Chapter 3

Without entering the main hall, the sound of a woman's weeping earlier had now turned into the sound of a fierce fight, accompanied by muffled shouts and the smell of blood.

Gao Fangping was about to kick the door open when he heard a woman's voice from outside the courtyard, crying, "Father, Mother... What's wrong with you!"

He saw a very beautiful woman in her early twenties, her face pale with fear, running over, intending to rush in, but was stopped by the guards outside.

Unable to enter or leave, the beautiful woman's eyes shimmered with tears as she glared at Gao Fangping and shouted hoarsely, "Beast! You've already driven us to ruin and thrown my husband into prison. What more do you want! Is there no justice in heaven? Is there no law in the land!"

"Heh heh!" Two lackeys who didn't understand the situation laughed wildly, "Justice? Our young master is the law. Law? Our young master is the law... Ouch!"

Before they could finish, Gao Fangping slapped them on the back of their heads and scolded, "You two, no talking today."

The two men were dejected and kept a low profile, holding their heads.

Gao Fangping didn't bother to argue and said to the guards outside, "Let her in."

Then, Gao Fangping raised his voice and shouted into the house, "Lu Qian! If anyone else dies in there, I'll cut off your head and use it as a chamber pot!"

Inside the hall.

A guard under Lu Qian's command was dead, and Lin's father, Old Zhang, was injured, kneeling on the ground, pressed down by four guards' spears, unable to stand up.

Lu Qian always liked to go to extremes and had already decided to kill. With the death of the guard, he had an excuse, so he narrowed his eyes and gripped the hilt of his sword.

A cold light flashed, and the sword had already emerged two inches from the scabbard, but he heard Gao Fangping's loud warning from outside.

Lu Qian frowned, regretting the missed opportunity, and reluctantly sheathed his sword, not daring to act rashly. He decided to see what the foolish young master would say.

Lu Qian felt uneasy, wondering if the young master had become less foolish after the auspicious omen?

Several people entered together. Lin's mother was crouched in a corner, crying, and her father was already pressed down by the guards, though only slightly injured. But then Lin's scalp tingled; a guard was dead, apparently killed by a heavy weapon, and her father, skilled with an iron staff, had blood on it, clearly the one who killed the guard.

This time, it was a matter of ruin and death. The dead guard was a personal guard of General Gao, and with his power, he could easily find a reason to accuse them of colluding with bandits and resisting the guards, which could result in immediate execution... Her mind was in chaos, and even the usually calm Lin was at a loss for words, her eyes filled with tears, staring at Gao Fangping.

"It's him! Everything is his doing! Your power is vast, and a small person can't compete with you, but if there's no way out, I, Zhang Zhen, will not live alone. Even as a ghost, I won't let you off!" Zhang Zhen glared at Gao Fangping, her usual gentle and dignified demeanor now tinged with a resolve to die.

Gao Fangping was sweating profusely! Being stared at like this, he felt extremely depressed, carrying the black pot.

"Young master..."

Lu Qian was about to say something but was stopped by Gao Fangping's raised hand.

"Nobody talk. Let me think."

Gao Fangping paced in the hall, thinking. Lu Qian was very cunning and aggressive! Jealous of Lin Chong, he used the foolish young master to harm Lin Chong, deliberately using flawed methods to cause many problems. These were all underhanded deeds, and then he would show loyalty, cleaning up all the dirty work for the Gao family, removing a rival in his career and becoming one of the Gao family's trusted confidants.

"Talent, Lu Qian, you are truly a talent!" Gao Fangping patted Lu Qian's shoulder, saying.

Seeing the young master's eyes filled with a mocking and unusually sharp look, Lu Qian felt a sense of foreboding.

Currently, only the injured Old Zhang and four unprepared guards were in the room. So, Lu Qian casually gripped the hilt of his sword, calmly saying, "Thank you for your praise, young master. My fate is given by the Gao family, and it is my honor to serve them."

"Very well, with Lu Yuhou's loyalty, I am reassured." Gao Fangping laughed.

Lu Qian found it hard to judge the young master's state after the auspicious omen.

Just then, a guard outside said, "Which brothers of the guards are you? We are ordered to guard here, do not approach."

"Ordered? By whom?" A loud voice came, "I am Xu Ning, the instructor of the Golden Lance Corps, ordered by General Gao. Move out of my way!"

The guards outside didn't dare to speak, as they were only following Lu Qian's orders.

The door was pushed open, and a tall man in his thirties, wearing guard armor, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, holding a golden hook spear, entered.

Xu Ning, seeing the strange scene, didn't say much. He bowed slightly to Lu Qian and then stood beside Gao Fangping. He was usually low-key and despised the young master, so he didn't flatter, but he still had to do his duty as ordered.

Since Xu Ning entered, Lu Qian's hand had left the hilt of his sword, standing respectfully on the side.

Old Zhang, Lin's father, struggled to speak, "Young master..."

"Shut up," Gao Fangping said, not giving anyone face, "I am thinking. Nobody talk, let me think."

"Scoundrel! What are you waiting for? If you want to take my life, do it now!" Zhang Zhen's voice was soft, but her tone was firm.

"Shut up. If you keep babbling, I'll really execute your father on the spot. I have a reason," Gao Fangping waved his hand impatiently.

Zhang Zhen immediately shut up, sensing the underlying meaning. At least this young master didn't plan to execute her father on the spot, so if they went to Kaifeng, her father might have a chance to survive.

"Young master, we must act quickly," Lu Qian said calmly, "The commotion here will attract the attention of the Kaifeng authorities. Even if we belong to the General's office, we can't stop the Kaifeng officials from investigating!"

To dare to tie his dirty intentions to the entire General's office?

Thinking about it, Gao Fangping said coldly, "We can't stop the Kaifeng officials, but we can stop the Kaifeng constables. Give each of them a string of coins as a reward, and they'll know how to speak when they return. I said I'm thinking, didn't you hear? Otherwise, when the Kaifeng constables come back with their superiors, I'll tie you up and hand you over to the Kaifeng authorities."

Lu Qian lowered his head and said nothing.

Thus, the young master, who everyone thought was a fool, managed to silence everyone, inside and out, for a moment.

All eyes were on the young, handsome, and seemingly frivolous young man, watching him pace.

If not for the prejudice and the shabby clothes, Gao Fangping, as he paced, had a bit of a commanding presence.

At a certain moment, Gao Fangping stopped, suppressing his anger, as it wasn't time to deal with Lu Qian yet.

He turned to Zhang Zhen, who was glaring at him with tears, and said straightforwardly, "If I give your father a chance to live, what will you do?"

Zhang Zhen was taken aback, then, with a look of inviolable chastity, she rebuked, "My father was originally harmed by you, evil scoundrel..."

Gao Fangping interrupted, "So, you don't want your father to live?"

"I..." Even the usually calm Zhang Zhen was caught off guard by the young master's cunning.

"Do you want your father to live or not?" Gao Fangping asked again.

"Yes!" Zhang Zhen seemed to have made a decision, closing her eyes as tears streamed down her face.

Gao Fangping looked at her for a moment and said, "I heard that Lin Chong wrote a divorce letter in prison, but with your loyal character, you wouldn't take it seriously. Now that your father is in trouble, you are willing to temporarily submit to me, and after your father is exiled, you plan to commit suicide. Am I wrong?"

Zhang Zhen, with tears in her eyes, opened her eyes in shock, "You..."

Gao Fangping continued, "Let's not rush to decide on the aftermath. I'm not interested in explaining. Let's put it this way: things have come to this point, and we can't go back. I want to try to fix it, but I have a condition: you and your husband must not bear a grudge against me. Do you agree?"

Thinking of how the family's ruin was all due to this scoundrel, Zhang Zhen angrily rebuked, "Scoundrel! All this is your doing, how can we not bear a grudge against you!"

Gao Fangping said nothing more and, as he walked out, called, "Lu Qian."

"Your subordinate is here!" Lu Qian bowed.

"Clean it up. If there are any more troubles, I'll cut off your head and give it to my father to kick around!" Gao Fangping said as he walked to the door.

Swish—

Without a word, Lu Qian drew his sword halfway.

Zhang Zhen was truly terrified and calmed down, saying, "Wait!"

Gao Fangping stopped and turned, "I'm all ears."

Hearing the young master call himself "I," everyone in the hall, including Lu Qian, felt nauseous.

Zhang Zhen, with tears in her eyes, said, "If the young master is magnanimous and only requires no grudge, then my family cannot be petty and forget this matter."

Gao Fangping said, "Remember, this is your promise to me, Gao Fangping."

"I understand. Even on my husband's behalf, I will make the decision."

Zhang Zhen was very sad to make this promise, but under the circumstances, she had no choice. Her husband was about to be exiled, and although he would receive some protection from the Kaifeng authorities, the Gao family's power was vast, and the journey was long. She had heard that "accidents" often happened. So, this compromise was not only because the young master's demands seemed reasonable but also to protect her husband.

With this, Gao Fangping felt more at ease.

Some people's words should not be listened to, but some people's promises can be trusted. Lin Chong's situation could still be salvaged, and he was one of the few men Gao Fangping found likable, with a good character. As for most of the others in "Water Margin," Gao Fangping thought they were mostly brainless and uninteresting.