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墨書 Inktalez
At this moment, Shi Jin was no longer the reckless, impulsive youth; he was a Junior Staff Officer with a meticulous mind. He would help Shi Xiu, but he would choose his own way to do so, not taking on everything or acting rashly.
Seeing this, Shi Xiu felt a chill in his heart and whispered, "I know this matter is difficult, but I... truly don't know what to do." As he spoke, his eyes reddened; after all, he was still just a fifteen-year-old boy who had suddenly encountered great misfortune, inevitably feeling lost and confused.
Shi Jin forced a smile and said, "Brother, it's not that I don't want to help you; it's just that I've only been in Bianjing for a few days and don't know where to start."
Shi Xiu was taken aback by this. Previously, he had heard Shi Jin refer to himself as someone from the Su's Mansion, and those Officers treated Shi Jin with respect. He had thought that Shi Jin was an important figure in Bianjing, but he didn't expect that Shi Jin was also an outsider.
Noticing the expression on Shi Xiu's face, Shi Jin understood his thoughts and said, "What I said this morning was merely a temporary measure; it was just borrowing power to intimidate."
If it were the previous impulsive Shi Jin, he might have joined forces with Shi Xiu to confront the Officers at that time.
Shi Xiu hesitated and asked, "Then what about your relationship with Scholar Su...?"
Shi Jin replied, "I am somewhat distantly related to him."
In cases of serious crimes involving human lives, even close relatives would often keep their distance; let alone distant relatives. If Shi Jin were to directly seek help from the Su's Mansion, being scolded would be mild; he might even be thrown out.
Having followed his uncle around for training, Shi Xiu understood these social dynamics. He lowered his head in despair, feeling both disappointed and confused.
Seeing him like this, Shi Jin pulled him down to sit and comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, brother. I will definitely help you with this matter, but first tell me how you got involved in it."
He reassured Shi Xiu first. Although he had heard some of Shi Xiu's explanations in the morning, he did not know the details.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Shi Xiu's spirits lifted slightly. He raised his eyes and pointed to the bay horse at the door and said, "This incident actually stemmed from that horse."
Shi Xiu had lost both parents at a young age. Fortunately, his uncle Shi Dazhuo was a kind man who took on the responsibility of raising him. The Shi family was in the mule and horse business; although they did not worry about food and clothing, they often had to travel far and endure hardships.
Shi Dazhuo kept Shi Xiu by his side; the two relied on each other for support. The mule and horse business often involved traveling outside the borders where they inevitably encountered bandits and thieves. Therefore, most people in the trading caravan knew some martial arts. Since childhood, Shi Xiu had practiced martial arts alongside his uncle.
Shi Dazhuo regarded Shi Xiu as his successor and spent a lot of money hiring martial arts instructors for him. With good talent and a willingness to work hard, Shi Xiu learned excellent skills and became the best fighter in the caravan.
This time they unexpectedly acquired a fine horse while outside the borders. Thinking they could sell it for a good price in Bianjing, they came to Bianjing to sell it.
Originally, things were going smoothly, and the buyers were all lined up. However, the buyer was short on cash and said he would come back the next day to pick it up. This kind of situation is common, and they didn't mind it too much.
But Shi Xiu was a bit unhappy; he had brought the horse all this way and had developed a bond with it. Still, he understood the gravity of the situation. Although he wanted to keep the horse, this deal was everything for his uncle, and if they couldn't sell the horse, they wouldn't even have money to get home. So he just kept leading the horse around outside the city.
While Shi Xiu was walking the horse, the buyer suddenly backed out. Although Shi Dasu was frustrated, there was nothing he could do. At that moment, Gao Qiu and his gang of hooligans approached him.
Shi Dasu noticed that these people seemed a bit shady, but as long as they offered money, it was fine. However, their offer was absurdly low, even less than the price of a donkey. Shi Dasu realized he had encountered trouble. He held back his anger and refused their offer, but they persisted relentlessly. One servant could no longer bear it and tried to push them away to leave.
In the scuffle, the lead hooligan's snuff bottle was knocked out of his hand and shattered. This gave them an excuse to demand compensation. Shi Dasu thought it would be better to settle things peacefully; how much could a snuff bottle be worth? To his surprise, they quoted an outrageous price, claiming it was an Imperial Gift.
Shi Dasu couldn't tell if it was real or fake and decided to take a conciliatory approach. Eventually, they pretended to relent and said that Shi Dasu should compensate with that horse. At this point, Shi Dasu realized their trick; this was clearly a scam.
He immediately turned hostile and said he would go see the authorities about it, but those people were not afraid at all. One claimed that someone in the Yamen was his cousin, while another said that someone who administered punishment was his uncle, acting as if they were just waiting for him to report them.
This made Shi Dasu hesitate; after all, in their territory, entering the Yamen could easily lead to a wrongful accusation against him. A nearby servant got angry and shouted, "Is this still under the authority of the officials in Bianjing? Is there no law?"
The leader's expression changed as he scolded back, "You donkey-faced fool! How dare you speak ill of the officials? Get him!" The gang of hooligans rushed forward and beat up Shi Dasu and his companions. They were caught off guard and suffered greatly due to their hesitation.
Even after beating them up, the gang wasn't done; as they left, they shouted that they would come back for the horse the next day. When Shi Xiu returned from walking the horse and learned about this incident, he was furious and wanted to confront them.
However, his uncle stopped him. Shi Dasu knew that a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake; if Shi Xiu went after them, he might end up losing his life. All of them were injured, and with those hooligans still watching them, they found themselves in a difficult situation where leaving wasn't an option.
Just when they felt trapped in a dilemma, those who had been watching suddenly disappeared. Upon inquiry, they learned that those hooligans had run into trouble and were beaten up badly at Great Xiangguo Temple.
Fearing further complications from lingering issues, his uncle hurriedly organized their departure but unexpectedly ran into more trouble; both he and two servants were taken by the authorities.
Shi Xiu recounted the events, and Shi Jin listened, frowning slightly. He felt that something was off about the situation, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it at the moment.
After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Don't worry, there are ways to handle this."
Shi Xiu felt a glimmer of hope and asked, "What should we do?"
"We need to do two things: first, we need to make some arrangements with Yamen to ensure your uncle doesn't suffer any more."
Shi Xiu nodded eagerly; his uncle had already been injured before, and another beating could very well cost him his life.
Feeling a bit anxious, he said, "Brother, I have no money right now. Could you lend me some silver to help with this?"
Shi Jin secretly admired Shi Xiu. If he sold his horse, it would fetch a good sum, but since he had already given it to Shi Jin, he refrained from mentioning it.
Shi Jin waved his hand and said, "Money is easy to come by; we just need to find someone who can help us connect. I'll figure that part out."
Naturally, Shi Xiu couldn't handle this himself and would have to rely on Shi Jin. However, he didn't know many people in Bianjing and would likely need Su Jian's assistance.
Feeling somewhat reassured, Shi Xiu quickly asked, "And what about the second thing?"
Shi Jin replied, "The second thing is to find the real culprit behind the attack on that hooligan. Once we clear your uncle's name of suspicion, everything will be fine."
Shi Xiu nodded in agreement; he had thought of this as well, but thinking about it didn't mean he could accomplish it. He was currently being pursued by the authorities and was unfamiliar with the area, leaving him feeling powerless despite his intentions.
Shi Jin asked, "Do you know anything about that suspicious buyer?"
Shi Xiu nodded; Shi Dazuo often brought him along when discussing business in order to train him.
Shi Jin said, "Let's investigate the murderer separately. You look into that buyer discreetly while I find someone to help us and gather information from the authorities. We might be able to find answers more quickly."
Hearing this, Shi Xiu felt greatly encouraged and nodded repeatedly.
Just as they were about to discuss the details further, they heard a light laugh followed by a voice drifting over: "Are you looking for me?"
Both men turned pale at once.
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