Chapter 64
"Scram, scram! Who do you think you are? You can't just come asking questions whenever you want. This is the government office, not a marketplace!"
Fang Yu rushed to the county office, hoping to ask the guards at the door whether Qiao Xinnian had been taken for questioning or thrown into jail. Despite his polite and courteous inquiries, he hadn't expected these gatekeepers to be so arrogant.
"Please, officer, do me a favor. A family member was suddenly taken away, and we younger ones are terribly worried. We don't even know what he's accused of. It would ease our minds to have some idea. Please, officer, show some understanding."
"If he was brought to the government office, then he had his reasons for being brought here," sneered the guard, looking Fang Yu up and down. "What kind of person... you merchants think you can rely on a bit of silver to act without conscience, doing all sorts of wicked deeds. Go on, get out! We don't know anything. If you keep loitering here and obstructing official business, don't blame us for being impolite."
Seeing that mere inquiry would get him nowhere, Fang Yu reached down, unfastened the gold-inlaid scholar's registration token from his belt, and his voice turned cold. "I ask you two again, where is the merchant your office brought in today?"
The guard in front of Fang Yu squinted, leaning in to take a closer look at the token. As soon as he clearly read the engraved characters, his attitude changed completely. He immediately broke into an apologetic and fawning smile. "So it's Master Jieyuan! This lowly one was blind! Master Jieyuan, please don't hold it against me."
The guard repeatedly apologized. "It truly is a serious matter. The county magistrate ordered us to keep our mouths shut. We wouldn't dare gossip idly to just anyone. But since Master Jieyuan wishes to inquire, this lowly one will certainly tell all I know..."
The guard told Fang Yu everything he knew in minute detail. Learning the whole story, Fang Yu's brow furrowed deeply. He then had the guard lead him to the main prison. Meeting the head jailer, he slipped him some silver notes to smooth the way.
"He's doing fine. Master Qiao hasn't lost so much as a piece of skin since he arrived."
The head jailer led Fang Yu down the stone steps into the dungeon. Just as they reached the bottom of the sloping staircase, a wave of bone-chilling air hit them. Even though it was broad daylight outside, the prison was so dim that candles were needed for proper illumination.
Cell after cell resembled iron cages, with only some dry straw scattered on the ground. Occasionally, a cell might have a small window set too high to reach, allowing one to distinguish day from night, but most were like tightly sealed death traps.
Walking inside, Fang Yu felt the oppressive cold seep into his surroundings. From time to time, he could hear the clank of iron chains scraping. In such an environment, it was easy to catch chills and fall ill. Moreover, someone with low mental fortitude could quickly go mad.
"Master Qiao is in that cell up ahead. Master Jieyuan, you'd better not go any closer. He's a major offender; you must not approach. Normally, you'd need the magistrate's written permission to visit a prisoner. Considering Master Jieyuan's filial heart, I'm risking my own neck just bringing you here for a look. Now you've seen Master Qiao is safe and sound, so you can set your mind at ease. Master Jieyuan, please show some understanding for us officers just trying to do our jobs."
Fang Yu clasped his hands. "Thank you for your consideration, officer."
From a distance, he saw Qiao Xinnian wearing a white prisoner's jacket. His hair, always meticulously groomed in the past, was now somewhat disheveled. He sat huddled on the dry straw in the cell. The man who once carried himself with such grandeur now looked utterly destitute.
Fortunately, it was Fang Yu who had come today. If Mother Qiao or Qiao Hezhi had come, who knows how heartbroken they would have been.
Perhaps sensing someone's gaze fixed on him, Qiao Xinnian also looked over. Seeing the figure standing in the distance, his eyes widened slightly. He quickly stood up and walked to the edge of the cell, trying to get as close to Fang Yu as possible.
Fang Yu didn't speak. Qiao Xinnian opened his mouth but didn't utter a word. In the silent exchange of their gazes, it seemed as if many words had already been spoken. Seeing the determination in Fang Yu's eyes, a glimmer of tears flashed in Qiao Xinnian's own. He nodded heavily towards the young man.
"Master Fang Jieyuan, please set your mind at ease. As long as I'm in charge here for a day, I'll make sure Master Qiao doesn't suffer any physical abuse. Daily meals and drink will be delivered on time and in full. Now that you've seen him, you should return home early to inform the family, so they don't worry, right?"
Fang Yu understood the jailer's meaning. "Thank you, officer. I entrust my father-in-law to your care."
"Ah, say no more, say no more."
By the time Fang Yu returned to the residence, dusk had fallen. Qiao Hezhi had been anxiously looking out the main gate time and again. Seeing him return, his heart settled a little, and he hurried forward to meet him. "Ziruo..."
Before he could finish his question, his eyes reddened once more.
Fang Yu handed the reins to a servant, pulled Qiao Hezhi into a tight hug, and pressed him against his chest. "Your father's fine. I've taken care of everything. Don't worry."
Qiao Hezhi didn't want to be annoying with his crying and sniveling. He had already kept Fang Yu busy the entire day. But the thought of his father, fate unknown, locked in a sunless prison cell, made his tears fall uncontrollably. "What on earth happened? Why would they take Father away for no reason?"
"It's windy and cold outside. Let's go inside to talk."
Once inside the house, Fang Yu learned that Mother Qiao had already arrived. He figured she'd spent the afternoon worrying with Qiao Hezhi. He didn't delay or hide anything from them and went straight to the point. "There's currently a large number of commoners in the city who have fallen ill. It's been confirmed as poisoning, with varying degrees of severity. The city is now in a state of panic. After learning of the situation, the yamen sent out people to suppress the unrest."
"We already know about this. But... but what does it have to do with Father?"
Fang Yu frowned and sighed. "A large number of commoners are showing signs of poisoning, and it's not limited to those within the city walls. Many people in villages outside the city have also been affected. Since the source of the illness is unknown, someone came forward to accuse your father. They claimed these symptoms only started appearing after receiving the Qiao family's charity distributions. In no time, many of the afflicted commoners also admitted they had received the Qiao family's alms. The people at the yamen, without any immediate leads and seeing the city in chaos, likely felt an urgent need for a scapegoat to stabilize public sentiment. That's why they hastily came to the Qiao residence to arrest someone."
"This is a blatant false accusation! What good would it do us to harm the common people? We hold charity distributions precisely for the benefit of the common people. Harming them would be counterproductive and bring trouble upon ourselves. Who would do such a thing?"
Hearing the reason for Qiao Xinnian's arrest, Mother Qiao burst into tears, feeling totally unfairly treated.
"I know this matter is highly suspicious. Currently, there are only a few witnesses, who coincidentally all received the Qiao family's charity. The Qiao family has no motive for the crime, and there's no other evidence suggesting the Qiao family did it. The yamen cannot convict on that basis yet. First thing tomorrow morning, I'll send someone to hire the best litigation master in the city to draft a petition. There were others who received alms that day, not just those few. We will also go find witnesses. This matter cannot be rushed. Please, Mother-in-law, do not worry yourself sick over it."
Mother Qiao and Qiao Hezhi, seeing Fang Yu analyze the situation so clearly and already have some strategies in mind, finally had a pillar of support. Their fear and anxiety diminished somewhat.
"Worthy son-in-law, we must rely on you to run around and handle this. Hezhi's father's life is in your hands now." As she spoke, Mother Qiao made as if to perform a formal bow to Fang Yu. "If you truly care for Hezhi, you must save his father."
Fang Yu was startled and hurriedly went to support her. "Mother-in-law, what kind of talk is that? Hezhi is my fulang. Now that the Qiao family faces disaster, how could I stand idly by? I will certainly exert all my efforts to remedy the situation. We are one family, so why act like we're strangers?"
Mother Qiao wiped her eyes. "Hearing you say that sets my mind at ease."
Fang Yu gently patted the back of the head of Qiao Hezhi, who had been red-eyed and quiet for most of the time. "Hezhi, take Mother to rest for now. After such a frightening ordeal for so many hours, she must be exhausted."
Qiao Hezhi pursed his lips and nodded.
Watching mother and son leave, so grief-stricken, Fang Yu's chest tightened with emotions. In the original story, the Qiao family was framed, step by step declined, and finally met with ruin and death. Remembering that Qiao Hezhi had languished away in sorrow, his heart felt as if being twisted by a knife. Absolutely, he absolutely would not allow the tragedy from the book to repeat itself!
He took a sip of strong tea, trying hard to calm himself. He sat alone before the writing desk for a while, lost in thought. Just as he was about to pick up the brush to draft a petition himself, the door gently creaked.
He turned his head to look. Qiao Hezhi stood at the doorway, head bowed. "Why are you back? Aren't you coming in?"
Qiao Hezhi slowly walked in. The tip of his nose was still red. His eyes today were like a continuous spring drizzle—they never seemed to dry for a moment, always damp. The whole person resembled a torn, old kite, teetering with each step as if about to be broken by the wind and fall at any moment. It was truly heartbreaking.
"The servants are attending to Mother. She has already rested."
"But... but I... I'm still afraid."
Fang Yu took Qiao Hezhi's hand. It was icy cold. He pulled the young man to him and sat him on his lap. He wasn't big to begin with, but today he seemed even smaller, like a kitten with its fur soaked by rain.
After all, Qiao Hezhi was a young ger who had never experienced major storms. He couldn't compare to Mother Qiao's decades of life experience. Faced with such an event, how could he not be terrified? To make him feel more secure, Fang Yu wrapped his arms entirely around the person who had nestled his head against the base of his neck, holding him like a small, fragile animal.
"Your husband knows you're afraid. Anyone would feel unsettled by such a major event."
"But Father-in-law, in all his years of business, has always accumulated virtue and performed good deeds, conducting himself with integrity. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, it will be fine. Taking a step back, even if something really happened, good people get their due rewards. He can certainly turn misfortune into blessing. And even if not, I'm here to hold things up. I will definitely not let you lose your father."
"If you want to cry, go ahead and cry it out. Don't keep holding it in; it will harm your health."
Fang Yu kept comforting and coaxing him in a gentle voice. Qiao Hezhi sobbed softly against him for a while. The crying slowly stopped, and he drifted into a restless sleep in Fang Yu's arms. Seeing the furrowed brow even in sleep, Fang Yu sighed and gently smoothed it with his fingers. "Everything will get better."
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