Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Because his view was obstructed, Ji Pingan was unaware that a group of guards wielding broadswords stood behind the Fan family gate.

Shen Yuan caught sight of them by chance. The instant Fan Zhongwu finished shouting, he grabbed Ji Pingan and pulled him back quickly.

Only as the men from behind the Fan family gate charged out with blades did Ji Pingan see them clearly during their brief retreat.

His first instinct was to shield Shen Yuan, then he looked toward the restrained Fan Zhongwu. Was this old man insane?!

Hiding weapons was a grave crime punishable by the execution of the entire family!

Just as the guards were about to rush out of the Fan family gate, a voice suddenly called out from not far away: "Xiao Yuan! Xiao Yuan! Uncle has brought people to back you up!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Yuan immediately turned to look. It was Village Head Liu, leading a group of burly men from Dashu Village.

"Uncle!"

The villagers didn't carry knives, but each held something—picks, sticks, kitchen knives, even bricks.

Looking at the familiar faces, they had run all this way without fear, driven only by the righteous indignation to stand up for one of their own.

Because Village Head Liu arrived with a group of people, his arrival drew the Fan family's attention for a split second. In that split second of distraction, the sound of arrows slicing through the air rang out.

Screams erupted instantly, forcing the Fan family guards to turn back and deflect the incoming arrows.

In no time, the air was filled with the smell of blood.

The situation changed too fast; even the prepared Fan Zhongwu hadn't anticipated it.

Where did those arrows come from?!

At this critical moment, Ji Pingan instantly understood—the Xie family's shadow guards had made their move.

Arrows have no eyes. Judging by their trajectory, they were shot from within the Fan family compound, eliminating any risk of hitting Shen Yuan from the outside.

Ji Pingan's brow twitched. He grabbed Shen Yuan's hand, preparing to leave first.

But just as he turned, three men dressed in black, their faces covered, blocked their way.

The man in the middle looked at Shen Yuan, his eyes devoid of any emotion, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone: "The master is waiting in the carriage. Please come with us."

As he spoke, the other two shadow guards stepped forward and closed the wide-open Fan family gate, blocking out much of the smell of blood.

Shen Yuan knew Xie Yulin had come. Since the other man wanted to see him, he couldn't refuse.

Ji Pingan released his hand. "Leave this to me. I will definitely find out your aunt's whereabouts. I'll also look after the Dashu Village people. Don't worry."

Shen Yuan nodded. "Alright."

Then he called out to the approaching Village Head Liu: "Uncle, I have something to attend to and must leave first. Follow my brother and make sure to protect yourselves!"

Village Head Liu thumped his chest in assurance. "Got it. You go handle your business. Uncle will definitely get justice for your aunt!"

After saying goodbye to the Dashu Village group, the three shadow guards didn't stay either. Instead, they escorted Shen Yuan to a carriage parked not far away.

As Shen Yuan approached the carriage, he caught the scent of gardenias.

Ducking inside, he discovered a vase secured in the center, holding a bouquet of white gardenias with green leaves.

The fragrance of the gardenias was rich and overpowering, completely masking Xie Yulin's own cool scent.

However, this fragrance awakened Shen Yuan's childhood memories. There were three gardenia bushes in the orphanage. Every time they bloomed, he would join everyone in selling the flowers.

They would pour water into paper cups, place one flower inside, and sell it for two yuan. For just a single gardenia, it was fifty cents.

Passersby who bought them would pin them in their hair or on their clothes, and the scent would last all day.

Back then, Shen Yuan liked to tuck one behind his ear.

Inhaling the familiar scent, the lingering smell of blood gradually faded from his nostrils, replaced entirely by the enveloping fragrance of gardenias.

The tension in Shen Yuan's body eased somewhat.

"Are you injured?"

Xie Yulin's cold gaze fell on the wound on Shen Yuan's neck. Shen Yuan instinctively raised his hand to touch it but was stopped by Xie Yulin's voice: "Don't touch it. I'll call someone to treat it."

His hands were dirty, indeed unsuitable for touching the wound. Hearing this, Shen Yuan immediately lowered his hand, waiting for Xie Yulin to summon an attendant.

Xie Yulin watched Shen Yuan's obedient, one-command-one-action manner and found it somewhat amusing.

A playful urge arose in his heart, but before he could speak, an attendant entered the carriage.

Xie Yulin leaned casually against the silk cushion behind him and said to the attendant, who wasn't wearing gloves, "Put on gloves."

The medicine was applied using a special wooden spatula. Shen Yuan felt it was unnecessary trouble. "Fifth Granduncle, you must have important matters to attend to. Just apply the medicine for me; no need to be too meticulous."

Xie Yulin tilted his head slightly, taking in Shen Yuan's entire figure within his line of sight. "So considerate on my behalf?"

Shen Yuan scratched his head, speaking honestly. "I just don't want to trouble Fifth Granduncle too much."

"Without knowing the true background of the Fan family, you brought Ji Pingan to demand an explanation. In the end, if it weren't for the shadow guards making a move, and Liu Yi appearing fortuitously to disrupt the Fan family's attention for a moment, do you think you could have left the Fan family completely unscathed?" Xie Yulin asked Shen Yuan with keen interest. "You didn't think it was troublesome when stirring up trouble, but now that I'm applying medicine for you, you suddenly remember you're troubling someone?"

Shen Yuan felt a bit embarrassed, as if being scolded like a child.

Even back in the orphanage, he hadn't been lectured like this by the director or the others...

Afraid of affecting the attendant treating his wound, Shen Yuan could only awkwardly and uncomfortably clutch his sleeves.

Noticing the attendant was having some difficulty applying the medicine, Shen Yuan tilted his neck upward slightly. The attendant's hand paused, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth as his movements became lighter and quicker.

At the same time, Shen Yuan didn't forget to reply to Xie Yulin. "The Fan family was careless this time. I didn't expect them to conceal weapons."

Even more, he hadn't expected the Fan family to harbor murderous intent toward him.

Shen Yuan had sensed something amiss in the end. He had felt something was off when Fan Zhongwu suddenly grabbed him and had been on guard.

He had also been wondering who was behind the Fan family.

Thinking about it now, the only ones who openly wanted him dead were the Xie Family Second Branch.

Yet it didn't quite make sense. After all, before he had gained Xie Yulin's protection, the people from the Xie Family Second Branch hadn't dared to truly take his life, only daring to pressure him covertly.

Now, with Xie Yulin not only sending more people to protect him but also retaliating against them, it seemed particularly illogical for them to choose this moment to try to kill him.

"If they had that kind of nerve, they would've done it already."

Xie Yulin watched Shen Yuan's big eyes shifting every now and then, and he didn't press the earlier point further. "Thinking about who wants to kill you?"

Shen Yuan hummed in agreement. "It's not someone from the Xie family's second branch."

He shared his guess, and Xie Yulin chuckled lightly. "So you're not foolish; they wouldn't dare lay a hand on you again. However, regarding the Fan family incident, the threat to your safety is all because of me."

"Do you blame me?" Xie Yulin suddenly asked.

Shen Yuan said no, but he didn't lie either. "It's just a bit annoying, not knowing where a knife might come from to stab me."

After a pause, Shen Yuan added, "Actually, come to think of it, these things aren't really your fault, Fifth Granduncle. Just as you said before, my storytelling was bound to catch the eye of the powerful sooner or later. If I really think about it, I should thank you for your help, sending so many shadow guards to protect me."

Otherwise, he truly wouldn't know how many times he would have died.

He understood the principle of *'having a treasure invites disaster.'*

After a brief silence, Xie Yulin asked Shen Yuan somewhat seriously, "With so many people following you, doesn't it feel like your freedom is restricted? Like you're being watched and controlled?"

Shen Yuan found it strange. "No, I don't. They don't restrict me; they're just protecting my personal safety."

Worried Xie Yulin might not believe him, he even gave an example. "If I wanted to go somewhere, but that place posed a threat to my personal safety, and the shadow guards advised me not to go, then I wouldn't go. If they say it's dangerous and I still insist on going, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?"

"Sounds like you're being very obedient," Xie Yulin said, his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the silk pillow. "I told you before to come to the Xie ancestral residence if anything came up. Why didn't you come?"

He fixed his gaze on Shen Yuan's slender neck, wrapped in a bandage. "If you had come to find me today, you wouldn't have been hurt like this."

Shen Yuan was slightly stunned, turning to look at Xie Yulin with some confusion. "Huh? But Fifth Granduncle, don't you dislike being disturbed?"

Xie Yulin's tapping finger paused. "Who told you that?"

"Brother Zijun."

"Brother Zijun?" Xie Yulin's tone, for once, betrayed clear emotion—confusion. Under the surveillance of the shadow guards, when did these two become so close?

The address was so intimate.

The servant finished applying the medicine and bandaging him up, then promptly rose and excused himself.

Only Shen Yuan and Xie Yulin remained in the carriage. The carriage compartment, which wasn't particularly large to begin with, now felt oddly spacious.

Shen Yuan said, "Fifth Granduncle, you also said before not to disturb you unless it's important. And it had to be a matter concerning my own life and safety. That's why I didn't go to the Xie ancestral residence."

After saying this, Shen Yuan looked at Xie Yulin with wide, clear eyes and asked bluntly, "So, Fifth Granduncle, do you mean now that I can come find you whenever I encounter any trouble?"

Such a straightforward, unconcealed question actually made Xie Yulin, who was always in control, feel a momentary loss of control.

It seemed his emotions and thoughts were being steered by the person before him. He appeared to have two choices, but in reality, there was only one.

At this moment, he was being led by a child who looked obedient and well-behaved but was inherently wild and untamed.

Xie Yulin found it interesting; this feeling was quite novel. He leaned deeper into the silk pillow, his whole body relaxed, yet his eyes locked intently on Shen Yuan. He said calmly, "If you don't encounter trouble, you won't come find me?"

"Since you follow Ji Ping'an's lead in calling me Fifth Granduncle, according to the Xie family rules, as a junior, you should come to pay your respects daily."

Xie Yulin's gaze remained fixed on Shen Yuan's face, waiting for his answer.

Prominent families had many rules; Shen Yuan could guess that.

He couldn't help but say, "Fifth Granduncle, you're really kind. You never minded these things before. But I'm quite busy every morning. If possible, could I come to the Xie ancestral residence to pay my respects at noon? Brother Ping'an is very busy with his official duties at the yamen. I can cover for him too. Please don't blame us, Fifth Granduncle."

Xie Yulin fell silent for a moment; he had forgotten about Ji Ping'an.

Seeing Shen Yuan's sincerity, the child was quite polite, knowing the rules and willing to follow them, which was rather pleasing.

Xie Yulin, for once, didn't refuse. Instead, he said, "Mm, agreed. I won't hold it against you."

"I'm taking Fan Zhongwu away; I have questions for him. If you need anything from him, tell me."

Shen Yuan naturally wouldn't think of taking Fan Zhongwu from Xie Yulin. He also knew the Xie family's shadow guards' interrogation methods were certainly far more formidable than the yamen's. So he told Xie Yulin he wanted to know everything about his aunt, what exactly happened to her.

As soon as he finished speaking, a shadow guard's voice came from outside the carriage. "Lord, all the Fan family rebels have been eliminated. Fan Zhongwu and his son have been captured, and their family members are under guard."

Xie Yulin: "Take them away for interrogation. Ask about Shen Anniang's situation; be detailed."

The shadow guard cupped his hands and bowed. "Yes."

After the person left, Xie Yulin looked at Shen Yuan. "Are you afraid?"

Shen Yuan's body was stiff. "A little."

Before being called into the carriage, he had seen scenes of people being pierced by arrows. It wasn't fake like a film set; it was something he couldn't process right away.

So many people, all dead?

Shen Yuan took several deep breaths, making himself quickly come to terms with it and adapt.

Xie Yulin didn't say anything more, just watched Shen Yuan adjust himself.

A person needs to go through things to grow and survive.

A flower raised delicately and protected completely cannot live long in this land.

Pain, fear, terror—they are all part of the journey.

After Shen Yuan calmed down, Xie Yulin spoke. "The Scribe of Qingyun County is old and needs to be replaced. This position only involves reviewing official documents and managing government property—just miscellaneous duties. Do you think you could handle the job of Scribe?"

Shen Yuan thought for a moment and shook his head. "I want to write stories, and I'm illiterate..."

"You can learn if you're illiterate," Xie Yulin said. "Having an official position is protection for you."

Shen Yuan instantly understood Xie Yulin's meaning. No matter how skilled his storytelling was, it wouldn't command the same respect and awe as even a minor official.

In Wu Country, a county Scribe doesn't have much power, but it's still a minor civil official position. It was like putting a thick suit of protective armor on him.

"You can delegate the miscellaneous tasks to subordinates. As long as you know how to use people properly, it won't lead to bad outcomes. If you want to continue writing stories, it won't be affected." Xie Yulin glanced at Shen Yuan's thin shoulders and couldn't help adding, "I'll send someone to assist you. Don't worry about not doing well."

With things put this way, the meal was practically spoon-fed to him. Shen Yuan felt that if he still didn't nod, he would be truly ungrateful.

Shen Yuan also thought it through clearly. Being a small leader, you really do need to learn how to use your subordinates. With Xie Yulin sending someone to help him, he'd make it work.

Nowadays, without imperial examinations, even the lowest-ranking minor officials in the bureaucracy are monopolized by the nobility; ordinary commoners have no chance at all.

All official positions are recommended back and forth among the nobility. The system was like this, and Shen Yuan accepted it quickly.

Thinking everything was resolved, as Shen Yuan was about to get off the carriage, he heard Xie Yulin say, "From now on, come to the Xie ancestral residence every day at noon to study characters for an hour."