Chapter 087: Set Out

  Early August in Wangxian County, the sky is high and the air is refreshing.

  As night fell, the new moon hung quietly at the tip of the green trees, the night sky was clear and transparent, and the stars were shining brightly. There was a bit of chill in the air, with thin frost like light dew, falling on the wall head.

  "Your Excellency, you're too kind, too kind." In the county yamen's prison, a table of wine and dishes was set out, all of them being top-grade beef and mutton, as well as fine wines from Qiongzhongfang. The jailer and his assistants thanked him repeatedly.

  It was He Ti who brought these, the young master of the He family.

  He Jia is considered the richest man in Wangxian County.

  Compared with the wealthy merchants in other places, they may not have as much wealth, but in Wangxian County, they are looked up to by other businessmen. Even the Huang Lanqing family is far inferior to the He family.

  He and his son were tall and imposing, looking like they couldn't be trifled with, so others would first show them respect. They were generous and open-minded, and their actions were upright and transparent, so everyone in the county government had received favors from the He family.

  It's just these small jailers and prison guards who took the money from He's family.

  He came in person, that is the god of wealth arrived, these low-ranking officials who can't get any benefits, were treated with great courtesy.

  "It should be." He Ti smiled and said, "My two younger male cousins are being held here, so I'll trouble you to take care of them for a couple of days. A few cups of weak wine won't show enough respect."

  The wardens and prison guards were all stunned.

  It was only then that they remembered Chen's family and He's family were relatives by marriage.

  The Chen family's status is not prominent, and when others mention the He family, they will not actively mention the Chen family. These low-ranking prison guards are not of high status and do not have much insight, so for a while, they all forgot about this matter.

  Moreover, He Ti and Chen Mo did not get along with each other in daily life.

  Chen Mo and Chen Yang were involved in the matter, so they would definitely look for the Chen family and not the He family. It wasn't until He Ti made it clear that the two Chen brothers were his cousins that the prison guards understood the purpose of He Ti's visit today.

  This face must be given.

  "Mr. He, you should also consider our situation." The jailer smiled and explained, "The two officials from the Chen family, it was Mr. Meng who had them brought in. The county magistrate has gone to Yaojiang and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon, so the case hasn't been tried yet, and naturally we can't release anyone. Don't worry, you'll spend the night here, it's not as comfortable as your own home, but at least you'll have enough food and a warm place to sleep, and we won't make the two officials suffer."

  "Thank you, thank you!" He Ti raised his glass, wanting to toast everyone.

  Everyone hurriedly raised their cups and accompanied him in taking a sip.

  "I still have a few dishes of food here. If it's convenient, I'll send them in for everyone to eat." He pointed to the food boxes behind him.

  He brought many lunchboxes.

  Each food box has three layers, but only two layers have dishes in them, and one layer is untouched.

  The prison guards all have experience.

  The next layer down must have had money in it.

  At least five taels.

  They were doing hard labor here, with a monthly salary of only two taels of silver. To have five taels of silver as a bonus was a huge windfall, and the prisoners were overjoyed.

  "I'll take it in for you." The jailer said with a smile.

  "That's just right." He Qi said with a smile, "I won't go in then, I know the rules."

  The prison head nodded and smiled: "Magistrate He is kind to us."

  "Take good care of Chen Yang and his family. Chen Yang and his younger brother are scholars, it's a pity for them." He Ti added another sentence.

  The prison guards knew that He Ti came today mainly to take care of Chen Zhong and others, rather than Chen Mo people.

  After some polite conversation, several prison guards carried the food boxes into the cell.

  He Ti accompanied him in drinking two cups of wine and then stood up to bid farewell.

  His goal has been achieved.

  The county magistrate is not in the county government office, so he will definitely not be interrogated tonight. He begged to be spared from suffering and hurried back home to tell his father about this matter.

  The county magistrate has not returned, and nothing can be done.

  As soon as He Ti walked away, the prison guards and inmates were too busy to eat or drink, hastily gathering several food boxes together and opening the bottom layer.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, twenty taels of silver were placed on each floor.

  There is a total of one hundred and twenty.

  Each prisoner got more than eight taels.

  "Congratulations, sir! You're really generous!" A small jailer couldn't help but rub his hands together in excitement. In the past, getting a good deal would be just 500 coins, now they got so much all at once!

  "You all do your part, take good care of the two officials from the Chen family. In the future, Official He will not fail to reward you." The prison head said with a smile, "Official He is famous for knowing how to repay kindness."

  "Yes, yes." Everyone responded in agreement.

  The warden divided the silver. He took a large share for himself, and each of the remaining prison guards received eight taels. They all put away their silver, feeling at ease, and enjoyed drinking even more.

  Just as they were enjoying their meal, a guard at the door came in and said: "Young Master Shen of the Shen family has sent over some wine and dishes."

  The prison guards were all stunned.

  "What day is it today?" A prison guard suddenly came back to his senses and asked what everyone else was wondering.

  "Who is this supposed to be for?" The prison guard also didn't understand.

  The leader's mind is clear and bright.

  It must be because of those four people who came in today.

  Shen Changqing brought some servants and several food boxes, came in with a smile and greeted the prison guards, stating his purpose.

  He also came to see Chen Yang and others.

  "Chen Yang and I are my fourth brother's close friends," Shen Changqing explained. "I heard that he had committed a crime, and my fourth brother was so anxious that he insisted that I come to take a look at him overnight. I said, 'The guards are all our own people, how could they make things difficult for Brother Yang?' My fourth brother ordered me, and as his younger brother, I didn't dare refuse, so I had to come and disturb you. It's a long night, and on the way, I brought some wine and food to help you pass the time."

  Then he glanced at the table and smiled, "I really came at a bad time, you all have started eating."

  It turned out that it was because of Chen Yang and his coming.

  Just now, He Ti also came to see Chen Yang and others.

  Chen Zhongji, Chen Juren's younger brother.

  Has Mr. Chen received any news?

  Otherwise, why would everyone come especially at midnight?

  The wardens and guards guessed in their hearts, but still politely welcomed Shen Changqing.

  "Balang, go to Mr. Yang's house and look for Cangji." After dinner, more than an hour had passed, but Chen Jing still hadn't returned, making Li Shi anxious, so she sent Li Balang to find Chen Jing, "The first house in Yuhetiang. If you don't know the way, let Qingyun take you."

  "Yuhe Alley, I know," said Li Balang, "walking along the river embankment, walking to the bend, there is a bamboo forest below the slope. Behind the bamboo forest is Yuhe Alley, right?"

  Chen Jie was not at home, Li Balang read alone and felt bored, strolled along the river embankment, went to that side.

  "It's settled," said Mr. Li. "Then hurry up. Are you afraid to walk alone at night? If you are, go by West Street, it's just a bit of a detour."

  "What's so scary about it?" Li Balang laughed and said.

  He pushed open the door and walked out.

  Just as he walked to the entrance of Jiang's residence, the gate creaked open and Jiang Chongyu came out.

  The high lanterns hung at the entrance of Jiang's mansion cast a hazy light. Jiang Chongyan's face merged into the halo, his features soft and gentle, very kind-hearted.

  But Li Balang had a bad first impression of Jiang Chongyan, he just nodded in greeting and was about to pass by.

  "Brother Li, are you going out to find someone?" Jiang Chongyan asked from behind.

  Li Balang didn't want to pay attention to him and continued walking forward. After taking two steps, he suddenly felt something was off, turned around, and stared at Jiang Chongfu with a fierce gaze: "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

  The two courtyards adjoin each other.

  If you want to, you can sneak into the corner of the wall and eavesdrop.

  Li Balang felt nauseous.

  He had a bad feeling about this neighbor and subconsciously thought of Jiang Chongyu as the worst.

  Jiang Chongyan smiled and said, "Brother Li misunderstood me. I was just about to go out to stroll around the night market and happened to run into Brother Li. I thought that since our brother hasn't returned yet, Brother Li must be going out to look for him."

  "How did you know that Yan didn't come back?" Li Balang's tone became even more unpleasant, taking a few steps closer. "Surnamed Jiang, what do you mean by this?"

  Everything is known to neighbors, and there's a feeling of being peeped at.

  There is no secrecy at home, everything is known to outsiders, it feels very bad.

  "Brother Li, I'm doing this out of kindness, I couldn't bear to see you searching everywhere. This noon, when I was having wine with Yu'er at Qiongjiang Pavilion, we coincidentally ran into a fight at the entrance, and Brother happened to be among them. He and three others were caught by the county yamen."

  Li Balang's head buzzed for a moment.

  "Nonsense," said Li Balang, "the Central Plains will not make trouble."

  "Belief and doubt are all up to you, Brother Li." Jiang Chong smiled slightly.

  Li Balang does not trust Jiang Chongyao.

  But this remark was a bit frightening, Li Balang didn't bother to argue with Jiang Chongge anymore, and ran along the river embankment, panting, to Yuhewu to find Yang Zhihou.

  Yang Zhi Zhou is getting older, sleeps early and gets up early.

  It was almost time for bed, and Yang Zhi Chou was just about to fall asleep.

  As a result, Mingfeng came in and said that Chen Yang's family had arrived, saying they were looking for Chen Yang.

  "He didn't go back?" Yang Zhi Zhou was shocked.

  He came out and met Li Balang.

  Li Balang was still in good physical condition, but he had run too fast and was now panting slightly. After greeting Yang Zhihou, he immediately asked him: "Is Cui not here with you?"

  "He went back at noon." Yang Zhi Zhou furrowed his brow, "Didn't he come home all along?"

  Li Balang shook his head.

  He thought of what Jiang Zhongyan had just said.

  Jiang Chongyan estimated that he didn't deceive him, Chen Jing was really caught and thrown into prison.

  "Have you gone to your relatives and friends' homes?" Yang Zhi Zhou continued to ask. At the same time, Yang Zhi Zhou also felt that it was not very possible. He had been with Chen Jing for half a year, and he understood Chen Jing's personality very well.

  Chen Jing is a family-loving person. He always says that since there are only his sister-in-law and nephew/niece at home, he's afraid they'll worry, so even on ordinary days, he has to report everything clearly, no matter how small the matter is.

  He can't stay out all night.

  There is only one possibility: he won't be back.

  "Our neighbor said that at noon, he saw Yang and someone else fighting in front of the wine house door, and was caught and taken to the county yamen prison." Li Balang frowned tightly, "I thought he was joking with me. Now thinking about it, I'm afraid it's true"

  "It's possible." Yang Zhi Zhou let out a sigh of relief and smiled, "If it weren't for the fact that it involved the county government office, Xiang wouldn't have made you worry unnecessarily. He's always thinking of his family after all. Alright, let Ming Feng follow you to take a look at the county prison."

  He didn't take it seriously at all.

  Li Balang suddenly thought of Chen Jing saying that Mr. Yang was a high-ranking official in the past.

  Yang Zhi Zhou has such confidence. Since he already knows about it, he should be able to make a decision on behalf of the Central Committee. This matter shouldn't be too difficult.

  Li Balang's tightly knitted eyebrows relaxed a little.

  "Xiang and his family have always been gentle, it's impossible for him to cause trouble, maybe it's just a misunderstanding." Li Balang explained to Yang Zhi Zhou, fearing that Yang would think Chen Xiang was rude. "Besides, he wouldn't hit anyone."

  Yang Zhi Zhou burst out laughing: "Although he's a gentle and refined person, he has a bit of a fierce temper. When things get to his head, he won't back down. He wouldn't hit people? You're the one who got punched by him."

  Li Balang was shocked.

  He didn't quite understand what Yang Zhiou meant.

  Yang Zhi Zhou didn't explain any more and shouted at Ming Feng, telling him to follow Li Ba Lang and hurry to the county government office to take a look.

  "If it's just a minor matter, let's forget about it for now. It's late at night, don't stir up trouble. We can talk again in the morning. If it's not good, have Jin Zichu come to me first and I'll have a word with him."

  Wang Xian's Jin County Magistrate, named Fang, styled Zichu.

  Yang Zhi Zhou was afraid that Chen Jing would be beaten up in prison.

  "Understood, sir." Mingfeng replied.