Blossom

Wei Quan stepped through the gates of the He Family and immediately saw the third brother of Madam He chasing He Qingyuan around the grape trellis, fists swinging as the latter panted heavily.

He Hao had hidden himself somewhere, while the young mistress of the He Family stood anxiously on the steps of the western wing, supported by her personal maid, shouting, "Stop fighting, stop fighting!" Meanwhile, Madam He sat on the leaning rail of the veranda in the main house, accompanied by her elder sister-in-law from her maiden family. She sobbed and cursed He Qingyuan as a "shameless old man" and a "wretched old fool." Her brother, who served as a county jailer, hadn’t come, but apart from one nephew leisurely calling out, "Uncle, let’s talk this out—don’t hurt our uncle-in-law," the other brothers and nephews paid no attention to the chaos in the courtyard, instead comforting Madam He.

Wei Quan hunched his shoulders and tried to slip away unnoticed.

But He Qingyuan’s sharp eyes caught him immediately. "Bai Rui! Come help me!" he shouted.

Wei Quan dared not offend Madam He’s family, but he also didn’t dare disobey He Qingyuan.

He stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Madam He’s third brother, addressing him as "Third Uncle."

Madam He wasn’t planning to divorce He Qingyuan—how could her family truly beat their own son-in-law?

If not for Wei Quan, would He Qingyuan, at his age, have taken up the habit of keeping a mistress like others?

The sight of Wei Quan filled Madam He’s third brother with fury. Without a word, he punched Wei Quan square in the face.

Caught off guard, Wei Quan yelped, clutched his face, and staggered to the ground.

"A once-prosperous household—ruined by the likes of you, leading men astray!" Madam He’s third brother snarled, his anger plain as he straddled Wei Quan and rained blows upon him.

He Qingyuan, finally free from the brute, was still shaken and in no state to help Wei Quan. He hid behind a screen wall and shouted at the house guards, "You useless lot! Good for nothing but eating!"

Several guards scurried out, fawning, followed by He Hao, who had been hiding all along.

If not for that little brat’s betrayal, would he have failed to secure the beauty and ended up with his brothers-in-law barging in?

"You little wretch! Happy to see your father beaten?" He Qingyuan roared, slapping He Hao across the face.

The young mistress shrieked.

He Hao howled like a slaughtered pig.

Madam He, forgetting her tears and curses, bellowed, "He Qingyuan! How dare you strike my son! I’ll fight you to the death!" She hiked up her skirts and charged from the veranda.

He Qingyuan shuddered. He was considering fleeing to avoid the storm when a woman swayed seductively into view from behind the screen wall.

He recognized her as Wei Quan’s lover and frowned. "How did you get in here?"

The woman had once worked in a pleasure house and had only been with Wei Quan for a couple of months. Since he had no intention of marrying her, she still carried herself like a courtesan. She batted her eyes at He Qingyuan before replying, "I came looking for my man. The young master at your gate knows me, so he let me in." Then, ingratiatingly, she added, "What’s all the commotion, sir? The neighbors have gathered outside your gates..."

If not for the He Family being the most prominent local gentry—with guards at the gate—the crowd would have already swarmed their doorstep.He Qingyuan's face turned purple with rage. He inwardly cursed his wife for showing no marital consideration, making him the laughingstock of Qingyuan County, and shouted toward the gate, "How are you guarding this place? Letting every foul and fragrant thing waltz in! Have your days been too leisurely? Do you want to be sold off to the salt fields to dry salt?!"

As he spoke, a commotion erupted outside. Over a dozen constables suddenly stormed in with menacing airs, surrounding the courtyard in an instant.

Everyone in the yard froze.

Madam He stood dumbstruck in the center, her brother's fist halted mid-air, while the crowd chasing after her looked around in utter confusion. The vast courtyard was silent except for Wei Quan's groans.

Amid this eerie atmosphere, the Qingyuan County constables cautiously entered, accompanied by the county's Record Keeper.

Familiar faces all, their arrival eased the tension in the yard.

Madam He's fourth brother stepped forward with a smile, "Sir, do you remember me? I'm the third son of the jailer's family. What brings you here in person? This is our brother-in-law's home..."

As he spoke, He Qingyuan discreetly slipped a fifty-tael silver note to the official.

Yet the Record Keeper, who'd shared drinks and revelry just yesterday, now turned cold. Not only did he throw the silver note back in He Qingyuan's face, but he also assumed an air of righteous indignation, sternly declaring, "The law applies equally to all! The He Family has colluded with bandits, bringing harm to our community. Whether you're relatives of the jailer or even the magistrate himself, justice must prevail!" With that, he barked at the constables, "Arrest these accomplices at once!"

The courtyard erupted in stunned silence.

The constables pounced like wolves, seizing everyone in sight—He Family members and Madam He's relatives alike.

Screams of terrified women immediately filled the air.

Madam He's fourth brother protested urgently, "What is the meaning of this? How could we possibly conspire with bandits..."

Even if they had committed crimes, arresting the womenfolk made no sense.

The Record Keeper sneered.

The jailer oversaw arrests and prisons, being the constables' superior. These very constables had often accepted the He Family's generosity. One constable subtly pointed skyward, signaling that arguing here was futile—they should take their case to the magistrate instead.

Though He Qingyuan and Madam He's brother nodded gratefully at the constable, their hearts burned with anxiety, sensing something far more sinister at play.

From the crowd came the frightened shriek of Wei Quan's courtesan: "Why arrest me? I'm just here watching the commotion!"

Wei Quan also cried, "We came only to mediate! You've got the wrong people!"

The arresting constable replied icily, "Our orders are clear: every living thing in this courtyard is to be detained. Plead your case at the county jail."

Madam He's family had served as clerks for generations—there wasn't a soul in Qingyuan County's offices they didn't know. Yet this constable spoke with unfamiliar harshness, and not a single recognizable face stood among them.

Madam He's brother felt his heart sink.

He glanced worriedly at He Qingyuan, whose face was a mask of shock and agitation. Swallowing his pride, he forced a smile at the Record Keeper. "Sir, consider that our sisters and sisters-in-law are merely helpless women..."The Record Keeper showed no mercy, his face cold as he said, "Didn't I just say? Every living thing in this courtyard must be taken to the yamen. Are you not a living thing?"

The fourth brother of Madam He's family immediately widened his eyes like bronze bells. Remembering he was under someone else's roof and that a wise man knows when to retreat, he lowered his head and stepped back, thinking his eldest brother would handle things outside.

But Madam He's third brother thought differently. He turned to He Qingyuan and snapped, "What have you done to drag our family into this mess? When we see our eldest brother later, you’ll taste my fist first!"

Yet when he entered the Qingyuan County jail, he was struck speechless—Madam He’s brother, the county jailer, had already been locked up in the county prison before them.

"What is going on?" Madam He cried, rushing forward.

"You ask me? Who should I ask?" The jailer glared at He Qingyuan, his face frosty. "Who on earth have you offended? Even the county magistrate refuses to speak of it!"

"We businessmen believe in harmony for prosperity—why would I offend anyone?" He Qingyuan retorted, then suddenly had an idea. "Maybe it’s you who offended someone? To have the county magistrate act like this—I certainly don’t have the influence to provoke such a person!"

The two began arguing back and forth.

Meanwhile, Wei Quan, his face bruised purple and swollen like a pig’s head, quietly pulled aside a familiar jailer and slipped him a piece of silver, whispering, "Brother, do me a favor. Let me go? You know I’m just acquainted with these two families—nothing more."

They had been locked up immediately upon arrival, without even a trial.

The jailer tucked the silver into his waistband and glanced at the quarreling He Qingyuan and his brother-in-law before murmuring, "If you have anyone to send word to, I can pass it along. But beyond that, I can’t help! This case is being handled by officials sent from the prefecture—even the constables are from there. The county magistrate has no say."

He had been perfectly fine at home—why did he have to come and mediate?

Now he had landed himself in this mess.

If he were truly accused of "colluding with bandits to harm the villagers," he’d either be beheaded or exiled.

Wei Quan was sick with regret.

Just then, the jail door clanged open, and several unfamiliar constables dragged in Madam He’s sister-in-law, nephews, and nieces.

"Father!"

"Master!"

"Sister-in-law!"

The cell erupted into chaos, wailing and shouting like a marketplace.

Wei Quan couldn’t stop trembling.

What was happening?

Were they being exterminated, their entire clan wiped out?

The He Family was just local gentry, and Madam He’s maiden family were merely minor officials—were they even important enough for this?

"Who on earth did the He Family offend?" In the height of summer, Wei Quan felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

※※※※※

Far away in the Capital, Song Mo stood before a large desk, practicing calligraphy.

Xia Lian entered quietly, bowing respectfully before speaking cautiously, "Everyone in Qingyuan County has been arrested. Lord Liu asks how to draft the report for the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review."

Song Mo set down his brush, accepted the towel handed by Wuyi, and wiped his hands. "Exile all the men to Xining Garrison. Enslave the women and sell them to the pleasure houses."

Xia Lian showed no surprise, murmuring his assent before withdrawing.

After a moment’s thought, Song Mo instructed Wuyi, "Go and summon Lu Ming."Wuyi had been serving Song Mo for some time and knew that the more indifferent Song Mo appeared, the more irritated he truly was.

Trembling, he retreated from the study.

Before long, Lu Ming arrived.

Song Mo said, "Escort those people from Qingyuan County to Xining Guard. Make sure that Wei Quan and He Hao don’t die along the way. I’ve heard that in the northwest, sometimes there aren’t even military prostitutes, so they make do with those who have delicate features. These two will serve nicely."

Lu Ming lowered his head in acknowledgment.

Still seething, Song Mo snapped a fine brush in half before heading to Green Water Residence.