Chapter 42

"Uh-huh, I want to hear about the monkey coming out from under the Five Finger Mountain."

"Alright, today we'll let the monkey escape."

As Yang Shouwen said this, he quickly ran out.

Yang Rui had already prepared the horse. Yang Shouwen and he mounted it and galloped towards the county town.

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The curfew in Changping County had not been lifted and was even stricter than the previous day.

The gate guard was still Zhu Cheng.

Seeing Yang Shouwen and Yang Rui arrive, he did not stop them but immediately had the checkpoint moved to let the two pass.

"Why don't they need to be checked to pass through?"

The pedestrians who had been waiting outside the city for half a day immediately shouted in dissatisfaction.

Zhu Cheng's face darkened, and he stepped forward, kicking the man down. "Those are the two sons of County Magistrate Yang. What are you shouting for?"

After saying this, he waved his hand, and two militiamen stepped forward.

"Check him thoroughly. I suspect he has contraband on him."

"Innocent, innocent..."

The man shouted loudly, but no one stepped forward to stop it.

Indeed, who would dare to stop the two sons of the County Magistrate from entering the city?

Yang Shouwen was not aware that because of his relationship with Yang Rui, someone had suffered. But even if he knew, he wouldn't care. There was no such thing as fairness in this world, a lesson he had learned in his previous life.

Isn't it true that being reborn is a skill?

He took Yang Rui and headed straight for the Yang residence. However, upon arriving, he found that Yang Chenglie was not resting at the residence.

Early in the morning, he received news that suspicious people had been spotted outside the city.

Yang Chenglie, still injured, had left the city with Guan Hu.

Upon hearing this, Yang Shouwen couldn't help but frown.

"Let's do this: you wait for Father at home, and I'll go to the county office. If Father returns, you come to the office to find me; if Father goes directly to the office, I'll hand over the items to him, and we'll go back together."

Yang Rui thought for a moment and immediately agreed.

Yang Shouwen mounted the horse again and, after leaving Fanrenli, headed straight for the county office.

He did not enter the county office but sat down in a tavern not far from it.

From the window of this tavern, he could see the county office clearly. If Yang Chenglie returned, he would see him at a glance. He ordered a couple of small dishes and a pot of wine. However, after taking a sip of the wine, he put it aside. He had already brewed Qingping Tune, and this roadside wine was not to his taste.

While eating the small dishes, he kept an eye on the outside.

At this moment, a man suddenly sat down in front of him.

"Brother, you seem to have something on your mind?"

Yang Shouwen was taken aback and looked at the man.

"Don't misunderstand. I saw you looking at the office after you came in, so I assume you're in trouble and need someone to help you smooth things over."

Yang Shouwen immediately understood what the man meant. He must be a middleman?

Just as he was about to speak, the man glanced around and whispered, "If you need someone to help you smooth things over at the office, I have some connections. I have a friend who is the son of County Magistrate Yang. However, he's a bit short on cash, so he asked me to help... You have trouble and don't know how to deal with the office; while Yang's son is familiar with the office, and his father is the County Magistrate. He can help you with anything... You just need to spend a little money to solve your problem. For Yang's son, it's just a small favor, and he can meet his needs... If you're interested, we can talk more."

The son of County Magistrate Yang?

This guy doesn't seem to recognize who I am!

Yang Shouwen narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "I heard County Magistrate Yang has two sons, but I don't know which one you're talking about."

"Ha, who else could it be? It's naturally the second son. Who in Changping County doesn't know that the eldest son of County Magistrate Yang is a cowherd who can't even watch over a cow, and was struck by lightning a few days ago? The son I'm talking about is the second son, Yang Rui, who works at the office."

Yang Rui?

Yang Shouwen put down his chopsticks upon hearing this.

He had never heard Yang Rui mention taking on such a job.

If it was true, he needed to tell Yang Chenglie; if it was false, these people were fraudsters.

As the eldest son of the Yang family, he had a duty to protect Yang Chenglie's reputation.

So, he wanted to figure out what was really going on...

He watched the man silently, saying nothing.

The man also seemed calm, as if everything he said was true.

"Money is not a problem."

Yang Shouwen suddenly took the money bag from his waist and slapped it on the table.

The bag contained more than a thousand coins, which Yang Rui had given him. Yang Shouwen stroked his chin and said in a deep voice, "But I can't just believe you. I've heard of Yang's second son. If I can see him, the money is yours. If I can't see him, I won't give you the money... Brother, I do need to go to the office, but this is not a small matter. I can't just give you a large sum of money based on your words, right?"

The man clearly didn't expect Yang Shouwen to make such a request.

He glanced at the money bag, a greedy look flashing in his eyes. From the weight of the bag, it seemed to contain a fair amount of money.

He thought for a moment and immediately smiled. "Brother, you're a straightforward person. Being cautious is right. Let me check. If Yang's second son agrees to see you, it won't be a problem; if he doesn't..."

Yang Shouwen narrowed his eyes, opened the money bag, and took out a string of about a hundred coins.

"I won't let you down, Brother. Consider it money for shoes."

"Fair enough!"

The man stood up and walked out of the tavern.

Yang Shouwen frowned, watching the man's figure disappear into a small alley, a shadow of gloom appearing on his face.

Is this really related to Yang Rui?

He took a deep breath and tied the money bag back to his waist.

About a quarter of an hour later, Yang Shouwen saw the man reappear on the street. He hurriedly ran from the street and came straight to the tavern. He looked around and, when he saw Yang Shouwen still sitting in the same spot, a smile appeared on his face.

He quickly walked to Yang Shouwen, panting.

He picked up the wine pot on the table, poured a cup of wine, and drank it in one gulp.

"Brother, you're lucky... Yang's second son is not often in the city, but he happens to be back today. I told him about your situation, and he didn't object. However, Yang's second son's position is sensitive, and it's not good to meet here. If you really want to smooth things over, why don't you come with me? I'll take you to see Yang's second son."

If he ran from here to Fanrenli, it would take about a quarter of an hour.

However, the direction this man was heading was clearly wrong. Yang Rui should be at the Yang residence and wouldn't leave without permission...

Yang Shouwen already had a good idea of what was going on, so he stood up and said, "If that's the case, let's go. Don't keep Yang's second son waiting... If he's not happy, my problem will be even more complicated."

The man poured another cup of wine, about to drink it, but stopped when he heard Yang Shouwen's words. He looked at the wine cup with reluctance, turned it around a couple of times, and finally said, "Brother, you're right, but the money for shoes..."

Yang Shouwen didn't refuse, took out a string of copper coins, and placed it in front of the man.

The man swept his hand across the table, and the copper coins disappeared... He was indeed quick with his hands.

Yang Shouwen followed him out of the tavern.

They walked along the main street, passed the county office gate, and after a while, turned into an alley.

"Where is the second son?"

Yang Shouwen's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he asked in a hurried manner.

The man smiled. "Just follow me, Brother. The second son is not far ahead, and it won't take long to get there."

The alley was quite deep. Yang Shouwen and the man walked for about seven or eight minutes and finally came out to an open space. There were about twenty to thirty people around, some sitting on the ground against the wall, others leaning against the wall, swaying. In the center of the open space, a few burly men surrounded a young man.

Seeing Yang Shouwen, the young man smiled. "Sixteen, well done."

"Hehe, I brought the person, so it's up to you, Young Master... What about our deal?"

"Don't worry, if it's a fat sheep, I won't let you down."

These people clearly weren't good people.

Yang Shouwen showed a look of fear and shouted loudly, "Who are you... Why did you bring me here? Where is the second son?"