Liu San, who had been in a daze all this time, accidentally caught sight of the jade pendant on Wu Yuanqing's body. Then he rushed over, carefully scrutinized Wu Yuanqing's face, and immediately slapped him. He then rained punches and kicks on Wu Yuanqing's body and face.
Wu Yuanshuang beside him was not spared either and got beaten up as well. Every blow landed solidly, leaving them both black and blue, with not a single part of their bodies intact.
Right in front of the main hall, County Magistrate Xie quickly stepped forward to stop Liu San, and a group of yamen runners managed to hold back the enraged man.
"Quickly take them away!" Wang Zhihe pointed towards the door.
Don't sully the eyes of the princess and the Prince of Wu!
"Have you seen them before?" Xie Wu asked, pointing at the backs of the Wu brothers.
Liu San wiped the blood off his face. "Yes, I recognize them. They had my parents forced into the house!"
"Forced into the house?" Xie Wu thought for a moment. "So originally, Liu Laosan and his wife weren't knocked out. They were forced back into the house? Did you run out on your own or were you taken out by them?"
They needed someone to survive and report the case, and they had chosen Liu San.
"Yes."
After saying that, Liu San actually walked around the main hall with his hands behind his back, looking as leisurely as if he were strolling in his own fields.
County Magistrate Xie was left completely confused. What did "yes" mean? He hadn't answered the question directly at all!
Later, he thought that this guy had never been very smart. It had even taken him a while to recognize the enemies who had killed his whole family.
Li Ke wanted to cover Li Jingyun's eyes, but his hand was pulled down by her. Li Jingyun smiled helplessly. "Third brother, I'm grown up. I've seen things like this."
"Brother Liu, my princess mansion is short of a gardener. Would you like to come? I'll pay you 120 wen a month. How about it?" Only then did Li Jingyun seriously look at the young man in front of her.
He was at most in his early twenties, with a handsome face, big hands and feet, and great strength. He would be a perfect fit for the princess mansion.
"Will there be food and a place to live?"
"Of course!"
Li Jingyun readily agreed.
"Then I'll go with you!"
The case was concluded in the afternoon. Wang Zhihe submitted his memorial in the evening. As soon as it got dark, the news that the Yang brothers had instigated the Wu brothers to persecute the ten members of the Liu family and deliberately obstructed the sale of coal spread like wildfire.
With Li Ke's support behind the scenes, nine and a half out of ten taverns, teahouses, and beverage shops were discussing this matter.
As usual, Lady Zhong went to that tavern for dinner. She saw the shopkeeper quickly replace the charcoal stove with a coal one. The tavern was as warm as spring.
There were also quite a few customers there. Lady Zhong ordered a few of her favorite dishes and sat by the window, quietly watching the snowflakes outside. She drank by herself, feeling extremely happy.
The old man saw Lady Zhong and turned his head away with his rice bowl in hand. Who would have thought that the public opinion would reverse just by chance on this day?
Didn't the words he had said before just slap himself in the face?
"Lady Zhong, you're here so early today?" The shopkeeper brought a plate of dishes and came over with a smile to strike up a conversation.
"My master's family had a happy event, and I'm in a good mood. They let us off a bit early."
Lady Zhong raised her wine cup and drained it in one gulp. She also replied with a smile.
At this moment, a man rushed in from outside. He was ragged, with his hair disheveled and full of dirt. He directly knelt down in front of Lady Zhong. "Lady, I beg you. Can you take me to see the princess? I have great talent and strategies. The princess will surely employ me! When I make a fortune, I will surely repay you well!"
"What's the use of begging me? I'm just a female worker. I rarely see the princess. Hurry up and leave!" Lady Zhong's good mood was instantly ruined by this man's appearance. She turned around and didn't want to see him.
"Lady! Lady! Look at me!"
The scholar was reluctant to give up. He hugged Lady Zhong's leg and pleaded bitterly, but was kicked hard in the chest by her and flew far away.
"Hey? Aren't you the fifth son of the Wang family?" The old man recognized the scholar's identity at this moment and asked curiously. "It's only been a few days since I last saw you. How did you end up like this? Did you go to the princess mansion to ask to see the princess?"
The Wang family was no ordinary family. It was the Langya Wang family, the same Wang family mentioned in the poem "Swallows that once nested in the halls of Wang and Xie now fly into commoners' homes."
But the Wang family had declined and was not as prosperous as in the previous dynasty.
"Yes, Young Master Wang. Why don't you wait for next year's spring imperial examination? It's not long now. After the New Year and when spring comes, it will be time." The shopkeeper was also curious. At first glance, he had thought this man was a beggar.
Although he was still wearing the same clothes as that day, his whole demeanor was very different from usual.
Seeing a group of people looking at him, Young Master Wang simply slumped on the ground and cried. "Shopkeeper, you don't know. I went to the princess mansion to ask to see the princess. The doorman actually told me that the princess doesn't even live there. Most likely, she's either at the woolen shop or the coal shop. I went to the coal shop and got beaten up. I even lost all my money."
"Went to the coal shop?"
Lady Zhong always felt that his story sounded familiar.
The old man, as if he had caught hold of some handle on Li Jingyun, burst out laughing. He pulled Young Master Wang up. "You're a scholar. Why don't you eat and drink with me? Shopkeeper, bring another plate of cooked mutton!"
"Coming up!"
Young Master Wang naturally couldn't have wished for more. He hadn't had a full meal for several days.
Now he didn't care about table manners or the airs of a rich young master. He grabbed a bowl of rice and stuffed it into his mouth.
"In my opinion, the princess is just hypocritical. She only does things to gain fame. She says it's for our sake, but it's all for her own profit!"
"That's right, that's right. Such a person is not worth my loyalty! I'm going to pledge my allegiance to the crown prince and serve him whole - heartedly!"
The shopkeeper came out with the cooked mutton. The roasted mutton was sizzling with oil and sprinkled with the shop's secret spices. A fragrant smell wafted over.
"Gentlemen, be careful what you say." The shopkeeper warned.
"Can Li Jingyun control what I say even though she tries to control everything?" Young Master Wang waved his hand, and half of the plate of mutton went into his mouth.
His eating manners were really unseemly.
The old man couldn't help but mutter in his heart. Was it worth betting on this guy? Could this guy really make a fortune?
Lady Zhong clapped her hands and suddenly realized. "I remember. I heard from Boss Su Gui today that a crazy man came to the coal shop. He slandered and offended the coal and the princess in his words. Someone heard him and beat him up. Could it be you? Also, why are you in such a hurry? Are you afraid that you won't pass the spring imperial examination next year?"
Her words were much more hurtful and dealt a fatal blow to Young Master Wang.
Young Master Wang flew into a rage. He raised his hand and wanted to hit her, but he knocked over the mutton soup on the table. The scalding hot soup poured all over him.
The scene immediately became chaotic.
In the end, it was the shopkeeper who paid to send him to the medical clinic. After inquiring everywhere, they found out that he wasn't from the Langya Wang family at all. He was just trying to make himself look good. The doctor said that there was something wrong with his mind. Maybe he had been frozen or maybe he was born that way, which was why he did all kinds of unreasonable things.
For example, since he was going to seek refuge with the princess, why did he go to the door of the princess's coal shop and say that the coal was bad? Wasn't he just asking for a beating?