Chapter 14

Yet fate did not heed human wishes, and events unfolded precisely in the direction Shao Qing dreaded most. Moreover, the way everything erupted was entirely unexpected.

While Shao Qing was carrying the final dose of antidote she had prepared for Wei Jing and was about to return to the room, she suddenly heard a rapid, bustling series of footsteps approaching. In an instant, the rear courtyard door was forcefully kicked open with a resounding “bang.”

A stern male voice shouted, “Kou Wenchang! Come out now!”

Instinctively, Shao Qing turned around and saw about a dozen sword-bearing, dark-uniformed soldiers pouring in from both sides. In the center stood a young man in official attire, roughly in his twenties, with thick eyebrows, a wide mouth, and prominent ears. Although his overall appearance was rather ordinary—stocky and slightly overweight—his chin was held high, exuding an intimidating air.

Just off duty, Kou Xuan hurriedly emerged from the main room and furiously demanded, “Sun Zong, what are you doing?!”

That man was Sun Zong, the eldest son of the Sun family, who had stormed in with a menacing presence. When the head of the Kou household appeared, Sun Zong stood dumbfounded and offered no reply. A closer look revealed that he was staring blankly at the door of the west chamber.

There, a young woman clad in a delicate light-blue fine fabric skirt stood by the doorway. Startled, she turned around. With skin as white as snow and a beauty reminiscent of fine blossoms—gracefully arched, willow-like eyebrows, crimson lips, sparkling watery eyes, and a beautifully curved jade neck—the golden-red hues of the setting sun caressed her luminous skin, making her glow brilliantly.

What an exquisite beauty!

Sun Zong was so awestruck that he felt the past twenty years had been utterly wasted. “Oh my, extraordinary—such a beauty must be claimed for myself,” he thought.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than the west chamber door suddenly swung open, and an imposing man appeared abruptly. His two sharp, piercing eyes—cold as lightning and darkly menacing—struck straight into Sun Zong’s heart.

Startled into snapping back to his senses, Sun Zong watched in horror as, with a resounding “clang,” the beautiful woman in the light-blue attire was dragged inside by the man and the door was slammed shut.

Wei Jing glared coldly at the door, a flash of severity passing over his features. Shao Qing pulled him aside and carefully passed him the bowl—which still held the antidote, untouched—saying, “Husband, drink it quickly.”

This was the final dose of medicine. Today marked the fifth day the two had been at the Kou household. Wei Jing’s residual poison was nearly gone, and even his external injuries had shown remarkable improvement; just yesterday, while she was changing his dressings, the wounds along both of his collarbones had already scabbed over.

He could now get out of bed and walk, and the sluggishness in his movements had gradually faded away.

Glancing back at Shao Qing, Wei Jing’s expression softened slightly. With a quiet “mm,” he took the medicine bowl and downed it in one go.

“I wonder what trouble the Kou family has gotten into?”

After five days, Shao Qing’s impression of the Kou family had grown steadily better. Kou Yue proved kind and warm-hearted, Wang Mi was considerate and thoughtful, and even Kou Xuan had shown no hint of any mischief.

Worry gnawed at her as she saw Wei Jing take the bowl; she quickly leaned over the narrow gap in the window to peek outside.

The Kou family had indeed gotten themselves into serious trouble.

One of Sun Zong’s trusted aides nudged him, and he immediately snapped back to attention. With lingering apprehension and simmering anger—and as he recalled the very purpose of his visit—he unleashed all his pent-up rage onto the Kou family members.

“Bring him in!”

A scholar in a long grey-white robe was clumsily escorted in. A soldier in a dark uniform gave him a hard kick, and he promptly collapsed onto the ground, curling up and crying out, “Ouch!”

He had been beaten so badly that his face turned blue and his nose swelled—and shockingly, it turned out to be Yuan Hong.

“What a despicable maid of the Kou family, daring to secretly have an affair with that pedantic scholar behind my back!”

Sun Zong roared in anger. Kou Yue could no longer hold back; breaking free from Wang Mi’s grip, she rushed out to help the fallen Yuan Hong, sobbing, “Yuan Lang, Yuan Lang, what happened to you?”

Kou Xuan stepped forward and positioned himself protectively before his sister. With a calm expression, he declared, “He is unmarried, and she is still a maiden. It was nothing more than an old playful remark by our elders—consider the marriage engagement null and void.”

“Null and void?!” Sun Zong let out a derisive laugh and mockingly said, “Why don’t you ask me how I suddenly came to know about this?”

He let out a cold laugh and said, “Four days ago, on the riverbank about one li north of Hexiang, two male corpses were discovered. After the coroner’s examination, it was confirmed that they had been murdered just one day earlier. I led my men in a meticulous investigation and eventually obtained a clue.”

Without warning, Sun Zong suddenly pointed at Yuan Hong and Kou Yue. “According to the villagers’ reports, only these two were seen lurking near the scene that day!”

The Kou family was stricken with shock. Kou Xuan glanced at his younger sister; seeing Kou Yue’s face go deathly pale, he knew it was true. With a sinking heart, he said, “Yue Niang is a native of Hexiang—what’s wrong with her being out near Hexiang?”

“There’s nothing wrong,” came the reply.

Sun Zong sneered coldly, “But according to Yamen regulations, these two should be brought back for further investigation. You work at the county office, too—what I say isn’t mistaken, is it?”

It was indeed correct; however, for Kou Yue—a young lady still waiting for her marriage—simply making a trip to the high-security prison would utterly ruin her reputation, even if later proven innocent.

Moreover, once someone is locked up, can they really get out so easily?

Sun Zong, one of the men assigned to the criminal squad responsible for this area, could easily find plenty of faults. His father, the deputy county magistrate, was determined to keep the Kou family members from getting out, and as for Kou Xuan, merely a low-ranking clerk, he would likely be of no real help when the time came.

Kou Xuan’s mind raced, and his expression grew grave: “Sun Zong, what exactly are you planning?”

No need for further circumlocution. Sun Zong didn’t seize anyone outright; instead, he staged this little ruse—certainly with another purpose in mind.

Very well!

“I’m not unmindful of old ties—the union between the Sun and Kou families was arranged by our grandmother. It’s just a pity that now Yue Niang is implicated in a homicide case and involved in an illicit affair. Such a woman cannot be my wife. How about this: in honor of our late grandmother, Yue Niang will enter my household as a secondary wife, and I will let bygones be bygones by covering up this matter for your family.”

Sun Zong directly stated his ultimate goal—he was unwilling to take Kou Yue as his principal wife, but fearing the fate predicted in her fortune, he adopted the mindset of “better to believe it than not.” As a compromise, he planned to bring her into his household as a secondary wife, a solution his family had long deliberated.

The arrangement had initially been difficult to implement—first due to the late grandmother’s prior decision and later because of Kou Xuan’s stubborn resistance. However, fate seemed to favor him, and the perfect opportunity had finally arrived.

“You—you are utterly delusional!!” At these words, Kou Xuan nearly exploded with rage. He thundered, “As long as I, Kou Xuan, still have a single breath in me, I will absolutely not allow my sister to become a concubine!”

He doesn’t even care for Sun Zong’s proper wife—let alone become the second wife?!

“Whether it’s about seizing you or carrying you away, whether ending up in the big prison or a sedan chair, your family can only pick one.”

Sun Zong snorted in satisfaction. “Tomorrow, my family’s sedan chair will be here. Whether you get on it or not will be up to your family.”

“Kou Wenchang, there’s more in your household than just your sister, right?”

After saying this, he gave a knowing glance toward Wang Mi—and toward the little girl clutched in her arms, whose face was filled with terror. The instant that the little girl met his gaze, tears welled up in her eyes, and she burst into anguished sobs.

Amid the heart-wrenching cries of his daughter, Kou Xuan’s face turned ashen, and he was momentarily rendered speechless. Smiling in satisfaction, Sun Zong turned his eyes to Yuan Hong—the sour, pedantic scholar—and barked with a cold snort, “Guards, seize him and lock him up! Interrogate him thoroughly!”

“No! No, no!”

With eyes dark and full of doleful apprehension—like a fierce wolf or tiger—the dark-uniformed soldier, Yuan Hong, instantly cried out in terror and clutched Kou Yue’s hand as if his life depended on it. In his panic, a sudden flash of realization struck him, and he frantically shouted, “Not just me! Not only the two of us! There are two more—those two came straight from the riverbank! It’s them! I had nothing to do with it!”

“It’s them! I wasn’t involved!” he declared, pointing directly toward the west wing.

That very day, Yuan Hong complained to Kou Yue, asking why she had disclosed her private affair to Shao Qing. Naturally, Kou Yue felt compelled to explain herself—and in doing so, she mentioned the incident of rescuing someone that day.

Following the direction of his gesture toward the west wing, Sun Zong caught a glimpse and instantly felt a chill run down his spine. Suddenly, as if driven by the instincts of a small creature, he grew timid and found himself unwilling to interact any further with those inside.

Moreover, Kou Yue was crying and would not let go of Yuan Hong no matter what; the dark-uniformed guard, mindful of her state, was reluctant to make a move, and for a moment, they ended up tugging and pulling at each other.

Sun Zong immediately felt he had lost face.

“Fine, that sniveling scholar—tomorrow, after we’ve taken Kou Yue away, we can deal with him without delay.”

With that thought in mind, Sun Zong waved his hand and glanced at Kou Xuan. “Tomorrow, during the auspicious Chen hour, everything will work out. Use tonight to think everything through clearly.”

After speaking, he turned away arrogantly—only to be startled by Yan Ming, who was leaning against the courtyard gate and staring fixedly at him.

“Do you want to die?!” With an angry glare and a string of curses, the group strode off.

“What are we going to do?”

Yan Ming watched the haughty group fade into the distance. Frowning, he entered the Kou family courtyard, closed the gate, and, in a lowered voice, asked, “What now?”

Kou Xuan, his expression as calm and implacable as still water, replied, “We’ll proceed according to the plan we discussed earlier.”

“What plan?”

“Take the whole family and leave Gong County to seek our living elsewhere.”

Officials—even one rank higher—can crush you easily. Here in Gong County, if the Sun family dares to cause trouble for anyone with the surname Kou, they always find a way. In the face of absolute power, any scheme is doomed to fail. Moreover, if one is going to be a thief for a thousand days, there’s no way one can remain on guard every single day.

If they stay in Gong County, sooner or later, his sister, wife, or daughter will be neglected.

Kou Xuan had mulled over this matter many times. With his frail wife, young daughter, and even his younger sister to care for, leaving the whole family was a final, desperate measure. The travel permits and other necessary documents had long been secretly forged, and today, he finally decided to take this step. He said, “We leave tonight.”

Yan Ming nodded. “Alright—I’ll go back right away to pack up.”

Being a solitary man in this village—which was nothing more than a temporary stopover, and with his only real friend here being Kou Xuan (the Kou family being the only people he truly connected with)—of course, he would accompany them. Who would want to remain alone in such a remote, impoverished backwater?

The two spoke in deliberately cryptic terms, but Wang Mi understood every word. Having long been prepared for this moment, she didn’t waste time on idle talk. Instead, while soothing her daughter, she hurried back into the house to gather her belongings.

Before leaving, Yan Ming shot Kou Xuan a subtle look, gesturing toward the west wing behind them.

Kou Xuan instantly understood and nodded in acknowledgment. “I still have some matters to deliberate, so we’ll deal with the west wing later.”

“Now, let’s address another matter.” He glanced at Kou Yue and Yuan Hong—who had managed to stand with each other’s help—and said, “You two, come with me.”

Kou Yue was not yet aware of the plan to leave, so he needed to take a moment to inform her.

As for Yuan Hong, he had also become entangled in the affair. Kou Xuan didn’t have high regard for him, but since he was the object of his younger sister’s affection—and time was tight and everything had to remain discreet—there was no choice but to bring him along.

Fortunately, his mother had already passed away, so being on his own now wouldn’t cause any additional complications.

“The Kou family is leaving.” Wei Jing, standing behind Shao Qing, spoke in a calm tone. She agreed silently, turning around with a soft “mm” and asking, “Husband, are we leaving too?”

She felt it was time to leave. Since the Kou family was vacating the building, it was no use for them to stay and cause trouble. She accepted the idea readily. After all, with five days of delay, even though Wei Jing’s injuries had not fully healed, he had made considerable progress in his recovery—his combat ability had significantly returned. Finding another place to settle wouldn’t be too difficult for them.

Wei Jing retracted his cold, fixed gaze on Yuan Hong’s departing figure. Lowering his eyes, he responded, “We’ll leave as soon as night falls.”

It was already early evening—at most another half an hour, and darkness would cover the sky. Shao Qing rummaged through the bag she had prepared over the past few days, placing her healing medicines, a change of clothes, and other necessities inside. She tied it up neatly, and within a minute, her pack was ready.

When she turned back, she saw Wei Jing pick up his sword and immediately head for the door.

Startled, Shao Qing asked, “Husband, what are you doing?”

“Wait for me. I won’t be long.”

Though Wei Jing’s expression remained calm, there was a chilling coldness hidden in his eyes. That momentary glance back was strikingly reminiscent of the moment he had ambushed the man in blue in the dense forest.

Yuan Hong? But he was with the Kou family!

A most unthinkable thought suddenly surged through Shao Qing’s mind: “Are you… are you planning to kill Yuan Hong and the Kou family to silence them?!”

She was utterly shocked.