Seeing that the banquet was about to come to an end, Prefect Song, who had been constantly filled with anxiety, also slowly put his heart at ease. Just as he raised his wine cup to drink, a voice suddenly resounded outside.

“What are you going to do?”

“Daoist Master Chu, you cannot go in right now!”

Old Master Wang frowned and looked toward the housekeeper: “Go quickly and see what has happened.”

The housekeeper had only just walked a few steps outside when Ji Linxi and Chang Xi pushed past the people and burst in, bringing Zhao Yun with them. Seeing Zhao Yun, Old Master Wang only felt that he had seen her somewhere before, yet he could not recognize her. However, he also knew that the comers did not bring good intentions, so he said sternly: “Quickly drive these ruffians who have disturbed the noble guests out!”

Hearing the command, the servants of the Wang family immediately surrounded them. Ji Linxi put on a display of being unafraid of death and risking everything; he rushed in and knelt on the ground, full of emotion, speaking with surging passion and deep grief and indignation: “We beg Lord Prefect to uphold justice for us!! This Wang family has done every imaginable evil! They want to force people onto a path of destruction!!!”

Prefect Song, who was addressed as Lord Prefect, trembled all over, almost unable to sit steadily.

He wanted to pretend that he had not reacted yet, and wait until the Wang family servants brought these people down before making a hypocritical inquiry; by then, Old Master Wang would also be able to find a good excuse to deal with it. However, just as those servants touched Ji Linxi, Chang Xi, and Zhao Yun, and were preparing to take them down, Chu Yu put down his wine cup and opened his mouth: “Wait.”

When Old Master Wang saw that face of “Daoist Master Chu,” his mind was already greatly shaken. In his panic, he turned his head and said: “Second Young Master Shen, these people came to cause trouble on purpose, I will immediately…” Before the words “drive them out” could be spoken, Ji Linxi’s voice over there suddenly became louder than his, shouting in the direction of Prefect Song: “Lord Prefect! Not to mention that the Wang family forcibly kidnaps women from good families, they have raped and killed women, harming countless people! You must uphold justice for us!”

Prefect Song could only respond blankly: “This…”

Old Master Wang seized the time to shout severely once more: “Drive them away quickly! Letting people in to disturb the noble guests, do you all want to die!”

This time, the servants grabbed the people and were about to force them out by strength; even though Chu Yu called out “Wait” once more, they did not stop. Just at this moment, Yan Huai took action. With one hand he slapped the table, and with the other hand holding his sword, he used the force to leap across the tops of the dancers’ heads. Upon landing, with a cheng sound, he unsheathed his sword, turned around to block in front of these servants, and said in a cold voice: “I told you to stop, did you not hear?”

With the sword before their eyes, the servants dared not move any further. The dancers and singing girls also fell into a mess, fleeing in all directions.

Chu Yu took a glance at the Prefect, and his gaze shifted back to Ji Linxi: “You said just now that the Wang family forcibly kidnaps women from good families, and rapes and kills women, harming countless people…” He rolled this accusation between his teeth for a moment, frowned in puzzlement, and said, “Aren’t you a distant relative of Old Master Wang? Why are you pinning such charges onto Old Master Wang?”

Ji Linxi seemed only at this moment to realize that this noble young master who had come from far away in the capital was the person who could save lives. He hurriedly broke free from the servants’ restraints, crawled on his knees to the front of Chu Yu, adopting a posture of having suffered great injustice:

“Young Master! I am actually not a distant relative of the Wang family! The Wang family’s young master, Wang He, caused the death of a girl. That girl turned into a fierce ghost to seek revenge, so they invited daoists to the mansion to exorcise the ghost. I came to the Wang family together with the other Daoist Master, Qing Weng. Later, Daoist Master Qing Weng and his disciples were all locked up, leaving only me alone…”

Old Master Wang swiftly interrupted him, looking at Chu Yu and speaking in a hurried manner: “Second Young Master Shen, my Wang family is indeed haunted, but things are fundamentally not like what this person said! That woman seduced my son, and after failing to demand money, she accidentally hit her head and died during the dispute. After her death, her wronged soul caused trouble, so we invited daoists. As for that group of people who were locked up, it is because they are fraudsters who cheated my Wang family; my Wang family merely wanted to give them a lesson, which is why we acted this way.”

Chu Yu’s expression was calm, and he smiled slightly: “So that’s how it is. I did not know that in Yongcheng, the Wang family could actually replace the yamen.”

This feather-light sentence caused the hearts of Old Master Wang, the County Magistrate, and the Prefect to jump. Prefect Song hurriedly defended himself: “I know nothing of this matter.”

A cluster of smiles squeezed onto Old Master Wang’s face, and he patted his own head: “Oh, look at me, at that time I was also light-headed with anger, which was why I locked them up. I will immediately have people bring them out and send them into the Prefect’s yamen!” As he spoke, he hurriedly ordered people to go and release Daoist Master Qing Weng and the others who were locked up, and then continued: “As for that woman, she really was not killed by my Jinzhi. Who could have thought she would be so unlucky as to accidentally fall and kill herself. Second Young Master Shen, you know Chancellor Wang’s reputation in the imperial court; how could our Wang family possibly do anything to ruin Chancellor Wang’s reputation?”

He spoke Chancellor Wang’s name because he wanted to force these two noble young masters from the capital to each take a step back and grant him some face. After all, no matter how noble their identities were, they were still not their power-wielding fathers, but merely young masters without official titles.

Regrettably, the development of events would not go as he expected.

Chu Yu still sat upright and properly in his seat, and went on to ask Ji Linxi: “You say the Wang family forcibly kidnaps women from good families, and rapes and kills women, harming countless people. Do you have evidence? According to the laws of my Long Dynasty, false accusations require the tongue to be cut out. If the crime falsely accused is major, there will even be an immediate execution by decapitation to serve as a warning to others.”

Ji Linxi raised his head and said in a loud, clear voice: “This humble one has evidence!”

He turned his head to look at Zhao Yun: “Evidence number one is precisely this girl—she is a woman from a good family who was forcibly kidnapped by Young Master Wang, named Zhao Yun. That day, this humble one heard the sound of crying and inquired with a servant, who said it was a house where slave girls who committed mistakes were confined. Later, this humble one felt something was not right in his heart, secretly went to take a look, and only then discovered that the entire courtyard was filled with women imprisoned by Young Master Wang!”

Zhao Yun knelt on the ground weeping, her eyes filled with pain and resentment: “Young Master, this slave girl was originally a fisherman’s daughter from Xunyu Town in Yongcheng. A month ago, when this slave girl was catching fish with her father and mother, she was harassed by Old Master Wang’s son, Wang He. At that time, this slave girl ignored him. The next day, someone came to my house to pre-order thirty fish, saying it was for a banquet at their home and asking this slave girl to deliver them. Who could have thought that when this slave girl arrived, she discovered it was Wang He’s trap. After he abducted this slave girl and violated her, he kept her locked inside the Wang family all along, and even because this slave girl resisted him, he threw me into the woodshed, only giving me food that pigs and dogs eat.”

Old Master Wang had a face full of rage: “Nonsense! It was clearly you who coveted my Wang family’s wealth and status and seduced my son yourself! What kind of woman does my son not have? Why would he have to force a fisherman’s daughter?!”

“Yan Shizi! Second Young Master Shen! Do not believe his words. You have also seen what my son looks like; Jinzhi abides by his duty and keeps to himself, and these past two days he has been lying sick in bed, how could he do such a thing?”

“And you! Chu Xi!” He extended a finger to point at Ji Linxi, unable to catch his breath, “Chu Xi, I did not treat you poorly! Providing you with good food and good drink, and even intending to give you silver money, why must you collude with this woman to frame my Wang family?!”

Ji Linxi thought to himself: The beautiful young master I desire asked for my help in a gentle tone; how could I have any reason not to help?

On his face, however, he put on a hypocritical expression and said: “I am not the kind of person who covets wealth and status. Seeing injustice on the road, one naturally draws a knife to help. You say this girl wrongs you, why don’t we go together to the courtyard where Young Master Wang keeps people locked up, to see whether there are still other pitiful women locked up inside! Everything will naturally become clear!”

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Author’s Note:

Little Ji: Wife, I’m here to help you (not really)

I changed to a new blurb today.