Gu Qingzhao was somewhat moved by these words. She had just wanted to say something when the group at the entrance could no longer be held back. Those who could come here for entertainment were not ordinary people. Without the Youcha’s deterrent presence, they immediately broke through the obstruction and came over.
“Boss lady, what is going on?”
“The one who was just arrested was the young sect leader of Zheluo Mountain?”
“How did the Wang family provoke Youya?”
“Was Miss Qingqian raped?”
“Who raped Miss Qingqian? Was it that Wang person?”
A crowd surrounded them, asking questions in a chaotic clamour.
“It is a misunderstanding, truly a misunderstanding…”
Gu Qingzhao, with her head spinning, explained in circles. She repeatedly emphasised that it was a misunderstanding. She truly tasted the feeling of lifting a stone only to drop it on her own foot.
The people from Youya had become witnesses. How could she still dare to splash dirty water onto Yu Qing? She did not dare to escalate matters further.
Qingya did not wish to entangle himself here, so he first squeezed out through the crowd.
Miss Qingqian, clutching her torn clothes, was utterly ashamed. After emerging from the crowd, she was surrounded by a group of sisters from Jinghong Palace. They asked her in a chaotic clamour what had happened. She did not know how to explain, and only knew to lower her head and run away.
Gu Qingzhao also had to expend considerable effort to dismiss the crowd. Having disturbed these distinguished guests, a round of discounts tonight was unavoidable.
Having finally extricated herself, she found Qingya at a secluded pavilion. Qingya was sitting under the eaves where the rain was pattering, munching on snacks.
Qingya, peeling peanuts, said, “If you have any complaints, vent them quickly. I still need to report the situation to my godmother.”
The meaning in his words was clear. He knew the other party would come looking for him, so he sat here waiting.
Gu Qingzhao muttered with a resentful face, “Do I look very cheap today? If it were not for my godmother’s wishes, I would never do something so disgraceful and damaging to my reputation. Now it is fine. I have ended up making enemies on all sides.”
Qingya fed a handful of peanuts into his mouth, chewing with a muffled voice. “Precisely because I knew you would not do something so damaging to your reputation, having you splash dirty water made it more believable. Otherwise, there would have been no need to find you. It is just that no one expected this Tanhuang’s counterattack methods to be so vicious. He directly played Wang Wentian to ruin.”
Gu Qingzhao had just wanted to ask about this. When she heard earlier that they had been bitten back, she had wanted to ask, “You mean, today’s scene was that Tanhuang’s scheme?”
Qingya said, “Does this still need to be doubted? Previously, I also wondered why that person, with nothing better to do, smashed the Zhenbao Studio. I could never figure it out. Now I understand.”
Gu Qingzhao also suddenly realised, “He was deliberately going to prison, deliberately dragging out time, deliberately dragging it out until the Youcha people arrived!”
Qingya shook his head repeatedly, clicking his tongue. “You arrived late earlier. You did not see the situation at that time. Looking back on that scene, that Tanhuang was ruthless enough. We clearly did not know that child was from Youjiaobu. Yet he deliberately fed words to Wang Wentian there, step by step turning the unknowing Wang Wentian into someone who knowingly committed the offence. Tell me, how vicious must this scholar be? He even thoroughly used Youya, and still left people unable to grasp any handle on him.”
Gu Qingzhao frowned. “I was just about to ask you. What exactly happened? When I left, everything was fine. The plan was going well. How did it turn into such a mess in the blink of an eye?”
“He was deliberately making trouble. He turned hostile in an instant. No one could guard against it. In just a few sentences, he provoked Wang Wentian into a frenzy. As soon as he opened his mouth, he said Zhong Ruochen looked down on scum like Wang Wentian. He provoked Wang Wentian into personally admitting that he had kidnapped that child…”
Qingya roughly recounted the conversation process between Wang Wentian and Yu Qing when the incident occurred.
Gu Qingzhao drew a sharp breath upon hearing this, exclaiming in amazement. “This number one talent under heaven truly is not simple. Even the Zhenhai Division was involved. Several of our families joined forces to deal with him, yet we could not harm him in the slightest. Instead, he struck back and left us in a wretched state. No wonder, no wonder that even when Xiaoyunjian fell into the hands of Qianliu Mountain, Sinan Mansion, and the Daye Division, he could still emerge unscathed. This number one talent’s methods are indeed extraordinary!”
Qingya said, “Having experienced this person’s depth of scheming, I cannot help but ponder what is going on with that missing person notice of his. Is he really searching for relatives? Or does he have other ulterior motives? Forget it. I still need to make a trip to the Zhenhai Division first. Those two Youcha went to the Zhenhai Division. They definitely want to find me there to understand the situation as well.” Having spoken, he shook his head, stood up, and walked into the rainy night.
He boarded a carriage. After leaving Jinghong Palace, he went straight to the Zhenhai Division.
Upon reaching his destination, after a call of announcement, someone led him to a secret chamber.
Before long, Qi Duolai hurriedly arrived, urgently asking what the situation was and how the Youcha had been alerted.
Qingya did not conceal anything, and truthfully informed him of the incident’s course.
Not long after he left, the sect leader of Zheluo Mountain, Wang Xuetang, also hurriedly arrived at the Zhenhai Division, still carrying the smell of alcohol on his body. He had learned of the terrible news while entertaining guests.
Clearly, someone knew he was coming and was waiting for him. Upon seeing him, they directly led him to a rooftop terrace that could overlook the entire magnificent night view of Haishi.
Zhu Xuan and Qi Duolai were waiting inside a dimly lit pavilion.
Wang Xuetang, who had run into the pavilion in a fluster, did not forget to pay his respects first. Zhu Xuan extended his hand to indicate he should sit and drink tea. How could Wang Xuetang have the mind for that? He waved his hand and refused to sit, urgently asking, “Master Zhu, presumably you already know the matter. Two Youcha arrested my son and asked me to come to the Zhenhai Division for an explanation. I do not know where the two Youcha are.”
Zhu Xuan was silent for a moment, then said, “They merely came to say hello, informing us that they had conducted official business here. This counts as giving the local host an explanation. They will not specially wait here for you. You arrived a bit late. If you had arrived moments earlier, perhaps you might still have seen them.”
Wang Xuetang stamped his feet in anxiety. “I was previously entertaining guests. It took my son’s attendants considerable effort to find me. Could it be, could it be that they have already left?”
Zhu Xuan slowly sipped his tea, somewhat unsure how to address this person. He clearly knew his son was at Jinghong Palace setting up a scheme against that Tanhuang. Yet he himself could still run off to entertain other matters. He truly had a large heart. Of course, perhaps he thought it was easy to handle and underestimated the other person. He never expected that one bite could shatter his own teeth.
Thinking of the situation the other party was about to face, he could not well criticise anything. After putting down his teacup, he spoke warmly again, “Yes, the two Youcha have already left. They also took your son back to Youya together. Before leaving, they left word saying that if Zheluo Mountain sent someone, they asked us to pass on a message.”
“Taken to Youya?” Wang Xuetang’s heart leaped in terror. He cupped his hands again and asked, “I trouble Master Zhu to pass on the message. I am willing to listen attentively.”
Zhu Xuan glanced at Qi Duolai, somewhat unable to bear informing him. But in the end, he sighed and said, “They gave you two choices. Either take twenty billion taels to Youya to redeem your son, or treat it as if you never had this son, and let Youya execute him. They gave you one month’s time. After one month, if they do not see the money, you will not see your son either.”
Wang Xuetang’s eyes turned red. He said in a trembling voice, “Twenty billion? Are they trying to force Zheluo Mountain into collapse?”
“They did not force you either. Money or life, they let you choose yourself.”
Zhu Xuan spoke these words with considerable emotion. He could also understand the other party’s pain. Although Zheluo Mountain had money, twenty billion was truly not a small sum. Even if they smashed their pots and sold their iron to squeeze it out, Zheluo Mountain would no longer be able to operate. A thunderous collapse would be inevitable.
He was very clear that there were not many people in this world who could produce twenty billion taels in cash within one month. Those who could bear this loss were even fewer. This punishment was indeed vicious enough. There was indeed suspicion of forcing Zheluo Mountain into collapse.
He also did not know whether the Youya side wanted to kill a chicken to warn the monkeys, or kill a monkey to warn the chickens.
Wang Xuetang said sorrowfully, “Did Master Zhu not put in a good word for me before the Youcha?”
He was on the verge of saying, you took so much money from me, yet you did not help me say a good word?
Zhu Xuan sighed. Qi Duolai took over the conversation. “Sect Leader Wang, your words wrong the Commanding Officer. I can testify that the Commanding Officer indeed spoke many words on your behalf. At that time, I was right beside him. After the Youcha gave the two choices, the Commanding Officer immediately questioned whether twenty billion was a bit excessively much…”
Zhu Xuan raised his hand to stop him, and personally explained to Wang Xuetang, “The Youcha said it was not excessive. They said this is the punishment standard given by the Judge. Unfairness is fairness!”
“Unfairness is fairness?” Wang Xuetang was stunned for a moment, clearly not understanding what it meant.
Zhu Xuan said, “I did not understand at first either. They asked me in return, if a rich person injures someone and a poor person injures someone, and both are fined one hundred taels of silver, is that fair? The same punishment, for a poor person, means unbearable suffering. For a rich person, what does it count as? I am afraid the latter would not fear committing the offence another hundred times. Such punishment has no meaning for Youya. It cannot establish rules, and furthermore, it aids the tiger in doing evil.
Therefore, their punishment standard is that unfairness is fairness. They want every punished person to feel an equivalent punishment intensity. Only rules with punitive effect can make more people obey them. Brother Wang, to speak honestly, I am still savouring their words. Comparing it to Haishi under my governance, I can only sigh. At least I cannot do it.”
Wang Xuetang could understand the meaning in the words, but he could not take it in. “Master Zhu, this is Haishi. How can you allow them to arrest people at will?”
Zhu Xuan frowned. “Brother Wang, do not speak nonsense. You should know in your heart that not to mention Haishi, even if it were Qianliu Mountain, as long as they have grasped evidence, they can still go to arrest people. Even the Great Sage would not say anything. There is no place under heaven that the Youcha cannot go to enforce orders. This is something that Youya obtained at the cost of cowering in a corner, having received the promises of several Supremes. How could I stop them?”
Boom, a thunderclap exploded. The lightning illuminated the faces of the several people inside the pavilion.
Wang Xuetang said with grief and indignation, “It was that Tanhuang who set up the scheme to harm my son. My son simply did not know that the child he captured was from Youjiaobu. I ask Master Zhu to find a way to investigate and clear my son’s innocence, so that I may have evidence to rely on and go to Youya to argue. I am willing to offer one billion taels to Master Zhu as remuneration.”
The corner of Qi Duolai’s mouth slightly hooked. He looked at Wang Xuetang with sympathetic eyes, secretly shaking his head. He thought, Youya does not have so many hierarchical superior-subordinate relationships. Once something happens, it goes straight to the Judge. Once both sides converse, it is the Great Sage of corresponding rank. Then the matter becomes big. If the higher-ups thoroughly investigate, it would no longer be something Haishi can decide. Who knows what matters would be dragged out? How could the Commanding Officer possibly help overturn this case?
Indeed, Zhu Xuan’s face darkened. “Brother Wang, please speak carefully. I, Zhu, have modest family assets and businesses. I never accept bribes. If you want to investigate what evidence, as long as it does not violate Haishi’s rules, investigate on your own. However, there is one point I must remind you. The Youcha cannot arrest people recklessly without grasping a handle. You yourself should weigh the consequences of making unreasonable trouble. If you truly feel that twenty billion is unbearable, I suggest you find the Earth Mother to come forward and communicate. Looking at the Earth Mother’s face, perhaps they can lower the price for you. Maybe they will directly release the person, that is not certain.”