Chapter 28

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He rested for a moment on the porch, preparing to continue his work. But just then, a sudden neighing sound came from outside the door. The warhorse neighed loudly, followed by the sound of footsteps as the gate was pushed open with a bang. Bodhi stood up and let out a hoarse growl toward the gate.

"Bodhi, don't act rashly, it's Er Lang."

Yang Shouwen quickly stopped Bodhi's attack and stood up. At the same time, Lady Yang came out of the main hall. Seeing that the visitor was Yang Rui, she didn't pay much attention and prepared to return to her work.

"Big Brother, something has happened!"

Yang Rui rushed into the courtyard in a panic and shouted loudly. His shout startled the four puppies, which had been slightly intoxicated by the alcohol, causing them to bark wildly.

Yang Shouwen, torn between laughter and tears, hurried to calm them down.

"Er Lang, what's the matter to make you so flustered?"

It had been a few days since they last met; why was it so lively here?

Yang Rui was taken aback for a moment, then quickly reacted and shouted, "In the early hours of today, the county office was attacked. Father was on duty at the office and was injured by the bandits... He sent me to find you, Big Brother, and asked you to return to the city immediately."

Yang Shouwen was greatly shocked and didn't bother to calm the puppies.

"Father was injured?"

He quickly stood up and asked in surprise, "But there were only two bandits. Although Father was slightly injured before, it shouldn't be enough to hurt him."

Yang Shouwen had seen the skills of those two bandits and had a good understanding of their abilities.

Yang Chenglie's martial arts might not be as good as his, but he had once been a military officer and had served as a county magistrate for ten years. Although he wasn't skilled with the spear, his swordsmanship was proficient. When he was ambushed by the Sumei Mohe on the road, it was because of their overwhelming numbers and the advantage of their horses. If it had been a battle on foot, Yang Chenglie could have easily defeated the four Mohe.

Yang Rui said, "Who said there were only two bandits?"

"Huh?"

"Yesterday, Father noticed that Uncle Hu had been on duty for several days and was exhausted, so he let him rest at home. But in the early hours of today, over a dozen bandits suddenly attacked the county office. Father had to fight them off in a hurry, which led to his injury. If it weren't for Jiaoli, who was with Father, he might have lost his life. The bandits set fire to the office before the militiamen arrived and then fled in the chaos. Now, the county office is in a state of chaos, and the county magistrate is furious."

It seemed that Yang Jiaoli had been with Father for the past two days, so he probably wouldn't be in mortal danger. Hearing this, Yang Shouwen felt relieved.

He immediately went to the stable, led out a horse, and said as he walked out, "Aunt, please take care of the house. I'll go to the city with Er Lang."

Lady Yang heard every word of the conversation between Yang Shouwen and Yang Rui.

She quickly said, "Nizi, just go and do what you need to do. I'll take care of the house."

"Er Lang, let's go."

Yang Shouwen led the horse out of the gate, saddled it, and mounted it. Over the past two days, he had been practicing horseback riding. Although he had ridden horses in his previous life, it was just for show. In this era, without cars or bicycles, horses were the best means of transportation. Therefore, he had to master the skill of riding and had been practicing saddling the horse when he had free time.

However, the time was too short, and Yang Shouwen's riding skills had only improved slightly compared to three days ago, but it was enough.

After mounting the horse, he spurred it and galloped out of the village. Yang Rui also mounted his horse and followed closely behind, heading toward the city.

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In his memory, Yang Shouwen had visited Changping a few times, but not frequently. This city, known as the 'back garden of the capital' in later generations, was just a district of the capital 1,500 years later. Now, Changping is a key fortress in the northern part of Youzhou, responsible for protecting the traffic between Jixian and Juyong Pass.

The city walls are about six zhang (about 20 meters) high, roughly the height of a three- to four-story building. The thick walls still bear the marks of the fierce attacks by the Khitans two years ago, which almost led to the city's fall.

When Yang Shouwen and Yang Rui arrived at Changping, they found the city atmosphere particularly tense. At the city gate, a group of militiamen had set up a checkpoint, strictly checking the people entering and leaving. Several vendors were arrested on the spot for carrying weapons. They cried and shouted at the gate, but no one showed them any sympathy.

"Er Lang, you're back."

Yang Rui and Yang Shouwen dismounted at the city gate, and a militiaman captain came forward to greet them.

"This is my Big Brother. Father sent me to find him. Please let us through, brother."

Yang Shouwen rarely appeared in public. Although everyone in Changping knew that Yang Chenglie had a legitimate eldest son, few had seen him. In the past, Yang Shouwen was a dazed and confused person, and no one paid attention to him. However, a few days ago, when he killed a bandit assassin at the Xiaomile Temple in Hugu Valley, the people of Changping learned that Yang Chenglie's 'foolish' son was actually very skilled in martial arts.

The militiaman captain quickly said, "So, you're Daliang!"

What the hell...

Yang Shouwen couldn't help but complain in his heart: You can call me Young Master or Young Sir, why do you have to keep calling me 'Daliang'?

But he didn't say it out loud, just nodded at the captain without speaking.

Fortunately, the captain knew that Yang Shouwen was 'foolish' and didn't mind his rudeness.

"Er Lang, you and Daliang can go into the city. When you see County Magistrate Yang, please say hello for me."

Yang Rui quickly thanked him and remounted his horse with Yang Shouwen, passing through the checkpoint.

"Captain, another fool has come."

A militiaman came over, grinning. "Why does County Magistrate Yang have so many fools in his family? One is enough, but he found another one a few days ago. But his daughter, Yang Jiaoli, is really fierce."

"Fierce and talkative."

The captain glared at the militiaman. "Do you think Daliang is easy to deal with? Don't forget that a few days ago, he personally killed a bandit at the Xiaomile Temple. If your words get out, not only will County Magistrate Yang come after you, but even one of the two strong men in his family could make you suffer."

The militiaman was frightened and his face turned pale.

"Captain, I didn't mean it that way."

"I don't care what you meant... Today, something big has happened. I heard that the county magistrate is furious and wants to thoroughly investigate the culprits. Didn't you see how bad the team leader's face looked at noon? Be on your guard. If anything goes wrong on our watch, we'll all be in trouble. Those damn bandits are too arrogant. If I catch them, I'll make them pay."

In the Tang Dynasty, you wouldn't realize how limited the vocabulary for cursing was.

The militiaman captain was under a lot of pressure. He was genuinely worried that if anything else happened, everyone would suffer.

After entering the city with Yang Rui, Yang Shouwen slowed down. There weren't many people on the streets, and at the entrance of each坊 (neighborhood), there were坊丁 (neighborhood guards) on duty, all with serious expressions, as if they were facing a great enemy.

Yang Chenglie's home in the county was located in Fanrenli.

The entire Changping county had eight neighborhoods, with Hepingfang being the commercial area, and the rest for the residents.

Fanrenli was one of the larger neighborhoods among the eight.

The county office was located on one side of Fanrenli, with guards on duty every day, and the security was relatively good.

"Big Brother, how long has it been since you last came home?"

After entering Fanrenli, Yang Shouwen and Yang Rui dismounted. Yang Rui led the way, asking as they walked, seemingly nervous and looking around even in broad daylight.

"I can't remember... Er Lang, you don't need to be so nervous. Can't you see that there are guards and neighborhood guards everywhere? If those bandits dare to act, they would be asking for death."

"I know, I know!"

Yang Rui agreed but couldn't help feeling nervous.

The two followed the main path in the neighborhood to the center, stopping in front of a house. Yang Rui took the reins from Yang Shouwen.

This was the Yang residence.

Compared to the rest of Fanrenli, the gate of the Yang residence was quite impressive. In this era, having an impressive gate wasn't just about having money; it required sufficient prestige and power.

If it were a noble family or a royal household, they could even have their gate on the neighborhood wall.

However, the Yang family didn't have that kind of power. But since Yang Chenglie had served in Changping for ten years, the gate of the residence was built with considerable grandeur.

The two black gates were tightly closed, with two stone lions at the entrance.

Yang Rui tied the horses and led Yang Shouwen to the gate, where he knocked.

After a while, the door opened.

A person poked his head out and, upon seeing Yang Rui, quickly said, "Er Lang, County Magistrate Wang is here and is talking with Father."

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