Chapter 449: Bandit
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Gu Yanfei asked instead of answering, “How are you going to deal with this Xue guy?”
It was a question of what to do with this person.
Fan Beiran frowned and said decisively, “We can’t hand him over to the authorities.”
Once in court, regardless of whether this Xue fellow was spouting nonsense or telling the truth, this matter involved his fifth sister’s reputation. The girl was beautiful jade and porcelain. She couldn’t be tainted by such rotten tiles, let alone let this Xue fellow speak nonsense outside.
Outsiders wouldn’t care if Fan Mushuang was really innocent and pitiful. They would only think that there was no smoke without fire and would only find fault with her. They might even say, why did the Xue fellow target her?
Fan Beiran had already made up his mind. It was better to kill him directly.
At this moment, Fan Beiran was still smiling, but his eyes seemed to be covered in a layer of frost.
Naturally, Gu Yanfei could tell. She reminded him leisurely, “This is the capital.”
This was the capital, not a battlefield.
Emperor Taizu personally partic.i.p.ated in the elaboration of the Law of Jin, which was far more detailed than the previous dynasty. Emperor Taizu often said that the emperor would be punished for breaking the law. For example, the previous dynasty’s master only killed a slave for compensation. However, according to the laws of this dynasty, not only did the master who killed the slave pay compensation, but he also had to serve for three months.
However, ever since Emperor Taizu pa.s.sed away, the people have basically not reported it to the officials over the years. Be it the children of the family or the ordinary people selling their children as slaves, they didn’t dare sue the master for killing slaves.
Moreover, this scholar surnamed Xue had a scholarly status, a household registration, and a prestigious family. He had also studied in the Bailu Academy. He had a teacher and cla.s.smates… He was different from those servants who had sold themselves.
Killing is a serious crime. Even Chu Yi, the Eldest Prince, had used a dignified reason to kill the capital’s mayor, Feng He.
After the death of the original capital eunuch, Chu Yi took advantage of the internal strife in the family to transfer the former left temple deputy of Dali Temple, Zhong Zhen, and appoint him as the new capital eunuch.
When Zhong Zhen was an official at the Dali Temple, he had always been famous for being impartial, fair, and strict. After he took office, he vigorously regulated the law and order in the capital. For this, he served as a warning to others and punished several children of officials according to the law.
With Gu Yanfei’s reminder, Fan Beiran also thought of it. He rubbed the patterns on the sheath with his thumb and thought to himself: Should I secretly bring this Xue guy out of the city and find a mountain to throw him down? Or should I let him encounter bandits on the way and be stabbed to death…
“Let him go,” Gu Yanfei said calmly. “That’s enough.”
She said the last words very slowly and meaningfully.
Fan Beiran and Fan Mushuang looked at Gu Yanfei in confusion.
“Don’t worry about him,” Gu Yanfei emphasized again.
She didn’t deliberately lower her voice when she said these words, so both Gu Yuan and the Fan siblings heard her clearly.
Gu Yuan patted Fan Beiran’s shoulder rhythmically and gave him a look.
Lying on the ground, Scholar Xue panted heavily. His ears were buzzing from the beating, and he couldn’t hear what they were saying.
At this moment, he had already recovered from the fear of the Gu entering his nostrils. He realized that, other than external injuries, he didn’t feel any discomfort. Even the mother Gu that was stirring in his head had stopped, and his head didn’t hurt at all.
Yes, this is only a Love Gu, not a killer Gu.
Scholar Xue secretly heaved a sigh of relief. Just as he was wondering if it was better to beg for mercy or pretend to faint, he saw Fan Beiran and the others walking out of the house.
So, they’ve let me off?!
When this thought appeared in his mind, Scholar Xue felt relieved. He was both glad and a little proud.
Yes, I’m no ordinary person. I’m a scholar with a meritorious status.
If I die here tonight, my old friends will naturally report it to the officials. Even the Fan family won’t be able to escape from a murder charge.
No matter how angry the Fan family is, they 11 only beat me up to vent their anger.
Scholar Xue watched them walk away without blinking, feeling completely relieved. The corners of his lips curled up, and a pair of turbid triangular eyes flashed with a smug light.
As expected, the daughter of such a wealthy family values her reputation and doesn’t dare to go to the authorities. Otherwise, she’ll probably never be able to get married in her life. She can only twist her hair and become a nun.
Hmph, they actually dared to hit me?!
Not seeking revenge for such an enmity would be unbecoming of a gentleman. Tomorrow, fllgo and exaggerate the story of my affection for the Fifth Young Lady of the Fan family, and tell the sad story of how I intended to propose but was beaten up by her parents and brothers.
I want to see how the Fan family would deal with these three people!
The more Scholar Xue thought about it, the more smug he became. The more he thought about it, the more impatient he became. He wanted to get up, but when he moved his body slightly, the place where he had just been beaten up was so painful that he broke out in cold sweat. Especially his dislocated right shoulder, it hurt even more.
Scholar Xue simply laid on the ground without moving and closed his eyes to rest.
At some point, the broken oil lamp beside him had been extinguished.
After an unknown period of time, the sky outside gradually lit up. It went from gray to white.
Scholar Xue opened his eyes again. He held his dislocated right shoulder and sat up from the ground with difficulty. The pain in his body twisted his face.
He stood up with difficulty against a table, thinking that he had to go out and find a doctor to reattach his dislocated joint.
He held his right shoulder and slowly walked out the door.
After walking in the narrow alley for a while, the door of another house in the alley suddenly opened.
A middle-aged woman walked out. She wanted to turn around and close the door, but she happened to see Scholar Xue a few steps away and couldn’t help but be shocked.
“Scholar… Scholar Xue, how did you become like this?” The middle-aged woman looked at Scholar Xue in shock. “You… were you beaten up?”
She was no longer in a hurry to go grocery shopping.
“Sister-in-law Li.” Scholar Xue greeted her weakly. He knew that this woman was famous for being fast-talking in this area. She usually liked to gossip with those aunts and grandmas. Whatever she knew meant that everyone in the nearby streets knew.
“Sigh!” Scholar Xue was excited, but he pretended to lament. “I’m fine. I was just punched twice by my future brother-in-law.”
Sister-in-law Li’s eyes lit up and she quickly asked, “Scholar Xue, are you engaged?”
“…” Scholar Xue nodded, then shook his head and sighed.
When Sister-in-law Li saw that he wanted to say something but hesitated, she felt that there must be something hidden. She quickly asked, “Could it be that that girl’s family doesn’t agree to this marriage?”
“That’s right.” Scholar Xue nodded in embarra.s.sment. He wanted to tell the other party that the Fifth Young Lady of the Fan family had fallen in love with him and wouldn’t marry anyone other than him. In the end, the Fan family had to have their nose in the air and insisted on breaking them up.
However, the moment the words left his mouth, they became —
“I fell in love with myself…”
What?! Scholar Xue was stunned. Sister-in-law Li was also stunned, thinking that she was hallucinating.
Sister-in-law Li swallowed her saliva and asked, “Scholar Xue, what did you just say?”
Could it be that he said something wrong?
Scholar Xue tried again. “I fell in love with myself…”
“I’m talented and knowledgeable. I’m a top scholar. Not only the Bailu Academy, but no one in the huge capital can compare to me! I’m so outstanding. Only I’m worthy of myself.”
“I’m already deeply in love with myself. I swear that I’ll marry no one but myself!”
Sister-in-law Li was dumbfounded by Scholar Xue’s shocking words.
She had never heard of such an explosive matter in her life. In the past, those stories of who had an affair with whom, which daughter-in-law had given birth to her father-in-law’s child, or which family had a shared wife with a brother-in-law were all pale in comparison to Scholar Xue’s story.
She suddenly felt a strong desire to confide in others and wanted to tell them this secret.
Sister-in-law Li comforted Scholar Xue perfunctorily. “Scholar Xue, this is nothing. Everyone has their own hobbies.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
“I still have to go grocery shopping, so I’ll leave first.”
With that, she ran away before Scholar Xue could react.
Scholar Xue was left alone in this narrow and cold alley.
He blinked and blinked again. Something was wrong.
How can I have deep feelings for myself…
However, as soon as this thought appeared in his mind, he felt sweet. It was as if honey was dripping from his heart.
Yes, I’m so good and can be said to be talented. In the future, I’ll be someone who can enter the pavilion to pay respects to the Emperor. Of course, who else can I love other than myself?
Looking at Sister-in-law Li’s departing figure in a hurry, Scholar Xue still wanted to confide in her. He wanted to call out to her, but she ran too fast and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Sigh!
Scholar Xue sighed faintly. He didn’t know who else he could confide in.
He wanted to tell everyone that he was deeply in love with himself. He wanted everyone in the world to witness this unprecedented love..