"Since the Earl's Manor wants them, I naturally wouldn't dare stop them. I shall report this to the City Lord at once," Tian Shisan said.
Jin Zhong remained expressionless, yet his manner was still courteous. "Thank you for your trouble."
"Men, carry Master Shen, Madam Shen, and Second Young Master Shen into the sedan chairs," Jin Zhong ordered.
Only then did more than a dozen warriors emerge from behind him. They carried no blades, only stretchers.
The Earl was deeply displeased with Shen Lang, but he held great respect for Shen Lang's parents. He had personally given these instructions.
More than a dozen warriors from the Earl's Manor carefully lifted Shen Lang's parents and younger brother onto stretchers, then placed them inside the enormous sedan chairs.
The sedan chairs were so large that people could even lie down inside them.
Then, six warriors carried the three sedan chairs as though walking on level ground, as if the burden in their hands weighed nothing at all. Without uttering a word, they departed.
"Farewell," Jin Zhong said.
"Take care," Tian Shisan said with a bow.
From beginning to end, Jin Zhong had not uttered a single threat. After all, Tian Shisan's arrest had been entirely lawful in terms of procedure; he even had an arrest warrant from the City Lord's Manor.
Shen Lang's father truly had opened up wasteland in the mountains, and he truly had not paid taxes.
But countless farmers throughout Xuanwu City had done the same, yet the City Lord's Manor had never pursued the matter. As the saying went, if officials did not bring charges, the people would not be held accountable.
Moreover, Jin Zhong's sole duty was to protect Shen Lang's family. The Earl had given him no other orders.
After Jin Zhong and all the Earl's Manor warriors had left, Tian Shisan staggered. A warrior beside him stepped forward and asked, "Master Thirteen, what is wrong? We just let that family of three go. Gang Leader Tian will probably fly into a towering rage."
Tian Shisan said, "Do you know who those men were just now?"
The Black Clothes Gang warrior shook his head. "I do not."
"Jin Zhong of the Xuanwu Earl's Manor, the Earl's trusted personal attendant," Tian Shisan said.
At once, the faces of the surrounding warriors changed.
"Which person from the Earl's Manor did that pretty-boy Shen Lang hook up with?" the warrior asked.
Tian Shisan said, "Let us pray that Shen Lang's connection to the Earl's Manor does not run too deep. At best, he has hooked up with some servant from the Earl's Manor and is waving a chicken feather as though it were an imperial command. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what, Master Thirteen?" the warrior asked uneasily.
Tian Shisan said, "Otherwise, all of you should go home and properly bid farewell to your parents, wives, and children."
"Will we be arrested?" the warrior asked.
"We will die!" Tian Shisan said.
Memories of his brief encounters with Shen Lang surfaced in his mind. That handsome face had always been calm and composed, even carrying a smile.
But now, in Tian Shisan's eyes, that smile was brimming with danger.
"Go, return and report to Foster Father. If something major is about to happen, we must prepare a way out. We are doing work for those people—surely they cannot stand by and watch us die!" Tian Shisan said.
Then, without another word, he swung himself onto his horse and galloped wildly toward the Black Clothes Gang.
If he wanted to save himself, he had to move fast. Otherwise, if Shen Lang had truly climbed into the Earl's Manor's favor, it would be too late by the time Shen Lang made his move.
Shen Lang was an exceedingly sinister man. Tian Shisan had already felt that after only one day of contact.
Tian Shisan spared no effort with his horse, riding madly. In less than two hours, he reached the Black Clothes Gang.
The Black Clothes Gang was not within Xuanwu City, but more than twenty li outside the city, where it had a small fortress.
Naturally, that fortress bore the sign of the Xuanwu City Militia Thousand Commander Camp Office, and several hundred men were stationed within.
Because of the New Policy, local officials were desperately drawing every force they could into their camp to oppose the traditional noble powers. Thus, a gang like Tian Heng's could openly hang the banner of a local military camp.
Tian Shisan rushed into the fortress.
Under normal circumstances, he would certainly have exchanged greetings and chatted with the brothers in the fortress. Tian Heng had many Adopted Sons under him, and it was far from easy to stand out and gain the greatest authority. Not only did he need to curry favor with his foster father, he also needed to win over people below.
But Tian Shisan paid no attention to any of that now. He rushed through the fortress, did not even announce himself, and barged straight into his foster father Tian Heng's room.
Tian Heng instinctively grabbed a cup and was about to smash it at him. When he saw that it was his valued thirteenth adopted son, he stopped himself and said coldly, "If you do not have a sufficient reason, I will gouge out one of your eyes."
Tian Shisan immediately knelt. "Foster Father, forgive me. Your son failed in his task and was unable to wipe out Shen Lang's entire family."
Tian Heng's gaze turned icy. Even his valued adopted son could not handle such a trivial matter? He had already taken the money—fifteen hundred gold coins in full.
Tian Shisan said, "Jin Zhong from the Earl's Manor brought more than a dozen warriors and took away Shen Lang's parents and younger brother. He said they were going to attend a wedding at the Earl's Manor, and they were carried away in three grand sedan chairs."
Tian Heng shot to his feet, his expression changing drastically!
"Ah..." The woman let out a miserable cry. Blood spilled from the corner of her lips as she said pitifully, "Master."
"Get out!" Tian Heng roared.
The woman hurriedly scrambled and crawled out in panic.
Men truly were big pig trotters. When things were good, they called you their precious darling; when things turned bad, they kicked you away and told you to get out.
Tian Shisan said, "Foster Father, who is getting married at the Earl's Manor? Is the Young Lord taking a concubine? Could Shen Lang have latched onto the Young Lord? I heard the Young Lord is also a useless good-for-nothing. Two pieces of trash, birds of a feather flock together."
Tian Heng said, "Do you think Shen Lang is useless?"
Tian Shisan thought for a moment, then decisively shook his head.
Tian Heng said, "The Xuanwu Earl's Manor is not holding a wedding because the Young Lord is taking a concubine. It is taking in a son-in-law!"
The moment those words fell, Tian Shisan's expression changed drastically. He shook his head. "No, absolutely impossible."
Tian Heng said, "I think so too."
Tian Shisan said, "Who is Shen Lang? A poor country boy, less worthy than a blade of wild grass. And who is Miss Jin? Her Martial Arts, Military Strategy, appearance, and figure are all peerless. She is the young lady of a noble clan with a hundred-year legacy. Even if Shen Lang's ancestors had accumulated virtue for eight generations, he would not be worthy of even half a finger of Miss Jin MuLan. Even a wealthy merchant family like the Xu Family despises Shen Lang—how could the lofty Xuanwu Earl's Manor possibly want him?"
Tian Heng nodded as well. Even the most wildly imaginative person could never connect Shen Lang with Miss Jin MuLan. The two were as far apart as clouds and mud; even if the sun rose in the west, they could never have the slightest connection.
Yet Jin Zhong of the Earl's Manor had gone to fetch Shen Lang's family for the wedding. There was something profoundly strange about that.
Tian Heng rose and paced back and forth, a trace of unease showing in his eyes.
"I will enter the city. We need to prepare for a rainy day over this matter," Tian Heng said.
More than an hour later!
Xu Family Head, Lin Family Head, and Tian Heng, the three minor giants of Xuanwu City, gathered in a secret chamber.
After hearing Tian Heng's words, the two wealthy men said in unison, "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Xu Family Head in particular was utterly stunned.
Tian Heng said, "Not long after Shen Lang left Brocade Pavilion yesterday, he was struck by cavalry from the Earl's Manor and taken there. Today, news came of the Earl's Manor young lady's wedding, and Jin Zhong personally brought men to fetch Shen Lang's parents and younger brother to attend the ceremony at the Earl's Manor."
Xu Guangyun said, "It would be possible if that useless Shen Lang had attached himself to the Earl's Manor Young Lord, since they are both useless. But what kind of remarkable person is Miss Jin MuLan? How could she possibly take a liking to Shen Lang? Besides, I just drove Shen Lang out of my house. A Live-in Son-in-Law who has been cast out—even a village widow might not be willing to marry him, much less the daughter of a noble clan with a hundred-year legacy."
Lin Mo, the owner of Brocade Pavilion, said, "Brother Xu, Shen Lang may not necessarily be useless. If he truly were useless, he likely could not have devised the new formula for Golden Yellow Dye."
Xu Guangyun said, "Brother Lin, you have really gone down the wrong path. A new dye formula depends first on luck, and second, it truly takes someone muddleheaded and foolish to invent and create such things."
Lin Mo thought about it and found that it really did make sense. Yet from their brief exchange yesterday, Shen Lang had not seemed like a fool at all.
Xu Guangyun said, "Most importantly, when I drove that useless Shen Lang away, he was framed for theft and molestation. Such a notorious man—does the Earl's Manor not care about its reputation?"
With those words, the three men were indeed reassured.
Many people in Xuanwu City could afford to lose face, but the Xuanwu Earl's Manor alone cherished its reputation and dignity most fiercely.
Tian Heng said, "Xu Family Head, the Earl suddenly sent out wedding invitations everywhere today. Did they say who the groom is?"
Xu Guangyun shook his head. "They did not! But it absolutely cannot be Shen Lang. Even if the sun rises in the west, it cannot be him."
Lin Mo said, "Even if it is not Shen Lang, it would be best to find out. How about we send someone to attend the Earl's Manor wedding tonight?"
The three immediately looked at one another, because not one of them had received an invitation from the Earl's Manor.
The Xuanwu Earl's Manor had sent out quite a few invitations—to military officers of Xuanwu City, official government officials, scholars with academic titles, local notables, and so on.
Though the three men present had power and influence, two were merchants and one was an underworld boss.
Tian Heng suddenly said, "I will attend the wedding."
Attending the Earl's Manor wedding without an invitation would not get him thrown out. The Xuanwu Earl was not so mean-spirited, but it still required courage.
Lin Mo said, "Thank you, Gang Leader Tian. As for the congratulatory gift, I will arrange it."
Xu Guangyun said, "The Xuanwu Earl is, after all, the master of Xuanwu City. Even if we do not attend the wedding, we should still prepare a generous gift. My Xu Family does not lack such money."
Tian Heng said, "Then it is settled. You two should prepare the gifts at once. I will immediately set out for the Earl's Manor."
Lin Mo of Brocade Pavilion said, "Then I will go prepare them now."
He then entered the storeroom to select rare treasures. In his mind, he kept recalling every moment he had spent with Shen Lang. It would have been better if he had not recalled them; the more he did, the colder his entire body became.
Not only had he betrayed Shen Lang, he had also spoken many utterly heartless words.
For instance: a worm like you, Shen Lang, has no self-awareness; if you do not die, who will? If Heaven truly turned a blind eye and Shen Lang became the Earl's Manor's son-in-law, then... then it would be fatal.
He could only pray to Heaven that this would not come true.
But thinking rationally, such a thing was absolutely impossible. How could the mighty Xuanwu Earl's Manor take in someone as lowly as Shen Lang as a son-in-law? Besides, he had just been abandoned and driven from the Xu Family, a mere merchant household.
He was absolutely just frightening himself!
In only a little over an hour, the three factions had prepared three cartloads of gifts.
Tian Heng rode in one carriage toward the Earl's Manor, shamelessly going to attend Jin MuLan's wedding that night without an invitation.
It must not be Shen Lang. It must not be Shen Lang! At the same time, Shen Lang's former wife, Xu Qianqian, was openly going to the Earl's Manor to attend the wedding. Her fiancé Zhang Jin was the Prefect's son and the commander defending Xuanwu City, and he had received an invitation from the Earl's Manor.
Xu Qianqian asked Zhang Jin, "Brother Zhang, the Earl's Manor is being so mysterious. Who do you think tonight's groom will be? What son of nobility or great talent from some region could possibly marry Jin MuLan?"
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