The Filial Son Selling Himself to Bury His Father!

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Wei Qing arrived, he had raced the entire way because he was on a mission.

On this return to the capital, the three of them traveled while taking the opportunity to relax.

With half a day's journey still remaining before they reached the Imperial City, a torrential downpour forced the three of them to stay in Ping'an County.

Thus, the three of them casually found an inn and checked in.

Unexpectedly,

Their arrival directly alarmed the magistrate of Ping'an County.

"This humble official, Zhao Dezhu, pays his respects to the three lords."

The magistrate of Ping'an County charged into the inn, panting heavily. Even his official hat had been knocked askew from running, while his shoes and trousers were completely soaked through and caked with mud.

Zhao Dezhu couldn't be blamed for being so frantic.

The reputation of the Heavenly Realm Division was simply too formidable. Wherever they went,

Wei Qing lifted his teacup. "Lord Zhao, have some water first."

Wiping away his sweat, Zhao Dezhu accepted the teacup and drained it in one gulp. He respectfully placed it back where it had been. "Thank you, my lord. May I ask whether the three lords need this humble official's assistance with anything during your stay in Ping'an County?"

Wei Qing explained, "The three of us were merely delayed by the heavy rain and found it inconvenient to continue traveling, so we stopped briefly in Ping'an County."

"Lord Zhao, there's no need to concern yourself with us. The affairs of the government office are more important."

"Indeed, my lord. In that case, this humble official shall take his leave."

Wei Qing's words already carried an implicit dismissal. Having served as an official for many years, Zhao Dezhu still understood such an obvious hint.

Downstairs.

"Shopkeeper Chen, those three who just arrived are no ordinary people." His fat finger nervously pointed upstairs. "You'd better stay on your toes and attend to them properly. If anything goes wrong, don't blame me for disregarding our past acquaintance and shutting down your inn."

Behind the counter, Shopkeeper Chen's eyes rolled, and the wrinkles on his face gathered into an ingratiating smile. "Yes, yes, Lord Zhao, you can rest assured. I'll certainly serve those lords with the utmost care..."

When he said the words "serve with the utmost care," he deliberately lowered his voice and made a strange gesture beneath the counter with his fingers.

"Stop!" Zhao Dezhu's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and he clapped a hand over Shopkeeper Chen's mouth.

"If you want to die, don't drag me down with you. Just make the normal arrangements."

"Understand?"

"Mmph, mmph."

Shopkeeper Chen nodded repeatedly.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, sunlight pierced through the clouds and gilded Ping'an County, washed clean by the previous night's rain, with a golden rim.

After eating the breakfast Shopkeeper Liu had thoughtfully arranged, Wei Qing rose to settle the bill.

Shopkeeper Liu smiled. "My lord, Lord Zhao has already paid."

Wei Qing placed the silver on the counter. "Sorry for the trouble, but please tell Lord Zhao that we appreciate his kindness. However, we should still pay what we owe ourselves."

"This... all right. I'll be sure to pass on your message."

Seeing that he could not refuse, Shopkeeper Liu had no choice but to accept Wei Qing's money.

After leaving the inn,

The attendant was already waiting by the entrance, holding the reins of three fine steeds. His expression was respectful. "My lords, the horses have already been fed their best fodder. They can carry you straight to the Imperial City."

"Thank you for going to the trouble."

As he spoke, Wei Qing took a gleaming silver tael from his sleeve and flicked it lightly. It landed perfectly in the attendant's outstretched palm.

"Thank you for the reward, my lord."

The attendant clasped his hands and bowed repeatedly.

That single silver tael was equivalent to half a month's wages for him.

After taking their horses, the three of them mounted and rode along the bluestone road toward the city gates.

When they reached the gates, a curse suddenly rang out.

"You filthy pauper! This young lady took pity on you and offered you five taels of silver."

"And you still refuse? Don't mistake my kindness for weakness."

Su Lie gripped the sign that read, "Selling myself for twenty taels to bury my father," and stared stubbornly at the woman.

"Miss, I have studied since childhood and am literate. I can also keep accounts. If you are interested, twenty taels is my bottom line."

To exchange it for a fine coffin for his father, he refused to yield in the slightest.

"Hmph, twenty taels? With that delicate skin and tender flesh of yours, you pretty boy, how much could you possibly be worth?" The woman looked the youth up and down, her eyes full of disdain. "Five taels to buy you back as a servant is a heaven-sent opportunity for you! Don't be so ungrateful!"

"If you don't want to buy him, you can leave. The Su boy never forced you to buy him."

"Exactly. He's only trying to get Old Su a good coffin. Aren't you just making trouble?"

"You don't look short of money. Why humiliate someone like this?"

"That's right..."

Hearing this, the surrounding commoners all stepped forward to speak up for justice.

They could say they had watched Su Lie grow up. Everyone knew how filial he was.

If his father had not met with an accident, why would he have resorted to such a desperate measure?

"What does it matter to you rabble whether I have money or not?" The woman planted her hands on her hips, and the jade bracelet on her wrist swung back and forth with her movements.

"Say one more word, and watch out. My whip doesn't know friend from foe.

As she spoke, the woman viciously cracked her whip twice through the air with two sharp snaps.

The onlookers stumbled backward in fright, retreating again and again for fear that one careless move would earn them a lash.

Once the commoners had steadied themselves, they looked at the woman with an added trace of fear.

The woman gave a cold snort. She thoroughly enjoyed the awe others showed toward her.

Then she pointed at Su Lie. "You."

"This young lady has decided to buy you today. Five taels of silver. You will sell yourself whether you want to or not."

As she spoke, she waved her hand.

The moment her voice fell, the two vicious servants behind her immediately stepped forward and reached out to drag Su Lie away by force.

"Stop."

Jun Wushang pushed through the crowd and planted himself between the two sides.

"What are you doing? In broad daylight, forcibly abducting someone is a capital offense under the Great Zhou laws."

"Go ahead. Try moving another step."

The two servants were immediately cowed by Jun Wushang's imposing presence. When they saw the Garrison Commander uniform he wore, their legs went weak with fear.

"Who are you to be so arrogant, daring to meddle in this young lady's affairs?"

The woman roughly shoved the two servants aside. After seeing Jun Wushang's clothing clearly, she gave a cold snort. "So you're just a Garrison Commander of the Heavenly Mirror Division?"

"Do you know who I am? You'd better be careful about meddling in my affairs, or I'll strip that skin off your back."

"Now get lost!"

"Oh, you really scared me to death." Jun Wushang's lips drooped, his brows shot up, and he repeatedly patted his chest with an exaggerated expression of I'm so frightened. Yet there was not the slightest trace of fear in his eyes.

"You little brat, how dare you make a fool of me."

Seeing his over-the-top performance, the woman's face darkened.

"Do you know that I am the niece of the current Consort Xia, the eldest daughter of the Xia family, Xia Yiran?"

"You're courting death!"

Upon hearing this, Jun Wushang froze for a moment, then came back to himself. "So you're Consort Xia's niece, the eldest daughter of the Xia family. And what of it?"

"If you commit a crime, the Heavenly Mirror Division will arrest you all the same!"

After Xia Yiran revealed her identity, the surrounding commoners all retreated two steps in fright.

They had never heard of Xia Yiran.

But the names of Consort Xia and the Xia family had long since resounded like thunder in their ears.

If the woman's identity was genuine, then she was absolutely someone they could not afford to provoke.