Chapter 30

"Endure a moment, and the wind and waves will calm down..."

Fubo sighed softly. Young man, being too sharp can easily lead to a downfall. Zhao Canshi was clearly well-prepared, and Fubo even suspected that this scene was staged by the county magistrate to deal with the Zhang family; otherwise, it couldn't be this coincidental.

Ning Wuque was not a person of deep scheming. He was a living, breathing human being with flesh and blood. Even in his previous life, he was just a student with a passionate heart. He couldn't remain numb; otherwise, he wouldn't have died with the wealthy young master in the previous life.

He was Ning Wuque, who would rather be shattered like jade than remain whole like a tile!

Ning Bo and Ning Wushuang were his brothers. When they were slandered, Fubo and the other scholars could turn a blind eye, but Ning Wuque couldn't.

Ning Wuque laughed aloud, his hair flying, his heart filled with rage, and a killing intent began to gather.

"Take them away!" Zhao Canshi sneered.

"Wait a moment..."

Ning Wuque lowered his head and met Zhao Lian's gaze. The killing intent in his eyes made Zhao Lian tremble. "What... what are you going to do?"

General Li also sensed the killing intent from the seemingly gentle young man, his brows furrowed, and he couldn't help but speak. "Zhao Lian is an official of the court. Once you make a move, whether they have stolen or not, the charge will be confirmed. Even worse, you might be accused of attempting to assassinate a court official, which is tantamount to treason. Your entire clan will be implicated, and your parents and relatives will die!"

Ning Wuque stared intently at Zhao Lian, and slowly, a sinister smile appeared on his lips, making Zhao Lian feel a chill. "Wushuang, take care of my brother. Wait for me for two days, and I will clear your names."

Ning Wuque looked at the panicked Ning Wushuang and spoke in a firm tone, leaving no room for doubt. Ning Wushuang immediately calmed down, realizing that their situation was very unfavorable, and a prison sentence was inevitable.

As General Li said, even if Ning Wuque resisted the authorities and saved them, what then? They still had families. The charge of treason would implicate nine generations, especially in turbulent times, where the extermination of entire families was common. Could they watch the villagers of Ning family be slaughtered?

"Big Brother, don't worry!" Ning Wushuang nodded solemnly.

"Hmph, who said it's just the two of you? General Li, you saw it too. This boy is in league with them and should be taken as well." Zhao Lian felt threatened by Ning Wuque and wanted to eliminate any future trouble.

Ning Wuque turned to Zhao Lian, took a deep breath, and coldly shouted, "I have a title, you can't take me."

Zhao Lian's eyes widened as if he had heard the funniest joke, and he laughed loudly. "A title, you?"

"I am a scholar from four years ago. According to the law, a scholar has a title. Unless the county magistrate orders it personally, you have no authority to take me, Lord Zhao. Don't tell me you already have the warrant to arrest me."

Zhao Lian, who had been laughing, suddenly looked as if he had swallowed a toad, his eyes bulging, and he almost choked. Ning Wuque was a scholar?

"He is a scholar from the first year of Wude, Ning Zhongyuan. Did you forget, Lord Zhao Canshi?" Fubo, who had been watching coldly, couldn't help but sneer.

Zhao Lian sized up Ning Wuque, his eyes cold and menacing. "Even if you are a scholar, if you are involved in theft, you will still lose your head. Take them away. You wait..."

The patrol soldiers took Ning Wushuang and Ning Bo, and General Li walked to Ning Wuque's side and whispered, "Be careful. Lord Zhao Canshi is full of tricks and is the county magistrate's confidant..."

Ning Wuque looked at General Li and suddenly asked, "You also believe my brother didn't steal, right?"

General Li looked deeply at Ning Wuque but didn't answer, sighing softly, "The world..."

With that, General Li escorted Ning Wushuang and Ning Bo, following Zhao Lian into Qingyun City. Once inside, Zhao Lian turned back and gave Ning Wuque a cold look, his eyes revealing a hint of killing intent.

"Four years ago, there were five scholar positions in the county, and you and his son competed for the fifth one." Fubo walked to Ning Wuque's side and said softly, "You must hate me for not speaking up for them, right? Don't deny it. If I were you, I would hate me too. But things are not as simple as you think. Zhao Lian is targeting the Zhang family..."

Ning Wuque was silent, looking at the blue sky, the glaring sunlight making him close his eyes. "We are just scapegoats, right?"

Fubo was silent. "The Zhao family's move this time was too ruthless, and I couldn't guard against it!"

Caught up in such a power struggle during a county examination, Ning Wuque was silent. Regret? Would regret help?

"How can we save them?"

"It's difficult, very difficult. Unless we find the gold or catch the thief. But that takes time, and Zhao Lian is likely already preparing the warrant to arrest you. You have at most half a day!"

Ning Wuque looked up at the city wall, where the three large characters "Qingyun City" were glaringly obvious. He clenched his fists, the joints cracking, took a deep breath, and walked into Qingyun City.

"Should we follow him, Fubo?" Zhang He watched Ning Wuque leave, feeling lost. He still couldn't understand what had happened, and Fubo's words only added to his confusion.

The Zhao family and the Zhang family were in-laws, so where did the enmity come from? How did Ning Wuque get involved?

Fubo looked at the bewildered Zhang He. Some things were not clear unless you were in that position. He watched Ning Wuque's departing back, suddenly becoming mysterious. This young man would not remain a mere nobody in the future, but unfortunately, he would have no connection with the Zhang family.

Fubo knew that his actions had deeply hurt Ning Wuque's heart. Even if Ning Wuque understood Fubo's actions, the crack had already appeared and could not be healed.

He looked at the dispirited scholars with disappointment and felt a wave of annoyance. "Zhang He, take them inside. I'll go to the county office to see..."

Not far away, a scholar, a Taoist, and a monk were watching. The Taoist said calmly, "Demon aura!"

Inside the Qingyun County Office.

Zhao Lian stood behind a refined official in a green official robe, bowing humbly, without any arrogance.

"Lord, I failed to handle the matter well. Zhang Fu is too cunning and didn't fall for it. I only caught two small fish and almost had a scholar ruin everything."

The refined official, about thirty years old, with a well-maintained, ruddy complexion, sat in a large chair, sipping tea. "Is the item hidden? Don't let General Li's men find it. If they do, even I can't protect you..."

"It's hidden. I hid it in a place no one would think of, Lord. What about the scholar..." Zhao Lian smiled obsequiously.

The refined official put down his teacup, picked up a book, and flipped through it. "Forget it, just a scholar. It won't affect the big picture. The county examination is coming up, and the Zhang family is in the city. If things get out of hand, it will be hard to resolve. We'll deal with it after the examination... As for the prison..."

"Lord, rest assured, I will make them confess and sign the confession."

Zhao Lian smiled coldly, seeing that the refined official was already reading, and bowed, slowly retreating.