On the morning of the first day after the annual examinations concluded, Meng Hechuan held a court session at the local magistrate's office.
The eleven thugs, led by Xiao Hu, were sentenced to exile three thousand miles away.
As the principal offender, Yan Baoyi should have been sentenced to hanging according to the penal code. However, due to his status as a Xiucai scholar, his sentence was reduced to being stripped of his scholarly honors and exiled three thousand miles away.
In the courtroom, Ji Youming and the others stared at the disheveled Yan Baoyi as he was escorted away, feeling only that he deserved his punishment.
Instead of focusing on their studies and improving their talents, some scholars spent their days plotting crooked schemes to drag others down. There were so many outstanding people in the world; could he possibly ruin the hands of them all?
If such a person were to enter the imperial court as an official, he would spend every day thinking about stabbing others in the back.
It was for the best that he was ruined early on.
Outside the courtroom, Li Zien walked over to Song Jinzhao holding a hand warmer. "Miss Song, when Yan Fengnian returns and learns that his son has been stripped of his honors and exiled, I'm afraid he won't let your brother off the hook."
The corners of Song Jinzhao's lips curled up slightly. She already had a plan in mind. She only feared that by then, he wouldn't even have the time to worry about his son.
"Could the Yan family possibly prevent me from buying clothes to wear?"
Watching Song Jinzhao walk away with complete indifference, Li Zien felt as if he had swallowed a fly. Why was she so stubborn, refusing to show even the slightest bit of weakness?
That afternoon, Song Qiming went to the Ye residence to bid farewell.
"Teacher, tomorrow my family and I will set off for our hometown, and we won't return until the Lantern Festival. If the shop and the medical clinic encounter any trouble during this time, I ask that you please look after them."
Ye Liangyu rested his leg on a stool, shifting it slightly.
When Song Jinzhao had come for a follow-up consultation some time ago, she mentioned that his leg was healing very well.
It would take no more than three months at most for him to fully recover. As long as he avoided strenuous exercise that would increase the burden on his knees and legs, he would have no problem walking normally.
"Rest assured. With your teacher here, no one in Anyang Prefecture will dare to bully your Song family. Furthermore, your elder sister has a good relationship with the Meng family. Even if I don't intervene, Meng Hechuan won't allow the Yan family to act recklessly."
"You don't need to take the matter of Yan Baoyi to heart. When you pass the imperial examinations and become an official in the court in the future, as soon as you stand out, the schemes and plots you'll encounter will only be more ruthless than this. Your sister is right to teach you martial arts; you must practice hard to protect yourself."
Song Qiming's gaze swept over Ye Liangyu's leg. Lowering his eyes, he nodded and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher. Your student will keep it in mind."
As he was leaving, he caught a glimpse of the bare loquat tree in the neighboring courtyard out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing someone sitting in the tree looking in his direction, he felt as though he had seen the face peeking out from the thick velvet hat somewhere before.
He turned and said to Yunhe, "Go and see who lives across the way. Who sits in a tree peeking around in the dead of winter?"
Yunhe lowered his head with an unnatural expression. "That is a guest invited by the master. Young Master Song, there is no need to worry."
Song Qiming raised an eyebrow and looked toward the man.
Qin Yunqian met his gaze, lifted his chin in greeting, and revealed a smile at the corner of his lips.
Song Qiming narrowed his eyes to look closely, and a flash of realization exploded in his mind.
He remembered now. It was the man who had taken the portrait of the Shuobei thieves the night his sister returned from the mountains.
Later, his sister had mentioned that one of them was the Duke of Qing, and the other was the son of General Qin.
Why was he here in Anyang Prefecture instead of staying at the border? And he was even living next door to his teacher's house.
Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Song Qiming mounted his horse and headed home.
In the main hall of the Song residence, the first four servants they had bought stood neatly in a row before Song Jinzhao.
Fushun had rushed back from the estate outside the city that morning, his rough face flushed red from the cold wind.
"While I am away from Anyang, everything must proceed according to plan. If you are unsure about any business matters, the four of you should discuss and handle them together. If you encounter difficulties that you cannot resolve, go to the Ye residence and ask Mr. Ye for help."
The four of them nodded solemnly.
The Eldest Miss's booklet spanned a full twenty pages. It covered every detail, leaving nothing out, and anticipated every possible mishap.
If the four of them still couldn't handle things well with all of that, then they would truly be incompetent.
