That shout was full of vigor and incredibly piercing.
Whoosh.
People who had been strolling down the street, shopping in stores, or even playing chess by the roadside suddenly swarmed forward. Dozens of pairs of eyes locked onto Xu Wuyou, their glares fiercer than those of the executioners in the capital’s Ministry of Justice.
Some held carrying poles, some brandished kitchen knives, and one auntie even brandished a half-eaten stalk of sugarcane, swinging it so hard it whistled through the air.
"Where did this little brat come from? How dare you come to Taoyuan County to cause trouble?"
"Looking for trouble with Lord Xu? Why don’t you ask around and find out who paved these cement roads? Who handed out the braised pork?"
"If it weren't for the Xu family, we’d still be chewing on tree bark! You want to move against the Xus? You’ll have to answer to my butcher’s knife first!"
The crowd was incensed.
The auntie holding the sugarcane had already aimed the tip at Xu Wuyou’s forehead, ready to crack his skull open at any moment.
Xu Wuyou’s hand gripping his sword trembled slightly.
This wasn't right.
This made no sense at all.
When did that cowardly, greedy old man of his—who knew nothing but how to squeeze the people dry—become a beloved "Blue Sky" official of the masses?
And "selling his children"?
Looking at this scene, the citizens of this city looked like they were ready to sell their very lives for the Xu family!
Seeing that sugarcane about to come crashing down, Xu Wuyou made a split-second decision. He sheathed his sword, cupped his fists, and instantly forced a smile onto his face that looked more painful than crying.
"A misunderstanding! Fellow villagers, it’s all a misunderstanding!"
He pointed at his own face—a face that, while grimy, still bore a clear resemblance to Xu Youde.
"I’m a relative of Xu Youde! A distant nephew! I’ve come to visit! That just now was a joke, just to liven up the atmosphere!"
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
The elderly man leading the pack leaned in suspiciously, staring at his face for a long time.
"I’ll give him this: his features do look a bit like Lord Xu, especially that mix of being both cowardly and arrogant."
The crowd erupted in laughter.
The murderous intent vanished.
It was replaced by a level of warmth that gave Xu Wuyou goosebumps.
"So you’re the Young Master of the Xu family! Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"I was wondering how a living Buddha like Lord Xu could have any enemies."
The auntie bit into a peanut with a loud crunch and pointed enthusiastically toward the southeast.
"You’re late! If you’d come half a month earlier, you could’ve caught a meal. Lord Xu has been promoted!"
"Promoted?"
Xu Wuyou’s head buzzed.
"You bet! The imperial edict came down saying he’s off to Jiangnan to enjoy the good life! Magistrate of Jiangning County! What kind of place is that? The ground is practically paved with gold! Miss Xu was even titled a County Lady. The whole family left in glory—they even took the family dog with them!"
The old man patted Xu Wuyou’s shoulder, his face full of envy.
"Young man, you’ve picked the right relative to visit. Hurry to Jiangning. If you’re too late, I’m afraid you won’t even get a drop of warm dishwater."
Xu Wuyou stood frozen as flecks of spit from the enthusiastic crowd hit his face.
Slowly, he reached into his robe and pulled out a family letter soaked in sweat.
The paper was crumpled, and on it, one could still vaguely see Xu Youde’s crooked handwriting:
"My son... the family is in dire straits... the rice jar is empty... your sister has fainted from hunger... return quickly... save us..."
Every word felt like a slap to his face.
Fainted from hunger?
The scent of braised pork in this city hadn't even dissipated yet!
The rice jar is empty?
Those "oppressed" citizens just now looked like they wanted to pelt me to death with white flour buns!
Jiangning?
That was the wealthiest place in the Jiangnan Circuit, a den of luxury where even the Censorate didn't dare audit the books lightly!
Xu Wuyou let out a massive sigh, crumpled the letter into a ball, and slammed it onto the ground.
Still unsatisfied, he stepped on it and ground it into the dirt.
"Fine."
"Very fine."
Xu Wuyou ground his teeth, squeezing the words out as a light of righteous "family-slaying" fury flickered in his eyes.
He turned around, ignoring the warm invitations behind him, and strode to the horse market. He pulled a crumpled hundred-tael banknote from his pocket and slammed it onto the counter.
"Give me the best horse you have."
"Where to?"
"Jiangning."
I’m going to go ask that old geezer.
Does he think life is just too comfortable, playing his own son for a fool like this?
...
Jiangning County Office, Back Hall.
Outside, a light drizzle fell, but the atmosphere inside the hall was even more damp and oppressive than the weather.
Xu Wuyou sat boldly in a grand armchair.
The original color of his silk robes was long gone, obscured by mud splattered up to his thighs. A few strands of unknown water weeds hung from his boots, giving him the weary look of someone who had just survived eighty-one tribulations.
He sat there with one foot propped on the edge of the chair, devoid of any poise expected of a high-ranking official’s son.
He held a teacup, but the tea had long since gone cold.
Across from him, Xu Youde was huddled behind a large purple sandalwood desk, clutching a purple sandalwood toilet seat cover to his chest—a treasure he had just dug out of the warehouse and hadn't had time to install yet.
Xu Youde’s beady eyes darted back and forth, looking at his son’s murderous expression one moment and the smooth wood in his hands the next, not daring to make a sound.
To the side, on a soft couch, Xu Qinghuan was peeling a golden orange.
She peeled it meticulously, her fingertips lifting the white pith and slowly stripping it clean. She then broke off a segment, popped it into her mouth, and chewed slowly, making a tiny, faint sound.
In this silent hall, that tiny sound was like a thunderclap.
Clack!
Exasperated, Xu Wuyou slammed his teacup onto the table.
Tea splashed out, soaking the wood.
Xu Youde flinched, nearly dropping the toilet seat cover.
"So, that’s how it is."
Xu Wuyou pointed at the mangled, dirt-stained paper ball on the table that had been forcibly smoothed out.
A few muddy footprints were still visible on it.
"Father."
He said the word with a lingering, mournful, and sharp tone that made one’s skin crawl.
"This is where you went wrong."
Xu Wuyou stood up. Because he rose so quickly, his chair let out a piercing screech against the floor.
He pointed at Xu Youde’s nose, his finger trembling and his eyes rimmed with red—a mix of grievance, fury, and the tragic sense of being abandoned by the whole world.
"A place like Jiangning... where you can not only embezzle but also rake in side profits, a place where you can eat and drink the best every single day... and you didn't even write to tell me?"
Xu Youde shrunk his neck and muttered softly, "It was... it was just such a rush to leave..."
"A rush? Were you rushing to be reincarnated or rushing to split the loot?"
Xu Wuyou’s voice jumped an octave, cracking under the strain.
"To bring you that fifty-tael 'life-saving' money, I rode two horses to death! I didn't even dare stop for the night! I was terrified that if I came back too late, I’d only be in time to collect your corpse!"
"And the result?"
He looked around the room.
Though the back hall was a bit old, the furnishings were all brand new. Purple sandalwood tables, Phoebe zhennan chairs—even that damned toilet cover was made of purple sandalwood!
"The result is that back in Taoyuan County, I was surrounded by a mob threatening me with meat buns, while you’re here in Jiangning doing what? Enjoying... enjoying an even bigger fortune without calling me, is that it?"
Overcome with grief, Xu Wuyou slapped his thigh, sending a cloud of dried mud flying from his pants.
"And you made me run myself ragged just to find you? Huh?"
"Father, this is a grave violation of filial piety!"
