Chapter 64: A Visit of Gratitude
Translated by algoo | Proofread by algoo
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Hurrying out of Pear Flower Garden, Lin Xiu felt incredibly awkward.
Last time, he had just casually found an excuse to touch her skin. He wanted to use it again this time, but unexpectedly, Caiyi ruthlessly exposed him.
Does she think I’m taking advantage of her?
But after thinking about it carefully, Lin Xiu laughed.
Whether Caiyi thought so or not wasn’t important. With Lin Xiu’s experience, how could he not see that Caiyi had feelings for him? Otherwise, she wouldn’t have blushed shyly, but would have slapped him.
It was much easier to establish a relationship once a girl had developed feelings. If he wasn’t already engaged, he could win her over in three days at most. Unfortunately, he had promised Lingyin, so he could only wait until her sister returned.
After leaving Pear Flower Garden, Sun Dali hadn’t arrived yet, so Lin Xiu walked alone towards the East City yamen.
This was Lin Xiu’s third visit to this place, yet it still felt somewhat unfamiliar.
It wasn’t that Lin Xiu had a bad memory, but that the yamen was filled with new faces. Not only did he not recognize any of the constables, even the guards at the gate were clearly a new batch.
After stating his identity and entering the yamen, Lin Xiu said to a yamen runner, “I have something to discuss with your City Captain. Please inform him.”
The runner said, “The City Captain is not at the yamen right now. Please come back another time.”
Lin Xiu had come to help Caiyi resolve the Pear Flower Garden matter, but he didn’t expect to come up empty. He had no choice but to return to the Lin residence. Sun Dali was practicing martial arts in the courtyard. When he saw Lin Xiu, he asked in surprise, “Young Master, why did you come back alone?”
Lin Xiu said, “Nothing much happened today, so I came back early.”
Sun Dali said, “You’re just in time, Young Master. Two people came just now, saying they were looking for you. I said you weren’t here and asked them to go back first, but they didn’t leave. They’re waiting in the courtyard now.”
Lin Xiu had just walked into his own small courtyard when he saw the East City Captain and his son standing in the courtyard, their expressions nervous and uneasy.
No wonder they weren’t at the yamen when he went there; it turned out they had come to his house to find him.
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Lin Xiu walked over and asked, “Captain Wu, what brings you here?”
Hearing Lin Xiu’s voice, the East City Captain immediately turned around and then, with a “thud,” knelt down with his son, saying excitedly, “Thank you, Young Master, for saving my life!”
Lin Xiu was startled and quickly asked, “What are you doing? Get up!”
The East City Captain said, “If it weren’t for Young Master speaking up for me that day, I would probably be in grave danger. Today, I brought this unfilial son to your door to thank you for saving my life!”
Wu Qing looked at Lin Xiu with gratitude and fear.
Gratitude for Lin Xiu speaking up for his father, and fear because of the lingering dread. If he had also, like Wang Hong, kicked Lin Xiu while he was down, he might have been among those executed in a few days.
Of course, he was also afraid of Lin Xiu’s insidiousness.
He had been arrested for a second time, and he was still scheming against others. Marquis Yongping, a dignified First-rank Marquis, had his son exiled because of his schemes. What a wrong decision it had been to provoke this person in the first place!
After helping the East City Captain and his son up, Lin Xiu learned the aftermath of the incident from him.
The East City Magistrate, for his involvement in Yang Xuan’s framing of Lin Xiu, was arrested on the spot. Not only was he caught, but he also implicated an official from the Ministry of Justice.
Once the Secret Investigation Department got involved, even small matters became big. It didn’t take long for all the corrupt practices of the East City Magistrate to be dug up. Coupled with the crimes committed by his son, the list of their father and son’s offenses was endless, resulting in a direct death sentence. They were to be executed in a few days.
And all the constables and jailers involved in the East City yamen were dealt with, every single one of them.
The East City Captain not only escaped this disaster but also benefited from it, taking over the former East City Magistrate’s position. He would officially take office starting tomorrow.
Because all of this was thanks to Lin Xiu, he brought his son and a generous gift to the Lin residence today to express his gratitude.
Lin Xiu waved his hand and said, “You don’t have to thank me. Thank yourself for not being as corrupt as the East City Magistrate. But you need to discipline your son properly. Don’t let him bully the common people just because he’s the son of an official. If one day he provokes someone he shouldn’t, he’ll send you back inside…”
Upon hearing this, Wu Qing knelt down again with a thud and repeatedly said, “Don’t worry, Young Master Lin, I will definitely change my ways and be a good person. I will never dare to be like before again…”
Having experienced two near-death experiences, Wu Qing was truly repentant.
The once arrogant son of the East City Magistrate would be beheaded in a few days, and the esteemed son of Marquis Yongping was already on his way to exile. These events had a huge impact on him, and they were the most important reasons for his determination to change.
Lin Xiu looked at the East City Captain again and said, “Congratulations on your promotion, Captain Wu. As the East City Magistrate, you are a parent official to the people. You should do more good for the common people and not always think about clinging to the powerful. You’ve seen the fate of your predecessor. Honestly serving the people is better than anything else…”
The East City Captain said solemnly, “I will certainly keep Young Master’s teachings in mind.”
Lin Xiu nodded and said, “By the way, there was a murder case at Pear Flower Garden that day, and your yamen still hasn’t allowed them to reopen. Remember to lift the restriction. It’s a small business; they can’t afford to be closed…”
The East City Captain nodded repeatedly, saying, “Yes, yes, yes, I’ll take care of it as soon as I get back, as soon as I get back…”
Lin Xiu added, “Also, I have a friend at Pear Flower Garden. If it’s convenient, please take care of them. After all, there are mostly elderly people and young women in that building, and they’re easily bullied.”
The East City Captain patted his chest and guaranteed, “Certainly, certainly, don’t worry, Young Master. If anyone dares to cause trouble there, I will definitely uphold justice for them!”
With his words, Lin Xiu no longer had to worry.
Pear Flower Garden was in the East City District, which was precisely under his jurisdiction. Moreover, it wasn’t in a prosperous area, and the opera house wasn’t high-class. Generally, nobles with status wouldn’t go there. After he became the East City Magistrate, he could basically protect it.
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After leaving the Lin residence, Wu Wenyuan, now promoted to East City Magistrate, immediately returned to the yamen and personally led people to Pear Flower Garden. Lin Xiu had saved his life, and this was the only thing he had asked of him. If he couldn’t even handle this matter, how could he have the face to see him again?
At this time, at Pear Flower Garden.
Facing the hooligans lingering in the opera house, the manager said helplessly, “Guests, it’s not that we don’t want to serve you, but the officials have said we can’t open for business these days. There’s really nothing we can do…”
A burly man with a fierce face chuckled and said, “You say you’re not open for business today, I won’t make it difficult for you. I’ll pay, can’t I invite a few girls to sing at my residence?”
The manager shook her head and said, “Customer, I’m really sorry, but we’ve never had such a rule in our establishment. The girls don’t leave the premises.”
The intentions of those who wanted to invite the girls to their residences were obvious. She knew how many girls in other establishments had been harmed this way, so how could she push these girls into the fire pit for money?
The man spat on the ground impatiently, “What kind of a broken rule is this? It’s not like I’m not paying. I’m telling you, if you make me unhappy today, your opera house won’t have to open again…”
The manager looked troubled, and the actresses and girls in the opera house all backed away.
When Wu Wenyuan walked in, he saw these hooligans harassing the people of Pear Flower Garden.
He recognized these hooligans. When the former East City Magistrate was in office, they would bribe him every month, which was why they could act so嚣张ly in the district. At that time, Wu Wenyuan wanted to intervene, but he was afraid of offending the East City Magistrate, so he could only turn a blind eye.
Now it was different. Now he was the head of the East City yamen, who did he need to fear?
With a stern face, he angrily said, “You scoundrels, you’ve truly gone too far! Come on, drag them all out! One hundred lashes each, right on the street! I want to see who dares to cause trouble here again!”
Before the hooligans could react, they were dragged out by the accompanying constables and runners. Others brought benches from inside the building. Soon, heart-wrenching screams could be heard from outside.
Countless passersby watched from afar. They recognized these hooligans. They used to bully people in the city, and the officials ignored them. What was happening today? They were actually dragged out of the opera house by the yamen runners and beaten so severely…
It seemed that this opera house called Pear Flower Garden had some backing…
Inside Pear Flower Garden, the girls looked at this scene in surprise. The manager didn’t know what was going on either. Just then, Wu Wenyuan’s grim expression instantly transformed into a spring breeze-like smile. He walked forward and said, “You’re the manager of this opera house, right? From now on, you can open for business. I’m the newly appointed East City Magistrate. The presence of such hooligans in this district is due to my poor governance. If anyone dares to cause trouble here again, come to the East City yamen to find me, and I will definitely uphold justice for you!”
The manager and the girls of Pear Flower Garden were a little stunned. Was this newly arrived East City Magistrate so approachable?
Only Caiyi seemed to have realized something, and her heart felt a little sweet, a smile playing on her lips.
It wasn’t until the East City Magistrate left that the girls cheered excitedly.
“He got what he deserved!”
“This new magistrate is truly a good official…”
“Hee hee, we won’t have to be afraid of those bad people causing trouble anymore!”
The girls chattered amongst themselves, while the manager walked up to Caiyi, looked at her, and asked, “Caiyi, do you know something?”
Caiyi shook her head, “No…”
The manager gave her a look, “No my foot! Still trying to hide it from me. I just saw you smiling to yourself. You’re not going to tell me, are you? Fine, if you don’t tell me, next time Young Master Lin comes, I’ll tell him you’re sick and not here…”
A panicked expression appeared on Caiyi’s face, “Young Master just told me that he would go to the yamen and urge them for us. I didn’t know that the East City Magistrate would come here…”
A smile appeared on the manager’s face, “Caiyi, I think that Young Master Lin is really interested in you. Otherwise, why would he care so much about our affairs?”
Caiyi clutched her clothes tightly. She had already buried some of her thoughts deep in her heart, but what happened today made her think again…
However, Young Master was engaged. That proud daughter of heaven probably wouldn’t allow him to take a concubine, right?
Even if she couldn’t be a concubine, being able to serve him often, singing for him, would be good too…
For a moment, her heart was filled with uncertainty and anticipation.
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