Sun Jingxuan was also afraid that after boarding the ship, people would give Lin a tight knot, but for his only daughter, he was not afraid to take this risk, did not bring any attendants, and did not bring any weapons, and boarded the Dongyang number alone.

  As soon as he boarded the ship, Sun Jingxuan lowered his posture and apologized to Lin Fu with a bow. He had made up his mind to offer some hush money, hoping to get through this ordeal safely. Although the Jiangning River Gang's influence extended to the grain transportation affairs managed by the Jiangning Prefecture and the Jiangdong Xuanfu Yamen government office, the power to supervise grain transportation rested with the Procuratorate. Sun Jingxuan had not yet won over Gu Wuhen, so he did not dare offend Lin Fu, a close associate of Gu's.

  Lin Tie saw that Sun Jingxuan was very frightened, so he grasped his arms and said in a low voice: "Sun will first ask you to be at ease. Miss Su Mei told me that you and Mr. Fu Qinghe are old friends, I respect Mr. Fu as an uncle, and I won't harm you...Miss Su Mei said that Mr. Fu Qinghe entrusted her with a letter for you a few days ago, have you seen it?"

  "Ah?" Sun Jingxuan looked at Lin Xian in a daze, and hastily said, "I believe I saw it, Qinghe was injured after his tribulation in Baisha County and has been recuperating in the countryside. His body only recently recovered... So, Lord Lin knows Qinghe."

  "What's this? Mr. Fu didn't mention me in his letter?" Lin Xie felt increasingly puzzled.

  "Really?" Sun Jingxuan said, but he was a clever person. His eyebrows furrowed suddenly as he thought of something, his gaze wandered for a moment, and hesitated before deciding to tell Lin Xian the truth. "I'm illiterate, so in the past when exchanging letters, I would get someone to handle it for me. My daughter also attended private school for a few years, and some personal letters were read aloud to me by her. Could it be that my daughter missed this part?"

  Being illiterate is really deadly, Lin's back was cold and sweaty, fortunately Sun Wenyue's life was not affected, nor did she suffer any excessive grievances, otherwise this feud would be too meaningless.

  Lin Tie didn't mention the letter, and only said to Sun Jingxuan: "The ships of your association shouldn't all return to Longcangpu at once. First, disperse them to the various river mouths and estuaries around Chentianwang to drift for a while. The boats that can't escape should first go to the river mouth and turn into the riverbank wharf to moor. That side can dock twenty or thirty ships. If you encounter water camp patrol boats along the way, just say I invited them to discuss business..."

  "Yes, I'll arrange it right away..." Sun Jingxuan naturally knew that the Western River Association would gather in large numbers at Chao Tian Tang for no reason. This crime could be big or small. Last night was also to protect his only daughter Wen Yu's life and couldn't care too much about it. At this time, reminding Lin Fu also made him break out in a cold sweat. He hastily called over his deputy to instruct him before following Lin Fu ashore on the Dongyang number.

  After landing, Lin Xie ordered the messenger to let the ships dock at the riverbank wharf. He invited Sun Jingxuan and his two attendants, as well as the personal maid who had escaped last night to report back, to go to the grass hut with him. Sun Jingxuan could guess that his daughter's personal maid should know the truth, but it was not convenient to question her in front of Lin Xie. Last night, when Lin Xie made his move against Sun Wenjuan, the personal maid was relatively far away and managed to escape back to report the news.

  Lin tied up on the road and explained to Sun Jingxuan: "Sun will first, I'm really sorry, last night was a misunderstanding, Miss Sun's hands and feet were injured, I've already had a famous doctor treat her, and she didn't suffer any other grievances. Lin Tie is here to apologize to Sun Will First..."

  Sun Jingxuan was skeptical of Lin Fu's words, but what else could be said at this time? Even if he had suffered other grievances, he could only swallow his teeth and stomach, Lin Fu's attitude was already a great face for Fu Qinghe and Su Meigong, but he still looked worried.

  Looking at Sun Jingxuan's face, Lin Fu also secretly sighed: What good can a big girl do without being locked up in prison? Sun Wenjuan's stunning beauty is simply astonishing. All crows are black, and Lin Fu had to convince Sun Jingxuan that the island was a white crow, anyway they would meet soon.

  The boats on the Xihe River dispersed quickly, and the sun had just risen above the south slope of the mountain, revealing a corner of its head. The river mouth side also returned to normal. Lin Xie accompanied Sun Jingxuan to the Caotang, where Su Mei and others were talking in the side hall. Sun Wenjuan was also untied, and a soft couch was moved into the side hall. Sun Wenjuan was still wearing her black clothes from last night, lying on the soft couch. The misunderstanding should have been explained by Su Mei. Lin Xie and Sun Jingxuan walked in, and Sun Wenjuan called out to her father, not even giving Lin Xie a glance.

  Lin Fu said: "Let Sun Hui and Miss Sun sit for a while, I'll have someone prepare some breakfast on this side, it's been a long night...". He followed Su Mei, Fourth Girl, and Xiao Man out, letting the father and daughter explain things clearly themselves. Lin Fu didn't feel too guilty either.

  Sun Jingxuan saw that his daughter's arm was wrapped in a bandage, her left ankle was wrapped in white gauze, and although her clothes were dirty, they were still tidy. He felt a pang of heartache, but also slightly relieved. After Lin and the others withdrew, he asked his daughter in a low voice, "What happened last night? Why did you suddenly become like this?"

  "I won't marry that bastard!" Sun Wenyuan said resolutely.

  As soon as Lin Xie and the others walked out of the side hall, before the door was even closed, Sun Wenjuan's words came clearly, and Su Mei and the others covered their mouths and burst out laughing; Lin Xie's old face turned slightly red, thinking that Sun Wenjuan wouldn't mention this matter to Su Mei and the others, and pretended to be innocent, asking Liu Yue'er to prepare for inviting Sun Jingxuan's father to have an early breakfast.

  Sun Jingxuan listened to his daughter's words and knew that she must have intentionally left out some important things when reading the letter to him. He also heard her muttering curses at Lin Xian, which startled him. He turned around, saw that the door was closed, and asked in a low voice: "What injustice have you suffered?"

  Sun Wenjuan naturally wanted to understand that the previous night's incident of hiding under the embankment and being splashed with urine by Lin Xie was a misunderstanding. She felt resentful, but it wasn't an excuse she could use to blame Lin Xie. Moreover, after being captured the previous night, Lin Xie hadn't done anything to her; he had simply imprisoned her on the island without interrogation. Sun Wenjuan thought that as a woman, her reputation would be completely ruined by being imprisoned, and she felt both shocked and fearful. However, the actual situation turned out to be far beyond her expectations. Looking at her father's concerned expression and thinking about other things, Sun Wenjuan also felt somewhat embarrassed and said: "No, Mr. Wu is on the island. He was supposed to come this morning to plead for his daughter..."

  "Mr. Wu, which Mr. Wu?" Sun Jingxuan asked.

  "Wu Yanqing of Xuanjitang, the one who treated Mother's illness," said Sun Wenyue.

  "Ah, didn't he say he was going back to his hometown to retire a few days ago? What is he doing on the island? What crime did he commit?" Sun Jingxuan asked, puzzled and confused in his heart. He thought that if Wu Yanqing hadn't committed a serious crime punishable by exile or worse, Xuanjidang should have paid to redeem him. Moreover, Wu Yanqing had been practicing medicine in Jiangning for decades, and there were many people who had benefited from him, so it was unlikely that he would be imprisoned.

  "Wu Xiansheng was a doctor at Jiangdao Prison, and it was he who treated his daughter's wound last night..." Sun Wenyue said.

  Sun Jingxuan was even more puzzled, the prison doctor originally didn't have a good reputation, and Wu Yanqing was a famous doctor in Jiangning City, it's unlikely he would make a good income treating prisoners on Jiang Island. Only then did Sun Jingxuan put his mind at ease, asking his daughter about her injuries and the details of Fu Qinghe's letter that she had intentionally missed.

  Sun Wenyue didn't dare to hide it anymore. Fu Qinghe mentioned in the letter that he wanted to be a matchmaker for Lin Xie, and she said: "My daughter would never marry this scoundrel. When did he ever see my daughter? He asked Uncle Fu to be the matchmaker. This scoundrel is not even married yet, but he already has two concubines at home, and he still has thoughts about Su Mian. He must be a lecherous man. Last night, he was so cruel to my daughter... if she hadn't accidentally fallen off the riverbank, who knows what would have happened... maybe he would have killed her with one knife..."

  "What nonsense are you talking about? You're a martial artist, three to five people can't get close to you. Can a bookworm like him beat you up? You deserve some discipline!" Sun Jingxuan scolded. Although he was illiterate, he was a shrewd person and knew that Lin Xie had not seen his daughter before, otherwise there would be no such misunderstanding. Moreover, Fu Qinghe's letter was just a probe.

  Sun Wenyue felt wronged in her heart, but couldn't say it out loud. She had been splashed with urine and although the smell was faint, she could still detect it. Lin Xuan had tripped her up with his pants last night and almost killed her with one slash of his knife. Although she had lost her composure in anger at the time, Lin Xuan's speed and swordsmanship were unmatched, even surpassing her father's. But yesterday, she had seen Lin Xuan's bare buttocks, so how could a respectable young lady like herself possibly mention such a thing?

  "Anyway, my daughter would rather die than marry this scoundrel!" Sun Wenyue said angrily. "If Father wants me to marry him, it's the same as forcing me to death."

  "You're being reckless, after your mother passed away, you think I won't teach you a lesson? You're already 18 years old, if you delay any further, it'll be time for an arranged marriage. Can our family still keep you at home? Sun Jingxuan glared at his daughter, although he deeply loved his wife, when it came to his daughter's marriage, he had a worldly mindset. However, over the years, he had spoiled his daughter and kept putting off her engagement. He didn't know if Fu Qinghe had mentioned anything about proposing to Lin Xie, so for now, he was in a difficult position. According to what people said, Lin Xie came from a family of scholars, at such a young age, he was already a 9th rank official and a trusted aide of the inspector vice-envoy Gu Wuchen. Marrying his daughter off to him wouldn't be considered a bad deal. As for Lin Xie having a concubine, Sun Jingxuan knew that unless he married his daughter off to a poor family, as a father-in-law, it would be hard for him to interfere with his son-in-law's decision to take a concubine. Fu Qinghe mentioned in the letter that Lin Xie was 21 years old and at the prime of his youth, so having a concubine before marriage wasn't unusual. However, Sun Jingxuan also considered his daughter's temperament, he even suspected that she had read Fu Qinghe's letter and didn't want to marry Lin Xie, which is why she snuck out last night to get rid of him. With such a daughter, he didn't dare force her to marry Lin Xie, in case she caused more trouble after the marriage. Thinking this, he asked with a dark face: "Did you come here last night to kill him?"

  Sun Wenjuan knew her father was being biased again, she wasn't so arrogant as to that extent. She saw Fu Qinghe boasting about Lin Xuan in the letter and mentioning marriage, but just wanted to come over and probe a bit. As a big girl, even if she disguised herself as a man, she still had too much of a feminine air about her. Apart from sneaking over at night, what other way could she have? Who would have thought that these things would happen? For a spoiled and pampered big girl like her, the grievances and fright of last night were not something that could be easily dissipated. Sun Wenjuan was happy to let her father think so, turning her face away without saying yes or no.

  Sun Jingxuan was both hateful and angry, but had no way to deal with his daughter. Fortunately, he managed to turn a big matter into a small one, turning it into a family affair, so as not to cause any major disaster.

  ************************

  P.S: Looking for red envelopes (with money).