The shouting and cries of fighting and killing lasted for nearly half an hour. Even if the yamen had received bribes, it was impossible for them to pretend to be deaf and dumb. When they received the news that there was no movement at the dock, a group of yamen runners came over slowly, laughing all the way, and they had even thought of how to flatter Master Zheng.
After entering the dock, I thought I would see Master Zheng majestically beating up those outsiders, but what caught my eye was a pile of people and a bloody mass of bodies on the ground.
They were so frightened that they retreated one after another, holding the swords at their waists with one hand. Some of them were smart enough to say "I will go back and report to the master" and ran away.
The rest of the people were secretly annoyed at their slow reaction. They looked at each other and decided that they would not move one step inside until the adults arrived.
Hua Zhi just nodded after hearing the report. She didn't want to bother with some small shrimps. "Pay attention to the outside. Report immediately if there is anything."
Xu Ying took the order and left.
Hua Zhi looked at Shaoyao, "What are you going to do with those people?"
"Take him away, go to Jiangling. I want to ask the Jingzhou governor what qualifications he has to ask the local garrison to die for his brother-in-law. I also want to ask the Jingzhou general what's going on. Asking him to govern Jingzhou doesn't mean he is in league with the governor! If there is no reasonable explanation, then go to the emperor and sue the Qixusi."
Hua Zhi would naturally not say no to what Shaoyao wanted to do. After a moment's consideration, she said, "Let's just not rush for a while, Xu Ying."
Xu Ying came in in response.
"You decide when it's a good time to charter a ship to the north. The money will be generous. The time is tentatively set for tomorrow."
"yes."
Wu Dashuang, who was hiding behind his brother, couldn't help but look up at Hua Zhi. It sounded very rich and powerful, and she was probably much better than Cao Dahai. If she left with him, she might be able to live a good life, just like Bao Xia, wasn't she also a maid? Looking at her behavior, she was better than any other young lady she had seen in Cao Dahai.
Wu Dashuang hesitated again for a moment.
"Miss." Xu Ying came back, "Boss Xia has come with quite a few people."
Hua Zhi raised her eyebrows. From the time Xia Ling got the news of what happened at the dock to the time he gathered people, the time was about the same. At least it wasn't perfunctory. "Please come in."
Xia Ling didn't know how to describe his feelings at this moment. He was as shocked as he was anxious on the way here. He was mentally prepared to fight Zheng Bei to get the girl back. For this, he not only mobilized all the manpower in the shipping company, but also sent someone to invite his father to support him. However, he didn't expect that things would be completely opposite to what he expected.
"Liang'er, it seems that your customer doesn't need our help." After all, Xia Donglai had been through many storms, so he reacted after being surprised, and immediately thought of the benefits that the Xia family could get after this incident.
They knew Zheng Bei's identity but still dared to take action. It was obvious that they had something to rely on. Who knows...
Looking at the servants who came to greet him, Xia Donglai, whose hair and beard were half white, had an idea in his mind.
"Young Master, our eldest daughter invites you."
Xu Ying leaned forward to salute, but his back was straight, and his expression and posture were just right, showing respect without making people uncomfortable.
Xia Donglai became more determined in his thoughts. He had been to the provincial capital and met some prominent people, but none of the servants had such qualities.
But he didn't expect that the girl who his son said acted more happily than men was now covered in wounds. Obviously, those guards were only injured in the flesh, but she looked much worse. This only meant one thing, that is, she had personally fought against the enemy before.
"Young lady." Xia Ling walked over quickly, saw her injuries, and felt shocked and ashamed. "I'm late."
"The young master is already very generous by coming here. Who would have thought that Zheng Bei would be so audacious." Hua Zhi looked at the old man behind Xia Ling and had a vague guess about his identity. She stood up by the back of the chair and bowed slightly, "I wonder who this person is..."
"This is my father, Xia Donglai. Father, this is the eldest girl."
"It turns out to be Mr. Xia. Nice to meet you."
"Seeing is believing. No matter how much you hear Liu'er talk, it won't be as shocking as seeing it with your own eyes." Xia Donglai cupped his hands, without any contempt for the woman in his eyes.
Hua Zhi smiled and signaled everyone in the room to leave, leaving only Xiaoliu and Shaoyao by her side. "You two are here a little early. If someone from the government comes, they might implicate the Xia family."
"Hahaha, I think you've come at the perfect time. After all, you're a regular customer of the Xia family. There's no reason for me to ignore you."
Hua Zhi could tell what was true and what was false in the words, but compared to those who were timid and afraid of things and just dared to stay away, the Xia family was already much better, so how could she ask for more
"It just so happens that I also have something I want to ask Mr. Xia. Are you familiar with the Xia family's freight and passenger shipping business?"
"Young lady, young lady, I know you." Jiang Huanran, who had been away for some time, popped up and offered his courtesy naturally. "That's the only passenger ship to the capital. If you want to leave any day, I'll have someone tell you."
"I'm going to charter a boat and should be leaving tomorrow."
"So soon? Miss, your injury..."
"It's okay. We need to go to Jiangling to settle this matter."
Jiang Huanran understood immediately. He frowned slightly and asked, "Miss, is there something wrong?"
After all, the Hua family is no longer the same as it used to be, and Mu Yunyang may not necessarily buy into the Hua family's account. Isn't this just asking for humiliation
"If I don't go, he can pretend that this never happened?"
"We can go back to the capital to fight this lawsuit. Mu Yunyang has mobilized the garrison troops, which is enough to make him suffer. Even if I persuade my father to push for it, he may not get a good result. There are only nine general managers in the Daqing Dynasty, and who wouldn't want to push his own people to the top?"
If she was alone, she would make the same choice, but now it was not just her business. Shaoyao was determined to get rid of Mu Yunyang's bad luck, and no one could stop her, and she didn't want to stop him, "I have to go."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Jiang Huanran simply gave up trying to persuade her and just followed her. He, Mu Yunyang, could ignore the Hua family, but he had to consider the Jiang family. No matter how powerful a provincial governor was, he could not compare to the officials in the capital who were right under the emperor's nose. The Hua family had no one in the court now, but the Jiang family had several.
Xia Donglai was almost unable to sit still. Just then, there was a commotion outside. Xu Ying came in and reported, "The officials are here."
Hua Zhi suppressed all the smiles on her face and said, "Come on, you're welcome. Go ahead."
Even through the veil, she could feel Shaoyao's sneer. She rubbed her wrist and left the house without saying a word.
PS: Make up for yesterday’s.