Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 233 Repaying the favor
Sang Dian slightly raised his eyelids.

"Dragon Guard"? Yes, but there's only one person, lying on a bed in the inner room.

Wang Yan would not explain this matter to the county magistrate and the county assistant magistrate.

Even if someone asks, he has to go to the officials, and he will have a way to explain it clearly.

Wang Yan said, "Before the Imperial Guards arrive in Daming Prefecture, you can offer your official positions to Prefect Liu and fight against the imperial court together with him. This will show that all the officials of Daming Prefecture are of one mind."

The magistrate's legs went weak and he almost knelt down. He originally thought that by relying on their shared success in the imperial examinations, he could address Wang Yan as "elder brother" and ask Wang Yan to speak well of them after he went to the capital. He never expected that Wang Yan would simply label them as accomplices of Prefect Liu.

I never thought Wang Yan was so difficult to talk to...

But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. Anyone who has been trapped on a mountain for so long would be filled with resentment.

This anger had to be released eventually.

The magistrate said in a low voice, "We are willing to defend the Guan County government office to the death. We would rather die in battle than let the rebels in."

Wang Yan remained silent, and the magistrate continued, "Zheng Guancha's troops have been captured. We will immediately go and reorganize them, and bring them to defend the city. If Prefect Liu spreads rumors, we will try to stabilize the morale of the troops."

"We will hold out until the Imperial Guards arrive."

Wang Yan's eyes were exceptionally deep. He stood up, stopped talking to anyone, and walked out of the front hall.

After Wang Yan had walked away, the county magistrate plopped down on the ground.

"The county magistrate."

The county magistrate's assistant immediately stepped forward to help him up, and upon touching him, he noticed that the magistrate's official robes were already soaked with sweat.

Just how much sweat did he shed?
“So close!” the magistrate said, looking at the crowd. “Just a little bit more!”

Those who understand, understand; those who don't, can guess fairly well.

They almost died here.

Wang Yan wouldn't tell them what to do next; they had to figure it out themselves. What was the point of keeping a group of officials who couldn't do anything at this time? It would be better to kill them. That way, Wang Yan wouldn't have to worry about Liu Zhifu's spies among them.

The fact that the magistrate could say those things proves that he has thought everything through, so he can stay and do his job.

The county magistrate said, "The county magistrate said he would persuade those surrendered soldiers to defend the government office, but... how should we do that? The Dragon Guards haven't come yet, can we keep those people calm? What if they are persuaded by Prefect Liu and his men while they are defending the government office, and then turn around and kill us... what will we do then?"

The magistrate took a deep breath: "Are you confused? We're defending the county government office, not attacking Prefect Liu. How can we win by holding out here?"

The county magistrate nodded and then shook his head: "No, unless reinforcements arrive."

“Yes,” the magistrate said, “why was the Imperial Envoy so certain that there would be reinforcements? It must be because what he said was true, the evidence has been sent to the capital, and the Emperor will surely send troops.”

"Now that all this has been explained, can't you still figure out which path leads to survival and which leads to certain death?"

"As long as we keep the King Angel safe, we can atone for our mistakes. Regardless of whether anyone has made a mistake before... at least we can be treated leniently."

The officials all nodded.

Just as Wang Tianshi said, could it be that they rebelled along with Prefect Liu?
"Let's go and appease those surrendered soldiers first."

"It would be best to take down those junior officers."

"Yes, the soldiers won't take risks, but the junior officer is another story. If there's no leader, the soldiers will have no choice but to obey us."

Before leaving, the magistrate looked in the direction Wang Yan had gone. Without any effort, he had made them say what they wanted to say. The Wang family was indeed formidable.

……

Xie Yuyan didn't know how long she had slept. Halfway through, she tried to struggle to open her eyes, but then she heard Wang Yan's voice. "It's okay, if you're tired, just sleep a little longer."

"Everything is arranged. We are currently at the Guan County government office. There is an inner city here, so we can close the city gates and hold out for a few days without any problem."

Xie Yuyan nodded and was about to fall asleep, but she was helped up and given medicine before being allowed to drift off to sleep.

After repeating this several times, she finally felt that her head and eyelids were not so heavy, and she became much more awake. So she opened her eyes and saw a tall figure.

Wang Yan held a bowl of soup, stirring it repeatedly with a spoon as he waited for it to cool down.

Before Xie Yuyan could speak, as if by telepathy, Wang Yan happened to look at her, and their eyes met unexpectedly. Wang Yan's gaze was less guarded and indifferent... as if there was something else in it.

Like a sudden spark, it scorched Xie Yuyan.

Importantly, Wang Yan made no attempt to hide anything, but instead smiled at her and asked, "Awake? Are you hungry?"

Xie Yuyan nodded, feeling somewhat puzzled by Wang Yan's demeanor.

Wang Yan picked up the soup: "It's freshly made. A cow just froze to death in the government office, so I had someone make beef soup with a little astragalus in it. You should try it."

He scooped up a spoonful and brought it to her lips in such a smooth and effortless manner that she didn't even have time to refuse.

Xie Yuyan drank several mouthfuls of the fragrant beef soup. She looked around and asked, "Are we in the yamen?"

Wang Yan said, "Guanxian County Government Office."

It seems she wasn't dreaming; Wang Yan did indeed speak in her ear.

"Outside……"

“A troop of soldiers wanted to enter the city, saying that Prefect Liu wanted to see me, and they also brought several heads,” Wang Yan said. “They said that there was a riot in the city, which was quelled by Prefect Liu.”

“I let Tan Xiang show himself on the city wall, and those people stopped talking.”

This was to tell Prefect Liu that there was no point in denying it; Wang Yan had solid evidence in his hands.

Xie Yuyan raised her head, only to meet Wang Yan's gaze. Was it just her imagination?

Xie Yuyan pursed her lips: "Lord Wang... seems to have been too kind to me. I can do these things myself now."

“No,” Wang Yan said, “My wife should give me a chance to repay the life-saving grace.”

Xie Yuyan said, "There's no need for that, these are trivial matters..."

“If you’re not even willing to do small things,” Wang Yan laughed. “How can you do big things? In the future, if you encounter someone who only says thank you verbally, never risk saving their life.”

Xie Yuyan looked closely at Wang Yan. Was Lord Wang truly so grateful?

"I still want to..." Xie Yuyan tried to get out of bed, but as she moved, she felt something strange on her feet. She couldn't help but lift a corner of the blanket and immediately saw two clubs tightly wrapped in strips of cloth...

"I..." Xie Yuyan and Wang Yan exchanged glances, "Do I still have my feet?"

Wang Yan couldn't help but smile, his smile deepening: "My foot is still there, only the blisters are gone."

That's good, otherwise Xie Yuyan felt that she would really have to blackmail Wang Yan into serving her for the rest of her life.

While he was thinking, Wang Yan stepped aside and considerately took out a pair of slippers: "These are sold by the peddler at the yamen gate. There are no other styles. Just make do with these! The washroom is in the west room. You can see it as soon as you go out."

Xie Yuyan threw off the covers and got out of bed. Just as she was about to stand up, Wang Yan immediately stood beside her considerately, as if afraid she would fall.

Xie Yuyan took a deep breath and looked up at Wang Yan: "If I had known it was so simple, I should have saved Lord Wang sooner, so that I wouldn't have been on guard by him for so long."