Chapter 61: 61 Not Even in the Same League

Biliu Courtyard is located in Nancheng.

Previously, the courtesans in the courtyard often went on outings with the young master of the Water Bird Martial Arts Hall's master, simply because the person behind the scenes controlling Biliu Courtyard was none other than the martial arts hall.

Today, from beginning to end, it was all a trap.

Everything An Zhangsheng heard, encountered, and even this private room, was all arranged.

If it were someone else, they might not have taken the bait, but a piece of trash like An Zhangsheng, who wallowed in pleasure and thought with his crotch, was not in that category. When a cat sees fishy smells, it will go up to sniff; when An Zhangsheng heard that "Biliu Courtyard has a fresh girl who just debuted," how could he not be tempted?

At this moment, this young master's face was deathly pale, shouting: "I'm wronged, I'm wronged."

He was not stupid; at this time, he was no longer arrogant, simply because he also knew what kind of power was behind the government office, and that was definitely not something the An Family could afford to provoke.

Ouyang Fei, however, ignored him completely and waved his hand.

The yamen runners quickly put shackles on An Zhangsheng and his two attendants.

And soon, other yamen runners brought over two bandits.

As for Wang Han, he had escaped.

An Zhangsheng shouted: "Official, I am truly wronged, I was deceived. I... I am the eldest young master of the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce, how could I strike against my own chamber of commerce?"

Ouyang Fei, however, acted as if he had received the news long ago and remained completely unmoved.

As for the matter of treating human life like grass, it was not as if he hadn't done it before.

What's more, today's matter was truly not a muddled case, but one that was crystal clear.

He was doing this to eliminate harm for the people.

He picked his ear, completely ignoring An Zhangsheng, whose voice had already gone hoarse from shouting.

Not until the people were gone did Ouyang Fei look to the side.

Zhao Hua walked out from the restaurant, bowed to him, and said: "Greetings, Official."

Ouyang Fei said: "Enough, I won't concern myself with your affairs, but An Zhangsheng truly colluded with bandits; this crime deserves decapitation."

Zhao Hua leaned in, took a banknote from his bosom, stuffed it into Ouyang Fei's hand, and said in a low voice: "The Official enforces the law impartially; this is truly eliminating harm for the people."

Ouyang Fei glanced at the banknote, pushed it back, and said: "For this matter, I will not accept money from anyone, and you shouldn't give it either. Mention a word to Song Xiazi later that I didn't take any money."

As an old hand in the world, one should get things done and take money when appropriate; one must be muddled on the surface, but clear in the heart.

Ouyang Fei had received news from Zhao Hua that bandits had appeared and were having a secret discussion somewhere, and then he had run to the scene and listened for so long—how could he not be clear about it?

He would not accept money related to Song Xiazi.

If he accepted it, the favor would be diminished.

Although this did not yet amount to a favor, it was at least a good connection.

Song Xiazi was a person of consequence; even if his eyes were blind, Ouyang Fei still dared not look down on him at all.

What's more, Song Xiazi truly had a life-saving grace toward him.

In the cold, gloomy prison, An Zhangsheng's expression was uncertain; he hadn't expected that he had been set up by someone and just thought he was unlucky. But now, he had been locked in the prison for a full hour, yet he still hadn't seen anyone from the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce come to save him.

He gripped his fists in anger, but when he saw the jailer, he called out humbly: "I am the eldest young master of the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce. You go and urge the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce again; they will give you a lot of money to redeem me, really."

The jailer remained unmoved, because not far away, Ouyang Fei was sitting with his legs crossed at the table in the center of the prison.

If the boss didn't give the word, who would move?

As An Zhangsheng kept shouting, he grew increasingly furious in his heart.

A thought suddenly arose in his mind: that pair of dog-man-and-woman must be colluding to harm him, maybe they were intentionally not saving him! No, it can't be like this!

An Zhangsheng thought for a moment and suddenly shouted: "I confess, I confess! It wasn't me who colluded with the bandits, it was the An Family who colluded, it was An Chenyu, I did everything according to her arrangements! The whole An Family is involved, go and arrest them all."

Ouyang Fei raised his hand to rub his forehead, poured himself a cup of tea, and cursed in a low voice: "What kind of stupid thing is this?"

The more An Zhangsheng shouted, the more excited he became; he wanted to drag the entire An Family into the water, and when the time came, the An Family would naturally do their utmost to protect themselves and would also save him.

He continued to shout, but as he shouted, his voice suddenly began to dry up, became strange, and then... he could no longer make a sound.

He opened his mouth in astonishment, exerting all his strength, but only uselessly tugged at his vocal cords, to no avail.

He was mute! What was going on?

Ouyang Fei heard him stop shouting and called over a jailer: "Go and take a look."

The jailer took a look and returned to report the situation.

Ouyang Fei guessed in his heart that it must have been the mute poison put in the teapot at Biliu Courtyard.

He clapped his hands and said: "Go and interrogate him, ask clearly about the matter of colluding with the bandits."

The jailer respectfully agreed, then grabbed the "Hidden Torture Kit" and headed toward the prison cells.

The injuries caused by the torture instruments in this small kit were relatively hidden and made one wish they were dead. This way, when the prisoner was later taken to the execution ground, no one would have thoughts like "forced confession through torture" or "abuse of private lynching"; this was much better than a leather whip with barbs.

An Zhangsheng didn't even last long under those three, and he signed his confession.

Ouyang Fei grabbed the signed document, yawned, turned around, and left.

Since he had confessed, he would just be beheaded in two days.

This case was closed extremely quickly, and because it was late at night, no one noticed at all.

By the time Wang Da Xiansheng and the other two guards noticed that the eldest young master hadn't returned all night, they thought the eldest young master was out playing and had forgotten the time; after all, this was common in the Prefecture City.

In the morning, An Daxiaojie returned from outside; she had sent many people from the chamber out, and now the residence seemed slightly empty.

Ying'er accompanied her, and after returning to the residence, she noticed that Wang Da Xiansheng had come.

She asked.

Wang Da Xiansheng then stated his purpose and the Old Master's intentions.

An Chenyu nodded and replied: "I will go back and explain it clearly to Grandfather."

Wang Da Xiansheng dared not be aggressive; he had completely lost the sharpness and arrogance he had when he first arrived.

An Chenyu continued back to her courtyard; in the courtyard's tea shed, she saw the youth in the black robe cleaning tea sets, so she smiled and said: "Among those old masters in the south of the city, who would accompany you to taste tea?" Song Cheng said: "It's not an old master, it's Young Master Zhao from the Water Bird Martial Arts Hall."

An Chenyu said: "So it was him; take some good tea for him to drink, it hasn't been easy for him."

Song Cheng nodded.

Afternoon.

Zhao Hua and Liu Jun had indeed come.

"Sir, I have come to drink tea," Zhao Hua said with a smile.

Song Cheng also smiled.

This was something the two had agreed upon yesterday; it had seemed like a casual mention, but in fact, "if An Zhangsheng were still around today, this tea would not be drunk well," so to come and drink tea, An Zhangsheng had to be dealt with.

Zhao Hua was a sharp person; he had understood Song Cheng's situation and intent in a second yesterday, and he also understood what action would best serve the interests of his own martial arts school. Whether it was to befriend Song Cheng or to stabilize the alliance between the "seven martial arts schools and the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce," An Zhangsheng had to die.

Therefore, he made his move.

And the moment he chose to act was the instant Song Cheng's blade-staff landed in the mud.

If he had not understood the meaning, Song Xiazi had already decided to act himself.

Fortunately, the two had shared a moment of tacit understanding.

Now that they saw each other again, their mutual favor had increased.

At least in Song Cheng's eyes, Zhao Hua's favor had already risen to 90, and after he patiently gave pointers on martial arts while drinking tea, it rose directly to 95.

After some exchange, Zhao Hua sighed deeply: "Master Song, you are truly a person of stunning talent. I used to think I had some measure of talent, but now I realize I was just a frog in a well."

Song Cheng waved his hands repeatedly and said: "Brother Zhao just hasn't had an epiphany yet. If you have an epiphany, who is to say you won't soar into the sky, much faster than me."

Zhao Hua smiled bitterly: "Master Song, please do not call me Brother Zhao, you flatter me too much. In this world of Jianghu, it has always been that the capable are teachers and the strong are brothers. If you do not despise me, I truly wish to address you as my elder brother."

Song Cheng said: "You and I were already brothers to begin with."

Zhao Hua thought of his old father's instruction to "definitely follow Master Song closely," and then thought of the Song Cheng he had seen with his own eyes; he gritted his teeth, stood up directly, and decided to climb up the pole Song Cheng had extended.

He said respectfully: "Brother Song, if you do not despise me, let us become sworn brothers; from now on, I, Zhao Hua, will treat you as my own elder brother."

Song Cheng pondered for a moment.

Zhao Hua was extremely nervous, and only when Song Cheng nodded gently was he wild with joy.

And in Song Cheng's eyes, Zhao Hua's favorability also skyrocketed, surging from 95 up to 99.

As the two were talking, suddenly there was a commotion outside.

Wang Da Xiansheng was shouting urgently from afar: "Young Miss, Young Miss!! Save the Young Master, save the Young Master!!"

At this moment, this old master felt indescribable panic.

He had finally received news regarding the Young Master.

Regardless of whether it was a coincidence, in the blink of an eye, the Young Master who had come aggressively from the Prefecture City to seize the seal had turned into a prisoner, and the news coming from outside was that he was "colluding with bandits and would be executed in a few days."

Wang Da Xiansheng found it hard to believe.

"Young Miss, I beg you, save the Young Master.

No matter how many mistakes he has made, he is still your brother.

Blood is thicker than water."

Wang Da Xiansheng pleaded.

A moment later, An Chenyu finished grooming herself and went back outside, saying: "Uncle Wang, don't be anxious. I will go and understand the situation first, try to delay it as much as possible, and then think of a way."

"I have troubled you, Young Miss," Wang Da Xiansheng said hurriedly.

An Chenyu really spent a lot of money and connections, trying her best to rescue her eldest brother, which moved Wang Da Xiansheng to see.

And hard work finally had its rewards.

An Zhangsheng's "execution period" was forcibly pushed back by a few days.

In Hanping Prefecture, a fast horse galloped into the city and hurried toward the An Family.

At this time, An Dafuren was waiting happily, thinking about the matter of the "Young Miss marrying a blind man," and could not help but cover her lips and giggle.

She thought to herself: 'Truly, one who brings disaster upon oneself cannot live. To have taken a wild man during the Ghost Tide Period, did she think the family wouldn't pursue it? Marriage is a major life event, and it has always been up to the parents to decide.

Counting the days, it should be time for her to return in a couple of days.'

Thinking of this, she clapped her hands and called out: "Xiaocui, has the Chen Family's young master responded?"

A maid ran over and said: "Although An Chenyu has taken a husband, she still has some reputation for beauty outside. The Chen Family's young master is naturally lecherous; he doesn't care about this, and he already replied this morning, agreeing to this marriage."

An Dafuren triumphantly made an orchid gesture, holding a luxurious hairpin to measure it against her head, her face full of smiles.

The maid named Xiaocui knew her mistress's heart, so she subconsciously flattered her: "That An Chenyu is truly stupid. She was supposed to take in a live-in son-in-law, but she ended up recruiting a wild man herself. Now... she has made a mistake, so she has to marry herself off. How can there be such a stupid person in the world?"

An Dafuren raised her voice and laughed: "Who knows."

Just as they were talking, a commotion and chaos suddenly came from outside the door.

An Dafuren glanced outside and said impatiently: "Xiaocui, tell them to stop making noise, what is the matter?"

Xiaocui said: "Mistress, I will go out and take a look."

An Dafuren nodded.

Before long, Xiaocui ran back, her face pale, her expression anxious, and she said in terror: "Mistress, something has happened, something big has happened."

An Dafuren said indifferently: "What could possibly happen?"

Xiaocui said: "The Young Master, the Young Master has colluded with bandits, was caught red-handed, and is going to be executed!!"

An Dafuren had been smiling a moment ago, but the next instant she stood frozen, then got up crying and screaming, rushing toward the Old Master's place. As she walked, her brows furrowed sharply, and she cursed: "Tell the messenger to have An Chenyu protect my son with her life! If my son loses even a single hair, I will definitely not let her off!! She is just a money-losing item to be married off; my son is the one who carries on the An Family line!"

(End of chapter)