Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4767: Messy
Lai Ji's eyelids drooped. "The Tang Dynasty has been established for a long time, and the judicial system has gradually improved. Everything has its own laws to follow and should be handled according to the law. No one can be above the law."

I regard you as a relative and friend, but you treat me like a fool. Do you really think I am a person without temper who has no principles or bottom line just to curry favor with the Jingzhao Wei family?
In that case, let’s just do business as usual.

Wei Wan was somewhat at a loss as he had been too imposing just now. He did not expect that he could not frighten the other party but left him no room for maneuver. He was embarrassed and afraid, but he could not give up. He had to lower his status and bow to the ground: "My son is a rude boy who has caused trouble. As a father, I cannot stand by and watch him die. I hope the county magistrate can give me some advice based on the friendship between our two families. Jingzhao Wei will be grateful."

Haha, now you remember the friendship between our two families?
Although he didn't quite agree with it and didn't expect Jingzhao Wei's gratitude, Lai Ji didn't want to take things too far. He hesitated for a moment and whispered, "This matter is in Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion. If we can get the victim's forgiveness, that's the basis. If the people don't report it, the officials won't investigate. But it's more about the Duke of Yue. If he insists on punishing severely according to the law, even if Xiangyi County Prince wants to keep things quiet, it won't work."

Wei Wan was extremely distressed and complained: "But my family and Duke Yue have always had a grudge against each other. Can we hope that Duke Yue will show some mercy?"

This is exactly what he is worried about. Not only will Fang Jun not show mercy, but he is very likely to punish him severely and add insult to injury.

The Jingzhao Wei family has had little presence in the officialdom for so many years, and the biggest reason is that there are no outstanding children in the family. After much difficulty, the "Wei family twin heroes" Wei Zhengju and Wei Shuxia emerged, but the former's career was almost cut off at the hands of Fang Jun, so how could the latter be spared if he fell into his hands?
Wei Shuxia was his second son, but he was the third among his cousins, so he was called Sanlang...

Lai Ji sighed and said, "I have also heard of the talent of your family's third son. It is said that he has passed the imperial examination and is proficient in the Three Rites. He is the best of the younger generation and will become a great man in the future. How can such a good talent be wasted on trivial matters? Since the son of the family has such a dragon and phoenix, we should do our best to cultivate and protect him."

Wei Shuxia is a young man with a reputation for virtue and extraordinary talent. Such a young man must be kept at any cost. Your Jingzhao Wei family has been active in Guanzhong for hundreds of years and has deep connections and vested interests. Can't you find an old friend or relative to ask Fang Jun for a favor?
As far as he knew, Fang Jun was a bit stubborn sometimes, but he was not stubborn and unruly. As long as the person who interceded for him was the right one, he would most likely give him some face...

Wei Wan obviously knew this, but in order to find a suitable candidate and have the other party willing to come forward, there must be some exchange of interests. Otherwise, would he be willing to mediate when everyone knew that Jingzhao Wei and Fang Jun had always had a grudge against each other?
Now, the Jingzhao Wei family is only an empty shell, and there are not many benefits that can be exchanged...

There was a loud commotion coming from the backyard.

Wei Wan frowned and said to Lai Ji, "Please wait a moment, County Magistrate Lai. I will go to the back to take a look."

"Now that things have come to this, I hope the head of the family will not do anything that disrespects the law, otherwise the consequences may be even more serious."

"I understand what you mean. This matter needs to be put on the table and resolved in an orderly manner."

"exactly."

However, before Wei Wan could go to the backyard, the noise was getting closer and closer. A large group of people escorted an old woman with gorgeous clothes, white hair and a cane out from the moon gate across the courtyard.

Wei Wan hurried down the steps and went forward to greet her, saying quickly, "Mother, why are you here in the main hall so late instead of resting?"

The old woman hit Wei Wan on the shoulder with her walking stick and scolded, "If I hadn't come, my grandson would have been killed by you, a thief!"

Lai Ji also came down the stairs, but he did not look at the domineering old woman. His eyes stayed on the young man who was one step behind the old woman. He had a handsome face, a graceful demeanor, and a tall and thin figure that stood out among the crowd. Even though his eyes were submissive and he said nothing, he still caught people's attention at a glance.

This is the person missing from the caravan.

Wei Shuxia, known as the "beautiful jade of the Wei family", is indeed a talented and beautiful jade with extraordinary grace...

Wei Wan was hit but didn't even dare to hide. She just said with a bitter face: "Mother, what are you talking about? Sanlang has to take responsibility for his mistakes. Hiding blindly is not only useless but may also bring disaster to the family."

The old woman didn't listen at all, and said arrogantly: "I won't listen to your nonsense! Do you think I don't know that it was Fang Jun who sent people to take him away? He and my family have a deep blood feud. Sanlang will definitely die if he falls into his hands. Whoever wants to take Sanlang away will have to step on my dead body!"

Wei Wan was so anxious that he didn't know what to say. Although the Wei family had a grudge against Fang Jun, it was just a grudge. The one who had a blood feud was the Yuan family. What did it have to do with our Wei family?

However, facing his unreasonable and unruly old mother, he was helpless and could only glare at Wei Shuxia who was protected by his mother and shouted, "How can you be so irresponsible, beast? Since you dare to do such a lawless and stupid thing, don't run back to let your grandmother protect you. She can protect you for a while and for the rest of your life. If you still think you are a descendant of the Wei family, then follow the county magistrate and explain the matter clearly. If it was you who did it, you can be punished. If it was not you, no one can frame a descendant of the Jingzhao Wei family!"

The old woman used her cane to hit her son again, cursing, "Why are you shouting so loudly? Do you think I'm deaf? Fang Er, that bastard, kills people without blinking an eye. He is the most cruel and vicious. If Sanlang falls into his hands, he will definitely torture and frame him in every possible way. I love this grandson the most. I must not push him into the fire pit!"

Wei Wan was beaten by his mother in public at such an old age. He felt ashamed and angry. He simply did not try to avoid it. He was so angry that veins popped out and his face flushed. "Mother, do you know that he has violated the law? The matter must be resolved. Avoiding it will only complicate things and will do nothing! You are actually harming him by protecting him like this!"

"I don't care. You go to the palace right away and ask to see the imperial concubine. Ask her to plead with His Majesty. You must save Sanlang."

Lai Ji stood with his hands behind his back and watched coldly. He felt that the saying "a loving mother often spoils her son" was vividly reflected in the Wei family. The word "filial piety" weighed heavily on Wei Wan, forcing him to submit to his mother's nonsense. Knowing that this matter would inevitably cause a huge uproar, he was still hesitant and in a dilemma.

However, the so-called "beautiful girl of the Wei family" irresponsibly hid behind her grandmother, trying to use her grandmother's majesty to overwhelm her father and escape responsibility, but she never thought about whether the monstrous anger of the royal family headed by His Majesty would annihilate and devour the entire Jingzhao Wei family.

It's just an embroidered pillow, beautiful though it may be, it's of little use...

Seeing Wei Wan blushing, ashamed and angry, Lai Ji softened his heart and reminded her quietly: "The palace gates are locked now. Even if I go to ask the imperial concubine to plead for Sanlang, I have to wait until tomorrow morning. If I return empty-handed now, being reprimanded is a small matter, but the Duke of Yue will surely come in person later, and the result will be the same."

Your Wei family can stop me, but can you stop Duke Yue?

Regardless of whether you can stop it or not, if you dare to stop it, I will be full of admiration...

Wei Wan gave Lai Ji a grateful look, and then whispered to the old woman: "Mother has heard it too. Sanlang has made a big mistake this time, but with the help of the imperial concubine in the palace, there will be no serious consequences. But if Fang Jun breaks into the house, the consequences will be unpredictable. What if that guy falsely accuses my family of favoritism, or even that there are Sanlang's accomplices in the family, it will be a disaster!"

The old woman was so tired after beating her son with her cane for a while that she was out of breath. At this moment, Wen Yan hesitated for a moment and turned to look at Wei Shuxia: "Sanlang, your father said that you have caused a big disaster, is it true?"

Wei Shuxia flatly denied: "Absolutely not! It was just that the situation was chaotic and Li Jingshu died in front of me. I was afraid that I couldn't explain it clearly, so I fled in the chaos."

Lai Ji interrupted and asked, "At that time, Jingzhao Prefecture was surrounded by the Zuo Jinwu Guards. How did you avoid the guards and escape from Jingzhao Prefecture?"

If no one helped, even if Wei Shuxia had wings, he would still be shot down by muskets and crossbows, and he would never be able to escape from the Jingzhao government office.

Wei Shuxia shook his head: "No one helped me. I was confused and kept hiding from people. I don't know how I got out."

Lai Ji nodded, without asking any more questions, and said to the old woman, "It's getting late. I will take Sanlang of your family back for interrogation. Please don't interfere with my official duties, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable."

The old woman didn't even look at him, she just stared at Wei Wan: "Are you sure Sanlang is okay?"

Wei Wan was speechless. Whether there was anything wrong or not depends on whether Sanlang had anything to do with Li Jingshu's death. You should ask Sanlang instead of asking me...

But he didn't dare to say so at this time, so he could only bite the bullet and said, "Don't worry, mother. Let Sanlang go with them first. As soon as it gets light, I will go to the palace gate and knock on the gate. I must see the imperial concubine and ask her to plead with His Majesty."

The old woman pursed her lips, turned back and stroked her grandson's head, comforting him: "Don't be afraid, Sanlang, just let them go. We, the children of the Wei family, are not someone that anyone can frame. If anyone dares to beat you or torture you, come back and tell me. I will risk my life to file a complaint with the emperor and skin the thief alive!"

Seeing that the matter was irreversible, Wei Shuxia could only comfort the old woman: "My grandson did not do anything. Even if they beat me to death, I will not admit it. The king's law is fair and clear. I don't believe they dare to wrongly accuse me!"

The old woman's eyes were filled with tears and she looked very pleased: "Good boy, you are worthy of being a child of the Wei family, you have backbone."

Lai Ji was speechless again. If he really had a backbone, how could he run back home and seek shelter from his grandmother who was over 70 years old after committing a crime, even without caring whether it would bring disaster to the family?

Wei Wan waved for someone to present the prepared gifts, and said, "Please help the county magistrate. Jingzhao Wei will definitely reward you generously."

The gifts were placed on a shoulder pole on the ground with a dull thud. It was obvious that they were very heavy, and one could guess what was inside.

Lai Ji shook his head to refuse the gift, and said solemnly: "Master, rest assured, I will enforce the law impartially and seek truth from facts. No one can influence me in handling cases."

You can't, and neither can Fang Jun.

After seeing off Lai Ji and his party, Wei Wan supported his mother back to the main hall. Seeing his mother still tearful and worried, he sighed and said helplessly, "It's all Sanlang's fault for being willful and irresponsible. Lai Ji was offended today. This boy is calm and experienced at a young age, and he is also smart and observant. With Fang Jun as a solid backer, he will have a bright future in the future. I missed this opportunity to make friends with him in vain."

The old woman glared at him angrily: "Sanlang is already in prison, and his future is in danger. Instead of caring about your own son, you are thinking about these ways to gain personal gain. You beast!"

What can Wei Wan do when facing a mother who inherited the negative traits of the Yuan family such as selfishness and brutality?

He wiped his face and let the spit dry.

Sometimes I think that the collapse of the Yuan family is a good thing. Otherwise, my mother, who has always relied on her mother's family's power, might have made a mess today. If Fang Jun really came to the mansion in person, it would not be a question of handing over the man or not, but whether he would take the opportunity to attack and take over the entire Shouguang County Men's Mansion...