Miss and farmhand

Huang Xingtong, of course, had no idea why Shen Jingzong looked so alarmed. He assumed it was because he had acted so well outside that he had frightened Shen Jingzong.

Shen Jingzong later went with him to the prison where Shi Tou was imprisoned. The jailers on night duty that day were not there, saying they were injured. No one saw what the robber looked like, only that he was very fast, like a gust of wind, and everyone fell down in an instant.

Huang Xingtong was very suspicious, suspecting that these people were afraid of being blamed, so they tried their best to exaggerate the situation and describe the attackers' skills as extremely high, so as to make it seem that they were not neglecting their duties.

More likely, someone was caught off guard and taking a nap last night.

The prison door was opened with a key. Shen Jingzong said the prison guards confessed that the robbers knocked them unconscious and stole the key.

However, inside the prison, the iron locks and chains that bound the stone to the rack were cut cleanly and precisely; no sword in the government office could ever achieve such an effect.

Huang Xingtong pointed to the blade and said, "The sharpest thing in my house is a kitchen knife. Would you like to come over and try chopping it again?"

This completely clears them of any suspicion.

But Huang Xingtong didn't know that Shen Jingzong was no longer just suspicious of him. The fact that the Huang family didn't have the knife was even more suspicious. If your family didn't have it, then it could only have been done by an outsider.

Military law stipulates: "...bows, arrows, guns, knives, crossbows, harpoons, and forks are not prohibited."

Swords and knives were not restricted in civilian life; those who traveled the martial arts world, escorted goods, or were merchants, and even those in temples and monasteries might possess weapons. However, most civilians primarily used inexpensive, portable knives and broadswords for intimidation rather than actual combat. These cheap weapons, barely enough to cut through a pig with a single blow, were certainly no match for metal.

A knife that can cut iron, even better than those used in government offices, is only found in the military.

Shen Jingzong broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't listen carefully to what Huang Xingtong said afterward. After seeing the man off, he discussed the matter with a trusted clerk who knew the details.

The clerk asked, "Should we call the Zhou family here? If it really is an investigation from above, we can cooperate."

Shen Jingzong nodded subconsciously at first, then suddenly stopped, his eyelids snapping open as he stared at the clerk, saying, "You're not allowed to go! Not a single word of this can be revealed to the Zhou family!"

The clerk was stunned for a moment, and then saw Shen Jingzong walking back and forth between the two chairs. He stopped in the middle, put his hands behind his back, and turned his head to look at him. His body was hunched over because of the twisting, half of his face was lit up, and most of it was hidden in the shadows, like an old and trapped beast.

"We've always kept everything related to the Zhou family and our dealings at sea separate from you, right?"

"Yes, we've been following the master's instructions. The place belongs to someone else, and the people aren't ours, so we can't find anything."

"Okay, okay... let me think about it some more..."

"Master," the clerk hesitated, his master panicked, and so he panicked too. After all, his job was to offer advice, whether it worked or not didn't matter, and he wasn't the one who made the final decision. "Shouldn't we wait until we have concrete evidence before taking action? Being too hasty will only make us give ourselves away. We can't afford to expose any more of our secrets."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"How about... we put the Huang family under house arrest first? We have a ready-made reason. In short, we can't let them communicate with the outside world anymore, and it will also give us time to make arrangements."

Shen Jingzong was startled and asked, "...Is it too late? They kidnapped them last night, and they're probably nowhere to be found now."

The clerk said, "No. The city gates are closed at night, and you can't get out without them opening. When they discovered the person was missing this morning, the city gates were still closed. Now everyone over there knows that a prisoner has been lost, and we've sent more people there. The checks in and out are very strict. It's impossible to get out with someone who is injured. The prisoner was tortured, and judging from Master Huang's appearance, he seems to be very distressed. He probably wouldn't risk his safety to force someone to escape; he would definitely use medicine to heal his wounds first. So if there's no other place for them to hide in the city, then they can only be still in the Huang residence."

The more Shen Jingzong listened, the more he felt it made sense.

However, imprisoning the local gentry was simply impossible. Whatever the reason, Huang Xingtong held the official position of a headmaster—barely qualifying as a half-official—and possessed the academic titles of Juren and Jinshi. His actions when he struck the petition drum in front of the courthouse already hinted at his ambition. The local people revered scholars like him, returning gentlemen and intellectuals, and trusted him even more than the government. Furthermore, he was eloquent and persuasive, able to command a large following; in a short time, he had stirred up quite a stir outside.

What reason could there be to imprison him? Or better yet, we could also absolve him of any responsibility as the county magistrate, so that no one would know he was behind it and that he couldn't be blamed.

The clerk couldn't think of a solution either.

Shen Jingzong was anxious but couldn't find a reason, and time ticked by. At times like these, time was of the essence.

He suddenly opened his eyes slightly wider.

"...Go," he whispered to the clerk, "go to the academy and find Young Master Zhu. Tell him to come directly to my study."

……

Huang Xingtong breathed a sigh of relief and returned home, only to encounter the departing yamen runners on his way.

When they arrived at the door, they asked the gatekeeper. Emboldened by Huang Chu's earlier words, the gatekeeper argued fiercely with the constable, acting as if in battle. Being quick-witted, he only argued, never actually fighting. He repeatedly shouted, "You dare touch me? Don't you know who my master is!" The shouts grew louder and louder, fueling his growing audacity. Eventually, a small crowd gathered at the door, whispering amongst themselves, and they all heard it.

When Huang Xingtong returned, he first asked Shi Tou, and then said to Huang Chu and Huang Muyun, "We've dealt with it for now. But that old bastard Shen Jingzong isn't one to let things go easily. He seems quite scared, I don't know why. Although losing face in prison is a big deal, this time it seems even worse than before."

Huang Chu and Huang Muyun exchanged a glance.

Huang Xingtong said, "Anyway, he'll definitely make another foolish move. Stone isn't a long-term solution with us; we have to get rid of him. How is he now?"

"It's not optimistic. He's conscious, but his injuries need to heal. Even if we force him out, even if there's a car, the bumpy ride will be unbearable, and his wounds will definitely reopen."

They were also in a hurry, racing against time. Whatever they did next had to be done as quickly as possible, for fear that if they were even a step too late, Shen Jingzong would be completely cut off from their escape route.

Huang Chu suddenly asked, "Has Xiao Lin left yet?"

The other two looked at her.

She hesitated, then said, "If we can get him on the ship, the sea route is easier than the land route. He can recuperate there, and they won't be able to track him down. The docks are never as heavily guarded as the city gates, and the Maritime Trade Office has taken a lot of bribes from Xiao Lin. Taking someone along might not be a problem. Anyway, he's leaving soon, so how about we take Shi Tou with us?"

Huang Muyun's message to Xiaolin last night was a urging him to leave quickly. On land, he was no match for the Zhou family; it was Han territory, entirely at the Zhou family's mercy. Only at sea or back in Nanyang, when the Zhou family came looking for him, would he have the confidence to negotiate. Now he regretted not considering the stone factor. It was all because he hadn't trusted Xiaolin from the beginning.

He glanced back at Huang Chu, finding it odd that she had suddenly changed her mind and was willing to hand the stone over to Xiao Lin. She disliked the Japanese even more than he did.

Huang Chu didn't explain, he just asked if it was okay. They immediately sent people to the restaurant and the dock to find him. The restaurant had already settled its accounts, and the dock was already loading ships. Fortunately, Xiao Lin was at the dock. After hearing their request, he agreed without hesitation. He knew that Shi Tou was someone who could threaten the Zhou family, so he wouldn't harm him and would take good care of him.

Because the departure time could not be changed, otherwise it would be too conspicuous, they agreed that once they were out at sea, they would stay near the shore and send a small boat down to pick them up quietly. Of course, they could not go through the dock, so they chose a mudflat near the river mouth.

After the servants reported back, the whole family breathed a sigh of relief. They then did their best to treat Shi Tou, and cooked him food, hoping he would eat as much as possible and build up his strength. The journey from the Huang family to the mudflats involved a carriage ride, and afterwards they would have to walk, as they didn't have the energy to walk.

They were upstairs, working quietly and urgently.

Suddenly someone announced, "Master, someone has arrived outside."

Everyone was startled.

Why did Shen Jingzong act so quickly?

Huang Xingtong instinctively reached out to stop the three children, then approached the door and asked, "Who is it? Are they from the yamen again?"

"No," the man said, "it's the master and Young Master Zhu from over there who have arrived."