The Biliu Courtyard was located in the southern part of the city.

Previously, the courtesans often accompanied the young master of the Water Bird Martial Arts Hall on outings, simply because the Biliu Courtyard was secretly controlled by the Martial Arts Hall.

Today, from start to finish, it was all a setup.

Everything that An Changsheng heard and encountered, even this private room, had been deliberately arranged.

If it had been someone else, they might not have taken the bait, but An Changsheng, the type who indulged in pleasure and thought with his lower half, was not included in that category...

When a cat smells fishy, it will go and sniff, and when An Changsheng heard "Biliu Courtyard has fresh, newly debuted young girls," how could he not be moved?

At this moment, the young master's face was deathly pale, and he was shouting, "Injustice, injustice..."

He wasn't foolish, and he wasn't acting arrogant anymore, because he also knew what kind of power stood behind the government office, and it was not something the An Family could afford to provoke.

Ouyang Fei, however, paid no attention and waved his hand.

The government officials quickly shackled An Changsheng and his two attendants.

And soon after, another pair of government officials brought in two thieves.

As for Wang Han, he had escaped.

An Changsheng shouted, "My lord, I really am wronged, I was deceived. I... I am the eldest son of the Ruyi Commerce Chamber, how could I act against my own commerce chamber?"

Ouyang Fei, as if he had already received the news, was completely indifferent.

Making light of human life was something he had done before.

Futhermore, today's affair was not a muddled case but rather crystal clear.

He was ridding the people of a scourge.

He picked his ear, completely ignoring An Changsheng who was practically screaming himself hoarse.

Only when the room had cleared did Ouyang Fei glance over to the side.

Zhao Hua emerged from the restaurant, greeted him with a bow, and said, "I have seen the lord."

Ouyang Fei replied, "Enough, I won't interfere with your affairs, but An Changsheng truly conspired with thieves, and for this crime, he merits execution."

Zhao Hua moved closer, took out a silver note from his robe, and handed it to Ouyang Fei, whispering, "The lord upholds justice impartially, truly ridding the people of a scourge."

Ouyang Fei glanced at the silver note, then pushed it back, saying, "In this matter, I won't accept anyone's money, and you shouldn't give it either. Just mention to Blind Song that I didn't take any money."

As an old hand in the Martial Arts World, he knew when to do a job and when to take money. He might appear muddled on the surface, but he had to be clear inside.

Ouyang Fei received the news from Zhao Hua that the thieves had appeared and were secretly meeting somewhere. Then he himself went to the scene and listened for a long while; how could he not be completely clear about what was going on?

As for money related to Blind Song, he would not accept it.

By accepting it, he would owe a favor.

This might not exactly be a favor, but at least it was a good karmic connection.

Blind Song was a significant figure, and even though he was blind, Ouyang Fei dared not underestimate him.

Above all, Blind Song truly owed him a life-saving debt.

...

...

In the bleak prison, An Changsheng's face fluctuated between anger and despair. He hadn't expected to have been set up and simply thought it was bad luck...

Yet now, having been locked up for a full two hours in the cell, he still hadn't seen anyone from the Ruyi Commerce Chamber come to save him.

He clenched his fists in anger, but when he saw the jailer, he humbly shouted, "I am the eldest son of the Ruyi Commerce Chamber, if you urge the Ruyi Commerce Chamber again, they will give you a lot of money to ransom me, really."

The jailer was unmoved, for not far away...Ouyang Fei was sitting cross-legged at a table in the center of the prison.

With the boss giving no orders, who would act?

An Changsheng continued shouting, but deep down, he grew increasingly irate.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: that couple must be plotting against him, they probably deliberately chose not to save him! No, he couldn't let this happen!

An Changsheng thought for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "I confess, I confess! It wasn't me who conspired with the thieves, it was the An Family, it was An Chenyu, I did everything according to her arrangement! The whole An Family is involved, go and arrest them all!"

Ouyang Fei raised his hand and massaged his forehead, poured himself a cup of tea, and cursed under his breath, "What kind of imbecile is this?"

An Changsheng became more excited as he shouted, intending to drag the entire An Family down with him; by then, the An Family would naturally do everything in their power to protect themselves and save him as well.

He continued to shout, but as he did, his voice became hoarse and began to sound strange, and then...he could not make a sound at all.

He opened his mouth in shock, straining his vocal cords as much as he could, but it was futile.

He was mute!

What happened?

Ouyang Fei, hearing his silence, called over a jailer and said, "Go have a look."

After the jailer checked, he reported back.

Ouyang Fei guessed that the mute drug had been placed in the teapot at Biliu Courtyard.

He clapped his hands and said, "Go interrogate him, and get the conspiracy with the thieves clarified."

The jailer, respectful, grabbed the "clandestine torture instrument bag" and headed into the prison.

The bag contained tools of torture that produced concealed injuries and made life worse than death. This way, when the criminal was later taken to the execution ground, no one would think that he had been "forced into a false confession, abused by privately administered torture," which was much better than a whip with barbs.

An Changsheng and his companions didn't last long at all before they all confessed.

Ouyang Fei, holding the confession document, yawned, turned around, and left.

Since he confessed, he would be beheaded in a couple of days.

...

...

This case was closed extremely quickly, and since it happened in the dead of night, no one noticed.

When Mr. Wang and the other two guards noticed that the eldest son had not returned all night, they thought the eldest son had simply lost track of time reveling outside, which was common in the Prefectural City.

In the morning, Miss An returned from outside, having sent out many men from the meeting, and now the residence seemed a bit empty.

Ying, who accompanied her, noticed Mr. Wang had arrived only after they returned to the mansion.

Upon inquiry,

Mr. Wang relayed his purpose and the old master's intentions.

An Chenyu nodded and responded, "I will go back and explain everything to grandfather."

Mr. Wang dared not to press too hard; he had completely lost the sharp and arrogant air he had when he first arrived.

An Chenyu continued back to the courtyard, to the tea house, but saw the youth in the mysterious robe busying himself with cleaning the tea set. She smiled and said, "Which of those old masters in the southern part of the city would be willing to enjoy tea with you?"

Song Cheng replied, "It was not an old master, but Young Master Zhao of the Water Bird Martial Arts Hall."

An Chenyu said, "So it was him. Get some good tea for our guest to drink; it's not easy for him."

Song Cheng nodded in agreement.

...

...

In the afternoon.

Zhao Hua and Liu Jun indeed arrived.

"Master, I've come for tea," Zhao Hua said with a smile.

Song Cheng also smiled.

This was what the two had agreed upon yesterday. It seemed to be a casual suggestion, but in fact, "If An Changsheng were still here today, this tea would not be enjoyable", so having tea meant taking care of An Changsheng first.

Zhao Hua was a clever man. He had instantly understood Song Cheng's situation and intention the day before and knew what to do that would best serve his martial arts hall's interests. Whether to build a good relationship with Song Cheng or to strengthen the alliance between the "Seven Martial Arts Halls and the Ruyi Commerce Chamber," An Changsheng had to die.

So, he took action.

And the trigger for his action was the moment Song Cheng's weapon had fallen into the mud.

If Zhao Hua hadn't caught the hint, Blind Song had already decided to strike himself.

Fortunately, the two had an understanding.

Now that they saw each other again, their mutual fondness increased.

At least in Song Cheng's eyes, Zhao Hua's favor had risen to 90, and after providing patient martial arts guidance during their tea time, it soared directly to 95.

After some exchange, Zhao Hua sighed deeply and said, "Mr. Song, you truly are a stunning and unparalleled individual. I used to think I had some talent, but now I realize how short-sighted I've been."

Song Cheng waved his hands dismissively and said, "Brother Zhao, you just haven't had your moment of enlightenment yet. Once you do, you might soar to great heights and far surpass me."

Zhao Hua smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Song, please don't call me 'Brother Zhao'; you're too kind. In this martial arts world, those who are capable become mentors, and the strong are addressed as 'brother' ... If you don't mind, I truly wish to consider you my elder brother."

Song Cheng replied, "You and I are already brothers."

Zhao Hua, thinking about his father's admonition to "be sure to follow Mr. Song" and recalling his own observations of Song Cheng, made up his mind, stood up, and decided to climb up the rungs that Song Cheng had extended to him.

He said respectfully, "Brother Song, if you do not look down on me, let's become sworn brothers. From now on, I, Zhao Hua, will regard you as my own elder brother."

Song Cheng pondered for a moment.

Zhao Hua was extremely anxious until Song Cheng gently nodded his head, and then he was overjoyed.

In Song Cheng's eyes, Zhao Hua's favorability soared wildly, rising from 95 to 99.

While the two were talking, suddenly there was another disturbance outside.

Mr. Wang could be heard yelling from a distance, "Miss An, Miss An! Save the elder son, save the elder son!!"

At this moment, the old teacher felt an indescribable panic.

He had finally received news about the elder son.

Whether by coincidence or not, in the blink of an eye, the elder son, who had come from the prefectural city with great momentum to seize authority, had become a prisoner. Moreover, the news from outside was that he was "colluding with bandits and would be executed within a few days."

Mr. Wang could hardly believe it.

"Miss An, please, save the elder son.

No matter how many mistakes he makes, he is your brother.

Blood is thicker than water."

Mr. Wang implored.

After a while, An Chenyu got re-dressed and went out again, saying, "Uncle Wang, don't panic. I'll first get a clear understanding of the situation, try to delay it as much as possible, and then figure out a solution."

"Thank you, Miss An," Mr. Wang said hurriedly.

...

...

An Chenyu indeed spent a considerable amount of money and pulled all the strings she could to save her elder brother, touching even Mr. Wang deeply.

And efforts were eventually rewarded.

The execution date for An Changsheng was postponed by several days.

...

...

In Hanping Prefecture, a fast horse galloped into the city, rushing towards the An Family's residence.

At that moment, the Madam of the An Family was delightfully expecting, thinking about the matter of the "Miss marrying Blind Song," she could not help but cover her lips and giggle.

She thought to herself, "What self-inflicted misery. To trap oneself in the Ghost Tide period with a wild man, and then to think the family would not pursue it? The matter of marriage has always been decided by the parents.

Considering the days, she should be coming back soon."

With that thought, she clapped her hands and called out, "Cui, has there been any response from the young master of the Chen Family?"

A maid rushed over and said, "Although An Chenyu is betrothed, she still has a certain reputation outside. The young master of the Chen Family is fond of women, and he does not mind her past. He already sent a reply this morning, agreeing to the marriage."

The Madam of the An Family proudly pinched her fingers into an orchid shape, toyed with her luxurious hairpin above her head, and smiled.

Cui, the maid, knew what pleased her mistress and ingratiatingly said, "An Chenyu is really foolish. Initially, she had intended to have a son-in-law living with her family, but she ended up rashly bringing in a wild man. Now... she has made a mistake, and she'll have to marry herself off. How can someone be so silly?"

The Madam of the An Family raised her voice in laughter and said, "Who knows."

As they were talking, a commotion and chaos suddenly erupted outside.

The Madam quickly glanced outside, impatiently said, "Cui, have them quiet down out there. What's the matter?"

Cui replied, "Madam, I'll go have a look."

The Madam nodded.

Soon after, Cui rushed back, her face pale, her expression anxious and terrified, she said, "Madam, there has been a disaster, a major disaster."

The Madam indifferently asked, "What could possibly have happened?"

Cui replied, "The young master... the young master has been caught red-handed colluding with bandits, and he is to be executed!!"

A moment before, the Madam was still smiling; in the next instant, she stiffened as if frozen, then started fussing and hurriedly went to see the Old Master, muttering curses along the way. Mid-step, she furrowed her brows and snapped, "Tell the messenger to inform An Chenyu that she must protect my son at all costs! If my son loses a single hair, I will never forgive her!!

She is nothing but a dowry to be married off, my son is the one who will carry on the An Family lineage!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.