks easily without feeling the strain—if he's not in a hurry, how could I not be anxious? His daughter-in-law was abducted, and now the whole city is in an uproar; it's likely more misfortune than fortune. Even if she were found alive, with her beauty falling into those bandits' hands, how could her purity be preserved? Wan Bo Ping feels both sorrow and regret; had he known this would happen, he should have acted sooner. Such a lovely beauty, and I never even touched her; in the end, it's those bandits who benefit. As for this idea, it was Hu Xiaotian who suggested it, advising me to send Le Yao away. If I hadn't sent her out of the Wan residence, this mishap wouldn't have occurred; yet Wan Bo Ping dares not blame Hu Xiaotian, and he sighed, "My household suffers misfortune after misfortune; I am utterly exhausted."

Hu Xiaotian said, "A loss may be a blessing in disguise; although the third young madam was abducted, the Wan residence should now be temporarily calm. I just looked at where she used to live—the dark mist has completely faded, so I suspect the vengeful spirit has followed her away."

Wan Bo Ping, hearing this, felt his heart ease a little.

Hu Xiaotian added, "To be frank, I came this time at Official Xu's request; he wants Wan Yuanwai to have more patience. Now our county office has mobilized all soldiers and constables to search inside and outside the city; as soon as we locate the third young madam, we will immediately inform Wan Yuanwai."

Wan Bo Ping said, "Magistrate Hu, don't take offense, but let me say something I shouldn't: if we leave everything to them, I fear I'll never find my poor daughter-in-law in this lifetime." Deep down Wan Bo Ping didn't believe those county officials had any ability; earlier he had already dispatched Wan family servants to search everywhere, hoping to find some clues.

Hu Xiaotian noticed Wan Bo Ping was not as furious as Xu Qinglian had described, but rather remarkably calm—could he also know about Le Yao's situation? Hu Xiaotian's mind involuntarily produced a huge question mark.

Since I was here, I also took the opportunity to visit Wan Ting Sheng and Li Xiangzhi; both were recovering well, and I helped Li Xiangzhi remove her tube. After finishing these tasks, I realized I hadn't seen Zhou Ju; asking Wan Bo Ping, I learned Zhou Ju had gone out early to gather herbs and still hasn't returned.

Although Wan Bo Ping's household had endured so much, he still hadn't forgotten Hu Xiaotian's commission; he had personally contacted Qingyun Xian's major households and merchants, all of whom agreed to participate in whatever charitable auction Hu Xiaotian was organizing, leaving the details to Song Shaofu, the owner of Hongyan Lou. According to Wan Bo Ping, Song Shaofu has broader connections in Qingyun Xian, but given all that has happened in his own family, he likely lacks the energy to help Hu Xiaotian with any charitable auction.

Seeing Wan Bo Ping's low spirits, Hu Xiaotian didn't press him, comforting him: "I'll discuss the charitable auction with Boss Song; Wan Yuanwai, you've worked hard."

Wan Bo Ping asked, "Magistrate Hu, will that vengeful spirit return or not?"

Having repeatedly extorted gold from him, Hu Xiaotian now saw that Le Yao had escaped the fire, and his resentment toward Wan Bo Ping had lessened somewhat. Thinking that Wan Bo Ping had also been suffering continual misfortunes and had even felt a twinge of compassion, he narrowed his eyes, feigning solemnity as he glanced at the residence where Le Yao once lived, and said solemnly, "In my view, it probably won't come back."

Hu Xiaotian's ordinary words were, for Wan Bo Ping, the best comfort; the remarkable demeanor Hu Xiaotian displayed had long since thoroughly convinced him.

Le Yao's disappearance wasn't that significant to the Wan family; although Wan Bo Ping initially spoke harshly to the Qingyun officials, afterward he did not continue to exert great pressure on them.

The carriage Le Yao rode in was found in Cui Ping Valley, about ten li south of Qingyun Xian city; the carriage had plunged into a mountain gorge over twenty zhang deep, severely wrecked. Nearby, they found the clothing Le Yao wore that day, stained with large amounts of blood. Official constables followed the stream, using the carriage wreckage as a center, expanding search up and down for twenty li, yet found no trace of Le Yao's corpse.

After returning from the Wan residence, Hu Xiaotian adopted an aloof attitude; he was very clear about this matter—the plot against Le Yao was orchestrated solely by Wan Madame, and after Wan Bo Ping's initial high-handedness, his subsequent conduct was almost mild, showing he didn't want the affair to blow up; Hu Xiaotian even suspected the matter might involve him as well.

In the eyes of Qingyun Xian magistrate Xu Qinglian, Hu Xiaotian's presence had played a certain role; based on the current information, the Wan family's third daughter-in-law likely met with misfortune, and their perfunctory two-day search would suffice as an explanation to the Wan family— the case could be closed right there.

After watching the young master's composed performance, Hu Tianxiong also felt completely reassured; he left Qingyun early the next morning, and before departing, Hu Xiaotian specially entrusted him to bring plenty of local specialties to his parents.

Since yesterday, when Murong Feiyan escorted Le Yao away, she has not appeared; Hu Xiaotian isn't worried about Murong Feiyan, for in his mind she has always been a formidable woman. What truly concerns him is Le Yao—at their parting, she ran a persistent fever and kept babbling nonsense, and he doesn't know whether her condition has improved. Actually, Hu Xiaotian also understands that with Murong Feiyan attending to her, there should be no problem.

That evening he had invited the divine physician Zhou Ju of Xichuan to dinner, so he early on sent Liu Kuohai to Hongyan Lou to order a few dishes, and, worried Zhou Ju might not know the way, he had Liang Da Zhuang drive a carriage to the Wan residence to fetch him.

While waiting at home for Zhou Ju to arrive, Hongyan Lou had already sent over the dishes—indeed, it was the owner Song Shaofu himself who personally brought the assistants.

Hu Xiaotian hadn't expected him to come personally deliver the dishes; he rose with a grin and greeted, "Boss Song, why did you come in person?"

Song Shaofu said, "It just so happened I had nothing else to do tonight, and since I was delivering food to the magistrate, I tagged along to say hello and see where the magistrate resides." His manner revealed a shrewdness.

Hu Xiaotian nodded with a smile; as the assistants laid out the dishes, he invited Song Shaofu to sit, and since he was here, he might as well invite him to drink together—he guessed Song Shaofu's visit was also for that purpose.

Song Shaofu said, "Magistrate Hu, I have another matter to discuss with you this time."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "Speak freely; here you may say whatever you wish."

Song Shaofu said, "Yesterday Wan Yuanwai came over and entrusted me to organize Qingyun Xian's business community to participate in the charitable auction you proposed; I'm not sure if I remember correctly, but it seems to be this matter."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "You remembered correctly—it's a charitable auction." Worried Song Shaofu might not understand the term, he continued, "It means gathering the prominent figures of Qingyun Xian together, then having each contribute items they don't often use for a public auction, with the highest bidder winning."

Song Shaofu said, "I understand that."

Hu Xiaotian added, "All proceeds from the auction will go toward repairing Qingyun Qiao; it's also a contribution of love, benefiting all the people of Qingyun Xian."

Only now did Song Shaofu fully understand; when Wan Bo Ping told him about this matter earlier, his explanation was also vague—in fact Wan Bo Ping himself didn't care much, and after he retold it, of course it remained unclear; only Hu Xiaotian's explanation made it clear. Song Shaofu smiled and said, "Magistrate, your love for the people truly makes me admire you." (to be continued…)