Chapter 128: Li Yin!?

Chapter 128: Li Yin!?

Marquis Anding?

All the blood in Gu Chaoning's body rushed straight to his head.

For the Marquis to show up at this hour, it could only mean he was delivering the disaster relief silver and grain.

Why hadn't Qi Jianwei mentioned something this important in his letter?!

He Feiguang cautiously moved closer to the group ahead.

It looked to be a group of about a hundred men, all mounted on horseback. Just from the display alone, He Feiguang was already convinced the man's shout was genuine.

He squinted to make out the medallion in the lead man's hand, and with a jolt, he immediately dismounted and dropped to one knee.

"He Feiguang pays his respects to the Marquis Anding!"

Like a bolt from the blue, the words jolted everyone present out of their stupor. Aside from the men He Feiguang had brought, whether they had rebelled or not, all faces turned fearful as they dropped to their knees in a wave, shouting in unison to pay respects to the Marquis Anding.

The highest official anyone present had ever seen was the county magistrate. Even He Feiguang, the magistrate's own son, felt his legs go weak realizing the man before him was the Marquis Anding.

Gu Chaoning, lagging a step behind due to his thoughts and his wound, knelt as well.

His emotions were a tangled mess. He tilted his head a fraction to glance at Yin Hongxue beside him.

Yin Hongxue had just killed a man, his face white as a sheet. He knelt with his head bowed, his expression unreadable beneath lowered lashes. The blood that had splattered across his face had been wiped away, giving him a startling, chilling beauty in that moment.

Gu Chaoning's heart gave a heavy thump—like it had slammed into his ribs, making his chest rise and fall with the force.

He noticed Yin Hongxue's hands trembling slightly and only then realized the boy was scared.

Every other thought and feeling vanished in an instant. Carefully, he reached out with his uninjured right hand, found Yin Hongxue's trembling fingers beside him, and held them.

Seeing everyone kneeling, the group ahead fell silent for a moment. The Marquis Anding swept his fierce, piercing gaze over the crowd before dismounting.

He asked He Feiguang, "You're He An's youngest son?"

He Feiguang nodded immediately, his eyes blazing as he looked at the Marquis. "My lord, my father sent me ahead to calm and subdue the rebels..."

He went on to explain what had happened yesterday and today. The Marquis had been about to ask, but since He Feiguang was already volunteering the information, he listened with a grim expression.

"...We located their position, and afraid we'd spook them or that waiting would only invite trouble and let them slip away, so we came overnight. Unexpectedly, we found they'd already turned on each other."

He didn't mention why he'd acted—it was a personal impulse of his. Seeing the young lad show such courage protecting his elder brother, and figuring he didn't seem like a rebel, he'd lent a hand.

Besides, hadn't the Marquis's own men also fired arrows?

Gu Chaoning glanced at Lao Lin, who was so anxious his eyes were bulging, clearly about to blurt out a defense. Relieved, Gu Chaoning bowed his head first and spoke. "My lord, we're not rebels.

It's because my elder brother is tall and strong—those rebels tried several times to take our grain and failed. They held a grudge, so at the critical moment they dragged us into it. My brother's timid by nature. When he saw Young Master He draw his bow, he panicked and ran off with the others."

The instant Gu Chaoning spoke, all eyes turned to him again.

Gu Wen and Yin Hongxue both caught on—Gu Chaoning couldn't afford to be recognized—so they stayed quiet. Gu Zi, Chen Youliang, and the others, seeing Gu Wen stay silent, also held their tongues even though they didn't understand Gu Chaoning's intent.

Both He Feiguang and the Marquis Anding had fired arrows to help him, so naturally they remembered him.

The Marquis looked at him, but his gaze unconsciously drifted to the young lad next to him.

"Where's your big brother?"

Gu Chaoning shuffled forward on his knees and pointed at Lao Lin, who kept glancing over with a look that clearly said he had something to say.

"Big brother!"

"Ah—" Lao Lin only then realized Gu Chaoning was talking about him. "My lord, yes, what my little brother said is true. I just want to eat my fill—I'm not a rebel."

This whole mess had originally started because the court's disaster relief grain had been embezzled and never arrived. As for whether they were rebels or not, the Marquis Anding couldn't have cared less.

He turned a blind eye—after all, he'd known hunger himself.

In his book, as long as no one had killed over food and they hadn't fought the officials when they showed up, he didn't care what came before.

So he kept his stern expression and said, "Rebel or not, once we get back to Tong County, everything will be investigated and the innocent will be cleared. For now, everyone returns to Tong County... Anyone who refuses will be executed on the spot."

"Alright, everyone, get up."

Those words startled Lao Lin. He knew he couldn't exactly claim a clean conscience—earlier, desperate for food, he'd been at the front scaring the people inside Tong County.

But this scary Marquis said anyone who didn't return would be killed on the spot. Lao Lin instinctively looked at Gu Chaoning, and seeing him already getting up with his head bowed, got to his feet too.

He was a bit confused too. Judging by the look of things, was this kid actually with the authorities or not?

But for now, he still had to rely on the guy. Confused as he was, Lao Lin kept his mouth shut.

The men the Marquis had brought had already surrounded the area after he dismounted. At his words, they drew their blades, spears, and pikes—clearly ready to kill on the spot anyone who didn't cooperate.

He Feiguang rose too, gazing at the Marquis with admiration.

The Marquis turned and walked a few steps, then stopped. He looked at Yin Hongxue, who had stood up, his expression unreadable. "You—lift your head and let me see."

Everyone had been about to leave. Seeing the Marquis do this, they were all confused.

Gu Wen stepped forward, suppressing his fear to shield Yin Hongxue behind him. "My lord, our young lad is only thirteen. He just killed a man for the first time, and..."

The Marquis stared at Gu Wen, momentarily taken aback, then cut in, "This is your kid?"

Gu Wen took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, my lord."

The Marquis nodded, said nothing more, turned, and mounted his horse in one fluid motion. "Let's go!"

...

They made it back to Tong County in the dead of night. The Marquis's early arrival had caught everyone by surprise. Outside the county gates, there was a real commotion for a while before the gates opened and the county magistrate welcomed the Marquis, He Feiguang, and the others inside.

A Zheng and Zhimo had already slipped out of Tong County and blended in with the refugees outside the walls. Watching Gu Chaoning's group being escorted back, they had complicated looks on their faces.

Gu Chaoning's mood was just as complicated. He kept his voice low, giving everyone instructions while replaying the day's events in his head.

For years, he'd subconsciously ignored the thought, but now it surfaced: in his past life, Yin Hongxue at this age would already have been in the Marquis Anding's household.

He'd just finished arranging everything and was about to go to Yin Hongxue's side when several people came out of the county offices. Leading them was one of the Marquis's attendants, and behind him a man everyone recognized—the county doctor.

They came to Gu Chaoning's side, and the attendant said to the physician, "Please take a look at this young man first. A sickle went into his shoulder—looks like a pretty big wound."

The physician, knowing who the attendant was, nodded nervously, showing no sign of complaint at being roused in the middle of the night. His pharmacy apprentice came over carrying the medicine box, ready to tend to Gu Chaoning.

But after saying that, the attendant didn't leave. He stayed where he was, as if watching them, but his gaze kept drifting to Yin Hongxue, who sat crouched by Gu Wen's side with his head down.

Only when the physician had finished treating Gu Chaoning's wounds and was about to leave did Gu Chaoning finally furrow his brows slightly.

All this time, that young man hadn't once lifted his head.

"That lad seems to be injured as well. Please, doctor, take a look at him too."

Gu Wen looked up in surprise, then quietly asked Yin Hongxue if he was okay. Upon hearing he was fine, he let out a breath of relief. But with the Marquis's man watching, he said nothing, pulling Yin Hongxue to his feet, first thanking the man beside the Marquis, then the doctor.

The doctor then went over to Yin Hongxue, checked him over, and took his pulse. "The lad is fine, just frightened. Keep an eye on him tonight and don't let him sleep, or he might have a scare in his sleep. For breakfast, give him some warm porridge and let him walk around a bit. Once he's calmed down by evening, he can sleep."

Gu Wen nodded along in agreement.

From start to finish, Yin Hongxue kept his head down, following behind Gu Wen, acting like a timid little kid.

The man in charge had no choice but to leave with the doctor.

Afterward, following the doctor's advice, Gu Wen didn't let Yin Hongxue sleep and kept talking to him in a low voice. Gu Chaoning naturally came over as well.

He had initially sensed something off about Yin Hongxue, but upon hearing the doctor say he was frightened, that uneasy feeling vanished right away.

When no one was looking, Gu Chaoning snuck over, overheard Gu Wen and Yin Hongxue talking, and quietly chimed in.

He figured Yin Hongxue was terrified because he'd killed someone.

Yin Hongxue was indeed terrified. The moment his mind wandered, he'd recall Li Guangzong's wide eyes and bloodied mouth as he fell, or the sickle striking Gu Chaoning, with snow and blood flying everywhere.

But what scared him even more... was the Marquis recognizing him and taking him away.

Seeing Gu Chaoning approach, he finally lifted his head slightly. "Chaoning Ge, how's your wound?"

"It's no big deal."

It had hurt at first, but from the freezing cold, it had gone numb, so it wasn't too painful anymore.

It had stung a bit while the doctor was working on it, but now it was numb again.

The three of them chatted, staying up until dawn. Then things got busy again in Tong County—this time, officials came out carrying grain to make porridge.

The Marquis joined them, announced in a loud voice that watery porridge would be provided for a few more days, with more grain on the way.

It turned out he'd feared the situation here might spiral out of control, so he'd led a squad with some of the grain to arrive ahead of time. The rest of the troops were still behind, expected in three or four days.

This batch of porridge was thicker than before. Lao Lin, nearly starved, caught a whiff of the rich smell and immediately pulled at Gu Chaoning and the others to get in line.

He didn't dare leave Gu Chaoning's side now—he felt guilty, and he still relied on Gu Chaoning to lead the way.

Seeing Gu Chaoning and Lao Lin get in line, Gu Wen and the others stood up to join, with Yin Hongxue keeping his head down, trailing behind Gu Wen.

Winter days dawned late, but once the sun peeked out, it reflected off the white snow, making everything seem brighter.

Yet just as Lao Lin and Gu Chaoning approached, the Marquis called out to them.

He hadn't slept all night, having gotten a full picture of what was going on in Tong County.

No sooner had Gu Chaoning and the others gotten close than the Marquis's men grabbed their arms from behind.

This shocked everyone there, and Gu Wen and the others rushed forward right away.

"Chaoning!"

"Chaoning Ge!"

Marquis Anding stared at Yin Hongxue, who had rushed to the front. His eyes, already bloodshot, turned even redder.

He stammered, "Li Yin!?"