Chapter 1 Autumn Sounds (Grade 6, Volume 1)

  As soon as he returned home, Wang Xun immediately called Zi Luo into his bedroom, dismissed the idle people, and whispered: "I may have something to go out for a few days recently. At home, you should be more careful. Yun Ni is old, don't let her get tired. If there are any slaves who take advantage of the situation to make trouble, immediately find Wang Ji and Wang Xiang to take them down. Punish or imprison as needed, don't show mercy!"

  "Master, where are you going? Why the hurry?" Just last night, Zi Luo had just received a promise from Wang Xuan and was still basking in happiness, she didn't react in time, rushing forward to hold him back, her face full of longing.

  "Something's come up. You'll know soon enough." Afraid she wouldn't be able to take it, Wang Xuan didn't tell the truth. "I've put all the IOUs and contracts in a hidden compartment under the incense burner at home, I told you about it before, remember it well. The deeds for the other shops, gambling dens, and those fields by the Wei River are locked in that yellow pear wood cabinet in the study. All legitimate business has someone in charge taking care of it, just check on them from time to time. As for those high-interest loans, if they come to repay willingly, have Wang Xiang collect it. If they try to welch on their debts while I'm away, don't bother chasing after them..."

  Upon hearing this, Zi Luan finally realized that Wang Xun might have gotten into big trouble. Frightened to the point of pale face, she choked back tears and nodded, "Master, Master, is it really alright? Don't scare me, I, your servant, can't live without you!"

  "It's nothing. I'm just being implicated by Yuwen Xiaozu. Maybe the authorities will come to ask me a few questions. Maybe I'll have to argue with them for a while before I can get out of this! Wang Xuan chuckled and reached out to touch Zi Luo's hair, "Look at you, so anxious. What's gotten into you? When I'm not around, I still rely on you to help Yun Ni manage the household!"

  "Master!" Zi Luan called out softly, grabbing Wang Xun's hand and pressing it tightly against her face. "I won't let you go. I'll accompany you to the trial. If there's really trouble, I'll take the punishment for you!"

  "With your small body, two slaps would kill you!" Wang Xun smiled and shook his head lightly. He had no idea how big the case was going to be. Things in the capital were always hard to say. Some people just said a few bad words about Prime Minister Li after drinking, and they were exiled to Jiaozhou, never allowed to return home again. Some people collided with the Crown Prince's carriage on the street, but after being fined dozens of taels of silver, it was considered settled. In the yamen of Jingzhao Prefecture, what mattered was not the case itself, but the background of the parties involved. Those with a strong background could turn an unjust situation into a just one. Those with a weak background would never be able to turn things around, no matter how just their cause."

  "I'm willing to be your slave!" Zi Luo also gritted her teeth, wiped away her tears, and said in a low voice. "Master, give these things to someone else. In this life, I'll rely on you. Wherever you go, I'll follow. Even if there's a mountain of knives ahead, I won't retreat half a step!"

  "Silly girl, it's just a small lawsuit!" Wang Xun shook his head and stretched out his thumb to wipe away the tears on Zi Luan's face. It wasn't until now that he realized how fragile the power he had been relying on was. When he offended someone who truly held power, he didn't even have the strength to put up a fight.

  After all, he had a conscience and didn't want to abandon his stepmother and concubine, running away alone to escape disaster. Seeing Zi Luan tightly grasping his hand, as if afraid that with just one blink of an eye, he would suddenly disappear into thin air. He could only smile again, pretending to be calm and saying: "Listen, stop making a fuss. If you keep causing trouble, it'll be too late. The officials will probably find us soon, so cheer up, and Aunt Yun's side will also suffer less shock!"

  "No! I won't!" Zi Luan also suddenly became stubborn and refused to let go.

  The master and servant were in the midst of a heated argument when Wang Xiang's anxious voice echoed from outside the door, "Young Master Hou, Young Master Hou! Something big has happened. A large group of officials have arrived, specifically asking for you to come out and answer questions!"

  "You go and bribe them with some copper coins, so they won't alert the others in the house. I'll be right out!" Wang Xuan knew that what was bound to happen had finally happened, and he let out a sigh as he whispered his instructions.

  "Ah!" The house servant, Wang Xiang, responded with a single word and turned to leave according to Wang Xun's instructions. However, he was stopped by someone who blocked his way, "What's the matter, why are you in such a hurry? What if a group of officials has arrived outside? You go out and tell them to wait honestly at the door. Your master is busy with household chores, and it will take some time before he can let them in to talk!"

  "Ah----, ah?" Wang Xiang didn't react for a moment and responded mechanically, then stood there in stunned silence.

  "What are you staring at, hurry up!" Yun Yi scolded him in a low voice, glaring at him fiercely. Turning her head, she showed Wang Xun a loving smile, "Second Brother, what's wrong, can you tell me?"

  At this point, Wang Xuan had nothing good to hide. He could only sort out his thoughts and briefly tell Yun Niang the details he had heard from Ma Fang's mouth. Finally, he didn't forget to add a sentence, telling Yun Niang not to worry about herself. After all, he had been friends with the Qin brothers for many years, and if something really happened, the Qin family might not just stand by and do nothing.

  "You're such a worrywart!" Hearing Wang Jun's nonsense, Yun Ni lovingly poked him with her finger. "Old Duke Qin is still around, how can the two of you, Guo Mo and Guo Zhen, have any say in the matter? Even if he begged Old Duke Qin, with that old man's cunning nature, it's uncertain whether he'd help or not. Tell Aunt honestly, have you gotten into some big trouble outside recently?"

  "No, I guarantee there isn't!" Wang Xun shook his head repeatedly. "Except for last night's martial arts competition, where he accidentally bumped into Madame Guo's carriage by mistake. But she said on the spot that she wouldn't pursue it. And this morning, she even sent someone to make amends with Big Brother Lei! Even if she were to go back on her word, it wouldn't be so soon!"

  "She promised the Qin brothers that she wouldn't pursue it, so she shouldn't go back on her word so quickly! Even if it's really because of this matter, it's just an excuse. Otherwise, the government's actions wouldn't be so swift!" Yun Shi listened patiently until he finished speaking, then gently shook her head.

  Wang Jun encountered trouble that couldn't be solved by relying on his ancestors' reputation for the first time, and he was so bewildered that he couldn't find a clue. After hearing what Yun Niang said, a bright light suddenly flashed in his mind.

  Just then, the young servant Wang Xiang ran back with a gloomy face. Lowering his head, he said in a muffled tone: "The captain's words are that if Young Master doesn't go out to see him within one minute, he'll bring people to break in!"

  "Hahahaha!" Before Wang Xun could speak, a cold laugh came from Yun Ni's mouth. "Wang Fu, Wang Gui, gather the family members, prepare to welcome the guests with weapons. If the officials dare to force their way in, then we'll fight to the death. Someone will take responsibility for the consequences. Wang Ji, tidy up the front yard and open the main gate later, invite the officials to enter through the main gate!"

  In an instant, she had completely changed into a face that Wang Xuan had never seen before. Her eyes were filled with a cold aura. "Zi Luan, get the clothes that your master wore when he went out for the festival. Xue Yan, bring out the ceremonial robes bestowed upon me by the imperial court back then. I'd like to see which one dares to take away someone from the Wang family without any evidence!"

  A string of orders was passed down, not giving others a chance to interrupt. Wang Xun had never seen Yun Niang so tough and could only follow the other's arrangement with a hard head. After a while, both of them were dressed up and sat upright in the main hall, quietly waiting for the leading official to enter.

  He lived in Chongrenfang, under the jurisdiction of Wannian County. The head of the county's capture, Sun Ruyu, had just walked out of the door and was transferred from Guannei Road. He didn't know the depth of the water in the capital, and today he received an order from his superiors to find Wang Xun for questioning. Also, someone said that the power of the Wang family was no longer what it used to be, and there were only a widow and a young boy with no beard at home, so he eagerly took over this rare "fat job" ahead of several colleagues. Anyway, the rules in the yamen have always been to eat both the plaintiff and the defendant, especially for cases handed down by superiors, not letting the parties involved go bankrupt is equivalent to breaking the rules.

  Who would have thought that when they arrived at the Wang family gate, they were initially intimidated by a few small servants. But soon after, the other side turned their faces, and one by one, burly men with vermilion lacquer clubs lined up in silence, standing in two rows at the entrance. They sandwiched Sun Ruyu and the yamen runners who followed him to extort money between them, scaring them so much that their legs were trembling with fear.

  "I, I have come under orders!" At this time, Sun Ruyu still didn't give up, pointing his hand upwards, implying that he had someone backing him. The leader of the group wasn't clear what kind of trick their master was playing, so they also didn't dare to be too arrogant, and smiled, saying in a low voice: "My master just said he doesn't have time to see you, that's all. You can wait for a bit, what's the hurry? It's a big autumn day, and the sun won't kill you!"

  "Alright, alright, we'll wait, we'll wait!" Old Master Sun shrugged his shoulders, putting on an air of not wanting to bother with such petty commoners. But in his heart, he was secretly seething, thinking that if the master of this house couldn't produce something worthy of this gift, then don't blame him for being ruthless.

  There was an old idler in the same team who knew what Chongren Alley meant in the capital, and couldn't bear to watch Sun Dalao jump into the pit by himself. Taking advantage of no one's attention, he poked him with his finger and reminded him in a low voice: "Boss, I heard that this family used to follow Taizong on an expedition across the sea, and their merits were great."

  "No matter how great the achievement, can it surpass that of the Yuwen family from this morning? That's a direct descendant of a national duke! Zhang Tou wasn't even taken away with just one chain locked on him!" Captain Sun Ruyu curled his lip and raised his voice to shout, fearing that the Wang family people wouldn't hear.

  The surrounding officials took a step back, afraid of being affected by this person's bad luck. Sun Ruyu was still unaware, looked around and said with a sullen face: "The laws of the Tang Dynasty are written in black and white, even if the prince breaks the law, he should be punished together with the common people. Since our superiors have entrusted us with this matter, it means..."

  The voice had barely fallen when a shrill "creak" sound suddenly came from the ear, and the door of the Viscount's mansion, which was rarely opened in all four seasons, was slowly opened by someone from inside. The little servant Wang Xiang, who had just been scared by Sun Ruyu with a pale face, walked out of the door with a square step, proudly and loudly called: "Who is the captain leading the team today? My lord has an order, please ask the captain to come to the main hall for questioning. Who is it? Who is it? Take a step forward and speak."

  "County Master?" As soon as he heard these two words, Sun Ruyu's heart skipped a beat. He turned around to see that all the attendants had retreated far away from him, so he had no choice but to take a step forward with a forced smile and said, "I'm here to answer your question. I'm just the leader of the capture team today. I don't dare call myself 'sir'. I'm new here, didn't expect to disturb County Master. Please lead the way, young master. I've been ordered to ask Young Master Hou a few questions, just a few questions, and I'll leave immediately after!"

  "Hmph!" This time, it was Wang Xiang's turn to pretend to be a tiger. He let out a cold hum from his nostrils and walked ahead with his legs.

  Note: In the Tang Dynasty, women's titles were as follows: first rank was Guo Furen (National Lady), third rank and above was Jun Furen (Princess of a Commandery), fourth rank was Jun Jun (Lady of a Commandery), fifth rank was Xian Jun (Lady of a County).

  Note from Wine Slave: The update rule for this month is that there will only be one update on Saturdays and Sundays. For other days, it's basically two updates.