spoiled brat

Chapter 162, Section 161: Useless (Part 1)

Xie Xiaoqing patted his chest and said proudly, "She's my boss."

"...Your boss?"

That figure and appearance were clearly Zhao Zhao'er. They had depended on each other for more than ten years. Even if they turned to ashes, Xiao Duo would not mistake them.

He wanted to go forward for a closer look, but Xie Xiaoqing stopped him with a shout: "What are you going up there for? It's not time to reward those who have contributed yet—"

Before the words were finished, a string of firelight appeared behind them, accompanied by the clattering sound of horses' hooves pounding on the grass.

Xie Xiaoqing hurriedly pulled Xiao Duo into the bushes. A group of people rode by, raising dust, but it wasn't Xiu Yi's guards; it was Li Qingwen leading his men!
"How well-informed is this beast?" Xie Xiaoqing exclaimed in horror.

The eunuchs had just been stopped when he arrived. He was probably hiding in some corner watching beforehand, and he immediately stepped in to play the good cop when trouble struck!
Li Qingwen dismounted and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Zhao Zhao admired his composure.

Despite the impending doom, Li Qingwen's face remained calm and expressionless in the firelight, and he spoke in an indifferent tone:
"While I was inspecting the granary at night, I discovered signs of theft and followed the hoofprints, only to encounter this group of eunuchs..."

He glanced at the trembling person at his feet, then looked up at Xiu Yi and Zhao Zhao standing side by side: "And you and Miss Yuan."

In the bushes, Xiao Duo stood blankly, his eyes filled with indescribable emotions, murmuring, "...Miss Yuan?"

Surrounded by mosquitoes and flies, Xie Xiaoqing covered their faces with his two large sleeves, his muffled voice carrying a hint of boasting:

“My eldest daughter is a descendant of a loyal and brave man. Her father was a famous general under the Prince of Ning’s command. Although she was a maid, her status was no lower than that of those rich young ladies.”

Xiao Duo nodded blankly, his heart filled with mixed feelings, unable to tell whether it was sadness or joy.

He hoped that the noble lady before him was Zhao Zhao, but he also hoped that Zhao Zhao was still waiting for him to return to Yunzhou.

As long as he saves enough money, as long as he travels over mountains and rivers, the two of them can go back to how they were before.

But then the 'Miss Yuan' spoke with a smile, her voice exactly the same as Zhao Zhao's: 'Lord Li, the young master and I had just met those few when you arrived.'

The young master beside her was no more than seventeen or eighteen, with a handsome face and a cold expression. He glanced at Zhaozhao and said:
"What a coincidence. Just a few steps outside the city, and I've stumbled upon a petty thief. Lord Li, since you're here to catch a thief, why not interrogate him in front of me?"

"Your Highness, we are not thieves!" the eunuchs cried, kneeling on the ground. "We are..."

"What is it?"

Li Qingwen interrupted coldly, strode to a bullock cart, lifted the tarpaulin covering it to reveal a high stack of grain sacks, and shouted, "The evidence is irrefutable, do you still dare to deny it?"

His upright and unyielding demeanor was a stark contrast to his usual humble and tolerant attitude.

The eunuchs, seeing his intention to betray them, angrily said, "...You, surnamed Li, well, you're something else! Where was this the kind of swagger you showed when you were wagging your tail at our grandfather?!"

Li Qingwen calmly replied, "It's true that I exchanged a few words with Wu Da Dang, but that was all for official business. How could I have been as obsequious as you claim?"

"That's truly outrageous!"

A young eunuch pointed to the row of oxcarts behind him and said, his neck stiff:
"You're heartless, so blame us for being unjust! It just so happens that the young master is here too, so let's take this opportunity to clear things up: how you fawned over our grandfather, and how you sent..."

As he spoke, the young eunuch's voice grew softer and softer, as if someone were strangling him. He glanced sideways, speechless, and saw his colleagues looking at him with fear, as if afraid he would reveal everything...

What will happen to their relatives who have been arrested if they get involved with higher authorities?
Li Qingwen sneered, "Why don't you finish what you were saying, sir?"

The once aggressive eunuch softened, gritting his teeth in resentment but unable to utter another word.

Li Qingwen pressed his advantage, saying with feigned seriousness:
“You were originally from the Imperial Horse Administration, and you often abused your positions for personal gain. But my teacher used the work-for-relief program to gather refugees from outside the city into the training ground to raise horses, thus taking away your jobs and naturally sharing your profits.”

“Wu Da Dang is pragmatic and understands the bigger picture. He knows this is a good thing for the country and the people, and he doesn’t feel like he’s losing out. But you are blinded by greed. You somehow got hold of the warehouse keys and stole the grain that was meant for the refugees! You disregard the people’s livelihood and deserve to be punished!”

The eunuchs had no way to argue and had to admit it. They kowtowed with sobs, saying, "...We were blind and had wicked thoughts! We were caught, but we still tried to implicate our superiors... We beg Your Highness for mercy, we beg Your Highness to spare our lives!"

Li Qingwen, without batting an eye, nodded to Xiu Yi and said, "Young Master, the crime is clear."

Xiu Yi watched from the sidelines, finding the whole thing rather boring.

He knew perfectly well that he had been brought here to be used as a weapon, and that it was not yet time for him to draw his sword, so he glanced sideways to his side.

Zhao Zhao decided to drop the pretense and stepped forward: "Lord Li is quite capable, convicting you in just a few words. I'm curious, if you've only met Wu Da Dang a few times, how do you know one of his underlings, Xiao Huozhe?"

Li Qingwen remained unfazed: "Miss Yuan, I am, after all, the second-highest scorer in this imperial examination. I can memorize hundreds and thousands of books. What do a few faces matter to me?"

"Not only do you have a good memory, but your ability to predict the future is also top-notch."

Zhao Zhao sneered, "Just now, the young master and I ran into this group of eunuchs, and you came after us; you've only met them a few times, yet you can explain their motives so clearly."

"Miss Yuan is too kind," Li Qingwen replied fluently. "I usually assist the Minister with official business, which involves many criminal cases and lawsuits. I do have the ability to deduce the ins and outs of cases."

He then glanced at the kneeling eunuchs: "They have confessed. I will immediately send them to the Jingzhao Prefecture for severe punishment to uphold the law. Guards—"

Just as Li Qingwen was about to get away with it, a voice suddenly said, "Wait!"

Zhao Zhao and Xiu Yi both looked over and saw that the person who came was Xie Xiaoqing.

Having squatted in the grass for a long time, his face was covered in mosquito bites, and his righteous indignation was somewhat comical: "If Miss Yuan is unsure about your sordid affairs, then I will tell you!"

Li Qingwen seemed surprised, and a smile slowly appeared on his face: "Very well, I'd love to hear Young Master Xie's insightful opinion."

"Minister Jiang asked the two of us to handle this matter together, but you were afraid of offending Wu Da Dang of the Imperial Horse Administration, so you secretly sent him money and women!"

Li Qingwen, dressed in a dark green official robe that fluttered in the wind, still smiled: "I am of low rank and insignificant, and my monthly salary is barely enough to make ends meet. Young Master Xie, you are too kind to say that I am giving money to others."

He assumed that none of the people present knew the inside story of the warehouse, but Xie Xiaoqing, who had been lying in wait for a long time, revealed everything:

“You may not have money, but you have grain! The relief grain transferred from the south is newly harvested spring wheat, which sells for extremely high prices in the market. It’s no exaggeration to say that a bushel of rice can fetch a bushel of silver! You colluded with Wu Da Dang, having the eunuchs lead people in batches to exchange for grain. You took the good grain to sell for money, leaving only the rotten and moldy grain for the refugees to eat!”

Upon hearing this, Li Qingwen's expression shifted slightly.

"Lord Li," Xiu Yi asked coldly, "is that truly the case?"