My Emperor Father Can Read Minds -
Chapter 73
He Yong had a paternal cousin, a cousin of his father’s generation with whom his father had once been very close.
In his father’s generation, the family lived harmoniously, and it was only after the passing of their grandfather that the elders divided the family and went their separate ways.
However, this “going their separate ways,” to be precise, mainly referred to that paternal cousin.
The paternal cousin was a clever person; when he was young, he had followed merchants, frequently traveling back and forth between Jiaozhou and Danzhou, working as a peddler selling goods, and thus made a small fortune.
Unfortunately, the cousin was short in stature, and because of their grandfather’s saying “wealth should not be flaunted,” he was regarded by the villagers as an idle loafer.
Even by the time of the family’s division, the cousin was still alone.
Later, the cousin moved to Jiaozhou and settled there, and He Yong never heard any more news about him.
It wasn’t until two years ago that someone claiming to be the cousin’s son, bringing along a granddaughter, came seeking refuge, and only then did He Yong remember that he still had this paternal cousin…
“My cousin’s name is He An. According to him, their family used to live in Ziyang County of Ji Prefecture, making a living by running a small goods shop. Everything was fine at first, until my cousin’s son made a trip to Yuanyang City, and everything changed afterward.”
“My cousin’s son was a very handsome man, well-known for his looks in their area. He had a wife and a child, and life was good. But unfortunately, after a trip to Yuanyang City, he encountered the Prefect of Ji Prefecture, a man who was indiscriminate in his lust, and was forcibly abducted!”“In broad daylight, before everyone’s eyes, my cousin’s son was dragged alive into the prefect’s residence!”
Wei Yu: !!
A man—abducted?!
“Wait, hold on, are you sure it was your cousin’s son who was abducted, and not his wife?”
Wei Yu was startled and couldn’t help interrupting He Yong’s wailing.
He Yong paused, then suddenly raised his head and wailed even louder, “Your Highness! That Prefect of Ji Prefecture is truly inhuman, a depraved, lecherous brute! When my cousin’s daughter-in-law went to search for her husband, he even, he even abducted her too!”
Both men and women, a married couple, all taken?!
The story was so outrageous that Wei Yu was utterly shocked, even doubting its authenticity.
Could that Prefect of Ji Prefecture really be that insatiable? Sweeping up both husband and wife?
Even Fang Sheng, who stood nearby, was stunned.
Fang Sheng had once been the Deputy Commander of the Gray Guards. He had encountered his fair share of men who favored other men and knew many such stories, but he had never heard of someone who wouldn’t even spare a married couple.
Wei Yu steadied himself. “Calm down first. Continue. What happened to your cousin’s son and daughter-in-law?”
It happened two years ago—what could have happened? Of course, they were long dead.
“They’re gone. Both of them are gone.”
He Yong sighed repeatedly, shaking his head as if feeling the sorrow himself.
“My cousin waited long for his son and daughter-in-law to return. When they didn’t, he traveled from Ziyang County to Yuanyang City himself. But before he could even search properly, he heard that the two had been accused of stealing and were beaten to death in the streets by the prefect’s men. Their bodies were even thrown into a mass grave, never to be found again…”
Wei Yu frowned.
Stealing? That sounded like a false charge pinned on them to cover up the prefect’s crimes.
“And then? Why did He An come to seek refuge with you? This isn’t something one would do lightly.” Wei Yu asked again.
As for that, even He Yong himself wasn’t sure.
“To be honest with Your Highness, this commoner knows nothing about that either!”
He Yong looked aggrieved. “When He An came seeking refuge, he only mentioned his son and daughter-in-law’s situation. He said he feared that the prefect would come looking to cause trouble again, so he sold the shop and fled here. Out of pity, I didn’t want to probe into his painful memories and didn’t ask much more. Your Highness, I truly don’t know much about He An’s affairs!”
Wei Yu glanced at him.
This chubby man had his little schemes, but he likely wasn’t lying. If he wanted to dig deeper into this story, he would have to wait for Yi Shisan to return.
“Alright, stand aside for now. I want to hear for myself why He An came to seek refuge with you.”
—
After about a quarter of an hour, Yi Shisan finally returned with the others.
Not only did he bring He An, but there was also a whole group of children trailing behind.
It seemed Yi Shisan had gathered all the hidden children from the mountain.
Wei Yu immediately recognized He An.
Among the group, only He An was an unfamiliar adult—it wasn’t hard to guess his identity.
But upon taking a closer look, Wei Yu couldn’t help but glance sideways at the blue-clad chubby man.
Paternal cousin? With that weathered, world-weary face, people would probably believe it if someone said he was the chubby man’s father!
Yi Shisan led the group into the main hall, but before he could even salute and report, He An dropped to his knees and shouted toward Wei Yu.
“This commoner He An of Ziyang County, Ji Prefecture, Jiaozhou, begs His Highness the Wise King to punish the Prefect of Ji Prefecture and return justice to my family!”
A classic scene of pleading for justice straight out of a drama.
Wei Yu straightened his posture, his expression serious. “Your son and daughter-in-law’s matter has already reached my ears. The Prefect of Ji Prefecture abducts men and women, is a lecher, and takes lives with no regard—he is truly a scourge. Now that I know of this, I will not turn a blind eye!”
He looked at He An’s bowed back, his voice gentle. “You traveled a thousand miles from Ji Prefecture to Xijing, bringing children with you, your future uncertain. I suppose your reason for coming wasn’t just to seek justice for your son and daughter-in-law?”
In these ancient times, with difficult transportation, wild beasts, and robbers lurking along the roads, most commoners lived their whole lives without leaving their hometowns.
One reason was the danger; the other was simply because it was unnecessary.
Ordinary people lived off their land. As long as they could survive, they would not waste money or leave their property behind. Unless a natural disaster struck, they would not lightly abandon their homes.
The tragedy of his son and daughter-in-law might justify He An’s departure from Ji Prefecture, but it wasn’t enough reason for him to travel all the way to the distant capital of Xijing.
Xijing—the imperial capital—the heart of political power!
For He An to come to the capital, the situation with the Prefect of Ji Prefecture must have become so grave that it could no longer be resolved locally, forcing him to seek justice here.
Wei Yu felt he had already guessed the truth.
And He An.
Upon hearing that Wei Yu would personally intervene to uphold justice, he immediately burst into tears and cried out loud.
“Ah—Your Highness is truly wise! My poor son and daughter-in-law, how innocent they were! All they did was travel to Yuanyang City to purchase goods, only to be seized and killed by that beast Guo Xiu—!”
“At that time, this commoner entered the city intending to look for them, but no one I asked had heard anything about them…”
“I searched the city for three days. In the end, it was a beggar who took pity and told me the truth. He said my son was abducted, and when my daughter-in-law sought justice, she was seized as well. Three days later, word spread that the two of them were ‘invited’ to the prefect’s mansion, and then accused of stealing and beaten to death!”
He An raised his head, tears streaming down his face, but his eyes shone brightly. He reached into his chest and, trembling, took out an object to present to Wei Yu.
“Your Highness, this was found on my son’s body. He didn’t steal anything—he found evidence of Guo Xiu’s collusion with mountain bandits!”
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