Chapter 31

After Wang He left, the bedroom was left with only Yang Chenglie and his son.

"Just now, the county magistrate and I discussed it, and we decided not to report this case to the governor's office for the time being. His idea is that it's best for the county to handle this case. If we report it to the governor's office, there might be trouble, and it wouldn't look good for the county."

Yang Chenglie turned over and leaned half against the mattress, feeling much more comfortable.

Yang Shouwen tucked the blanket around him and asked softly, "What did you say, Father?"

"For me, it's best not to report it to the governor's office."

Yang Chenglie chuckled, then supported himself on the bed and gestured for Yang Shouwen to sit beside him.

"If this case is reported, the governor's office will certainly send people to investigate. Not only will it alert the suspects, but more importantly, we will lose control. The situation in Changping is a bit chaotic now, and it's not suitable for any more complications. So I agree with the county magistrate's opinion. We should suppress this case for now and wait until we have a lead before taking action."

Actually, it has always been like this.

Local officials fear accountability, and when one problem is exposed, it often leads to more. Who knows what kind of consequences might arise?

The current situation in Guchu is still unclear, and Changping is experiencing frequent murders, causing unrest. If the governor's office sends people to investigate, it could lead to an uncontrollable situation. Moreover, Yang Chenglie, having suffered such a great loss, is naturally unwilling to hand over the case. He is more concerned with regaining his dignity.

"Father, I want to go to the county office to take a look."

"Oh?"

Yang Chenglie narrowed his eyes and looked at Yang Shouwen.

Yang Shouwen said softly, "The bandits have backup, which surprised me. I heard a rough outline from Yang Rui and have a feeling that there might be more to the story behind the assassins. So I want to go to the county office to take a look and also examine the bodies. I have a hunch that this case is not simple and has some hidden secrets."

Yang Chenglie nodded after hearing this, "You and I have similar thoughts. Let Er Lang accompany you. He is familiar with the office and might be able to help you."

After the father and son finished their discussion, Yang Shouwen got up and left.

"Yang Molili, stay here and protect Father's safety."

When Yang Shouwen left, he gave Yang Molili a few more instructions.

Actually, nothing would happen. In broad daylight, with the whole city on high alert due to the recent events, it would be unthinkable for the assassins to continue their actions.

"Er Lang, I am your uncle, why are you stopping me?"

When Yang Shouwen reached the main hall, he heard a commotion in the front yard.

"Third Uncle, I'm not stopping you... Father is injured and needs to rest. It's not convenient for him to see you."

"You, child, if I go to see your father, will I disturb him? With such a big incident, I must come to visit."

Yang Shouwen, surprised, came to the front yard and saw Yang Rui blocking a group of people at the gate.

Those people were dressed in fine clothes, but they exuded a nouveau riche aura and spoke loudly.

"Er Lang, what's going on? Father is injured and needs to rest, why are people making a commotion here?"

Yang Shouwen walked forward and asked sternly.

The leading nouveau riche was taken aback and then shouted, "Who are you? How dare you boss around here?"

"County Magistrate Yang is my father, and I am the eldest son of this family. Who do you think I am?"

"You are, Yang Achizi?"

Yang Shouwen frowned, looking at the man with displeasure.

"Uncle, don't speak nonsense... This is my elder brother. Father is injured and has ordered him to take charge of the household. From now on, all matters, big or small, will be handled by my elder brother. Elder Brother, this is my third uncle. He heard that Father is injured and wants to visit."

Yang Shouwen was taken aback, but he did not show it on his face.

The third uncle, however, became agitated, "You fool, when did the Yang family let a madman take charge? Your father must be confused. This is just causing trouble for himself. No, I must find your mother and have her persuade your father."

"This is Mother's decision."

"Then where is Mother?"

"Mother has gone outside the city... Father said the city is a bit chaotic now, so he sent her and Qingnu to stay outside the city for a while."

Yang Shouwen understood the reason when he heard this.

Come on, he had just seen Song Shi, how could she have moved outside the city?

Clearly, Song Shi did not want to see her third brother and did not want him to disturb Yang Chenglie, so she pushed the responsibility onto Yang Shouwen. Yang Shouwen did not mind, as he had no close relationship with the Song family. In his memory, the Song family and the city outskirts had not been close for over a decade. After Yang Dafang's death, he had not seen any Song family members.

Since Song Shi did not like the man, he would not be polite either.

His face darkened, and Yang Shouwen said angrily, "Er Lang, you know Father needs to rest, why are you making a commotion here?"

Yang Rui shrank back, silent as a cicada.

Yang Shouwen then said to Song Sanlang, "It's not that I am being ungrateful, but the county magistrate specifically instructed me to ensure Father's rest and recovery. Father just had a conversation with the county magistrate and is now resting. If you have no urgent matters, please come another day... Otherwise, the county magistrate will punish me."

Song Sanlang was initially aggressive, but he closed his mouth when he heard the county magistrate's instructions.

He glared at Yang Shouwen, turned to speak to Yang Rui, but heard Yang Shouwen say, "Er Lang, the county magistrate just instructed us to go to the office. He has something to tell us. Let's hurry, we don't want to keep the county magistrate waiting."

"Oh, why didn't you say so earlier, Elder Brother?"

Yang Rui said to Song Sanlang, "Third Uncle, it's not that I don't want to entertain you, but..."

"Since the county magistrate has given instructions, you should hurry."

Song Sanlang did not dare to persist and had to leave reluctantly.

Yang Rui gave Song An a few more instructions and then followed Yang Shouwen out of the Yang family's gate.

"Elder Brother, your handling of the situation was excellent."

As soon as they left the gate, Yang Rui could not help but praise Yang Shouwen in a low voice.

Yang Shouwen chuckled and said softly, "Let me teach you a trick. This is called 'using a big flag as a tiger's skin.' By the way, why did your third uncle come? Why doesn't your mother want to see him?"

Yang Rui smiled bitterly and said, "What else... He has a batch of goods to be sent to Jixian, but the city gates are on high alert, allowing entry but not exit. He wants Father to intercede and get his goods out. In the past, it would have been ignored, but now, after such a big incident, he is still thinking about his goods."

It was clear that Yang Rui was very dissatisfied with Song Sanlang.

As the saying goes, every family has its own troubles.

Yang Shouwen could not say much about the Song family's affairs. Such matters are too common. Who could blame Yang Chenglie for being the county magistrate? As a relative of the Yang family, if Song Sanlang had business problems, who else could he turn to?

Patting Yang Rui on the shoulder, Yang Shouwen did not continue the topic.

Leaving Fanrenli, they walked south along the main street and soon arrived at the Changping county office.

The county office was located in the southeastern corner of Changping, adjacent to the crossroads. It was not particularly prominent, with a gray outer wall marked by the passage of time. The entrance was not large, and even the signboard exuded a sense of age.

At this moment, the main gate of the county office was closed, with bailiffs on duty.

Yang Rui, familiar with the place, led Yang Shouwen in through the side door.

"The battle this morning was intense."

As soon as Yang Shouwen entered the county office, he felt the tense atmosphere. A few clerks walked by, nodding at Yang Rui, and hurried away, looking very busy. Yang Chenglie's office was on the right side of the courtyard, in a row of red-tiled, blue-bricked houses, but most of them were already damaged.

"Er Lang, why are you here?"

A man walked up and spoke from a distance.

Yang Shouwen recognized him as Guan Hu, the head of the arrest team.

He was wearing a black hat and official robes, with sweat on his forehead.

It was mid-autumn, and Changping was in a remote area, so the temperature was not high. However, it was clear that Guan Hu was very hot, with his collar soaked in sweat.

"Elder Brother is also here... Is the county magistrate well?"

Guan Hu saw Yang Rui first, then Yang Shouwen.

He was taken aback for a moment, then showed a relieved expression. In his view, the assassins were so bold that they even attacked the county office. What else would they not do? As Yang Chenglie's son, Yang Rui would naturally be targeted by the assassins. Having Yang Shouwen with him would not only protect Yang Rui's safety but also share some of the danger.