CH 11

Chapter 11 Startled Horse 

At noon, the sun was rising above the people’s heads. Even though it hadn’t entered summer, it was burning with heat. 

Many close shops had set up sheds outside the shops, put out tables and chairs, so one can relax with tea in the shade. Looking at it, there were quite a few customers on the street. 

“Owner!” A man’s thick voice echoed on the street, attracting many people to look over with dissatisfaction. 

Busy in the shop, the Owner wiped her hands on her apron and came out to respond: “Oh, Steward Wu! What good day is it to bring a person of high rank like you over?” 

“What person with high rank? Owner, your mouth really is too sweet.” 

Steward Wu teased with his fingers, but the Owner stuffed a pastry cookie in his hand. 

“You came here at the right time. It hasn’t been long since it got out of the stove. It’s still warm. Taste it.” 

Steward Wu thought of something good in his heart, and didn’t want to argue with her, and took a bite: “Give me four.” 

“Okay, four pastry cookies,” shouted the Owner. She wrapped four sesame pastry cookies in oiled paper swiftly, and asked with a smile: “What good things have happened to you, Steward Wu you look bright.” 

Steward Wu laughed mischievously. He always talked about frivolous affairs proudly, and never concealed it: “The pastry will be exchanged for something fun, so do you think it’s a good thing?” 

The Owner cursed his moraless conduct in her heart. Her smile was awkward, but she couldn’t stop the other party from talking: “Guess who it is? It’s the person under the name of  little monster at our boss’s Qi Sheng building. He’s called Qu…… what was it, yes, Qu Chenzhou. This name isn’t bad.” 

At the pastry shop, at the shack next door, a young man was eating melon seeds with a pot of tea. Hearing their conversation, he turned his face slightly. 

“Little Brother Qu.” 

“Yes, he was clamoring to eat sesame pastry, thus I am buying it for him. When I return, we…hehe.” 

Not far away, the Owner had also seen him. Thinking about the child with his clean, silent eyes, then looking at the man who described the wretched man in front of her, she felt something: “That child…”

Before she finished her words, she heard a scream of exclamation from the street. 

Sitting in the sedan chair, Liu Zhongming was a little drowsy by the comfortable rhythm. 

Regarding the Wang Ye’s invitation for a dinner party, he can’t say he liked it, nor can he say he hated it. Every time, left and right, they were the same routines of saying something on the surface level. 

It’s no wonder that sometimes the Bai brothers find him boring; only seventeen or eighteen, but acts like he was in his seventies or eighties. 

He was emptying his mind and was stunned for a while when the rhythmic shaking suddenly stopped. He hurriedly supported the wall of the carriage so that he was not thrown out from the front. 

“Prince,” the butler on the side returned to the car window after a moment, and said softly, “The front is blocked. It’s said that something has happened. The street is very unsightly. Do you want to make a detour?” 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Reportedly, the horses of a cart with firewood was startled. When they fell over, they coincidentally pressed on to the person buying pastries. That person must have a short life and couldn’t dodge. He was stabbed through by the wood, and there is a large pool of red and white on the ground. People from Jingzhao Mansion came to surround the scene yesterday, and they haven’t opened up the road yet.” 

Liu Zhongming frowned, the scene was very unsightly just thinking about it.

“Make a detour.” 

He hadn’t planned to rush to Qi Wang’s. This detour will help delay the arrival. When the attendant opened the door of the wing for him, almost all the people inside had arrived with him the only one missing. 

Qi Wang, Mu Jingde, was sitting right opposite the door. When he saw him entering the door, he couldn’t help but laugh: “Zhongming, why come so late again? I haven’t seen you not late? Is it possible that this is how you run your business?” 

“It’s one thing to do business, it’s another thing to come to eat,” Liu Zhongming smiled and replied: “I’m afraid if I come early, Wang Ye will say I eat too much. Just put this table’s account on my head. What bad luck.” 

Mu Jingde laughed: “It’s because you are shrewd and fear that you will suffer a little loss. Just hurry up and drink three glasses of punishment alcohol, then this table’s account will not be counted on you.” 

The other person brought the wine glass and came over. Liu Zhongming drank three cups in a row, enduring the burning sensation in his throat. He sat next to Bai Shiyan, took a few sips from the water cup, and barely washed away the uncomfortable taste. 

“Why come so late?” Bai Shiyan asked him. 

“I encountered something on the road and made a detour.” Liu Zhongming replied: “It was on Ronghua Street. Didn’t you encounter it when you came?” 

“No, I didn’t take that road.” 

Sitting on the other side, a man put down his teacup and added: “Is it about the firewood stabbing people to death on Ronghua Street? I found out yesterday.” 

“What’s the matter?” Mu Jingde had planned to start a topic, but hearing what they said, he asked curiously. 

“I only heard the housekeeper say a few words and didn’t see the truth. What about Brother Xing Zhi?” 

The man called “Brother Xing Zhi” was only just about twenty years old, with long eyebrows and thin eyes. His eyes seemed to be often smiling, with seven points of it being elegant and refined and three points of it being mocking.

“I was there at the perfect time. When the cart tipped over, I was drinking tea not far away. If it went a little bit forward, I’m afraid that it would be me who was pierced.” 

There was an uproar. If it weren’t for Liu Zhongming mentioning it, no one would know that Jiang Xingzhi would encounter such a danger, so they all hurriedly inquired for more. 

Jiang Xingzhi said, “It was really terrible. It happened too suddenly. That person was taking the pastry with one hand. As a result, the firewood pierced through him, and his whole body was nailed to the wall, making the Owner faint.” 

When he reached this point, everyone felt goosebumps. 

Someone smiled bitterly and asked: “You are really bold to look at it personally. Weren’t you afraid you wouldn’t be able to stomach down your food later?”

“That’s nothing, you guys are underestimating Xingzhi.” Mu Jingde laughed: ” When we came back from this trip, we ran into revels in Luo City. Xingzhi took some people to find soldiers to help. When he came back, he was so calm, even his hair was not messed up.” 

Jiang Xingzhi stood up and cupped his hands, “Wang Ye is complimenting me too much.” 

When it came to this, everyone was concerned. 

“Wang Ye encountered rioters in Luo City? Were you injured?” 

“Everything was going well, how can rioters arise?” 

“Has it calmed down now? Will it spread to the capital.” 

“Right, since Luo City is quite close to the capital.” 

“Do not panic, “Mu Jingde lifted his hands, smothering the sounds around: “It was only a small mob. I already had Luo City’s magistrate move their troops to suppress them. It shouldn’t spread to the capital, so everyone doesn’t have to panic.”

Jiang Xingzhi also nodded: “The Magistrate Daren said these people were actually thugs running around outside the city. They must have seen Wangye driving a luxurious car, so they pretended to be normal citizens and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. He had already sent people to fight the bandits on all sides, so there will be an explanation to this matter.”

“That’s good,” Some people patted their chest with lingering fears: “In this peaceful and prosperous world, these people don’t want to work hard to support their families, but just think about doing such terrible things, they should be killed.” 

Many people nodded in agreement, and another eagerly said: “Wangye’s body is precious and filled with luck, it is great that everything was fine.” 

“It wasn’t my luck, it was Royal Father’s Sage, peace and prosperity, only then could those younger generations stop being rampant.” Mu Jingde stood up and raised his cup with everyone. 

“I wish my Royal Father and the world with this cup, good fortune and blessings.” 

After the wine glass was put down, the sudden homicide on Ronghua Street and the unexpected raid in Luo City were unavoidable. Someone then suddenly asked:

“Wangye, before you departed, did you have the Si Tian Guan make a divination for you?” 

As soon as this was said, the room suddenly became quiet, even Jiang Xingzhi put down his wine glass and looked at the man with a smile but not a smile. 

After being jabbed under the table by the person next to him, the person who spoke immediately noticed his slip of the tongue. 

The last Si Tian Guan was executed by the emperor’s orders four months ago, and in the secret subsequent contest for this position, Qi Wang still failed to defeat the Empress’s progeny Ning Wang, Mu Jingzhao. 

Now the person in the position of Si Tian Guan was Ning Wang’s person.

How could Qi Wang let the Si Tian Guan do fortune-telling for himself before he set off. Whether he could get the job at that time was secondary, he was afraid that if one was careless, it would become a big deal and anger the emperor. 

It was Jiang Xingzhi who broke the awkward atmosphere: “The emperor ordered Wangye to leave as soon as possible, and the Si Tian Tuan was also busy at the time, so he did not bother him.” 

With the steps given to retreat, everyone knowingly avoided the topic, but they saw Jiang Xingzhi smile and turn his head. 

“I don’t know if Wangye has heard, but there is someone giving out divinations in the place where we were drinking. I came once a few years ago, but I didn’t expect to come again this time and not find the nameplate.” 

Naturally, Mu Jingde didn’t know such trivial things. It’s just that the things that Jiang Xingzhi brings up were often very interesting, so he casually replied: “What’s so uncommon about that? Ben Wang hears that every street of the capital is full of people giving out divinations. If business is not good, it is normal to close down.” 

He joked: “Matters about business, you should ask Zhongming.” 

Liu Zhongming also laughed: “It’s a pity that I would never do businesses that would result in a loss. It’s fine if they say something good, but if they something bad and lucky and annoy others, the gains wouldn’t be worth the loss.” 

“Zhongming is right.” Jiang Xingzhi laughed: “I thought that the child was gone before, but I heard that some time before, Zhongming had saved his life from Pan Gonggong. I couldn’t help be curious. Since the person is still there, why doesn’t Boss Du list him?” 

Hearing him mention Pan Gonggong, most of the people at the table knew what he was talking about. Someone couldn’t help but laugh in a low voice. 

Since Mu Jingde had just returned to the capital, he hadn’t heard any rumors, so he asked wonderingly, “What are you laughing at? This person is famous?” 

“Also…he could be considered famous, another type of famous.” Everyone held back a laugh and explained to him: “I heard that Pan Gonggong came to play, but the child couldn’t say anything. He was so ashamed that he smashed Pan Gonggong in the face with the oracle bones and fled.” 

“I also heard that Boss Du took him away and beat him to death, then brought him to plead guilty to Pan Gonggong. But they didn’t expect…pu…” 

“Haha, I also heard that. The kid smashed Pan Gonggong’s face again.” 

Mu Jingde listened to the fun: ” I really have not seen someone so bold, didn’t Pan He turn mad?”

“Naturally, he was angry.” Jiang Xingzhi said leisurely: “Many bystanders saw it. Pan Gonggong dragged him onto the main street outside his residence. He wanted to slowly torture the person to death.” 

He turned his face, then said, “But I heard that he was rescued by Zhongming.”