Chapter 141 - 123: It’s Actually Him?
The weak fall prey to the strong; big fish devour the small. It has always been this way.
The next day, Fang Yue met with Fang Hu.
It was because Chubby had been arrested the day before. After making some inquiries, Fang Yue learned that Fang Hu had returned to Xiahe County. Not only that, but thanks to his recent military achievements, he had been promoted to Captain of the County Guard Army.
Although it was only a minor post for a Junior Seventh Grade Military Officer, it was the fulfillment of Fang Hu’s lifelong dream—a truly joyous and congratulatory occasion.
However, Fang Yue hadn’t yet paid Fang Hu a visit.
Instead, Fang Hu came knocking on his door.
This was Liu Zheng’s doing. He was the one who had informed Fang Hu that Fang Yue was also involved.
Liu Zheng claimed he could overlook Fang Yue’s involvement for Fang Hu’s sake, but there was the matter of Fang Yue injuring Huang Lie and Huang Yuangu.
The uncle and nephew were refusing to let the matter rest, demanding that Fang Yue compensate them.
Liu Zheng told Fang Hu that it was all down to his decision.
If Fang Hu could persuade Fang Yue to give up some of his interests in the Tea Garden, everything would return to normal. If not, Liu Zheng would order Fang Hu to help the government constables arrest Fang Yue.
Either way, Liu Zheng would not lose out.
He could use this as an opportunity to put Fang Hu in his place, or perhaps even unseat the new Captain entirely.
It was a test of character, and everything depended on how Fang Hu would react.
"Master, I never imagined you’d return as the new Captain of our County Guard Army. Your lifelong dream has finally come true. This calls for a celebration!"
Fang Yue cupped his fist in a salute and congratulated Fang Hu.
He then invited Fang Hu to sit, picking up a kettle of freshly boiled water from the stone table to brew him a cup of tea.
"It was just a fluke. I wasn’t supposed to be chosen at first. I have no idea how I ended up getting the post," Fang Hu said, not hiding anything. He recounted the story of his appointment to Fang Yue.
He found it strange himself. He knew that for a Martial Artist like him, without the rank of a Martial Scholar or any powerful backing, things were supposed to be difficult, even with his accomplishments.
Why else would that Gao Shide have tried to recruit him before? He was just after his achievements, wanting to claim them as his own.
"Yu’Er, enough about that. Tell me, what’s all this about?" Fang Hu pressed.
He had felt something was off yesterday. After a full day and night of his own inquiries, combined with the information Liu Zheng had fed him, he learned that Fang Yue was involved. He was told that Fang Yue had injured Huang Yuangu and his nephew, Huang Lie, and had even clashed with government constables.
But Fang Hu knew his own apprentice. Fang Yue wasn’t the type to cause trouble. He would never pick a fight with government constables or injure someone without a good reason.
So, Fang Hu, feeling suspicious, had naturally sent people to investigate.
And just as he’d thought, he uncovered quite a bit. Still, for the full story, he needed to hear it from his apprentice himself.
"It all started with my injury... Huang Yuangu withheld my rightful silver and the Secret Medicine I was due... Then Chubby—I mean, Bai Xingqiu—told me the disaster would soon be over, so I acquired the Tea Garden..."
Fang Yue then recounted the entire sequence of events.
He didn’t embellish the story in the slightest, presenting the facts objectively and fairly.
"Those bastards! So that’s what happened! They may be useless at everything else, but they’ve perfected the art of petty scheming and corruption. And that County Magistrate, Liu Zheng! The head of a county, acting like this! So greedy and indolent—he’s utterly unfit to be an official!"
Fang Hu slammed his hand on the stone table, though he clearly pulled his strength at the last second. Otherwise, the table surely would have shattered under the force of his blow.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Fang Hu desperately wanted to go and teach Liu Zheng a harsh lesson.
But Liu Zheng outranked him, and his prowess in the Martial Dao was even more lacking in comparison.
It was in that moment Fang Hu realized the truth about the official life he had always coveted. It was all a sham. The idea of seeking justice for the common people was nothing more than a fool’s dream.
He suddenly felt a wave of disillusionment. ’Maybe it would be better not to be an official at all.’
"No, we can’t just let this go," Fang Hu declared, thumping his chest in assurance. "Don’t worry. Your friend was brought in on my watch, so I’ll be the one to get him out."
"Master, don’t be so hasty. It hasn’t come to that. There’s no need to worry about my friend; he’ll be perfectly fine. For the next couple of days, let’s not do anything. Let’s just pretend we don’t know a thing."
Fang Yue gave a slight smile. ’I refuse to believe it. If Chubby hadn’t allowed it himself, there’s no way he would have been thrown into the county jail so easily.’
’That guy... he’s probably just using this as an excuse to not go back to Shanyang Prefecture.’
’If that fatty revealed his identity, none of these people—not Huang Yuangu and his nephew, not even Liu Zheng—would dare to keep him locked up.’
"Are you sure that’ll be okay?" Fang Hu asked, sounding skeptical.
’The problem will solve itself just by doing nothing?’
"Don’t worry, Master. That fatty is more than he appears. He’ll be fine."
~~~~~~
「Another day passed quickly.」
"Heh heh, Lord Chen, you’ve arrived! To what do we owe the pleasure? Has Lord Bai come in person?"
At the gates of Xiahe County Town, Huang Lie and his nephew Huang Yuangu bowed respectfully to a troop of soldiers clad in exquisite Iron Armor.
"What else could it be but the young master running off again? The head of the house was worried he’d miss his deadline, so he sent me to fetch him. I just happened to receive your letter, so it was on my way."
The middle-aged Military Officer at the head of the group replied with a chuckle.
This was Captain Chen, a Seventh-Grade Captain in the Shanyang Prefecture Guard Army.
Although he was also a Captain, a post in Shanyang Prefecture was a full grade higher than one in Xiahe County.
And while he might only have been a Seventh-Grade Captain, holding the post of Captain of the Guard Army in a place like Shanyang Prefecture was a clear testament to his extraordinary strength and influence.