Chapter 268
Baozi Xishi did not expect Zhan Feiyu to visit her in prison to help her. After a moment of stunned silence, she said coldly, "Thank you, Miss, for your kindness, but it's not necessary. This is my own business."
"Are you sure?" Zhan Feiyu looked at Baozi Xishi, whose face was cold and whose eyes showed no joy or gratitude. Then she nodded, "Alright, I'll be going then."
Watching Zhan Feiyu turn and leave with He Nuan so decisively, not only was Baozi Xishi surprised and stunned, but the two female prisoners in the adjacent cells were also dumbfounded.
Wang Pozi, not far away, also had a strange expression. This young lady had spent twenty taels of silver just to enter the prison, and she was leaving just like that, without any fuss. Was she so rich that she didn't know where to spend her money?
Yang Xu, waiting outside, saw Zhan Feiyu return in less than fifteen minutes. "Did you settle it?"
"We only said a few words, how long could that take?" she replied with a smile, looking at the bright sunshine. "Why don't we eat outside for lunch?"
Xiangwu County was not large, and the dishes in the restaurants were average, but the lamb was indeed cooked authentically.
"Please have some tea, esteemed guests. It's still early, and the roast whole lamb will take a while to be ready," the waiter greeted them enthusiastically. It was rare to have customers come to the tavern so early, and they had even ordered a roast whole lamb.
Zhan Feiyu withdrew her gaze from the window. "I heard that something happened at the baozi shop. I was planning to buy some baozi to take back."
The waiter, who was naturally talkative, immediately replied, "That's really unfortunate. But Baozi Xishi's baozi are indeed delicious, they are the best in Xiangwu County. It's a secret family recipe from Scholar Jia. The meat filling is incredibly fresh and flavorful."
"Scholar?" Zhan Feiyu raised her head, her dark and clear eyes full of confusion. "Since he has scholarly status, why would the yamen imprison the Jia family for such a small matter?"
"Miss, you don't know, but Scholar Jia is also an unfortunate person..." The waiter immediately began to talk about the Jia family's affairs.
The Jia couple were outsiders. They came to Xiangwu County years ago to visit relatives, but who knew that their eldest uncle's family had already moved away. Fortunately, the Jia couple had the skill of making baozi to support themselves.
Although Xiangwu County had a fierce local custom, they did not bully newcomers. The couple opened a baozi shop.
Later, they had a son, who became Scholar Jia. Their ancestral skill was indeed good, otherwise, the Jia family would not have had the money to send their son to private school. Compared to the kind, enthusiastic, and business-savvy couple, Scholar Jia was a bookworm.
Some people said he was driven mad by his studies, spending all his days with books and not even knowing how to sell baozi. Fortunately, he eventually achieved the status of a scholar. In theory, if Scholar Jia found a capable wife and had a few children, their life would be complete.
The waiter sighed, a hint of sadness on his face. "Good people don't live long. The couple encountered bandits while traveling to the prefectural city and both were killed. Only Scholar Jia was left, and the baozi shop also closed. Fortunately, they still had some savings at home, so Scholar Jia wouldn't starve to death."
But living off savings was definitely not sustainable. The neighbors, who had watched Scholar Jia grow up, planned to find him a capable wife and reopen the baozi shop.
"So in the end, they chose Baozi Xishi?" Zhan Feiyu interjected, thinking of Baozi Xishi's disfigured right cheek.
"The Jia family is also a pitiable person." The waiter truly knew everything. Seeing that Zhan Feiyu and the others were eager to listen, he elaborated further. "Mrs. Jia was from Huangjia Village. People from their village were all merchants. Although they made money, they also put their lives on the line..."
Huangjia Village was not large, and like Shitoucun, it was particularly united. The young and strong men of the village formed a small merchant caravan, traveling north and south. Fortunately, the people of Huangjia Village were tall and strong, and they knew some martial arts. Thirty to forty people traveling together was considered safe.
But one could not always walk by the river without getting wet. If they encountered ordinary bandits, it would be fine. But the people of Huangjia Village were unlucky enough to encounter a vanguard of the Oirats.
This group of barbarians originally intended to infiltrate the city to gather information, but they encountered the merchant caravan from Huangjia Village outside the city.
"All thirty-six people from Huangjia Village were killed, and the entire village was draped in white mourning cloth," the waiter recalled the scene, even though he was just a child at the time.
More than thirty coffins were carried to the burial ground, and the weeping continued all day, making onlookers wish they could kill the barbarians for revenge, let alone the people of Huangjia Village.
Baozi Xishi was also ill-fated. Her mother was already in poor health, and before her father's seventh-day memorial service had even passed, her mother fell ill and passed away within a month, losing two close relatives.
"I heard that after Jia Shi left Huangjia Village, she secretly went to Oirat to avenge her father. Two years later, Jia Shi was sent back by the soldiers. She was severely injured at the time, her face was disfigured, and she had also been stabbed twice. She lay in the medical clinic for a month before recovering," the waiter spoke of Baozi Xishi with pride and glory, as if she were one of their own. This was the woman of Xiangwu County, who was as brave as any man.
There were also rumors in Xiangwu County that Baozi Xishi had become a concubine to a minor Oirat general to avenge her father. Later, she successfully gathered military intelligence but was discovered and almost burned to death. Fortunately, she was rescued.
Some also said that Baozi Xishi had gone to learn martial arts during those two years. She had extraordinary talent and eventually used her martial arts skills to assassinate the enemy who had killed her father. There were various theories, and no one knew the truth, but the people of Xiangwu County praised Baozi Xishi endlessly.
However, her two years of absence from home as a woman was detrimental to her reputation, and coupled with the scar on her right cheek, finding a husband became difficult. Later, someone thought of the bookish Scholar Jia. If the man couldn't support the family, Baozi Xishi could.
The waiter continued, "Later, Baozi Xishi married Scholar Jia, and the baozi shop reopened. But who knew that fate was so cruel? After finally living two years of peaceful days, Scholar Jia's carriage overturned while visiting a friend. He fell down a cliff. Although he survived, his spine was broken, and he became paralyzed. It is said that only his neck could move."
After Scholar Jia's accident, the yamen also sent constables to the scene to investigate, but they could not determine whether it was an accident or foul play. Later, some people spread rumors that this was Oirat's revenge for Baozi Xishi causing them to lose troops and soldiers that time.
After the waiter withdrew from the private room, Yang Xu was somewhat stunned. Baozi Xishi could remain devoted to the paralyzed Scholar Jia, selling baozi during the day and taking care of the patient at night. But what about his mother?
The image of Zhang Yiyi's well-maintained face and her luxurious attire flashed in his mind. After the Yang family's downfall, she had abandoned him, swaddled in her arms, to his grandfather and father and gone to live a life of gold and silver at the Marquis of Zhenbian's mansion.
And now that she had returned, it was not for him or his father, but for the Yang family's connections in the army. Yang Xu clenched his fists tightly, his anger mingled with an overwhelming and unbearable sadness, a heavy weight that made Yang Xu wish he could rush to Zhang Yiyi and question her, why she couldn't stay with the Yang family, why she couldn't stay with him and his father?
Unaware of Yang Xu's low mood at the moment, Zhan Feiyu looked at He Sheng and asked, "Is there any discrepancy between what the waiter said and what we found?"
"It's roughly the same. As for whether she went to Oirat during those two years, we should have news tonight." He Sheng had instructed people to investigate after Baozi Xishi left the Qiu residence. It was not yet noon, so the information would not come back so quickly.
He Nuan stood up and poured Zhan Feiyu a cup of water. "Miss, do you think Jia Shi is problematic?"
Warming her hands with the teacup, Zhan Feiyu shook her head. "Currently, she seems fine. Her refusal of our help might mean she has her own way of getting out. Let's wait and see."
Earlier, in the prison, Zhan Feiyu had deliberately uttered a classical phrase, "A person is not killed by the Son of Heaven, yet the Son of Heaven dies because of me." If it were an illiterate woman, she might have shown confusion upon hearing it.
But Baozi Xishi was cold by nature and usually expressionless. After Zhan Feiyu finished speaking, she observed her carefully, but unfortunately, she couldn't discern anything. She might have understood or not.
"I want to help!" Yang Xu suddenly said, his voice a little loud. Zhan Feiyu and the other two looked at him in unison.
Yang Xu sat up straight and repeated with a dark face, "I want to help Baozi Xishi. That Luo fellow is not a good person, he will definitely seek personal revenge!"
For years, Captain Luo had wanted to find trouble with Yang Shousheng but couldn't find an opportunity. However, it was much easier to retaliate against Baozi Xishi. Although she had performed a heroic deed back then, times had changed, and besides, who would really want to offend a captain of the yamen? Therefore, if Captain Luo made a move, Baozi Xishi would surely suffer greatly.
He Sheng and He Nuan were attendants and followed orders. As for Yang Xu, who was determined to help, neither of them spoke.
"How do you plan to help?" Zhan Feiyu asked.
She had gone to prison, and Baozi Xishi had refused her help. Zhan Feiyu did not force her. Similarly, if Yang Xu wanted to help, Zhan Feiyu would not stop him.
"I..." He stammered for a moment, and Yang Xu's face turned red with embarrassment, but his dark and rough skin hid it.
Although Yang Xu had always considered himself an adult, he was different from Zhan Feiyu. He had no one to rely on, no money, and no teacher like Scholar Gu as a backer. To say he wanted to help was actually to have no idea how to start.
...
After Zhan Feiyu and her group had eaten their fill, they returned to the Qiu residence. Qiu Zongxi sat in the main hall and snorted coldly, his tone unfriendly. "You go out and don't know when to come back. Do none of you need to study anymore? Who gave you the capital to be so proud and arrogant?"
Yang Xu, who had eaten the roast whole lamb without relish, was startled by Qiu Zongxi's reprimand and stood up straight. When he heard the punishment of copying fifty large characters, he wished he could spit out the roast lamb.
"It was a spontaneous decision. I heard that the roast whole lamb in Weizhou is excellent." Compared to Yang Xu's despair, Zhan Feiyu, with her thick skin, smiled. She took the food box from He Nuan and placed it on the table. "I brought you a roast lamb leg, Master. I had the chef roast it fresh before we left. It's still warm."
As soon as the lid of the food box was opened, a rich aroma wafted out. Qiu Zongxi glanced at it, his face still stern, his eyes sharp and piercing. "Young lady, what kind of demeanor is this, being so flippant? In the afternoon, you will write an additional policy question and two test-style poems!"
It was likely that he knew Zhan Feiyu was not good at poetry, so he directly added two poems.
Zhan Feiyu looked at the lamb leg in the food box and said leisurely, "Charcoal fires blaze with colorful hues, white lamb instantly turns into a rosy face. The fragrance for ten miles intoxicates, feasts and toasts leave no room for idleness. Poem title: 'Winter Eating Xiangwu Roast Whole Lamb'."
Even though Qiu Zongxi appeared to have a fiery temper, he was rendered speechless by Zhan Feiyu. He said grumpily, "Have you already planned your escape route?"
"I was planning to write a letter to Teacher later, describing the roast whole lamb in Xiangwu County, and also composing a poem, so that even if Teacher couldn't eat it, he wouldn't be able to get angry." Zhan Feiyu smiled like a little wild cat that had stolen fish, her eyes curved, with three parts mischievous and seven parts cunning. Coupled with her fair and lovely appearance, she was truly endearing.
If Scholar Gu knew that Zhan Feiyu was showing off with roast whole lamb, he would surely make her write poems until she thought of roast whole lamb and wanted to vomit. So she was being prepared, attaching the poem about roast whole lamb in advance. Teacher couldn't possibly assign her another poem about roast whole lamb to annoy her.
After Zhan Feiyu left, Qiu Zongxi looked at Yang Xu, who was still standing there, and said without politeness, "See? She's only a year older than you, but her mind is far beyond yours!"
Yang Xu was truly impressed by Zhan Feiyu. Although he never admitted it verbally, he knew clearly that he was far inferior to Zhan Feiyu, but he would definitely catch up!
Zhan Feiyu was indeed thoughtful. As soon as she left, she had a maid send bowls and chopsticks, so that Qiu Zongxi could eat it while it was hot.
"Xu'er, you say that if the little girl were an enemy general, even if you were highly skilled in martial arts, in a battle between two armies, do you think you could win?" Qiu Zongxi picked up the meat from the lamb leg with a knife and ate it slowly. It was indeed incredibly delicious. He thought that taking her as a disciple might not be a bad idea.
Yang Xu was stunned. He was confident that he could crush Zhan Feiyu in terms of martial arts, but thinking of He Sheng and He Nuan by her side, even in a battle between armies, he couldn't get close to assassinate her. So, victory or defeat?
His expression instantly turned ashen. Yang Xu knew there was only one outcome: defeat.
As if unaware of Yang Xu's disappointment, Qiu Zongxi said coldly, "That girl is ruthless. If she were to place the captured Daqing civilians in front, using them as a shield, Xu'er, would you dare to shoot arrows from the city wall? And if you hesitated, you would face the danger of the city being breached!"
Yang Xu's face turned even paler. He imagined this situation in his mind, and for a moment, he seemed like a frost-bitten eggplant, completely wilted.
He had always wanted to learn martial arts and restore the glory of the Yang family. But now, Yang Xu was bewildered. He no longer knew if he could achieve it.
A quarter of an hour later, Qiu Zongxi put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup, and took a few sips of water to quench the greasiness. Then he looked at the dazed Yang Xu. "Alright, tell me first, why did you stay behind?"
Zhan Feiyu had left, but Yang Xu had stayed behind, so he must have had something to ask. Qiu Zongxi, recalling their visit to the county yamen prison to see Baozi Xishi, had some idea of what Yang Xu was about to say.
Suddenly coming back to his senses, Yang Xu hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke, "Grandpa Qiu, I want you to help Jia Shi. That Luo fellow will definitely not let her go!"