HBBMAWH Chapter 47

Zhu’s carriage was waiting for them at the bridge. By the time they returned home, it was already very late, and lanterns were still hanging in the courtyard, casting an orange glow that added a warm touch to the night.

Hearing noises outside, Chi, who was still waiting in the yard, quickly opened the door and welcomed them in.

"You're back. Come in and rest; I'll take care of the horses," Chi said as he pulled the horse.

"Where's the baby? Is he asleep?" Yan Cai said with a yawn.

Chi smiled and said he was asleep.

"Little Young Master fell asleep a while ago. The water is ready; I'll go heat some for you to wash your face." Chi said and quickly went to fetch water, but Yan Cai, unwilling to wait, fetched a bucket directly from the well.

The night water was cXierli; with the wind blowing, a shiver ran through his entire body. It felt cool, and the hairs stood on end.

After a quick wash, Yan Cai went to check on Qingke. Hong Yu was leaning on the crib, and the baby was sleeping soundly, snoring like a little piglet.

Hong Yu was startled awake, "Young Master, you're back..."

"Shh, don't wake him up," Yan Cai raised a finger, gesturing for Hong Yu to speak softly. "You can go to sleep. We'll take care of things here."

"Alright," Hong Yu whispered and quietly left the room.

As if sensing Yan Cai's return, the baby immediately woke up, eyes like two small grapes, babbling incomprehensibly. Yan Cai couldn't understand what he was saying .

Ever since the baby was born, he couldn't understand what the baby is saying, unlike before.

"Are you awake?" Yan Cai picked him up and kissed his forehead. The baby happily nuzzled into his arms and went back to sleep. He carried the baby to the bed and covered him with a small blanket, and lay down without changing his clothes.

Yan Cai buried his head in the blanket, and shook his head.

"So tired, so sleepy, don't want to move, want to sleep." Yan Cai murmured

"Get up quickly." Jiang Manyue came in with a basin of hot water and lifted the blanket covering Yan Cai's head. Yan Cai turned over, lazily opened his eyes.

"We walked so much today, get up and soak your feet."

Yan Cai lazily sat up and soaked his feet together with Jiang Manyue. The basin was large enough for two people. Yan Cai occasionally playfully stepped on Jiang Manyue's foot, then burst into laughter. The energetic baby, who had slept well, seemed to find the fathers' activity amusing and eagerly joined in, showing off his little claws and teeth.

"You're still too young. Go to sleep quickly," Yan Cai patted his blanket.

To be honest, soaking one’s feet was truly comfortable. As the misty steam blurred Jiang Manyue's face on the opposite side, Yan Cai felt that perhaps this moment could be called life.

Life is really good. This was a life he had never experienced before. What is contentment? Contentment is leisurely soaking your feet.

After drying their feet and getting into bed, drowsiness quickly overcame Yan Cai's consciousness. By the time Jiang Manyue came back, Yan Cai was already sound asleep, murmuring something incoherent.

The blanket had been kicked to the side, but at least he had some awareness not to disturb the son sleeping inside it.

Jiang Manyue covered the blanket properly and met the awake eyes of his son.

"Your father is an idiot."

The son's answer was a giggle, waving his paws in the air.

The next day, chaos erupted in the county yamen. The yamen had been robbed! The silver banknotes and some jewelry collected by County Magistrate Xu were stolen overnight.

The patrolling guards exchanged bewildered glances and received reprimands. Some remembered the noises they heard in the magistrate's room last night but feared provoking more significant criticism, so they all chose silence, quietly enduring the magistrate's scolding.

"You bunch of useless fools! What's the point of keeping you around?"

County Magistrate Xu spun in frustration. He had served for a total of five years, and this incident jeopardized his accumulated achievements, on the verge of promotion. Little did he expect such an event at this critical moment.

There was another urgent matter, something he couldn't openly discuss. A ledger recorded all his income and expenses over the years. Each transaction was clear and transparent.

Every year during the year-end evaluations, if it weren't for him spending quite a bit of money to pave the way, how could he have ranked first every year?

Due to his outstanding performance, his mentor revealed that next year he could be promoted three levels in a row.

If the leverage falls into someone else's hands, this is now a serious problem.

Misfortunes never come alone. In the midst of his urgent crisis, County Magistrate Xu received a letter from the capital.

"Being appointed as the Imperial Censor for inspection duties, representing the Emperor in tours and hunts... Will arrive soon." This letter was sent by his mentor, and the Imperial Censor mentioned in the letter was none other than Wang Xie, the sworn enemy of his mentor.

"Hehe." Chuckling in frustration, the county magistrate, at this moment, regained some composure. Who took the account book, and whether it was intentional or just a convenient opportunity, puzzled him.

County Magistrate Xu was confused. What confused him was that the small thief had stolen many silver banknotes and precious jewels. It seemed like the account book was taken incidentally during the theft. If it was a common thief, it would be understandable, but if it wasn't an ordinary petty thief...

Coinciding with the Imperial Censor Wang Xie's patrol on behalf of the Emperor, the timing seemed too delicate, as if knowing in advance and deliberately choosing this time...

"Guards, remove all gold and jade ornaments from the yamen. Starting today, only two vegetarian dishes and one meat dish per day, and no wearing of silk or satin... In addition, catch thieves in the county rigorously, not letting a single one escape."

Someone reported the crime.

The person reporting the case was anxious, with a pale face and stammering words: "Blood! A lot of blood! Dead... someone seems to be dead... it's bad, it's bad, murder! Lord Zhu has been killed..."

County Magistrate Xu’s eyebrows raised in surprise and confusion. In an instant, he found himself in a state of panic, breaking into a cold sweat. Lord Zhu, the legitimate son of Governor Zhu, was highly favored, and now he had been murdered within his jurisdiction.

Wiping off the cold sweat on his forehead, County Magistrate Xu quickly said, "Take me to see!"

Breakfast consisted of white porridge and crispy deep-fried dough sticks. The baby sat in the cradle, holding his own milk bottle, eyes fixed on the dough sticks in Yan Cai's mouth. He seemed very eager.

"Drink your own. This is not for you to eat." Yan Cai placed the dough sticks a little farther away. The baby waved his hands and called out a few times. Seeing that Yan Cai was not planning to let him taste it, he lowered his head to sip his own milk bottle.

The baby's hair grew slowly and hadn't been cut since birth. Yan Cai touched his hair, and it had grown quite a bit. With a lot of hair, the silver-green color became more pronounced, especially with two small tender leaves on top.

The leaves swayed against the sun, swaying with a frequency that  revealed jis happiness.

"Has your hair grown longer?"

"Let me take a look." Jiang Manyue sat down and lifted a small tuft of hair about half the length of a thumb. It was not dense, growing sparsely, resembling a rice field without well-planted seedlings.

"Let's shave it off. This is considered fetal hair. With too much hair, the green color becomes noticeable. It's too eye-catching. Besides, in a few days, the weather will get hot, and shaving it off will be cooler." Yan Cai held onto two leaves, which were a bit troublesome.

"If we're going to shave, let me do it. The weather is quite warm today..."

Just as he was saying this, another group of soldiers arrived. Zhu and others shouted as they intercepted, "Master, someone is here again."

"What's going on?" Yan Cai picked up his son. Could it be related to the theft in the yamen? That would be a bit too fast.

"Which one of you is Yan Cai?"

"It's me." Yan Cai was puzzled. Why were they singling him out?

"Somebody has accused you of attempted murder. Come with us."

Murder? Such words hadn't been associated with Yan Cai for a long time. No, even in the apocalypse, the term murder  will not be used.

In a chaotic world without laws, life and death were uncertain.

As the soldiers were about to take him away, Jiang Manyue intervened.

"It seems there's a misunderstanding. My wife has been at home all day. This matter has nothing to do with him. If you want to take someone, you should take me."

The soldiers, facing someone voluntarily seeking official intervention for the first time, didn't know how to react. After all, the accusation was against Yan Cai.

One of them finally made a decision, "Enough talk, take them both."

Yan Cai handed Qingke to Hong Yu, deeply feeling that he might be having a run of bad luck. Why did he keep ending up at the county yamen recently?

The officers and soldiers surrounded them and saw that they had a good attitude and were quite cooperative, so they were not put in chains.

Jiang Manyue asked tentatively, "May I ask whom we are accused of murdering?"

The soldier sneered sarcastically and said, "You killed, and you don't even know? You..."

With a thud, the man fell flat on the ground.

Yan Cai hummed a tune, appearing indifferent to things that didn't concern him. Speaking recklessly would bring consequences.

The fallen man had bruises and swelling on his face, and another person explained the situation.

"Young Master Zhu Yuchuan was seriously injured last night and is still unconscious. Someone has accused you of attempted murder."

Yan Cai's humming abruptly stopped. Zhu Yuchuan was beaten into a coma? How could this happen?

Who did it?

County Magistrate Xu paced back and forth, noticing that the physicians all had gloomy expressions. In a short while, several physicians stated that they couldn't treat him.

"Can't treat him? Why can't you? Even that renowned physician, can't he do anything?"

The experienced physician who had treated Yan Cai and Jiang Manyue before was also helpless, with a guilty expression. Failing to save a life was a dereliction of duty, especially for a compassionate and skilled physician like him.

But this time, he truly had no solution.

"The patient suffered a severe blow to the back of the head, causing intracranial hemorrhage that won't disperse. In this situation, surgery is the only option..."

"Surgery? This is a human head, not a watermelon. How do you perform surgery on it?"

The physician shook his head. It was his speculation, and perhaps in several years, brain surgery might be possible, but currently, he couldn't do it.

"It is said that there is another patient, I..."

"No need. All of you, go." Another person, who was discovered with Young Master Zhu Yuchuan, is also unconscious. However, given the urgency of the situation, County Magistrate Xu currently has no interest in attending to that person anymore.

After sending the physician away, County Magistrate Xu started to feel distressed. He glanced irritably at Zhu Yuchuan lying unconscious on the bed and cursed, "What terrible luck, he had to die here of all places."

Zhu Yuchuan's father, Zhu Zheng, is the provincial governor in Linhe and holds the rank of a third-grade official, a significantly higher position than the local magistrate. Zhu Zheng is a vengeful man and has a deep affection for his son. If he were to learn that his son was injured under the jurisdiction of the local magistrate, he would surely harbor resentment.

The current plan is to divert his anger towards someone else, and the ideal candidate for that role is the perpetrator.

According to the scene and testimonies, it seems that Jiang Manyue and Yan Cai are the prime suspects. Someone claimed to have heard Zhu Yuchuan arranging to meet Yan Cai for tea at Cuiwei Pavilion that night.

Furthermore, witnesses reported that a servant from the Jiang family was seen entering Cuiwei Pavilion that evening.

Zhu Yuchuan was found lying on a nearby path, presumably on his way home, but was struck from behind with a stone, rendering him unconscious. He was discovered in the early morning by a vegetable vendor.

On the ground, there were blood-stained large stones and a box of tea leaves stained with blood.

Not far from where Zhu Yuchuan fell, a young man was also found unconscious.

Upon examining the injuries on the young man, it was evident that he couldn't have caused the wound at the back of Zhu Yuchuan's head, as his hands had suffered severe compression injuries, with visible bone fractures.

"My Lord,, we've brought them in!" a constable reported to County Magistrate Xu. "You initially instructed us to only arrest Yan Cai, but Jiang Manyue came voluntarily."

The constable felt uneasy, as the magistrate's initial order was to arrest only Yan Cai. Even if Jiang Manyue wasn't in favor, he was still the legitimate eldest son of the Jiang family, and County Magistrate Xu didn't want to easily offend the influential Jiang family. But Yan Cai was different; in the magistrate's eyes, he was just an unknown figure. Even if he married into the Jiang family, he wouldn't transform into a phoenix from a crow.

County Magistrate Xu stroked his beard, giving a cold chuckle. He might as well bear this blame. Originally, he intended to let Yan Cai take the blame, but if Jiang Manyue insisted on going down with him, then they shouldn’t blame him for being ruthless.

Zhu Yuchuan's father, Zhu Zheng, although serving as an official elsewhere, had gained the Emperor's favor. When his term abroad ended next year, he could return to the capital for a new position. This man held grudges, and if Jiang Shangshu's son killed his own, he would relentlessly seek revenge.

Let's see how these two will fight it out.

The author has something to say:

Not dead... how could it be misunderstood as a death? The person reporting to the official didn't pay close attention. Upon seeing the person covered in blood, they mistakenly assumed he was dead and made some adjustments to the sentences. You should be able to see the clarification now.

Writing early in the morning is so tiring. I'm starting to regret the commitment I made yesterday...

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