Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands

Chapter 432 - 0413: Will Not Stay Out of It (2)

The gagged Tian Sanbao shook his head furiously, "Mmm mmm, mmm mmm—"

"What are you mumbling about? If there’s an injustice, take it up with the Pavilion Chief!" Li Xing’an kicked him again.

"I will go find the Pavilion Chief immediately," Mu Yuanxiu said. "You all wait here for my news."

"Alright," Li Yuzhu nodded.

Mu Yuanxiu went to the front yard steps, untied the mule from the cart, and rode the mule away from the Song Family under the night sky.

However, he didn’t go directly to find the Pavilion Chief; instead, he first went to the Li Family.

Mu Yuanxiu knocked on the Li family’s door.

Uncle Gui was still awake because Li Yuzhu and Li Xing’an had gone out, and he needed to stay at the door to let them in.

Hearing the knocking, he thought Li Yuzhu and Li Xing’an had returned and cheerfully went to open the door, "Is it Miss Li and Xing’an back home?"

"Uncle Gui, it’s me, Yuanxiu."

"Yuanxiu? You’re alone?" Uncle Gui opened the door.

Mu Yuanxiu led the mule into the yard, "Uncle Gui, could you please look after the mule? I’m going in to find Uncle Li."

"Huh, why haven’t Miss Li and Xing’an returned? Didn’t you drive to Mr. Song’s house? Why have you come back with just the mule, and where’s the cart?" Uncle Gui looked outside; the moonlight was dim, and the street was silent without anyone else.

Mu Yuanxiu briefly explained the situation at the Song Family’s house, "A thief broke into Mr. Song’s house, and he is Song Lizheng’s nephew. I’m worried that if Song Lizheng handles it, he’ll cover up for him and do nothing. Third Brother and Yu Zhu said, better directly find the Pavilion Chief. But I’m concerned the Pavilion Chief won’t see me, so I’ve come to ask Uncle Li for a letter, hoping he can intervene."

Uncle Gui was surprised, "Ah, Song Lizheng’s nephew is a thief? Stealing at Mr. Song’s house?" Then a thought struck him, "Is he from the Tian Family?"

"Exactly,"

"Hmph, it’s the Tian Family! They’ve been bullying everyone in Qingshui River Village, relying on Song Lizheng’s influence." Uncle Gui said angrily, "You’ve caught someone from the Tian Family, it’s time to teach them a lesson."

Gui Bai handed a lantern to Mu Yuanxiu, telling him to hurry and find Prince Luling.

Mu Yuanxiu took the lantern and marched to the back residence.

Though the second watch had passed, Prince Luling was still reading by the light in his chamber.

Mu Yuanxiu walked to the window, softly calling, "Uncle Li, Uncle Li? It’s me, Yuanxiu."

Prince Luling’s desk was right by the window. Hearing the sound outside, he paused, then quickly opened the window, "Yuanxiu? What brings you here?"

"Uncle Li, I need to talk with you about something," Mu Yuanxiu stood below the window and replied.

Prince Luling wrapped his outer robe around himself, "I’ll be right out."

He went to the outer room.

Mu Yuanxiu recounted everything that had happened at Mr. Song’s house to Prince Luling without withholding any details.

The matter needed Prince Luling’s intervention to resolve, so he couldn’t afford to keep any secrets.

Prince Luling was both angry and shocked, "What? Bullying an old man and a lone girl, what kind of man does that? Did you and Third Brother give that guy a good beating?"

Mu Yuanxiu replied, "I kicked him twice, and Third Brother kicked him once."

"Third Brother, that useless fellow, why only kick him once?" Prince Luling snorted in disdain.

Mu Yuanxiu’s mouth twitched, then got back to the business at hand.

"Third Brother and Yu Zhu asked me to go to the Pavilion Chief regarding the Song Family issues. I worry the Pavilion Chief won’t intervene, so I hope you can write a letter for him," Mu Yuanxiu said.

Prince Luling tugged his beard as he pondered, "Will a letter written by me work?"

Mu Yuanxiu smiled slightly, "If you’re concerned, Uncle Li, you could take a peacock feather from the painting of feathers in your main room and attach it to the letter. The Pavilion Chief wouldn’t dare ignore it."

The Pavilion Chief managed regional public order and random affairs of all villages. He wouldn’t personally handle village matters unless someone influential approached him.

Prince Luling looked at Mu Yuanxiu and smiled suddenly, "You’re really a clever one. Fine, I’ll write it right away."

He walked into the bedroom, thought for a moment, wrote a letter with a requestful tone, and followed Mu Yuanxiu’s suggestion by plucking a peacock feather from the feather painting in the main room and attached it to the envelope.

Mu Yuanxiu placed the letter in his breast, mounted the mule, and hurried to the village near the market where the Pavilion Chief lived.

At the third watch, Mu Yuanxiu knocked on the Pavilion Chief’s door.

The gatekeeper grumbled behind the door, "Who is it, knocking in the dead of night."

Mu Yuanxiu said, "Old man, I’m from Taohua River Village. My master’s surname is Li, a distant relative of Lord County Magistrate, seeking the Pavilion Chief’s help."

The gatekeeper, hearing that a distant relative of the County Magistrate’s was seeking the Pavilion Chief, did not dare ignore it and quickly said, "Hold on a moment, I’ll go notify our master."

He swiftly ran to the back residence to wake up the Pavilion Chief, telling him the visitor’s name.

The Pavilion Chief was momentarily surprised, then immediately said, "Please have that person wait for me in the main hall, I’ll be right there."

The long-term worker received the message, returned to the entrance of the house, and invited Mu Yuanxiu inside, leading him to the main hall.

The title of Prince Luling might not be known to commoners in distant villages, but all the village chiefs and pavilion chiefs in these villages were well aware of him.

Their direct superior was the County Magistrate, whom they constantly tried to ingratiate themselves with in hopes of receiving some rewards at the end of the year. Unfortunately, Lord County Magistrate rarely visited the villages.

Thus, they sought out the County Magistrate’s relatives or those working around him, hoping they would put in a good word for them in front of Lord County Magistrate.

But since Lord County Magistrate was appointed from another region, he had few relatives locally, which made the eager-to-please pavilion chiefs and village chiefs quite distressed.

Upon learning that Prince Luling was a distant relative of the County Magistrate, they anxiously sought ways to visit and extend their congratulations whenever Prince Luling’s family held a joyous occasion.

The Pavilion Chief had missed the wedding reception of the Princely Heir Li Xingmao, and was mulling over when the Li family’s children would next hold a wedding feast so he could visit personally, when he heard that the Li family was seeking him out. Without hesitation, he immediately instructed his long-term worker to invite them in.

Mu Yuanxiu, sitting in the main hall, didn’t have to wait long for the Pavilion Chief to arrive.

He had once visited the Pavilion Chief accompanied by Qin Lizheng of Taohua River Village. The Pavilion Chief didn’t recognize him, but he recognized the Pavilion Chief.

"Pavilion Chief, sorry for disturbing you so late at night. If it weren’t for an unexpected event, Mr. Li wouldn’t be seeking your help," Mu Yuanxiu said, presenting the letter he carried.

The Pavilion Chief immediately noticed the peacock feather affixed to the letter.

The dark green feather glinted softly under the candlelight.

The Pavilion Chief had long heard that Prince Luling’s eldest son received a pair of peacock feather hangings as a wedding gift from Lord County Magistrate. Seeing the feather on the envelope, the sincerity and urgency of Mr. Li, a relative of the County Magistrate, was evident.

He opened the envelope quickly to read the letter.

The content of the letter was not a troublesome matter.

It merely requested him to send someone to ensure justice and apprehend a thief.

As the thief’s uncle was Song Lizheng of Qingshui River Village, to avoid suspicion, what should have been handled by Song Lizheng was instead brought to him by Mr. Li.

The Pavilion Chief said, "Alright, I’ll immediately order someone to bind him and deliver him to the county government office."

Mu Yuanxiu cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you, Pavilion Chief."

The Pavilion Chief waved generously with a smile, "As a Pavilion Chief of a township, solving the common people’s problems is within my duties."

That night, he woke up four house servants and took a carriage with Mu Yuanxiu to Qingshui River Village.

Now, back to Mr. Song’s house.

After Mu Yuanxiu left, Li Yuzhu conveyed another plan to Li Xing’an.

Li Xing’an furrowed his brows, "It’s one thing to call the Tian Family over to see for themselves what their son is like, but why invite the village chief from Qingshui River Village? Won’t he protect his nephew?"

Tian Sanbao sat on the ground, listening to their conversation, his eyes rolling shrewdly, humming through his gag.

Li Xing’an kicked him, "Shut up, I’m not afraid of anyone, even if your uncle comes! Don’t make me bring the County Magistrate here!"

Only then did Tian Sanbao dare not make a sound, sitting dejectedly.

Li Yuzhu glanced at Tian Sanbao. This guy was tied up, and Mu Yuanxiu, fearing he might roll away trying to escape, had bound him to a pomegranate tree in the courtyard. He wouldn’t get away like this.

She took Li Xing’an by the arm and pulled him into the house, "Third Brother, come with me."

Li Xing’an also glanced back at Tian Sanbao, whispering, "Third Sister, why discuss things inside? What if we wake Mr. Song..."

Li Yuzhu replied, "Mr. Song took medicine; he’ll sleep soundly till dawn, not waking even if there’s an earth-shattering thunder."

Li Xing’an chuckled, "That’s good then."

Li Yuzhu called out Song Jinxiu and shared her thoughts with her.

Song Jinxiu shivered in surprise upon hearing Li Yuzhu’s plan.

The main hall was unlit, dimly shadowed, and Song Jinxiu stood in the dark, waving her hands repeatedly, "Miss Li, just beat him up for me, don’t call people over."

She was on the verge of tears with anxiety.

The more people came, the more embarrassed she’d be!

Li Yuzhu said, "You beat him up, can you assure he’ll never come again? You and Mr. Song live alone; are you able to beat him, or can Mr. Song overpower him?"

Song Jinxiu froze, unable to answer.

Li Xing’an added, "Yes, unlike my family, there’s strength in numbers. Anyone dares to bully any of my sisters, I’ll break their legs and toss them into the river to feed the turtles!"

Li Yuzhu discontentedly tugged at Li Xing’an’s sleeve quietly, reminding him to watch his words.

Boasting about having a big family, wasn’t this further agitating Song Jinxiu?