Chapter 43 – Watching the Excitement

Chapter 43 - Watching the Excitement

Listening to Mo Jiuye's straightforward tone, He Zhiran understood his helplessness and decided not to tease him further.

"I saw Li Rouer with a palace guard when I went to the kitchen just now."

Gossiping was not Mo Jiuye's forte, so he didn't respond.

Seeing that he had gone quiet, He Zhiran closed her eyes, resuming her attempt to fall asleep.

Perhaps due to Mo Jiuye's presence, He Zhiran felt much more relaxed and vigilant.

She slept soundly that night and woke up early as usual.

Exiting her room, she found Zhao waiting for her.

After looking around cautiously, Zhao pulled He Zhiran aside into a corner.

"Auntie, what happened?" He Zhiran knew that Zhao had something confidential to share, so she spoke in a hushed voice.

Lady Zhao cautiously surveyed the surroundings once more, ensuring that no one was around before she whispered:

"I saw Li Hu, the concubine-born daughter of the Li family, fraternizing with a patrol officer during my midnight stroll last night."

He Zhiran had also witnessed this scene and thus wasn't overly surprised.

"Auntie, that's their business. Let's just pretend we know nothing about it."

"I wish I could, but I overheard their conversation, so I feel it's necessary to warn you."

From Lady Zhao's tone, Li Rouer and Li Hu must have mentioned her in their dalliance, which was why Lady Zhao sought her out early in the morning.

"Auntie, did they speak of me?"

"I was some distance away, but I vaguely heard the officer promise to cause trouble for you at Li Rouer's request."

Upon hearing this, He Zhiran's expression turned grim.

Li Rouer truly knew how to court disaster. Despite her constant antics that made her resemble a clown, He Zhiran had chosen to ignore her, yet she persisted unrelentingly.

"Many thanks for your reminder, Auntie. I'll keep that in mind."

Seeing He Zhiran's casual response, Lady Zhao couldn't help but advise further.

"The officials seeking trouble with you is no trifling matter. You should discuss it with Jiuye and figure out how to handle it."

"I understand, Auntie. I'll talk it over with my husband later."

He Zhiran agreed verbally, pretending to engage in idle chatter with Lady Zhao to avoid arousing suspicion.

After bidding Lady Zhao farewell, He Zhiran made her way to the inn's kitchen, planning to borrow a wooden basin for a wash.

At this moment, Peng Wang and several officials emerged from their rooms.

The officials were arranging breakfast for the exiled convicts, still plain black flour buns.

Of course, they were only serving the He and Li families now. As for the Fang and Xie households, Peng Wang had noticed yesterday that Mo Jiuye was trying to establish ties with them. Thus, he didn't call for them to come and collect the plain buns.

The Mo family, of course, didn't need to mention; with such a capable woman around, how could they settle for plain black flour buns?

Not to mention, she had silver in her hands. Buying some food at the inn was hardly an issue.

Indeed, He Zhiran planned to purchase more ingredients from the innkeeper.

This time, however, she only gave the innkeeper one tael of silver.

There was no need for a lavish breakfast; rice porridge and a few side dishes would suffice.

Seeing He Zhiran enter the kitchen, Eldest Sister and Fifth Sister knew she was preparing breakfast. The two hurriedly followed.

Breakfast was simple, so Eldest Sister and Fifth Sister took care of it without needing He Zhiran's help.

Seeing this, He Zhiran was glad for the respite.

Exiting the kitchen, Peng Wang called out to her.

"Today, I'll send two officials to the city to purchase supplies for our journey. You can accompany them to do the shopping."

The smile on He Zhiran's face couldn't be concealed as she learned that she would have the chance to go shopping.

She had been here for quite a few days but had yet to visit the market!

Now that she finally had the opportunity, she intended not only to acquaint herself with the local prices but also to purchase any necessary supplies for the future.

"Thank you, Official Peng," He Zhiran sincerely expressed her gratitude.

"Peng Wang reminded kindly, "We still need to continue our journey in the afternoon, so make good use of your time this morning."

"I'll have more than enough time for that," He Zhiran replied, planning to return and prepare.

No sooner had she taken a few steps when a piercing scream came from the shed.

"Ahh... What happened to my child...?"

When the officers had distributed the black-faced buns earlier, they had thrown a package from a distance due to the unpleasant smell, without bothering to check on the recipients.

Upon hearing the scream, all the officers rushed towards the shed in unison.

He Zhiran surmised that this was undoubtedly Mo Jiuye's doing. She wondered just how severely the brothers had been tormented to elicit such heartrending cries from their family.

With curiosity piqued, He Zhiran followed the officials to the makeshift shelter.

Peering through the crowd, she noticed two bloodied figures lying inconspicuously in the corner of the straw shed.

They were, in fact, He Ming and He Liang, the brother duo.

Their faces were unrecognizable, smeared with blood, while their disheveled long hair clung to their visages.

Surprisingly, there were no visible wounds on their bodies. Upon closer inspection, their injuries were found on their wrists and ankles.

The gruesome sight sent women and children scurrying away, with some sobbing quietly in corners, too frightened to approach.

A woman, seemingly in her fifties, knelt beside the two and wailed in agony.

"Who could have such a black heart... Waaa... To inflict such brutality on my sons... Waaa...

Misfortune has already befallen our He family. We've been subjected to an unjust punishment, banished from our home, and now our sons are in this state... Waaa..."

He Zhiyuan, upon witnessing his two sons' pitiful state, didn't break into tears; instead, he paced around with his hands folded behind his back, appearing utterly distraught.

Upon seeing the bailiffs approach, He Zhiyuan regarded them as saviors.

He grabbed Peng Wang's sleeve.

"Sir Officer, please uphold justice for my sons! Yesterday, they were still strong and energetic, assisting you in pushing the cart, but this morning, they've ended up like this."

Peng Wang was also overwhelmed by the situation. In all his years as a bailiff, he had never encountered anything of the sort.

If the He brothers had any enemies, it would be the Mo family.

However, apart from Mo Jiuye, who was severely injured and confined to bed, the rest of the Mos were womenfolk.

Even if He Zhiran possessed some skill, she was just a vulnerable woman, capable only of using some superficial martial arts to intimidate others.

If Peng Wang were to believe that He Zhiran could have reduced someone to such a state, he wouldn't be able to accept it in his heart.

As he was frowning and pondering, He Zhiyuan spotted He Zhiran standing amidst the crowd, enjoying the spectacle.

Pointing at her, he said, "Your Honor, it must be her! This venomous woman is the one who injured my son like this.

We've never offended anyone except for the Mo family. Last night, she even assaulted my son. Your Honor, it has to be her—please avenge my child..."

Impatiently, Peng Wang pushed He Zhiyuan away.

"How could you even imagine that a weak woman like her could cause such injuries?"