Zhang Gu was jostled about, nearly dropping the bundle he was carrying.
“Chief, what important personage is passing by?” a new recruit asked curiously, standing on tiptoe to look ahead. “Is it a National Uncle? I heard in the countryside that when National Uncles pass through the streets, the roads are paved with flowers—”
Zhang Gu spat: “If you don’t want to go back to the countryside, shut your mouth. This is the capital. If you keep spouting nonsense, watch out for your dog life. What rubbish—what National Uncles—”
The new recruit stuck out his tongue. He had worked so hard to come to the capital from a countryside postal station. Although it was still hard labor, even less comfortable than in the countryside, he was young and preferred adventure—he was reluctant to go back.
Not daring to push forward anymore, he was squeezed to the back, but he did hear a lot of discussion.
“It’s a young master from the Xie family.”
“The Dongyang Xie family, the Crown Princess’s Xie family.”
The new recruit was delighted. The Xie family—the Xie family were also National Uncles. Right now there were many National Uncles. Military Chief Zhang said he was spouting nonsense.
“Is it Young Master Xie San?”
“Of course not Young Master Xie San. It’s Young Master Xie San’s brother who caused great trouble and many people died.”
Hearing this, the new recruit was shocked again. He couldn’t care about seeing the National Uncles and squeezed through to these people to listen carefully.
“The Xie family’s young master was escorting goods from his own shop. Passing through Han Commandery, he got drunk and caused a great fire that burned down a village. The entire village, people and dogs alike, all burned to death.”
“My heavens! This, this is murder.”
“So what if it’s murder? Will the Xie family young master have to pay with his life?”
The new recruit listened with his heart pounding, but it was just as the legends in the countryside said—National Uncles could kill and set fires without consequence. He couldn’t help pushing forward, wanting to see what a National Uncle who could kill and set fires without consequence looked like—
Zhang Gu couldn’t pull him back and stamped his foot in anger: “Damn brat, you came from the countryside, how are you also as disobedient as A’Jiu?”
To prevent this ignorant and fearless country boy from causing trouble, he could only follow along.
The crowd before them stirred.
“They’re coming! They’re coming!”
The new recruit had already squeezed to the very front. Without standing on tiptoe, he could see a group of people walking over. There were no magnificent carriages and horses as the new recruit had imagined, but a procession on foot, with a young man walking at the very front.
The young man held his chin high, his expression arrogant and disdainful of others. He also wore no magnificent clothing, but was bare-chested with his upper body exposed, bound with vine branches.
What was going on?
“Xie family son, Xie Yanlai—”
Behind the young man, a middle-aged man called out loudly.
“Improper conduct, deficient character, harming human lives!”
He raised the whip in his hand and cracked it. With a snap, accompanied by the surrounding citizens’ startled cries, it fell on the young man’s bare back.
The whip struck the thorny branches, the branches jumped and scraped against his skin, and instantly blood beads seeped out, glistening like drops of dew in the sunlight.
The new recruit pressed his hand to his chest, too nervous to breathe.
Even National Uncles got beaten!
……
……
“This is Xie Yanlai.”
In a restaurant by the street, a group of young people stood by the window. The leader was Liang Qiang, holding a wine cup in his hand, looking down at the whip marks on the young man’s back, his expression both satisfied and resentful.
“He’s the one who said my younger sister was ugly and not worthy of him.”
The young people around looked at the street. Although they were far away and could barely get a glimpse of the young man’s appearance—well, what he said wasn’t wrong.
Liang Qiang frowned and sneered coldly: “Even if what he said wasn’t wrong, for a man to humiliate a woman’s appearance—what kind of gentleman is that?”
A companion beside him nodded: “That’s right, he’s certainly no gentleman. Look at what he’s done.”
“After he humiliated Miss Liang, Young Master Xie San was very angry and punished him by making him leave the capital to escort goods. And the result?” Another companion sneered coldly. “This time it wasn’t just humiliating people, but harming human lives.”
Liang Qiang’s servant hastily said loudly: “Dozens of people burned to death, and the dozen or so survivors were all burned beyond recognition. The entire village was finished. Not only did he not save people, he even wanted to sue the village and demand compensation for the goods.”
Truly terrifying.
Truly heartless and cruel.
Inhuman behavior!
“How could Han Commandery let him go! They should have beaten him to death on the spot!” the young gentlemen said one after another.
“Wasn’t he nearly beaten to death?” the servant said with animated expressions. “Unfortunately, the local prominent family, Young Master Wei, stepped in to stop it. Young Master Wei paid a lot of money to bury the dead and treat the injured. Only then could Xie Yanlai smoothly leave Han Commandery.”
The Wei family of Han Commandery—the young gentlemen all nodded: “Long have we heard their great name.” “Now that’s the bearing of a great family’s young master.”
Liang Qiang sneered coldly: “But that’s also just fearing the Xie family, playing the good person.”
This was being harsh. The others all laughed, “Don’t say that, Young Master Wei had no choice.” “Xie Yanlai is after all a Xie family member. If something really happened in Han Commandery, he wouldn’t look good either.” “Handing him over to the Xie family for punishment—isn’t that even better?”
Liang Qiang naturally wouldn’t truly resent the Wei family—he wasn’t crazy. He didn’t even blame Young Master Xie San.
“Young Master Xie San is still a proper prominent family young master,” he said. “He knows what should be done!”
With that, he threw the wine cup in his hand toward the street, shouting loudly.