Chapter 11

Hong Baiqi was in a difficult position. He was afraid of offending Hu Buwei if he remained silent, but if he spoke in his favor, it would be like aiding a tyrant and clearly harming the Tang family. Just as he was in a dilemma, Tang Wenzheng spoke up.

Tang Wenzheng couldn't help but speak. If he didn't, he wouldn't know what kind of trouble his son might cause. He said in a low voice, "Lord Hu, Lord Hong, I think we should sit down and figure this out first." Although he was the one who had been wronged, he took the initiative to soften his stance. This wasn't because he was intimidated by Hu Buwei's official authority, but because he was put on the defensive by his son's impulsive words. Overturning the thatched pavilion, how could this boy be so stupid as to fall for someone else's trap?

Hong Baiqi still didn't take a stance, his gaze fixed on Hu Buwei.

Hu Buwei nodded and said, "We are all officials, and there is nothing that cannot be resolved. Let's put our anger aside and sit down to talk things through." His meaning was clear: there was no need to bring this matter to court today. No matter who was to blame, Tang Wenzheng had already shown weakness by wanting to negotiate. If Tang Wenzheng dared to persist in pursuing his son, Hu Buwei would hold Tang Wenzheng's son responsible for burning the thatched pavilion. If he repeated his son's words verbatim to the emperor, even if it didn't ruin Tang Wenzheng, it would strip the Tang family of their power.

When it came to selecting horses, ten Hu Buweis couldn't match one Tang Wenzheng, but when it came to cunning and deceit, a hundred Tang Wenzhengs were no match for one Hu Buwei. A dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix begets a phoenix, and a rat's son knows how to dig holes. Hu Xiaotian's performance just now had fully proven this point.

Hu Buwei invited everyone to the front hall. Most of the uninvolved people had already left. Hu Buwei asked Hu Xiaotian to change his clothes and sent the maids to find suitable dresses for Tang Qingxuan. Murong Feiyun naturally accompanied her the whole time.

After everything was arranged, everyone gathered in the front hall. Since this wasn't a formal trial, there were no formalities. Hu Buwei sat in the master chair on the left, with Hu Xiaotian standing behind him. The Prefect of Jingzhao, Hong Baiqi, sat on equal footing with Hu Buwei, and Murong Feiyun and another constable stood behind him.

As for Tang Wenzheng, by his rank, he didn't have the right to sit on equal footing with the other two, but because of the special circumstances today, Hu Buwei treated him with extra courtesy and arranged for him to sit next to Hong Baiqi. Tang Wenzheng's four children stood behind him. Tang Qingxuan, in new clothes and with her hair neatly combed, had calmed down a lot, but her beautiful eyes were still red and swollen from crying, and it would take some time for them to recover.

After the servants served tea, Hu Buwei picked up the blue-and-white porcelain teacup, gently brushed the lid over the cup, and sipped the fragrant tea. He said softly, "Let's get to the bottom of today's matter. If my son is indeed at fault, I will not show favoritism! I will give Brother Wenzheng a satisfactory explanation!" As he said this, he gave Hu Xiaotian a cold glance and slammed the teacup down on the redwood table. "Wretch, what do you have to say?"

Hu Buwei had just witnessed his son's skill in twisting the truth, so he asked this question to give his son a chance to take the initiative.

Hu Buwei appeared impartial, but in his heart, he was biased. Unfortunately, Hu Xiaotian didn't seem to appreciate it. His eyes were fixed on Tang Qingxuan. This Tang girl looked really beautiful in new clothes. Apart from her bad temper, her face and figure were really good. Tsk, tsk, she was much better than the cripple from the Li family, radiating a youthful and healthy beauty, truly a feast for the eyes!

Everyone noticed that he was still staring at Tang Qingxuan with lustful eyes. The Tang family was visibly angry, and Hu Buwei was also quite helpless. When did his son become so lecherous? He coughed awkwardly.

The Prefect of Jingzhao, Hong Baiqi, said, "Nephew, what do you have to say?" This term "nephew" was inappropriate, and Hong Baiqi regretted it as soon as it came out. Wasn't this telling everyone that he wanted to favor Hu Xiaotian? At least for now, this man was still a suspect, and as the top official of Jingzhao, he had to appear impartial.

Hu Buwei appreciated Hong Baiqi's gesture and said to Hu Xiaotian, "Did you hear what Lord Hong said?"

Tang Wenzheng watched from the side and sighed inwardly. Officials indeed protect each other. The Tang family was likely to suffer today. Who could blame it when the other side had a higher rank? He had already asked Murong Feiyun to confirm that his daughter's chastity was intact, so his anger had subsided. As long as his daughter wasn't defiled by that rogue, he didn't want to pursue the matter further.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Miss Tang should be clear about this matter. Why don't you speak first?"

Hu Buwei couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He thought his son had just had a moment of brilliance, but he had given up such a good opportunity to exonerate himself and handed the initiative to Tang Qingxuan. This was unwise.

Tang Qingxuan bit her cherry lips and said, "Fine, I'll speak. Today, I was riding a horse and enjoying the scenery at Cuilin Lake. Didn't you suddenly appear with four ruffians, blocking my way and scaring my horse, causing me to fall off?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled at the girl. Tang Qingxuan was clearly not telling the truth. At the time, she was galloping wildly along the lakeside, disturbing passersby. He had barely managed to avoid her and was even whipped by her. Now she was twisting the facts and lying. Hu Xiaotian didn't refute her but listened quietly to what she would say next.

Tang Qingxuan continued, "I unfortunately fell into the lake. What happened next... I... I don't remember..." Her lips trembled, her eyes reddened, and two strings of crystal tears rolled down her beautiful face, truly touching. Tears are a woman's most effective weapon, especially when a beauty cries, the effect is even more powerful. Even the Prefect of Jingzhao, Hong Baiqi, cursed Hu Xiaotian in his heart, truly daring and shameless, to molest a virtuous woman in broad daylight.

Tang Tiehan said, "My sister doesn't remember, but I do. When I heard someone was bullying my sister, I rushed over from the horse market. When I arrived at the scene, I saw this shameless rogue..." He hesitated here.

Hu Xiaotian grinned and said, "What did you see?"

Tang Tiehan pointed at Hu Xiaotian and said, "This shameless rogue had four ruffians surrounding him, holding my sister in his arms, and he was..."

Hu Xiaotian asked, "And what else?"

Tang Tiehan was embarrassed to describe the scene, his dark face turning purple. Tang Qingxuan had been unconscious and didn't remember what happened. Hearing her brother's words, she was so ashamed that she wanted to find a hole to hide in. She nudged her brother, signaling him to stop, as it was too embarrassing.

Tang Tiehan said, "I'm too embarrassed to say!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "So you saw nothing and are maliciously slandering me!"

Tang Tiehan angrily said, "I saw it! You had my sister's head between your legs..." This statement shocked everyone in the room.

Tang Wenzheng's old face turned purple like an eggplant. Although his daughter was the one who suffered, he felt humiliated by this. His sons were truly one more foolish than the other. Such words shouldn't be said in public. Tang Qingxuan sobbed and fainted backward. Murong Feiyun quickly caught her, and Tang Qingxuan fainted from shame and anger, her eyes tightly closed, motionless.

Murong Feiyun noticed from Tang Qingxuan's breathing that she wasn't really unconscious. She was likely just pretending to avoid the embarrassment.

Tang Wenzheng slammed the table and roared, "This is too much!" He clasped his hands and said, "Your Honors, please do justice for my daughter!"

Hu Buwei cursed inwardly. Doing justice for her would mean punishing his son. But the situation was indeed troubling. Despite the advantage, his son had handed the initiative to the Tang family. He didn't know what this foolish son was up to.

Hu Xiaotian said, "What was I supposed to do with her head between my legs?"

Tang Tiehan said, "You ask me, I'll ask you!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Let me ask you, when Tang Qingxuan fell into the water, she didn't know how to swim. Who saved her?"

Tang Tiehan was stumped, "Uh... I didn't see!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "At least you're honest. You didn't see, but many people at the scene did, and my four attendants saw clearly." He walked to Hong Baiqi and bowed deeply, "Lord Hong, I would like to call my four attendants as witnesses."

The third son of the Tang family, Tang Tiejun, said, "Your attendants will naturally speak in your favor. Their testimony is unreliable!" Tang Tiehan and Tang Tiejun echoed, "That's right!"

Hu Xiaotian turned to the Tang brothers, "When you testified for Tang Qingxuan, did I protest? According to your logic, my attendants will speak in my favor, and your brothers will speak for your sister. Your words are clearly false and defamatory!"

"Uh..."

Tang Tiehan was sweating profusely, "Your Honor, I'm telling the truth!"

Hong Baiqi stroked his beard and said softly, "What Lord Hu said makes sense. If you can testify for Miss Tang, why can't his attendants testify? I can distinguish right from wrong, truth from falsehood."

Hu Buwei saw his son starting to counterattack, his clear mind and sharp words giving him a pleasant surprise. The three Tang brothers were speechless and blushing, and their combined intelligence was no match for his son. Hu Buwei was secretly pleased and decided to remain silent to see how far his son could go.