Chapter 95

.

As Sima Qiu came out of the signing room, he looked at Wang Xian with a grin. Although he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, his emotional intelligence was quite high, and he naturally noticed Wang Xian's unusual demeanor.

"What are you grinning about?" Wang Xian didn't need to hide it from him and rolled his eyes, saying, "Your brother-in-law caused me trouble, but it's all for your sake, right?"

"If you didn't want to get involved, would he have been able to ask you?" Sima Qiu smirked, "I didn't realize you had a good heart."

"Yeah, I'm still a decent person," Wang Xian nodded.

"You start panting as soon as someone says you're fat..." Sima Qiu, with his rat-like whiskers, said, "You dare say it's not to get back at Yu Xiuren?"

"I have no grudge against him, why would I want to get back at him?" Wang Xian shook his head decisively, "If we're going to use the strategy of 'besieging Wei to save Zhao,' someone has to be the unlucky one, right?"

"You really can pick the softest target to bully, why Yu Xiuren?" Sima Qiu, an old scholar, had a natural sympathy for literati.

"Soft targets don't hurt as much," Wang Xian said calmly, "Don't worry, this isn't the first time the magistrate has done something like this; he knows his limits."

"Ah, you even tricked the magistrate," Sima Qiu shook his head and sighed.

"Sir, you're mistaken," Wang Xian said seriously, "It takes a bad person to deal with a bad person, so the magistrate can wholeheartedly be a just official."

"That's true," Sima Qiu nodded solemnly, "Telling him about these things would do no good." He paused and stared at Wang Xian, "But if you ever try to harm him in the future, I won't show you any mercy!"

"He's my teacher too!" Wang Xian said helplessly.

"Hehe," Sima Qiu realized his tone was a bit harsh and changed to a playful expression, "So, I'm your grandmaster, right?"

"Sure," Wang Xian said with a cold smile, "I'll call you that in front of the magistrate too!"

"Heh, you brat..." Sima Qiu laughed and scolded, "It's hard to get the upper hand on you."

.

Two days later, the rumors about Yu Xiuren trying to take over his sister-in-law's affairs not only didn't subside but grew even more intense. Even Yu Lao Ye (the old man) heard about it and was so angry that steam seemed to come out of his seven orifices. He immediately had Yu Xiuren brought back from school.

Yu Xiuren was extremely depressed. These days, he had been driven almost mad. As the saying goes, 'three people make a tiger,' and in Fuyang County, how many more than three hundred people were talking about his affair? It made him so confused that he wondered if he really had feelings for Liu Shi.

In front of his grandfather, he swore to the heavens that he was innocent, but Yu Lao Ye didn't believe him, saying, "With so many people in the family, why is it only you who gets the rumors?"

"Grandson wants to know too..." Yu Xiuren said, feeling wronged.

"Flies don't bite uncracked eggs!" Lao Ye snorted angrily, "If you didn't frequent brothels and give people the impression that you're a lecher, you wouldn't have suffered this undeserved fate."

"That was a poetry meeting in the brothel," Yu Xiuren said softly.

"Young and already going astray," Lao Ye hit him with his cane, "You're just a penniless scholar, do you have the right to act like a literatus? Focus on passing the examination for the juren degree first!"

"Yes, Grandfather," Yu Xiuren nodded quickly, then said with a bitter face, "But the rumors are troubling me, and I can't even find peace at school."

"Father," his father finally spoke up, "We should urge the county to resolve the case quickly. Once it's settled, the rumors will naturally disappear."

"Hmm, you go and ask..." Lao Ye thought for a moment, then said, "No, I'll go myself." He was helped by his son into a carriage and went to the county office.

It wasn't a day for public hearings, so the entrance to the county office was quiet. Yu Lao Ye handed over his name card and was smoothly introduced to Magistrate Wei.

In the signing room, Magistrate Wei personally poured tea for Yu Lao Ye. After some polite conversation, the old man couldn't help but reveal his purpose, with a hint of accusation in his words.

"Old Sir, you misunderstand. This county is not intentionally delaying," Magistrate Wei explained, "The case has become more complicated, with a case within a case. Given the complexity, I had to gather more evidence and postpone the trial."

"What case within a case?" Yu Lao Ye asked curiously.

"This..." Magistrate Wei hesitated, "It's not wise to speculate before the investigation is complete."

"I see..." Yu Lao Ye became even more curious, "Is it related to our family?"

Magistrate Wei nodded.

"I hope you can inform me, sir," Yu Lao Ye pursued, "No matter which descendant is at fault, I will not cover it up!"

"Old Sir, please don't put me in a difficult position," Magistrate Wei said with a bitter smile.

"Is it related to Yifan?" Yu Lao Ye's mind flashed. "And Liu Shi?"

"Seems you already know, Old Sir..."

"What do I know?" Yu Lao Ye said gloomily, "You shouldn't jump to conclusions!"

"Of course, I won't believe rumors," Magistrate Wei said seriously, "But Liu Shi has evidence!"

"What evidence?"

"She claims that when Yu Xiuren tried to assault her, he bit her on the left side of his chest, and the mark should still be there," Magistrate Wei said calmly. "Out of respect for the Yu family and his status as a scholar, I didn't immediately issue a warrant but had the constables investigate secretly to clear Yu Xiuren's name."

"Thank you for your trust," Yu Lao Ye, who had been arrogant, now showed a different attitude, "The Yu family has strict discipline, with no lawbreakers for three generations and no remarried women for five generations. We would never have such a beast." With his experience, he firmly believed that 'where there's smoke, there's fire,' so he didn't mention how good Yu Xiuren was.

"Indeed, I don't believe it either," Magistrate Wei nodded heavily, "There's a simple way to resolve this. Is he here? We can check his chest. If it's unblemished, I won't let that woman off!"

"About that," Yu Lao Ye hesitated, thinking that if the mark was found, his grandson's life would be ruined, and the Yu family's reputation would be tarnished, "He should still be at school..."

"Then let him take a day off tomorrow, and you both come to the county office. We'll examine the mark together," Magistrate Wei said calmly.

"Thank you, sir," Yu Lao Ye finally showed gratitude, "I am truly ashamed."

"Old Sir, you're too kind," Magistrate Wei smiled, "It's all about mutual trust."

"Yes," Yu Lao Ye had completely lost his arrogance and left without waiting for Magistrate Wei to see him off.

Seeing his father come out, his son hurriedly went to greet him but was pushed away by Yu Lao Ye, who didn't want him to touch him.

When they got home and got out of the carriage, Yu Lao Ye's face was still dark and terrifying. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he slammed his cane on the ground and roared, "Bring that beast to the ancestral hall!"

The servants looked at each other, and his son, not knowing which 'beast' he was referring to, asked hesitantly.

"Your precious son!" Yu Lao Ye glared at him.

Shortly, Yu Xiuren was brought to the ancestral hall, where he saw his grandfather sitting by the ancestral tablets, with several strong servants standing on either side, and the door behind them tightly closed. The sight made him feel uneasy.

"Grandfather, you called me..."

"Kneel down!" Yu Lao Ye roared, "Take off his clothes!"

Yu Xiuren, dazed, knelt down. The servants, after apologizing, tore off his padded jacket, robe, and undergarments, exposing his slender body.

Yu Lao Ye, upon seeing the clear bite marks around his left chest, almost fainted. The family members massaged his chest and pinched his nose, finally reviving him. Yu Lao Ye, breathing heavily, sat straight in his chair, his eyes red and purple, and without asking for an explanation, repeatedly ordered, "Tie him up, use the family punishment, beat him to death!"

The servants, knowing that Yu Lao Ye never went back on his word, tied him to a stool and stuffed a cloth in his mouth—partly to avoid disturbing the ancestors and partly to prevent him from biting his tongue. Then they pulled down his pants, raised the paddle, and began to beat his white buttocks.

After about ten strokes, Yu Xiuren was in agony, but Yu Lao Ye still thought it was too light and roared, "If you don't beat him to death, you'll be next!"

The servants, hearing this, dared not hold back. Besides, beating the young master's buttocks wasn't a common occurrence, so they were quite enjoying it. Yu Xiuren, with his delicate skin, couldn't bear it and soon had his skin torn and fainted.

Seeing that further beating could be fatal, Yu Xiuren's father knelt before Yu Lao Ye and begged desperately. Yu Lao Ye, however, wouldn't listen and slapped his son, "You should be beaten too. If you hadn't spoiled him, he wouldn't have done such a beastly thing!"

Although scolded by his father, Yu Xiuren's father couldn't bear to see his son beaten to death and rushed over to protect him with his body. The servants, not daring to hit the second master, stopped.

"Don't stop, beat him to death, and save the family's honor from being disgraced by the officials..." Yu Lao Ye's anger only grew, and he finally fainted from the shock. The family members quickly supported him, not daring to pinch his nose this time, and sent him back to his room, calling Doctor Wu for help.

Doctor Wu revived Yu Lao Ye but found signs of a stroke. Even with his medical skills, Yu Lao Ye would likely have a crooked mouth and drooling by autumn. However, this old fox only mentioned that Yu Lao Ye had a hidden illness, prescribed some medicine to maintain his condition, and suggested calling a doctor from the provincial capital. This way, even if Yu Lao Ye had a stroke, the Yu family wouldn't blame him...

By evening, Yu Lao Ye woke up, and the family breathed a sigh of relief. His wife, wiping away tears, said, "You scared me to death. What kind of madness was that?"

"What kind of madness?" Yu Lao Ye, after a moment of confusion, remembered and became angry again, "Where is that beast?"

"He's still unconscious..." Thinking of his grandson's condition, his wife was in tears, "What did he do to make you hate him so much?"

"Hmph..." Such a disgraceful matter, even to his wife, Yu Lao Ye was too embarrassed to mention, and just sulked.

Yu Lao Ye didn't sleep all night and couldn't get out of bed the next day. While taking his medicine, his younger son came in and said, "Yifan is awake."

Yu Lao Ye didn't respond and continued taking his medicine.

"He still doesn't know what he did wrong," Yu Xiuren's uncle added, "He asked his son to find out, saying that if you want him to die, he will, but he wants to die with a clear conscience."

.