Madam Chen, rebuffed by Jiang Yuanfa, reluctantly shut her mouth and headed towards the east wing.
Rongyue, hearing this, immediately turned and went inside.
Madam Chen lifted the curtain and called out, "Rongyue, go fetch Xuan, and have him come with your father-in-law to receive the guest. Then go to the kitchen and see if anything is missing. If so, come back and tell me."
Rongyue obediently agreed and left the main courtyard, heading towards the back.
Her husband's cousin, Chen Xuan, had been living at the Jiang Family for three years, studying with Jiang Wencheng.
He had originally lived in the west wing, but after she married into the family, he moved to the back courtyard's rear room.
The Jiang Family's back courtyard had three rooms in total. Chen Xuan lived in one, and the other two were used as his and Jiang Wencheng's study, as the back was quiet and conducive to studying.
Rongyue had just passed through the moon gate when she saw Chen Xuan walking towards her.
Chen Xuan saw her and smiled warmly, "Cousin-in-law, are you out of paper? I'll go get some more. I often hear my cousin say you write beautifully. When will I have a chance to see it?"
Rongyue smiled shyly and shook her head, "No, I have enough paper. It's the Prefect of Qingzhou, the Commander, who has come to visit. Mother wants you to go to the front hall with Father to receive the guest."
Chen Xuan was stunned at first, then overjoyed, "That Xu official has come? Wonderful! My cousin is saved!"
After saying this, Chen Xuan quickly thanked Rongyue and hurried towards the front hall.
When he arrived at the front hall, he saw a tall man in a crimson Flying Fish Robe, with an Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist, seated in the main seat. This must be Xu Hongchuan.
Beside him stood a younger Imperial Guard in a Bullfight Robe. Both men looked at him.
Jiang Yuanfa, beaming, stood up and said, "This is my nephew, Cousin Cheng's cousin, who studies with him."
Chen Xuan stepped forward and bowed deeply, "Junior greets Lord Xu."
Xu Hongchuan said indifferently, "No need for formalities."
Xu Hongchuan casually exchanged pleasantries with the two men. In truth, he shouldn't have come, nor was it necessary for him to come in person.
He already knew the truth of Jiang Wencheng's case; he could release him immediately if he wanted.
But for some reason, he still came to the Jiang Family in person, a move that even his fifth brother, Qi Yue, found surprising.
Perhaps it was because he couldn't let go of that question, whether that young woman was really Jiang Yuanfa's daughter-in-law?
So, he had to come to the Jiang Family in person to see. If she wasn't, then she must be using a beauty trap.
If that was the case, he would free Jiang Yuanfa's son, and he would take the little beauty today. That would be a fair trade.
After a while of pleasantries, Xu Hongchuan frankly stated his intentions and brought up Jiang Wencheng's case.
Jiang Yuanfa and Chen Xuan immediately put away their smiles and listened attentively.
Xu Hongchuan took a sip of tea and slowly inquired about Jiang Wencheng's daily life at the private school.
In fact, he'd already handled Jiang Wencheng's case today. The person who was beaten, Prefect Lu's nephew, whose name was Jia Wei, was reportedly seriously injured by Jiang Wencheng and was now recovering at home.
He had first sent Wang Shiqi to guard Jia's residence for two days and discovered that every night, two people wearing capes sneaked in through the back door and came out again in the morning. Their destination was actually the Drunken Spring Pavilion!
Qi Yue had said that Prefect Lu's nephew had been frequenting the pavilion for months, trying to win over the top courtesan. The people in the capes were most likely that courtesan.
Since he was "seriously injured" by Jiang Wencheng, yet he was secretly inviting the courtesan to serve him every night?
As he expected, Xu Hongchuan couldn't help but sneer after hearing Wang Shiqi's report.
He immediately took people to Jia's residence. When they arrived, the gatekeeper, still ignorant of the situation, tried to be tough and refused them entry, but Zhang Hu kicked him aside.
Once they said, "The Imperial Guards are investigating the case," the Jia Family became obedient.
When Xu Hongchuan entered the west wing of the main courtyard with Wang Shiqi and Qi Yue, he could smell the strong scent of medicine before entering.
Upon entering the west wing, Xu Hongchuan saw the "seriously injured" Jia Wei on the bed, his face pale, with white cloth wrapped around his arms and legs.
Wang Shiqi summoned the doctor treating him and questioned him. The doctor stammered his answers. Mister Jia then came forward, pretending to be serious, and said how severely his son was injured and that Jiang Wencheng must be severely punished.
Xu Hongchuan smiled meaningfully and said slowly, "Young Master Jia's legs don't seem to be doing well. This is not good; what will he do if he can't walk in the future?"
Mister Jia immediately chimed in, "You are right, Lord Xu! My poor son!"
Xu Hongchuan smiled slightly and continued, "I happen to have a descendant of a divine doctor here. I've come today to treat Young Master Jia."
Mister Jia was stunned, "This…"
Xu Hongchuan coldly glanced at the father and son, then gave Qi Yue a look.
Qi Yue nodded and stepped forward, smiling at Jia Wei, "Young Master Jia, my acupuncture can bring the dead back to life."
With that, he removed the white cloth from Jia Wei's legs. The Jia Family were immediately panicked and wanted to stop him.
The ten or so Imperial Guards brought by Xu Hongchuan "swish, swish, swish" drew their Embroidered Spring Blades. The room was instantly filled with a cold light, and the sharp blades were menacing. The Jia Family didn't dare to move and could only wail on the side.
Qi Yue quickly took off Jia Wei's pants, opened a cloth bag, and it was filled with needles of varying lengths.
Jia Wei, lying on the bed, could sense the sweat forming on his forehead, but he didn't dare to move, only groaning weakly.
Qi Yue took out a three-inch-long silver needle, and with a mischievous grin, he waved it in front of Jia Wei's face, then plunged it into the inside of his thigh!
Jia Wei grimaced and groaned. Before he could react, Qi Yue plunged another needle into his lower leg, and he couldn't help but cry out in pain.
Xu Hongchuan looked at Mister Jia and smiled, "Isn't your son unable to walk? It seems there is still hope for these legs. How do you think my brother's acupuncture skills are?"