Truth be told, the family had moved next to his house over a year ago, but Yang Ge had hardly seen the sisters from the Xie Family, as most of the time it was the younger girl chattering like a warbler, making conversation with him.
Even so, Yang Ge could still tell that she had become much thinner, her hair, which should have been shiny and black, now looked yellowish and wilted against the backdrop of the snow...
A family where the dead died missing bodies, and the living were worse off than dead.
Was wealth and glory really that important?
Yang Ge sighed softly to himself and said warmly, "Miss Xie, forgive my forwardness in our brief acquaintance, but life is short. You might consider being more open-minded. No matter how others see you, as long as you are true to yourself, you are pure."
As soon as he said the word "Xie," both sisters shuddered.
The carefree smile on the little girl’s face vanished in an instant...
Yang Ge was not in the mood to be their spiritual mentor, and after dropping that sentence, he continued walking forward, leading Huang.
Miss Xie from the Xie Family looked at his retreating back blankly and suddenly spoke, "What if one has a guilty conscience?"
This was the first time Yang Ge had heard her speak, feeling that no amount of smoking years could have produced such a deep, hoarse, and magnetic voice in her.
"Then make amends!"
Yang Ge stopped, turned back, and replied, "Even if the rights and wrongs cannot offset each other, doing more of what makes your conscience clear is ultimately good."
"Today you are mired in filth because of the Xie family. Tomorrow, the Xie family might regain its reputation through you... Action is up to the individual!"
Having said that, he headed home without looking back.
The sisters stood rooted on the spot, watching him leave. They watched as an officer, who often visited his home, emerged from the corner to greet him, only to be turned away...
Fang Ke rubbed his nose that had bumped against the gate and turned towards the street corner to look at the Xie sisters, saluted, then turned and climbed over the wall to leave.
The Meng Family?
Which Meng Family is so formidable?
...
"Qinghe Hall’s Meng Family, officially appointed officials of Lu Ting by royal decree, who should have repaid the court’s favor but instead abused their power for personal gain, bullied and oppressed the populace, detracting from the virtues and trampling the law. Now, it has been proven that the Meng Family, in establishing a winery, has secretly ordered servants to injure many and has privately set up a gambling den and issued loans, harming the public of Lu Ting greatly, leading to widespread public grievance!"
"The chief culprits will after autumn be executed and the accomplices exiled to Lingnan..."
On the ninth day, Yuelai Inn had just opened its doors when Fang Ke led a team of officers escorting the entire Meng Family of the county magistrate of Luting for a public display through the streets, drawing countless locals to spectate.
The chill of early spring, and these members of the Meng Family, each was dressed only in a thin garment, carrying heavy shackles on their shoulders, crying all the way down the road...
As they reached the entrance of Yuelai Inn, Fang Ke, with a snap kick, knocked Meng, who was crying as if his father had died, to the ground, grabbed his head and forced his face towards Yuelai Inn, hissing maliciously, "Weren’t you quite the tough one before? Who did you want dead without a complete corpse?"
Yang Ge, behind the counter of the inn, nodded towards Fang Ke with a yawn, signaling him to move the dismal scene along and not disrupt their business—not even glancing at Meng.
Fang Ke, with a smile plastered on his face, nodded slightly, then lowered his head to fiercely slap Meng’s face, chuckling lowly, "Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time together. I’ll take good care of you!"
Surrounded by immense fear, Meng finally realized how his family could have incurred such a disaster out of nowhere and opened his mouth to plead for mercy...
Fang Ke naturally wouldn’t let him talk nonsense and promptly covered Meng’s mouth, lifting him off the ground and delivering a swift kick that sent him tumbling forward.
In the end, he seemed to casually gesture towards Yuelai Inn as if inviting someone in.
Yang Ge hadn’t fully understood what he was up to when he saw two strong men, clad in splendid attire and carrying bags big and small, stride through the gate.
Liu, the innkeeper, who was greeting familiar patrons inside the hall, hurriedly went to receive them upon seeing their fine clothes, "You gentlemen look unfamiliar, perhaps you’re visiting relatives? Please, take a seat and rest, Er Niu, get some hot tea!"
Facing the innkeeper’s warm and welcoming smile, the two men were very polite, bowing simultaneously, "Don’t trouble yourself, sir. We brothers are indeed new here, on behalf of our master to pay respects to a distinguished person."
Upon hearing this the old shopkeeper responded, "Oh, esteemed guests from Jianghuai, please take the seats of honor. We have mutton in a copper pot, a specialty of Lu Ting..."
"Shopkeeper, I’ll handle it."
Yang Ge stepped forward to take over from the shopkeeper, making a welcoming gesture with his hand, "Gentlemen, we also have private rooms upstairs, please have a seat."
The two men politely nodded and followed his lead to the second floor.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
Since the inn had just opened, the patrons who had come to support them were all local neighbors gathered in the main hall on the first floor, leaving the second floor empty.
After seating the two men by a window corner, Yang Ge didn’t wait for them to speak and shouted, "A set of mutton in a copper pot, two pounds of mutton!"
"Right away!"
Er Niu from the busy first floor responded loudly.
The two men, who had just taken their seats, now stood up, their expressions respectful as they bowed before Yang Ge.
Yang Ge pushed them back into their chairs, "Whose men are you, Lianhuan Fort or the Yang Family?"
One of the men bowed respectfully and replied, "Your honor, we two are chiefs from Lianhuan Fort, specially here to pay New Year’s respects on behalf of our young lord."